Many people begin running because, compared to other athletic activities, running doesn’t really require any special equipment and it can easily be done alone – and that’s true. All you really need is a pair of sneakers and a trail, neighborhood, track, or even a treadmill. Still, whether you’re a novice runner or a marathoner, you may find that solo training sessions aren’t helping you achieve your goals or that you’re getting injured more often than you’d like – but what’s the solution?
Though you may associate working with a personal trainer with learning to use the equipment at your local gym, runners can also benefit from working with a personal trainer. These professionals can help you perfect your form to avoid injuries, develop a cross-training routine, get faster, or build endurance. You still set the goals; your trainer is just there to help you meet them.
Form Frustrations
If you never received coaching on your running, you may not really know what good form looks like, but how you hold your body is central to being a good runner, and personal trainers can help you develop that form. In particular, they may correct your posture – you should stand tall, but also lean forward a bit, where your feet land, and how you hold your arms. This will increase the efficiency of your stride, reduce fatigue, and, most importantly, reduce the likelihood of lower body injuries by preventing unnecessary joint strain.
Get Faster
Not every runner is focused on speed, and speed means something different to a sprinter than to a distance runner. That being said, most runners do want to get faster over time, and a personal trainer can help you develop a plan to get there. In particular, a personal trainer can help you run faster by tracking and recording times for you so you can focus on your form, develop different workouts, so that you’re not just running one long, continuous loop, and teach you strategies that suit your particular running conditions. Trail runners, for example, need to know the best ways to navigate hills – the up and the down, while track runners and or those who participate in a lot of races may want to work on their pacing so that they don’t slow down over a single course.
Support Strength Training
Because we tend to think about running as a complete workout all on its own, some runners overlook the importance of other supportive fitness activities to being a good runner. In particular, runners can benefit from strength training, but few know how to approach the process, especially with the goal of improving their race performance. Even if you’re comfortable with your track or trail workouts, then, you might consider reaching out to a personal trainer to help you with the strength training element of your fitness routine. In particular, you’ll want to get support with arm and core strength, since your legs are already getting a lot of attention as a runner.
Whether you’re new to running or in a running rut, working with a personal trainer could be just what you need to take your workout to the next level. As an added bonus, you may see fewer injuries, which will help keep you moving forward – literally and figuratively.
