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Top 10 doandamp;#8217;s and donandamp;#8217;ts of trail running

Peter FainRunning on Dirt

The other night I gave a brief seminar about trail shoes and on good and bad choices Iandamp;#8217;ve made over the years as a runner. I thought it would be fun to highlight some of those points. The bad choices are always more interesting and seem to get a laugh, but I donandamp;#8217;t want this to be just about how dumb I can be when it comes to running.1. Donandamp;#8217;t hit the trail without fluid. If youandamp;#8217;re running an hour or more, always carry water or GU brew.2. Do cross-train. Itandamp;#8217;s the best way to keep you from burning out3. Donandamp;#8217;t wear worn-out old running shoes. Itandamp;#8217;s your most important piece of equipment. Donandamp;#8217;t be cheap on shoes. Buy them often.4. Do embrace hill running. It makes you stronger and itandamp;#8217;s more fun than running fast on a flat fire road. 5. Donandamp;#8217;t forget to have fun. Trail running is so much more than just running. There is a special escape that a trail affords. 6. Do pay attention to what you eat. Your diet is essential to any activity. I mean a healthy diet. Supplements are fine, but you canandamp;#8217;t beat real fruits and vegetables. andamp;#8217;Tis the season. Eat lots of them.7. Donandamp;#8217;t run injured. The longer you run injured the longer it will take you to heal. Itandamp;#8217;s better to rest and wait. Iandamp;#8217;ll let you know when I start practicing this one. 8. Do give back to the running community andamp;#8212; trail work, volunteering at races, etc. Those are just two ways to help continue the growth of our sport.9. Do find balance in life. Family/work/sports all take lots of time but all are very important. Find that fine line where you can do it all successfully. Iandamp;#8217;m still working on this one, too. 10. Finally, donandamp;#8217;t make the same mistake twice. Without going into it, I think you all know what I mean because weandamp;#8217;ve all done it. Learn from the bad decisions andamp;#8212; fuel, gear, time, etc. There you have it. Iandamp;#8217;ve got more points that are interesting but donandamp;#8217;t really fall into a do/donandamp;#8217;t kind of list. Have fun out there. And Squaw to Sugar Bowl on the PCT is looking great right now. Get out there.andamp;#8212; Peter Fain is a local trail runner who competes regularly in regional trail races and snowshoe runs in the winter. He may be contacted at runondirt@gmail.com.


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