core strength  Beginner’s Corner: The Importance of Developing
Core Strength   Glance at just about any issue of a fitness
magazine and you’ll see a cover proclaiming the need for “rock-
hard abs.” That is, a six-pack of abdominal muscles that are so
muscular and spectacularly ripped they look like they were
photo-shopped. (Sometimes they are.)  Crazy, isn’t it? Maybe
yes; maybe no. It would seem that the rock-hard abs we hear so
much about have little appeal to distance runners. Strength,
endurance and a good set of lungs are the key for us, not crowd-
stopping, washboard abs.  Not so fast. The aforementioned
abdominals are truly at the core of running well and free of
injury. The core portion of the body between the rib cage and
pelvis is your center of running power. The stronger it is, the
stronger you will be.  Before we go any further, the core
muscles are composed of the four abdominal muscles, three lower
back groups of muscles and the muscles of the buttocks, hips and
pelvis. That’s a lot of muscle tha