CrossFit

It seems like at this time every year, with the racing season pretty much over (or maybe not?), I get in this super reflective mode and start challenging every assumption I've ever had. One assumption I've been questioning is this one:

To be a better runner, you need to run more.

With a pretty huge base of mileage accumulated over a ten-year period, I’m rethinking how I train and how I often chase after numbers, and challenging the wisdom of a program that involves very little outside of running. In 100-milers, invariably there comes a point when I experience muscle failures in places other than my legs—namely my back and core. In fact, sometimes my back goes tired on me before my legs. Because 100-milers tap almost every muscle, I’ve been thinking about the usefulness of better total body strength as a complement to putting in the miles to get ready for a big race. On Saturday, I got started with an excellent CrossFit instructor here in Parker and I plan to stick with him through the winter, doing 2-3 sessions a week. If Saturday is any indication of what’s to come, I think it’s fair to assume I’ll be making some good strength gains over the next few months--strength gains that I believe will make me a better ultrarunner and more well-rounded athlete.

With CrossFit likely to be a part of my winter program, I plan to hold my running mileage to about 50-55/week for the next few months, with lots of short-distance, aerobic speedwork thrown in there to build top end speed. For me, such mileage is super manageable and pretty low-impact and will allow me to realize gains from my CrossFit workouts.

I think many of us runners fall into the trap of just running, which ultimately can cause us to be rather one-dimensional athletes. It’s a trap I’ve allowed myself to fall in for years as I've chased after numbers--and this is mostly because I just love to run. Over time, our bodies become very efficient at running and this can mean other muscles and areas simply get neglected...to our own detriment (for example, many of us runners simply don’t engage our hips the way we should). Then we find ourselves in long ultramarathons dealing with potentially preventable muscle breakdown and imbalances in areas of the body other than just the legs. I can say this from personal experience: powerfully climbing Hope Pass in both directions requires a hell of a lot more than what running and altitude training will give you. What it requires (sheer strength from head to toe) is something I haven't yet fully developed. And so here I am experimenting with CrossFit. I have come to believe strength training, as a complement to running, can help us develop better total body conditioning that may just get us over mountains and to the finish line in better shape--and maintain better overall health. Or so my theory goes.

All that aside, when guys hit age 40, it’s a scientific fact that we start to lose muscle mass. Running may help slow that process, but it will do only so much. Resistance training has its place in helping guys preserve and develop their muscles—critical for us ultrarunners if we want to avoid injury. I did some limited weight training this past winter and I think it benefited me in huge ways this spring and summer--I've been injury-free in 2013! Think about it this way: If you’re losing muscle because of age, isn’t it fair to assume your bones and connective tissue will take a bigger beating? Resistance training can help protect us from such injuries. Or so my theory goes.

I used to think CrossFit was kind of dumb. But no longer do I hold that viewpoint. On Saturday, as I was squatting with just a bar (working on technique) and rowing 300 meters at a time and doing all of that with no rest in between four intensive rounds, it really hit me that this program can benefit ultrarunners if used properly. I view CrossFit as a way to be a better ultrarunner--to prepare me for the big miles that will come in 2014 as I prepare for my races (Western States? Leadville?). I have no plans to become a competitive CrossFit athlete; I'm a runner. CrossFit is there to help me build better strength and speed and protect myself from injury.

So over the next few months I’ll be sharing with you my experience with CrossFit. Many of us talk about trying new things but oftentimes we stick with the same old routine because change is scary. CrossFit is a new thing for me--an experiment over the winter--and I’m excited about where it may take me as a runner and--dare I say--athlete. And I’m equally excited to share my experiences with all of you.

For me, there is no greater desire than to continually improve and be the best I can be. Probably like you, I enjoy trying new approaches, new methods and new techniques. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don't.

In my next post, I'll share some thoughts I'm having about chasing numbers in training and the oftentimes contentious relationship between quality versus quantity.