1. GEAR AND CLOTHING ESSENTIALS
   

Clothing...

What you wear is going to depend on the climate, weather and location that you will be running in. In the North East, that means you will be running in a variety of conditions and exposed to some challenging winter months. Also, ticks carrying Lyme Disease will be a concern as well when deciding what to wear.

Clothing Protection against Lyme Disease and ticks:

Light colored clothing, long sleeves and paints with the shirt tucked in, along with a repellent containing DEET can help with prevention. However the only way to prevent the transmission of Lyme Disease if your a trail runner in the North East, is to be able to see a tick and remove them before they attach themselves to your skin. Be sure to keep an eye out for ticks throughout your run. Check each other if your running with another and wash your clothing as soon as you can when finished. Be sure to give yourself a whole body examination each day before bed, make it a ritual. Ticks also attach themselves to pets so be sure to check them as well because they can simply pass them along to you.

1. •Click here for more information about Lyme Disease and Ticks.
   

2. •Click here for a map of high risk areas for lyme disease.
   

3. •American Lyme Disease Foundation
   

Footwear:

Footwear is an essential part of your trail running experience. Trail shoes provide more traction and protection for the terrain and come in many varieties. Some offering waterproof options such as gore-tex, while others will be highly breathable offering and offer minimum support. The most important aspect of trail shoes or any footwear is that they all must fit right! Without proper fitting footwear, you will be exposed to higher stresses in the foot, ankle, knee and hip complex as well as the cervical (neck) and shoulder complex. This can lead to injuries in anyone of these area's. Back pain which effects 75% of people one time or another during their life can be related back down to their feet. This can be a tricky endeavor. Going into most shoe stores these days you will find specific shoes for specific feet, some offering larger cushioned heels for the heavy heel striker (which you don’t want to be so see a coach to help with your running mechanics), others offering more stability for those that over pronate and so on. Seated lifestyles, which most of us live (unfortunately) changes the balance of the body so with the right training to counteract this, your footwear will change over time so keep this in mind.

Running Barefoot:

We were born barefoot and must relearn the essential skill of moving around freely while being barefoot and re-establish foot strength, stability and mobility in the 33 joints of the foot. This will strengthen the entire body to the core and establish proper biomechanics throughout the human movement system. We will discuss this further in time and when you become a client of Mountain Peak Fitness you will be giving the encouragement to move in this direction. For some further information you can visit the Vibrams Five Finger website to learn more.

Socks:

Never cotton only synthetic. To keep rocks & dirt out of your shoes, try to get a sock that comes above or meets the ankle. No show socks may not be a good idea when trail running, they increase the chance of getting debris in your shoe and the sock slipping down and causing blisters as well. Drymax Socks and  Smartwool offer a variety of great sock choices. Click the link provided for basic information about the proper socks for your intended trip, REI Article How to Choose Socks

Ankle Gaiters: 

Ankle Gaiters work great in dusty dry conditions, rainy days as well as on a snowy trail runs. For non-winter gaiters please check out dirtygirlgaiters.com for winter use outdoor research (OR) or EMS make different varieties that are great.

Maps:

Purchase a map of the area you will be exploring and mark your route before heading out. You want to familiarize yourself with the area. If your not familiar with map reading its time to learn a new skill. You can join us on one of our Guided Hiking trips our a Beginner Trail Running Clinic to learn more about map and compass use. This is an invaluable skill to have when out in the woods. Remember when planning your route one mile on the road will be much faster than one mile in the woods, you can probably count on it taking about twice as long depending on the terrain.

Hydration compatible backpacks:

Depending on how long your adventure is going to be, it will be very important to figure out what is the most comfortable way for you to carry your fluids. A hydration pack is one example, you can carry up to 3 litters depending on the size of your bladder and pack. Popular brands are Nathan, Ultimate Direction and Camelbak.  You can choose a pack that has simple storage for nutrition and small essentials or you can go with a larger pack, which will be able to store extra layers and essentials within it.

Waist Packs or Belts:

Hand Helds:

Water treatment options:

If you are going out for a long trail run of more then 3 hours and have no water pick up points, a small water purifier or some water treatment tablets will come in handy. 

Hydration Guidelines:

1. •In recent years runners have struggled with the amount of water or sports drink one should consume. At first it seemed most athletes found themselves battling dehydration during there long distance events, so runners started to drink more during there events, which in turn led to over hydration, which is called hyponatremia. Hyponatremia, is defined by low sodium levels, most common during activities lasting 4 hours or longer. This happens when athletes drink to much water with out the adequate amount of electrolytes (sodium being the main one here) then they lose in sweat and urine. Doing this causes your blood sodium levels to fall severely. Severe cases of hyponatremia, involve seisures, pulmonary edema, respiratory arrest and even death.
   

2. •Please visit http://www.usatf.org/groups/coach/library/hydration/ for more info on proper hydration. 
   

3. •If you know the route is under an hour, one 16 ounce hand held water bottle with the proper ratio of electrolytes will do the trick. If your venturing out for longer than an hour make sure to have an electrolyte replacement strategy along the way. An example would be Gatorade, as well as sport gels (Gu’s, Cliff Shots, Power Bar Gels, Hammer Nutrtition, etc.). There are many different varieties of these products on the market, it’s a matter of experimentation to figure out what your stomach likes. General guidelines are as followed, one sport gel every 45 mins, taken with water to aid in digestion and maximize absorption. 16 to 20 ounces of fluids every hour depending on your size and perspiration rate. The color of your urine is a great indicator of hydration status and should be either pale yellow or clear, if its not you are already dehydrated so get drinking. We will discuss this more out on the trails.
   

Cell phone:

Make sure to have a full battery and the phone number of the local park ranger’s office in your phone, believe me, it may sound like a bit much but there have been occasions that we had to use it for others who got themselves in trouble along the way. Always tell someone, a friend or family member where you are going and an estimated time you will be back.