Cross Training: My Weak Link

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7


Given I work full time during the school year as a school nurse, have a large and very active family, and am running 5 days a week, cross training is easy to put off. However, this is by far my favorite cross training activity:

It's a tough routine, a little over 60 minutes, but it's a great strength and stretch in one workout. I also add about 15 minutes of very basic Pilates core exercises. I've been doing this about 2 days a week for a long time, but really need to bump it to three.


Many people are stunned to learn that running is NOT a muscle building activity. It is actually a muscle WASTING (catabolic) activity. Marathon runners can actually experience an increase in body fat percentage, though their weight may not change. This is due simply to the wasting of muscle mass. It is very important that runners do some for of strength training to offset this process.

An ugly little running secret: People who start running, and a few months later find extra pounds on the scale are told by non-runners "it must be muscle." Nope, it must be eating more than you are burning off running. In a 10 mile run, based on my age and weight, I burn off roughly 750 calories. That's about a Big Mac and a few fries, not super-sized. It is very easy to eat and exceed the calories burned during running.

Granted the increased glycogen stores the leg muscles hoard for the demands of the long run also causes water retention in the legs, which can show a few pounds on the scale as well.

Running DOES tone muscles, and make them tight and fit. That's what leads to fit looking 'runner's legs.' However, runners with big muscle-bound legs are also doing a lot of lower body weight lifting. Since that's not a look I aim for, my yoga and Pilates, with some squats and lunges, works perfect.

Said by one who would rather run 15 miles than do a 20 minute weight routine. I am currently running in the morning and doing Yoga and Pilates two days after work, and on Sunday. I really should add some weight training in as well, and plan to do that by March or so. A big mistake runners make is to try to do too much too soon, which always ends in injury.