Trailrunning!

Nearly 1500 words will give you over ? 5 minutes of reading pleasure and hopefully the inspiration to start walking nicely! ????

Bart asked me to write a fun blog for BYE, or Boost Your Energy. This is a company specializing in sports nutrition, which I have been benefiting from for over a year now. I use the nutrition from BYE before, during and after my training sessions and runs, especially during running and for recovery. Today I'm zooming in on Trailrunning in particular: how I got into it myself and why I love it so much.

Trailrunning is "hot" and you see more and more people exchanging the asphalt for the trails in the woods and parks. Perhaps also because the current Corona crisis has made the streets almost too crowded with runners. Everyone seems to be pulling out their sneakers just to go for a run. As far as that goes, we should be happy that we are still allowed to go outside for walking, jogging, running and trail running.

How I came to Trailrunning

I myself, Sven (35 years old), have been running for over 13 years now, most of which is paved running. It started for me as training to go running during the week. First 5km and then to the 10km and longer. This was good, just clear your head and be outside. I have never been fast or competitive, but I liked running races and runs. So it went from 10km runs to 10 mile runs and finally in 2014 the first half marathon, in Poland - where I lived at the time. I liked that and in 2015, 2016 and 2017 I bravely ran the Warsaw Half Marathon every year. In 2017 I reached a Personal Record (PR) of 1:40:38 but longer distances I didn't really run and the forests or parks I often ignored. Until I really got into Trailrunning in 2018.

It was through my favorite running store, Run2Day in Arnhem, that I signed up for the ?4 Parks City Night Trail Arnhem - my first 'official' trail. I chose an 18km route, through the dark, with an obligatory headlamp and my right calf full of tension from an injury. I spent half an hour 'foam rolling' that evening and almost didn't go. But it seemed like so much fun. A trail and then in the dark? So I set off ?n I enjoyed it.

What fun this was! Wandering through the woods, all those lights you see going, no one else and no sense of competition. I was sold.

Full of enthusiasm for this idea of running through the woods, I scoured the internet and found a club that organizes trail runs: Trailrunning Events. After some clicking I came across the Start 2 Ultra program for people who can run 20km and want to progress to 50km. The 50km distance is considered by trailrunners to be the limit for calling something a real ultra-marathon. This seemed cool, but was I going to be able to do it?

Fast forward to April 2020: here it turns out that I certainly could! The 6-month program introduced me to Trailrunning and what it entails in a fun way. Super proud I was when I finished the program with my first Ultramarathon of 52km on December 30, 2018. And since then, quite a few more ?ultra's? have been added. But Trailrunning, as far as I am concerned, is really not just running very long distances ? of course that can and actually only happens in Trailrunning ? but it is not a must. There is no minimum distance that makes you a Trailrunner ? only a simple choice: "today I do not run on asphalt!

Trails, elevation gain and the environment.

So we immediately have the most striking difference between Trailrunning or ?trailing? and regular running: the surface on which you run. Preferably it is 100% unpaved, so forest paths, parks, sand, dunes, gravel, MTB routes ? you name it. As long as it is not asphalt. With the type of surface often comes a different environment, a different elevation profile and often a different duration of the run.

Trail running is slower than running because it is not always flat and sometimes goes up and down hills. And that does not matter. You will often also Trail next to the distance, the altimeters? the number of meters that you during this distance, will climb. This can vary from 0 to 3200 meters and more ? and depends entirely on the area and the environment where you run.

Living in Arnhem I like to run in the surroundings of Oosterbeek and the Posbank where there are beautiful paths and nature. Here you will not find mountains or climbs of one hour at a time, but you can still quickly get to 200 altimeters or more. And you get the idea: those altimeters cost a bit more energy, depending on how steep and technical the climb is. Many trailers also choose to go abroad to find more altimeters with longer climbs and more challenge.

My best trail run was definitely the Eiger Ultra Trail in Grindelwald, Switzerland, over 52 km and with over 2800 altimeters.

Only 3 hours driving from home in the Belgian Ardennes I ran the Houffatrail this year, also 52 km and 1800 altimeters, which certainly felt just as tough! You don't always have to travel far to run cool trails and more and more are being organized in the Netherlands.

Good shoes will get you a long way.

One trail is not the other and that is what makes it so much fun! There is so much to see and experience that it actually never gets boring. The investment is minimal, because as long as you are not going to run long distances you really only need good shoes. Shoes with a little grip, that fit well and let you bounce safely over the trails. Eventually, with longer distances come racing vests, other types of shoes, maybe even poles and mandatory packing lists with headlamps, but that's not necessary to enjoy the fresh air.(More tips can be found at www.svenfm.nl).

And eating well helps tremendously.

As soon as I start running for 1 hour or more I always take one or more BYE endurance bars with me ? In fact for every hour I run I take 1 bar. As soon as I start running towards 2 hours I also take at least 500ml of water with me. In my soft flask I put water with BYE endurance booster powder. I not only like the BYE food, but also know that it makes me run well and provides my body with the right energy, minerals and salts to keep running smoothly. At home or back at the car after a run of 1 hour or longer I always take a BYE recovery shake. I do this almost immediately and certainly within 30 minutes of the run/training to give my body everything it needs for initial recovery.

Because either way, I want to enjoy running and continue to do so for a very long time, so staying ?whole and fit? is the most important thing.

Summary

What appeals to me about Trailrunning is being outside ? the woods, the trails, the parks or into the hills and mountains. Sometimes crossing a river, a meadow or a nice village. The idea that you leave the asphalt and the beaten track to wander through nature and enjoy everything you see and encounter gives a feeling of freedom, playfulness and unconstrained exercise at your own pace. You choose the distance yourself, and sometimes this happens automatically because you can forget about time and the world around you.

And what do you think?

Do you have questions about the nutrition, training or gear I use? Or other questions related to trailing and running? Let me know! I love to share my tips, training and experiences - but I'm also curious to hear yours.

Tips, questions, ideas ? Email me!

with sporty greetings!

Sven FM

www.svenfm.nl

What makes me happy?

Being outdoors! I see myself as an enthusiastic runner with over 13 years of experience on the road, 6 years in obstacle runs (OCR) and now since over 1.5 ?years also many trails and several ultra?s (>50 km). I regularly run a marathon distance or longer at home and abroad and I want to keep doing this for a very long time. I experiment with nutrition, clothing, shoes, training and my own limits - and like to share all my experiences so that others may benefit from them too. I watch and listen to others, try out schedules, make them myself and continuously read books, stories, blogs and vlogs to learn more about running, trailing, obstacle running, crossfit, nutrition, rest, training and recovery. ?