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Urban running is often associated with competitive folk, while trail running is reserved for the free-spirited. While this may be true to an extent, there are pros and cons of both. To be a balanced athlete, it would be in your best interest to incorporate both into your routine. In this article, we’ll take a look at how those two settings differ over five key aspects.
Gear
The biggest difference in running gear would be running shoes. On hard, compact trails you can get away with your go-to road runners. But if you’re going for the wilder side, you may want to look for proper trail running shoes. In short, these shoes have more traction. Whether it’s through grippier soles or deeper lugs, you won’t be slipping in these. Your feet are also better protected against jagged rocks and branches as trail running shoes have stiffer midsoles.
Because you are further away from shops, it’s handy to have a hydration pack handy when trail running. In terms of sun protection, I found that trail running offers more shade and a cooler running experience in the summer (think of the urban heat island effect!). But for both situations, it’s important to protect ourselves from prolonged UV damage by applying SPF cream. The best sunglasses for running offer sufficient UV protection and are crucial in protecting our eyes from corneal sunburn and cataract down the line.
Mental Focus
Trail running requires a lot more mental focus than urban running, and that’s something a healthy diet and the best pre workout can assist with. Even if you’re familiar with the route, you have to keep an eye on the ground at all times, because you wouldn’t want to trip over a tree branch that wasn’t there a week ago. Trail running also offers more opportunity to work on different techniques such as power hiking and downhill running. This being said the mental focus “wasted” for trail running can be directed to improving your performance on the concrete!
Impact on Body
Trail running is less damaging to your body and is a great option if you need quicker muscle recovery between runs. Running is considered a high-impact activity, and the ground your foot strikes when running off-road is much softer than concrete or asphalt. If you’ve been having knee pain from running lately, try running on grass or sand as an alternative.
You are also working on more muscle groups with trail running. Shifting directions abruptly to avoid obstacles requires a lot of core strength, and power hiking through inclined terrains require more hip mobility, glutes, and quad activation.
Consistency
If you have specific fitness goals in mind and find it important to track metrics such as cadence, heart rate, and pace, road running is definitely a better option. With trail running, the terrain changes with the weather. Dry, compact clay that turns into mud will slow you down, and you may even need to change routes on a whim every so often. With road running, you’re less likely to encounter these issues. During winter, most cities will keep pavements gritted so you’ll be able to stick to your route no matter the weather conditions and you can track your progress more accurately.
Safety
If you’re a solo runner, safety is a key concern, and urban running takes the bag on this one. Wild animals aren’t the only aspect you need to consider. If you trip and fall or sprain your ankle, you can almost guarantee there’ll be a member of the public to help if you’re in a city or small town if the running path has frequent foot traffic. But if you’re on the trails, help may be hard to come by especially on a weekday.
Conclusion
I believe that no form of running is superior to the other. As a city dweller, urban running is much more convenient and consistent for me when I’m in the routine of improving my fitness levels. However, I love incorporating trail running on the weekends to enjoy the outdoors and soften the blows to my joints after hitting the concrete!