Pfitzinger Pete - Advanced Marathoning

Keep the other arm on the floor to provide balance and support. Gently push your upper body toward the floor until you feel a stretch through your chest and shoulder. Repeat on the other side.

This exercise can also be performed with your arm straight.

EXERCISE 11: SWISS BALL LOWER BACK STRETCH

How many:2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds

How it helps:improves flexibility of lower back and abdominal muscles

How to do it:

Sit on the Swiss ball, with your feet flat on the floor.

Slowly roll your hips forward over the ball, and lean back so that you’re lying over the ball as shown.

You should feel a gentle stretch in your lower back and abdominal muscles. Reach above your head only as far as is comfortable.

EXERCISE 12: DOWNWARD DOG

How many:2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds

How it helps:lengthens spine and improves flexibility of shoulders, hamstrings, and calf muscles

How to do it:

Kneel down and lean forward, with your arms outstretched and your hands pressed firmly against the floor (photo a ). Slowly lift your hips in the air by straightening your knees until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings (photo b ). Depending on your level of flexibility, you might not be able to get your legs completely straight.

Keep your back straight and your head down throughout the stretch, as shown.

Rising up and down onto the toes while in the downward dog position alters the stretch in the hamstring and calf muscles.

Long-distance running develops muscular endurance in specific leg and hip muscles and is wonderful for your cardiovascular system, but it tends to make some muscles strong and tight while others remain weak. Modern lifestyles, which often consist of sitting for long periods, exacerbate these problems. Core stability training – also called proximal stability training because proximal means close to the center of the body – can eliminate these imbalances, thereby preventing injuries and reducing the degree to which your form deteriorates as you fatigue during the marathon. Core stability training consists of strengthening your abdominal, hip, lower back, and gluteal (butt) muscles using a series of exercises. You don’t need a gym or machines, just the dedication to stick with the exercises.

When you run, your trunk acts as a fixed base while your legs work as levers relative to that base to propel you forward. If the torso and pelvic muscles that form your fixed base are weak or fatigue quickly, then you can’t maintain an efficient body position while running. By improving the strength and muscular endurance of your pelvis and torso, you provide a more-stable base of support for your legs to work from. This improvement will allow you to maintain your stride length throughout the marathon; part of the reason that many marathoners slow as the race progresses is that their stride shortens as they tire.

In addition, runners often have weak abdominal muscles, which allows the pelvis to rotate forward and put more stretch on the hamstrings. This is a less-efficient position for your running and also increases your risk of lower back problems. Proximal stability exercises strengthen the abdominal muscles and work on other stabilizer muscles of the pelvis and trunk. By improving the position of your pelvis, you create a more stable base.

Elite marathoners increasingly incorporate core work into their training. Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor and her teammate Ryan Hall, for example, do lengthy sessions every week. The results can be seen both in their low incidence of injury and in their late-race form, which varies little from the form they exhibit in the early miles.

Core stability training should generally be done three times a week. You can do this type of training year-round.

Following are two core strength training programs. The first program contains basic exercises for runners who don’t have much experience with core conditioning. The second program (beginning on page 90) is more advanced and includes more-difficult exercises. For optimal results, do one of these programs three times per week. If you don’t want to do the whole program, select at least a few from this list that most target your weakest, tightest areas.

• Perform these five exercises as a circuit. That is, do one set of the first exercise, then move immediately to the second exercise, then the third, and so on. When you have completed the fifth exercise, return to the first exercise and complete a second circuit.

• Rest briefly (15 to 20 seconds) between exercises and 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

EXERCISE 1: ABDOMINAL CRUNCH

How many:20 per set

How it helps:strengthens anterior abdominal muscles (i.e., “six-pack abs”), which contribute to force production and running speed; increases ability to maintain a level pelvis

How to do it:

Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Place your arms on the floor by your sides, with palms facing down as shown (photo a ).

Push your lower back into the floor. Lift your head, shoulders, and upper back off the floor.

Slide your arms along the floor, and concentrate on curling your upper trunk as much as possible (photo b ). Slowly return to the start position.

EXERCISE 2: LEG PUSHAWAY

How many:20 per set

How it helps:improves ability to activate the deep core muscles for better control of the hips and trunk; improves stability and ability to maintain effective running technique

How to do it:

Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Place your hands on your hips as shown (photo a ).

Contract your lower abdominal muscles, and push your lower back toward the floor.

While holding this lower abdominal contraction, make sure you can breathe and speak normally. Don’t hold your breath.

Slowly lift one foot off the floor, and raise it until your thigh is vertical (photo b ).

Return to the start position, and repeat with the opposite leg.

Your goal during the exercise is to maintain the lower abdominal contraction as you move your legs up and down so that your back does not arch and your hips do not move.

EXERCISE 3: SWISS BALL LYING BRIDGE