Trail running Vs road running?

[Benno87]

Hi fellow runners..

Got a question for the group. I've got a holiday coming up so thought i would do some parkrun-tourism. The nearest one to where I'll be is a grassy field sort of run and I've only ever run on pavements or fairly solid asphalt paths. How different is this going to be? Do I need different shoes/gear? Am I going to fall over a lot? Should I just try and find another parkrun that's not so rural?

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate10]

In dry weather it's not so different if it's very uneven ground it's harder on your ankles but they will strengthen.

You don't really need different shoes unless you're coping with a lot of muddy or very steep hills or a lot of slippery stone, that kind of thing.

It's much more interesting I think trail over road. Just watch where your feet are landing 👍🏻

[misswobble Graduate10]

It’s gonna be fab. Enjoy yourself. you have to go slower on uneven surfaces but the time flies by so much quicker.

Have fun 😃

[alisonx Graduate10]

I regularly take my runs onto the grass - use my standard road runners (mine are very multi purpose) - not tried a trail shoe yet. Grass is more gentle on the joints.

The main thing you will notice is a feeling of less spring back from your trainers to when you are pounding the pavement, I tend to run faster on grass too?

Hope you enjoy it...could be the start of something new for you

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Trails and grassy runs are brilliant fun. As already mentioned, short dry grass with some everyday inclines won’t require special footwear. If it’s very uneven, slippery, stoney etc it might be a good idea to wear them for extra grip and stability.

I run on all kinds of surfaces, and my favourite is probably my local trail run. It has everything. Enjoy your holiday and let us know how you get on! 👍😀

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

Go go go..as misswobble says..different but fun...enjoy!

[sTrongFuse Graduate10]

Almost all of my running this year has been on trail surfaces. When they're dry and firm, there's very little difference to running on tarmac (apart from avoiding tree roots). I'm kind of progressing the other way as the evenings draw in, and moving on to streetlit pavements and paths, so probably going to need to invest in a pair of road shoes and let my trail ones enjoy a well deserved break when winter get here.

[Benno87 Graduate10 in reply to sTrongFuse]

I'm not looking forward to winter either it's getting very leafy and slippy out there and my running window is fast disappearing

[sTrongFuse Graduate10]

I tend to go out in the evening after I finish work. Once the clocks go back at the end of October, it'll be dark by around 4:30pm here, so I'm trying to make the most of the light evenings while I can. Leaves I can cope with, it's when it starts getting frosty/icy underfoot I get wary. I may just stick to running laps round the rugby field with a torch once that happens...

[Benno87 Graduate10 in reply to sTrongFuse]

Good plan ... Provided it doesn't get flooded!

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10]

What everyone else has said about dry ground not requiring any special kit.

I’d just go and enjoy the experience, if I were you. If nothing else the views will be totally different to what you are used to.

[Yogaandrun]

I hardly ever road on pavement , trail and grass is more fun, go for it, enjoy and let us know how you get on