Hello runner friends!
Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!
Which brings me to my point. If you've been debating on whether to try trail running, what's stopping you from signing up for the 2026 event? Now if this has you saying, "Melissa I'm not a good trail runner," then I have great news for you. Neither am I! But I do it (with lots of walking thrown in) anyway! As a matter of fact, in my opinion, I'm not even mediocre at trail running. But I love being out in nature and challenging myself, so I throw abandon to the wind every year and join my friends at the best trail run in the Midwest (hands down)!
This is the very reason I wanted to share 10 Benefits of Trail Running (*with my two cents thrown in of course) to entice you to trade the pavement for dirt every once in a while.
Trail running has nearly doubled its base of dedicated runners over the past 10 years and that trend continues to increase. During 2017 alone, 9.15 million people participated in trail running, up from 4.56 million trail runners in 2006. These rising numbers are expected to continue for good reason.
While running in any capacity is a great form of exercise, the trail offers greater challenges and, arguably, greater rewards. If you’re new to trail running, you can expect to experience more mental clarity, build muscles you never knew you had, and become an overall stronger runner.
Now, let’s take a quick look at how it differs from road running (aside from the obvious dirt versus concrete).
Now, let’s take a quick look at how it differs from road running (aside from the obvious dirt versus concrete).
Road Running Vs. Trail Running
Road running can be relatively predictable. For the most part, your path is likely well-paved and if you choose to, you can zone out and just run. The benefits of trail running over road running have to do with the less predictable nature of unpaved terrain.
When trail running, you have to contend with rocks, roots, uneven trails, flooding from rain, brush, and anything else Mother Nature throws your way. Focus is key if you hope to avoid a spill. Some trails are more technical and others are little more than a glorified dirt path. And the gear you need to run trails does differ from road running – specifically when it comes to shoes (HOKA was a sponsor of the Dogwood Canyon 15k this year).
Good trail running shoes (I like the HOKA Challenger ATR and the HOKA Speedgoats) typically have a lot of traction to help you grip uneven terrain. They also feature a reinforced midsole to protect feet from debris and puncture wounds from sticks and sharp rocks.
Shoes with thicker, wider soles are also becoming increasingly popular because they help stabilize the foot to ensure your ankles don’t roll during sharp turns. You can find trail shoes with other features, like waterproof elements, and gusseted tongues (to keep rocks out). The primary benefits of trail running shoes include their durability, better traction, and more support and security you need to keep your ankles from rolling.
Physical Health Benefits of Trail Running
1. Trail Running Is Amazing For Your Core
Tired of all those crunches and planks, but still want to build your core? Hit the trails.
The uneven footing, rapid changes in direction, and increased need to focus on balance make for an amazing core workout. Staying upright and navigating the varied terrain of trails means you have to maintain full-body tension at all times. This full-body tension keeps the core firing in what is essentially a standing plank hold during the entire time you are running. If you are looking to build a stronger core, getting off the road and onto a trail is a far more fun way to do this than slogging through an at-home core routine.
2. Trail Running Improves Your Balance
The key to good balance is a solid core, strong lower body, and stable ankles. Thankfully, trail running has you covered on all three counts. Running on unpredictable and uneven surfaces works the core, strengthens the legs, and challenges your ankles and feet to build a rock-solid base for balance and stability.
3. Trail Running Increases Your Endurance
Whether you’re training for your first 5K or preparing for your next marathon race , you’ll appreciate how trail running boosts your endurance. Balance requires you to activate the small stabilizer muscles in your foot each time it hits the ground, which strengthens feet and helps them take on more mileage with less pain. By charging inclines at high intensity, you can develop explosive leg power and increase your anaerobic threshold that’s critical for long-distance exploits.
Like any other exercise, make sure to slowly increase your trail runs rather than going out and aiming for a marathon distance your first try. And, don’t forget to bring the right gear if you’re trail running for longer than an hour — you might want to bring snacks and a water bottle, for example.
4. Trail Running Lowers Your Risk of Injury
If you are concerned about the injury risk of trail running, it might surprise you to learn that studies show trail runners may have a lower risk of running-related injuries compared to road runners. Running on trails puts less stress on the lower leg compared to running on concrete and tracks, and the power and stability challenges of trail running may create improved core and knee control to reduce the risk of ACL injuries.
Many running injuries are the result of overuse due to certain muscles, tendons, or ligaments getting stressed over and over again beyond their ability to recover; with trail running, the constantly changing terrain and varying direction of forces helps to avoid overloading any one area on the body as you run, protecting vulnerable areas from overuse.
5. Trail Running Improves Your Heart
Since you’re doing a little (or a lot) of extra work to run on varied terrain, your heart has to work harder. The constantly changing nature of off-road trail running — going up steep inclines and descents, for example — can increase your heart health differently compared to running on a flat road or treadmill.
6. Trail Running Builds Powerful Legs
While road running can help beginners build some leg muscle and strength, seasoned runners will find it’s usually not enough stimulus to continue getting stronger. Running tends to work slow-twitch muscle fibers for endurance; more rapid, explosive movements are necessary to work the fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for more muscle size and strength.
Running downhill on trails forces your quads to act as brakes while you descend. In contrast, running uphill puts more stress on your glutes, which helps your body negotiate climbs. Technical trails, or trails with a lot of peaks and valleys, engage your calves to stabilize and propel your stride.
Trail running adds sprints, jumping, and rapid cutting to the mix, stimulating those fast-twitch fibers and taking your lower body strength and power to the next level. With more time spent on the trail, you will not only find your glutes, quads, and calves growing more muscle, you’ll also likely notice that you’ve become a faster, stronger, and more explosive runner.
7. Trail Running Strengthens Your Joints
To top it all off, the increased strength and power you develop from trail running means more stable muscles and joints, which means fewer rolled ankles, fewer twisted knees, and more secure movements as you navigate the trails.
Since trails offer softer surfaces than hard asphalt, landings are more forgiving. Your feet experience less shock upon impact, which can be a game-changer for runners who need a break from pounding the pavement.
8. Trail Running Can Burn More Calories Than Road Running
Are you hoping to lose weight? Trail running is a surefire way to burn through extra calories compared to road running thanks to higher energy demands from navigating uneven terrain, maintaining balance, and scrambling up and down hills.
Although the exact amount of calories burned through trail running will vary greatly from person to person depending on a number of different factors, a good rule of thumb is about 10% more calories are burned for each degree of incline as compared to level road running.
A 10° hill means a whopping 100% increase in calories burned compared to road running on a level surface. This means that crazy hill on your local trail could be torching twice the calories every second you sweat your way up!
Mental Health Benefits of Trail Running
Your physical health is an important part of your life — but what about your mental health? Well, you can start trail running for mental health; this outdoor exercise can make you feel happier, more alert, and more actively engaged in your life.
9. Trail Running Makes You Smarter
Due to the high mental demands of trail running, it boasts mental benefits in addition to its positive health and fitness effects. Research shows that complex exercise activities involving a high cognitive demand increase measures of perception, working memory capacity, and spatial awareness in participants (proprioception).
In other words, your brain works faster, remembers more, and has a better sense of where your body is in space — all from simply running on a trail. If you want to build more mental agility, trail running is a fantastic challenge for both body and mind, with proven benefits to both.
10. Trail Running Can Help Manage Anxiety and Depression
Feeling stressed? Trail running may be just what the doctor ordered! Combining exercise, which has been proven to reduce symptoms of depressive disorders, and time spent in nature, which provides a variety of physiological and psychological benefits, trail running can be a powerful tool in managing anxiety and depression.
Trail running can:
- Reduce tension, anger, and depression
- Increase your energy
- Improve your overall mental health
The modern world is full of screens, ads, buzzing phones, and incessant background noise. Switching your run from a loud, urban environment to a quiet, secluded trail can make you feel less anxious and depressed. Taking some time away from everything to be surrounded by nature, relative silence and fresh air is good for your body and your mind. This is especially true when you pair it with the act of mindfulness (making a conscious effort to enjoy the present) and the practice of gratitude (making a conscious effort to name all the things you're thankful for).
And there you have it friends. Hitting the trails from time to time is truly good for the mind, body, and soul. So get out there and see why so many people run Dogwood Canyon each year and leave the Ozark hills with smiles on their faces. By God's grace, I ran both Saturday and Sunday (Dogwood Challenge). I wasn't the fastest or the most graceful runner but I believe I was the happiest one out there. That’s the power of spending time in nature.
Happy Running!
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