Debunking Myths About Distance Running and Strength & Conditioning

Written by Camden Gilmore

Sacrificing a Little for a Lot

Distance runners are prone to occasionally prioritizing the quantity over the quality. We spend so much of our summers trying to log consistent weeks of mileage that we can easily lose sight of the benefits of supplemental training. Endurance athletes at all different levels utilize strength & conditioning exercises for their training regimens to get an edge over their opponents. We do not have to look far to find what can help each of us strengthen our training and performance.

Running Economy

Two significant advantages of strength and conditioning are optimizing performance and reducing injury. This process starts by specifying the training for each endurance athlete. Through proper exercises, the body minimizes body weight and maximizes running economy (2). In other words, we do not have to worry about putting on weight or expending oxygen on exerting bigger muscles. Therefore, we can maximize oxygen output for endurance training.

Beattie et al. (2016) found that a 40-week strength training program significantly enhanced running economy and VO2-max without compensating body weight (3). This suggests that a long-term strength & conditioning plan can have considerable improvements for efficiently consuming oxygen while running. By focusing primarily on movement patterns, runners can simulate running mechanics through particular strength & conditioning drills.

The endurance success of our training increases when we perform tailored resistance exercises. When distance runners properly implement strength & conditioning routines, they limit facing hypertrophy (gains in muscle mass) because they continue to take part in normal endurance activities. Endurance training actually triggers an enzyme that inhibits fundamental molecular changes that lead to hypertrophy (1).  Scientific evidence surrounding body composition and endurance training encourages us to tackle resistance training without worrying about monitoring weight. Engaging with strength & conditioning exercises while actively endurance training is not a question of ‘Do I want to get bigger’? but rather ‘Do I want to get stronger’?

Soreness versus Strain

We have all experienced that soreness that seems to build and build after rigorous activity. This is known as ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ (DOMS) (1). It is crucial to distinguish muscle soreness from muscle strain. Muscle strains are more troubling as they entail excessive tearing in the muscle tissue. Experiencing moderate muscle soreness when starting new activities is normal, especially when adding resistance on top of body weight. However, there is nothing to fear. Many studies show evidence that DOMS does not affect endurance performance (1).

When we introduce new movements to our strength & conditioning plan, our muscles act similarly to our immune system after we get sick. The next time we perform that exercise, our bodies recognize it as familiar and are more capable of handling the load the next time (1). This explains why many training plans gradually progress in intensity as the muscular system grows accustomed to the movements and resistance.

Tip: Focus on the movement and technique, slowly easing into building the intensity of resistance. If you find yourself more sore than usual, take a little bit more time to stretch and foam roll to flush out that soreness and accelerate your recovery!

Keep It Simple

Let’s not make things complicated. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel here. Repeating the same exercises hundreds of times over and over again will not improve your running. One goal of strength & conditioning for endurance athletes is to make it purposeful. It might be beneficial to seek out a qualified coach to ensure you are doing things correctly.

As for middle schoolers and high schoolers, move as much as you can! We should not seek to specialize in one sport until at least 16 years of age (1). Participating in other sports and activities can show great results for running down the road. That even includes resistance training. Data indicates that strength & conditioning activities taken up during adolescence prevents long-term injuries and what we term as “burning out.” The body will naturally adapt to the training over time, which pushes us to challenge ourselves more and more.

Plus, enjoy the psychological boost of escaping the repetitiveness of summer mileage while simultaneously bettering your running through strength & conditioning.

Wrap-up

Proper strength & conditioning training for distance runners will assist in improving muscular quality, not quantity. Come see us for guidance in excelling on your runs and in the gym. We are the team to see!

References:

1. Blagrove, R. (2015). Strength and conditioning for endurance running. Crowood.

2. Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Santos-Concejero, J., & Grivas, G. V. (2016). Effects of strength training on running economy in highly trained runners: a systematic review with meta-analysis of controlled trials. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 30(8), 2361-2368.

3. Beattie, K., Carson, B.P., Lyons, M., Rossiter, A., & Kenny, I. C. (2017). The effect of strength training on performance indicators in distance runners. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning ResearchI, 31(1), 9-23.