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“WHY TRAIN LIKE A PLOW HORSE WHEN YOU CAN TRAIN LIKE A THOROUGHBRED?”


That’s why Ken Croner, owner of Munster (Ind.) Sports Performance, suggests triathletes take one of those heavy volume running days and substitute a core-strengthening regimen, placing a premium on activating and strengthening the glutes.


“Look at the physical difference between a sprinter and a distance runner,” Croner said. “The sprinter is able to accelerate and has so much more glute and hamstring development. With the distance runner, the glutes aren’t activated, the quads and hip flexors can’t take it, and you inevitably see more injuries in that group.”


Simple solution? Try a glute bridge. Start by lying face-up on the floor, with your knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Squeeze a rolled-up towel between your knees. With your belly button drawn in, bridge your hips toward the ceiling by firing your glutes. Only your shoulders and heels remain on the ground. Hold for two seconds, then lower your hips toward the floor without touching it and then repeat 10 times.


“Triathletes tend to be overtrained and their bodies are in rough shape,” Croner said. “If you build some strength work into your program, your tissues become stronger and can handle the volume better. Triathletes are so concerned with all that mileage, but if you do the strength work, you’ll feel more powerful and perform better.”


Many people take up running — and ultimately triathlon — as a way to get fit after long periods of activity. As a result, they’re likely running with muscle imbalances and with improper form — a sure formula for injury.


Spend some time (you should have more to spare after reducing your volume) and focus on form. Start by keeping your big toe up or “dorsiflexed.” When your toe is pulled toward the shin, it activates your calf. The calf shares the load in both the recovery action and the propulsive action of your stride.


“With proper dorsiflexion, your stride’s strike zone is beneath your hip, not out in front of your body,” said Mark Verstegen, author of “Core Performance Endurance.” “This allows force to transfer efficiently through the body while reducing the potential for injuries.”


Verstegen, owner of the Phoenix-based Athletes’ Performance, suggests athletes get away from the huge volume strategy and focus more on “energy system development,” alternating between intervals of hard work and recovery.


You could, for instance, begin with a 1-mile warm-up run, followed by 3 minutes running at 5k race pace (or harder), followed by 3 minutes of walking or jogging. Complete that 6-minute interval three times, followed by a 1-mile cool down.


Total time? Roughly 35 to 40 minutes. That’s more effective and less time consuming that a steady-state run of 5 or 6 miles. Plus, since it’s more natural to do interval work on a track or around, say, grassy soccer fields, there’s less pounding on your joints than on asphalt or concrete.


“Why train like a plow horse when you can train like a thoroughbred?” Verstegen asked.


Hall suggested doing speed work 15 to 20 percent faster than race pace. That’s uncomfortable, of course, but it better simulates race conditions while making you faster.


“There’s no sense going out and pounding out 10-minute miles all morning,” Hall said. “People tend to think of endurance in terms of how far they can go when really they should think of it as how long they can endure going fast.”


 


Pete Williams is an avid triathlete and a NASM-certified personal trainer. He lives in Clearwater, Fla.


USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 33

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