Using Distance Running to Improve Firefighter Fitness

I have often talked about the need for firefighters and all other public safety athletes (PSAs) to build a base of strength. This base will mean that once the natural progression of strength development declines, even older PSAs will maintain a solid foundation of strength.

The same can be said of a solid cardiovascular program. Keeping the heart and lungs in great shape is essential for the PSA. Firefighters in particular have to pay attention to the importance of strength and cardiovascular training because of the amount of equipment we wear, carry and operate while doing challenging physical tasks. It’s worth repeating that no other profession has personnel doing work in environments that are superheated, have little to no visibility or breathable air, and are subject to collapse, all while wearing protective clothing that further limits mobility, sight and sound. These aren’t environments or circumstances to take lightly.

In this article I would like to preach the benefits of the long slow run (LSR). I know your first thought is “Boring! I hate running!” Don’t worry, I know all the excuses to get out of running–I’ve used them myself. But through the years, I’ve never stopped utilizing the run as a base for cardiovascular endurance training. The LSR will make every other aspect of your training easier when you incorporate it into your fitness scheme. There are tremendous benefits both physiologically and psychologically to having the LSR in your fitness arsenal.

Endurance Training

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) states that regular endurance training decreases the risk of heart attack, hypertension and stroke. It also states that regular endurance exercise of more than an hour may decrease the risk of obesity and some cancers. The ACSM goes on to say that regular endurance training may lower an individual’s bad cholesterol while raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol. Finally, the ACSM states that the there is strong evidence that endurance exercise training has great benefits in fighting depression.1 The bottom line: it’s good for you.

The LSR is a pre-recovery activity, so it’s something you do to make physical recovery during rehab faster and allow you to come back into the scene more refreshed. This is also a perfect acclimatization exercise so you can ease into the changing seasons.

Another great thing about the LSR is that the athlete can add different elements to make the run more challenging. Changing the workout could include running uphill or changing the terrain (e.g., running in the sand vs. the roadway). During my runs, I like to stop every so often and do exercises including pushups, sit ups and squats. I’ve written about the interval run before, but as a reminder, you may want to include some faster-paced segments during your long run. The PSA can also change up the run by simply extending the length.

The Build Up

The bottom line with the LSR is that it is simply putting one foot in front of the other and moving. One thing to consider is that you can start with a short run and build from there. As long as you’re doing something to improve your fitness level, that’s all that matters.

If you haven’t exercised in a long time, please get a physical so that you know you are healthy enough to partake in strenuous physical activity. Once you are cleared, I’d also suggest knowing your running route. You should know where the quarter-mile markers are on your route, and if that information is not available, then make sure you keep time.

I like to go off of the perceived perception of difficulty when starting new programs. What I mean by this is, if you run for a quarter mile and you have had it, then that is your personal point of exertion–you don’t want to go any further. You can do the same thing using time, so if you run for five minutes and can’t go any further, then that’s your top level.

Once you have established your baseline by either distance or time, you will have a level to measure all future runs. Don’t move beyond that established baseline until you feel ready to move on. Depending on your fitness level, it could take from a few weeks to a few months to increase the distance or time. Don’t give up; the point is keep moving and you will get better. Eventually you will keep track of both distance and time. As you progress you will cover longer distances in less time.

Set Some Goals

Once you feel like you have made some strides, setting a goal is always a good motivator. Keep the goal realistic. You don’t want to run your first mile in July and make a goal of running a marathon by September. Something like that could take years and you don’t want to mess up your program by setting unrealistic goals.

There’s also a chance you may not set your goal high enough, so the rule of thumb is to set a goal that can be achieved within a few months. You can also set multiple goals. For example, your fitness goal can be to run five times a week for two months, and during this time you can also aim to skip eating French fries and putting cheese on your hamburgers, then see where that leads.

Running five times a week and skipping French fries and cheese on your burgers are examples of closed fitness goals. Open goals can be the length of your run and the exact outcome of what making the changes will do. With the closed goals, although you will run five times a week, you have options for the length and time. And although you are making some small dietary changes, you aren’t pinning yourself down to how much weight you’re going to lose. There’s a chance you may not lose any weight because you drank a double chocolate shake with your burgers as a reward for not eating the cheese and fries–so be careful and drink water, B-shifter!

For Someone Else

Another strategy to motivate yourself to stick with your running program is to dedicate your run to somebody or something every day–it could be anyone or anything. Your run can be for your spouse or kids, for the homeless or world peace, or for a fellow firefighter who is going through rough times. This gives you a global reason to do the run and think about something or someone where you can make a difference; it’s the ultimate multitask.

Good luck with your long slow running program. My guess is that over time you will begin reaching your goals, and those small successes lead to big ones.

Reference

1. Deschenes, Michael. ACSM’s Certification Review, 3rd Edition. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore, n.p., 2010.