You want to
getting started in trail or have you just discovered this incredible activity? Don't make the usual mistakes that many runners make — mistakes that can lead to disappointment, injury, and above all to losing the joy of running in the great outdoors. Discover with us the 7 mistakes to avoid when practising trail!
Wanting to progress too quickly
This is also a common mistake among beginners or those who lack experience. trail, like most endurance sports, requires a fairly long progression curve. It is a mistake to try to tackle long distances too quickly without having mastered the intermediate ones. It is better to enter smaller races, enjoy the experience and build up knowledge before taking on more demanding courses.
Not accepting your personal limits
We are all different, and true champions are rare. Even if we all dream while watching the exploits of someone like Kilian Jornet, we can only admire them from afar. The influence of sporting stars and the media coverage of their feats often lead athletes to overestimate or ignore their own limits. We also need to factor in our personal circumstances — our age, our job, our family life — and realistically assess how much space sport can occupy within all of that. Dreaming of doing ultra trail when you have demanding professional weeks is often unrealistic and can lead to real problems. Always keep in mind that sport, whatever it may be, is a source of balance in life and should never become a burden on the mind and body. Above all, you should enjoy yourself while taking part in an activity that contributes to your wellbeing and health.
Testing equipment on race day
Many athletes treat themselves to a new pair of shoes, a new heart-rate monitor or other gear ahead of a race they have signed up for. The ambition to be better equipped is legitimate and understandable, but using that equipment for the very first time on race day is a mistake. With shoes, you can easily imagine the consequences: pain because your new pair hasn't been broken in. But the same applies to any piece of gear — you risk unexpected discomfort with your new shorts, or misreading the data on your new heart-rate monitor, and so on. The same goes for nutrition. Never try a new energy gel on race day: you don't know how your body will react. All new equipment must be tested multiple times in training — you'll spot any potential issues or gradually adapt to the new item.
Training too hard before an event
Training too heavily or too intensely in trail close to a competition is also a common mistake. The underlying desire to do well drives this behaviour, reinforced by the fairly frequent feeling of not being ready. This can only result in arriving on race day too tired and lacking freshness. On the contrary, it is better to train hard several weeks before the event and lighten the programme in the final two weeks. Make sure to rest and relax in the 48 hours before your race. Don't waste energy and vitality on stressful or physically demanding activities.
Neglecting a healthy lifestyle
This is a fundamental point in all sport, and particularly in endurance sports, yet it is often overlooked by beginners. Too many people rely solely on their training, telling themselves that doing more will offset dietary slip-ups, for example. This is a mistake with serious consequences in general. A healthy diet and good sleep are essential to support progression and performance. Moreover, it is often a virtuous circle: if you improve your lifestyle ahead of an event, you adopt habits that are easier to maintain over the long term. A healthy lifestyle will also help you
preventing cramp risks during a trail.
Disrupting your habits and routine
Just as you wouldn't try a new product on race day, you shouldn't radically change your habits 72 hours before an event. If you have already adopted a preparation routine that works for you, don't overhaul it completely. Of course, you can evolve it in small steps, changing one thing at a time (to better assess the impact). You could, for example, slightly adjust your sleep schedule or your diet the day before a race — but bear in mind that the body doesn't respond well to sudden, drastic changes.
Not having a race nutrition plan
This is especially true for medium and long distances, but it can apply to any event. A nutrition plan allows every competitor to approach their race with the right mindset and leave nothing to chance when it comes to fuelling. A nutrition plan should tell you what to eat and drink, and when. It also covers food and hydration before and after the race. You can seek help from more experienced competitors or coaches to put one together, or draw on your own training experience. Heading into a race without a proper nutrition plan can lead to missed fuelling, serious mistakes, a loss of reference points, and ultimately notable underperformance.
There are certainly many other common mistakes in trail, but these are the most prevalent among those discovering the discipline. They are fairly easy to avoid, and above all it is possible to build a method tailored to your own ambitions and means. trail should remain first and foremost a source of pleasure and communion with nature, while keeping you fit and developing your endurance!
