Written by Coach Aaron Boike from Performance Running Gym – The Official Run Coaching Partner of The Loppet
Can you smell that? Yeah – that’s the smell of pine trees, fresh dirt, and no car exhaust. We are lucky living in the Twin Cities – with natural surface trails abound at local parks like Afton, Lebanon Hills, Hyland Park Reserve, and of course our home trails at Theo Wirth! Wirth alone has over 12 miles of natural surface trails, most of which are well maintained “single track” trails – leading you through the best spots in the park – such as the Quaking Bog, by the beautiful Twin Lakes, and along Bassett Creek. Working trail running into your routine is both a mental and physical refresh and well worth the effort. Here are my top tips to make a smooth transition to the trails this Spring.
Let Go of Pace Expectations
One of the biggest adjustments to make when switching between road running and trail running is the pace. You can assume your “trail pace” will sit 60-120 seconds per mile slower than an equivalent effort on the roads. This means moving away from measuring your intensity based on minutes per mile, and instead using tools like heart rate, or good old fashioned RPE (rating of perceived exertion). It also pays to ditch the mileage based goals for trail runs, and instead focus on time on feet. The demands of the trails such as elevation gain, technicality, and even the condition of the trail (i.e. muddy, leaf covered etc) all factor into your pace. To maximize enjoyment, check your ego at the trail head and enjoy your time out there without expecting the pace to match your road based efforts.
Trail Techniques
It’s no secret that trail running involves a lot of hiking for most athletes. It just isn’t efficient for all but the most elite athletes to be running long and steep uphills. Hiking the uphills isn’t a weakness – it’s a strategy that helps you be a more efficient trail athlete, and ultimately maximize your per mile time by keeping your legs fresh for the flats and downhills. The second big factor is learning to run downhill. Most athletes tend to overstride on the downhill and “bound” their way down. While it’s natural to open up the stride when running faster – which almost definitely will happen when gravity is on your side – keeping your cadence (steps per minute) up will lead to better stability, confidence, and running economy on the downhills. Keeping cadence higher in general also helps you manage technical elements of the trail more effectively – for most athletes, a target of 165-180 strides per minute is ideal.
Strength Work is Key
The trail demands even more full body strength than road running does, and maintaining a full body strength routine will help you run faster and avoid injury. Our coaches at PRG typically recommend 1-3 full body strength training sessions weekly for our trail athletes, with the option for supplemental work to help improve core and hip strength that can be done before or after your runs. In your strength workouts, target 6-10 exercises that target the full body with a special emphasis on key areas – single leg strength, hip stability, ankle strength, and of course, core strength. Looking for a gym for your strength work – come check us out at Performance Running Gym – just 6 minutes from The Trailhead!
Get in With a Group!
At Theo Wirth there are two primary group run options weekly, and we’d love to have you join us! Starting with the kickoff on 4/21, Performance Running Gym and The Loppet host Tuesday Night Trails – A weekly social group run that starts from the corner of Xerxes and Glenwood Ave – just a quarter mile past Wirth Beach House. The group has distances from 4-6 miles and paces ranging from walk/jog up to ~10 min/mile. On Saturdays at 8am the Theo Loopers host a weekly group run from the Trailhead. This run is typically done at a conversational pace and is a great entry point for newer trail runners.
If you have questions, or need help with a custom strength program, or want to work with a Coach to reach your running goals – book a Free “Run Stronger Consultation” at www.performancerungym.com!
Aaron Boike is the Owner and Head Coach at Performance Running Gym, a gym for runners and endurance athletes located in St. Louis Park, MN. He holds a B.S. in Kinesiology, is a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and holds a running and ultrarunning coach certification through UESCA. Contact him directly at aaron@3clickfitness.com, follow him on Instagram @trainerontherun, or learn more about Performance Running Gym at www.performancerungym.com.