Do you make a choice to run trails or roads?

As always, I think you should do whichever motivates you to keep doing it. I guess you're saying the enjoyment from running bare on roads is equal to running shod on trails, right? Hence the dilemma.

If that's the case, I can't really speak from practical experience. All the trails near me are pretty bareable--hard compacted dirt or loose gravel. Unfortunately, the nearest trail involves a 25-minute commute, so I tend to stick to the roads, sidewalks, and lake and river paths close to home. I guess that's why, as you say, I tend to think mostly about getting faster or going longer when I run on sidewalks and pavement.

But you're in southwestern England, right? Aren't there any bareable trails nearby?

 

Without going into a big long history, I'll just say I've tried to do it all in the last 2.5 years (roads, trails, races, every distance up to marathon, barefoot, minshod, shod) This did not work out for me. Some can do it, but I can't anymore. When I get better, I am going to focus on trails, it's what I love, even if it means going back to footwear. I'll still be barefoot as much as possible and I'm still going to do the shorter distances barefoot. No marathons for a while and it's not likely I'll ever do another road marathon. (Not to worry Hood to Coast team, the relay is still on my list). Not trying to have a discouraging post here, I'm still loving every day. I just want to offer - set reasonable goals and not too many. Not to you specifically Skedaddle, just a general post. If you are having no problems then by all means do both, many of the good runners do. I believe it's good to have variety.

 

Rick, are you saying your current injury is due to running bare, bare on trails, or bare on roads? Just curious.

 

Head for the hills!

I wish my mother was still living in Hope - I'd love to give the Edale Skyline a shot barefoot. I think it would be fine.

 

Given my 'druthers I'd run trails every day. Living in Manhattan I find roads make up 95% of my annual mileage.

 

That's disappointing to learn.
I would like to think since trails are being used, there would be more public demand for maintaining them? Oh, humans.

 

Personally, I am a trail guy. Nothing like the sensations of your soles to the ground on trails. Plus the lack of car traffic noises and exhaust fumes makes it a easy decision for me.

 

I'm a road runner, absolutely love running roads, but I will run trails. To run some good trails I have to get in my car and drive to them, I am much happier leaving my house and running some very cool road routes. I love nature but actually find running trails a bit boring, especially single track trails. If am going off the road I would rather hit the beach and run along the ocean, or in my case long island sound, its all good though.

 

trails are for pure joy. it's more like playing. roads are for ease and necessity of running.

 

I run both, but some of the roads here could easily be trails...

 

Baffled at what caused this injury. So many factors were involved, I can't blame one thing. I was barefoot at the time of injury, but I had a long trail run in shoes 2 weeks before that might of caused some stress. I had a good mix of trails and roads, so I don't think it was the surface. I was doing other activities that month any maybe even something happened at work. It was starting to get cold and I know I tighten up in the cold. Maybe not enough warm up time or flexibility issues? I could blame the GPS watch, it all started to go downhill when I got it.

Back to Road Vs. Trail. What Lee said about driving to find a trail earlier, I am the opposite, I have to drive to find pavement. I think most are going to run on what is outside their front door, regardless of preference.

 

NO! And this is why I wear some protection on trails. I live in a highly populated area, and often times, I'll run into places where people have had the types of camping trips that involve broken glass. Also, some of the boulders are irregular, and they hide under leaves. Then you step on them... and.... ouch. I trained for a trail marathon wearing a pair of Xero/Invisible Shoes huaraches, and I can honestly say it was not enough shoe for my area. My feet got BEAT UP on my long runs.

As for me, I try to run long on trails on the weekend. However, the nearest trail to my house is 2.5 miles away, but most of the good ones are at least a 30 minute drive. (I only recently discovered the close ones...) This means trail running is a weekend-only proposition for me, like many. So I'm bare on the road (when the weather warms up), and shod on trails.

 

I'm lucky in several senses. My favourite close by venue, Valley Forge Nat'l Park, has both trails and paved ways in abundance - enough for my needs at least. It would be more diffecult if I were needing 20+ mile trail runs on a regular basis. I am also happy to run in my VFFs if paved conditions or natural surface trails require. My legs and feet seem to do fine going from one to the other, and as I'm not in the least competetive, I don't worry if I am not optimizing. I just want to run happy.

 

I run mostly on roads, I love trails though, till I get to gravel trails. If I could not care about my speed I think I would be happier. I just feel like I am cheating when I walk. Please don't mistake my use of the word "speed" though lol.