CROSSFIT EXPERIMENT!

I have never been much of a runner if i am honest. It always seemed very boring to me in comparison with other forms of training that i do and so i limited my running to a quick warm up on a treadmill before a weights session or an interval blast of 4 x 400m or such if i did want to get some cardio in. A 5km was appealing but i'd have to really be in the mood to do a 10km. In fact this was the longest i had run in my life at any one point (taking me around 50-55mins).

So towards the end of last year when i signed up for the Brighton Half Marathon (friends persuaded me!) i wasnt sure just how much running training i was going to have to put in. If i was going to do it i wanted to get a good time and not just run it for the sake of it. I was thinking 1hr 30m to 1hr 45m should be achievable.

I didnt want to start running endlessly for hours each week as i was too into my CrossFit and Olympic lifting to give over that much time to pounding the pavements. So i made a plan to experiment. I decided to see how much fitness carry over there was from CrossFit workouts into my running capabilities. I decided i wasnt going to run any further than 5km in the build up to the half.

Since September i have carried on lifting 3 or 4 times a week and have been completing around 4 CrossFit main site WODs (workouts) a week also. Most or the WODs are completed in around 15 minutes but can sometimes range from just 3-4 minutes up to maybe 35 minutes. So we are talking short intense blasts. How would this carry over into half marathon running of over an hour and a half?

Two weeks ago i decided to go for a long run to see how things were progressing. A little late to change things so i had my fingers crossed that i would feel okay! I was very pleased with the results.
I managed 10.5 miles in 1 hour 36mins in driving wind and rain conditions at the seafront. That was the furthest i had ever run in my life and it felt surprisingly normal. When i stopped i could easily have had a normal conversation with someone.

Last weekend i went again in lovely sunny conditions and made 11.7miles in dead on 1hr 30mins. I felt even better this time.

The Brighton Half Marathon is next weekend (20th Feb) and i am now really looking forward to it. It was an interesting experiment to do and it just confirms to me the superb total conditioning that CrossFit workouts give you. By doing fun, short, intense workouts 4 times a week i was able to build up my stamina enough to be considering a 1hr 30 half marathon which i dont think too shabby for someone who doesnt like running! The traditional thinking that in order to build up running ability you have to run miles and miles each week just doesnt seem to be that accurate (and it saves your knees!).

CrossFit gives you a superb all round level of fitness that whilst not making you a world beater in any one discipline it prepares you for being able to take on most challenges that come your way with a high degree of efficiency.

Lets just hope we have some sunshine next sunday! And no, im not tempted to do the full marathon. :)

(My own CrossFit box - CrossFit Connect - will be opening very soon so if you live nearby Hove, East Sussex and want to keep up to date on any news we might have, take a look at:

http://crossfitconnect.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Dave