Run Better Without Running At All

Okay, the title is a little misleading.  You, obviously have to run in order to improve your running.  However, there has long been the debate of how you can incorporate cross training into your routine in order to actually improve your running, not just use it as recovery or during injury.  I have recently read articles by two of the great coaches, Alberto Salazar and Jack Daniels, which help explain how supplementing your training can work for your running.  

A challenge coaches often find themselves dealing with is helping runners avoid the temptation to run more.  Many runners think that adding more miles into their training is the answer to better running.  That is true only up to a certain point and, for each runner, the amount of miles that can be handled is different.  Salazar says “For those of you that have the desire and time to train more, add cross training activities such as swimming, biking, aqua jogging, rather than increasing your mileage.  The risk of getting injured far outweighs the benefits of getting in a few extra miles.”  The key is knowing the amount of volume your body can handle.  For an elite athlete it may be 120 miles per week.  For you it may be 40 miles per week.  He also advocates no more then a 15% increase in mileage to a total you have been able to maintain for a couple months.  Most of that increase can come through the long run, says Salazar.  He advocates increasing your fitness though cross training without the risk of injury.

NCAA Coach of the Century, Jack Daniels, discusses this topic in his article “Supplemental Training for You-the Distance Runner.” He says, that just as each run you do has a specific purpose, so should each of your cross training workouts.  Ask yourself -what is the purpose of this workout?   “There should always be a reasonable answer to this question, even if the answer seems frivolous in nature, e.g., the purpose of this workout is to do something that relaxes me, hence will aid in my running career,” says Daniels. 

Daniels further explains, “I feel strongly that to optimize your running performances, you must spend a good amount of time running-to be a better runner, you must run.  With this in mind, hopefully all the training you do, whether running or some non-running supplemental activity, will benefit your running.”  He breaks down cross training into non-aerobic and aerobic activities.  Non-aerobic includes activities that “have an indirect effect on running performance, though may have far reaching benefits.”  “These activities may include muscle and mind strengthening, flexibility exercises, or mental drills to help minimize anxiety or enhance confidence levels.”  Things like adding a weekly yoga class or doing some light upper body strength training a few times a week are good examples.  You could also spend time mentally rehearsing a successful race or employing mantras during tough training and racing.

Aerobic supplemental training is training that does not involve running, but also stress the cardiovascular system.  Daniels recommends doing activities that involve some leg work, but anything is workable.  One reason, as many of us may have experienced, for using aerobic supplemental training is during an injury.  Daniels states, “More than anything, breaks from running forces you to take on new activities and learn about the injury prevention exercises that may prove extremely rewarding when you get back into regular running.”  But what about when you are not injuried?

Including some other aerobic activities, into your weekly training, can help develop areas of your body that are oft neglected when running alone.  This will shape you into a more well rounded athlete that could actually make you run better.  If you have reached the point where more miles are out of the question, you could include a weekly bike ride or swim session.  I know that for me personally, the swimming I did in the past, gave me exceptional upper body and core strength while also taxing my cardiovascular system.  I appreciated this strength on long runs and long races.  Getting on your bike will give your legs a good workout without the pounding of the pavement which can be useful the day after a race, interval session or long run. 

I have been asked many times over the years how swimming, biking or the elliptical trainer compares to actual running.  Daniels addresses this:  “I tend to use a formula that equates ½ hour of running time to one hour of supplemental aerobic training that does not involve running muscles…If you are involving running muscles, as in deep water running, up hill treadmill walking, elliptical trainers, etc.  I offer 2/3 credit, which means an hour of this type of supplemental training is worth 40 minutes of running.”  I was taught that 1 mile of swimming equates to 4 miles run and 4 miles riding the bike equates to 1 mile run.  Now, all those addicted to keeping track of your miles, can also log the equivalent.  I don’t attempt to convert non-aerobic activities, like stretching and ab work, but you could.

The bottom line is that you gotta run if you want to run well.   But, being the best runner you can be involves a lot more then just running.  Your objectives should include being an athlete that looks after all their body’s factors.  Daniels ends by saying, “I am convinced that maintaining overall body fitness is important to athletes involved in any sport, if for no other reason than to maintain a positive attitude about your body and how it reacts to stresses of any kind.”  Look at your schedule and see where another activity may fit in.