Literally “Running along the paths”, trail running is a practice that is becoming increasingly popular, it is appropriate to say, even in Italy. It is not necessary to be in the high mountains, this discipline it is practiced in nature and precisely the uneven terrain, the combination of climbs, descents and turns, and immersion in a relaxing habitat, make it a workout beneficial for both the body and the mind.
Performance doesn’t matter! Trail runners don’t want to finish first or set record times.
What matters is running freely, letting ourselves be enveloped by the sensations that nature stimulates in us. So forget the stopwatch and roadmaps! When you do trail you have to follow your own pace learning to listen to the signals that the body sends us. Only by letting oneself go to perception, experts advise, can one enjoy the freedom and every ride becomes an adventure. So what are the characteristics that make it so loved and why does it do so well?
PHYSICAL BENEFITS
What distinguishes traditional running, on the track or on the road, is precisely the variety of the terrain. In fact, on the trail you run in the woods, in the earth, on the grass, on the stones, they face each other differences in height and alternating between running and walking. On steeper uphill sections, poles can help you push yourself, as well as push your hands to your knees. On the descents, on the other hand, it is necessary to cushion the impact with the ground, trying to unload the weight on the forefoot, and use the arms to maintain balance.
In short, you have to adapt your pace and pace to the terrain that you have in front of you and this allows you to stimulate different muscle and mental groups, increases balance and enhances awareness: in fact, you need to pay more attention to the support of the foot. Running on softer surfaces than asphalt, then, the risk of injury is lower. However, you should always warm up at the beginning and stretch at the end.
MENTAL BENEFITS
The contact with the woods and with nature favors the release of endorphins, creating a state of relaxation and stillness. Joining the movement of the stroke allows to obtain a double benefit: for body and mind. The approach of trail running, in fact, is meditative and shifts the concentration on each movement and on the environment in which it is practiced.
Basically, a kind of mindfulness in movimento which leads to listening to one’s body and senses, in full harmony with nature. Thanks to this approach, in fact, thoughts and daily stress are left at home to focus on the movement of the legs, step by step, ascent after ascent, path after path. And in this perspective, even getting dirty with earth and mud is like reconnecting with the most instinctive part of oneself. For the benefit of the soul, and with all due respect to the passage in the washing machine.
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