Trail running and training advice
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3dogsrunning
Posts: 27,167 Member
So we booked a trip to California in November (yeah!). Naturally, the first thing I did was try to find a race to do. I was thinking a fun little 5k. What I found was the Griffith Park trail half marathon - "A beautiful, but tough Trail Half Marathon course that winds through historic Griffith Park, out to the Observatory, down to Bronson caves, and proceeds along the base of the Hollywood sign with incredible views of downtown Los Angeles.". http://griffithparktrailruns.com
Sounds awesome. Then I did some research on the race, apparently it is hard, really hard. Lots of hills, like 5000 ft total incline and decline. I'm sold!
So my questions -
I am not new to half marathons, however, I am not a trail runner. There aren't many options for me to run on around here. There is a trail that I might get to occasionally to train on, not sure of the degree of difficulty it is though. How much of a difference is it going to make? Any advice on prepping for this kind of a run?
And,
Obviously I need to train on some steep hills. I am assuming i need more than your average half marathon training program. Any suggestions on a training plan? In May I ran a pretty challenging leg of a relay that was pretty much a steep incline the entire 18km, but I didn't get to train for it (I was a fill in). I finished it, but walked quite a bit. I'd like to be a little more prepared for this.
Sounds awesome. Then I did some research on the race, apparently it is hard, really hard. Lots of hills, like 5000 ft total incline and decline. I'm sold!
So my questions -
I am not new to half marathons, however, I am not a trail runner. There aren't many options for me to run on around here. There is a trail that I might get to occasionally to train on, not sure of the degree of difficulty it is though. How much of a difference is it going to make? Any advice on prepping for this kind of a run?
And,
Obviously I need to train on some steep hills. I am assuming i need more than your average half marathon training program. Any suggestions on a training plan? In May I ran a pretty challenging leg of a relay that was pretty much a steep incline the entire 18km, but I didn't get to train for it (I was a fill in). I finished it, but walked quite a bit. I'd like to be a little more prepared for this.
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Replies
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Tag for ensuing self punishment. Errr...training..0
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I was looking at running that race myself, I have reached out to some LA running friends for intel on the course.0
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First of all look at your training shoes. For trail running you need a tighter fit around the toe box compared to road running. This stops your toes from bashing against the inside and causing problems with toe nails etc.
To run a trail race it’s not imperative to train on trails but it is obviously better if you can especially if you are trying for a good time. When you road run your stride tends to be pretty even whereas with trail running there is more directional change and avoiding tree roots, rocks etc. This puts different stresses on the body and its worth doing a bit of extra core work to help. Also with a lack of trail available do some agility drills.
You will be slower running on trails, don’t get disheartened that your pace is slower than you are probably used to, the weather can have more impact on your run particularly when it’s wet.
Get hills into your training as much as possible, try and learn when to run them and when to walk them. Practice power walking up hills with your hands on your thighs. If you can’t find hills then use stairs and sprints
Distance wise train as normal. You can go a little over mileage to compensate for lack of hills but this does not work for everyone.0 -
I'm running my first trail half marathon two weekends from now. I run quite a bit on unpaved areas, however, most of that is flat so I know the trail will be quite different. I have done some legitimate hilly single-track running - and yes, you have to be more careful about things, but running is still running. Regarding the hills - there's no shame in walking (up or down). Sometimes on inclines, I feel like I could actually hike it faster than run it and sometimes on downs I just don't feel secure running so I'll walk down. I'm in the middle of training for a full, so my main goal is to have fun and stay injury-free :-).
Enjoy that race, sounds like you found a really scenic one for your visit out to CA.0 -
Here is what I have gotten so far:
"I ran the full Griffith park trail marathon and it was challenging.. Nice small and wide trails. It was tuff rite from the start. Rocky sandy soft and hard type of trails.. It's a great challenge with a few steep hills. Same route back and forth"
I am not sure what "small and wide" means. I recall another friend who ran the full marathon in this same park several months ago saying it was a very tough course but I do not know if the half follows the same route.0 -
Western States (a 100 mi trail run) is on my bucket list. "Learn to power-hike" was a recent piece of advice given to my mother on my behalf by a two-time winner of the event. If you can walk close to the speed you would run a hill, there is NO shame in walking, because it saves tons of energy, which you can use on more "runnable" sections of the trail.
Personally with respect to shoes I like more space in the toe box, and I have never had issues with lost/black/bloody toenails (I've only gone 50mi though- things may change at higher mileage.) I tend to lace tighter around my instep instead and leave my toes free to move. Not sure if that's because I have a high arch, but that is how I like it.0 -
The main thing I learned is that a trail run is really a "rike" - you run and hike it. You power hike the uphill sections and you run the flats and downhills.
Now don't take the fact that you're only hiking the uphills to mean you don't need to train. You want to get some good uphill training in so you don't have to stop and catch your breath. Hill repeats are good, and if you have a course that's mostly uphill, do that, or do some running with a treadmill on an incline. Also walk with the treadmill on a really high incline - probably as high as it will go, for several miles without stopping. Hiking is good too.
It's also good to get some downhill training in too so that your knees get used to it too.0 -
Another LA friend shared some pictures with me, looks like hard-packed dirt trails but she isn't sure which sections are the going to be used for the half marathon.
*edit* More commentary: "I need to come run these brutal hills more. Its nice ground though. Its a little soft in some places and we skidded a few spots but it is pretty wide. I saw single track in the distance and will go that way one day. Its lovely though in an L.A. way. Lots of lizzards today."0 -
Keira Henninger is the RD for Griffith Park and while I don't have any direct experience with her races she has a reputation for putting on great races on tough courses. I know a guy who's done Hardrock and nearly DNF'd one of her 50k's.0
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Just home from a Trail Running Camp, learned a lot! A couple pieces of advice:
* Do hills at least once a week
* Definitely buy good trail shoes
* Ankle exercises... when sitting lift each foot off the ground one at a time ( while watching TV??)
"write" each letter of the alphabet with your foot to strengthen and stretch those ankle ligaments.
*get accustomed to running and looking down, you will have to watch your footing
* do some plyometics
Check out Trail Runners magazine, so much good info.
Enjoy!! Google Killian Jornet, so inspiring. Watch the movie "Unbreakable" about the Western 100,
will get you fired up!
Let us know how it goes.0 -
Tagging. All my hiking has been done on the flattest of flat trails in pancake South Jersey or the rockiest of mountain climbs in the Catskills and Adirondacks, so I feel completely at a loss as to what to expect from trail running. But looking forward to the new adventures!0
