Distance runners who incorporate weight training into their fitness regime enjoy many benefits.

Total body conditioning provides an all around toning of the whole body beyond the sport.  By adding free weights or resistance machines (Nautilus and Cybex are two popular ones), or both, to their program, runners enjoy strengthening of not only their legs, but their cardiovascular system as well.

Additionally, they increase their strength all over and are less likely to be injured.  When they are also spending adequate time practicing their chosen sport, distance running or whatever, their endurance for their sport will be improved with strength training.

Benefits to the Whole Body
The body is broken down into three specific regions, the upper body, abdominals or core and the lower body.  Each region has a purpose and supports the total body function.  Therefore, each region needs to be conditioned.

Upper Body
When a runner runs, his or her arms swing.  This is a natural movement in running and
runners adapt this motion and use it to their advantage as a method of propulsion.
Therefore, a runner with a strong upper body is more likely to run faster and more
efficiently than one who is lacking in upper body strength.

Abdominals or Core
The abdominal area is the core of the body.  Strength in this region aids in protecting the
back while it helps the runner maintain his or her proper form.  This helps them to
perform more efficiently.  This protects the core from injury.

Lower Body
The lower body region is the part that propels the runner.  It is also the part of the body
that the runner uses most, but there is some imbalance in the muscle groups that develop.
The runner’s hamstrings and calf muscles develop faster than their quadriceps and shins.
A good weight training program helps to counter this imbalance.  As an added bonus,
strong quads and hips help to protect the lower body from injury.

Benefits Beyond Running

By employing total body conditioning, the runner will experience other benefits.  A leaner body due to increased fat burning capabilities occurs.  The benefits extend beyond improving the runner’s abilities.

More Efficient Fat Burning
The more muscle that a person has, the more efficient the body is at metabolizing
glucose.  In short, more muscle means less fat.  The body becomes a fat burning machine.

Change in Body Composition
As the body ages, its composition changes.  Lean muscle decreases while fat deposits
increase.  Weight training and strength training slows this process.

Bone Protection
This benefit is particularly vital to women.  Weight training helps to protect bones.
When the muscles tug on the person’s bone structure during weight training, the result is
a facilitation of bone regeneration.

Reduction in Other Health Risks
Weight training is believed to reduce the risk factors for health conditions such as adult
onset diabetes and heart disease.

Weight Training Guidelines

There are a few standard rules that should be followed when establishing a weight training program.  For instance, when working out it is best to work the upper body one day and the lower body the next, allowing a full 24 hours for one muscle group to rest before training it again.  The abdominals can be trained every day, without any breaks.  It is best to use lighter weights with more repetitions as opposed to heavy weights and fewer repetitions.

When using the weights or resistance machines, use slow, controlled movement when executing the motion from the starting and when returning to the starting point.  Use light weights with many reps.  Doing greater weight with fewer reps adds bulk and strength.  While the strength may be good, bulk will slow down a runner.  In distance running, this can be a great disadvantage.  Running is one sport where extra muscle bulk is not desirable.

Working the major muscle groups and achieving full body conditioning helps the body avoid late race fatigue.  It also allows the runner to run faster during the first ninety-eight percent of a distance race.  By getting stronger, the runner is better protected from injury and better equipped to handle the stress that a runner puts on his or her body.

Upper Body
•    Bench Press
•    Push Ups
•    Barbell Row
•    Back Extension
•    Dumbell Military Press
•    Front Raises
•    Concentration Curls
•    Kickbacks
•    Dips

Abdominals/Core
•    Basic Crunch
•    Crunch on Exercise Ball
•    Half Curl
•    Reverse Crunch
•    Crossover Crunch
•    Plank
•    Side Bends
•    Weighted Curls with Medicine Ball
•    Cable Crunches

Lower Body
•    Barbell Deadlift
•    Barbell Squat
•    Plie Squat
•    Lunge
•    Straight Leg Raises
•    Straight Leg Hip Flexion
•    Hamstring Rolls

Fat vs. Muscle

Fat does not turn into muscle.  This is a physical impossibility yet many people erroneously believe it can be done.  A fat cell is always a fat cell, no matter what is done.  Fat cells do not go away, but they do decrease in size when the body’s energy it expends exceeds its caloric intake.

While a runner may take in more calories, he or she will increase muscle mass, especially is weight training.  This increased muscle mass does result in a lower body fat percentage.  However, the scales may not reflect a reduction in numbers.  This is because the lost body fat is replaced with muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.

Don’t Forget to Stretch!

The final element to a successful total body conditioning program is to round out each weight training session with some good stretches for the muscle group that is being worked.   Each workout session should be started with some stretching exercises, but after the workout the muscles should be stretched again.

Some simple stretches can accomplish this, but for a more rounded program it may be a good idea to incorporate yoga, pilates or ballet into the overall program.  This will offer the distance runner a true total body workout with stretching, cardio, sport training and weight training.

There are two different types of ultra marathons, the specified distance and the specified period. These races normally run one hundred or fifty miles. There is another version to this type of marathon that is less common to us, the one thousand mile run. Some of the marathons are road and dirt, trails and mountains, extreme conditions and very long runs over multi days. This type of marathon differs from the typical marathon by miles; the typical marathon is twenty-six point two miles long.

Train for the Ultra Marathon

When training for an ultra marathon, you need to be aware that not everyone can finish an ultra marathon. The mental and physical commitment must be high and the training ability supplied with proper foods and liquids plentiful to train and complete in an ultra marathon. Because you will be running up to an entire day or more, you need to have the ability to eat carbohydrates regularly and drink plenty of water in the beginning miles and a sport drink the last half of the race.

Before running an ultra marathon, you need to run at least three regular marathons, so that your body becomes accustom to the shorter run, thus making the ultra easier to achieve. Set your goal to finish a marathon of this multitude and work towards that goal. Do not veer off track or you may find yourself unable to finish because the goal you set is being upset with deviation.

Take a year to train and work your body up to running an ultra marathon, although you make feel it takes less time, your mind and body need to work together, thus a year of training is preferred.

Training for an ultra requires your long run and mileage will change from training for a marathon. You need to have five areas of training for the ultra marathon such as your base training, speed training, strength training, tapering and the recovery.

Base Training Results

Developing a base requires cardiovascular training along with pulmonary functions. You need to learn the proper way to get oxygen to all parts of the body. By slowly increasing time and distance to your run, you build a stronger endurance, which is needed for the ultra run. Training for a base will take up to four months. The reason is to increase and hold mileage and distance for two weeks before increasing. By the end of the four months, you should have increased mileage and distance to thirty miles.

Strength Training Results

Strength training prepares your muscles for a long run. This phrase helps your body build energy and reserve it for running. The stronger you are the easier the run will be on your body. Hill running builds strength in leg muscles and delivers a higher threshold for lactate. The recommended training period for strength training lasts for up to two months.

If the ultra marathon requires a lot of hill running, you need to increases the number of weeks you work through strength training. When working on strength building, you never increase your mileage, this foe building muscles and endurance. Some runners race smaller marathons during the strength training to help develop a stronger base core.

Lactate training improves your energy level in the muscles. By raising your heart rate, you are learning a method to of getting your heart rate going and then allowing it to decrease while performing the harder workouts. Hill running provides a heart rate increase.

Optimal performance is gained by hill running, because it is not hard on the body when doing an uphill run. Improving your running speed and providing the ability for the body to clear lactate from the blood requires some form of hill running. Good form and longer strides helps your body gain maximum performance.

Speed and Recovery

Speed training for an ultra marathon is only for the runner who has already competed in a long race, the beginner never speed trains for the first race. The first run is the time you are building your distance and endurance; speed training after one or two ultra marathons is acceptable for runners. Recovery should be minimal after a long race therefore, speed training should wait until after a few runs.

Keep in mind that the first race is for distance and mileage. The most important step in preparing for the long run; increasing the amount of time on your feet. You should include short walks in the long run times. Hill running makes you stronger and gives you more endurance for the longer runs. By keeping your pace up, helps build up your tolerance to long periods on your feet while running.

Two weeks leading up to the Race Day

Avoid alcohol and caffeine while maintaining a fluid level for hydration. Increase the intake of fluid to maintain yellowish urine; do not over do the fluid intake as this can cause a serious health problem for runners. Carbohydrates and protein aid in the energy level, so try to maintain a sixty/forty ratio. Plenty of sleep is needed to rest the body prior to the race, this rests the body and allows you to revitalize.

The day of the race, drink plenty of fluids prior to the race and eat a healthy meal supplied with carbohydrates and protein. Do not eat about thirty minutes before race time. Always have people who can supply you needed foods throughout the racecourse to keep your levels up and running.

Cross-country running consists of running in mud, on grass, over the rough terrain and in water. If running for completion the groups usually consist of up to twelve people. All cross-country courses differ from size. Distance and the terrain, which makes it harder to train for one special surface as you can with flat road running and trail running. Generally, the areas have no human grooming of any kind, making running treacherous and uncomfortable.

In some instances of cross-country running for completion, flag colors represent the direction the runner should go when arriving at that certain area. The normal colors used to determine direction are red, blue and yellow.  Race lengths of this type vary from one and a quarter mile to nine and a third mile depend one the type of cross-country running you compete for. The lengths of the runs are determined by gender and league type.

Cross Country Training

Cross-country running differs greatly from flat surface running regarding speed. This type of running does not measure distance per say, it measures endurance because of the terrain. The stride difference for cross-country running along with the different body movements with strenuous leg workouts make this running different from flat road running.

Shorter strides account for the soft and slippery terrain a runner has to deal with while running. Because of the shortened stride, you require a much great leg speed to accomplish cross-country running. Cross-country running works different muscles in different ways and the abdominal muscles along with the legs and joint suffer more compression related injuries when proper training is not sufficient.

The Training Program at a Glance

The four categories of training for this type of running require tempo running, endurance workouts, hill running and repetitions leading into the actual race training. Endurance training lasts up to six weeks, builds distance, and allows the body to adjust to the different ground types. After you build endurance the hill-running aides in adjusting your tempo of the run and builds up time speed along with strengthening of the muscles for this type of running.

After your initial training in endurance and hill running, you start the cross-country training that continues up to the race. Hard and easy run cycles go for fourteen days and then starts over again. In this type of training heart rate monitors work by allowing you to pace yourself and hold your level of intense running. You need to keep your heart rate consistent over all terrain.

The Shoes for Cross Country

Shoes that fit the event in this case need to be fitted with spikes that provide some traction and stability when running on different types of terrain. The shoe needs to allow comfortable motion when the foot and leg endure such a physical running routine of this type.

The lightweight shoe has to be durable and in some cases offer more support than the actual running shoe. Different length of spikes is pure choice of the runner; some runners may experience more problems with the longer length spike and choose a smaller length for running. Experience runners know the spike length and beginners may have to do a hit and miss type of learning to find the right shoe.

Mental Endurance

Your state of mind plays an important part in training and cross-country running. The person you will be listening to is yourself. Self thought and encouragement from within you makes a selected runner. Your inner motivation helps with training for the treacherous run. Ridding the daily distractions and dealing with everyday responsibilities cannot distract you in your training for cross-country running.

Warm Up and Cool Down

As with any training program, you need to warm up before a run of any distance. To get ready for the daily run, loosen arms and legs to ensure muscles are loose and limber enough for the run. Schedule weight training before the running session and always weight train every other day while training.

After a weight training session and a running session remember to do some cool down routines, even if it is a slow walk after running, do not just stop, without cool down a body could be subject to injury. Cool down allows the body to gradually relax after a running or weight training session.

Nutrition and Hydration

Nutrition needs to be substantial when training for cross-country running. A daily supplement of carbohydrates and protein for retaining energy and strength requires a proper diet. Before running, low up on some carbohydrates for energy and then afterwards to supply energy you have burned by running.

Hydrate your body regularly to prevent cramping and soreness of the muscles. Even if you feel no need for water, your body needs the water especially if you are sweating while running. Short distance runs require just water for hydration, but for the longer runs, you will need a sport drink of some type to restore the body’s loss of needed nutrients.

Important Information to Remember

When you choose to begin cross-country running you need to start out slow and work your way up to distance and endurance. Weight training for the upper and lower body along with the abdominal muscles is recommended since cross-country running puts so much stress on the body. Without proper muscle strengthening, injuries may happen. This a very important role in training for cross-country running or any running you do.