Member Question: Big Runner

author : Michael Silva

comments : 0

I’m a 240lb man, and I run relatively long distances. How would you recommend training for marathon and IM distances as heavy as I am?

Question from tmwelshy:

I’m a 240lb man, and I run relatively long distances. When I'm doing 25 miles plus a week, my left leg--either my ham, my AT or my calf--starts to hurt. If I cut back to under 20 miles, it gradually goes away. How would you recommend training for marathon and IM distances as heavy as I am?

Answer:

Being an extra-large athlete trying to fit into a size small sport is not always easy. As the miles increase so does the chance of injury and breakdown. Every time your foot hits the ground, a force of up to 3 times your body weight runs through your legs. For example, a 240 lb man experiences a force of 720 lbs every time his foot hits the ground. If the runner has good mechanics and is strong enough, these forces are easily dissipated and used. The problem is that many runners don’t have good mechanics nor are they strong enough to handle high mileage. [.....]

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date: July 31, 2005