“Not only are bloggers suckers for the remarkable, so are the people who read blogs .” - Seth Godin

Introduction:

Running is one of the best activities for longevity, but not for what you may think.

Sure, aerobic activity and time outside has many benefits, but people can get many of those same benefits from walking or hiking. You see, you don't need that much higher level aerobic activity for longevity's sake. 

The true key for longevity from running is sprinting!

Although, sadly, not many runners sprint.

There are several reasons you should be sprinting:

• Sprinting improves your capillaries and increases cellular  mitochondria, building your aerobic capacity.

• Sprinting triggers adaptive hormones like testosterone and human growth hormone stimulating lean muscle development, increased energy and alertness.

• Sprinting trains your neuromuscular system to run faster, allowing you to increase your usual pace.

• Sprinting builds more resilient muscles, joints, and connective tissue.

And the cool thing about sprinting is that you don't have to do very much, or very often.

I recommend doing a sprint session about once every two weeks. If you are feeling good, do a 15 to 20 minute warm up run, then try 3 all out sprint sessions lasting around 15 seconds each with a one minute recovery between each sprint. I like to do mine barefoot on a grass field. 

Sprinting is an integral part of the Forever Runner Method. Adding sprints to your program has more benefits than increasing mileage or adding tempo runs, and you will add renewed energy to your running!

Want to learn more about the "Forever Runner Method"? Click Here to get my book!