We all remember our first race or favorite adventure, but what about the first time you added poles into the mix? Below, LEKI athlete Sabrina Stanley shares her story of when she started running and training with poles and why it has been a game changer for her.
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I started running with poles consistently when I began training for a mountainous 100-miler in the summer of 2018. I knew I would be using poles for the entirety of the race, so I ran with poles during all my training miles. This helped get my upper body familiar with the additional load it would be taking on while climbing and descending. It also taught me how to use the poles efficiently.
My “Ah-Ha” moment came when I was studying the most competitive runners in the world at races that piqued my interest. These runners were all using poles. To be competitive I knew I had to learn how to use poles to assist in my running if I wanted to run at the same level as the top athletes.
Poles take some of the load off a runner’s legs while going up and downhill. This transfer of power to the upper body allows a runner to conserve their legs for a longer period.
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Climbing assist, is what comes to mind for me. As well, when the legs get tired on the downs, there’s some help too! I’m a total beginner and have only borrowed poles; but I’d use them if I had my own!
I started using poles when I planned a 38-mi nighttime run on the VT Long Trail to help a buddy train for his first ultra. It was the farthest either of us had run. The poles came in handy when it started raining and the rocks got slippery. We also did our first river ford. I am lucky to be short enough to use children’s poles, which cuts down on extra weight!
Going down feels so much better on my knees with a pair of poles. They can take some of the impact as well as being that extra touch point
I haven’t used piles yet but really wished I had them for my first 100. I’ll be training with them and using them when I decide on my next ultra.
I have used poles in the past when ascending or descending on a hike. They have provided stability with a backpack and helped support muscles. I find lost people who start using poles, fail to calibrate to their body, which then leads to injuries of the wrist or shoulder.
I haven’t used poles yet but I have a race that I need them for…running on a shoestring budget? I would love the chance to have a set and I already knew I want to get LEKI poles!
I remember doing the research: you actually burn more calories per mile using polls than running without them; however, you feel less fatigued and therefore, are able to push longer. I’ll take the physical battle over the psychological one: I run with polls, especially on grueling terrain!
I haven’t started using them yet but in my last hilly race I realized it’s time to take the plunge!
I started turning fast hikes on new England’s 4k footers into runs, but with the same poles for hiking. So on my first descent of My Adams the telescope kept pushing back into itself! Very silly tiny pole time, but man did they help me eat that uphill grind. Can’t say I want to do a 3k+ elevation gain run without them.
At 22 I thru-hiked the Appalachian trail using trekking poles and I transformed from a wobbly 2-footed creature to a stable (and fast) 4-legged one. They became an extension of my body. When hiking and trail running many years later, I still prefer to be the stable and fast four-legged creature I became on my thru-hike. They have saved me from countless slips, falls, and twists, and saved my joints from punishing loads when backpacking with my kids.