Monday, June 23, 2008

The Running Group Week Five...

Okay, so how are you feeling now that we have 4 weeks of running behind us??

As we move closer to our first official event, the 5K, we are now training at just about the distance we'll complete on July 12th (5K = 3.1 miles). And over the coming weeks we'll go just a bit beyond the 5K distance and spend a little time doing some short intervals (increasing pace for very short periods, like 30 - 60 seconds) to enhance our cardiovascular base. Eventually, the Saturday runs will become our "long runs" and the Tuesday/Thursday runs will be for a shorter time period.

Below is our schedule for the week...along with some important information about cross-training to minimize injury and maximize your performance.

Tuesday - Run 30 min
Thursday - Run 30 min
Saturday - 3.00 miles
Sunday - Rest

Cross Training Benefits!

Recently I experienced an injury at the tail end of one of our training runs. Personally it was embarrassing for me to gimp along the last 100 yards of the run. I'd like to think that I'm in decent condition and could handle the little bit of training we'd done at that point. What I realized, though, is all of my training in the previous 2 years has been low-impact (cycling, TaeKwonDo on a soft floor & elliptical) and I was just a bit too aggressive by adding some solo distance runs leading up to the injury.

The point of my story is share the importance of backing off your running and instead adding another form of cardiovascular exercise if you begin to feel more than mild aches and pains. Don't push through joint or connective tissue pain - it could result in a substantial injury that may possibly require significant down time.

In a nutshell, here are some of the benefits of cross training:
  • Overall strength and fitness improvement. Cross-training can help you reach a higher level of overall fitness than just running. Many runners suffer in the latter stages of a race because they lack upper body strength. So many runners focus just on their legs and running muscles that they often neglect arms, shoulders, neck, back, and core. No one sport can work all the muscles equally, but by adding other activities to you're your training, you can optimize your whole-body conditioning. We talked about the importance of strength training in a previous email (http://cincinnatifitnessrunning.blogspot.com/2008/06/week-3-routine.html)
  • Increased aerobic conditioning. Cross-training can maintain and/or improve your overall cardiovascular endurance. Cross-training activities develop and strengthen muscles that running doesn't exercise. You may have to work relatively hard to get the same aerobic workout that running provides, but doing intervals (combining hard/easy alternating intensity levels) will definitely provide the needed intensity level.
  • Injury prevention and recovery. Many runners have used cross-training when they have been injured because they are forced to do so if they want to continue exercising (including yours truly this past week!). However, if you cross-train when you are not injured, it could prevent future injury. Cross-training allows you to rest one set of muscles while working the other, and low-impact training gives the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments to a needed rest from the stress of running.
  • Balance and variety. Any athlete who is one-dimensional is at a disadvantage among those who practice more than one activity. As you strengthen non-running muscles, a more balanced overall level of fitness results. And although you may love running, variety helps prevent boredom and increases your appreciation for running. Cross-training keeps you fresh mentally and physically and teaches you about your strengths and weaknesses. It helps increase your confidence and helps you improve as a runner.

Cross-training is especially beneficial as we age as we need more recovery time after longer, harder training session. Cross-training allows us to engage in active recovery - still exercising, but not stressing the same muscles day after day.

Most importantly, utilize cross-training when you feel your body needs a break from the pounding...

See many of you at Crossroads Church in Oakley tomorrow at 6:30am!!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian NSCA-CPT, ACE

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.cincinnatifitness.com

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