The strongest indicator that shoes will work for you, according to the research is… Do they feel good? I’d suggest going to a running store and trying on different brands and jogging around the store. Once you find a comfy pair, you probably chose well.

All the people saying “yes” are incorrect. Running on pavement and running on trails exert different strains on the body, but not less. The tendency in road runners is to end up with tibial stress fractures, and in trail runners it is metatarsal stress fractures, but the injury rates are similar. Trail running requires stronger stabilizer muscles (primarily gluteus medius) to maintain knee health in the long term, but this is a problem for both as well.

Use good shoes, strength train your gluteus medius and calves, do most of your miles at an easy pace, and you’ll be running for decades, regardless of your chosen surface. You might even change it up and do both!

(My credentials are that i am an ultramarathoner and have run half a dozen races between 26.2 and 50 miles, on pavement and trail, and i have been coached by a professional ultra runner for several seasons.)

No, you should not. Read about Ted Kaczynski. We’re naturally social creatures. Isolation is very very bad for our mental health. If you’re feeling misanthropic now, it will get worse when you’re not around people.

It might be good for you to take a sabbatical and hike one of the triple crown trails. But the important part is to not isolate yourself completely.

Omg 😆 that’s a spectacular reference in this context. I miss eve online.

My gf almost never farts. She’s given me a complex about it, i stg. She says she trained herself not to by sheer willpower, and in spite of living together for almost 2 years, I’ve only caught her like twice.