Trail running is a running discipline that focuses on outdoor trails or walking routes of various underfoot terrains. Most trail runners graduate from ordinary road running - honing good form whilst attaining a good baseline cardio fitness.

A woman trail running through mountains. *Source: Jack Davis from Pexels*

Why run trails? The main difference between running on road surfaces versus running on a rocky path is a demand for sharp focus on footing, particularly on uphill or downhill routes. Trail running is a way to get outside and deep into nature too, with many of the best trails being away from the cities where you can experience more isolation and calmness.

Another aspect of trail running - where adequate running gear is paramount - is testing new clothing and footwear. Trail runners like to try different brands and types of clothing and footwear, giving their takes, opening discussions online and reviewing the best options by weather or even terrain. Gear testing is a whole hobby on its own and offers an enthralling aspect to the trail running medium, which keeps it fun and purposing.

The love for gear testing is also essential in road running and is exciting, but the nature of trail running means that highly capable footwear, for example, is a matter of life and death.

Running in the Scottish winter on Ben Lomond brings ice, strong winds, rain and poor visibility.

Hiking this route, I witnessed in awe as enthusiastic trail runners whizzed past me. Eager to find out the why of it all, with grippy trail shoes for more purchase on the snow or the ice, I set off another day as again the trail runners were blissfully and wilfully wandering into the eye of the storm up into the thick clouds… to then defy death running down the already challenging hiking route.

I wanted to level up and live a day in these superhumans’ shoes, so I took the feat. Running up this steep Munro was met by small bursts of lactic output then longer spells of lactic lethargy. Upon reaching the top and refuelling, I found the run down technical but not impossible. On this day, fear left me as I committed to a downhill descent of terror. This moment changed me and lit the fuse – sparking an addictive streak of intrigue that is getting me out the door every weekend. I found out the secret formula, the why of it all.

Road running is hard, any running is. There are levels to road running that are elite level, and there are people who run trails at beginner level. I found that the trail experience is a problem-solving adventure where one wrong placement of your feet is an ankle-breaking experience, where you forget time itself - invoking primal, instinctual adrenaline with the mix of fear.

As I have graduated to running trails, I never focus on my breathing and never think about stopping despite giving roughly the same output as my road running sessions.

The trail experience is one where you could succeed in running for longer as you are distracted by the danger rather than thinking of quitting like what happens on a straight road with distractions, particularly those run-interrupting aspects such as crossing roads or even worrying about people judging you if you are a little socially anxious.

There is also scope to get away from everyday life with many trails to tackle worldwide, adding that thrill of getting out into nature with a zest for enduring the rigours of trail running.

Trail Running: What, why and how is it so Different to Road Running?