Today I did quite a bit of aerobic cross training. It started with a run to the sports center about 15 minutes then 2 hours of very competitive basketball and then a 15 minute run home. I believe for distance runners the best way to get better at distance running is distance running, but to keep the legs fresh and to keep the fast twitch muscle fibers twitching, cross training in my opinion is very important. Cross Training also helps to develop muscles which are underused while running. For runners swimming, bike riding, soccer/football (sorry my English friends), ice-skating, skiing, roller blading and many other sports can be beneficial (as long as you don't hurt yourself). For a sport nut like myself who enjoys all sports I wouldn't hesitate to do any of these while some purest distance runners might go on and on about the risks of injury. Often injuries in running are chronic injuries which take time to develop and are related to muscle imbalances which can be corrected with cross training. Cross training also helps to develop an all around athlete.
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