The year was 1996. A sophomore in high school, I was trying to stay in shape for the upcoming wrestling season. That is when the cross country coach came to ask me if I wanted to join the cross country team. I decided to give it a shot. It was an experience like no other.
Trail Running Shoes:
First of all, before I joined the team, I did not think much about running shoes. I just wore whatever shoe I had. For cross country, trail running shoes are needed to have a good experience. Trail running shoes have knobby soles. They are also more rigid than road running shoes. Once I got into a pair of trail running shoes I could definitely feel the difference. There was not much cushioning. The reason for this is because trail running is much softer than road running.
The Terrain:
One benefit to running on a trail is that the surface is softer. Many people will point out that running on grass or dirt trails is better on your knees. The downside is that unlike road running, trail surfaces are not always close to even or flat. Expect to always see a branch or rock wherever your foot is going to land. During my high school years, I spent a lot of training in Toro Park in Salinas, Calif., and Jack’s Peak in Monterey, Calif. Jack’s Peak had some of the toughest terrain I had ever run in, especially going downhill. I had to pretty much calculate where my foot was going to land.
The Experience:
To this day I prefer going to my local trails for some cross country running or trail running. When you are on the trail you are one with nature. It will bring some kind of peace to your mind and forget about everything for just that moment. I do a lot of road running as well, but the experience is different. There is the car noise and the traffic lights. When someone is trail running it will feel like you get away from civilization for a segment of their day.
If I would not have been for being introduced to cross country in my teen years, I would have probably never picked up on running. This is only the way I portray running. You may have a different opinion and prefer to do road running or prefer another kind of exercise.