Running isn’t just meant for treadmills, long roads, and blocks of city sidewalks. After all, there are plenty of places in the world that still aren’t paved–and people have been running long before there were roads. You can recapture that spirit and reconnect with nature when you go on a trail run. Whether you’re a hardcore devotee of the outdoor sports world or you’re just looking for a laid-back adventure out in the woods, trail running can introduce entirely different elements to your runs and take you on paths you’d otherwise never follow. And to follow those paths, you’ll need the right pair of trail running shoes.
Trail running shoes are different than running shoes designed to be worn on the smooth, flat surfaces trod by road runners. The surface of a field, a forest floor, or a rocky peak all present much different challenges for safe passage. So as participation in the activity grew—according to World Athletics, participation in the sport has increased at 15 percent annually in recent years, and there are currently 20 million trail runners around the world—there was a demand for specialized footwear to better handle the technical challenges presented by nature. “With this new passion of running, traditional running shoes were not advantageous to running on the rugged terrain, and the development of trail shoes blossomed,” says Mark J. Mendeszoon, DPM, FACFAS, podiatrist at Precision Orthopaedic Specialties in Ohio.
You might not notice the most obvious difference between a standard road shoe and a shoe designed for trails if you look at a pair on someone’s feet. Turn the shoes over and look at their bottoms to find out. “The most obvious difference will be the outer sole (rubber material) which has larger treads (lugs), which will be a bit softer so it can adapt to the different surfaces on the trails,” says Mendeszoon, who also knows shoes as the owner of the Achilles Running Shop stores in Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania. “The midsole, which provides most of a shoe’s cushioning and support, will be more firm as opposed to a running shoe, as it has to provide a more stable platform.”Some trail shoes will go a step further and implement a rock plate to protect the foot from rocks, sticks and ruts.”This is a thin piece of plastic material between the outer sole and midsole,” says Mendeszoon.
Finally, there are also a couple differences. “The tongues on the trail shoes will be a bit larger than a running shoe, as it can protect the ankle region from the trail elements,” Mendeszoon continues. “And trail shoes will have longer shoe laces, as many runners like to keep their shoes on a little more firm, and this allows for multiple lace knots and the excess lacing can be placed in pockets of the shoes which minimizes getting caught on braces or sticks and minimizes falling.”Having the right trail shoe is super important for trail runners, who can develop a plethora of issues and injuries.”Trail runners are prone to blisters from moisture getting into shoes, and also due to waterproof materials ventilation is diminished,” says Mendeszoon. “Damaged toenails are very common, as the undulating surfaces may place more stress on the toes and the pressure on the nails could cause subungual hematomas ( blood underneath nails) and cause them to fall off (onycholysis).”
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