while on vacation last week, i snuck in a few runs with my old running buddy kt and one of her new running friends. apparently a lot of the girls she runs with in her new, beach town add a little backwards running on the end of their runs.it looked interesting, and after a decent 10+ mile run i welcomed finishing (forward motion) short of the house. we turned around and (very) slowly ran backwards down kt's street. it's an interesting feeling; i definitely thought i was going to wipe out on my butt the whole time, but it was kind of fun. the fact that it was super easy on the legs was nice too.
i asked kt's friend what the purpose was of running backwards and she said it helps balance out the muscles. she ran in college (ohio university if i remember correctly?) and they ran backwards in training sometimes. her old coach recommended running backwards for 1/4 the length of what you ran forwards, but she said she wasn't so sure how that fits in with marathon training (vs cross-country) since there are a lot more miles.
it sounds good in theory and the activity/motion doesn't hurt, so i've thrown on a few minutes of backwards running at the end of some of my runs lately. it also forces me to have more of a cooldown instead of just stopping cold-turkey. this guy's write up on running backwards and it's benefits sounds pretty good to me. i'm not going to attempt any serious goals with this, but i would like to continue to switch it up a few days a week in reverse at the end of some runs. in the very least, i'll be slowly lowering my heartrate before rushing into the sweet air conditioning.
today it was t-storming after work so i hopped on the 'mill for an easy run. afterwards, i thought i'd turn around and 'run' a little backwards (on a much slower speed of course than forwards). not the brightest idea to try and run backwards on the treadmill. just an fyi.
Would have liked to seen a pic of the running backwards on the tread!
ReplyDeleteInteresting theory-knowing me, I'd break something for sure!
I remember after I had ACL surgery one of the exercises they gave to me was to walk backward after having walked forward. When I was on the treadmill, I got quite a few odd looks. Haha. That is really a great idea! I'll try that out on my next run!
ReplyDeleteHoo! Running backwards on the treadmill? Hilarious!
ReplyDeleteIn HS, we used to do drills after a run and one of the drills was running backwards. But it's not the same form as when you were running forward. You extended your legs a lot more forward to really stretch the leg muscles.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll try running backwards toward the end of my runs, see if that helps..
I'll have to try that with my drills.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll try that today. Does it make the hill that leads to my house downhill instead of uphill...
ReplyDeletei've never heard of backwards running as a training technique...i'll have to give it a shot (but not on the mill)
ReplyDeleteHmmm....interesting. I sometimes have my clients run backwards up hills during Stroller Strides classes during intervals, but never thought about the benefits to me after a run.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to give it a try! It can't hurt (unless, of course, I fall on my arse lol). Thanks
Some of the hill drills I've done had us running backward and I've done it on the treadmill....its scary on there...I had to have someone increase the speed for me...haha :)
ReplyDeleteGood post!
Hope your head cold is better!
ReplyDeleteYou know - the gym I go to - there's a guy who gets up on the treadmill and does the backward run for 15 to 20 minutes at at time. If I tried that I would be flat on my face within about 10 seconds!
And everyday I visit your blog, I like your banner photo more and more. Now that I'm putting in some distance, that picture says it all without saying a word.
Very interesting. I usually fail at the cool down so maybe I should try adding in a few minutes of backward running. Of course, I'd be very afraid of the teenage boys in my 'hood pointing and laughing at me but I'd get over it, I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA, I don't think I'm coordinated enough to run backwards on solid ground, nevermind the treadmill! I give you credit for trying, though ;)
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff, makes perfect sense of course so does riding a bike!
ReplyDeletei love running backward and i try to incorporate it into most of my runs, even if only for 100 yards or so at the end. i've also found that running backward for a couple of minutes in the middle of a hard run when i'm starting to feel tired/sore helps me feel better.
ReplyDeleteI took a bootcamp class last year and we did a lot of backward running. Thanks for reminding me of that. It takes a little time to get used to it, but it is fun
ReplyDeleteI took a bootcamp class last year and we did a lot of backward running. Thanks for reminding me of that. It takes a little time to get used to it, but it is fun
ReplyDeleteinteresting. may have to try that out. prior to tonight's beer, of course. lol!
ReplyDeleteCool idea! Like you, I think it would be most beneficial for me in that it would provide a cool-down.
ReplyDeleteJust be careful. ;)
Wow, I love the idea of backward running- that sounds great. I would definitely kill myself if I did that on the treadmill though haha
ReplyDeletei saw a studly guy doing some backwards intervals at the track. looked cool!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that going backwards is a good way to cool down.
ReplyDeleteI was running on a treadmill once and the guy next to me turned around and walked backward for a few minutes before getting off.
A lot of people do it, so it has to be good for you right?
I've tried walking backwards on a treadmill as a cool down because I've heard it is beneficial... felt like an ass and almost landed on mine!
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'll have to give it a go on roads though. Off to read the article, love new and interesting bits of info! Thanks for the link.
I can barely stay upright running forwards - I'd totally fall on my @$$ trying to run backwards!
ReplyDeleteI've seen one person doing it up on the boardwalk though - makes sense how it would balance everything out.
I've tried running backwards and nearly killed myself... Good for the balance if nothing else!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely not sold on backwards on the -mill, but I do like to do it outside. Have you never walked backwards to give your legs a rest during a race?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I'll pass on running backwards on the treadmill but did you know some people run marathons the whole way backwards? I saw a guy at MCM doing that a few years back. Must have a strong neck too from turning around so much.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to hear whether you notice a difference after a while ... seems like one of those things that sounds crazy, but makes a big difference form-wise, like bounding. Also, thanks for the image of this being done on a treadmill. I echo previous commenters in saying I'd almost certainly kill myself. :)_
ReplyDeleteOne time I spotted a lady walking backwards carrying an umbrella. Must be another type of work-out. Maybe I'll at that to my routine. ;-)
ReplyDelete