Want to get started in trail running

Hey gang, a friend of mine was telling me about trail running since I tend to get disinterested or bored from running on roads rather easily.

Just wanted to see how one would get started in this, and if there's a decent trail running shoe that's say $60-70 to invest in, to get my feet wet so to speak. I saw there's about 15-18 trails around Delaware to run on, including an 8 mile trail about 10 minutes from my house.

Is it as simple as finding a short trail (there's a couple 1.5 mile ones) and getting after it?

I'd start by speaking to a local shoe dealer (or two). Ask them about local trail running groups. They would also be a good resource to ask them for their shoe recommendation based upon the local trails. Also, don't focus too much about how much your going to spend (within common sense). Focus on getting shoes that fit your needs first.
Personally speaking, my trail shoes has far outlasted almost every one of my road shoes, so on a cost per use basis, their a good deal.

I find that trail running shoes are also great all-around outdoor activity shoes, so even after you replace them for running purposes, they are fine shoes for general camping, hiking, canoeing, etc. Even when more or less worn out, they are good shoes for yard work and other activities that road shoes would not be suited for, so you get some extra value out of them.

I started with Merrell Capras for a mix of trail running and hiking. They cost me about $130 and still look and feel almost new after a full summer. While I'm new to running, I have been active in the outdoors for many years and have had lesser shoes fail in just a few months. So spending $130 for a pair of shoes that will outlast 3+ pair of cheap shoes makes sense. If you find you don't get into the running, they are still great all around shoes for many other recreational activities, so you aren't out anything.

Something to consider is looking on Ebay for trail runners that have been lightly used / tried. While this may be disgusting to some, for me it allows me to ensure I find the right size needed, the right model needed and also save some coin. Once I figure out if I really like a shoe, the right size, etc., I go on to buy new. Lots of people buy the newest, fastest ;-), sexiest trail runners to find a few runs later that they just don’t crank our tractor, for lots of different reasons. Just because a runner has 5 or 10 or 15 miles on it, doesn’t typically mean it’s toast. What you run on today, this week, this year is unlikely what you will be running on in the future. Brands change models, and even stop making shoes. I ran in a low drop Pearl Izumi for years and even bought a stockpile of N1’s when I heard Pearl Izumi was not making their runners anymore. After some crying, foot stomping and swearing, I figured out that the reason I went to a low drop in the first place was in order to transition to a zero drop shoe. So the bonus was that it pushed me to try some zero drop shoes. I am super orgasmic again, now running on Altra trail runners. Again, just an alternative view to consider :-)