Running Equivalents

Running Equivalents is the term that was used back in 1983 in the book “The New Competitive Runner’s Handbook” by Bob Glover and Pete Schuler. It was a system to allow runners to maintain their fitness levels, while unable to run due to injury, over training issues or scheduling problems. Nowadays we would refer to this as Cross Training. Stationary bikes were the primary substitute for running in those days. Swimming and rowing machines were an adjunct for upper body and core strength, and they still are a great compliment to running. For swimming, I recommend using a kickboard as it is a great way to strengthen your core muscles and develop the neuromuscular pattern of keeping your torso in neutral while moving your legs. If you follow this trend in running magazines, you will see that outdoor/real cycling is replacing the use of stationary bikes as part of the cross training package. For those of you who are going to try cycling, I would recommend getting a computer that will show both you MPH and RPMs. The RPMs are a great way to build up fast twitch firing patterns. Plus cycling will give your quadriceps muscles a workout that they normally do not get with running. Elliptical trainers are a much more compatible method to training leg muscles and cardiovascular system for runners that need to limit their wgt bearing status. Winter options are cross country skiing, which is great for the arm-leg dynamic pattern in running –famous Ultra Runner Scott Jureck was a Nordic skier before he took the Ultra Marathon world by storm. Snow shoeing is another great winter activity to build leg muscle and transfers well to trail running.
This may be a completely wacky idea to traditional runners, but I would also suggest skateboarding as a good alternative exercise. It will promote great single leg balance and the push off is very similar to the “pawing” pattern used in running. And recently, there was an article in the NSCA research journal (Training the Aerobic Capacity of Distance Runners: A Break from Tradition. April 2011) that stated that High Intensity training that involves wgt. training and plyometrics could actually replace time spent running. These will improve your running economy by improving your neuromuscular firing patterns and lactate thresholds.