|
 With
the New York City Marathon
only about 120 days away,
this would be the ideal time
for a first-timer to begin
their training regimen. And
whether it’s New York,
Boston, Dublin, or PF
Chang’s Rock ‘n Roll
Marathon, if you’re going the
distance, you want to make
sure your training is as
complete as possible.
Distance running can be
improved by actually running
good distances, of course,
but not everyone has time to
run
15 miles
a day to get in condition. So what else can a runner do to truly
increase their odds of going
the distance?
To make running feel more effortless
and to help you run longer
and longer distances without
fatiguing, it is vital to improve your running economy, that is, learn to use less
oxygen when you run (no, I’m not telling you to hold your breath when
you’re doing your 8 miles
every morning!). Why is
improving your running
economy a good idea for a distance runner? It
enables you to run at a smaller percentage of your maximal oxygen utilization
rate. As you
begin to improve your economy, and thus use less
oxygen, running at a
particular speed will begin
to feel easier. Improving
your economy just one
percent can improve
the time on
your
10K run by at least twenty
seconds.
How does it work?
When your body strength increases, fewer muscle fibers have to
engage during the act of
running, meaning that you
waste
less energy and use less oxygen. Also, the movements
you do make are more
economical,
keeping
your oxygen use low
as you run your
course. This means you can run longer, faster, and harder
without feeling any more
exhausted.
Study proves the effectiveness of strength training for women
distance runners
Effective strength training can increase your running economy
by as much as
four
or
five percent, shaving up to
a minute off of your 10K time.
Consider the
results of this study: six experienced
female distance runners
performed a weight-training regimen for
10 weeks. At the same time,
another six female runners,
also experienced, shunned
the weight training in favor
of their regular training
routines.
The women who did the weight
training improved
their upper body strength by
an average of 24
percent and lower body
strength by
about 34
percent.
After completing the
training program, their heartbeats
were
measured while
running and were found to be slower
than they
had been at the onset of the training.
In fact, their
running economy improved enough for them to shave about
80 seconds off a
10-kilometer run, on average. The other six
runners showed no
improvement in strength or
running time.
The same workouts could work
for you!
Get The Strength Training
Program Today!
Strength training 3 days a week
The women strength-trained three
days a week, working on
a combination of parallel squats with
free weights, knee flexions,
straight-leg heel raises,
seated presses with free
weights, rear lat pull-downs, hammer curls
with free weights, and
weighted sit-ups with free
weights for one workout. The
second workout
combined lunges with free weights, knee
extensions, bent-leg heel
raises with free weights,
bench presses with free weights,
seated rows, front lat pull-downs, and abdominal curls. The
first and second workouts
were alternated throughout
the week so that the women never did the same two in a row. On days when
they were also supposed to
run, they rested at least
five hours between working out and
running.
While the strength training
improved their physical
strength and running time,
these women did not “bulk up,” which runners typically avoid so
they
don’t have to carry around
extra weight.
Get The Strength Training
Program Today!
So what does this mean for you?
If you’re a distance runner
who has always believed
strength training was
unnecessary, perhaps it is
time to reconsider that
perspective. Avoiding
strength training workouts
might not be as good
an idea as you
had thought. Strength training significantly improved the performance of
the athletes cited in the
above-mentioned
study, and it can work
for you, too. Sounds like it
might be time to use that gym membership
for more than just the
treadmill.
While the above-mentioned
exercises worked for the
women in the study, do not
attempt to create your own
similar regimen without
first speaking to your
doctor. For help creating a
strength training program to
enhance your current
distance running regimen,
contact Scott White at
swhite@personalpowertraining.net.
Whether you're training for
your first marathon, or your
twenty-first, strength
training can give you the
boost you need to finish
more quickly. Why let others
finish ahead of you?
For more information on this
or other health-related
subjects, contact Scott White
at
swhite@personalpowertraining.net. |
