Revolutionise Your Trail Running with Poles!

Poles can revolutionise your trail running or hiking. Harrier founder and British Nordic Walking coach, Kate Parker, shares three of her top tips below for getting the most from your Harrier poles.

HAVE A POLE STRATEGY FOR YOUR NEEDS

Did you know that poles can reduce impact on knees, ankles and feet by up to 40%?

Check your route or race elevation profile along with aid station locations to have in mind when you will or won’t use your poles. For example, if your knees hurt at the end of a long run, you could consider using poles from the start to reduce impact.

FUEL YOUR EXTRA POWER & EFFICIENCY

Running with poles uses lots more muscle groups compared to running without them, so you may need to eat more calories to account for this extra power.

Remember to eat and drink consistently when using your poles. Set your watch to beep every 30 minutes as a reminder to have something.

USE THEM FOR RECOVERY

After an ultra or hard training session your body can be fragile and at risk of injury for much longer than you think.

Use poles post-race to improve stability and help prevent injury whilst allowing you to keep up with some base level, low impact fitness.

Looking for more great tips? Check out our Pole Quick Start Guide.