This has been an unusual week with both cool and very warm temperatures. It makes for a variety of decisions on what to wear for a run. For serious runners the standard t-shirt was the only choice other than the shirt being long sleeved or short sleeved. For walkers and slow runners, the warmer upper wear was probably the choice on the cool mornings.
While there is a variety of clothing to wear depending on the weather there are other alternate forms of exercise to get a workout besides running. And it is often to a runner’s advantage to have a variety of workouts that involve the muscles of the legs in different movements to strengthen more of the lesser-used muscles.
There are a number of alternatives that increase the aerobic benefits and also increase leg strength. Each alternate method has its advantages and disadvantages.
Bicycle riding is a good alternate exercise. Two primary advantages to riding a bike include it is easier to ride for a longer time and increase the heart rate. Pushing down on the pedals increases the strength of the quadriceps in the thigh. Running involves the hamstrings more so this helps balance out the muscles.
A runner can use a stationary bike or get on a road bike and ride county roads. The advantage of a road bike is that the terrain changes and may require a stronger push on the pedals for going up hills. If the rider has clipon shoes the benefit is that the leg not only pushes down on the pedal but also lifts it up since the foot is locked into the pedal. One other advantage is that there is no “pounding” of the foot on the ground.
Another good alternative is the use of roller blades. This is closer to running with the exception that the push off of the foot is more at a diagonal rather than straight back. The benefit also includes the rolling of the skates on the ground, which reduces the pounding of the foot on the surface.
If you are not used to skating, the use of roller blades will take some practice to become proficient at skating. The one different thing between running and roller skating is the posture of the upper body is bent forward slightly versus upright when running. Aerobic benefits can vary by skating faster or varying the speeds.
A third option is the familiar treadmill. The treadmill has the same leg motion as running. The speed of the treadmill can be set for a slow training run or a race pace. One advantage for a runner wanting to increase their pace is that most treadmills have supporting bars for the runner to hold onto. This allows the runner to set the speed of the treadmill to faster than they can run on the track. Gripping the bars with the hands allows the runner to condition the legs to a faster pace and condition the nerve impulses to the muscles of the legs to this faster pace. Then when the runner attempts to run faster on the track or road the nerve impulses to the muscles of the legs are conditioned to this faster pace.
The disadvantage of a treadmill versus running is that when the foot hits the moving surface, they do not have to propel themselves forward by pushing back with the leg. Running on a track or road the surface is not moving and the runner has to be the primary effort to move forward.
Running itself has a variety of styles that also make the amount of effort needed to run harder or easier. If you are a “plodder” like me and strike the ground hard enough to alter the path of a soccer ball next to the track it takes more strength and effort.
If you are an elite runner that seems to float across the ground without touching it seems effortless. Watching these front runners in a marathon it seems like they are out for a walk in the park. I watched Bill Rodgers in a marathon one year and it looked like he floated six inches above the road.
A rough estimate used for alternative methods: Running is a 1 to 1 ratio, roller blading is a 2 to 1 ratio, and biking is a 4 to 1 ratio. An example is a ride needs to be 4 miles to equal 1 mile of running.
