If your cardio workout is long and boring, then maybe you’re just not doing it right.

Let me guess, you’re probably running or cycling on a machine in the gym. Yeah, that’s boring. Maybe you’re running along the streets in your neighbourhood. Slightly better, but still dull.

Try trail running.

I find I can run for hours on a trail - it’s long and exciting. I can feel the anticipation building as soon as I decide I’m going to run some trails.

Apart from the scenery, I have found that my injury rate is almost nonexistent since I started trail running, and I think this is mostly because I’m not running in a straight line with the exact same stride on hard pavement for hours on end.

When you run on trails, the surface is constantly changing forcing changes in your gait. Sometimes you’re stepping sideways to avoid a rock; or taking many small steps through some exposed tree roots; or clambering up a rocky hillside. These gait variations all help to strengthen the little muscles in your feet and legs making them less susceptible to injury.

For me it’s not always possible to run on the trails. I live in an urban area of Toronto where the weather puts an end to trail running around October, but I find that the benefits I get from trail running during the warmer months last me throughout the year. By the time Spring rolls around I’m itching to get my feet dirty again.



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Published

23 October 2012

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