Weird Question

[lovethehills]

What is the distance correlation from road to trail? Obviously 5km is 5km, but if I was going to run 8km on the trail, is it the same as 8km on the road? Or is the difference simply time?

I know the terrain will change things, but is there a typical rule of thumb?

(I swear this question made sense in my head!!)

[ultraslacker]

I haven't heard a rule of thumb, if there is one...

I count the distances the same... a mile is a mile... but I expect the trails to be slower and tougher. :)

[Strider]

A lot of people when then get into trail vs road train based on time, not distance, so it is not a silly question.

If you normally take 45 minutes to run 8k, then yes switch to 45 minutes on the trail and whatever distance.

I personally have a hard time with that because a 10k or 50k race is still that distance and you have to train for that distance. This generally means my training distances remain the same, just the time that the training takes is longer.

[pts]

When i was substituting in trail runs for road runs in training, i would just do the corresponding time, as strider suggested.

So, if my schedule called for 6k, i would run about 36-40 minutes on a trail- even though that may only be 4.5-5k on the trail for me. I don't think there is a rule of thumb though.

[lovethehills]

Awesome, thanks everyone for replying so quickly! I'm toying with joining a clinic and wanted to make sure I could do the distance on the trail. (Dumb, I know!)

[MINITEE]

Well, you've already got lots of information T!

Another thing when going from road to trail - the uphills can be brutal, there is no shame in walking a bit if needed. Then you get the childhood joy of screaming downhill at full tilt! And don't forget to throw in a whoop & holler while doing so!

[ultraslacker]

Well, you've already got lots of information T!

Another thing when going from road to trail - the uphills can be brutal, there is no shame in walking a bit if needed. Then you get the childhood joy of screaming downhill at full tilt! And don't forget to throw in a whoop & holler while doing so! :oops: :lol:

yeah even the pros walk some of the biggest hills. :)

the downhills rock! Ruin taught me to weave from side to side on the steeper downhills (he says even on the switchbacks) rather than running down in a straight line... easier on the body that way and you aren't constantly braking. (it's like the side-to-side motion when you're on a waterslide...)

[lovethehills]

Oh yea, Ruin. Isn't he close to me now? I should give him a holler to host a clinic for me! Little does he know we knew each other back in the day.....

[ultraslacker]

Oh yea, Ruin. Isn't he close to me now? I should give him a holler to host a clinic for me! Little does he know we knew each other back in the day.....

If you want to learn trail running, he's the one to talk to!

[Gear Boy]

Hills and footing really make a difference, so using time instead of distance is the best option. I've never used distance as the measure, always time.

[SALTY-DOG]

Typically you'll run anywhere from 10-25% slower on trail vs road. Most conditioned runners will do the 10-15% ... if 5K on the road takes 20 minutes then 5K on trail might take 22-25 minutes. Since there are so many variable, it is difficult to come up with a precise conversion; terrain difficulty, steepness of climbs, balance and agility are just a few of the factors that create more physical challenge and consequently increase time.
As an example, I pulled the results of a 42 yo male runner to compare his road and trail times, both results are from 2008 races:
Sept 2008, Road 5K 17:58 = 3:35/km pace
June 2008, Trail 4.95K 20:42 = 4:10/km pace
I figured this to be about 17% increase on trail.
A good way to gauge your road vs trail workouts is to monitor your heart rate during each and compare with pace. You certainly see a higher average HR during trail runs while trying to maintain a "road pace" Just be cautious of footing and terrain at that pace!
Good Luck

[dwayne_runs_far]

the only thing not mentioned is that you'll tend to have more fun on trails than roads

Dwayne

[ultraslacker]

the only thing not mentioned is that you'll tend to have more fun on trails than roads :-)

Dwayne

that was assumed! :)

[rune163]

Oh yea, Ruin. Isn't he close to me now? I should give him a holler to host a clinic for me! Little does he know we knew each other back in the day.....

we did?!?!

re: the question there is no given formula as every trail is so different (elevation, camber, erosion, grade, altitude, exposure, terrain etc.). For a reference to the trails in around the lower mainland I find next to no difference on the Pacific Spirit Park trails in comparison to road and same with Stanley Park. Perhaps marginally slower on the trails as the rebound isn't as much as road but recovery is better.

Grouse Grind is 3k and that is compared to your 10k time (ish) on road. But that is just going uphill. Rice Lake, Lynn Headwaters, Seymour Demo Forest, Mosquito Creek are slower but not that much than road. Deep Cove, Mount Seymour, Baden Powell - A LOT SLOWER!!!!!

Hope that helps some!

[KBO]

the only thing not mentioned is that you'll tend to have more fun on trails than roads

Dwayne

So says you.

It is pretty darn fun.

[lovethehills]

the only thing not mentioned is that you'll tend to have more fun on trails than roads

Dwayne

that was assumed!

Yep, that was the plan!!

[lovethehills]

Oh yea, Ruin. Isn't he close to me now? I should give him a holler to host a clinic for me! Little does he know we knew each other back in the day.....

we did?!?!

re: the question there is no given formula as every trail is so different (elevation, camber, erosion, grade, altitude, exposure, terrain etc.). For a reference to the trails in around the lower mainland I find next to no difference on the Pacific Spirit Park trails in comparison to road and same with Stanley Park. Perhaps marginally slower on the trails as the rebound isn't as much as road but recovery is better.

Grouse Grind is 3k and that is compared to your 10k time (ish) on road. But that is just going uphill. Rice Lake, Lynn Headwaters, Seymour Demo Forest, Mosquito Creek are slower but not that much than road. Deep Cove, Mount Seymour, Baden Powell - A LOT SLOWER!!!!!

Hope that helps some!

Please don't compare trail running to the Grind....yikes. This is very helpful and I may head out with a crew here. She said they did 9kms last week and the times ranged from 1:25 - 2 hours. I can keep up with that!

Ruin: Waterloo quite a few years ago, Runner's Choice crew.

[rune163]

Oh yea, Ruin. Isn't he close to me now? I should give him a holler to host a clinic for me! Little does he know we knew each other back in the day.....

we did?!?!

re: the question there is no given formula as every trail is so different (elevation, camber, erosion, grade, altitude, exposure, terrain etc.). For a reference to the trails in around the lower mainland I find next to no difference on the Pacific Spirit Park trails in comparison to road and same with Stanley Park. Perhaps marginally slower on the trails as the rebound isn't as much as road but recovery is better.

Grouse Grind is 3k and that is compared to your 10k time (ish) on road. But that is just going uphill. Rice Lake, Lynn Headwaters, Seymour Demo Forest, Mosquito Creek are slower but not that much than road. Deep Cove, Mount Seymour, Baden Powell - A LOT SLOWER!!!!!

Hope that helps some!

Please don't compare trail running to the Grind....yikes. This is very helpful and I may head out with a crew here. She said they did 9kms last week and the times ranged from 1:25 - 2 hours. I can keep up with that!

Ruin: Waterloo quite a few years ago, Runner's Choice crew.

back when steve thomas was still in charge of the wednesday run group?!

[lovethehills]

Exactly!!

[rune163]

Exactly!!

my brain is hurting from trying to figure out! do i get a hint?!