My first marathon was a trail race and the second was a road race. I thought I’d share my thoughts on the different terrains and how it affected my marathon experiences.
Mental Game
Running the trail race I was alone most of the time- with nobody at all in sight, much less a supporter cheering me on from the sidelines. I was able to zone out and concentrate, but I also struggled at the tough times when it was just me, myself and I. I did most of my running alone so I was prepared to be by myself.
Running on the road with thousands of other runners was exciting and pushed me the first half of the race. When the race got tough I was so distracted that it was hard to focus and pull from within. The crowds of cheering supporters definitely made the race more emotional and memorable.
Physical Challenge
Running the trails was harder on my muscles and running the road was harder on my joints.
When running over such a technical terrain I had to constantly change my stride and tense my muscles in anticipation. The trail race left my muscles S-O-R-E!! It was easier on my joints because most of the time I was running on softer (sometimes too soft!) grass or dirt.
It was easier to fall into a consistent stride when running on the road. Still, I felt the impact of the hard concrete in my knees.
Time
My time for the trail marathon was 4:57. It was my first marathon and I had decided to run and signed up 4 days before it. I was told by veterans of my race that I should plan on completing the trail race 15-30 minutes slower than I would a trail race.
…which doesn’t make sense since I ran my first road race (2nd marathon) in 5:13. Honestly, there were so many other factors with the road race (like freezing temps and bad shoes) that I don’t feel like I can decide the difference related to time just yet.
Fun
My confidence and strength as a runner grew more with the trail run. Everyone made a big deal of the road marathon but the trail marathon was for me 
Really, is anything more fun than running with 24,000 of your closest friends through Disney?!
I have another road marathon (Gasparilla!) and a trail 50K (Croom!) coming up, so hopefully I’ll have more thoughts on the subject in the coming months.
Do you run just trail, just road or both? What are your thoughts in the two?
To conclude, the song I can’t (and don’t want to) get out of my mind. I could listen to this song on repeat for an entire long run.
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I haven't done a trail race yet but I think I'd be interested if I found a good one! This is a great post!
I also LOVE that song – it just is a happy mood song! I try to live how that song sounds every day (though some days are easier than others).
Great post! Really neat to hear the differences between the two. I'd love to try trail running one day!
You are such a rock star! Geeze, I can't even comprehend how difficult running a marthon is, let alone running a marathon in the WOODS! You amaze me darling!
you're going to run the full for gasparilla?! yay! i think i'm going to do the three race thing w/ the 15k, 5k and 1/2…we'll see how training goes the next few weeks!
and i like the different views from both your races…interesting!
I've never run on trails, let alone a trail race! I think it would be fun though!! I'm a little worried I would trip and hurt myself! I'm pretty clumsy!! Haha! I enjoyed reading about the diff between the 2 races!
I've never done a trail run but would love to try one! Maybe this summer
I LOVE that song! One of the best out there right now. It makes me happy!
Great post Ashley!
i've got my first trail race – a 6k – coming up in a couple of weeks. i love the trails but a trail marathon sounds really challenging. i think you should try a smaller road marathon before writing them off alltogether. my marathon back in june was a small (250 runners) event and i was still alone most of the time. but it didn't kill the muscles like your trail marathon did.
I LOVE that song! It's so happy and fun, and it makes me happy.
Have a great day!
Hope
I do more on roads than trails, but lately have been sticking to the treadmill.
I'm so bummed – they blocked the video in Japan. I'll look it up on my own.
I love trail running. When we lived in England my long runs were almost exclusively on trails. That gave me the chance to see a very newborn lamb, white deer, a dog sled training team, and other awesome stuff I just wouldn't see on the road. All of the marathons I've done have been BIG (London, Edinburgh, Disney x 2). I think I'm mentally strong enough now to take on some smaller, less supported races. I'm looking forward to your next race reports. Oh yeah, did you write a letter to Infusion?
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