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Six runners tell Christine Fieldhouse how they like toadd cross training into their fitness schedulesPERFORMANCE“If you do just onesport, you’re more at riskof a repetitive injury.”Howard Davis, 49, is a companyowner, from Hitchin,Hertfordshire.“I picked up a leaflet abouttriathlons after doing the LondonMarathon – at that time, in 1997, Ididn’t even know what a triathlonwas! But I went ahead and enteredthe London Triathlon, which meantborrowing a bike. The first time Iswam in open water was when Ijumped into the Thames!But I loved it and since then I havedone 13 Ironman competitions, adouble and even a treble Ironman!I love the variety of cross training– there’s never time to get boredeither physically or mentally.Sometimes I combine the two and gofor a cycle session and then a run,but often I stick to training in just oneof the sports.I find running is hard on the bodyand if you run every day, there’smore of an impact on your body,especially as you get older. If you dojust one sport, you’re more at risk ofa repetitive injury. It’s good to dosome swimming the day after a longrun as it’s non weight-bearing but ituses all the muscles.I try and do at least an hour’s sessionevery day and at the weekends I doa longer bike ride and a run. Plus Irun a personal training company.”Visit www.tri1.co.uk.“On top of all that I’mgoing to climb MountKilimanjaro next monthwith a friend.”Rachel Ross Russell, 42, is avoluntary worker, fromNorthallerton, North Yorkshire.“I’ve learnt from experience thatrunners get more injuries when theydon’t cross train and for that reason Inow have a schedule of variousexercises that ensure my whole bodyis equipped to run.I’ve always enjoyed running and Iwon the Swaledale Marathon inYorkshire in 2005. I also won thewomen’s 10-miles for the YorkshireChampionships that year.But I have had periods of injuryand I now make sure I cross trainwith a 45-minute spinning class threetimes a week, and two half-hoursessions of Swiss ball for corestability. I also use a cross trainer.On top of all that I’m going toclimb Mount Kilimanjaro next monthwith a friend to raise money forHope and Homes For Children, aninternational charity, so I’ve been outhiking and covering distances like13 miles in four hours. We’re going tobe doing the Rongai Route, whichwill mean six of our seven days onthe mountain will be spent climbing.We’ll be walking for up to six hoursmost days, but on the day we go tothe summit, we’ll be climbing for 11to15 hours.” To sponsor Rachel visitwww.justgiving.com/gill-rachel-kili“I like to alternate myrunning with netball,where I play wing attackor goal attack.”Pete Hall, 32, is a databasemanager, from Dalston,north-east London.“I took up running to train for the2010 London Marathon, but I sufferfrom a lower back problem, whichaffected my knee so I had to defermy entry last year. When my backproblem starts up, the muscles gointo spasm and I can’t walk for aweek. It gets really bad.I’ve found that doing a variety ofsports helps my back. I work for thechildren’s cancer charity, ClicSargent, and I play netball andsoftball for their teams. I like toalternate my running with netball,where I play wing attack or goalattack. I’m also the team captain.I usually do an hour of netball onMondays, a 4-mile run on Tuesdays,and on Wednesdays I go for a halfhour swim. On Thursday andSaturday I go for eight mile runs andon Sunday I do a 15 mile run. I alsodo a softball session on Thursdayevenings.Varying my exercise really helpsmy back problem and it helps me tomix my exercise up a bit. I was arunner while I was at school so it’sbeen good to get back into it. I justneed to keep my injuries at bay!”To sponsor Pete visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/PeterHallwww.runningfreemag.co.uk 23