Aronld Sports Festival 5K Pump & Run

I've come to believe that the arrival of spring is a hoax, or that it's eminent arrival has been greatly exaggerated. Since those of us who love to ride, swim and kayak have been put on hold due to the grip of the "polar vortex" nailed over PA, I've decided to share an alternative training routine.

     Five years ago my brother invited me to share a new experience, the Arnold 5K Pump and Run, held as part of the Arnold SchwarzeneggerSpring Sports Festival held every March for the past 14 years in Columbus, Ohio.

      A pump and run involves benching ones body weight as many times as possible to receive a time reduction on the 5 K held as a group race after all the participants have benched their weight or a percentage of it. (Every decade after 40 receives a 10% handicap. A 45 year old would bench 90% of his weight, and a 55 year old would get a 20% advantage benching only 80%.) It's a format that levels the running times as well as the lifts.  The reductions I've seen vary between being awarded 15 and 30 seconds deductions for the 5 K time the individual runs. If a person benches his weight 10 times with a 30 second handicap award, that runner would get a 5 minute deduction so a 25 minute 5K would actually become a 20 minute final time. It's a sort of biathlon, testing strength and endurance in two events, lifting and running, and the bonus, if that may be a consideration, is it can all be done indoors in a weight room and on a tread mill.

     I recently competed in the 14th Annual 5K Pump and Run this the weekend of March 2nd. There were 967 entrants, but with the "Titan Storm" hitting that day, I'm sure there were some no shows. Luckily, most of my runs were done outdoors with fellow Elk County Striders and CSO patrons, Ken Huey, Aimee Kemick or Steve Putt. On very cold days, (temps below 15-20 with high wind chills) I ran the "dread mill". After a weigh-in wearing running attire and shoes, I tipped in at 160, received a 30% deduction (being 64) and managed to bench my handicapped weight of 110 pounds 28 times. (Most competitions set 30 as the maximum.) I ran a 24:58 in a blizzard where I quickly determined that if I could avoid the sliding, tumbling, pirouetting and or skating runners, it would enable me to finish the race upright. The 28 reps gave me a 14:00 deduction which resulted in a finish time of 10:58, good enough to place 83rd in the field, and first (I think) in my age group.  

     This kind of training is perfect for all sport training as it builds strength, bone density and aerobics. Lifting helps to prevent the sort of bone injuries people experience from simply running, strengthens the core needed for cycling, paddling, swimming and running while it breaks the monotony of other simply endurance training. The weight room is also a good place to meet like-minded friends who appreciate the values of a healthy life style. If you see an ad for an up-coming pump and run, I'd strongly encourage participation, not only for the personal satisfaction, but for strengthening and variety in training for one provides.

- Submitted by Bill Granche, CSO Staff Member