Running Athlete’s Insights: Tips for the Trail
We asked our running athlete's to share their secrets. In this first part of the Athlete's Insights they reveal their best training tips for trailrunners.
Tip 1: Most important for the mountain runner is patience in training and enjoy the scenery through each run, Pablo Villa.
Tip 2: 20x60s uphill, Fabian Alraun.
Tip 3: I recommend to change locations and to use the contact with nature for relaxing and coming down from the daily activities, Gerd Frick.
Tip 4: Run the “Dent de cons” in Savoie, France. It has 1500 hm in about 4 km with a view of the Mont Blanc at the top, Celine Lafaye.
Tip 5: Run hills, lots of them! Hills are great for aerobic power and they are also a disguised strength workout, which will help you for the varied terrain you encounter while running or racing on the trails, Ryan Bak.
Tip 6: Find the most suitable shoes for the terrain and enjoy running, Adam Kovacs.
Tip 7:Practice power-hiking since it almost always is required in trail races, especially longer ones, Ian Sharman.
Tip 8: Walk in steep uphill sections using your upper body and arms as leverage – usually it's not worth the effort to run and you can accelerate once it gets flatter while the others can't, Stephan Wenk.
Tip 9: The best way to rise the capability of an uphill runner, it’s training the uphill. One tip could be doing 5 to 8 reps of 3’ on an uphill path, max 20% gradient. Resting walking back to the start. The intensity of the reps will be at race pace at the beginning of the season, and it will improve when we will have more confidence and power in the legs. It means we will be quicker and stronger, although, being so intensive, it’s better to do this workout at least 6-5 days before a race, Marco De Gasperi.
Tip 10: Tap into the surroundings to let your pace flow, Kevin Everett.