Trail Running Tips: How to Improve

Hitting the trails differs hugely to pounding the pavements, working different muscle groups and demanding a new kind of endurance and agility.

So, how can you develop your trail running skills? Here are our top tips for boosting your performance.

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Transition slowly

Trail running places different demands on the body, and activates ancillary muscle groups not usually used for road running. Trail running also demands more energy than forward running motion on the road. So, even if you’ve already built good base mileage on the road, you’ll still need to transition slowly into trail running and develop your trail fitness gradually to avoid injury.

Slowly incorporate time on the trails into your runs. Start with one or two shorter trail runs a week, and then build your long run, starting with gentle trails and building up to more technical routes. Remember, your speed automatically slows on the trails as you negotiate softer, uneven terrain and trail twists and turns, so it’s important to run by effort rather than pace.

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Master Your Technique

Balance is key, especially on technical trails, where you’re navigating trees, roots and rocks. Keep your arms and elbows a little wider for added balance on uneven terrain. Also practice your hill technique. For uphill take short, quick steps and use your arms for power. Don’t forget that it’s ok to walk some difficult hills, again particularly on technical trails – ultra runners often walk up hills and pick up speed on the downhill and flatter stretches.

On easy downhill trails lean into the downhill, and open up your stride. On steeper, more technical descents adopt a short, stair stepping motion, keeping your posture upright.

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Improve Strength and Balance

Trail running demands balance and strength from different muscle groups as you change direction fast and shift from mud, to rock, to grass, and your foot plant adapts to changes in surface. You not only need to maintain balance, but your legs also need added strength to be able spring into their next stride from what might be an uneven, angled landing.

Incorporate specific strength and balance exercises into your training regime with single leg squats, deadlifts, calf raises and lunges on a stability board. Box jump repetitions are also excellent way to build power in the hamstrings, glutes and quads, and teach your body to absorb downhill force, replicating the up-downhill leaps and jumps you’ll encounter on the trails.

Cross training can be hugely beneficial to your trail running. Many trail runners also do some Cross-Fit functional strength work to boost their trail running performance. Swimming is excellent for developing the core strength needed for balance, while cycling helps build muscle mass and strength.

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Run Technical Trail Repeats

Once you’ve built up your trail performance, incorporate repeats on technical trails to help improve form and fitness. Find a piece of trail that includes rocks, logs, tree roots and up-downhill sections, and run short one-minute repeats, focusing on your form and technique. Then gradually extend the length of the repeats and move onto new and different trails. The idea of this is that not only are you improving your running technique, but you’re also developing your endurance and agility, and new neural pathways.

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Maximise Recovery

Uneven terrain and undulating hills work every muscle in your legs to the max, and you’ll need to pay special attention to recovery. As well as building your trail mileage gradually, make sure to lightly foam roll post-run, focusing on the areas that feel tightest. Compression socks or tights will help aid recovery by accelerating blood flow, helping to eliminate delayed onset muscle soreness. And finally, always make sure to refuel and rehydrate quickly and efficiently, ideally within 30 minutes of finishing your run.

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Looking for some training tips and advice? Then head over to our Training category where our athletes and experts explain everything you need to know.