All you do at the mo is squeeze in a few gym workouts/yoga classes/bike rides/treadmill sessions a week. But then Race Day arrives, and your friends are soooo excited. You’re in pretty good shape, so you say:
“What the heck, let’s do it!” EEEEEK!
“If we go with the premise that you’re under 30, within five pounds of your ideal body weight, and you routinely do 45 to 90 minutes a day of vigorous physical activity, we can assume you’ve got a reasonable level of aerobic conditioning,” says Janet Hamilton, C.S.C.S., a registered clinical exercise physiologist and the founder and head coach of Running Strong Professional Coaching in Atlanta.
“But nothing—not biking, swimming, the elliptical, kickboxing, etc.—puts the same tissue loads on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the legs that running does.”
Translation: If you’re going to run a half-marathon, you really should be RUNNNING to prepare for it.
