Hello runner friends!
Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!
Now let’s get started by talking about the great outdoors! Did you know that June is National Great Outdoors Month??? It’s true!! And to celebrate this event, National Day Calendar encourages everyone to “explore our nation’s abundant wildlife refuges, parks, and natural beauty… and to pursue the beauty and majesty of the big skies and open spaces the outdoors offers.” I don’t know about you but I personally believe there’s no better place to do that than at the Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. And while June is a fabulous month to visit my favorite park, you should definitely visit it in November too. Why? Because that’s the weekend of the Dogwood Canyon trail runs of course!
Now if you're saying to yourself, "But Melissa I love running the Bass Pro Marathon and I don’t want to have to choose," or "I can't miss the Bass Pro Half Marathon although a trail run sounds great," I have three words for you... Run them both. For real!! Although they are back to back events, trail running is a whole different type of atmosphere and terrain. For one thing, trail is much softer than pavement and has a much slower pace. And there are several distances to choose from as well. So you can go long at Bass Pro and dial it down to a 15k or 25k at Dogwood. Or run 13.1 miles of Springfield roads and then hit the trails for the 25k or 50k distance (and don't forget about the Dogwood Challenge).
See where I'm going with this? As someone who does both as often as I can (the marathon and then the Dogwood Challenge), I will tell you this.... I always view Dogwood Canyon as a reward for completing the Bass Pro Marathon. The laid back atmosphere of trail running is restorative and unexplainable but trail runners get it—and you will too if you take the plunge and register for this epic trail run. Dogwood Canyon is where runners come to slow down and pause to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. It's hard to explain just how pleasing to the senses the hills of Lampe are so I’ll just say this… those hills are good for the soul. So if I have you now thinking, "Hmmm. Okay I might just try trail running," check out these 10 additional (and there are many more) benefits of trail running from Road Runner Sports and then get signed up.
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.
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.
Physical Benefits of Trail Running
Does trail running build muscle? Yep. Trail running has your back! And lungs, heart, and joints.
Does trail running build muscle? Yep. Trail running has your back! And lungs, heart, and joints.
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 cardiovascular fitness differently compared to running on a flat road or treadmill.
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 cardiovascular fitness 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.
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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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
Improve your overall mental health
So there you have it friends. Those are some great reasons to hit the trails of Dogwood Canyon this November. But if you're still not convinced it's the most fun you'll ever have this side of the pavement, check out what Jill (who runs both Bass Pro and Dogwood every year and is on the left) said about it, "Dogwood is gorgeous. When you're out there in the middle of nowhere partly in Missouri and partly in Arkansas... you just have to think that not EVERYBODY can do this... something so hard and so fun and so beautiful at the same time. It's just a cool experience!!"
Happy Running!
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