Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [19]
Cross training offers perspective to counter ultrarunning obsessiveness. Cross training can be used as active recovery, allowing you to feel good about not running while pursuing another discipline or developing new skills that enhance your running. By becoming passionate about other athletic endeavors, ultrarunners are more likely to take adequate time away from running when a recovery period is necessary to recuperate from an overuse injury or simply avoid overuse. Knowing that there are alternatives to running certainly helps during a time of injury, boredom, or burnout. Cross training serves as a fine balance that prevents things from getting too far out of whack, both physically and mentally.
Cross training is easily integrated into an ultrarunning routine by substituting a different discipline for a running session or two each week. Execute these cross-training sessions at an equivalent intensity to their running counterparts, as measured by heart rate, effort, and time. For example, after a long trail run on Sunday, replace Monday’s recovery run of 45 minutes with a 45-minute swim, bike, or Nordic ski session of equivalent effort.
Only when you exchange a substantial percentage of running workouts for cross training will the cross training detract from your ultrarunning performance. If the primary goal is to be a better ultrarunner, then it’s probably important that a majority of your workouts be running. The doctrine of “specificity of training” is an almost obvious principle: The best way to improve at an activity is to train by doing that activity. Ultra-runners should heed the specificity doctrine, but not to the point of ruling out beneficial cross-training workouts.
Depending on your ultrarunning goals, cross training should complement running, but not supplant it. Although cross training is an excellent way of maintaining fitness while giving running muscles some time off, think of it as active recovery in that it should not be so strenuous or depleting that you are left too exhausted to run. Always exercise some caution when trying a new sport—it’s easy to strain muscles that are not trained for that specific activity. It is rather disappointing to spoil your running training because of an injury resulting from a cross-training mishap.
The balanced ultrarunner is a rarity, but cross training helps achieve a flexibility that allows you to consider “playing” with other disciplines and work in non-running efforts that serve to include other people in your training. Through such active recovery pursuits, you can involve friends, family, and co-workers, and integrate activities into your travel and social life, without being a single-minded, single-purpose, introverted ultrageek. Hopefully, that flexibility spreads so that you can avoid pushing too hard at your cross training. And keep in mind that every runner is an individual who responds to different types of training. What works for one ultrarunner might be a huge mistake for another. Be sensitive to all your needs plus those of your family, friends, and co-workers.
A holistic approach to ultrarunning keeps your training and racing in perspective. Yes, you need to respect the importance of adequate training, but do not forget the forest for the trees. In addition to proper form, fitness, strength, nutrition, and gear, you will become a better runner if you are balanced and happy with your family, work, and social life. Avoiding overtraining or chronic fatigue and approaching each run with fervor keeps you motivated and assures quality training. You will also run more easily if you’re not burdened by stress or lack of recovery, rest, and relaxation. Keep it fun and mix it up whenever possible.
Adam W. Chase is an ultrarunner, adventure racer, snowshoer, Nordic and alpine skier, cyclist, and all around extremely fit guy. He’s also the trail editor for Running Times magazine, president of the American Trail Running Association, trail running community manager for Salomon, and the captain and manager of the Atlas Snow-Shoe Racing Team . . . when he’s not