Mountain Junkies L.L.C.
Josh & Gina Gilbert
212 East Main Street
Salem, VA 24153
540-525-9452
[email protected]
Trail Running 101
I had failed numerous times at being a runner. In past attempts, over the years, I had run a few
times on the road which always ended up causing some type of joint pain. So I would stop and continue
working out in the gym and going on the occasional hike. That all changed when I became a trail runner
in 2001.
On 8/1/01 Gina and I, along with a few others, ran up McAfee’s Knob. What had normally taken
well over an hour was done in less than 60 minutes. This ended up being a 10 mile run. From here we
started running regularly on trails. We ran 62 miles that August with the longest being 13.1.
On 12/8/01 I ran my first race the Jingle Bell 5k – 21:20
On 2/16/02 I ran my first Ultra at Holiday Lake and 50k – 5:28:00
From there Gina and I have run and mtn biked dozens of races.
At this point we’ve done quite a few Ultras; I’ve completed 24 and Gina has completed 10.
Here are a few things we’ve learned in the last 11 years of being a trail runner;
 Trail Safety
o If you go out alone, let someone know where you are headed.
 There are plenty of apps that can let someone know where you are by GPS
tracking.
 Send an email or text letting someone know where you are headed and when
you plan to be done.
 Be conscious of Hunting Season.
o Typically a trail run will take longer than a road run; you have to get to the trail, you will
run at a slower pace, both of these differences will require you to have more food and
water than you would normally need.
 For short runs have a handheld with a pocket for gels or other food.
 For longer runs I suggest having a hydration pack.
 Make sure you eat and drink often.
o If you aren’t familiar with an area, take a map. If you can’t read a map, don’t go to
unfamiliar territory!
o Be prepared for changes in weather.
o If you run with music, keep it to a level where you can hear what’s happening in your
surroundings.
 What do you do when you encounter critters or worse, bears?
o Remember wildlife is WILD. Don’t try to play with the critters.
o I’ve seen plenty of bears at the cove and on other trails. They usually see you and then
run off. Sometimes they are curious and check things out before darting off into the
woods.
o Here is a good link on bear behavior that dispels most myths you’ve heard of;
 http://www.bearsmart.com/resources/north-american-bears/behaviour
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What are the benefits of trail running verses road running?
o Varied terrain; both in trail type and terrain difficulty, strengthens supporting muscles
(adductors and abductors) and joints more than road running.
o Softer ground (mostly).
o No cars, less carbon monoxide and other pollutants.
o Shorter choppier gait that lends itself to the popular forefoot or ball of foot running gait
taking the stress off of your heal and decreasing the shock of a heel strike.
With your background, any tips on anything to help with strength training for trail running.
o Stretching both calf muscles is also very important.
Gastrocnemius - Keep the stretched leg straight.
For the Soleus - Bend the knee slightly until you feel your calf stretch lower toward the
ankle.
o Ankle Injuries – One of the easiest and best exercises for the foot and ankle is to work
on balance. This is especially important after twisting or spraining your ankle.
All you need to do is to stand on one foot and work on your balance. Once you
can do this for a full 30 seconds, start balancing with your eyes closed. You
should work on this until you can balance for a full 30 seconds. For stronger
ankles work toward a longer time.
If you have healthy ankles you should be able to balance 30 seconds with your eyes
open and closed. After twisting or spraining your ankle you should start this activity as
soon as you can tolerate the pain and your ankle can support your body weight.
Blisters – There are countless forms of information about how to prevent blisters.
The book “Fixing Your Feet” by – John Vonhof – is a good one.
I used to have horrible blister issues. It was only through trial and error that I found a solution.
- I noticed that when trail running I need a shoe that is a half size larger than the shoes I run
with on the road.
- I have fewer problems when I run in 2 very thin socks.
- On long runs I will wear a polypro liner under my socks. These are very thin layers that do a
great job of reducing friction and not adding heat.
Stretches for the hip – glutes, piriformis, adductors, and psoas.
Cross Legged Stretch – (for glutes and piriformis) sitting, cross a leg over your knee. Press down
on the bent knee with the elbow of that side, and then lean forward between each knee.
o Side to side lunge with feet pointed straight – this stretches the adductor
o Side to side lunge with one foot straight and the foot of the stretched leg pointed to the
side.
o Forward lunge – this stretches the psoas.
Quad Stretches – Pull your foot back towards your butt right?
o In many cases of quad stretching the Rectus Femoris (RF) is ignored. The RF is the only
quad muscle that crosses both the hip and knee joint. It is a strong hip flexor and leg
extensor. All three of the other quadricep muscles act only on leg extension.
o To stretch the RF you not only have to flex the leg back towards the butt, but at the
same time extend your hip behind you. The farther you extend the hip behind you the
more you direct the stretch toward the RF.
Mountain Junkies LLC 2013 Schedule:
o We’ve given you a postcard that has our 2013 event dates.