Trail Experience

Before running my first trail race, I started casually trail running about two years ago with friends. (I recorded all the runs we’ve done here). This was after running 3 miles once a week for 5 years with the Brink Running Club.

Trail runs were informal, consisting of running with 3-4 miles at a time at a leisurely pace, followed by croissants and coffee. I soon looked forward to these Sunday trail runs as a way to see various city parks around Cincinnati and get a regular forest bathing fix. (Not to mention hanging with my friends who have great taste in brunch!)

Before long, I became addicted to the meditative nature of the runs. It was different than running in the city. Since trail running is a full sensory experience, it forced me to shut off my mind, particularly to place my feet strategically to prevent me from falling.

Unexpected Trail Running Benefits

The meditative nature of trail running gave me a boost and morphed into an essential part of my mental health care routine. So much so, that to my surprise the second year, I ran even during the winter, overcoming an enormous mental and physical hurdle to run below freezing. This was a feat I never expected to achieve.

I next became enchanted with how beautiful it was to run in all seasons. Suddenly trails we’d ran more than once seemed fresh and new when covered in snow, or sprinkled with flower blooms in the spring, and especially when covered in red, orange and yellow leaves in the fall.

Dirt Days Series Trail Race

After two years I was hooked and had no second thoughts when signing up for the May 19th, 2024 Fleet Feet Dirt Day.

The race was conveniently located in Mt. Airy Forest, a location we run regularly, right at the usual 8:30 AM time! A nice crew of the Brink Trail runners signed up to join in the fun.

I was pleased to learn we would be jogging a loop in the street along the oval where we park to spread out before starting the trails. This was a clever way to prevent a major traffic jam at the start of the narrow trail path.

As we ran, I was relieved to find the trail was well marked, other paths and forks blocked with caution tape so there was no chance of getting lost.

The race was on time, well organized, with water and bananas served afterward. You had the choice to run one or two loops of the 5.6 mile route. If you signed up for two and decided to limit it to one after running the first loop, that was also an option.

While there were no metals, random participants where given socks while winners basked in the glory of getting a new pair of shoes!

There are 5 more Dirt Days races this summer with the next one at French Park on June 16, 2024. If you’re interested, check out the race website for more details.

10 Lessons Learned on the Race Trail

1. Wear trail shoes, not street running shoes. You need the treads for the ups and downs to prevent slipping in the mud.

2. Don’t be lazy and slide your shoes on without untying. Tie your shoe laces tight with a double knot so they don’t come undone. Or better yet, tie with a heel locking lace technique (which is new to me!) Laces loosen in the mud and can actually get stuck and fall off! Ask me how I know… Also, if your shoes are loose, it’s easier to roll an ankle.

3. Wear pants. Or at least long socks. In order to maneuver around roots, rocks and mud patches, you’ll need to run through the brush at times. Pants prevent scratches and poison ivy. I wear yoga pants for this reason no matter how hot it is. And luckily, it’s always cooler in the woods under the shade of the trees! Bonus, you protect your legs from mud.

4. I recommend wearing contacts instead of glasses. Glasses steam up, slide off your face when you get sweaty, and joggle your vision as you jump over rocks if they’re not tightly strapped to your face. Also, the glare when the sun shines on them is problematic when you need to see where to place your feet!

5. If passing runners, be sure to yell, “passing on the left” so you don’t catch anyone be off guard and cause them to trip.

6. Likewise, if you hear someone on your tail, step aside and offer to let them pass. It’s already challenging enough to navigate rocks and mud, but if someone is right in front of you it’s even harder to safely plan where to plant your feet.

7. When running on muddy trails, there are a few different techniques. My rookie strategy was to avoid the muddiest areas by straddling the mossy edges, jumping onto rocks, or sticking to leaf covered ground. However, I’ve since learned the following from Joe Bodner:

“I would recommend doing the exact opposite. Embrace your inner child and splash right on through the middle. Running or hiking on the edges actually damages the trail in the long run, causing the trail to widen and impacting the surrounding nature. It might mean you have to slow down a bit, but with proper footwear you can safely navigate any mud the trail throws at you.”

8. If you’re interested in a bit of adrenaline… When running downhill, rather than resisting gravity and slowing your pace, I recommend letting gravity glide you down the hill. Be strategic in where you place your feet, THEN… let that momentum take you up the next hill! A lot of times there are side ramps with a tilt meant for bikers. Use these to help control your gravity-led decline!

Your other option is to take extremely short steps as you go downhill, if you prefer a safer option.

If you prefer the gravity-led decline, be sure you leave plenty of room ahead of you so you’re not needing to stop behind a slower runner.

9. Make sure your water bottle is secure in your bag if you have one. Use clips to ensure it won’t slide out. It’s a bummer to have to stop and pick up a fallen object on a race, especially if there are others just a step behind.

10. Something I learned from Kristin: A 5-mile trail race can be more enjoyable than a 3-mile race. The reason is because runners are able to find their pace in a longer run and spread out with less bottlenecks.

The Results

I enjoyed my first race and it was fun to learn where I ranked after two years of casual training.

Spoiler alert: casual training gets you mediocre results.

Considering I dropped my water bottle twice and fell dramatically in a mud slide, I’m proud I finished all 5.6 miles. I also most definitely started walking the uphills when speed walkers began to out-pace my jog.

I placed 6th out of 11 in my age group and 73 overall out of 102 runners. My pace was a solid 13.26 minutes per mile. That’s only about minute slower than my middle school mile. I’ll take it!

Would I Do Another Trail Race?

I had a wonderful experience. I’m on the fence whether I’ll go out of my way to do another Fleet Feet series run more than once a year. In particular, I was bummed to learn there was no charity profiting from the entry fee and T-shirt I bought.

For someone who likes to run for free on trails with the intention of eating brunch afterwards, it’s hard to justify paying for something that I was planning to do for no cost… especially when there’s no greater cause to run for.

For now, I’ll stick to Sunday trails with my friends. Running in the ice and snow actually felt like a bigger personal achievement in the end than running my first race. Plus, with fewer runners on the trail, I don’t have to worry about bottlenecks preventing me from my favorite part of trail running: zooming downhill!

I’m sure I could be easily convinced otherwise, but I must admit that paying for a trail race when I can do it for free for less hassle felt like one of the most bougie things I’ve done in quite sometime.

All that to say, I also realize I’m speaking from a place of privilege. Being a female, unless I’m running with my dog, I prefer running in a group. If I was new in town and didn’t already have a crew to run with, I would definitely spring for the cost for a sense of community and safety. I’m just lucky I already have that!

If anyone is in search of a group to join, come join us at the Brink Running Club Facebook group.

Additional Resources

• Interested in other Cincinnati trail runs or hikes? Check out my list of vetted trail runs here.
• New to trail running? Jump to my post on handy gear if you decide you’re ready to invest in your personal fitness.

Don’t mind me… I’ll just be chilling here with my new ankle cold pack while my preschooler cleans my pants for fun…

Lastly, if you’re from Cincy, keep an eye on the Mt. Airy Trail Runners FB page for Trail Improvement events and join us to learn about removing invasive species and repairing the trail tread so there are less muddy spots to try and navigate. Happy running!