Get off road and dirty

Get off road and dirty - ROC Fitness contributed this article to www.nice2tri.com . It covers the benefits that cross country and trail running develop. Make sure that you seek the right advice and plan your winter training when first starting out.

Running in the colder months can be as rewarding as the sweat clad summer stomps. You just have to take on the miles with a slightly different mindset and have clear goals.
Weather conditions aren’t only a cue to change clothes. With the right change in attitude and accepting the prevailing weather you can adapt the training and increase your motivation.

A lot of lessons can be learned from experienced club runners at this time of year. A planned off season running programme which has members on long steady runs, cross country jaunts and some hill work thrown in for good measure. Should you not have the time to join a club then you need to get out the front door and seek out the routes that vary in terrain, altitude and attitude.

Running off road comes with a health warning!

No matter how slow your sessions are or how well you think you know your route, be prepared and be ready for the session. Simple measures for worst case scenarios include;
· carry a form of ID
· take the head torch even if there is only a small section of the route under darkness
· wear the correct footwear for the type of terrain.

Hill running is hugely beneficial for expressing and developing technique along with the gains that can be made in overall fitness. Taking the body up an incline will certainly increase heart rates and act to strengthen the running musculature, therefore technique and form should be the priority focus with the intensity building over time with experience. The incline and chosen intensity should allow you to get to the desired finish point without tightening up in the shoulders and hips, maintaining the same tempo throughout and delivering yourself a high without collapse!
Any form of interval training is motivated by the goals, both short and long term. Are you running up “them there hills” because you read it was what people do in the winter or do you have a purpose and personal goal?

Cross Country and Trail Running – these are two different types of running exercise. Cross country can lead you into an uncompromising situation where you have to scramble your butt off just to stay on your feet. Trail running will have you thinking that bit more about foot placement; however you should be running through a clear path, bridleway or registered trail. The two can be as rewarding as the other.

Cross country running requires cross country shoes. The extra grip and in some shoes, spikes, will increase the possibility of staying on your feet as you bound from start to finish. Bounding is a key word to note. The rhythm can be intermittent which in turn can leave you looking like a nervous gazelle in the bush. Bounding along effortlessly, then a nervous jerk and slip because there was a mysterious noise from the undergrowth.

Due to its lawlessness in its structure, cross country requires strong core muscles although completing cross country acts as core strengtheners in itself. Very good flexibility is required along with an acceptance that a steady consistent rhythm may be frustrating to find. Usually muddy, wet, hilly, the cross country run is fun, a great training session to boost aerobic capacity and improves your running tempo without thinking about it. Moving through a cross country at slow tempo will result in feeling “heavy and stuck in the mud!” Making the effort frequent will aid in the progression and the body will adapt. Do it infrequently and there’s a chance that you’ll experience a muscle strain in places you didn’t think possible. Accept that your heart rate will show a 7 min mile pace when you’re actually travelling at 9 minutes per mile.

Cross country running is probably one of the best core stability sessions ever. Before Swiss balls and stationary indoor “tube ride” simulators arrived, functional movement was doing fine because of exercise such as cross country running. The muscles are firing on and off constantly to keep you upright and maintain forward motion. Brilliant!

Trail running is a bit more subtle. The rhythm and steady heart rates are easier to find. This doesn’t stop it being a challenge. It is much better for people with limited running experience and should be a more pleasant introduction to the varied surfaces and textures that cross country throws at you. You still need you wits about you as you avoid the odd deep puddle or sticky mud patch. The route should hold no immediate threats. It still adds to improving your tempo and core activation. These routes should not require spikes. Saucony deliver a good trail shoe with all the grip needed for easy to intermediate terrain.

Deciding your winter training routine needs the following questions answered;
What is your longer term goal?
What is your experience?
What do you have time for?
What routes do you have available?
What assistance have you got in your local area?
Do you have the right footwear for the chosen terrain?

Benefits of Cross Country
• Great for improving tempo, aerobic capacity and Core activation.
• Fun & exhilarating
• The legs will demonstrate their new found resilience on the roads in Spring
• Improve mental strength – Cross country can find demons you never knew existed or may not have find out about until mile 22 in the marathon!

Red flags for Cross country
• Flexibility needs to be good and improved to cope with slips and potential hazards
• Correct footwear is essential to win the fight against gravity
• Not for the faint hearted. Consult your GP before beginning a new training experience and if you are a beginner try a local running club that is focusing their winter block on some cross country sessions

Benefits of trail running
• It’s refreshing to run free of any urban distractions
• Rhythm can be maintained for most of session.
• A good surface for beginners who wish to embark on a cross country routine in the future
• Can improve core activation, tempo and aerobic fitness

Red flags for trail running
• As with cross country, routes can leave you in a remote location so always take a drink, ID and a head torch
• Normal road shoes can get you through most trail routes, although specific trail shoes would suit best for the irregular surfaces that beckon
• Know where your trails go. If possible take the mountain bike down them first. If you have to get off and walk the bike for stretches then it’s now officially a cross country session!

Enjoy the winter months and the dirty socks that it should bring! If you need help with planning your routines and learning how to pace your running sessions then contact ROC Fitness.