Strong-leg tactics
Aside from the hiking, two aspects of Sharman’s approach stand out: his emphasis on recovery (more anon) and strength work. Initially, I had zero enthusiasm for weights, but I’ve learned to, not enjoy, exactly, but at least appreciate them, in small doses. ‘In my experience, runners of all levels don’t enjoy strength training,’ says Holmes. ‘ But you need a sol id foundation to run. Strength training will give you the ability to increase your training while reducing the chance of injury.’
‘ Big movements using your body weight are great for getting all the key lower body muscles – glutes , hamstrings, quads and calves – working. Squats, lunges ( in al l directions), Olympic and straight-leg dead lifts. Body weight is usually enough at first, but advanced runners should add dumbbells and barbells.’
Sharman prescribes two strength workouts per week, including squats and lunges with free weights (machine weights work muscles in isolation rather than the kinetic chain as a whole). ‘ The aim is to reduce injury risk by improving core strength and stability as well as fortifying ligaments and tendons around the joints. That all makes maintaining good, efficient form easier, even when you‘ re fatigued, and helps lower the chance of injuries, especially overuse injuries common to runners.’
Sharman also prescribes dynamic stretches and exercises to improve flexibility, reduce injury and improve your running – ideally as a pre-run warm-up, but in truth I often do them afterwards. The combination of leg swings ( sideways and forwards/ backwards), lunges ( forward and sideways), single-leg squats and crab movements with a resistance band only takes five minutes. I know, from all my desk-bound time, that my hips are a point of vulnerability, so I make sure they get good movement.
‘ Core strength is important, too,’ says Holmes, who advises ‘Swiss ball, TRX, VIPR and resistance-band work’. It’s important that I switch things up every month or two, so that I keep productively stressing my body anew. Also, when I’m with my kids at the weekend, I’m doing all sorts of core-strength moves, helping them on the monkey bars ( before a quick go on them myself!), carrying them on my shoulders, taking them swimming, hiking, cycling and sometimes rescuing them from trees. Almost anything active – that isn’t likely to induce injury – helps me become a stronger, better runner.