Your greatest weakness is your greatest potential.
My mind is running 26.2 miles at a time. I just hope that in about 5.5 months, my body will be able to as well.
In the last week, I’ve cheered on runners (including some of my editors as part of Team CLIF Bar) while they ran the Boston Marathon, gotten into the lottery for the October 9th Chicago Marathon, and started my own pound-the-pavement training.
The thing is, I’ve never been much of a runner … or, at least, an endurance runner. Back in high school, I was a sprinter. My coach said I was like a phoenix (the mythical bird, not the city): Crazy fast for 100 meters, then everything just went to crap. But, since 100-meter track races are hard to come by in the post-school real world, why not figure out how to get good at long-distance running?
After all, I think there’s a lot of truth to the saying that the most important exercise is the one that you’re worst at. Weak spots aren’t detriments, but rather an opportunity for growth, improvement, new experiences, and maybe even new favorite exercises. Eh? Eh? And I definitely suck at long-distance running.
For that reason, in 2014, I signed up for the Chicago Women’s Half Marathon. I figured it would make me run more, and maybe even learn to like running. It paid off. I actually got to a place in which every run didn’t suck as much as shin splints and chaffed nipples. (Man, did I see a lot of chaffed nipples in Boston!) I may have even had a couple of runner’s highs.
But, after I made it through the race, I didn’t do a good job at sticking with my running routine. I took a bit of a fitness hiatus—which was admittedly too long—and then, when I finally got back to it, really focused on lifting. I’ve always enjoyed lifting. And after developing some IT band issues and plantar fasciitis, I figured I needed some rehab time in the weight room anyway.
The time in the weight room has definitely been well spent. After all, when I polled running coaches on their best running tips recently for Women’s Health, strength training was tied for first. Holly Perkins, C.S.C.S, who I absolutely love and is an awesome strength expert and running coach said that she has all of her running clients lift for six to eight weeks before heading out on their first mile. Having a (literally) strong foundation is critical to avoiding muscle imbalances, injuries, etc.
I blame much of my prior IT band issues on a weak gluteus maximus and medius, as the two muscles are vital to stability in both the knee and hip and, when weak, often lead to IT band pain on the outside of the knee. So, hey, another reason to hit all of my glute muscles. I perform vertical glute moves like barbell back squats and deadlifts, horizontal ones like hip thrusters and bridges, and lateral ones like hip abductions and lateral band walks. Recently, during an interview for Men’s Health, “the glute guy” Bret Contreras, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.*D, broke down glute strengthening to me that way. It makes perfect sense. Training your body in all three planes of movement like this is vital to functional exercise. After all, even when you’re running forward, your body is still moving in more than one direction. Plus, all injury prevention aside, your glutes are your powerhouse muscles, making an awesome contribution to running performance, speed, and endurance. Build them up in the weight room and your running will only stand to benefit.
A photo posted by K. Aleisha Fetters (@kafetters) on
But, while I’d be happy as a clam to hang out in the weight room every day, there’s such a thing as specificity of training. Simply put, if you want to get good at running, you need to run—you can’t just strength train.
That means it’s time to put one foot in front of the other. Again. And again. And again. Fortunately, Chicago has an awesome lakefront path, and it has finally stopped snowing* here.
** Fingers crossed!
Wanting to make a return to running, too? Check out these other awesome tips to start running again.
2 comments
Good luck Aleisha!
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