Running

Running is simple. Left foot, right foot, repeat. Yet somewhere in that simplicity I’ve been gifted more fitness and life lessons than I can possibly share. I’ll try anyway. Here are some numbers that will help your running, your fitness, and maybe even your life.

Will weight lifting make a distance runner faster?

We say ‘I’m not flexible’, ‘I’m not strong’, or even, gasp, ‘I’m slow’, like we can’t do something about it. There are things that can’t be taught, like luck, or being 7 feet, 300 lbs, but every athletic skill can, in fact, be taught. Take, for example, speed. Speed can be taught.

‘Dear Running Man, You know…I am NOT a runner!! But I need to get in better shape, and your recent post has me thinking maybe it would help me. Do you have any pointers on how to begin running (starting from a bad place).’

Your running form is like your fingerprint: i.e. unique. Thankfully there are common traits to great running form.

You want to make this more complicated than it is; to believe you need months of running splits at 80% max heart rate; that eating certain food will aid oxygen metabolization; that your training has to be perfect.

Ragnar trail relay was delayed 2 hours for lightning.  The accompanying rain turned the Mountain trails into mud and slush pits.  The grass is slick, the rocks are slippery and the mud will suck your shoes and socks off.  All I had to run in were two pairs of Nike frees.  Good shoes for roads or dry trails, a liability in these conditions.

What would be more valuable?  Running a race where everything felt great and I whizzed through 20 miles, won the race and learned nothing new. Or running hard for 7, losing momentum, beating myself up for 2 miles, then rallying, pushing, scratching my way back to my goal time and learning something along the way.

Certain questions have dogged health professionals for years. Questions like ‘does acupuncture actually work?’, or ‘Can you lose weight and gain muscle at the same time?’ Another one you hear often, ‘Is the treadmill an effective training apparatus?’ Let’s have a look.

‘How do I run faster?’ This is THE question.  The answer is different for everyone.  Some people need more miles; some less; some need speed; some need strength.  Some need to get out of their head and have fun.