Start Trail Running

Trail running is the ultimate way to explore nature, whether you’re following a coastline or scaling a mountain. You will see and experience the world in a new way, and feel great during and after every run!

Here are some key tips to help you get started on the trail, pulled from Vivohealth’s comprehensive online Trail Running course.

Start Slow. This is particularly important when navigating tricky, technical terrain – especially for those transitioning to barefoot footwear. Progress slowly, and walk in Vivos for a few months before you start running. Listen to your body and rest when required.

Running technique. We consistently see that working on technique is the best way to improve running performance, enjoyment and injury reduction, so this should be the starting point for any runner. To reap the benefits of efficient and skillful running form, follow our ‘posture, rhythm, relax’ mantra: running in a relaxed rhythm with an upright posture, your head above your shoulders and your feet landing beneath you in short strides.

If you fancy one-to-one running advice from our coaches, why not enrol in our Running Fundamentals course?

Hills. A mainstay on most trail runs, developing your hill-running skills can dramatically improve your trail-running experience. Our course goes into detail here, but a few introductory tips:

Logistics. Exploring trails is a liberating chance to escape civilisation and truly connect with yourself and nature. To stay safe, this means planning. Again, the course goes into much more detail on this, but here are four essential tips:

Fastpacking. Mastered all of the skills above and ready to go deeper? Fastpacking - multi-day hiking, but for runners - could be for you. Fastpacking can involve many nights, even weeks, in the wild. It draws on all the skills in this blog, and requires extra gear like a bivvy kit and stove. Having fastpacked mountain ranges of every single continent, Jenny Tough knows a thing or two about the craft, so you’re in safe feet.