The great part about being a beginner at something is that it takes you out of your comfort zone. The unfortunate side effect when it comes to trail running is that you will end up making a host of beginner errors. Knowing what those trail running errors are ahead of time will save you a lot of hassle.
What are the biggest mistakes new trail runners make?
- Too much too soon
- Trying to race every run
- Wrong shoes
- Wearing too many layers
- Not warming up
- Comparing yourself to others
- Going too fast on easy days
- Neglecting to cross-train
- Not doing something every day
- Not cooling down
- Ignoring the gym
- Not informing someone of your intended route
- Not learning some basic navigation
- Quitting
Now that you know what those biggest mistakes that new trail runners make are, let’s take a some time to look at each of them in a whole lot more detail. That way you will hopefully be able to avoid them and the setbacks that each can bring.
1. Too Much Too Soon
This is by far the most common of all the mistakes that new runners make. It is one that I have done more than once and have suffered the consequences.
When you are new to trail running you will find that your cardio vascular system will adapt to the extra effort of trail running way quicker than your muscles, joints, and connective tissue.
I know that it is tempting get out there and smash the distance out of the park on your first runs, whether as a newbie or coming back from injury.
All that you are doing is setting yourself up for injury/re-injury.
The most common indicators that you are doing too much too soon are any of these niggles it is a good idea to back off before things become a more serious problem.
- Calf pain that lingers from during your run to an hour or more afterward.
- Pain/tightness in your ITB
- Knee pain when you are not running
- Pain down the inside or outside edges of one or both shins.
A useful tool for when you are just starting with trail running is to follow a couch to 5k training plan. This holds true even if you are already running regularly and are changing over to the trails. To help with that here is a link to my free couch to 5k training plan.
2. Trying To Race Every Run
I know that I was more guilty than most when it came to pushing each and every run as hard as I could.
It is even more tempting when our watch shows us the pace we are doing. It used to feel like my watch was taunting me to go faster than last time.
It was exactly this, trying race along a particularly rocky piece of trail that resulted in me flying though the air before crashing to the ground. That particular lesson left me nursing a fractured rib for eight weeks.
3. Wrong Shoes
Luckily trail running is a relatively inexpensive sport to start. All you have to do is lace up a pair of sneakers and get out onto the trail.
While you are starting out and your mileage is still very low it is totally OK for you to use the sneakers that you have. Here is an article that I wrote that is all about whether it is ok to trail run in cheap trail running shoes.
However, as you start trail running more regularly and venture out onto longer trails it will be in your best interests to invest in a good pair of trail running shoes.
This may be a very daunting prospect because there are so many different sorts of trail running shoes that you can possibly wear.
The most important factor when choosing your trail running shoes is looking at your running gait, in other words the way that your feet land on the ground when you run. Narrow down your selection based on the types of shoes best suited to the way that you run.
The next criteria to take into account will be the type of trail surface where you will be doing most of your running. Trail running shoes have different rubber compounds and different lug patterns that are more specific to one type of trail surface over another.
To help you navigate this absolute maze of different trail running shoe choices, here is the comparative study of the different types of running shoes that I use for different types of trails.
4. Wearing Too Many Layers
This is a mistake that happens more often when we are in Spring or autumn. That is especially if you run first thing in the morning like I do.
The trouble is that if you head out of the door with too many layers on, you will soon be shedding them. And those shed layers need to go somewhere. If you are wearing a hydration pack then you will have a certain amount of packing space for some outer layers, but not too many.
My general principle for morning runs is to head out dressed a little cooler than the actual temperature. This is because my body will generate heat as I go through my warm-up and I don’t want to be stopping to pack away layers of clothing before I have even started my run.
I can remember the autumn evenings I would head out for evening runs along a riverside trail just outside a Spanish town. I was comfortable is a long-sleeve technical t-shirt while all around me runners were dressed in wind-stopper jackets, gloves, and beanies on their heads. They looked anything but comfortable in their wintry outfits.
5. Not Warming Up
Luckily I have not been as guilty of this as I have of many of the others on this list. That is mainly thanks to the track and cross country coach that I had all through high school.
Back then we always did some sort of a warm-up before each and every single run even if it was a jog or walk/jog combination for five minutes before winding up to our chosen pace for that training run.
Luckily that habit stuck. I will be the first to admit that I don’t do the stretching and mobility work that I am supposed to do, but I always ease my way into my training runs.
6. Comparing Yourself To Others
This is the easiest thing to get sucked into when you are starting out in trail running. The trouble with comparing yourself to other runners is that almost everyone will be faster and stronger than you are simply by virtue of the fact that they have been running for longer than you have.
All of us who have been trail running for years still have memories of what starting was like or what restarting after an injury was like. Remember that just by lacing up your shoes and stepping outside you already doing so much better than the thousands who choose to remain on the couch.
There is only one Kilian. Only compare yourself to the runner you were yesterday.
Comparing yourself to other runners that you read about, see on social media, or encounter on the trails will do little more than rob you of your enjoyment. You get to be able to run trails, soak up the feeling of being in nature while you can.
If you need to compare yourself to anyone, compare yourself to the runner you were six months or a year ago.
7. Going Too Fast On Easy Days
As beginner mistakes go, this is one that I kept making for around two decades.
I always thought that I needed to get back from a run completely drenched in sweat and feeling thoroughly exhausted.
For some reason as each season progressed my results would get worse, not better.
Fate eventually came to my rescue when I got invited to an end of season tapas party that was attended by a large group of professional athletes. I asked the group how it was that they got faster as the season progressed while I got slower.
The answer was unanimous. I was going too fast on easy days, leaving nothing at all in the tank, and that would mess up my recovery. To answer the question of how slow is slow enough for an easy day, I got to tag along on an off-season group easy run.
It was an eye opening experience to say the least. I was nervous that my slow pace would be holding them up. I need not have worried. Within the first couple of minutes I started getting told to slow down in order to keep with the group. Professional athletes telling me to slow down. It felt completely surreal.
We got to the end of an hour-long run and I still felt fresh enough that I could go out for one of my normal runs. It is a lesson that stuck with me ever since.
8. Neglecting Cross-Training
This has nothing to do with being angry when you go training as a non-runner once asked me.
Cross training is the broad category of sports that you can do as a runner that will still be training even though you are not using your running muscles.
In other words your running muscles get a rest day while you still get a workout in.
The most common of these cross training workouts are swimming, cycling, and rowing. But cross training can even include a gym session, or a yoga/pilates class.
9. Not Doing Something Every Day
I am not suggesting that you as a new trail runner need to get out and go for a run every single day.
This ties into the cross-training that we have just been talking about.
The act of “doing something” might be a run, or a cross-training session. It might even involve doing a foam roller session or getting a massage.
Doing something every day is important for those who are new to trail running or just running for that matter. It takes 66 days to form a habit, even a healthy habit like being active.
That is why doing something every day is so important when you are just starting out. It gives you a better chance of turning your new fitness lifestyle into a habit.
10. Not Cooling Down
The process of cooling down at the end of a trail run is the first key part of your recovery process.
Skip this and you will be adding hours and in some cases even days to the amount of time you need to be ready for your next run.
For me, a cool down is fairly literal. I gradually slow my pace for the final five minutes or so until I’m walking the last hundred yards.
Ideally I should be doing some stretching as well and you should too.
11. Ignoring The Gym
There are certain aspects of strength work, especially core, that make you a more efficient runner.
However, at the same time, running is not that good in improving those same aspects of your fitness.
Many runners loathe going to the gym because they just end up doing the same planks and crunches every single time. Luckily for you, I have put together a list of the best gym exercises you have likely never done. There will be some that you may have never even seen. You can find that article by clicking here.
12. Not Informing Someone Of Your Intended Route
It is always a good idea to inform someone of your intended route when you go for a run with others. This is important for in case something goes wrong along the way.
The need for this ratchets up even more if your intended route is out along the trails or in a wilderness area.
If you are heading out on a solo run, informing someone of your intended route and expected time of return can literally mean the difference between life and death.
For more on how to stay safe while trail running on your own, here is the article that I wrote on Trail Run Planet covering this in detail.
13. Not Learning Some Basic Navigation
Trail running out in the wilderness in many instances involves using intersecting trails that may sometimes not be very clear.
Having some basic navigation skills will help you to be able to make your way through areas of trail that are not well defined or marked.
I am not talking about spending years in becoming a UIAA or AMGA accredited mountain guide. At a bare minimum what you ought to be able to tell is if your intended route is supposed to be trending uphill or downhill and in what basic direction. That way you will be able to tell very quickly if you are heading the wrong way.
The good news for you is that I have written an article that explains exactly what those basic navigation skills are and how to practice them so that you can cope with what may happen in the future. You can find that article by clicking here.
14. Quitting
In my opinion the absolutely worst mistake that a new trail runner can make is to quit our wonderful sport.
If you are new to trail running, try and get out onto the trails as often as you can for at least the first three months. That way you give the sport enough time to grow on you.