Without a doubt the 3 weeks training in Nepal leading up to the world's highest marathon at 17,070 feet was the most incredible trip of my life. I got to do training runs to Everest Base Camp and just do what I love to do in one of the most incredible places on earth. Kenya was also very beautiful and it was neat to see first hand all those kids running to school just as we are all told they do. Eat, sleep and run, over and over and over. Keep your eyes on the ground.
Practicality is such a relative term.
Since I have been doing this for so many years I can remember when the races were never filled up. The All American Trail Running Association says in 1994 there were approximately 400 organized trail races. In 1998 there were more than 800 with over 100,000 active trail racers. Some people like shoes with a lot of cushion. I wear very light racing flats because trails are already soft.