Asis the case in all fields, technique evolves and improves in running. And I’m not talking about running technique but how nutrition, our equipment and-most importantly-training methods are evolving.
What remains indisputable are the two main themes that are part of everyone’s athletic preparation: speed and endurance. But on how to develop and improve them, always one brick at a time, there have been great strides. For the better, fortunately.
Fear not, this is not a boring post with numbers, calculations, mathematical formulas and incomprehensible tables. What I want to do, for now, is just to give you concepts to try, to think about, because our goal is always the same: to improve faster and with less effort. No?!
Quality training
Let’s start with the base, the foundation of everything we do: the .
interval training
. No, don’t think of the “usual repeats”; that is, yes, but I’m not just referring to those. Any training that involves speed changes followed by moments of recovery can be considered interval training.
The underlying concept is very simple: teach, train and make our bodies adapt to sustain a higher speed for a higher period of time. In one word: adaptation.
In new training techniques, interval training is increasingly present and varied. Experienced runners, in fact, know that there are short, medium, long repeats; fartleks; progressives. But, in the more traditional approach, they are very rarely mixed and are done with some rigor.
Newer training techniques now tend to make quality workouts more frequent, mixing their components, optimizing time and creating a more varied adaptation path. The goal is to create a system composed of training + muscle group development that is increasingly efficient. And this, as you might imagine, allows our bodies to improve faster and leads us to have much more fun.
I will return to this topic in the coming days with practical examples because, for now, we have not yet talked about loading, which-as you probably know-is very important in recovery management and injury prevention.
Improving without running
Of course, we must always be clear that each of us has different needs, characteristics and frailties. But-and it applies to everyone-fatigue and overloading never bring benefits.
And this is where cross-training comes to our aid.
The concept is very simple: replace some running workouts with sessions in other disciplines and, more specifically, with cycling (or mountain biking) or swimming.
We have said it many times before: developing muscles antagonistic to running muscles is as useful as having a spare tire during a 15-day rally in the wastelands of Australia. And the concept of the spare tire is particularly fitting because, when the main running muscles are tired, others take over, allowing us to keep going.
In addition, swimming and cycling are less traumatic activities than running for our musculoskeletal system and therefore help us to recover faster, continue training, and-as a result-prevent injuries.
We don’t have to become triathletes
As much as I would like to and I am of the opinion that triathlon should be the new sport recommended by AMI (Association of Italian Mothers – quote Martino Pietropoli) it is not necessary to become a triathlete. In that case, training in the different disciplines is done to improve in each area, not as cross-training. Instead, we want to improve only in running and get the most out of it when our feet hit the asphalt.
However, I believe that for us amateur athletes without Olympic medal ambitions, it is very important to find a balance that gives us well-being at every level. And changing sports also helps on a mental level, believe me.
The fact remains that tradition should not always be followed, exploring new avenues, new activities, new training methods helps.
And it brings excellent results.
(Main image credits: Perig76 on DepositPhotos.com)