Last Wednesday I decided to change my usual road running route by going off road and hitting the trails.
I have done some trail running before, but not a massive amount. Despite really enjoying trail running, up until now I’ve definitely been a road runner. You can read about my first trail running experience here. In short, I ran with a group of amazing women which was great for so many reasons.
I haven’t been on a trail run for a good while and that’s mainly been down to my injury, but now that I’m on the mend I decided to go on a trail run.
I’m very lucky that I where I live the trail I had in mind is only a short run away. I’ve never run this route before so I used a mixture of Google maps, Strava, MapMyRun and the Footpath app to give myself a rough idea of a route.
My planned route was 5km, although it turned out to be 6.5km in the end, but that didn’t bother me at all because the route I took was so scenic and I ended up stopping so many times to take pictures!
I also came across a lovely lady who was also running on the trails (albeit in the opposite direction to me) and she very kindly gave my some directions which was massively helpful.
The thing that I really enjoy about trail running is that even though I’m so close to home, I feel as though I could be anywhere in the world when I’m surrounded by woodland and fields of bluebells.
Here are some photos I took on my trail run.
Trail running is so much fun. If you’re thinking of giving it a go I would recommend trying to plot a rough route out in advance and be super careful. Running on a trail is so different to running on the road. The ground is uneven, quite often with tree roots poking up and stones underfoot. It’d be so easy to fall or go over on your ankle so take your time, and if you normally wear glasses, wear them! I don’t usually run with my contact lenses in, but I put them in for this trail run so I could see where I was going!
Have you ever been trail running? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.
6 Comments
Fi Anderson
May 1, 2020 at 1:13 am
Absolutely breathtaking photos, what a trail! Stay safe x #ThatFridayLinky
Jan (@Chimptrips)
May 1, 2020 at 8:18 am
Running is so much easier if you have scenic views. You can just forget time! #ThatFridayLinky
Michele Morin
May 1, 2020 at 1:24 pm
My daily run is also on a trail, and when it’s muddy or snowy and I have to take to the road, it’s so disappointing!
Kate Holmes
May 1, 2020 at 1:45 pm
I had not even heard of the term trail running before reading your post. I am a big fan of trail walking and imagine you do have to be super carerful for unexpected things underfoot from dog poo to hidden stones and tree roots. Good to have a change of scene though and beautiful images #ThatFridayLinky #BinkyLinky
Melinda Cummings
May 1, 2020 at 8:29 pm
That looks so peaceful!
#ThatFridayLinky
Jeremy@ThirstyDaddy
May 3, 2020 at 5:20 am
We aren’t runners but with everything that has been going on we’ve spent a lot of time hiking lately. I can’t imagine going back to the road or a track now #thatfridaylinky