Podcasts.
Trail Culture, hosted by our friend Emily Robertson, is a podcast inspired by the breathtaking Jonkershoek Valley mountains. It brings together stories, research, and insights from the vibrant trail running community, both in South Africa and around the globe. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just discovering the sport, Trail Culture offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for every trail enthusiast.
“Simon de Waal from *Rooted in Dirt* features as a regular guest on special *Trail Science* episodes of *Trail Culture*. In these episodes, we take a deep dive into key topics in trail running, exploring the latest research and emerging trends. Tune in for valuable insights that will inspire and inform your trail running journey.”
Power as a performance measure | Trail Science: Episode 07
Episode notes
Does power have a place in trail running? We’re back with another Trail Science episode. This week, Simon de Waal from Rooted in Dirtjoins us to talk about power as a performance metric.
- When should we use power?
- How is it measured?
- What should the real world application look like?
- & does power work as a performance measure in the trail running space?
Training Load Monitoring for Trail Runners | Trail Science: E06
How should I approach my training load?
The Trail Science episodes are back, this week @dewaal.simon joins us to talk about Training Load Monitoring (TLM). We talk about how TLM has changed over the last few years to accommodate the growth of the sport & how this particular space is being influenced by AI. We discuss it’s history, the metrics that matter, some gaps in the current TLM tools & more
Psychological benefits to trail running: A systematic review | Trail Science: Episode 5
Episode notes
What are the psychological benefits to trail running?
In this episode we focus on:
- Exercising in a natural vs urban environment
- Effects of trail running on mental well being
- The psycho – evolutionary theory & attention restoration theory
We get stuck into the research after an anecdotal introduction round what trail running does for our mental well being personally.
Research on female athletes & the PhD journey | Trail Science E4
Research & female endurance athletes – are we doing enough?
Our fourth Trail Science episode is all about the research journey & women in sport. Are we asking the right questions? How can we add to the body of research? We cover all of this along with an exciting announcement.
Injury Risk Factors for Trail Runners | Trail Science: E03
Episode notes
What is an injury risk factor? ⚠️ We’re back with another Trail Science episode ft. @dewaal.simon from @rootedindirt this week we’re unpacking what are potential injury risk factors for trail runners?
This episode is based on a living systematic review. We get into what that is, why this type of research is important and how to critically evaluate the information in front of you when reading research like this & looking into a topic like injuries 👣
Trail Science Episode 3 – enjoy! 🤙🏼
Is Ultra Marathon Running Good for You? | Trail Science E:02
Is Ultra Marathon running bad for you? We’re back at it with the second Trail Science episode. This great sport is growing & the athletes taking on the Ultra distances seem to be getting younger. In this episode we dive into research on the acute physiological effects on the body during an ultra marathon. Things to note, how to manage adverse effects & what is good practice when prepping and building up to your Ultra?
Pacing in Ultra Trail Marathons | Trail Science E:01
Welcome to our Trail Science episodes! A collaboration with Simon de Waal and Rooted in Dirt. We’re introducing a separate category of episodes where we take a deep dive into relevant trail topics and to explore the research related to these trends.
First up is pacing for ultra marathons, What is pacing? How does it differ from road to trail running? How do I pace my ultra marathon at UTCT? We chat through all of this and more.
Research & Performance Prediction in Trail Running | E:05 Simon De Waal
From research to running, this guy does it all. Simon de Waal joins us to discuss his latest research in trail running as he works towards his PhD. We discuss how the trail running world has changed and developed, our responsibility as scientists and what Trail Culture means to him. The founder of Stellies Shakeout and a hero in the trail community.