Pros and Cons of Trail Running and Road Running<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe main positive reason for trail running would be the softer running surfaces that absorb a lot of impact, which decreases repetitive joint pain. Trails are quiet and peaceful and give you a liberating feeling (at least for me). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A negative aspect of trails is that it is more challenging to get a consistent cardio workout when running on trails compared to running on roads. When running trails that are very technical you generally won\u2019t be able to achieve a consistent cardio effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding trails to run are a lot harder to find than hitting the road for a regular running session. Trails aren\u2019t always practical for those who live in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Road running is much more constant if your goal is to do interval training or to achieve a certain target pace. There are also fewer variables that need to be considered before going on a run, like if it has rained. But, a major negative aspect of road running is that the harder surfaces break down muscles quicker and injuries take longer to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The table below lists a couple of pros and cons of both trail and road running.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nRoad Running Pros<\/strong><\/td>Roads are easily accessible- they are pretty much everywhere. Roads are leveled and the surface is consistent, making running easier. Road running makes for good training. It is easier to monitor your cardio effect.<\/td><\/tr> Road Running Cons<\/strong><\/td>Roads have hard surfaces, and due to their high impact, the risk of repetitive injuries is increased. The surface of roads are consistent, which can plateau ones progress. Traffic, bikes, and other pedestrians can make road running dangerous.<\/td><\/tr> Trail Running Pros<\/strong><\/td>Trails are natural, offering beautiful scenery for runners. | Trails usually have softer surfaces in comparison to roads. These surfaces reduce impact-related injuries. | Trail runs always differ because of weather changes. | Trails have varied surfaces and elevations that allow force to be applied to different tissues throughout the body. Varied surfaces increase your body\u2019s strength and balance.<\/td><\/tr> Trail Running Cons<\/strong><\/strong><\/td>Poor weather conditions, like rain or snow, can make trails very challenging. |Uneven surfaces increase the risk of ankle injuries. | The hills and elevation can be hard on individuals with hip or knee pain. |Trails aren\u2019t as accessible as roads for those living in the city. | The uneven terrain can be hard on your running shoes.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBoth trail and road running have their pros and cons. Despite their many differences, both trail and road running are still running<\/strong>. There is no right or wrong when choosing your preferred style. Do not see it as an either\/or type of training that you should follow, but rather as a combination that you can make to benefit you most.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe scenery and tranquillity of trail running might become so enjoyable that you forget you are running, but trail running is without a doubt harder than road running! Trails are full of challenging obstacles that require a lot of concentration You might be running at a slower pace on trails, but your body burns more calories when running trails due to effort per distance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Running is running right? Or maybe not. I’ve run on urban roads and trails many times and the experience is really different. I wanted to share with you some of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":36,"label":"Running"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1280x720-1024x576.jpeg",640,360,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Peter","author_link":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/author\/outsidedecider\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":36,"name":"Running","slug":"running","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":52,"count":38,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":36,"category_count":38,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Running","category_nicename":"running","category_parent":52}],"tag_info":false,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6336"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6336"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6342,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6336\/revisions\/6342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}