Trail running is now ever more popular all over the world. The sport is appreciated and followed by thousands of people all round the planet. Trail running usually takes place along the path which is not accessible by roads except for the trailheads.
A trail running path usually incorporates hilly areas, mountains and forest covering distances from 10 km to 50 km. The runner in most of the cases is required to run uphill and downhill following the slope of the terrain.
This is the reason why trail runners use custom designed shoes that are more rigid and has tougher soles than what we usually see in shoes used for normal purposes. There are brand names in the international market that specialize in designing high quality trail running shoes. New Balance trail running shoes are my particular favorite.
Some other important features of the trail running shoes are that they keep you feet dry and sweat free in scorching hot, humid and wet conditions or while training or running through slick terrains. The sole’s grip is also specially designed in order to grab on to slippery surfaces like ice which provides minimal friction to the soles.
The cushions and comfort factor inside the shoes are targeted towards conceiving biomechanical protection and avoid injuries. Over-exertion, knee pain and shin splints are some of the common and repetitive injuries that runners encounter with and good trail running shoes provide enhanced motion control in order to avoid these disasters.
An imperative factor that the trail running shoe design emphasizes on is ‘stability’. Acute ankle pain which is recorded to be the highest cause of injury for trail runners occurs mainly due to lack of effective stability. Single-track, fire roads, jagged technical trails, gravel paths, pavements are only a few kinds of surfaces to name that the trail running shoes are tested on before coming on to the international market.
A standard trail running shoe is expected to cover between 560 km to 790 km in its entire life span period. There are varieties of models offering varied result. Speaking in average terms, a runner covering 35 km per week can use the shoes for about 16-25 weeks or 4-6 months. This lifespan may seem to be on the lower end but it is also necessary to realize that the wear and tear the shoe has to go through is also on the higher end.
There are umpteen factors that decide the life of the shoe which includes the runner’s weight, his style of running and the surface over which the shoe is used. Trail shoes are obviously required to be tougher and rougher as and when compared to normal shoes as it involves greater wear and tear factor running through rocky terrains withstanding all kinds of hostile surfaces. New Balance trail running shoes are a great example of these shoes.
Therefore trail running shoes should be used exclusively for the purpose it is designed for and one should avoid using normal shoes for trail running purposes since it makes the runner more vulnerable to injuries and physical stress.
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