How to Choose Trails for Trail Running

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Samuel Harvell, and I'm a personal fitness trainer and also a running coach. And today, I'm going to talk to you about trail running -- how to choose trails for some of your training runs if you're training for a 5k race, 10k race, half-marathon, even a marathon. Running trails is a really good way to get out of the city for a number of reasons. One, if you are doing a lot of training, a lot of running, that involves running on asphalt or running on the street, that could, over time, affect your body in terms of your joints, your knees, your ankles, for example. And it could also even lead to injury from running too much on concrete or too much on asphalt. Running trails is a really good way to get away from those hard surfaces because trails are usually a little bit softer. It's more of a scenic experience, also, because you're not in the city usually. But how do you choose the right trail? If you are a beginning runner, say, you're training for your very first marathon and you want to start doing some trail running, you may want to seek out a trail that is relatively flat -- an easy trail that you can run so you can start getting used to trail running. And if you are an advanced runner and you want more of a challenge, you may seek out a trail that is pretty rolling, pretty hilly. You get a combination of some flat running on the trail, flat surface running on the trail, some hilly sections. And it depends on how long you want to run, also. So whether you are beginner or you are an advanced runner, choosing the right trail is very, very important. But if you would like to learn more about trail running, what kinds of trails to choose from, and even what kinds of trail running shoes to use, you may want to contact me at harvellfitnesstraining.com."