Trail Running – Off the Beaten Path

By Greg Munno (gmunno@syracuse.com or 470-6084), Staff writer, The Post-Standard – Syracuse.com
Link to original article.

Let’s give the sport of running a little tweak.

We’ll keep the endorphin rush and nix the endless pavement pounding in favor of a twisting trail through the woods. We’ll maintain the simplicity and low cost but jettison the cars and fumes. We’ll hold on to the amazing aerobic workout while vanquishing all of the “I-was-born-looking-good-in-spandex” attitude.

Give that potion a stir, utter a bit of hocus-pocus and presto: Trail running!

Central New York is home to a growing number of trail runners, which is no surprise given the abundance of great off-road terrain, strong organizations that promote trail-running events and the benefits of trail running over road running.

Trail running encompasses a huge variety of activities, from running on mellow, unpaved surfaces at places like Green Lakes State Park and on the Erie Canal Trail; to mountain-running races up the side of Greek Peak in Virgil; to endurance feats like this past weekend’s Finger Lakes 50s which featured races as long as 50 miles in the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector.

At its most basic, such as running along the Canal Trail, trail running and road running have a lot in common. There’s no need for special trail shoes. The chances of getting lost are slim. And you should be able to hit speeds similar to the ones you can achieve on a paved surface.

But there are still benefits to stepping off the road and on to that dirt path.

“I always try to stay off the road because it puts you on a softer surface and limits the pounding,” said Ken Hammond, a 23-year-old from Kirkville and a sales associate at Fleet Feet, the specialty running store in DeWitt. “And it is safer and more enjoyable because you get a way from the cars.”

The differences between road and trail running become more stark as you hit more technical terrain, like the rock-and-stump-filled paths in Highland Forest; or the narrow, steep, “single-track” trail that comes up the backside of Greek Peak; or the slick, twisting route through Fillmore Glen.

To deal with these conditions, your running speed needs to drop and your focus needs to increase, according to veteran trail runners like Joe Reynolds, 63, of Newfield, Todd Baum, 50, of Fayetteville, and Mark Driscoll, 49, of Syracuse.

“You need look where you are headed and really stay focused, keeping a connection between your mind and your foot,” said Driscoll, who organizes trail runs at Highland Forest through the Syracuse Charges Track Club. “It’s a bit counter-intuitive. You can’t look straight down at your foot, you have to look ahead of you, absorbing the terrain in such way that your foot knows what’s coming even if you aren’t looking right at it.”

Driscoll said this type of technical running builds strength in the core and legs in a way that road running doesn’t. The terrain forces the running to vary their stride, limiting repetitive-use injuries and building smaller support muscles.

But it comes with risk of different types of injuries, such as turning an ankle or bruises and breaks from taking a fall. The key is to stay focused and slow down, even during a race, Reynolds says.

“The only time I turned my ankle trail running was during the Virgil Mountain Half Marathon, at the end when I hit the pavement and lost my concentration,” Reynolds said. “Trail running is not a sport to ’space out’ during like you can road running. Speed doesn’t count as much. Even during a race, the competitors are less intense, friendlier, than at a road race. There’s no shame in walking up the hill. It’s less about time and more about having a good time.”

The increased focus on concentration, and the physical obstacles that force runners of all abilities to slow down, often allows older, slower athletes to place better in a trail race than they would in a road race, Reynolds said.

But even runners like Baum who competes in extreme events like the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in California said finishing in the front isn’t what attracted him to the trails.

“It’s just so enjoyable to be on a trail,” he said. “You’re away from the traffic and barking dogs. You have shade. You have the sights and sounds and smells of nature. Running heightens your sense of this beauty. It really gets you dialed in.”

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For easy trails to run use the Take Your Bike guidebooks : “Take Your Bike – Family Rides in New York’s Finger Lakes Region,” “Take Your Bike – Family Rides the Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley Region” and “Take Your Bike – Family Rides in the Rochester Area.”

For more challenging trails to run use the Take A Hike guidebooks : “Take A Hike – Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region” and “Take A Hike – Family Walks in the Rochester Area.”