3 Essentials of a Runner's Routine

Here are 3 Essentials for Every Runners Routine, all of which you can find within the Upswell classes and modalities.

by
Lexy Rose | Partner, Coach & Head of Myofascial Education
5
 min read
March 7, 2023
Here are 3 Essentials for Every Runners Routine, all of which you can find within the Upswell classes and modalities.

Whether you’re a novice jogger, a weekly park trotter, or a seasoned marathoner, running is a state of mind.

Running requires physical endurance to withstand the effort and impact of each foot fall, the heaving lungs, and the ceaseless beating heart.

Running also requires a level of mental endurance to have patience with your pace, and to rely on your mental will to carry you through to the end of your mileage.

Whether running comes to you innately (you lucky duck!) or is an endeavor that you’ve learned to like, another requirement of this sport is maintenance. This is something that most practiced runners find out the hard way, and the lesson brings with it a certain amount of heartache in the form of pain, doctor’s visits, and forced rest.

Every runner's regime must include specific self-care. While consistency with pounding the pavement is apparent to this athlete, the required physical maintenance might not seem as obvious.

Here are 3 Essentials for Every Runners Routine, all of which you can find within the Upswell classes and modalities.

Foam Rolling.

You know that long styrofoam cylinder collecting dust underneath your bed? That is every runners’ best friend. Foam rollers are the most useful home gym equipment an active person could invest in, especially when it comes to keeping the PT co-pays to a minimum..

The repetitive motion of running leads to a tightening response in muscles and fascia, resulting in the trickle down effect of limited joint mobility, dysfunctional movement patterns, and inevitable breakdown of soft tissue and bone. 

The purpose of foam rolling is similar to that of massage — generating nutrient rich blood flow to overworked tissue, and softening trigger points where muscle fibers are stiff and neurologically stuck in dysfunctional holding patterns.

Think of muscular foam rolling as being similar to rolling out cookie dough. With strong pressure and sweeping motions of the roller, the texture of the matter (be it muscle or dough) becomes pliable and smooth. Pliable muscles are happy muscles, unrestricted and ready for more mileage. 

Upswell offers RELEASE: a class solely dedicated to rolling out a different area of the body each class.

Stability Work.

Just about every level of athlete has been to see a PT for a lower body injury, and has been sent home to practice some interpretation of balancing on one foot. The reasoning is that the human body knows how to move — functionally or otherwise — but needs reminders on how to stabilize.

While the constant motion of running utilizes big muscle groups throughout the entire body, the stabilizers in the joints need stillness in order to be efficiently recruited, and to offset the impact of the sport.

Yoga and dynamic mobility training are movement techniques that challenge balance and stability throughout the entire body, and are the perfect compliment to a runners’ training program. 

Upswell offers POWER and BURN: a dynamic mobility class that brings awareness to movement control through breath, abdominal engagement, and challenging stability exercises.

Strength Training.

Muscular strength is relative to the way an athlete trains, and the body contains two muscle fiber types — slow-twitch and fast-twitch.

Runners trend towards having more slow-twitch muscle fibers, metabolically providing them with the energy they need to stay in constant motion for a prolonged period of time.

Fast-twitch muscle fibers are what they sound to be; they require a level of energy that is available only in short bursts, and are recruited and strengthened when the body moves quickly, powerfully, and challenged by load. 

Fast-twitch fibers create denser and stronger muscles that are extremely supportive to joints, enhance bone density, and provide additional boosts of speed when a runner needs it most.

Whether you are new to the sport of running, or have been galloping through life for decades, you are not lacking physical and mental determination for mileage.

As you continue on your quest of constant motion, it’s important to be proactive with physical maintenance by participating in movement styles and that will keep your gait and your physique strong and pain free. 

Upswell classes provide runners with all of the cross training they need to keep moving well.

If you or someone you know is looking to start running and needs a little guidance and mindful motivation, reach out to Courtney Combs, partner and Head of Run at Upswell.

Lexy Rose is a Colorado native who began teaching exercise and personal training in 2008.