Strength training and the right running technique can reduce the chance of severe aches and pains
Picture this situation: You are a first-time runner. In your first week itself, you can run over a kilometre without breaking a sweat. A month goes by and you've completed your first 5-kilometre run, after running regularly. You're now halfway into completing in a 10-kilometre race. As the second month comes to a close, you see yourself consistently running eight kilometres. You think you're happy, but there is a catch. You feel stiffness in your heels; your knees ache, as do your sides and your back.
Initially, you think it is just work-related fatigue and continue running, but the pain starts to get worse. It is at this point that you rewind to Day 1 of your training and try and see what you did or did not do. Did you focus on strength training? A lot of distance runners believe that they don't need strength training. Unfortunately, they are wrong. We're not asking you to bench press three times your body weight on Day 1, but gradually build up resistance and focus on each body part as an essential element of your strength training regimen.
These exercises, supplemented by strengthening your core, will aid and improve your running performance. If you're not comfortable with weights, we suggest you opt for calisthenics (where your body is used as the weight) and the effects are as good, if not better than regular weight training. Did you stretch before and after the race? Sometimes in the adrenaline of finishing or in the excitement of starting a race, we can forget basic stretches. Not stretching can result in stiffness, muscle cramps and niggles, which make your run a lot less enjoyable.
Is your running technique right? Are your strides long enough? Do you land soft on your surface? Is your posture upright while running? Do you swing your arms enough? If your answer is negative to any of these questions, then you need to rethink the way you run. In a city like Mumbai, landing soft on a surface can be a problem, so we suggest you try running on the seashore or at a public park. This is a start and you can gradually build up to concrete, which is a tougher surface to run on.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "DNA_MARATHON")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}