Interested in trail running? Welcome to Lounge Room to 5km

Posted on 7 February, 2024

Welcome to Kirra Rankin’s new ACTIVE series: “Lounge Room to 5km”. A series for those interested in starting trail running – AKA fitness with a view.

Did you know running on trails has less impact on your joints compared to grinding it out on the street? When you “street run”, you put the same stress on your ankles over and over.  However, when you run on trails, you are constantly putting a different stress on the joints at any given step – due to surface and path variety.

At approximately 30 years of age, muscle strength and muscle mass begin to steadily decline by 10 to 15 percent each decade.  Regular physical activity, such as trail running, enhances neuromuscular performance and cardiorespiratory fitness. Trail running requires good ankle range of motion and knee stability – and increases your coordination.

Trail running is free, and the community is absolutely thriving with participation and fun.  And if you can’t run, walk – because movement at any pace wins. Trail running is adventurous and challenging. It’s great for the senses and mood (hello endorphins!), and an escape from the virtual online world (goodbye distractions and mindless scrolling – hello flight mode and freedom!).

If you have contemplated starting trail running, then this is the series for you. Canberra is the mecca for trail running. Establishing a new routine is exciting – however it’s also intimidating (for some). We want to take the stress away and get you started on the right path. Injury free.

Throughout the series, we’ll discuss running hydration vests (yep, there’s specific ones for females now!), trail running footwear, chat with a nutritionist, soft tissue therapist and podiatrist, go into detail about trail running specific circuits and explain hacks to stay on the trails and manage the niggles.

Have you been following our Lounge Room Workout series? This series is a great preparation to start your trail running journey as you need strength, stability and balance. At HerCanberra, we love a flow on series, so welcome to “Lounge Room to 5km”.

Here’s some quick stats for you:

Trail running events have grown 231 percent in the last 10 years*. Female participation has grown from 13 percent in 1997 to 46 percent in 2022 *. At the Stromlo Running Festival in 2023, overall there was 53.8 percent more women than men who entered.

It’s never too late to start – research has shown that trail runners have never been older with an average age of 39.5 years. I have trail running friends in their 70’s. This sport is for everyone!

Mount Ainslie parkrun/walk.

The pandemic motivated many of us to lace up and hit the trails. As a community, we were given very few other movement options due to restrictions…however, how many of you have adhered to that routine?

Trail running builds strength and agility due to the uneven terrain (just be careful of those loose rocks!), and the softer surface absorbs the impact. However, trail running doesn’t necessarily have to be treacherous, you can choose your path – there are many safe, soft surfaces around Canberra to explore.

Friendships are made for life on those adventurous trails. People open up about their personal lives while you’re sweating it up in nature – there’s something special about running side-by-side and getting your heart rate up together that allows people to be more vulnerable and “real”.

If you’re interested in entering a trail running event, Canberra has plenty on offer. They start from 5km to ultras. I’d recommend starting small and work your way up.

Here’s my four. favourite local events:

1. Stromlo Running festival (taking place November 2024).
2. Kowen Forest.
3. Sri Chi Moy trail running series.
4. Ainslie parkrun (the only 100 percent trail parkrun in Canberra).

The best way to enjoy an event, is to prepare properly and do the training. Find a running group, or rope in an accountability buddy.

If you’re injured, or have chronic pain issues and can’t participate, you can still be a part of the community and volunteer (there’s plenty of seated roles, while still being a part of the action). Or walk and take scheduled breaks.

Let me help plant the seed, and get us started…

Old Joe Hill, in the Goorooyaroo nature reserve (Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie can be seen in the background).

Here are four hacks that will help you stay injury free and enjoy the journey.

Consistency

Progressive overload is your friend.  Intrinsic motivation, a well-crafted strategy and consistency will help you celebrate the small wins (and enjoy the views!). I’d recommend finding a running coach and group, however, if you’re time poor (and saving your money for your daily takeaway almond cap) the “Couch to 5km” is a great app you can download to track your progress. Before you get started, the app will ask you some important questions: what your running goal is; how motivated you are; how you keep yourself motivated; reason WHY you want to run 5km; if you’re doing any other form of aerobic exercise; if you had run regularly before, and what days you’d like to run.  Great questions for keeping you accountable and on track long-term.

Recovery

Depending on your running history, scheduling recovery days and low load days are essential. A low load day/week is where you decrease the distance spent on your legs. Walking is great for recovery. We’ll delve into the progressive overload specifics in the next Lounge Room to 5km article.

Sleep

Did you know quality sleep is the most efficient and cost-effective way to recover from physical exertion?

If you are serious about increasing your running milage, you need to reassess your nightly sleep hygiene routine. The body thrives on consistency.

Circuits

Here’s a specific trail running strength workout to keep your legs, spine and ankles stay happy, mobile, and strong (print the PDF here). I’d recommend scheduling this program two to three times a week, and not when you’re increasing your milage.  If you need more of a challenge, wrap a resistance band around your legs, and away you go. You can buy a micro or fabric band from Kmart or Rebel Sport. I’d also recommend an agility and ankle band workout if you’re tackling the trails – I’ll share a program in the coming articles.

Have you started trail running? What’s your formula to stay injury free? For the next Lounge Room to 5km articles we will dive into progressive overload, local running groups to help support you, appropriate trail running footwear, trigger point balls, mobility exercises from Myogen, female friendly running hydration vests, and trail running nutrition advice from two local nutritionists and dieticians.

Love, Kirra.

* Stats and data came from The State of Trail Running 2022 report.