As runners our bodies and joints are stressed from the miles and miles of training. Our legs, joints, and bones can use a rest every once in a while. Cross training helps alleviate stress and reduce the risk of possible injury. Below are some examples for using swimming and cycling as cross training tools.

Swimming
Runners need days off from running to help reduce the risk of injury. Some runners dislike the idea of taking a day completely off. For this crowd I suggest swimming. Swimming is a low impact aerobic activity that helps in rehabilitation of injury, replacement for an easy run day, or as an additional cross training day. In this instance swimming will be used as a cross training day. Swimming laps not only strengthens your core, but also aids in your aerobic capacity. Doing 20-30 minutes of 25-50 meter laps will do the trick. Remember that just like running, swimming laps should be done at a comfortable pace for the duration of the time scheduled.
Running in water is also a good workout. With the use of a jogging belt and running motion to keep your body buoyant you can simulate running in the deep end of the pool. Doing 20-30 minutes of running in water will reduce some stress from joints while giving you the range of motion in the muscles and resistance training due to the water.

Cycling
Although a low impact sport like swimming, cycling does work out the legs much more than swimming. Cycling is also a good tool for rehabilitating an injury and for enhancing your aerobic capacity. Unlike swimming, I would suggest replacing one of your running days with cycling rather than adding an extra day to your running routine. Like running, cycling also has speed workouts and tempo workouts. The type of workout you decide to do will determine which day you would replace in your running schedule. For example, if I decided to do a short but fast bike ride I would replace my tempo run for my tempo bike ride. If I had a 30 minute tempo run scheduled then I would replace it with a 30 minute tempo bike ride. How do you determine a tempo bike ride? This is where you have to pay attention to your breathing and heart rate. Try to keep the same intensity you use for your run and use it for your bike ride. You can also substitute an easy run with an easy bike ride. For those of you who are a bit more experienced you can do both in the same workout. VERY IMPORTANT, this is for those of you who have been running for more than a year or two and are pretty familiar with what your body is capable of doing. You can break your workout in half and do cycling followed by running. For example, a tempo run of 40 minutes can be broken down to 20-25 minutes of cycling at a fast pace followed by 20 minutes of a tempo run. You will notice your cadence much faster during your run.

I would like to emphasize the importance of a proper warm up, stretch, and cool down before doing any workout. Make sure you stay hydrated and listen to what your body is telling you during your workouts. These are just a few examples of cross training activities. Feel free to email me with any questions at coachal@rgrtraining.com