Running and balance

Friday, June 15, 2012 · Mike Davis

Running and balance

I met with a prospective client yesterday and despite feeling pretty good about her running, she was seeking to improve her overall strength in hopes of improving her running. Not many runners think much beyond their legs and running, but like this person, many would benefit by becoming more balanced. Going a distance such as 3 miles may not be effected by your core strength (or lack of), but running longer distances such as 6 miles or running multiple times a week, you may find that a weak core will affect your gate ever so slightly. Any time our gate changes even slightly we are more susceptible to injury or decreased running efficiency.

I enjoy creating running plans for people and helping them become stronger runners, but along with a running plan, I believe you also need a balanced plan. A balanced plan includes some simple strength training and smart nutritional choices. Improved running efficiency is always my goal when training someone to run any distance. This particular woman is not even targeting a race or a certain distance, but instead wants to train to be stronger from bottom to the top. I find that most people I work with are pretty good with the running part of the training plan, but not so good with the strength training portion. I may have to do a better sell job I guess.