November: Harmony

   In those weeks when your workouts are sweet, cross training is about as appealing as cold oatmeal. Weights and whatnot steal time from running. They diffuse focus. They reveal athletic weaknesses. They hurt. To be sure, training of any kind is obnoxiously specific. If you want to get better at running, you have to run. And the worst time to begin cross training is when you're within reach of a running goal. Trouble is, most of us never discover cross training until we're sidelined by injury.

   Here's a better time: immediately after you've succeeded or failed at a goal, especially a distance race. The day after presents an abyss - sweet or bitter. Either way, it's a great time to reassess. Cross training casts light into your next goal with its diversion alone. It allows running muscles to heal. It keeps your cardiovascular fitness where it needs to be. It builds supporting muscles, which can prevent running injuries. And it has the odd ability, when other goals are set aside, to bring gratification, even pleasure.

   Instinct and fun should lead you to the type of cross training you do, though runners benefit most from strength training combined with cardio exercises. You've heard it before, but go slow with weights and resistance machines. Gradually build toward more repetitions, and even more gradually toward higher loads. Incidentally, you can use strength training to ward off running injuries to your hips, knees, and ankles by doing repetitions of hand-held weights while standing on one foot, using a balance ball- or anything else that forces your proprioceptors to maintain your balance.

   Almost any form of cardio exercise will have a lower impact on your body than running, so elliptical trainers, cross-country ski machines, rowing ergometers, bicycles (stationary and otherwise), aerobics classes, swimming, and water running all make excellent forms of cross training. If you have a heart-rate monitor, aim to work at or above 70 percent of your maximum rate, which is 220 minus your age. Roughly speaking, one hour at this intensity equals a five-mile run. But remember that you're using different muscle groups. It will take several weeks for muscles to match your aerobic fitness. Push them too fast, and you can hurt yourself.

   And as for running? If you stop entirely, plan to reintroduce it into your workouts within two weeks, but limit your weekly mileage to about one-third of your regular training routine. Eliminate intervals, hill charges, and any other speed drills. This will maintain your fitness at a level that you can scale up quickly when you're seized by a new running goal. It allows your body to mend. And it prevents the shocking disappointment that comes with starting anew.

   Invariably, you'll want to begin raising your running mileage - a splendid idea. Even a month or two of cross training will make you a stronger runner, a more agile athlete. So let running begin to crowd out the cardio you're doing. As the term implies, cross training is ultimately about finding the maximum benefits from all your efforts.