Top 5 Magic Pills for running

[Runningversity]

You will probably have seen lots of Instagram posts and articles on running sites with click-bait headlines, a bit less blatant than this one, offering ways to make your running better.

Here are a few of my favourites. I’ll explain why they are marginal and why using them is very much dependent on the person.

The truth is that whilst many of them might have a benefit, it’s going to be very small compared to the benefits of having the patience to do consistent running training for months and years.

1. Shoes. Having the wrong shoes can very much hinder your performance when running. If you wear a support shoe but, are a neutral runner, that’s going to be an issue and vice versa. Or if your shoes are not wide enough for your feet or too short or too long. Or if your shoes are old and knackered. Or if they are uncomfortable. Getting new shoes then will be really important. But it’s not going to suddenly make your parkrun time 2 minutes quicker.
   There are some fancy new race shoes with huge amounts of cushion and carbon plates to help keep them stable and reduce vibration, but they aren’t going to make you much quicker unless you are already quite fast. Even then, it’s seconds over a 10K, due to the reduction in vibration back to the legs minimising fatigue at the end of the race.
   I love buying new shoes though. The search for the most comfortable shoes is never-ending.
   
2. Cross-training. Cross-training is great. Running trains quite specific muscles and motions, so training in slightly different ways, e.g. cycling, rowing, can make you a stronger athlete ready to take on every-day life. Cross-training also gives you a day where you are still exercising, but aren’t running, so can help minimise injury risk if you are prone to overtraining and under-recovery.
   What cross-training isn’t going to do is make much difference to your running fitness if you don’t do much running. You can’t just run two days a week and fill the rest with cross-training. You’d be better off doing more running if your goal is to be a faster runner.
3. Strength training. Your running muscles get stronger by running. Adding strength training isn’t going to suddenly make you a fast endurance runner. It will even slow your progress if you suddenly starting doing squats four times a week.
   What strength training will do is reduce your chances of injury in every-day life – picking up a heavy box and not being able to run for three weeks because your back gave way wouldn’t be fun. A stronger back and core will also help you keep a good running posture at the end of a long race when you are tired, so you could gain a few seconds there.
4. “Altitude” masks. You might have seen adverts for elevation masks that basically make it harder to breathe. Save your money. There’s no evidence they help you improve, and will hinder your workout from being optimal because you can’t train at the right effort. They certainly can’t simulate altitude where the air is thinner so less pressure on the lungs for gas exchange.
5. Magic Pills / Protein / Nutrition. What you put in your mouth does affect your running. Your body is incredible at taking what you put in your mouth and breaking it down into what it needs. If you put mostly garbage in, your running will suffer.
   Illegal drugs do work, to improve performance, but impact long term health, which is why they are banned.
   There are legal supplements that have been proven to have positive effects on your running, especially if your diet is a bit rubbish. They won’t suddenly wipe minutes off your time and if you think you can skip decent training and take a few supplements to make up for it, you are going to be disappointed.
   Protein isn’t needed straight after a run. Anyone telling you it’s essential immediately afterwards doesn’t know what they are talking about. As long as you remember to include protein in your normal meals, you’ll be fine. If you are rubbish at getting enough protein in your meals, you could use a protein shake instead, but you should start by getting meals right. You do need to take carbs straight after a run (assuming you aren’t Keto), within 30 minutes ideally, to replenish Glycogen used, but protein isn’t time critical like that – protein is mostly used overnight during recovery, plus a bit during lesser day time recovery

So, stick to the plan. Safely and gradually increase your running. Do it consistently, while getting lots of recovery and sleep. This will have huge impacts on your running ability, compared to the tiny benefits from everything listed above.

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