Long Distance Runners

[Showjumper_000]

So im right into running & only just starting to take it seriously the past couple of weeks, im currently doing 8-10km 5-6 days a week at a steady pace

I really love this body look, and its what im aiming for, i wonder what they eat/how many kms they train to get like this?

i wonder if they do any weights?

[amy78]

I know runners (long distance) tend to be small, but OMG, the second one looks anorexic or too skinny. Just my opinion though.
First one looks like she does weights.

[Showjumper_000]

yeah most of them look like that though, theyre really really lean & all muscle

[gfundaro]

Little to no weight bearing exercise...any anaerobic muscle weight would just be a hindrance. They'll be primarily Type I fibers, which are very thin and don't offer much support during resistance training. They eat as much as they need to in order to run marathons, whether it's a 5k fun run or a full-out 26 miles (about 13k). In general their diets will be very high in carbohydrates with moderate fat and protein levels that we'd consider low (like the RDA amount).

[Showjumper_000]

i wonder how far they run each day to get that body?

Im currently doing 8-10km 5-6 days a week...

[runner05]

I run about 30 miles a week and, since that is NOT the look I want, I am here at bb.com to keep and gain muscle - while yet trying to continue the running that I love. That look is truly a runners body and you might find more information useful to you on RunnersWorld.com. It is a site very geared toward runners only and has great sites on a runners diet and more running topics than I have most most anywhere else. Good luck!

[MauiZos]

The thing that drives me nuts about runners is that they think training for running ONLY involves logging more miles.

Running is a SERIOUSLY advanced endeavour.

Think about the action of running - it's a rapid series of 1 legged plyometric hops for hours on end! Plyometrics are an advanced form of training only prescribed for people who have ample strength and stability to handle the impact of this kind of training. Imagine a jump squat, or a plyo push-up. Those are HARD, right?? Now imagine if I asked you to do 1500 of them in 10 minutes. You would blow out a hip, collapse, or tear a rotator cuff long before you'd complete the set.

1500 is approximately the number of "one-legged plyo hops" (ie strides) you're taking in running 1 mile.

Have you ever noticed that almost EVERY amateaur runner is working with some kind of injury? Hamstring pulls, IT band issues, plantar fasciatis, lower abdominal tears, hip flexor issues, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes I hear these people in groups almost bragging about the battle scars they've incurred as if training like an idiot oblivious to what their body needs is something to brag about.

The best professional (and amateur) runners understand that training for better speed and endurance free from injury involves a heck of a lot more than just strapping on the aasics and logging endless hours. They incorporate tons of core work to improve not only abdominal strength but also hip, back, pelvic, knee, and ankle stability. They also use a lot of interval and hill/stair training to improve VO2 max capacity and build more muscular mitochondria which aids in the delivery of oxygen to the muscle, resulting in increased endurance at higher speeds. They ALSO invest significantly in pre-habilitative therapies including stretching, massage, chiropractic, and accupuncture. The body absorbs an extreme amount of stress while running and it is important to take care of that beautiful machine.

Then the other side of the equation is nutrition, which I am almost willing to say is MORE important than any amount of training you will do. Without being properly nutritionally supported you can run into serious problems ranging from poor muscle recovery and performance, to hyponatremia and heart failure. Like I said, running is serious and frankly most people have no business training for a marathon until they get all the other elements I listed in check.

[Showjumper_000]

Originally Posted by MauiZos

The thing that drives me nuts about runners is that they think training for running ONLY involves logging more miles.

Running is a SERIOUSLY advanced endeavour.

Think about the action of running - it's a rapid series of 1 legged plyometric hops for hours on end! Plyometrics are an advanced form of training only prescribed for people who have ample strength and stability to handle the impact of this kind of training. Imagine a jump squat, or a plyo push-up. Those are HARD, right?? Now imagine if I asked you to do 1500 of them in 10 minutes. You would blow out a hip, collapse, or tear a rotator cuff long before you'd complete the set.

1500 is approximately the number of "one-legged plyo hops" (ie strides) you're taking in running 1 mile.

Have you ever noticed that almost EVERY amateaur runner is working with some kind of injury? Hamstring pulls, IT band issues, plantar fasciatis, lower abdominal tears, hip flexor issues, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes I hear these people in groups almost bragging about the battle scars they've incurred as if training like an idiot oblivious to what their body needs is something to brag about.

The best professional (and amateur) runners understand that training for better speed and endurance free from injury involves a heck of a lot more than just strapping on the aasics and logging endless hours. They incorporate tons of core work to improve not only abdominal strength but also hip, back, pelvic, knee, and ankle stability. They also use a lot of interval and hill/stair training to improve VO2 max capacity and build more muscular mitochondria which aids in the delivery of oxygen to the muscle, resulting in increased endurance at higher speeds. They ALSO invest significantly in pre-habilitative therapies including stretching, massage, chiropractic, and accupuncture. The body absorbs an extreme amount of stress while running and it is important to take care of that beautiful machine.

Then the other side of the equation is nutrition, which I am almost willing to say is MORE important than any amount of training you will do. Without being properly nutritionally supported you can run into serious problems ranging from poor muscle recovery and performance, to hyponatremia and heart failure. Like I said, running is serious and frankly most people have no business training for a marathon until they get all the other elements I listed in check.

Hello,

thanks for you reply

im already a very fit person (running in the hills/pine plantations for 30-45mins 5 days a week for the past 2 years) so ive got a good baseline

its not like ive just jumped straight into running from doing nothing
so ive been finding these 8-10k flat runs to be a complete breeze & i look forward to what it will bring for me

[gut]

Carrie Tollefson probably runs a lot more than 8-10 km per day unless she is peaking for a race late in the summer. That kind of mileage equates to roughly 35-40 mpw. She's a middle distance runner (meaning 800-1500m primarily) so her mileage isn't as high as a long distance runner. I'm sure she does a lot of strength work and plyometric drills in order to maintain her speed.

Middle distance running is a lot different from long distance running, so the way you train will depend on what event you are training for. 5-10k races require a lot of miles in the base training phase, then a mixture of speed and endurance during competition phase. Don't confuse speed with sprinting though. It's really working on improving your lactate threshold with a little bit of VO2 max work to improve coordination at 5k-10k velocity. Your lactate threshold is what can be improved the most, but anaerobic work in running cannot be improved nearly as much.

If you want to train for middle distances, resistance training is definitely a good idea, but if you're running 5k's and higher it is less important. Plyometric drills and short 8-10 second uphill sprints will help improve running economy for any distance, even the marathon. So, to sum it up, if you want to look like Carrie Tollefson (middle distance runner), you'll be training much different than if you want to look like the second runner in your post (long distance runner).

[Showjumper_000]

im into long-distance

[LoveANurse]

yer look seriously, nutrition is super important last year when i was training for very long distance running my nutrition was shocking if not non existant and i got waaaaaaaaaaay too thin down to about 30 kg and lost not only all fat but alot of lean muscle..its not a sexy loook. if you want to be running such long distances you have to have a good amount of complex carbohydrates and then after training have carbs simple and complex and protein and definately hydrate.

[JillSlap]

Most elite runners (long distance and shorter distance) do some sort of cross-training, usually swiming or weight training from what I've read and experienced. The thing is that their calorie expenditures are so astronomical and their metabolisms are so efficient that it's just hard to maintain what most would consider a "healthy" weight.

I'm not an elite runner by any stretch of the imagination, but I am training for a marathon and I lift weights on my cross-training days and I can attest to how difficult it is to eat enough to keep my weight up, especially when eating clean.

[Ladycole]

I agree with the cross-training concept everyone is talking about...

I run on average 15-30 miles/week and have almost all injury issues(especially knee) disappear since adding a combo of weight-training, yoga, pilates, and aerobics.

Good luck!

Also, check out www.runnersworld.com
They have training/food suggestions--and very helpful articles~

[gut]

Since you enjoy long distance running more, the "look" you're after will largely depend on your genetics. You can alter it through diet, but will most likely run into health problems if you get too thin for your body type, so I would not go down that route if I were you.

If you are not as concerned with performance, I would simply continue your regime and do light weight resistance training and/or cross training. Make sure you eat healthy and include enough carbs in your diet to replace your glycogen stores in your muscles. If you do these things you will be very happy with how you look.

[Showjumper_000]

thanks everyone for your help & information!

[sthpadregrl]

you pretty much got all the right answers....

genetics is the biggest factor in how you will "look"
nutrition is the most important variable that you have control over. as stated earlier if you aren't worried about performance but just like the lifestyle of a distance runner, then by all means keep running.
but it's not just adding distance.....
you need to run long slow distance, tempo runs, sprints, hills, repeats, and stairs. you do need to do strength training but higher reps with lighter weights, plyometrics and weight bearing exercises. You'll want to work your core, your back...your upper body to balance out the hills/stairs/sprints that are working your lower body. ABSOLUTELY must cross train..........a mix of everything will keep you injury free, but listen to your body. it's been said before...but

www.runnersworld.com is the bible for runners.