Are You Strong Enough To Run?

This article is especially relevant due to some extremely nice weather we’ve been having here in Maryland lately. It is from our coach Steve Barker and originally appeared on his blog last year at www.barkertraining.com.

 

It’s getting nice out, which means everyone will be (and should be) getting outside more to move around after a long winter of staying indoors, binge eating oreos and checking to see what’s new on Netflix. The first thing everyone thinks to do once it gets nice out is to go for a run, and when the weather here in Maryland got over 60 degrees the first day, the sidewalks and streets were flooded with ipod-wearing runners hitting the pavement for the first time in a long time.  But what happened to those first timers? The streets haven’t been that busy since. Where have they all gone?

I have a few ideas.

With most people, as the weather fluctuates through early spring from warm to cold and back again, so does their motivation and commitment to get out and run.  And trust me, I don’t like running in warm or cold, so I’m not judging.  Here’s what I would bet happened to more than a few people though; overwhelming soreness and perhaps minor injury.  After spending all of winter indoors, motivation (and perhaps self loathing) hits an all-time high and our would-be spring time runner wants to go for three miles to begin to shed that hibernation weight. Everything goes great, the three miles was hard for our runner, but they got it done and now feel accomplished, endorphins are high, they check themselves in the mirror while getting into the shower after the run and they think “HELL YEAH”.  Until the next day. Shins are sore, knees hurt, feet feel funky.  “Oh yes, this is why I don’t run” the spring runner thinks. But what the hell happened?

Likely, the mileage for most nice-weather-only runners, who haven’t done anything all winter, is too much, too soon. (Think stress-recovery-adaptation)  The stress of a three mile run on someone who hasn’t ran in a while, and is perhaps a few pounds heavier since the last time they ran, is too much and the body tells you so by making literally everything hurt. There is a chance for redemption though, and that is training for STRENGTH year round, then adding your runs when you want.

The best “fitness” thing you can do is strength train. Period. Strength is an attribute of fitness that effects all others in some form or fashion, even endurance. Many hardcore runners will argue that training for strength will not effect performance on long runs, saying it will make them bulky, slow, and have them put on a few pounds (mostly gainz).  And some of those points I am unable to argue, since the science shows that training for strength gains and endurance gains at the same time may leave you inadequate at both. However, I would argue that taking time to prioritize strength and properly structure that strength training program while running would increase performance during long runs and increase, by leaps and bounds, a runner’s durability. Besides, unless you are a world class runner, putting on a few pounds of muscle will help you in other ways, such as feeling better, looking better, lasting longer in old age.  If you are a world class runner, than you probably already have a structured strength training program.

Staying healthy should be a priority during anyone’s training program, runners included. Take into account the ground reaction force during running, meaning the force that your body absorbs each time your foot strikes the ground (which is multiple times the amount of your bodyweight). Your body takes a hell of a beating while “pounding” the pavement on a long run.  The body needs to be able to repeat the task of running for many minutes and many miles, and over a long run, the ability to maintain good running form gets harder, so now ground reaction forces take a bigger toll, and faulty running mechanics lends itself to shit just generally hurting.  This is where many runner’s complaints of knees and hips and back and feet and ankles hurting come from.

In comes training for strength.

Strength training increases your ability to handle these forces.  Squatting, pressing, and pulling uses every muscle in the human body and the adaptations from these exercises include creating thicker muscles and tendons and bone, from head to toe. This means the body is able to handle more force, thus keeping you healthier while you run. Now, with your newly found strength, you are able to hold a proper running posture for a longer period of time.  Stronger leg musculature means less injury since your muscles are more durable and more PREPARED to handle big time forces. And those same stronger muscles can propel you forward quicker because they’re capable of putting more force into the ground.

Simple solution – prioritize strength for at least a period of time during the year, run when the weather is nice or if you want to run a big time race, but always strength train. Squat, press, pull. Your knees and hips and back and feet and race times will thank you. Your body will thank you by not being hurt.  Being strong enough to handle logging the vigorous miles should be a priority.

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