How much does strength in your legs matter in regards to running?
I ran in the OC 5k today, and got 18:41- fairly decent. I do cross country and track a lot, and so I run lots. When I run I feel like I lack the strength in my legs to go faster- I can run these races holding my breath, its not hard endurance wise, my legs simply start to turn to jello. I can easily sprint the last parts of the race and have no difficulty breathing at all- but 18:41 is the fastest I can do right now. I'm super thin, 6'2'' and 139 pounds and have really thin legs. How much would building up my lower half help? Thanks.
Answers:
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Leg strength is mostly important for anaerobic running (like, sprints and such), and success for distance runners such as yourself usually comes from lots of cardiovascular strength and willpower... But it sounds like you would benefit a lot from some muscular training. This will be especially helpful for running uphill, and sprinting out the end of the race. I mean, if you do work on any muscle, it will help you in your running. Go for it! It can only make you better.I'd recommend that you continue to do plyos to ensure full range of motion from your legs, but work on your quads and hamstrings, especially. Make sure that if you do calf exercises you balance them with exercises that work your tibial muscle (in front of your shin) to prevent shin splints.
leg strength matters a LOTTT in running. all the speed comes from your leg muscles. if you're as thin as you say you are..it's not that you're out of breath or shap, you should just practice more and build up some muscle.
For running, strength in your legs is very important. Try eat two baluts for breakfast each day. You muscle mass will increase rapidly.
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If you look at the build of the best long distance runners, they are tall with extremely skinny legs. Some of them look like they hardly have any muscle! Most runners limit is their aerobic limit- in other words they are breathing too hard to go faster. They can't get enough air to run faster.You didn't say your age, and also were not clear if you were running on an organized team. If you are young, and not on an organized team with regular practice, you will benefit just from running a lot of miles. If you are on a team, and you are running a lot at practice, I would ask your coach his advice about the problem. He may see your problem differently than you do.
If your coach can't figure it out, you may want to get checked out by a doctor just to make sure that there is not some kind of physical or nutritional problem. We have a girl in PA who is state champion in XC for AAA schools, who had a severe iron deficiency last year. When that was discovered, it totally changed her performance.
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swim it makes your legs really niceMore Questions & Answers...