Trail Running: Dos and Donts

Rules rule, OK?

If youre interested in trail or mountain running, chances are more than even that youre the type of person that doesnt want to be told what to do and what not. Also, just like any ten runners will offer you ten different opinions on how to treat your latest injury or how to best train for an ultra, each trail runner has his or her own rules for running in the mountains. The following thoughts are therefore meant to be just that: sharing my personal views without wanting to be prescriptive; guidelines rather than rules. They are aimed specifically at runners who are relatively new to running (in the) wild: mountain or veld. Just this: the guidelines are rarely absolute, but break them only if you are aware of the consequences.

Running on your own

At the risk of having my Mountain Club membership revoked with immediate effect: YES, it is OK to run solo in the mountains. Most of the trail runners I know go on solitary mountain jogs. Were an individualistic bunch and we often use our trail running to get in touch with our inner self. The risks of solitary running are a small price to pay for mental health and the solitary enjoyment of natures beauty. But sensible runners reduce the risks as much as possible.

Leave your ETA ("expected time of arrival") and route with a reliable friend, neighbour or your partner. Also let them know how long overdue you can be before they should start to worry. And leave them with a phone number to contact in case you dont show e.g. MCSA, Metro or some fellow mountain goat who is familiar with your route.

Make sure that you know the area (escape routes) and be prepared for the conditions. If its hot: do you know where to obtain (safe) water? If the weather turns bad unexpectedly, do you have the right gear?

Be realistic: dont attempt long runs through unknown territory on your own: dying on the mountain is not something you want to do too often. For me, a long run is anything longer than two or three hours. If youre just starting out, dont go out for solitary runs longer than, say, an hour. Make sure that you have a good idea of the various routes, paths and topology of the terrain. Get a proper map (run with a laminated photocopy if you need it and leave the original with your "back-up"). Take your lightweight cellular phone along.

Nobody is chasing you: take time to stop and enjoy the view, a flower, a waterfall, a lizard. Dont schedule a non-flexible appointment straight after your run: your deadline will put you under time pressure and prevent you from relaxing!

Dont take short cuts or explore new routes when youre tired (the second half of your run) or the weather is less favourable. Never attempt tricky routes such as scrambling up (or down) rock faces on your own.

An excellent way to solve transport problems for a "point-to-point" run is to get another trail runner to jog the route in the opposite direction and exchange car keys when you meet halfway! This also reduces some risks of lone running (especially for longer runs) considerably. Just make sure beforehand that you run exactly the same route.

Female runners face additional danger from the most dangerous animal of them all: the male home sapiens. Being one of these fearsome horrible beasts myself, I find it difficult to offer you unbiased advice. Some of my friends have had bad experiences (usually on the road, though) and would never advise any woman to run on her own. Other women take the risk and run with it! Freedom means taking some risks. It depends on how desperately you want to run, on your personal attitude, risk profile and self-confidence. Be sensible: some areas are definitely more risky than others. Always be alert. Prepare yourself mentally what actions you would take if harassed. But dont let it turn into an overriding fear, which can spoil your entire running experience! Your best weapons in tricky situations are your mind (youre likely to have twice as much brains as your male counter-part anyway), your running speed and your self-confidence. Remember: a short but effective self-defence course is a good investment for any women who likes to do her own thing. Also read the section below on how to deal with large animals (such as baboons J ). If you consider solitary trail running as being too risky, just invite some friends along for the run. Youll be amazed at how many of your male fellow runners will jump at the opportunity to go and run with you through nature. (Beware though, running with some of them may be even more dangerous than running on your own - just joking!) Of course, a decent dog beats male company any time

Running with others

There are many reasons for running a trail with others. Some people are just more socially oriented and find running with friends a lot more fun; others want to explore new and longer mountain routes; and for runs in far-off mountains it makes sense to pool resources such as transport. When you run in a pack, keep the following in mind.

Even the most sociable individual want privacy at some point in time: dont keep chattering away if the other person doesnt respond or attempts to keep some distance from the group.

Let faster runners pass without waiting for them to ask. If someone is running behind you "at the same pace", ask occasionally if they want to pass. If they dont provide an immediate and explicit negative answer, let them pass: somehow running partners are often reluctant to imply that you are running too slow a pace for them.

Someone should always stick with the slowest runner, the one most likely to get lost or injured. Dont split up when visibility is bad. When splitting on longer runs, each sub-group should be fully independent: food, first-aid, maps and at least one experienced mountain runner. Make sure that you know the route and the agreed intermediate meeting points.

Come fully prepared and self-sufficient. Nothing irritates me more than when we are a group of runners on a long trail run and one or two runners dont have emergency stuff or sufficient provisions. Of course, we run exactly as a group to help each other in case of problems but you should not depend on the group for that. Ive had to abort a couple of trail runs because one or two individuals were under-prepared when the weather turned nasty. Not only have I "black-listed" these runners from my runs but they also made me less favourably inclined to make future open invitations to runners that I dont know.

Keep your competitive instincts down until the last few kilometres or, if thats too difficult for you, reserve them at least for the occasional "sprint up to the beacon". Nobody will be impressed with you if youre racing ahead of the group all the time, quite the contrary!

Other guidelines

Rubbish. The standard mountaineering rule applies: "Dont take anything but pictures, dont leave anything but footprints" What you carry up the mountain, you take down again. Take special care of the plastic wrappers of sweets and paper tissues: they have this annoying habit of working their way out of your pocket unless you tuck them in really deep. Even "bio-degradable" items such as peanuts or banana and orange peels take a really long time to disintegrate so take them back home with you. (On the score of pictures: I sometimes carry a disposable camera with me: light, compact, quick and a good picture quality.)

Other mountain users. Give others the right of way. Even when you are tired, try to greet hikers brightly, cheerfully and positively. Remember that mountain walkers are not obstacles but excuses to take a quick breather - the quickest way to loose our goodwill with authorities and fellow men is by bullying hikers off "their" walking trail. When coming up from behind, give an auditory warning (in the form of a friendly greeting): first softly and gently, then a bit louder. Remember: they dont expect anyone coming up from behind!

Ablutions. Move as far away from the path as possible - it is amazing how long a stench can "hang around" on hot, windless days. Never "do it" near water, or where water would run off during a rain. If youre going to leave solids: dig a proper hole first and use the soil afterwards to cover it up (you may wish to add some fynbos seeds J ). Put a flat rock on top and a smaller pebble on top of the first rock: this identifies it as a man-made artefact (danger!) but remains quite unobtrusive.

Equipment for longer runs. What you take with you on a long trail run is very personal and depends on the area, the escape routes, the weather, your experience, eating habits and the size of the group. I always have a tiny plastic waterproof bag ready-packed with the following essentials: some first-aid stuff (a stretch bandage, a couple of Besenols, some Puritabs, plasters), a compass (you should learn how to use it!) a whistle, a piece of strong string and/or spare shoe lace, an emergency ("space") blanket, some (waterproof) matches, toilet tissue and money (R20 and two 50c coins taped together so they dont tinkle, for phone). Other essentials are map (laminated), sun hat or cap, sun-block (factor 15+), lightweight raingear (doubles as a windbreaker; even on the hottest day a strong wind can freeze you up in no time), watch (thats the only "time" I wear one!), a penlight torch with krypton bulb (test the battery) and your choice of endurance food and drink (always carry one extra water bottle and some chocolate in reserve). Optional useful items are cell-phone, dry socks and T-shirt, disposable camera, pencil & paper. Although it sounds like a lot, it shouldnt weight more than one kilogram (excluding dry clothes and food & drink).

Bad weather running. Dont go running in remote areas if there is a real chance of bad weather. That doesnt mean that you cant do a trail run if its not 100% picture perfect weather. I love nothing more than running in the mist (with my head in the clouds?) as long as I am very familiar with the area; it is one of the most wonderful experiences. It is also one of the deadliest. If you are not 100% confident about the route: turn back immediately; even very experienced hikers got lost in "familiar terrain". Running in the rain can similarly be a special and liberating experience. But, unless you dont have far to go, you run the very real risk of hypothermia (especially in windy circumstances). Keep moving as much as possible; seek dry shelter if there is a chance of it clearing up and if you have warm and dry clothing. You only have so many lives. In short: avoid bad weather running until you have a lot of mountain experience.

Dealing with special dangers

Sprained ankles. You will be surprised how far you can walk with a sprained ankle, but it is not exactly my idea of fun. If you are more than a few kilometres from the nearest transport, start walking immediately. Dont run but keep moving all the time (put on all the clothing youve got with you - youll get cold - and take a painkiller if you have one). Cool the ankle down as much and frequently as possible and tighten up your shoe laces as much as you can bear (for support and to prevent further swelling) but without cutting off the blood supply to your foot. Find a strong stick for support. The pain will be worst when you start walking and subside as you keep walking. I have once walked 20 kilometres on a sprained ankle but had to pay the price afterwards: one week horizontal and three weeks of hobbling along. Prevention is better than cure: if you have weak ankles or if you know the path is very rocky, wear trail running shoes with the best (highest) ankle support and carry a stretch bandage do you know how to apply a bandage for proper ankle support?

Dehydration. Trail runners, especially when the weather is nice, usually follow the "highest routes" which tend to have the least (but also the purest) water. Always have a spare bottle of water and drink whenever you find safe water. It is better to drink small quantities often than large quantities infrequently. If you are feeling dehydrated dizzy, light-headed, disorientated, higher heart rate start walking or take a rest break in the shade. Once youre dehydrated, its almost impossible to restore your body fluid level back to normal during the run. Try to locate water at all costs: look for ferns, greener vegetation or trees in low areas. Bad water is better than no water; but hopefully you brought some Puritabs along. Its even said that fresh urine from a healthy person is not poisonous but luckily Ive never been that desperate!

Hypothermia is probably, along with dehydration, the greatest enemy of trail runners and hikers. Its difficult to recognise the symptoms in yourself so keep an eye out for your fellow runners or be extra vigilant when youre on your own. Symptoms are uncontrolled shivering, disorientation, lack of judgement, stammering, white skin, and bluish lips. In the final stage, you cease to feel cold and you get sleepy, you just want to sit down and rest or sleep. So always keep moving and stuff yourself with food high in sugar content. Isolate your body as much as possible from wind and rain: use a plastic garbage bag if you dont have raingear; your space blanket works best when you sit still and are sheltered. Never ever leave someone with hypothermia alone: keep him/her moving at all costs and rub his/her skin as vigorously as possible. When home: immerse in as hot a bath as bearable for as long as possible and call medical help.

Snakes are one of the mountains most overrated dangers. Ive hardly ever seen snakes while running and only a very few when hiking. (In fact Ive met more snakes in my back garden than in the mountains.) If you are wandering in a bush, make lots of noise. Snakes will usually move out of the way if they hear (feel) you coming. Never stick a stretched-out hand into a bush, make a fist. If you meet head-on with a cobra (if its up straight) freeze: give it time to see that youre not going to attack and it will eventually subside slither away; if youre far enough back out very, very slowly. The real problem is the puffadder, which is both very poisonous and is one of the few snakes that will keep basking in the sun in the middle of a path even if it hears you coming. Keep your eyes peeled on the path ahead. If you are bitten, stop running (slow the blood circulation) and seek help as soon as possible. It probably wont help much to tie off your leg (may even do more damage). If you have to stop and you have pen & paper: write SNAKE in big letters, pin the paper to your chest and lie across the path. When I run or hike a very long distance, I carry a little "anti-snake" suction syringe kit that reportedly sucks poison (from snakes, scorpion or bees) out of the bite wound.

Lightning is less of a problem in the Cape than on the Highveld. Apparently, you get a fraction of a seconds warning before lightning strikes: your body hair starts standing up and you may feel a tingling skin sensation: this reputedly gives you just enough time to immediate "drop flat". Since I am not too keen to test this theory, I dont go running atop mountains or on a plain if lightning threatens. When caught in lightning, take shelter - not under a tree! - until its over.

Dogs are a very real problem. They are likely to be off the leash in the mountains, often leading or trailing their owners by quite a distance. Slow down or stop to a stand-still, dont show fear, dont run away, dont corner the dog, shout one or two short, confident, strong words if need to. I had one almost bad encounter in Spain five years ago and I vowed then that the next dog to attack me would pay for it with its life (although one should really kill the dogs owner). I have never since been scared of a dog: I look at the dog for the best way to kill it should it attack me, pull an angry but determined face and sometimes shout something the editor refuses to print here. Somehow no dog has ever challenged me since. If there is more than one dog, focus on the leader of the pack. If the dog owner is near, make space and shout a friendly greeting to him/her. The dog will "realise" that the situation is not threatening to its owner. On the positive side: people who take their dogs for mountain walks are the "better" owners i.e. they generally have a good control over their dogs and their dogs are less likely to be the aggressive type.

Baboons and other large mammals. A baboon is a fearsome and very territorial creature. Avoid and retreat if possible. Dont challenge them but dont run away either: youll never outrun any large animal except other humans. Dont turn your back! Give the animal time to "assess" the situation and let it "discover" that youre not going to attack. Very few animals will attack a human unless they are provoked, cornered or feel that their young are in danger. Maintain eye contact and show no fear. You may need to stand there for many minutes the longest minutes in your life but if an animal hasnt attacked you in the very first minute, it is much less likely to attack if you remain where you are. If the animal does approach, search for a rock or stick to pick up; you may use it as a fist weapon, not to throw (youre likely to miss it anyway). Shout. Make yourself as big as possible. As a last resort, throw your backpack at it and seek higher ground.

Horses. Dont frighten them. Dont shout. Give them lots of space. Get off the path. If its out of control and running towards you, one theory says that you should stand your ground and spread your arms high above you; another theory advises you to drop down on the ground: apparently no horse will trample a human (remember the movie Ghandi). Id probably jump/run sideways.

Mental issues

Often take a break. When road running, I dont normally stop when tired: it makes it so much easier to stop again and again; I rather switch to a survival shuffle or, at the very worst, a walk. (I am not suggesting that this is the optimal strategy for racing ultras.) But when mountain running, I stop often to admire a view or a plant, to have a quick bite or drink, or just to take a short break. Mountain running is about experiencing nature, being at one with yourself and enjoying your running; it is not meant to be competitive.

Experiment. Try to discover new routes while you are still feeling strong generally during the first half of your run. If you see a small side-track, go and explore it. If you are always running a route in a certain direction, try reversing the direction. If you always do a certain run in the evening, why not check it out in the early morning? If you tend to run on your own, take a friend along. If you see a little koppie not too far off, put in some extra effort and make a little detour to check out the view from the top; there is bound to be a little track leading up to it anyway.

Thoughts. Dont force your thoughts: let them wander. If you have a specific problem (work, relationship, life) it is better to let your sub-conscious sort it out than your conscious mind. Try to dissociate. Focus on your senses, experiencing the world rather than analysing it. Relax. Be happy. Be. Run high. Just run.

See you in the mountains!

Jean-Paul Van Belle

Note: this article was published in "Runner's World SA", August 1998.