Tuesday, August 14, 2012

New Workout: Trail Running

Hi Guys,

I wanted to share this amazing new workout my friend Brittany showed me this past weekend. It's called Trail Running. Essentially, you go hiking on a trail in a park or nature preserve, but run during the flatter parts of the trail. 

Does it sound intimidating? Yes. Is it also invigorating and easier than you think it is? Yes. Here's why.

The object of trail running is NOT to break your neck. So, rough terrain forces you to slow down and walk for stretches of the trail. Now, in street running, walking usually means a significant decrease in heart rate and difficulty, but trail running, you're still hiking -- so you're still pushing yourself to burn those calories in an intense workout. 

The other good thing about trail running is that you're not focusing on the pain. Most beginning runners, myself included, have issues getting past a certain point because they hit a mental block that is hard to push past. On the trails, you must focus on your feet -- and watch out for rocks and roots -- so that you almost don't notice the time passing or the exertion. 

Brittany and I did an hour and a half trail run. According to our heart rate monitors, I burned 1000 calories, while she burned 1100. Can you beat our records?

See below for a short video for tips on how to get started. 






3 comments:

  1. I'm so glad I inspired you to trail run :) Quick correction though, I think you got my burn total for the day, not the trail run. I burned around 700 calories for just the trail run, the rest was at work.

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  2. Great post - this workout sounds fun! (weird saying that about a workout). What kind of heart rate monitor do you use? I'm looking into getting a heart rate monitor watch. Any insight would be great!

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    1. I use a Barska monitor with chest strap that I bought new on ebay for $39.99

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