To get better at running, you have to run more. It’s sound logic, especially when you have a race goal of covering 13.1 miles in one fell swoop. A good half-marathon training plan increases your mileage systematically, and also includes running workouts that vary speed, intensity, and incline (ugh, the hills!). But you know what it should also also include? A healthy dose of cross-training. Here’s what you should make time for, amongst your mileage-logging sessions.
Find Your Strength
To build up the power and energy for endurance running, your muscles need to be primed for the task. But any ole gym workout may not be enough. “When your strength exercises are runner-specific, you target the muscles that are most important for runners, like the hips and glutes,” says Washington, D.C.-based running coach Jason Fitzgerald, the creator of Strength Running. What’s more, “a genuinely strong core will help maintain good running posture in the later stages of the race,” says Sean Fortune, Assistant Men's and Women's Track and Cross Country Distance Coach at Hunter College and a private running coach in New York City. Having a strong midsection also aids your breathing and keeps your stride efficient by preventing wasted movement. Adding in short 10-to-15-minute strength sessions, three to four times per week is a great start. The easiest way is to do a quick session—including front and side planks, squats, and lateral lunges—after every run. Or try these seven strength moves runners should do. Another option: a good ab-focused fitness class or a Pilates session, if you prefer your workouts with a little more guidance.
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Go for the Cycle
Though not as physically demanding as running, riding a bike or taking an indoor cycling class is an excellent way to boost strength in the quads and calves, and “it also does a wonderful job at strengthening the supporting tissue and joint areas in a less abusive way than running,” says Fortune. Try adding in 30-minute cycling sessions, one to four times per week. In fact, one strenuous bike ride can replace one run on a four-run-per-week plan.
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Hit the Pool
You’d think this was a post on triathlon training, right? Thing is, both Fortune and Fitzgerald point to water activities such as swimming and deep-water running (yep, it’s a thing!) as fantastic workouts for rounding out a runner’s body. “Aqua jogging is great at developing hip strength and cardiovascular fitness, while basic swimming helps to develop upper-body strength as well,” says Fortune. And a strong upper body powers your arm swing, which is arguably nearly as important as your leg stride in propelling you forward, especially near the end of the race when the going gets tough. Just 30 minutes in the pool, one to two times per week, will have real benefits. And, who knows, maybe you’ll decide to pick a sprint tri as your next goal!
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Amy Roberts is a certified personal trainer.
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