Program offers runners a road to better training
Share with others:
Over the next few weeks and months, more runners will take to the streets and gyms to prepare for the Pittsburgh Marathon in May. They'll start slow, going a few miles per day, and ramp up to longer runs as the race draws closer.
But there is more to running a marathon than just running.
For the second year in a row, the Pittsburgh Marathon is sponsoring a cross-training program to better prepare runners for the toll a marathon can take on the human body. The eight-week program, which started this week at the Rivers Club, will help marathoners mix up their winter training and help strengthen muscles needed to prevent injury.
Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon with UPMC who helped spearhead the program, said this is the point in the training schedule that most injuries develop for marathon runners.
"As runners get about eight to 12 weeks out, they're really ramping out their mileages," Wright said. "They're doing about 35 to 40 miles a week. That's when you really start showing up with injuries if all you've been doing to train is run."
Running alone isn't enough, Wright added, because marathon running is more a full-body effort than most people realize. A weak core or lower back can cause the body to compensate in other ways, which leads to poor running form and, in turn, injuries.
The most common injuries include shin splints, stress fractures, knee and hip problems. Wright specifically pointed to iliotibial (IT) band syndrome, a hip and thigh injury, as a common problem for runners.
"One little weak link in the chain, magnified over 56,000 steps, becomes injury after injury after injury," Wright said.
Cross-training can be vital, especially in a marathon with as many hills and turns as Pittsburgh's route. When runners cross the Birmingham Bridge from the South Side, they face a two-mile uphill run through Oakland.
"If you don't have a strong core and a strong butt, you are set up for injury," Wright said.
Last year, 40 runners participated in the program, its first year. They ranged from first-time marathoners to veteran distance runners. Wright said one multi-marathoner told her it was the first time he ran a marathon without getting injured.
Another woman was unable to do a pushup at the first training session. After nine weeks, she was able to do 10 and finished the marathon injury-free.
The classes are offered three times a week: Monday at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday at 6:15 a.m. and Thursday at 1 p.m. Wright is also offering runners training advice on the marathon's website in the form of videos and an e-book.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
