Greetings, Defenders of Gotham. Before I get started, let's have a hand for Mr. John Hammegren, aka The Dark Knight, for doing everything possible to get this track club off the ground. John is our proud president, web designer, and resident running expert. He seems to have everything covered, so it has been hard for me to find a way to contribute. HOWEVER, after much brainstorming, I have found something valuable I can offer.
For those of you who don't know me, I got into running through training for other sports- particularly baseball and football. In both these activities, the cardiovascular system is trained to operate in short bursts followed by quick recovery. My training therefore consisted of shorter runs with shorter breaks, sprint drills, plyometrics, and weight training. AH-HA! This is what I can offer. Not very many runners realize the benefits of the weight room, some downright avoid it. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, too many to name here in fact, but I do want to center on one particular myth in this introductory post:
Weight lifting will make me slower.
Have you heard this before? I have. A LOT. I actually read an article today in a running journal that claims that the only runners that benefit from weight training are those that train for the 100m, 200m, 400m, or 800m. Just the sprinters. I couldn't believe they published that trash! While it is true that runners should avoid POWERLIFTING, BODYBUILDING, and other mass-centered workouts, there are still a million different ways to utilize the weight room in your quest for faster times and more satisfying runs.
As a part of my 3-4 day a week training program in preparation for my first marathon I relied on working out my legs in the weight room 1-2 times a week. As a result, I felt much stronger on hills, I felt my muscle endurance go up and up and up, and was able to finish the marathon exactly the way I set out to do. Without my weight training regimen giving me the muscle base I needed, I may have bonked in my first attempt at 26.2...
Intrigued? You should be, the weight room is super awesome. I hate to keep you all in suspense, but I have to get back to my thrilling office job. I will post again as soon as I can and will develop this training tip into a series. First exercise we will explore: SQUATS.
Until next time, keep logging those miles and cleaning up the streets.
