Roads vs trails: pros cons?

Pros for roads:

No rocks

No tree roots

No mountain lions

No 180 degree turns

You can keep a good cadence going

You can look good in front of lots of people

Concreet strengthens your joints and bones

You can run faster on concreet

Most races are on the roads

You don't have to put up with all the wimps on the trail

No mountain bikers on roads

A nice road exists at the end of your driveway

Running on roads is more environmentally friendly

Roads are clear in the winter

Cons for trail:

Driving to a trail is a waste of gas and bad for the environment

Too many nerds with expensive gear

Twisted ankles

Bug

Deer ticks

Mountain bikers

Horses

Trail runners with huge egos

Got to carry your own water

Doesn't prepare you for road races

More likely to run into ultra marathon run / walkers

Leaves covering rocks and tree roots

Tough to get accurate Garmin readings

End of thread.

Above post is awesome!

I tend to prefer paved trails (large city parks, converted rail-trails, etc) to roads, but most of the roads by me are fairly busy.

Dirt Roads > everything else.

Thread over.

Dear Concreet Runner wrote,

Your list makes you look like a full blown wimp. I pity you.

Sincerely, ItsAllGood

In NE we have many xc ski trails. Cf. to road:

Smooth enough surface to not worry about rocks or roots causing ankle sprain

Rough enough surface to strengthen foot/ankle ligaments to avoid ankle sprain

no cars (which kill far more runners than mountain lions)

you can keep your cadence going over more roller coaster terrain

you can get stronger running on these trails (see previous point)

you don't have to run into traffic to pass the wimpy recreational road runner, of which the largest percent never run on trails

no road bikes or worse bike groups (no mountain bikes either as mountain bikers like the singletrack with rocks and roots)

you got me on the environmental friendly aspect although I can run 2 miles to the closest ski trail.

These trails can be skied all winter and we can hang the running shoes up

Cons for road:

too flat

traffic lights

driveways

side streets

cambered surface

exhaust

bikes

stiff surface

5 foot piles of snow in the running lane all winter (should you choose to run)

If you actually mean roads - like the shoulder of a road, I think the only pro for me is proximity/convenience. I put up with the cons of road running (cars, inferior scenery, hard surfaces, etc.) because I only have so much time to fit in my runs and I don't live close to trails, but otherwise I would go with trails everytime.

With trails there's a wide range (flat dirt path up to steep narrow, rocky, rooty, trails in the woods) so I don't know if you can really generalize, but for me the huge advantage of good trails is psychological - I just feel better after being outside in trees, fields, etc. Being outdoors along the side of a road is still better than being inside but not as good as a good trail.

Pros for trail:

No cars

No unchained yard dogs

No intersections

No exhaust fumes

Creeks to splash in

No road warriors with huge egos

Piss anywhere you want

Better for soft tissues

Trails are beautiful in winter

Cooler in the summer

No one will see you if you fall

Just as good for joints and bones

Running on trails gets you closer to the environment

Anyone and everyone can run on the road

Cons for Roads

Little shade

You can look like a fool if you have poor form

Still have to carry your own water

Can't train for trail races on the road

Greater risk of stress fractures

You have to put up with jack-offs in trucks

Roads are narrower in winter (more likely to get hit)

Cyclists on the road

Still have bugs

Road kill

More likely to run into your mother-line-law

Even more likely to run into marathon run/walkers

Not the end of thread

Road pros

- no roots and rocks

Road cons

- boring as hell

Trail pros

- fun

- not boring

trail cons

- roots and rocks

roads = hotter chicks

trails = no hot chicks (maybe 1 or 2)

trails -> better on your legs, healthier environment, great scenery

roads -> harder on your legs, car exhaust fumes to damage your lungs, uneven surfaces, ugly stop lights to upset your pace

Conclusion.

Trials -> best

Roads -> not so good

hotter chicks???? do ya mean fatties in spandex?

I guess if you line up at the back of a race, you will find the fatties in spandex. I'm up front with the faster hotties in very little clothes.

Go to a trail run and you'll see old, fat and slow chicks wearing gators and camelbaks for 25k.

I not slow enough to run with the faster hotties? you struggle to keep up with. They are always far behind me. Maybe you're a faster runner that they are and are nothing more than a running perv who likes running from behind.

Pros for trails, you won't meet the concrete runner

Have you ever tried watching where you are going? I used to run up a mountain every week and never once twisted my ankle on a rock. Most trails are pretty smooth compared to that

I could go on but dinner is ready

Pros for trails:

More hills

More evenly distributed impact over the muscles, bones and joints

Strenghtens different types of muscles which are not much used when running in roads

Works on stride rate better

Better feeling of one's body

You can poop or pee whenever, and wherever you want

More relaxing, no pollution and no noise and no danger of being hit

I can't tell you how bad running on road shoulder screwed up my leg. Crowned roads are the devil. Only time I will run on road nows are at late night/early morning because I can run dead smack on the yellow lines.

I like to go both ways baby.

I agree about the crowns on the road, I feel like I am leaning more to one side and can't get an even feel. I do most of my runs on a flat, packed dirt/rocks especially when training for a flat course and go to a hilly trail for hilly races. I recover much better when doing runs on trail versus a asphalt/concrete. I can do sprints/tempos just as easy on a flat trail as if I was doing it on a track.

For me trail>road when training and road>trail when it comes to racing...:)

approptriate training wrote:

Dirt Roads > everything else.

Thread over.

gotta agree with you here, they're great. nice, softer surface without having to worry about rolling your ankles or tripping (unless you have very poor coordination haha). especially if they're in a pleasant/scenic area and have some hills. gravel/any other sort of soft-but-semi-paved trails in parks and such are good too. unfortunately, i have no such things near me and generally run on trails or routes that have both trail and road. i do like really being in the woods on trails, that's their main advantage over dirt roads. and i run on paved roads all the time too, especially in the winter, but i don't like it that much. it just gets boring after a while, though i do like throwing in a road run sometimes if i've been doing a lot on trails.