With the Honolulu Marathon coming around the corner, I decided to share a few tips to make sure those of you who are putting your hard work and time into training are preparing yourself the best you can.
I received several questions from people about training for a marathon from a strength and conditioning standpoint. Obviously, there are many running programs out there that break down your weekly miles as you get closer and closer to race day but I do feel that the strength aspect for runners is an afterthought.
An important aspect for runners is the ability to maintain a strong pillar throughout the race. Many people talk about core strength and stability, but I like to think of it as Pillar Strength and Ability.
When you think of the core, you immediately think of just your abs and lower back. But there is more to it. The Pillar is everything from the neck down – your whole trunk. Its your abs, lower back, shoulder position, upper back strength, and more.
A common experience I hear about is that at a certain point during a marathon many of the runners begin to get pain in the core. Once the core begins the falter, this creates a train reaction of problems. The change of posture can change your gait which increases your chances of getting injured or having to stop to rest.
Here are several exercises you can start doing today which will help strengthen your Pillar and assist you towards a successful and injury free marathon race.
