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Sports

5 Things to Help You Get Into Spring Running Shape

Instead of jumping into a training program without a plan, use these tips to structure a program that will last for the long haul.

We have seen glimpses of the spring more than once in the last few weeks, and if you are like me, you have been thinking about getting outside and hitting the road. I have been hearing a lot of people talking about running 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and full marathons, and it is exciting. I hear these same desires every year as the weather begins to show signs of breaking. Unfortunately, even with the best of intentions, I usually see people put in a week or two of “training” only to come out hurt or unmotivated.

In many cases a person develops extreme goals and then tries to achieve them by jumping in head over heels without a plan. They push their body too far too fast and pull muscles, sprain ankles, or make themselves sick. I always tell people that they need to condition their bodies before they run too far. Here are some early training tips to get you on your way.

1.       Strengthen your core: Too many people start running without thinking about the rest of their body. You must work your lower back, stomach, and obliques in your early training. The added muscle will help you keep your posture better during your long runs. If you lose your posture you will lose your balance and you will likely overly pressure your back, knees and ankles. Those pressures can lead to injury

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2.       Work up to your mileage: How many people do you know who have started, on day one, with a 5+ mile run?  They haven’t run in months, or years and they go out and blow their body out. You need to take the time necessary to build up your mileage so that you can maintain good form throughout your runs. You will build the muscles in your legs more safely and you can increase your body’s natural stamina and muscle endurance.

3.       Mix in different workouts along with running: To properly train your legs you mustn’t only run for distance. I like to have runners train at least two days a week with speed and hill work. Speed work should be shorter, more aggressive runs and hill runs are just like they sound, find a hill and attack it.

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4.       Increase your good caloric intake: An hour of running can burn an excess of 500 calories and you won’t get them back without the proper nutrition. This doesn’t give you free reign to eat fried foods and sugary treats, but you should increase your caloric intake in order to maintain the proper energy that you will need to train hard

5.       Stretch: You need to stretch early and often. I recommend that you do a dynamic stretch to warm up.  These movements are stretches such as high knees, butt kicks, punter kicks, etc. that will help to get your blood flowing and loosen up your muscles for your upcoming run. After you are done, you should do a static stretch to cool down and stretch your muscles. You should properly stretch your entire body, not just your legs. I also like to use foam rollers to get more of a deep tissue muscle therapy done for my body. 

If you take these tips and put them into practice you will be able to maintain a proper training program that will allow you stay healthy, keep your motivation, and make great improvements in both your speed and your endurance. Good luck!

 

Jim Crowell

412-254-FiTT

Jim@if-fit.com

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