by Blake Herzog
Oct. 10’s Whiskey Row Marathon, Greater Prescott’s premier footrace and the primary fundraiser for the James Family Prescott YMCA, is drawing close. Any runners prepping for it should be cross training with lower-impact workouts alongside jogging and sprinting.
The marathon offers four race lengths, inviting the whole community to participate: the marathon, half-marathon, 10K and .3 Mile High Fun Run. All participants will benefit from cross training.
Cross training is a core part of overall training for most runners, reducing the likelihood of overuse injuries catching up to them before or during a race. Adding lower-impact aerobic (cardio) and strength training builds power and endurance without battering bones and joints any more than necessary.
Yin and yang of cross training
Some make a distinction between cross training and strength training, applying the former term only to cardio exercise. Both are important to runners who want to be well-rounded athletes, regardless of the specific distance they’re running.
Cycling, rowing, swimming, aqua jogging and elliptical training are among the best aerobic exercises and can be substituted for one of your weekly runs or turned to on a recovery day. They provide variety to your regimen, and diversified movement strengthens your core and other crucial muscle groups that aren’t put to maximum use while you’re running.
Strength training twice a week also reduces injury risk, simply by building up muscles and connective tissues vulnerable to injury by making it easier to maintain proper form during movement. It also turbocharges those fast-twitch fibers responsible for the explosive force needed to scale all those inclines on the Whiskey Row Marathon courses and making that final push across the finish line.
Cross training isn’t something to add on when you’re already training at or near the maximum recommended level for the type of race you’re preparing for; this will add more stress to your body and leave you more vulnerable to injury.
And if you’re already injured, low-impact movements that use muscles you’re trying to heal are not going to be helpful and will slow recovery.