Strength Training & Ultra Running

If you think the two have nothing in common you my friend are a fool!

Don't worry though... I once too was a fool.

When I started running six or so years ago I did absolutely zero strength or core training. All I did was swim, cycle, and run. It was cardio, cardio, and some more cardio for me. Then again, I was still around 200 pounds and just trying to shed the weight.

In 2009 I did my first ultra and believe or not, quickly realized that staying upright for 5 or so hours required a lot more strength than I had originally thought.

Fast forward to the summer of 2011 and I'm running around 10 ultras a year. This summer as I was training for my first 100, I decided to really focus on and stick to some kind of core/strength training regimen.

While I'm definitely not a professional of any sorts I do have a BA in Kinesiology and 6 years of intense exercise experience. I'm not going to sit here and list out my accomplishments, but I do want you (as an athlete) to seriously think about what I'm saying.

Something I remember very vividly from my second ultra (the Where's Waldo 100K), was that after 4-5 hours my back was starting to get more and more uncomfortable. Again, this was my first ultra that had any significant climbing, often an hour or so plus at a time.  When I climb I tend to hunch over just a bit and I get a bit of a lean. The more I climbed the more my back seemed to bother me.

It took me another 20 or so ultras, but I finally realized that my core strength was FAR more important during ultras than it is during triathlons/marathons. (Even though core strength DOES have it's place in marathons!)

So, back to my training this summer, I knew that I did not want any back discomfort (or at least keep it to a minimum) during the AT100. Four times a week I started doing around 6-7 minutes worth of basic crunches (on an incline bench w/ a 10lb medicine ball) and push ups.

I was only doing around 30 push ups, and probably no more than ~120 push ups a week. While this probably doesn't seem like much to most, by the time I finished my first 100 I realized it was plenty! I had no back discomfort and my hike-a-climb skill was vastly increased. (just ask my pacer!)

The point is that we as ultra runners just cannot afford to completely avoid this topic. While you can definitely fake your way through a 50 (like I managed to do at Zane Grey AND Jemez... not sure how),  I can only imagine how difficult a 100 would be without any specific strength training. I feel like I gained SO much fitness with just a few minutes of exercise four times a week. That's too hard to pass up.

What brought this on tonight (very spontaneous blog post) was a new workout I have implemented. A few weeks ago when on Google+ I saw a post about a 100 push up training program. At first this caught my eye, but that was about it. I later ventured back to the post and checked it out. Again, I read through it, but dismissed it as something I couldn't do.

Of course after going back to it a few times, I finally decided I'd try the program. It's a 6 week program with three workouts a week, ending with 100 straight push ups. I am now on week 5 and let me tell you. I am SO much stronger. I'm up to workouts that involve 160 push ups in 5 sets. I haven't tried to max out yet, but I'm getting more and more confident in my ability to push out 100 straight. I of course will keep everyone updated!

What used to concern me, was that as I runner, I never wanted to get "big". I never needed or wanted to be "muscly". The only muscles I figured I needed were in my legs, not to mention I was really concerned that as soon as I did any weight lifting I would "swell up".

What I have realized over the past few weeks is that I was completely wrong. Since I do 10+ hours of cardio a week, 10-12 minutes worth of push ups three times a week is NOT going to make me "huge", "swole", or "muscly". Toned... maybe... stronger? Definitely.

So let me challenge those of you that do little to no core/strength training. After your runs, three of four times a week, try 5 or so minutes of some kind of core/strength training. Buy a medicine ball and see what you can come up with. Heck, you can even try that 100 push up plan.

Whatever you do, don't underestimate the strength one needs to stay on your feet for 20+ hours.

I leave you with splendor. A song I've been pretty addicted to by M83.

-Jacob