Hit the Trails for a Change

   I was reading the Trail Runner magazine earlier in the week and it made really think about how much greater running the trails are. Not only does it take away all the pounding of the knees you would regularly get from road running, You also get a more euphoric high when hitting the trails. 
                    Here is some good info from the article in TrailRunner Mag issue 65.
  "In a study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex in 2008, Dr. Henning Boecker of the University of Bonn, Germany, compared the endorphin levels of 10 endurance athletes before and after a two-hour run. Unsurprisingly, the athletes all had higher levels of mood-elevating brain endorphins post run, and reported feeling happier and more relaxed.
   However, during a road run, inhaling gas fumes, dodging traffic and pedestrians while avoiding dogs on long leashes can cause tension that may block the rush of happy hormones. Running trails, on the other hand, takes you into a calm-inducing natural environment. In fact, studies on children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-a mental disorder that causes impulsiveness and an inability to focus-have shown that after walking just 20 minutes in a city park prior to taking a classroom test, they demonstrated better focus and scored higher than when they walked 20 minutes in a downtown or suburban setting. 

     These results suggest that time spent in nature-especially when combined with aerobic activity-has a powerful effect on your sense of well being and mental clarity. In fact, the mental engagement of navigating winding trails, adjusting your cadence over undulating grades, reading the landscape for your next foot placement and hearing only your rhythmic inhalations and exhalations has the power to clear your mind of external thoughts and worries. And regarding injury, the slightly higher chance you have of tripping and falling on a trail is more than compensated for by your reduced likelihood of developing a running-related overuse injury.
    On a road's firm, flat surface, each footstrike is identical, whereas on a trail that contact always differs, requiring engagement of stabilizing muscles in your hips and core for balance. This variety, along with a trail's softer, more forgiving surface, means less strain and fatigue that can lead to common injuries such as shin splints and knee pain"