POSE IN PRESS A collection of articles about Pose Method and Dr.Romanov in various publications.
FLORIDA SPORTS (US)
2004
Trail Running: Hot on the Trail
by John Robson
Lately I’ve taken to judging a proposed run by a single standard: Should I wear gloves? Not gloves as in it may be a little chilly outside, but gloves as in what are the odds that I will take a serious header that will flay the skin off my palms and possibly snap my wrists as I attempt to arrest my fall?
If the answer is that gloves are warranted, then I’m in. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m simply done with road and track. If I can’t find a juicy trail to explore, then I’m just not interested. It’s not that Florida’s roads are all that terrible, but after 25+ years of running here, it feels like every road run is just another spin on the treadmill. On our long straight roads the view never changes, the horizon never approaches, and the feeling that I’m just a hamster on a really big wheel is hard to escape. I always know how far and how fast I’ve run and that knowledge is a straight jacket, squeezing any remote feeling of pleasure out of the effort.
By contrast, a run on a circuitous, jungly, rough and tumble trail, particularly one I’ve never seen before, is the ultimate in freedom. How fast am I running? I don’t know. How far have I gone? I don’t care. All I know is that despite the fact that trail running can be very tough, it’s always fun. Running on the roads, particularly those that are conveniently marked in one-mile increments, seems more like punching the clock at a factory.
While trail running has always been a strong component of my approach to life, a recent spate of trips to Los Angeles has pushed trail running from an interest to something approaching an obsession. This is particularly of note to those who don’t go there on a regular basis and think of L.A. as nothing but a vast concrete megalopolis of freeways and parking lots. While the town does indeed have the world market for concrete cornered, it also has a vast network of absolutely incredible running, hiking and mountain biking trails.
Know the Hollywood sign? The only way to get there is by trail. Heard of America’s cowboy raconteur Will Rogers? Apparently he never met a trail he didn’t like, because you can start at the museum that was once his house and run for 50 miles before you have to turn around. So, yeah, now I while away the endless hours on the plane thumbing through copies of 101 Hikes In Southern California and Santa Monica Mountains Mountain Biking Best Trails and plotting the quickest route from whatever meeting I have to attend to the closest, coolest trail.
Now Florida may be no California, but that doesn’t mean we are without meaningful trails. In fact, we’ve got trails good enough that I now often violate one of my cardinal rules of running, which is to never get into a car to go run. I’ve always been a head-out-the-door-and-run kind of guy, but when a reasonably short drive will put me on the trails of North Miami Beach’s Oleta River State Recreation area, Hialeah’s Amelia Earhart Park or Broward County’s Markham Park, well, sometimes I find myself burning a few fossil fuels before burning a few calories.
And even when I do head straight out the door, I can cobble together a couple of routes that involve trail-like substances. One version mixes a little golf course poaching, some asphalt path and a causeway-paralleling greensward while another has mixed media that includes a footbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, a nice section of wooden boardwalk and a long stretch of beautiful beach with your choice of sand, hard-packed and fast or deep and damn near impassible.
While mountain bike parks and beaches are obvious alternatives to road running, trails are often where you find them…and many of the best have a limited shelf life. For a couple of years back when I lived in Coconut Grove, I was probably the only human to run on a terrific trail in what is now part of the exclusive subdivision.
While other sections of the tract were being developed, I stumbled upon an area that was relatively untouched but had a great route that wound through a hammock, went into some deep woods and then emerged to follow a seawall with a stunning view of Biscayne Bay. The only danger in what was essentially a private running park was a family of mocking birds that insisted on dive-bombing me every time I passed under their nest.
Another great trail system that went the way of the bulldozer was out by the water treatment plant on Miami’s Virginia Key. I think there are probably some remnants left, but at one time this was just a wonderful place to run, with incomparable payoff views of the Miami skyline.
Besides being a worthy element in daily life, trail running is also just about the most portable form of exercise there is. No matter where, or how, you travel, it’s usually pretty easy to find a fun trail to explore. Back in the days of taking long car trips, I used to scan road maps for points where the highway crossed paths with the Appalachian Trail. From the numbing sameness of the interstate, I’d quickly be zipping down a pristine trail, happy as can be. Fifteen minutes out, 15 back and into the car with a much-improved attitude.
Big cities or backwoods, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve found trails in London, Sydney, San Diego and New York, to name just a few, that were just as much fun and challenging as more exotic destinations like Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico or Hawaii. The process is always pretty much the same. You start by looking for a park and point your feet in any direction that looks like it leads away from civilization. Sooner of later you’ll uncover some gems.
Of course, if you know where you’re headed you can always do some advance scouting courtesy of our friend, the Internet. Call up your favorite search engine, type in something like hiking trails and you’re on your way. That will yield all the obvious trails, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do a little exploring on your own. I feel downright possessive about some of the trails I’ve stumbled across, even the one next to North Carolina’s Cape Fear River where a giant mutant dog snapped a serious chain in his zeal to make hash out of me. The trail really isn’t much, but, man, the adrenaline rush was in a category all its own. I still get a little jolt just thinking about it.
Speaking of hash, another resource for out-of-the-way running is the global organization known as the Hash House Harriers. This “drinking club with a running problem” will be happy to put you through their paces, providing you can hang for the party after.
With that image of serious alcohol abuse still lingering, I suppose the case should be made that trail running is really good for you and not simply just more fun than toiling on the roads.
The most obvious benefit, at least for we topographically challenged Floridians, is that certain trails in these parts introduce a modicum of elevation change into our otherwise flat lives. Bouncing around the mountain bike trails in some of our finer parks lets you charge some little hills, a welcome strength builder.
Even more important is the muscular development promoted by running on the uneven surfaces characteristic of good trails. As pointed out by Dr. Nicholas Romanov is his book The Pose Method® of Running (which full disclosure compels me to mention I co-authored) “the very unevenness of the trail leads to a more well-rounded development of your muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. By teaching the body, legs and feet to land on the ground at any angle, position, pitch or consistency, trail running builds the comprehensive strength that will help to keep you injury free. Simultaneously, it is also very good psychological training, which prepares you to be ready for quick reactions to any changes in running conditions without becoming unsettled or distracted.”
As well as being an excellent adjunct to your road running program, trail running is increasingly emerging as an end in itself. While events like the Western States 100 and other mega-distance runs have always attracted the fringe of mileage maniacs, the emergence of adventure races and off-road triathlons have increased the appeal of trail finesse. There’s simply more reason than ever to get off the road and discover the true roots (and rocks) of real running.
Of course, there’s always going to be resistance from hard-core Type-A personalities who insist on measuring and logging every single step or pedal stroke as they triathletize their way to excruciating boredom. Well, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, with new timing devices you can now wire yourself to measure speed, distance and pace no matter where you roam.
But I have some better advice: Get a life! Go out and run for 40, 60 or 80 minutes, whatever you feel like. If you don’t think you’re running hard enough, run harder. Free yourself from time and technology and run for the sheer joy of it. Take time to enjoy the view. Try to spot a deer or make enough noise to alert the mountain lions of your presence. Look for a waterfall, a cliff, an ocean view or better yet, another trail less traveled. In your sport, and in your life, that will make all the difference.
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