From funky smells to gnarly toe nails, trail runners are a special breed. Here are some of the most cliche signs you may be the ultimate trail runner.
You don't have any toenails:
First they bruise, then the fall off. It's naturla. It's beautiful – well, maybe not beautiful, but it is a part of trail running! It’s no big deal. In fact, if you have three or four intact nails, you probably just don’t run enough. If you're really worried about losing those precious nails, you can always wear wicking socks, apply moleskin to hotspots, or do anything you can to keep your feet dry. However, nothing is better than a good nail pulling story.
You dress like a nerd: You have an unhealthy collection of fanny packs and bandanas. BUT how else are you going to carry your gel packs, electrolyte fluid flasks, house keys, cell phone, cash, bug spray, ibuprophen, and anything else that you may see fit to bring on the trail? Although it's cool on the trail, we all know what once you get back to the car, you must hide it as quickly as you possible can... Especially before heading to the first brewery on your way home.
You never leave without your insoles:
Given the varied terrain on which we all love, insoles are a must. To reduce the shock and bolster the protection of low-profile shoes, we suggest a pair of FitMyFoot insoles. The 3/4length allows your toes to flex and feel the ground, while the custom arch and heel pad absorb the shock allowing you to go longer and #KeepGoing injury free!
You live for the post run beer: You've left no stone unturned when planning your run, and that goes as far as finding the closest pub or brewery from the trail head as you possible can. Afterall, nothing tastes better than a cold beer after running 10 miles on the local mountains. Think about it this way, if each beer is 150 calories, and you run 1 mile every 15 minutes, you can literally have 1 beer for every mile you have run! .... Think about it...
Your biggest fear is rolling your ankle 3 miles into the forest:
We've all turned an ankle before, and usually you can stumble back to the car relatively easily... Except it gets a bit more difficult when you're half way up a mountain. Thank goodness you brough that tensor bandage in your fanny pack – afterall, the worst day on the trail is still better than the best day at work.
When you smell sweaty socks or wet shoes, you get a sense of nostalgia:
Chef's know the unique scent of every herb, mechanics know the smells of different fluids in a car, and runners know the smells of a damp sock or shoe. It's all about knowing your sport and being self aware of your filthy disgusting gear. You can’t hang enough air fresheners from the rear-view mirror or apply too many coats of Tiger Balm to your person to mask the musk from a sweaty trail run. But, it's worth it, isn't it?
You plan all your vacations around trails:
Two weeks off, 14 days total, couple days of traveling between locations, that's probably a total of 10 unique runs you can get in. Every time you go out of town you know the best trails, you know how long they'll take, and you know exactly how long it will take to get to that craft microbrewery down the road. Don't hide it, we do it... and we're not ashamed!
You never take the elevator:
You get your hill-work in any way you can. Your next race has some serious climbs in it, so, you’d better skip the elevator. Save it for the week after when you can barely walk.
You know what to do when you see wildlife:
Arms in the air like you just don't care. Screaming as loud as you can. You know how to make your self big. You know when to do the fetal position... Except you've never had to do it because your bear bell is sharp and on point... and if you did run into a wild animal, you're too damn fast for it to even see you going the opposite direction!
Are we missing anything? Let us know and always remember to #KeepGoing
