Winter Running: Boost Your Immune System

Train Your Body How to Not Get Sick

Colds and coughs bring down legions of distance runners. Don't be one of them
By Jayme Moy runnersworld
 

Tweak Your Training

Long, slow runs (90 minutes or more) use slow-twitch muscle fibers, which feed on simple sugars, the same fuel as the immune system, says Michael Ross, MD, medical director of The Performance Lab in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. "It sets up a resource battle between the exercising muscles and the immune system, with the immune system losing out," he says. While you probably don't want to give up all your long runs, you can scale back on mileage by replacing a medium-distance day with a high-intensity interval training (HIIT): Instead of a slower run over 1.5 hours, for example, do a series of eight intervals where you're running at 80 to 85 percent of your max for four or five minutes, with two minutes of recovery in between. Also, avoid increasing both intensity and volume at the same time, says Dr. Ross, a sports physician. After upping your mileage, give yourself a two-week buffer before adding a tempo workout. A good prerace taper also helps your immune system recover.

More: Become the strongest, fastest runner you can be by arming yourself with the resource guide for all things running-related

0 Comments
More From runnersworld
Keywords:
Related Content