It's only logical to presume that you'll boost your running performance by running more, as that way you'll be working on improving your speed and your mileage a little bit with each run. And you'll continue to improve until you reach your most comfortable pace and from that point, you won't have a necessary challenge to make your muscles grow stronger. When you hit your performance plateau, it's crucial to add some complementary sports activities to break it, without increasing a possible risk of injury.
Swimming
Swim workout for runners is a great additional activity for those of you who are looking for some cardiovascular exercise, without the risk of putting more pressure on their joints. While swimming, runners boost their strength, oxygen and lung capacity as well as their overall performance, and this activity helps them rest their spine and joints.
Swimming develops your entire body and activates different muscle groups - your upper and lower extremities, as well as your core, including the muscles which are not used while you're running. Many runners easily forget to work on their upper extremities, not being aware of the importance of these muscles have for their posture and strength.
When adding swimming to your training schedule, schedule it on your recovery days or think about replacing one long run with a swimming session. If you're unsure in your swimming technique, you should try to improve your practice and your strokes in the first place. Don't be surprised if this marks the beginning of a successful triathlon transition, which was seen many times before.
Cross-Training
Cross-training for runners is a perfect way to supplement some of your running sessions with other activities and prevent injuries while still working on and improving your running performance. Cross-training strengthens your muscles and joints and boosts your overall fitness level -your flexibility, balance, and strength, all of which are playing a significant role in improving your race results.
A good idea is to make a schedule of your weekly training, and see how often you could squeeze cross-training in, which will usually depend on your overall fitness level, and your goals. It's a general recommendation for experienced runners, who most commonly run every day, to switch two runs with some simple cross-train exercises, such as push-ups, pull-ups, and some fun and entertaining activities such as Pilates, Zumba, martial arts, etc. For new runners, three runs and two cross-training sessions a week is a winning combination.
Cycling
The third triathlon activity which you could use to boost your running performance is cycling. As it is a low-impact activity, which goes easy on your joints, you can resort to cycling to keep fit during your recovery or to do high-intense interval training to boost your overall performance.
Cycling is an activity which you can practice both indoors and outdoors, and vary your challenge - you can go for longer rides with a steady speed to build your endurance or opt for cycling uphill to build your strength. If you want to work on your speed, choose cycling sprint rides.
It's important to prevent your difficult running and cycling training from overlapping, as you don't want to overtrain and risk sustaining some unpleasant injuries.
Strength Training
To achieve your best running performance, you need to strengthen your core as well as upper and lower body muscles, and you can do that by adding some weight to your training, as it increases your speed and your VO2 max. It's a good idea to organize your strength training so that you can focus on different body areas on different days, which is why you should plan a separate upper-body day, core muscles, and legs day.
Many runners believe that running is all the activity they need when it comes to working on their legs, but some muscles, such as gluteus are not used in a run at all, so weight-lifting will correct some muscle imbalances and boost your overall fitness level. One of the recommendations for the runners is to use heavy-weights, with one to five repetitions, as this will help you build your strength.
For enhancing your running performance, consider changing your everyday practice routine and adding some complementary sports to your workout schedule. Activities such as cross-training, swimming, cycling or weight-lifting will help you build your strength, balance and your flexibility, and with endurance you've already built by running, you're bound to achieve the runner's high.
