Original article by Jenny Hadfield on Runnersworld.com
If you want to run the trails just a little faster, training on both road and trail is key. Trainer Jenny Hadfield describes how a proper training plan makes all the difference to what you can achieve, both on and off the trails. Training on the road, while it may be a completely different skill to tackling the trails, is vital to building speed and strength, endurance and recovery and should not be overlooked.
“The key is to understand that though running on trails is technically running, it's entirely different than running on roads. Similar to road cycling and mountain biking, running on trails is skill-based and requires a level of strength, balance, and focus that is greater than running on a smooth road. Both are challenging, but one demands your attention on every stride. For example, when on a road run, most runners can look over at a buddy and wink while telling her about the movie they watched last night-- even while adjusting their ponytails. If you try this on a trail, you'll end up seeing eye-to- eye with a bullfrog waist-deep in a pond and wondering how it happened so quickly. But that's the joy of trail running - you have to run in the moment and focus on the next step, every step. But this post isn't about the joys of trail running; it's about training to kick butt off road.
Here are some tips for getting speedy on trails:
- Develop your trail fitness first
- Run by effort
- Spilt your time on and off road
- Run long, fast and easy on the road
- Build your long runs slower off road
- Weave balance and strength into your routine
- Run techy trail intervals
- Let the obstacles come to you
- Create your own single-track
For the full and original article, click here.