Cross Training - one of the new hot topics and new trends for training effectively and a good way to avoid injuries.
Cross training now is widely known but probably it not well adopted among runners. But in fact, it delivers great benefits to the athletes and one of the great examples is Meb Keflezighi. During his peak preparation for Boston in 2014, he rode the ElliptiGO most days in a 9-day cycle. Form, Mobility and Core Work, were also part of the cross training program.
This is one of the clearest examples of how cross training can help runners to be better, more stronger and a healthier runner. Meb has been running for several years, as he mentioned once, as he ages he needs to shift the way he trains, and even younger runners are taking this approach to have a longer professional life and even been able to keep active for long time.
Evidently this is a new trend among runners and not long ago runners were relying solely in high mileage, speed workouts, some strength training, so on, but not cross training, also the benefits were not very clear and people look at it as a boring activity.
Furthermore there was not as much information available as we have now and the training techniques that professional athletes was like a well kept secret.
Now is more open and athletes are sharing how is their training, what do they do and don’tn what do they eat, etc; and there is where cross training emerge as a new way to train for a marathon and general speaking for runners.
The basics of cross training are based on reducing the pounding of running, but having instead a way to use other muscles that are not used when running and let the body recover faster from running. Now it is well known that by training muscles that are not used while running provides a better performance when running.
And it is not secret that running is a high impact sports and can have some consequences in some persons, not all, there are runners like Sage Canaday, which been running almost non stop until 2014 when he had a knee injury and took off sometime, but as we was recovering he did cross training to mantain his fitness. http://trailrunnermag.com/people/q-and-a/1949-sage-canaday-recovery
So there are people more prone to injuries from the pounding, but one small Hardvard study tried to figure out why? the answer they found that runners that land softer, are the ones with less injuries along with the ones with a mid-foot stride. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/02/where-runners-go-wrong/
Not long ago Cross Training was not even a topic among runners. But as new training techniques have been developed, cross training has been a good aid to be more effective.
Which activities can considered as cross training?
- Aqua jogging
- Walking
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Mobility, strength training, flexibility, cross fit exercises
- Plyometrics
Any other activity which is non-impact
The Benefits:
Injury prevention
Recovery method / Active recovery
Rehabilitation while injured - specific exercises for rehab
To maintain fitness while injure
Enhance a runner's efficiency.
Increase a runner's power.
Increase the amount of time a runner is able to spend training without accumulating fatigue or getting injured.
Breaks the boredom and creates a new way to keep fitkeeps motivation by doing something different
MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
As I evolved as a runner I been learning what to do and do not. Sometimes the hard way. Specially when starting to train for a marathon. I learn first that strength training is a must and a day of cross training, in my case swimming was key to perform my PB at Miami Half Marathon last year 2015, with 1hr 24min.
My routine now has at least two days with strength training and at least one day with cross training, and when I do double session, sometimes I ride my bicycle for the light workout.
So far it has worked very well for me and has given me better performance. Specially swimming, I started swimming 2 days a week and felt great, and if I have to compare which one has worked better for me, I may say swimming and aqua jogging, but not always there is a poll nearby or the schedule is too tight.
But this year cross training has been key for me. Since my bike accident, I stopped running but keep cycling everyday at least for one hour and a half, and I can say that now that I returned to running, I feel good and my fitness kept a good level, so I do not need to start from scratch.
