BOSU for Runners

In competition, every edge and advantage you can find for your training helps. I wasn’t looking for an edge when I added BOSU Balance Training to my workout routine but my proceeding half-marathon time proved that I had discovered one!

I have been a runner for 15 years and started training for long-distance in 1998. I ran because I enjoyed the training and was comfortable running half-marathons at a pace of about 8:30 minutes/mile.

I was first introduced to the BOSU Balance Trainer (also known as the "blue half-ball") in the spring of 2000, and I found that I loved using it! After playing with two of them for a while, I discovered that I could simulate a running motion by placing one BOSU in front of the other and center a foot on top of each dome. From there, I practiced “running” by bouncing and alternately changing my feet. The exercise was very challenging and hard to do for very long repetitively but eventually I worked up to doing 3-5 consecutive minutes and would warm-up with the exercise before each of my training runs.

I found at the next half-marathon I ran that my split mile time had decreased by 30 seconds, going from my typical 8:30 min/mile down to 8:01! Initially I thought that perhaps I had started the race too fast and that I should slow down but my perceived exertion hadn’t changed and I didn’t feel tired so I figured I would take it one mile at a time. I finished that race doing consistent 8:01 minute miles which for me was significant as no other aspect of my training had changed.

I decided to continue doing the BOSU exercise before each of my runs and at the next half-marathon I ran, I finished the race doing 7:47 minute miles and winning a second place medal for my age group! I was thrilled and I began to share my secret with other runners.

I met a man at a trade show that year who also ran in half-marathons. I told him my story and showed him the exercise and he said he would give it a try. The next time I saw him, he told me that he had used the exercise and that he too experienced a reduction in his min/mile time! He was just as excited as I was and was spreading the word to others he knew.

Training with a BOSU Balance Trainer teaches your body how to organize itself in a way that makes your movement more efficient and for me, translated into faster race times. If any of you are runners and have experienced something similar, I’d love to hear your story. If you are learning about this exercise for the first time, try it and see if you don’t get the same results!

We have posted a video demonstration of the exercise on our web site, www.bosufitness.com. To view it, click on the "Video" link from the home page and then on "BOSU Balance Trainer". "BOSU for Runners" will come up under that link.

I've found that adding balance training to each of my workouts only makes them better and gives me the opportunity to once again, find new and better ways to add balance to my life.