Running Trends 2016 | Running is not just running

You know how new concepts and trends are constantly emerging. It can be at work, it can be in the knitting club, but it can certainly also be with regard to running and training.
Below we have compiled a small selection of the trends we have seen in 2016. We know that some of you will recognize from previous years. Some running trends were “invented” many years ago, but are only now blossoming.

Wearable running

We live in an age of technology, and of course that also applies when we run.

Wearables can be loosely translated as wearable equipment. That is, equipment you put on before you go out for a run. Equipment that is intended to tell you where, how and why you are feeling the way you are.
There are almost no limits today to what you can get in terms of equipment that can tell you this and that and then some.

Therefore, it was perhaps more appropriate that we translate wearables to “Smart Wear” because the intention of many manufacturers in this technology world is to produce smart things that you can “connect” to and thereby get an effect out of it in real time or subsequently for processing. Manufacturers include Garmin, FitBit, SHFT and Polar. This is just a small part of a huge market.

The term “Wearables Running” actually covers most runners today, meaning that we are talking about runners who in one way or another use equipment to measure various data. Wearables, Smart Wear or just equipment, dear child, have many names, but we cannot avoid the fact that many many runners invest thousands of kroner in such devices, and only a fraction use them as they should.
Some of the most commonly used data that runners use from wearables include: Distance, time, pace. But there is a lot of other data that you can extract from these little wonders. If you are into more advanced measurements, there are also some that can measure both stride length, how much push you have per step, and how much lunge your upper body has when you run. If we are into that kind of data, then we are over where it gets a bit geeky, and you really have to like reviewing data and optimizing based on it.
Yet many thousands of Danes are throwing lots of money at wearables that can do these things, without knowing what to do with them.

The good side of wearables is clearly that they are great motivational machines that help you improve yourself, and thereby also improve your form. Almost all runners who have tried it know that great feeling of being ahead of your own time, and that gives you the energy for the last kilometers of the trip. In that sense, a wearable is a fantastic training partner.

A question you could ask yourself – can’t 7/10 Danes just use their mobile phone?

Naked running – back to basics

It may sound a bit cheekier than it actually is. Funnily enough, the term originated in a time when technology, and not least wearables, are booming in the running world. But some people want a peaceful run, a run like in the good old days, when only a select few could afford to run with smart technology.

“It counts double when I post it on Facebook” that quote is not found in “Naked running” because you take your run naked. And by naked we mean without technology, you still have your running clothes on of course.
If you are the type who MUST share your workout, get your (deserved) likes and maybe even add a picture of yourself sweating profusely after your run, then you are not the type who fits into naked running.

You run into nature, completely devoid of digital aids and other technology. You run to run. You feel your body, am I tired now? no I’m not, well then I’ll run a little further. You don’t need a heart rate monitor, a mobile phone or another wearable to tell you if you’re tired. Feel your own body, and if your legs are tired, then it’s probably time for you to stop. No slavery to the heart rate monitor that tells you that you MUST run 5 kilometers more today, because that’s the plan.

Many runners will be part of “Naked running” completely unproven. A lot of runners try to hit the wall – the place where motivation and enthusiasm have completely disappeared. There are a lot of recommendations in the direction of “Naked Running”. Run, jog or walk at your own pace. Enjoy nature, and tell yourself that it is okay to make a stop or two along the way. That way you build up your running motivation again, and the desire to run slowly returns. THAT is “Naked running”

Running is not just running. Obstacle courses are needed

Obstacle course running is not a new phenomenon, but it is constantly being developed. And in 2016, a sport like OCR, or we should be careful not to call it a registered sport yet, because it is not, but they are fighting for it. OCR stands for Obstacle Course Running, and is basically about running X number of kilometers, and getting through X number of obstacles. Where OCR stands out a bit compared to other obstacle courses is in the challenges that are built into the races. It can be pretty much anything you can run into. You can get into rope climbing, you can get into tire pushing and you can even be made to swing yourself out on a rope and kick a bell. Only your imagination sets the limits.
OCR is for the multi-athlete. That’s why many former and current crossfitters take the next natural step towards OCR racing. When you practice OCR or run OCR races, it’s not enough to just be fast on your feet, in fact it suddenly becomes a part of the overall exercise. OCR is strength, balance and technique. And what makes it so damn challenging is that it’s not just one place you need strength, it’s all the way around. The challenges you face require strength in your entire body.

OCR is one thing, but trends show that more and more runners are switching to a race with a little more challenges. It doesn’t have to be OCR, which is on the slightly more extreme side, there are plenty of other and smaller forms of obstacle races.

Obstacle races are nothing new, but in 2016 we have seen the more extreme obstacle races flourish a bit more. Runners want more from their races than just running straight ahead.

Cross-country running – trail running in disguise

If you’re in any doubt, I think the word cross-country running is really just trail running as you know it. I just don’t know if trail running didn’t sound sexy enough. But the bottom line is that cross-country running is exactly the same as what you know as trail running. It’s a run in the open, in hilly terrain, narrow paths, fast turns, and high intensity. Exactly as you know it.

Even though it is now called cross-country running, it has not become less popular. More and more people are using cross-country running in the winter as an alternative to regular road running.
More people want to get out into nature and get their heart rate up even higher. Cross-country running is a guarantee of that.

Getting out into nature is super enjoyable in itself. But the reason many people use this winter run as a change is that you train for other things and again, it seems like a perfect break from regular running training..
You train your heart rate to a great extent when you rush up and down hills, you train your ankles and joints when you make faster and more pronounced turns in the forest, you have a better opportunity to stay warm “inside the forest”

That’s why trail running is popular…. Well no, sorry, it’s called cross-country running..

Running club or running community?

If it’s not the same, you’ll probably ask. Both yes and no. A running club is, as you probably know, a place where you join, pay a fee, and run together 2-3 times a week.

But what is running community?

It’s a slightly different concept that is gaining more and more traction, and especially in 2016 I’ve personally heard about more and more of these setups. It can also be said in another word, business running. Many companies have for several years, for example, organized Friday runs for their employees, which were basically a joint run during working hours with their colleagues. But running community, or perhaps we should call it running networking, is gaining more ground. These are groups that combine running and getting exercise with a business perspective. For example, it could be a group of people within a certain industry who meet once a week for a run. On the run, everything from work to leisure input is exchanged. You may know it a little from the concept called “Walk and talk”

Are you “shooting” the right speed when you run?

Another trend in the world of runners is Biathlon. Working with your heart rate, sharpening your ability to concentrate when and while you run. You know it was biathlon. Biathlon is popularly said to be biathlon in running shoes. And in short, the concept is the same. You run a given distance, a circular route or maybe a star race, and in between runs you add a shot.
It places huge demands on your ability to concentrate, and not least your work with your heart rate. When you have run and your heart rate is very high, you have to adjust your body within a very short time to now have a calm heart rate and be able to hit the defined target. It is super fun and very varied. And it is actually a lot harder than you think.

You can read more about biathlon here.

Citytrail, combine nature and city life

A trend that is mostly cultivated in the slightly larger cities. At least those cities that are large enough to offer both pulverized city life and peaceful nature (parks, forest areas, etc.)
It simply means that regular running is combined with nature running. Calling it a trail run might be going to extremes, but of course, in many cities you can run on hilly terrain, on narrow paths, etc.

If we look soberly at the regular run in the city trail trend, it is designed to be a fast and steady run. So tempo runs, maybe even with intervals included..
If you have the opportunity to run city trails, it’s a fantastic form of exercise. You train a lot of muscles that way, and you work really well with your fitness and heart rate.

Citytrail is known, among other things, from the brandSolomon. They develop running shoes with the combination running in mind. Their Sonic Citytrail series is unique in its field. And their S-lab Sonic is a really light running shoe that has fantastic grip on many different surfaces.