Five Fun Trail Running Workouts

Hilly Repeats
Purpose: To improve running strength and stamina.

Running hills on a trail can be an effective way to boost stamina and strengthen your legs with a lot less impact on your body. Running downhill on a road causes a lot of impact on the body. Running hill repeats on the trail not only reduces the impact on the downs, it pushes you harder on the ups due to the mud, dirt or sand.

- Find a rolling trail or a hill on a trail that takes you at least 30 to 60 seconds to run up.
- Warm up by walking 3 to 5 minutes and then run for 10 minutes at an easy effort.
- For the first three hill repeats, focus on running at a moderate effort. This means you'll be running relatively slowly going up. It's also a great way to warm up for the harder hill repeats ahead.
- If you're new to running hills, run 3 to 4 more hills at a hard but controlled effort. If you're a seasoned hill runner, run 5 to 8 hill repeats at a hard effort level. When you reach the top of the hill, run through it and then recover by slowly jogging or walking down the hill for at least the same amount of time it took you to run up. So if you ran up for one minute, your recovery should be at least one minute long. The goal is to bring your breathing and heart rate back to an easy effort before you start the next repeat.
- Cool down by running 5 to 10 minutes at an easy effort and then walk for 3 minutes.

Techy Intervals
Purpose: To improve balance, strength and agility on the trail.

As you run over technical terrain that includes obstacles like roots, rocks or narrow single track, you create new neural pathways which, over time, will enable you to traverse the terrain more efficiently using less energy. This is a short workout since it's very fatiguing. Once your form starts to break down, the risk for injury increases.

- Warm up by walking 3 to 5 minutes and then run at an easy effort for 10 minutes.
- Find a stretch of technical trail that includes single track, roots, rocks, sand or mud. Run the stretch of trail for one minute, first at an easy effort to scope out the trail and learn the trail features before you push harder. Focus on keeping your elbows wide, shoulders relaxed, and land with short, quick strides.
- When you finish the warm-up, walk or jog the same distance back to repeat again.
- Run 6 to 8 intervals at a fast but controlled pace, recovering with an easy jog or walk back to the starting point. At first, run within your skill level and gradually increase the speed as your body develops better technical running skills. Your recovery should be longer duration than the run. As your techy trail skills and fitness improve, increase the duration of each run to 2 to 5 minutes.
- Cool down by running 5 to 10 minutes at an easy effort and then walk for 3 minutes.

More: Get the Best Trail Running Shoes

Speed Play
Purpose: To learn to run at a variety of speeds and have fun on the trail.

Otherwise known as fartlek, speed-play trail workouts involve running at a variety of speeds using spontaneous play along the way. For instance, after a warm-up, you play with your speed by picking points along the trail. Run hard to the top of that hill, then slowly down it. Or, sprint to that big tree, hopping over the log, then walk to the bridge to recover. Although it can be a fun solo run, making it social is even better as you alternate picking landmarks along the way. It boosts your mental strength and teaches you how to play with your speed, surging and backing off—just as the pros do on race day.

- Warm up by walking 3 to 5 minutes and then run for 10 minutes at an easy effort.
- For 20 minutes, alternate picking up your pace for 15 to 90 seconds using a variety of speeds with jogging to recover for at least the same amount of time as the pick-up.
- Cool down by running 5 to 10 minutes at an easy effort and then walk for 3 minutes.

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About the Author

Jenny Hadfield

Coach Jenny Hadfield is an Active Expert, co-author of the best-selling Marathoning for Mortals, and the Running for Mortals series. As a columnist for Women's Running Magazine and RunnersWorld.com, Jenny has trained thousands of runners and walkers like you with her training plans and guidance. Known for her "Ask Coach Jenny" brand, she empowers individuals of all experience levels to improve their running performance and train more effectively for their next event by answering their questions. You can follow her on Twitter and at the Ask Coach Jenny Facebook page
Coach Jenny Hadfield is an Active Expert, co-author of the best-selling Marathoning for Mortals, and the Running for Mortals series. As a columnist for Women's Running Magazine and RunnersWorld.com, Jenny has trained thousands of runners and walkers like you with her training plans and guidance. Known for her "Ask Coach Jenny" brand, she empowers individuals of all experience levels to improve their running performance and train more effectively for their next event by answering their questions. You can follow her on Twitter and at the Ask Coach Jenny Facebook page

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