Steve Schallenkamp: Stretching, strength training will do wonders – The Daily Freeman

In my last column, I wrote about what busy lives Americans live and that it is challenging to try to run or train more. I recommended focusing on getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and being well-hydrated to improve your running. Maintaining mobility (stretching) and strength training are two more areas that will do wonders for any athlete.

Distance running can make you “tight” and reduce your range of motion. This tightness over time can lead to injuries. Runners must stretch to maintain the range of motion needed for dynamic running and normal daily activities. As we become older, it is even more critical. Tight hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and hips can make walking, bending, or twisting difficult.

A daily stretching routine can do wonders for your running and prevent injuries. The internet is full of stretching exercises for runners that work. The best time to stretch is after your run while your body is still warm. Another approach would be to warm up by jogging and then stop to stretch and then start your workout.

Running is a great way to improve your cardiovascular system and strengthens many muscle groups. However, it does little for other muscle groups. This can cause a muscle imbalance. A good example is running strengthens your back but does little for your abdominals, causing an imbalance. This imbalance can cause back pain that your body then compensates for, creating nagging or chronic pain.

Core strength is vital to maintaining proper upper body carriage and balance. Think of your core as what connects your upper and lower body. Your core is what stabilizes the body when moving. Unfortunately, running doesn’t do much to strengthen your core, so runners need to do core strength exercises.

I recommend starting with bodyweight exercises for strength training. Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere at any time. You don’t need a gym membership or any equipment or machines. Make sure to concentrate on proper form before quantity. Please don’t overdo it.

Some basic bodyweight exercises are planks, bridges, bird dogs, crunches, and leg lifts. Use the internet and search for bodyweight exercises for runners. Anecdotally, some of the healthiest and most vigorous people I know practice yoga. Yoga combines stretching and strengthening and proper breathing that leads to body-mind harmony. Some experts have remarked that Vinyasa yoga is the perfect recovery activity for runners.

Keeping you moving

The Onteora Runners Club has two run series planned to help motivate runners to keep moving through the winter months. First up is the ORC Winter Breakfast Runs, slated to begin on Saturday, Jan. 7, and end on March 4.

The Winter Breakfast Runs has been going on for more than 30 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic years, the breakfast part was eliminated but returns for 2023. These runs are free group runs at a person’s desired pace. They are approximately six miles long and can be modified to go longer or shorter. This series will take you from Kingston to the Ashokan Reservoir and the Walkway Over the Hudson, with other runs in Esopus, Lake Katrine, Rhinebeck, and Saugerties.

After each run, those who have the desire or time go to a nearby eatery and have breakfast together. This is a great way to meet other area runners. For all information, visit the website www.onteorarunnersclub.org or contact Phil by email at canion123@hotmail.com or by calling (845) 331-6115.

Starting Jan. 29 and running through March 5, the Onteora Runners Club offers all runners a five-week Winter Survivors Series. Participants can choose to run four designated courses within Kingston and one in Hurley.

There are two ways to participate. In-person or virtually, or a combination of both. Each week begins with an in-person group run, or people can complete the courses on their own anytime during the eight days. The series starts with the 1.75-mile Stockade Sprint and continues with the Lourghan Park 5K, the Ol’ Dirty Sneaker 5K, the Broadway Down and Up (4.3 miles), and finishes with a one-hour timed run. The cost for the entire series is a modest $20. Participants completing all five runs will receive custom Onteora Runners Club Winter Survivor Socks.

The schedule was designed so that you could run two races on the same weekend. The eight-day time period was chosen to allow everyone to participate in all five runs, even if they have a week away or are sick. For all information on this series, visit the website: https://www.zippy-reg.com/online_reg/index2022.php?e=1781.

On top of these two great series, the Onteora Runners Club conducts two weekly group runs. Every Monday, there is “Moderate Monday.” This group run starts at 5:30 pm from Dietz Stadium. The runs are four to six miles at an easy pace. Every Wednesday, there is a track workout at Dietz Stadium. The warmup begins at 6 p.m. and faster running starts at 6;25 pm.

During the winter months, we do what is known as “tempo pace” running. Since we use the track or the stadium “bowl,” no one gets left behind. What varies is the amount of running each individual gets in during the hour-long session. All are welcome at any of these workouts. As you can see, the Onteora Runners Club is working hard to keep you busy and outdoors this winter.

Walking for fitness and competition

In May of last year, I extolled the benefits of walking for people who, for various reasons, could not run. I concluded that from a health standpoint, walkers get all the benefits that running provides. I knew this to be accurate, but because of my runners’ hubris, I saw walking as a step down as something inferior.

I continued to try and run without success. The little running I was doing left me hobbled for everyday activities like walking down the hallway at work or taking my dog, Hazel, for a walk. Even putting on my shoes became a painful chore. For the first time in my life, I began to feel old, and my fitness continued to wane.

Finally, during the summer months, I stopped running entirely and began to walk. Walking did not aggravate my upper thigh/quad area. Everyday activities became more comfortable, and walking was not painful. This encouraged me to continue to walk and to put off returning to running until I could jog without pain.

In September, I walked the Barry Hopkins Run at Olana. Starting 10 minutes earlier than the runners, I enjoyed seeing the leaders run by me. To feed the competitiveness that had always been part of my running, I tried to stay in front of as many runners as I could. It was fun and a way to take part in the event.

Also, in September, I walked the Towpath 6K, and this time they had an actual walk division, which spurred me to try and walk fast. Again, I “competed” with the runners by trying to stay in front of as many as possible with the 15-minute head start. I walked
the Kingston Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and was the first walker.

In December, I walked in three events where everyone started together. At the first one, I was the only walker, and my goal was not to keep the people at the finish line waiting. I set a goal of finishing the 5 miles in 70 minutes. I walked 69:02 (13:48 pace). At four
miles, I checked my watch and said, “Come on, Steve, pick it up.”

The next day I went to the Reindeer Ramble 5K in Kingston. I knew one person to be a fast walker, so I decided to go out and try to hang onto their pace. At first, I didn’t think I could, but in the last mile, I used everything I had and shocked myself with an 11:51 pace for the 5k. That effort was extremely satisfying and felt much like many of my running efforts of the past. I was challenging myself and pushing hard.

On Dec. 17, I walked in the Essential Fitness Ugly Sweater 2 Miler in Port Ewen and averaged an 11:32 pace. I still hope to return to running, but now realize pushing yourself while walking can be both a fitness and a competitive endeavor.