Episode 69: Trail & Ultra Coach Doug Hay on Becoming a Trail Runner

The Strength Running Podcast

Jason Fitzgerald

Health & Fitness, 10k, Beginnerrunning, Marathontraining, Fitness, Injuryprevention, Marathon, Halfmarathon, Running, Sports

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2018

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I'm not promoting running trails because they're beautiful. Or awe-inspiring. Or jaw-dropping. Though, that's certainly an added bonus!

Trail running is a welcomed alternative to road running because it's a different type of stress that helps you become a better runner:

The uneven surface can limit the repetition of running, thereby reducing your injury risk
The varying terrain and obstacles (rocks, roots, holes, more turns and elevation changes) requires more athleticism
Softer surfaces can promote recovery on easy days

Plus, let's not forget that running trails usually means that you're going to run slower. And that can actually be a very good thing!

When used appropriately, train running can aid recovery by forcing you to run slower. A lower heart rate - on a softer, more forgiving surface - is how to structure a great recovery day.

From injury prevention to athleticism to recovery, trail running can help improve the quality of your training (and your race results).

To help you make the most of running trails - and get started with the least amount of stress - I spoke with trail and ultra runner Doug Hay.

Doug is the coach behind the Rock Creek Runner blog and podcast (Trail Talk). For a healthy dose of #trailporn, don't miss his Instagram!

He's also the creator of the Trail Runner's System (today's sponsor).

Our conversation covers a lot:

Our best advice for new trail runners
Do trails make running easier?
How "trails" can be a lot more than just trails
The risks of road running
Trail running as a gateway drug
What trail gear is absolutely necessary (and what isn't)?

We also include a challenge for you - so don't miss this episode.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready, set go.
0:04.7	This is episode 69 with ultra marathoner, running coach, and fellow lover of the trails, Mr Doug Hay. Hey. Hey,
0:13.0	Hey, Hey, Hey everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host
0:25.9	Jason Fitzgerald and today is all about trail running. I love trail running. If I had my way, I would practically never run on the roads because trails are just so much more fun.
0:38.0	Now, I didn't always love trail running. In fact, for the first two years of my running career, our team barely ever ran off the road.
0:46.0	But a friend of mine who ended up being our cross-country captain when I was a junior in high school,
0:51.0	he changed all of that. During the summer before the season, he went out and
0:55.5	scouted the popular trails on the conservation land in our town. So when practice started,
1:01.3	we had all of these planned routes already in place.
1:05.2	And my love of off-road running began.
1:08.3	Running through fields, besides streams or along beautiful mountain terrain like I do now in Colorado is such a practical way to make
1:16.8	the time go by. I know that sometimes not every run is fun. Not every run is blissed out joy, but trails make those miles go by faster.
1:27.7	And when you consider the injury prevention benefits, the added athleticism and coordination that you get from trail running, not to mention the strength
1:35.3	gains, it's clear that trail running is an incredibly valuable addition to your training.
1:43.0	To talk more about how to get started on trails, make the most of them, and what we can expect
1:47.9	physically, I'm talking today with my friend Doug Hay.
1:51.3	I first met Doug in about 2012 for a trail run in Washington DC's Rock
1:57.0	Creek Park and we've gone on Silver Run since then, always on the trails. He's an ultra-runner, he's a running coach, he's also the co-host of the No Mean
2:05.5	Athlete Radio Podcast and someone whose passion for trail running is infectious. He's also the creator of the Trail Runners System and the sponsor of today's episode.
2:16.7	The Trail Runner System is your go-to resource for excelling as a trailrunner.
2:21.5	Head on over to Strengthrunning.com slash TRS. I'm very clever and the
2:27.5	TRS stands for trail runners system and you can see all the details, including the key differences between road and
	...

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