Fitness

Trail Running: Improve Your Cardiovascular Health

Trail running improves cardiovascular health by promoting more exercise and physical effort. By doing it regularly, you can improve your cholesterol levels and reduce stress!

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Strengthen your muscles, gain more balance and reduce stress with this practice!

Trail running is for everyone. Source: Adobe Stock.

Does running in the mountains sound exciting to you? Maybe healthy or liberating? Well, it really is! This practice is called trail running and it has wonderful health benefits.

This practice is known to only allow brave people, not that it is limited, but you will go through many challenges. Rivers, obstacles, rocks and others.

There will be a lot of excitement and adrenaline! Who knows, you might even make some new friends! Trail running is known for its social interaction between people who love nature and can overcome challenges together.

If you want to know more about this sport, keep reading. We'll tell you everything you need to know and even give you some tips!

Overcoming Natural Obstacles in Trail Running

Do it in a group and enjoy the mountains. Source: Adobe Stock.

Trail running is a sport that, as we mentioned above, has many obstacles. These races take place on varied terrains made and built specifically to make trail running more exciting.

However, you can also practice it on concrete street surfaces, but not the entire route. The route is always well marked, and a map is provided so that none of the athletes end up getting lost.

Sometimes trail running can have a route that changes due to issues that may occur, such as weather or natural disasters. Trail running routes are predominantly natural. You can find many of them in mountains.

Whether it's rivers or lakes, streams or even paths that only fit one person, they can sometimes include more dangerous things, such as steep areas or places close to cliffs. It's certainly dangerous, but there are measures to keep you safe.

To be able to do this type of running, you definitely need to be in good physical condition. You will be doing a lot of exercise and you can't just stop halfway through. Train hard beforehand if you want to do this sport.

Benefits of Trail Running

Trail running is a form of mountain running, a kind of trail running, but much more intense. Instead of walking, you run. Instead of dodging, you go through obstacles.

This way, you can easily understand how good your physical capacity is and still experience that nice dose of adrenaline. Below, we will see some benefits of the practice:

Few injuries

In trail running, the terrain is much softer, and although it is less flat, this is an advantage. In normal races, you will find flatter and harder terrain, which means that the impact is less absorbed.

Soft ground makes it hurt less! Hey, but we don't want you to fall, okay?

Burns a lot of calories

Burning calories will certainly be much easier with trail running. After all, it's not just about running, but also about avoiding obstacles and pushing your limits.

You will have to move around a lot outdoors, in different conditions and, of course, in different environments, whether it's going uphill, downhill, climbing or even exercising your balance. You must be prepared for anything.

Reduces anxiety

Being in nature is a great way to improve your anxiety. Not only that, but anxiety is a form of adrenaline produced at unnecessary times that is not used up.

With trail running, you will use a significant amount of energy, and you don't need to worry about “winning”, because, if it is not a competition, there is no rush.

Counting on nature

Nature is one of the most important parts of trail running. Exploring nature is something that many of us don’t do very often, and it’s always nice to be able to do it at some point.

Whether it's looking at the green trees, feeling the wind on your face or experiencing the warmth of the sun on your skin, the birds singing, the sound of the leaves moving, all of this influences your life so much that you will notice the difference.

Exploring Brazil's trails: stunning destinations

Brazil is a huge country with many beautiful natural places that will allow you to discover its flora. Well, let's take a look at the best places with trails here:

  • Diamond Plateau, Bahia;
  • Serra dos Orgãos National Park, Rio de Janeiro;
  • Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais;
  • Itatiaia National Park, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais;
  • Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão.

Mountain safety: tips for running with awareness

If you plan to practice trail running, you should know that this sport requires several precautions to ensure good safety. Check them out:

Equip yourself properly

The first tip is to always equip yourself properly. Have a backpack with you and put various items in it that can help you during the trail.

Make sure to include a thermal blanket in your backpack, a headlamp, a windbreaker, a phone, and water! Another important aspect is footwear.

Also, get some hiking-specific footwear, as the uneven terrain can be tricky to navigate without. Oh, and decide whether your footwear needs to be waterproof.

Eat well 

Caloric meals will be essential. You will be traveling long distances and will need to replenish your energy. Meals rich in carbohydrates will be of great help.

Have physical conditions for the trail

Enjoy this sport as a couple's moment. Source: Adobe Stock.

It is also essential to strengthen your body and start training. Trust us when we say that racing is extremely challenging. You will burn out if you do not have the proper stamina and strength.

You can achieve this by training for runs, going to the gym, or simply training on easier trails.

Test on less risky trails first

Finally, don't forget that the terrain is uneven. This is something that many people overlook, but it can lead to serious problems.

Get used to the terrain, especially if you've never run on uneven terrain, by training on easier trails before venturing into trail running.

Try trail running and you will never regret it!

Although trail running can be tiring at times, it is definitely worth trying and enjoying. If you want to start, whether you are a beginner or not, you should take into account the tips we have given here.

Oh, and if you think this sport isn’t your thing, check out our other content. We talk a lot about sports here and we can help you with them! Thanks for reading.

About the author  /  Beatriz Martinez

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