How to survive your first trail race

I recently experienced my first real distance race on trails. As you can see from the report, like every first-timer, I made some mistakes and suffered from them. Here's what I learned:

Make sure everything is in working order: If you get injured during a road race, you rarely have to limp more than 10 steps. There will be police, volunteers and spectators right there to help you, not to mention your fellow runners. On the trails, you are pretty much alone between aid stations. Especially as a back-packer, you may not see another runner pass for minutes.

Don't aim for time, aim to finish: Trail running is fundamentally different from road running. I talked to some other runners during and after the race. Even those with multiple marathons under their belt had a tough day. So, unless you are an accomplished, well above-average runner, don't pick a time target for this one. Just take it easy. Don't worry, the trail will throw some curve balls to provide the challenge you crave.

And it goes without saying, don't worry about having to walk. Most ultrarunners do.

Do specific training: Just like you would adapt to specific conditions of your road race, like elevation or temperature; you need to adapt to trail running before a trail race. This is not easy if you live in a big city, but there is no other way to replicate what awaits you (trail treadmill? Waaait a minute! I think I got an idea!). Buy your trail running shoes early on and do some decent long runs on trails similar to your target in terms of elevation change, technicality etc.

Once you are comfortable on the trails, it is a good idea to run the race course. Every trail is different and knowing what is about to come is helpful mentally and physically. You can read the course guide all you want, but that will only give a vague idea about how runnable different sections are or how steep the hills are going to be. For example, I thought the second half of my race would be easier than the first, because it trended downhill. To my surprise, the second half was still littered with significant climbs.

If you are doing bulk of your training on the roads, train for time rather than distance. Your longest run for marathon training doesn't have to be 20 miles. Estimate how long the race would take you to finish and do a few training runs that go near that (75-80%). The goal is to spend time on your feet and see how your core reacts. In my case, the NYC 60K races I did were the perfect training.

As for estimating your time. It depends on trail conditions. Here's what I did: Check the results from the year before. See how long it took the winner. In my case it was about 4 hours for the marathon. Since a road marathon takes about 2 hours for the winners, you need to double your time. This is very ballpark, but it helps. Another way to go would be to look at where the mid-pack finishes. If you are regularly a mid-packer, you know that is where you will be (maybe a bit behind, since trail races seem to attract a fitter crowd).

Run with a buddy: A running partner is always helpful in distance training. Take it one step further for your trail race and convince your training partner to run with you. One of you may have to settle for a slower time than their potential, but chances are you will both have a better time. Also, if one of you gets injured, the other one can get help.

If you can't convince any of your friends, try to stay close to other runners. If they are looking for a buddy they will probably let you know.

Carry extra food and water: I ran the race with a regular 32oz handheld water bottle. If it were a normal day, it might have been enough. However, it was a hot day and my bottle was dry midway through most sections. There won't be aid stations at every mile, so definitely get more water, especially if it's hot.

Some runners prefer to carry the handhelds, so that they have something to break their fall, if that happens. However, I recommend getting a Camelbak. You may need your hands free in certain sections.

Long story short, it all boils down to: "Safety first!". I hope I didn't scare you too much, but it is good to be cautious going into one of these. 

I hope these tips help. Let me know how it goes and comment if you have additional tips!