Running News Daily

Canadian Boston Marathon age-grouper shares tips for running as we age

Sandy Rutledge began running in his early 60s; he has run the Boston Marathon four times. The Nova Scotian clocked an impressive 3:31:38 at Monday’s 128th running of the famous race, earning him second place for his division and top Canadian in that age bracket.

“It was a slower than normal Boston, with the heat,” Rutledge told Canadian Running after his race. “I backed it off and went a little slower than last year, because I didn’t want to push it and not finish.”

After a decade of running, Rutledge knows what he needs to do to stay competitive, but above all else, he’s looking at his longevity in the sport. “My goal is to run as long as I can,” he says. “In my 60s, I could run seven days a week and over 100 kilometres per week, but I’ve now backed that off to five days a week and lower volume,” he adds.

Rutledge has completed around 19 marathons and several shorter-distance races. And he has stayed relatively injury-free, thanks to a couple of key regimens that anchor his weekly training.

“I take Tuesdays entirely off running, and I do strength training,” he says, acknowledging that the consistency of these sessions has helped his healthy running streak. “I focus on the core in these… as we age, many people tend to develop back issues, and I’m no exception.”

Rutledge also shared that 20 to 30 minutes of daily stretching, often before his runs, has also played a big role in injury prevention.

As his career in real estate has wound down, Rutledge is grateful to running for helping him keep a daily routine, and a sense of purpose. “I wake up at 5 a.m.–I’m a morning person,” he says. “Running has brought me a sense of youth. I have continued doing most of the things I could do when I was younger, and I think running has done that for me.”

Having taken up running later in life than many other runners, Rutledge encourages anyone to give it a try if they’re curious, no matter their age. “I started really slow,” he says. “It began with walking and then adding in some running slowly… maybe a kilometre to start, and building up from there.”

Rutledge has no plans to slow down. “I’ve heard that most people have a 15-year life cycle in the marathon, and I’m 10 years in,” he says. “I’d like to keep running marathons into my 80s, but as long as I can keeping running five days a week, I’ll adjust the speed and the distances of my races, if I need to.”

Rutledge is looking forward to, hopefully, running the Athens Marathon later this year or next.

“That’s where it all began,” he says of the marathon. “I think we all owe it to the running gods to do that one at least once.”

Canadian Boston Marathon age-grouper shares tips for running as we age

The Halifax runner took up running in his early 60s, and ran his fourth Boston Marathon on Monday.

Sandy Rutledge began running in his early 60s; he has run the Boston Marathon four times. The Nova Scotian clocked an impressive 3:31:38 at Monday’s 128th running of the famous race, earning him second place for his division and top Canadian in that age bracket.

“It was a slower than normal Boston, with the heat,” Rutledge told Canadian Running after his race. “I backed it off and went a little slower than last year, because I didn’t want to push it and not finish.”

After a decade of running, Rutledge knows what he needs to do to stay competitive, but above all else, he’s looking at his longevity in the sport. “My goal is to run as long as I can,” he says. “In my 60s, I could run seven days a week and over 100 kilometres per week, but I’ve now backed that off to five days a week and lower volume,” he adds.

Rutledge has completed around 19 marathons and several shorter-distance races. And he has stayed relatively injury-free, thanks to a couple of key regimens that anchor his weekly training.

“I take Tuesdays entirely off running, and I do strength training,” he says, acknowledging that the consistency of these sessions has helped his healthy running streak. “I focus on the core in these… as we age, many people tend to develop back issues, and I’m no exception.”

Rutledge also shared that 20 to 30 minutes of daily stretching, often before his runs, has also played a big role in injury prevention.

As his career in real estate has wound down, Rutledge is grateful to running for helping him keep a daily routine, and a sense of purpose. “I wake up at 5 a.m.–I’m a morning person,” he says. “Running has brought me a sense of youth. I have continued doing most of the things I could do when I was younger, and I think running has done that for me.”

Having taken up running later in life than many other runners, Rutledge encourages anyone to give it a try if they’re curious, no matter their age. “I started really slow,” he says. “It began with walking and then adding in some running slowly… maybe a kilometre to start, and building up from there.”

Rutledge has no plans to slow down. “I’ve heard that most people have a 15-year life cycle in the marathon, and I’m 10 years in,” he says. “I’d like to keep running marathons into my 80s, but as long as I can keeping running five days a week, I’ll adjust the speed and the distances of my races, if I need to.”

Rutledge is looking forward to, hopefully, running the Athens Marathon later this year or next.

“That’s where it all began,” he says of the marathon. “I think we all owe it to the running gods to do that one at least once.”

Here’s how “gratitude miles” can make you a happier, healthier runner

If you’re feeling low on motivation and pounding the pavement has lost its lustre, adding “gratitude miles” to your routine may be the revitalizing refresher you’re looking for. Mark White, founder of the Run Grateful initiative, explains that connecting running to gratitude can heighten your running experience and inspire connections with yourself, others and your surroundings.

“In its simplest form, we invite you to take a moment before you set off on your walk/run and focus on something you are grateful for, a person, a memory an experience,” the Run Grateful website says. Here’s what you need to know to make gratitude running part of your regime.

Run Grateful: the beginnings

“We are on a mission to help everyone experience at least one grateful mile in their lifetime, because we believe it won’t stop at one! If we are fortunate enough to have mobility, we must use it as a superpower,” Run Grateful founder Mark White writes on the initiative’s website.

In 2002, White was attending a drug rehab program and was introduced to gratitude work. “Mindfulness, meditation, gratitude and more was now a valuable part of my life that even influenced those around me,” he explains. Years later, White was supporting a friend in a 24-hour treadmill challenge that involved running one mile per hour. “I decided to attach each mile to gratitude, sharing about uplifting experiences, people in my life and more,” White says. “The day was overwhelming, inspiring and consequently RUN GRATEFUL was born!”

While the Run Grateful initiative offers socials for runners to connect at and seminars on gratitude running, you can easily incorporate their concepts into your training on your own.

3 steps to more mindful running:

While the basics of Run Grateful involve simply focusing on gratitude for any distance—be it a mile, a kilometre or your entire run, they also encourage delving deeper and boosting your gratitude sessions by adding mindfulness to your running. The initiative focuses on three things that can be incorporated into a variety of daily activities. “At Run Grateful we believe that if we can MOVE, CONNECT + REFLECT daily we give ourselves the best opportunity to navigate life, being open to what comes and have a framework to support our next steps,” the website explains.

Move

“Physically and mentally, how are we moving forward in life and have we got the momentum we need to progress?” White asks. Whether your focus of the day is an easy run, a strength training session or a tough mental challenge, make sure it is propelling you toward your goals in some way.

Connect

“Are we connecting with ourselves, with others and our surroundings?” White asks. Connecting also involves looking at your relationships and making sure you have healthy, supportive connections. Think about, and appreciate, who and what you are connected to in both your running and your life.

Reflect

Take a moment to look at your choices, and determine whether you are giving yourself the best possible opportunities in running and in life. Running reflection can be a powerful key to embracing a gratitude practice. “Do we take time to review past events? How can we improve and learn to take that into the next day?” White asks.

Adding some inspiration and zest back into your running routine can be as simple as focusing on the things that bring you joy as you run, and you may feel inspired to make mindful moments a permanent part of your training.

Four exercises to build bulletproof knees

We know that running doesn’t wreck your knees (and might even make them stronger) but newer runners or those making a comeback occasionally experience some soreness, and the knee is one of the most common areas of injury for runners. The easiest way to keep knee pain at bay is to beef up the muscles around the knee joint.

Adding a handful of simple exercises to your routine will help your legs provide better support and alignment, giving your legs the oomph they need to keep going strong while preventing common injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome and runner’s knee. We have four exercises to help you get started.

Single-leg glute bridge

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core while also improving hip stability and alignment.

Begin lying on the floor with your knees bent and hands by your side.

Engage your core and lengthen one leg out, keeping one foot on the floor. Push through your foot, slowly lifting your hips into a bridge position and keeping your one leg extended.

Single-leg glute bridge

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core while also improving hip stability and alignment.

Begin lying on the floor with your knees bent and hands by your side.

Engage your core and lengthen one leg out, keeping one foot on the floor. Push through your foot, slowly lifting your hips into a bridge position and keeping your one leg extended.

Hold for a second at the top, squeezing your glutes and engaging your core muscles. Gently to the starting position. Aim for 10 repetitions, and then repeat on the other side.

1.- Forward lunges

Lunges engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles, and activate stabilizing muscles such as the hip abductors and adductors. They improve overall stability and reduce stress on the knees.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle, hovering the back knee just above the ground.

Push off the front foot to return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Aim for five to 10 repeats to start. You can build resistance by adding sets, or by holding weights once you become comfortable.

2.- Step-ups with knee drive

Step-ups strengthen the muscles responsible for supporting the knee joint during weight-bearing activities like running and enhance the knee’s ability to withstand repetitive stress and maintain proper alignment, reducing the likelihood of overuse injuries.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, facing a step, box, or bench.

Step up with the right foot onto the box, and then drive the left knee up toward the chest. Aim for your hip and knee to form a 90-degree angle. Step back down and repeat on the other side. Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

If you want more of a challenge, hold a light weight in the hand that is on the side doing the step-up (if you’re stepping up with your right leg, hold a weight in your right hand).

3.- Squats

Squats strengthen the quadriceps muscles which directly connect to the knee. Strong quadriceps provide the knee with more stability, thus reducing and preventing injury. Start with two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out, and your chest up.

Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if you’re sitting in a chair, keeping your weight on your heels.

Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then push through your heels to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.

As strength improves, you can gradually increase the number of sets, repetitions, or resistance (such as adding weights) to continue challenging the muscles and promoting knee strength.

4.- Single-leg mini squat

This exercise mimics the motions of running, engaging all the major muscle groups involved in running to build strength and stability while It also challenges balance and building proprioception skills.

Begin by standing on one leg with your knee slightly bent. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and core engaged for balance.

Slowly lower your body by bending the knee of the leg you’re standing on, imagining that you’re sitting back in a chair. Keep your back straight, and go as low as you can (doesn’t need to be far!) while maintaining control.

Hold for a few seconds to challenge your balance and stability, and then push through the heel of the standing leg to return to the starting position. Try five-10 reps on each side to start.

As with any new activity, use caution and patience as you incorporate these into your routine. Feel free to modify by reducing the number of repetitions if you are struggling; if you’re very comfortable with lower-body strength training, add resistance by holding weights as you do the exercises.

A Navy Dentist Trained for and Ran a Marathon While Out at Sea—All on a Treadmill

For 16 weeks, he followed Runner’s World’s training plan while deployed and ending up breaking four hours.

I always despised the treadmill. I was never able to run on it, partially because I was afraid that if my foot slipped too far off left or right, I would end up face-planted. Plus, what I love about running is being out in the wilderness and not having to run in a perfectly straight line, which is everything the treadmill isn’t: It’s confined and claustrophobic.

But I didn’t always love running the way I do now. As a kid, I played baseball and golf, so when I pivoted to running in high school, it was quite demanding physically and mentally at first. I ran both cross-country and track, and because I was part of a successful team—we won the state championship in track in 2003, and cross country in 2004 and 2005—it was challenging and took a lot of hard work. But even then, I enjoyed the mental challenge of pushing myself hard: No one can make you run, no one can force you, it’s all on you.

And for that reason—because I love to challenge myself—part of me always wanted to conquer my fear of the treadmill. Plus, when my buddy said I could not possibly train for and run a marathon on a treadmill during our back-then-upcoming deployment out at sea, it just made me want to do it all the more. But above all, there was one special person who motivated me to train: My wife, Jessee, and her recent BQ.

Jessee and I were both runners long before we met in college. We take the sport with us wherever we move with the Navy, joining group runs, and even racing together. But while Jessee has been getting faster, in late 2022, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, followed by months of rehab and uncertainty about whether I’d ever run another marathon again. However, I was determined to fully recover, following my physical therapist’s recommendations to a T.

While I was healing, Jessee was training for the Wilmington Marathon in February 2023, following the Runner’s World break 3:30 plan, hoping to beat the 3:35:00 cutoff for her age group and make it her Boston qualifier. Her final time was 3:31:33. I was there for the race, spectating, and the whole experience—from training to the race—awakened new determination in me. Could I qualify for Boston as well?

By then, I already knew I would be deployed in July 2023. As I slowly started to feel better, getting back to some easy runs, a plan formed in my head: I would commit to the same training plan Jessee had followed for her BQ—except my training would be solely on a treadmill on the Navy ship. 

To qualify for Boston in 3:05:00 for my age group, I knew I’d have to gradually improve my time from my existing PR of 3:58:17. I started training on the first day of our deployment, which set my treadmill marathon date for October 28, 2023. 

It was not an easy training block for sure. There had been a handful of days where the ship was rocking and pitching, which brought some surprising, unintentional hill workouts to my treadmill runs. There are no windows, so you just have to be aware and try to anticipate the next move. 

In the end, running in a straight line was the least of my worries—the toughest stage was handling the hot days while we were in the Persian Gulf. The heat index was 120 to 130 Fahrenheit outside, and the ship was very hot as well. But one of my favorite quotes is: “Smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors.” I knew that come marathon day, I’d be able to look back on those runs for motivation, knowing that I can do hard things.

In general, I don’t listen to music while running; I like to know what’s going on around me. But the treadmill doesn’t provide much excitement, so I came up with a plan. I read some Runner’s World articles that mentioned the physiological benefits of listening to music while running. I thought if I get through about 16 miles without music and then run the last 10 miles with music on, that should give me a good boost. I practiced it first for a few miles at the end of each long training run, figuring out what songs I wanted on my marathon playlist.

On the day of the marathon, the gym was 76 degrees, about 20 degrees more than all my previous marathons, so I expected the temperature to be a factor going into it. Around mile 18, I started to feel that heat seep in. And then, at mile 22, I felt a sharp pinch in my left groin, so I backed off a little bit. I was hoping for 3:30, but in the end, I finished at 3:43:58 (pure run time, as I had to restart the treadmill every 60 minutes). I ran almost 15 minutes faster than my previous PR though, and was now 15 minutes closer to Boston.

Overall I discovered this marathon training block supported my mental health. Out at sea, it can feel like Groundhog Day—every day is the same. Having a goal helped bring structure to my days. Having a plan gave me a focus and direction. The Runner’s World training plan included a description of what to do each day, running tips, nutrition, and sometimes a little pep talk. I didn’t have to think about it; I was just following what it prescribed.

Since the marathon, I’ve been running three or four times a week, focusing more on strength training, and figuring out what could be next. 

Besides Boston, Jessee and I also hope to eventually run a marathon on every continent. We will be moving to Washington D.C. soon, so for now, I hope to run the Marine Corps Marathon this fall and keep shaving time off my PR. 

While I’m glad I conquered the treadmill, I doubt I’ll do another treadmill marathon—I’m very much looking forward to running outdoors again, as soon as I return from my deployment.

These tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Work foam rolling into your routine

After my injury following the London Marathon, my physical therapist showed me some foam-rolling techniques for my quads and calves. Before and after every run, I get things loose and warmed up, and it really made a huge difference. By the time I did the treadmill training block, the injury was essentially nonexistent. It’s definitely changed the way I approach running.

2. Make yourself a playlist to boost your mood

Music is quite personal so I’d recommend checking out RW playlists and Spotify playlists, then make your own based on your taste. All genres—rock, rap, pop—can give you a boost in a different way.

3. Find a training plan

Even if you have never run competitively or are brand new to running, Runner’s World can help you figure out the smartest and safest way to start so you don’t do too much too soon and help avoid injury.

4. Find your running people

Googling “local running club” can help you find a community of like-minded people near you. This is a great way to make friends and learn more about running. My wife and I always find a running community every time we move with the Navy. We have made some lifelong friends and look forward to meeting more runners wherever the Navy takes us!

Mike's Must-Have Gear

→ Garmin Forerunner 55: I try to keep my running minimalistic, so I only use the watch for pace, time, and heart rate. There are probably a million other things the watch can do, but that’s enough for me.

→ Brooks Sherpa 2-in-1 running shorts: The boxer brief lining makes these the most comfortable running shorts I’ve ever worn. It’s kinda pricey, so I have only one pair that I wear on my long runs (maybe I'll invest in a second pair one day). The waistband is also very comfortable and the pockets are a perfect storage for my needs.

→ Balega socks: My wife got me a couple of pairs for this deployment, and I absolutely love them. They are a little pricey but so worth it.

How Little Strength Training Can You Get Away With?

To be a maximalist, you must first be a minimalist. That's an aphorism I first heard from Michael Joyner, the Mayo Clinic physiologist and human performance expert, and it resonates. To truly reach your potential in one or a few areas, you have to be disciplined about all the other ways in which you could fritter away your valuable time and energy. Excellence requires tough choices.

All this is to say that when it comes to strength training, I'm not ashamed to admit that my number one question is, "How little can I get away with?" I'm convinced that strength training has important benefits for health and performance, and I recognize that lifting heavy things can be a source of meaning and self-mastery. But I've got miles to run before I sleep and, metaphorically, a bunch of errands to run before my kids get home, so a recent review in Sports Medicine caught my eye. An international group of researchers, led by David Behm of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Andreas Konrad of Graz University in Austria, sum up the existing research on minimalist resistance training: how low can you go and still get meaningful gains in strength and fitness?

For starters, let's acknowledge that making meaningful gains is not the same as optimizing or maximizing your gains. There's a general pattern in the dose-response functions of various types of exercise: doing a little bit gives you the biggest bang for your buck, but adding more training leads to steadily diminishing returns (and eventually, for reasons that aren't as obvious as you might think, a plateau). Those diminishing returns are worth chasing if you're trying to maximize your performance. But if your goal is health, more is not necessarily better, as we'll see below.

In a perfect world, you'd like to see a systematic meta-analysis of all the literature on minimalist strength training, meaning that you'd pool the results of all the different studies into one big dataset and extract the magic training formula. Unfortunately, the resistance training literature is all over the map: different types of strength training, study subjects with different characteristics and levels of experience, different ways of measuring the outcome. That makes it impossible to meaningfully combine them in one dataset. Instead, Behm and Kramer settled for a narrative review, which basically means reading everything you can find and trying to sum it up.

Their key conclusion is that "resistance training-hesitant individuals" can get significant gains from one workout a week consisting of just one set of 6 to 15 reps, with a weight somewhere between 30 and 80 percent of one-rep max, preferably with multi-joint movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench press. That's strikingly similar to a minimalist program I wrote about a couple of years ago: that one involved a single weekly set of 4 to 6 reps, but the lifting motions were ultra-slow, which heightens the stimulus. You don't even necessarily have to lift to failure, though you probably need to get within a couple of reps of it.

The data that Behm and Kramer looked at came from studies that typically lasted 8 to 12 weeks. One of the unanswered questions is whether such a minimalist program would keep producing gains on a longer timeframe. You'd clearly need to continue increasing the weight you lift to ensure that you're still pushing your body to adapt. But do you reach a point where further progress requires you to increase the number of sets, or the number of workouts per week? Maybe-but it's worth recalling that we're not trying to maximize gains here, we're just trying to achieve some hazily defined minimum stimulus. For those purposes, the evidence suggests running through a rigorous full-body workout once a week is enough to maintain a minimum level of muscular fitness.

There's another, less obvious angle to minimalist strength training that researchers continue to grapple with. Duck-Chul Lee of Iowa State and I-Min Lee of Harvard, both prominent epidemiologists, published a recent review in Current Cardiology Reports called "Optimum Dose of Resistance Exercise for Cardiovascular Health and Longevity: Is More Better?"

The question echoes a debate that flared up a decade or so ago about whether too much running is bad for you, in which Duck-Chul Lee played a key role. Back in 2018, he also published a study of 12,500 patients from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas which found that those who did resistance training were healthier-but that the benefits maxed out at two workouts a week, and were reversed beyond about four workouts a week. At the time, I assumed the result was a fluke. But the new article collects a larger body of evidence to bolster the case. The newer data suggests that about an hour of strength training a week maximizes the benefits, and beyond two hours a week reverses them. Lee and Lee hypothesize that too much strength training might lead to stiffer arteries, or perhaps to chronic inflammation.

Now, when Duck-Chul Lee and others produced data suggesting that running more than 20 miles a week is bad for your health, I was brimming with skepticism and went over the data with a fine-tooth comb. I'm similarly cautious about these new results, and have trouble believing that there's anything unhealthy about doing three weekly strength workouts. But they do put the idea of minimalist strength training in a different light. Maybe you're not maximizing strength or muscle gains, but it's possible that you're optimizing long-term health-especially if the reason you only hit the gym once or twice a week is that you're too busy hitting the trails.

Conquer Your Longest Distance Yet With These 9 Tips

Ultrarunners and coaches share their best advice for building mileage without getting injured.

Whether you want to progress from a 5K to a half marathon or a marathon to an ultra, a few general rules on how to run longer can help you get there.

While building mileage and time on your feet is paramount, the key to doing it successfully involves patience and persistence. “As much as volume matters—volume is king—too much volume too soon can get you on the sidelines,” Bertrand Newson, RRCA-certified run coach and founder and team captain of Too Legit Fitness, based in San Jose, California, tells Runner’s World. 

Follow these tips from Newson and other coaches and ultramarathoners to successfully increase your mileage, avoid injuries, and crush your longest distances.

1. Build a Base, Then Keep It Consistent

“I steadily built up to running 250-mile races over many years, but I started by running one mile at a time,” says Sarah Ostaszewski, pro ultrarunner with Tailwind Nutrition who won the 2023 Ouray 100-Mile Endurance Run. “Build a strong base and try to keep a consistent running routine, so then adding a little extra here and there won’t seem so daunting.” 

Base training typically requires about four to eight weeks (before following a race training schedule) to strengthen your cardiovascular system and your muscles, but the longer you can regularly run and set a foundation, the better. Your base work should involve mostly easy runs, low mileage, and maybe low-key speedwork (depending on your fitness level), like ending a run with strides. This part of your training is all about consistency, rather than actually building mileage. 

Ultrarunner Mirna Valerio stays consistent by focusing on time on her feet, rather than distance. “This has been mentally freeing,” the author of A Beautiful Work in Progress tells Runner’s World. 

“I have a standing appointment with my treadmill a couple times a week,” says Valerio, who will aim to run a minimum of 12 hours a day over six days at the Lululemon Further event, an ultramarathon for women in March. “I just get it done, which incidentally is one of my mantras.”

2. Find Your Best Approach to Building Volume

If you’re new to running and want to run longer, add another day of a short, easy run to your schedule, suggests Stefanie Flippin, an ultrarunner, Lululemon ambassador, and doctor of podiatric medicine, who has earned a first-place finish at several 100-milers.

Maxed out on available days of the week? Add to your long-run mileage, which is what Leah Yingling, ultrarunner and biochemical engineer who will see how far she can run in 24 hours at Lululemon Further, does first when aiming to build volume. The general rule is to increase your weekly mileage by about 10 percent each week, adding to that long run. For example, if you currently clock 17 miles per week with three four-mile runs during the week and a long run of five miles on the weekend, you would keep your midweek mileage the same, but kick up your long run to about seven miles next weekend.

Yingling, and many other pros, also do two runs a day. While this won’t work for everyone, if you don’t have a significant single block of time, clocking some miles in the morning and again in the evening and resting between can help you clock more mileage. One must-do to make it work: Tame the intensity on at least one of those runs.

Charlie Lawrence, 50-mile world record holder, views his second run of the day as a sort of active recovery. He often goes for double digits in the mornings, then runs for about four miles (at minimum) in the evening, keeping the effort light. 

No matter what, testing out strategies to see what works for your schedule is the best way to run longer. “That might be adding a walk a few days a week in addition to your daily runs, or maybe you’re adding back-to-back long runs,” says Yingling. “Whatever you do, find something that is sustainable.”

3. Follow a Progressive Training Plan

A good training plan will slowly build mileage to decrease your risk of getting sidelined, as research shows taking on too many miles too soon is one of the biggest risk factors for overuse injuries. 

When choosing your training plan, you have to be realistic about the time you have to build up to the distance you want to conquer—and where you’re at now, says Newson. For example, if you have your sights set on a half or full marathon, think about what you can comfortably run today. Then, following the loose rule of adding 10 percent more miles each week, how long do you need to train? If you currently run five miles without stopping and feel good after, and can comfortably clock 12 miles per week, you can probably conquer a 10-week half marathon plan. 

Another important factor to look for when it comes to mileage on a training plan: recovery weeks. Newson explains you’ll typically see this as three weeks of building, then a week in which you back off mileage a little to give your body time to recover and actually make gains from all the work you put into your plan. This will also keep your body strong and help you sidestep aches and pains, he adds.

4. Keep Easy Runs Easy

You’ve heard it before but it’s especially true when trying to run longer: Don’t overdo your low-effort days. 

“It’s important for me to always run my easy runs, short or long, at a conversational, aerobic rate of perceived exertion. This means that I can easily chat with a training partner for the duration of my runs without becoming out of breath,” Flippin says, who also clocks her heart rate to make sure she’s in an easy zone. 

Don’t worry about what shows on Strava, either. “I think a lot of runners run their easy runs too hard and that is because of ego and they don’t want people to think they are slow,” says Devon Yanko, ultrarunner who’s placed first in several 100-mile races and will aim to conquer her longest distance over six days at the Lululemon Further event. “I delight in the idea that people may look at my Strava and think I am too slow, because on race day that won’t be the case!” 

More generally, applying the 80/20 rule to your training overall can also help you record more low-intensity runs, Newson says, as it means 80 percent of your workouts should happen at a low intensity, and 20 percent at a hard effort.

It’s these easy runs that will help keep you running consistently—the key that unlocks higher mileage. “A B+ average of consistent runs, strength work, and recovery measures stacked over weeks, months, and years will always trump sporadic A+ weeks followed by a total drop-off,” Flippin says.

5. Master the Long Run

For most people, the long run will make up the bulk of your weekly mileage, but it doesn’t just help you clock more time on your feet. It also teaches you mental stamina, how to deal with fatigue, and it can help you get comfortable with being uncomfortable. With years of practice, this is what many pros say pulls them through farther distances.

Even though Lawrence can deal with being uncomfortable for long periods of time, he still turns to mind games to mentally check off miles. For example, he often breaks a race down into small, manageable chunks, often focusing on the next fuel stop (typically about every four miles) as a check point. If he’s struggling to get to the next four-mile marker, he may tell himself he’ll feel better in 10 to 15 minutes and checks in again then. 

In addition to breaking your long run up into segments, Newson also suggests dedicating each mile to someone else, which takes it outside of yourself and gives you another reason to keep going, and says to focus on the mile you’re in, simply putting one foot in front of the other. 

Finally, the long run is the perfect time to practice your fueling and fluid intake, Newson says, considering you need energy to clock longer miles. Aim to take in carbs when going for 90 minutes or longer, and go for about 30 to 60 grams per hour after the first hour. 

6. Schedule a Few Harder Workouts

To build endurance, you want to run long, but you can also add intervals and speed work into your schedule. 

Lawrence gets on the track for VO2 max-specific workouts at least once a week. VO2 max is the amount of oxygen you can take in while running and is a major marker of fitness—the better this metric, the easier running will feel, which will help you go longer with less effort. Focusing on VO2 max intensities on runs means going for about 90 to 100 percent of your max heart rate or about 5K pace, and it could involve intervals like 400-meter repeats. 

You could also focus on lactate threshold training. Your lactate threshold is the point at which your body produces lactate at a rate you can no longer clear, leading to fatigue. To help you prolong that side effect—helping you go faster for longer—practice running at your threshold pace. (Here’s how to calculate your running speed at lactate threshold). 

To do this, Ostaszewski prefers longer interval workouts with work periods ranging from six to 10 minutes near aerobic threshold. But tempo runs at your threshold speed are also smart. 

7. Supplement Your Runs With Mobility and Strength

Before you jump into high mileage, you need a solid warmup. Lawrence has been doing the same activation drills before runs for a long time. He starts with foam rolling most of the lower body, then does a series of exercises, like:

Leg swings

Down dog to lunge rotation

Ankle mobility moves

Banded work, like glute bridges

This go-to routine wakes him up and gets him in run mode, even when he’s not feeling it. 

Cross-training workouts are also key. Valerio mixes strength training, mobility workouts, Pilates, and rowing into her training schedule, which she says helps her avoid overuse injuries. Meanwhile, Flippin points to strength training in particular as crucial to running longer. She suggests starting with one day a week to build consistency, then adding on days from there. 

Lawrence focuses specifically on doing core workouts every day (one of his go-to moves: the ab roll out), along with dedicated gym time for lifting, in which he conquers moves like hex bar deadlifts.

8. Make Recovery a Priority

Many pro runners turn to a solid nutrition practice to jumpstart recovery and fuel future performances. “I ensure I’m always getting in carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of finishing a key workout or long run,” Yingling says.

Finding time for other recovery practices, like mobility work, foam rolling, even meditating, can also support your training and get you prepped for the next round of mileage, Newson says. Full rest days are also important, especially if you’re feeling any aches and pains.

And you can’t forget about sleep for recovery—striving for at least the recommended seven to nine hours—especially for those looking to push their mileage. 

9. Don’t Rely on Motivation Alone

Running your longest distance takes dedication and determination, but don’t expect to feel motivated every day. “People often wait to do things until they are motivated, when instead, they should have been focused on completing their plan or working toward their goal,” says Yanko. “I don’t jump out of bed every morning peppy and excited to run, but I am committed to doing the work and thus, I simply get the work done.”

Yanko also suggests tapping into curiosity to keep you going longer. “That is, instead of being intimidated by a workout or long run, I allow myself the opportunity to be curious about what might happen if I simply begin the session,” she says. “I do not believe that one workout or one long run ‘proves’ anything about my fitness or ability to race, so having curiosity means I can get into a session and allow it to unfold with confidence that if I just continue to show up and do the work, I will build my fitness brick by brick.”

Newson also suggests a running group to keep you accountable and consistent, and to elevate the fun of your workouts. 

“On the mental side, I always try to see the big picture and remember that all the miles I’m running are for fun and for my own personal enjoyment,” Ostaszewski adds. “I’m always aiming to enjoy the process and recognize growth in the journey.”

Training through the seasons: injury prevention tips

The start of a new season marks a shift in the training environment for competitive runners across Canada. Distinct challenges arise as runners shift their focus to new racing distances or terrains. As runners transition from outdoor to indoor running in winter, and switch into cross-country running in the fall, the ligaments and tendons of the lower extremities are put to the test. New running environments place demands on these structures and may leave runners vulnerable to injury.

Clinically, my treatment approach is to support these structures with targeted strength training. Loading the joints of the lower extremity with running-specific single-leg movements can help prepare them for the demands of new surfaces and terrains. Single-leg squats, lunges and calf-based loading strategies can be done with the goal of preventing long-term injuries. Jumping-based exercises on uneven surfaces are another great option, because they mimic the demands that runners may experience during races over grass, hills, and mud.

As the weather gets colder, many athletes across Canada turn to doing at least some of their training indoors. An indoor track presents a unique challenge to the athlete’s body, as everyone runs in a counterclockwise direction only. The repetitive nature of running, combined with consistently turning in one direction, can lead to various loading challenges, which can be amplified on the tighter turns of indoor tracks. Researchers from Western University found that the ankle-stabilizing muscles on the left leg on the inside edge of the turn developed strength changes distinctly different from those on the opposite leg, which they suspect are from athletes constantly turning to the left on an indoor track. 

In our work with runners at the Runner’s Academy in Toronto, we have found that this type of asymmetrical loading pattern can contribute to muscular imbalances and running-related injuries affecting the ankle, knee, hip and pelvis. Clinically, I use hands-on manual therapies with targeted rehabilitation exercises to address areas of muscular compensation and joint overuse. 

If you are training on a running track indoors or outdoors, varying your direction between clockwise and counterclockwise is essential to reduce the amount of rotational force the body is subjected to.

To optimize your faster-paced workouts indoors, I recommend doing your warm-up and cool-down jogs outdoors, away from the indoor track. This allows your body to reset and adapt after the repetitive stresses of indoor running, enhancing overall performance and reducing the risk of injury. This promotes variability and gradually exposes the body to stress on a range of surfaces and conditions. If I am training for an indoor track race or coaching, I practice these training modifications and encourage everyone else to try them.

Dr. Robert Lawand is a chiropractor at The Runner’s Academy in Toronto. He can be found training and racing in events from the 1,500m up to the half-marathon with the Royal City Athletic Club, and coaching high school track and field with the University of Toronto Track and Field Club.

This Truck Driver Started Running the Length of One Song—Now He’s Finished 3 Marathons

“My life is totally different today because I have purpose. I also feel 100 times better health-wise.”

I was an amateur boxer as a teenager. I stopped boxing after age 17, and never took care of myself until I was 36 years old. For 19 years, I ate badly and did not exercise, and started to gain weight rapidly after the age of 30 when I became a truck driver.

Being a trucker, I ate a lot of truck stop food and fast food and didn’t move much. My life was simple: work, eat, come home to my family, and do it all over again. My struggle was always my diet. I had a food addiction. 

I didn’t have any major health problems other than high blood pressure, but I knew I had to make a change as it was only a matter of time before I’d be on medications, and other health issues would catch up to me because of my unhealthy lifestyle. 

It started as a New Year’s resolution on January 1, 2022. I was 36 years old and my clothes no longer fit me. I also realized that I couldn’t keep up with my 8-year-old daughter or do anything outside with the family because I was out of shape and tired all the time. 

I thought to myself, ‘What kind of example am I showing my daughter?’ So I made a promise to myself and family that in 2022, I was going to take care of myself and set goals. I set a very challenging goal to lose 50 pounds in three months. 

I started out by walking in January 2022, and lost 25 pounds in that month alone. In February, I started to implement running with my walks at the local parks in San Antonio, Texas. By March, I joined a gym. 

I began walking and running on the treadmill—it was so hard for me to run at first because my legs and calves cramped up often. I couldn’t even run for 30 seconds in January, so in March, my challenge was to try to run the length of the song the gym had playing on the intercom. In April, I completed my first nonstop mile of running—I was so excited to achieve that.

After April, I ran about two miles a day on the treadmill after lifting weights, and met my goal of losing 50 pounds in three months. 

My main focus during this time was weight lifting, but one day in late August, I challenged myself after my workout to see if I could run three miles nonstop on the treadmill. To my surprise, I did it. After that, I started to go back to the parks and run. 

A buddy at the gym told me about a local 5K in San Antonio. I ran it and fell in love with the race environment. It was there I heard runners talking about the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. 

It was 11 weeks away, and I told them I would love to run the full marathon. They all chuckled a bit and looked at me like I was crazy. How would a person like me who barely started running have time to prepare for a full marathon in just 11 weeks? Well, I started training for it by following runners on TikTok and finding out what training schedule they followed. 

One month later in October, I was running 15 miles nonstop. In December, I completed the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in a time of 5 hours and 9 minutes. The feeling of accomplishment was beyond amazing. 

After the marathon, I made up my mind: Running was something I would continue. Six months later, in May 2023, I ran the Shiprock Marathon in New Mexico in 4 hours 57 minutes. It was quite an honor to run with the Navajo people at the Navajo reservation. I then ran the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon again this past December 2023, and my time was 40 minutes faster than the year prior. The next marathon on my list is the Utah Valley Marathon in June 2024.

Today, I run four to five times a week with Saturdays being my long run. My goal is to keep running marathons and to get faster. My ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. It sounds far-fetched because I’m currently running 4:30 marathon times, but running this distance seemed impossible two years ago. 

I work 50 hours a week for a local construction company. While I have the luxury of coming home every night, the days are long. To maintain my healthy lifestyle I pack a lunch everyday—I’m fortunate that my wife prepares these lunches for me. If I didn’t pack my lunch, I’d be eating truck stop food. After work, I go to the gym for strength training, and or run around the local parks. I usually don’t get home until 8:30 at night. 

My life is totally different today because I have purpose. I also feel 100 times better health-wise. 

These three tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Stay consistent

Stay consistent with running, your workout routine, and diet. Consistency is key. Just start and never give up. It’s going to be difficult, but stick with it and results and progress will come. It’s you versus you. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. It’s your battle.

2. Eat healthy

Diet plays a huge factor on how you fuel for your runs and the right nutrition helps you perform better. I’ve noticed on days I eat bad it really affects my runs. Before this journey, my diet was horrible. All I drank was soda and ate fast food. I’m Hispanic and I love Mexican food, but it isn’t the healthiest. Now I only drink water and black coffee. I stay away from fried food, processed foods, sugar, and flour. I love pasta and chicken Alfredo the day before my long runs. I eat lean meat, chicken breast, lean ground turkey, salmon, and sweet potatoes, along with a lot of fruit and vegetables.

3. Stay confident

You have to believe in yourself. You have to have faith in yourself and the process. Faith over fear. I learned you can do more than you can imagine. The mentality I have now compared to two years ago is night and day. 

Adam’s Must-Have Gear 

→ Nike Vaporfly Shoes: Of all the shoes I’ve tried, Nike Vaporfly are my go-to race-day shoes. They feel the best and I’ve had my PR with these shoes.

→ GU Running Gels: These work the best for me for fueling on long runs and don’t upset my stomach and give me a great boost.

→ Night Buddy Headlamp: For my early morning or night runs, this headlamp keeps me safe and well lit. It’s a super light headlamp and very bright.

Can Strength Training Protect You from Running Injuries?

The logic is good and the anecdotes are common, but the evidence is shakier than expected, researchers find

The best way to prevent running injuries isn’t to waste your time stretching or searching for the perfect shoe; it’s to get strong. That’s where the zeitgeist has been headed over the past decade or so, as old ideas about injury prevention have produced disappointing results in studies. The rationale for strength training, by contrast, is seemingly unassailable: injuries occur when more stress is applied to a tissue than it can absorb, so strengthening the tissue should ward off injuries.

But that claim, too, should be treated with caution, according to a new systematic review of exercise-based prevention programs for running injuries. In Sports Medicine, a research team led by Richard Blagrove of Loughborough University in Britain sums up the available evidence. Blagrove, for the record, is the author of Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Running and has worked with plenty of elite runners on their strength routines, so it’s not like he’s an anti-strength-training zealot. I’ve written before about some of his previous research on strength training and running economy. But the overall picture on injury prevention is underwhelming—although, as Blagrove and his colleagues point out, there are reasons for optimism and some intriguing avenues for future research.

As with all systematic reviews, the first challenge is finding studies that meet your criteria. In this case, one of the key hurdles was ensuring that the subjects in the study were, by some reasonable definition, runners. Previous reviews of the topic have included military studies where running only made up a small fraction of overall training, and injuries sustained during other training activities were counted as “running injuries.” For the new review, they insisted that running had to be the subjects’ main training activity, comprising at least half their training time.

They were able to include nine articles with a total of 1,904 subjects—which, for a tricky topic like running injuries, isn’t a lot. The exercise interventions were all over the map: strength exercises like lunges and squats, plyometric hops and jumps, core routines, foot strengthening, and so on. Overall, perhaps not surprisingly given the wide variety of regimens, there was no significant benefit for the exercise groups compared to the control groups in injury risk (what proportion of subjects got injured during the studies) or injury rate (how many injuries they suffered for a given amount of running).

That, for now, is the state of the evidence. As always, we’re left hungry for more. What are the injury benefits of a straightforward strength-training routine? Given that this is among the most common forms of supplementary exercise among runners, you’d think we would know if it helps, but there’s almost no evidence either way. That’s important, Blagrove and co. point out, because there is robust evidence that this approach works in other sports like soccer. That doesn’t mean it will work in running, since the injury mechanisms are different, but it does suggest that it’s worth finding out.

One intriguing pattern in the data is that the three studies that produced the lowest injury risk also happened to be the three studies where the exercise routine was supervised rather than just assigned to be performed at home. Previous research has tended to find that people get bigger gains when they have a spotter or a personal trainer looking on. That could be because they dig a little deeper; or in this case, it could be that this is the only way to ensure people do the exercises at all. Sports medicine doctors and physical therapists often laugh about the patients who come for a follow-up visit claiming that they’ve been doing their assigned exercises religiously… but when they’re asked to demonstrate them, search for the piece of paper where the exercises are described. Exercises can only work if you actually do them, needless to say.

It’s also worth noting that Blagrove and his colleagues were particularly intrigued by a 2020 study from the American Journal of Sports Medicine that used foot and ankle strengthening, including exercises like the “foot doming,” based on the concept of a “foot core” providing stability to the rest of the body. In that study of 118 runners in Brazil, the control group was 2.4 times more likely to develop an injury during the one-year follow-up period. The survival graph from that study, showing the cumulative injuries for the control group (solid line) and foot-strengthening group (dashed line), is certainly compelling:

But the whole point of a meta-analysis is to pool more than one study, to increase sample size and reduce the risk of fluke results—and of investigator error or bias. One of the minor details in the meta-analysis: there were actually two other studies that met the inclusion criteria, both by the same research team. But when Blagrove’s team dug into the studies, they found identical baseline data—the same age, height, body mass, BMI, running experience, and biomechanical parameters—and identical injury occurrences… even though the studies had different sample sizes, durations, and exercises. The authors didn’t respond to questions about their data, so Blagrove’s meta-analysis excluded them.

The bottom line? We can’t say for sure, at this point, whether strength training or other forms of exercise lower your risk of getting injured while running. The logic is sound, and the circumstantial evidence from other sports is suggestive. Maybe more importantly, there’s also solid evidence that various forms of strength training improve running economy and boost your long-term health. It would be nice to get some injury prevention as a bonus, but the package is already pretty enticing.

How Little Strength Training Can You Get Away With?

To be a maximalist, you must first be a minimalist. That's an aphorism I first heard from Michael Joyner, the Mayo Clinic physiologist and human performance expert, and it resonates. To truly reach your potential in one or a few areas, you have to be disciplined about all the other ways in which you could fritter away your valuable time and energy. Excellence requires tough choices.

All this is to say that when it comes to strength training, I'm not ashamed to admit that my number one question is "How little can I get away with?" I'm fully convinced that strength training has important benefits for health and performance, and I recognize that lifting heavy things can be a source of meaning and self-mastery. But I've got miles to run before I sleep and, metaphorically, a bunch of errands to run before my kids get home, so a recent review in Sports Medicine caught my eye. An international group of researchers, led by David Behm of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Andreas Konrad of Graz University in Austria, sum up the existing research on minimalist resistance training: how low can you go and still get meaningful gains in strength and fitness?

For starters, let's acknowledge that making meaningful gains is not the same as optimizing or maximizing your gains. There's a general pattern in the dose-response functions of various types of exercise: doing a little bit gives you the biggest bang for your buck, but adding more training leads to steadily diminishing returns (and eventually, for reasons that aren't as obvious as you might think, a plateau). Those diminishing returns are worth chasing if you're trying to maximize your performance. But if your goal is health, more is not necessarily better, as we'll see below.

In a perfect world, you'd like to see a systematic meta-analysis of all the literature on minimalist strength training, meaning that you'd pool the results of all the different studies into one big dataset and extract the magic training formula. Unfortunately, the resistance training literature is all over the map: different types of strength training, study subjects with different characteristics and levels of experience, different ways of measuring the outcome. That makes it impossible to meaningfully combine them in one dataset. Instead, Behm and Kramer settled for a narrative review, which basically means reading everything you can find and trying to sum it up.

Their key conclusion is that "resistance training-hesitant individuals" can get significant gains from one workout a week consisting of just one set of 6 to 15 reps, with a weight somewhere between 30 and 80 percent of one-rep max, preferably with multi-joint movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench press. That's strikingly similar to a minimalist program I wrote about a couple of years ago: that one involved a single weekly set of 4 to 6 reps, but the lifting motions were ultra-slow, which heightens the stimulus. You don't even necessarily have to lift to failure, though you probably need to get within a couple of reps of it.

The data that Behm and Kramer looked at came from studies that typically lasted 8 to 12 weeks. One of the unanswered questions is whether such a minimalist program would keep producing gains on a longer timeframe. You'd clearly need to continue increasing the weight you lift to ensure that you're still pushing your body to adapt. But do you reach a point where further progress requires you to increase the number of sets, or the number of workouts per week? Maybe-but it's worth recalling that we're not trying to maximize gains here, we're just trying to achieve some hazily defined minimum stimulus. For those purposes, the evidence suggests running through a rigorous full-body workout once a week is enough to maintain a minimum level of muscular fitness.

There's another, less obvious angle to minimalist strength training that researchers continue to grapple with. Duck-Chul Lee of Iowa State and I-Min Lee of Harvard, both prominent epidemiologists, published a recent review in Current Cardiology Reports called "Optimum Dose of Resistance Exercise for Cardiovascular Health and Longevity: Is More Better?"

The question echoes a debate that flared up a decade or so ago about whether too much running is bad for you, in which Duck-Chul Lee played a key role. Back in 2018, he also published a study of 12,500 patients from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas which found that those who did resistance training were healthier-but that the benefits maxed out at two workouts a week, and were reversed beyond about four workouts a week. At the time, I assumed the result was a fluke. But the new article collects a larger body of evidence to bolster the case. The newer data suggests that about an hour of strength training a week maximizes the benefits, and beyond two hours a week reverses them. Lee and Lee hypothesize that too much strength training might lead to stiffer arteries, or perhaps to chronic inflammation.

Now, when Duck-Chul Lee and others produced data suggesting that running more than 20 miles a week is bad for your health, I was brimming with skepticism and went over the data with a fine-tooth comb. I'm similarly cautious about these new results, and have trouble believing that there's anything unhealthy about doing three weekly strength workouts. But they do put the idea of minimalist strength training in a different light. Maybe you're not maximizing strength or muscle gains, but it's possible that you're optimizing long-term health-especially if the reason you only hit the gym once or twice a week is that you're too busy hitting the trails.

This ultrarunning champ’s 5K workout will make you faster

No matter what distance you're training for, you'll boost speed and running economy with this fun, fast session.

Whether you are training for a 10K PB this season or hoping to run your first ultra, you’ll benefit from adding a speedwork session (like this one) to your training toolbox. Utah-based running coach, personal trainer and ultrarunning champ Rhandi Orme has a workout that she likes to prescribe to her athletes, as well as using herself (and she suggests modifications for all levels of runners).

“This is a workout that long-distance athletes can benefit from,” she told Canadian Running. “Having top-end speed on the shorter distances improves runners’ VO2 max and running economy, which helps us run faster and stronger at longer distances, too. 

The workout

Warm up with 15-20 minutes of easy running, followed by dynamic drills or stretches.

Run 5 x 2 minutes at 5K goal pace, with two minutes of recovery jogging between intervals.

Run 4 x 2 minutes at 5K goal pace with a minute’s recovery jog between intervals.

Finish your speedwork with a fast mile, to see what you can do on tired legs (all effort-based for this final interval). “Don’t look at your watch. Pretend you are running the last mile of your next 5K race,” says Orme.

Cool down with 10-20 minutes of easy running.

*Bonus: any time after this hard effort (but on the same day) is ideal for your leg-strength training session.

Modifications

Shorten or extend intervals based on your current level of fitness. Orme suggests that beginners start with 4 x 30 seconds (at goal pace) and then 2 x 60 seconds. “You can also increase the recovery time between intervals,” says Orme. For newer runners, reducing the “fast-finish” mile to a “fast-finish” half-mile is a great option, and Orme suggests playing with the recovery time and the number of intervals based on your current fitness.

“Once the workout begins to get more comfortable, you can increase the intervals and reduce the recovery, working your way up to the full workout,” says Orme. “I would recommend doing this workout every other week, until you see a noticeable improvement.” For experienced runners hoping to add more volume, she suggests extending the warmup and cooldown.

Remember to follow a harder training day like this one with a rest day or easy-run day.

Run Before or After Workout to Maximize Gains

Strength training is an essential component of a well-rounded running training program, but for busy runners, it can be tricky to fit it into your program without jeopardizing your running workouts. Emma Vaillancourt, a registered physiotherapist and running coach in Thunder Bay, Ont., explains how to effectively incorporate strength training into your running routine to maximize gains and minimize burnout.

Should you strength train before or after running?

Vaillancourt explains that the order of strength training and running depends on your goals and where you’re at in your racing season. During the off-season, when running is less of a priority, you may choose to strength train first. In contrast, during the in-season, when your focus is on building running volume or intensity, running should usually come first.

If you plan to do strength training on days when you have intervals or speedwork, it’s generally better to do strength work after your run. This helps avoid fatigue and a possible negative impact on your workout. Vaillancourt also notes that running immediately before lifting can moderately impair lower-body strength gains. “If your goal is to improve strength, lift before the run,” she says. “If you aim to enhance endurance adaptations like aerobic capacity, the order doesn’t matter as much.”

Is it better to leave space sessions or can you do them back-to-back?

“It is recommended to allow at least three hours after high-intensity running before engaging in strength training,” says Vaillancourt. “During this recovery window, it’s important to refuel with a high-carb and protein meal to replenish your energy stores.”

Vaillancourt recommends at least 24 hours’ recovery after strength training before engaging in high-intensity running, but if you’re pairing strength training with easy runs, you can reduce the time between them.

Of course, most of us can’t plan our day around our strength training and running plans, so if scheduling becomes an issue, doing one activity right after the other is still beneficial. “Something is often better than nothing!” says Vaillancourt.  

Alternatively, she suggests splitting your strength training into smaller blocks, focusing on shorter, more frequent sessions throughout your week. This approach causes less fatigue and can be more manageable for some runners. “The idea here would be to do 10 to 20 minutes of strength work (maybe two or three exercises) but more frequently in your week, compared to the traditional 30 to 60 minutes done two or three times per week,” she says.

How often should runners strength train?

The frequency of strength training depends on several factors, including your experience level, the point in the season, and the time you can commit to training in a week.

In the off-season and early season, Vaillancourt recommends strength training two to three times a week, focusing on higher volumes of training. “If you’re training for a single race, such as a half-marathon or marathon, you will likely want to drop down to one to two times per week as your mileage peaks,” she says. “As you get closer to your race and are entering your taper, you can drop to once a week for maintenance.”

Running before or after workouts has a drastic effect on training effectiveness. Running before a strength workout can compromise strength training gains or cause injury. On the other hand, doing a strength workout before running could cause running form to deteriorate, which can also lead to injury or compromise strength training gains.

Athletes only have so much time. Sometimes that means doing cardio workouts (like running) and strength workouts (like lifting weights or bodyweight workouts) on the same day. Find out if it’s better to run before or after workouts and how to maximize same-day training benefits.

The Interference Effect

Running Before or After Workouts Depends on Workout Goals

Run Before or After Workout as a Strength-Focused Athlete

Running Before or After Workout as a Runner

Running Before or After a Workout if the goal is to Lose Weight

Running Before or After a Workout if the Goal is to Improve Overall Fitness

THE INTERFERENCE EFFECT

The interference effect is a physiological phenomenon that states that cardio or endurance exercise (like running and cycling) interferes with the cellular adaptions elicited via strength training (namely, muscle size and overall strength). However, it also states that strength training does not appear to necessarily adversely affect endurance adaptations.

The keyword here is: necessarily. More on that later on.

RUNNING BEFORE OR AFTER WORKOUTS DEPENDS ON WORKOUT GOALS

Athletes engaging in concurrent strength training and running need to prioritize goals. This should happen on an individual workout basis as well as overall athletic goals. For example, someone looking to build muscle mass and overall strength must concede that cardio training will–to some extent–inhibit strength gains. On the other hand, a runner is unlikely to be a very successful bodybuilder.

Athletes considering strength training and cardio training need to decide which is more important for their athletic development: muscle mass or endurance. This is not to say that strength-based athletes should stop all cardio. Likewise, endurance athletes like runners should do some strength training.

The careful blending of strength and endurance training is what is known as concurrent training. Strength training–such as with weights or bodyweight–is an important component of endurance performance. Sports like running and cycling do not stress all the necessary muscles in the body. For example, simply running or cycling can leave one with hip, lower back pain and upper body issues due to underdeveloped muscles. 

In short, most athletes should do a bit of strength training and a bit of cardio. The ideal blend of each will depend on the athlete’s goals: muscle mass or endurance.

RUN BEFORE OR AFTER WORKOUT AS A STRENGTH-FOCUSED ATHLETE

Athletes whose primary goal is to build muscle and overall strength should try to avoid doing cardio and strength training on the same day. If this cannot be avoided, strength-focused athletes should do their cardio workouts after strength training. This will help minimize the interference effect (i.e., the body will prioritize strength adaptations over endurance adaptations).

How long should cardio workouts take place after strength workouts? The longer the better. At least six to nine hours is ideal. Spacing strength and cardio workouts as far apart as possible will help maximize strength adaptations. Again, if pure strength is the primary goal, strongly consider doing cardio and strength workouts on entirely different days. Don’t do a hard strength workout and a hard (e.g., HIIT) running workout on the same day. 

ALTERNATING LOWER-BODY AND UPPER-BODY SAME DAY WORKOUTS

Cardio exercises like running and cycling are lower-body dominant. Performing upper-body workouts on the same day as running will have no meaningful effect on the strength workout. However, performing lower-body strength workouts shortly after a running workout will likely lead to diminished strength gains.

It follows that doing lower-body strength workouts should then only take place on non-running days.

Alternating workouts with upper-body strength days during running days and lower-body strength workouts on non-running days will help minimize or even eliminate the interference effect. The only caveat to this is if the athlete can handle the higher training load. This means having an optimized nutrition plan (here’s the 9 best foods for runners and the 9 best foods to build muscle), resting and being sensitive to their body’s injury or overtraining signals. 

RUNNING BEFORE OR AFTER WORKOUT AS A RUNNER

Strength training could be a key component to unlocking running performance. It may be the only way advanced runners can even achieve further progress. Beginner runners benefit from strength training by working muscles that help promote running economy and efficiency, which will ward off injury and promote total body fitness. 

If running (or any endurance activity, such as cycling) is a primary goal, do cardio after strength training. However, if the cardio session will be shorter and low intensity (like a simple endurance run of 30-90 minutes), doing high-repetition, low-weight or bodyweight strength training  AFTER running can help build muscular endurance and improve running stamina.

Muscular endurance is different than absolute strength. Whereas pure strength is about how much force one can produce quickly (e.g., during a squat), muscular endurance is about training muscles to resist fatigue over long periods of time. One can easily see how muscular endurance is beneficial to runners: running longer distances like half-marathons, marathons and even ultramarathons. Muscular endurance will allow runners to retain their running form longer, which means not only maintaining running economy for longer but also decreasing the risk of running-related injuries.

Sound worth it? Here’s how to do it:

Do an easy run. Try to avoid running hills. Don’t do intervals. Just do a basic endurance-paced run anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes. It should feel almost boring.

After the run and while the body is still warmed up, do a strength training session that focuses on high repetitions and low (if any) weight. Repetition ranges should be 20 to 30 per set. Cool down with light jogging.

Combining running and strength training back to back is a serious session. Make sure to fuel properly before, during and after (like with a hot cocoa recovery drink). Don’t finish the workout starving. The recovery demands from this type of training are huge–but so are the benefits. Don’t do these big sessions every day–twice a week is plenty and should likely be followed by a full recovery day or an easy run (for advanced athletes).

RUNNING BEFORE OR AFTER A WORKOUT IF THE GOAL IS TO LOSE WEIGHT

It is often recommended to do strength training before running to empty carbohydrate stores. The idea is to force the body to get its energy primarily from fat rather than carbs during the run. However, the problem with this strategy is that it is very difficult to finish a long-distance run on empty carbohydrate stores. While it is true that a much higher percentage of fat is burned for energy, the calorie burn, on the other hand, is relatively low because of the low intensity or low duration of the workout. 

On top of that, perceived exertion of the workout will be much greater when continuing to workout with depleted glycogen stores. This can cause athletes to prematurely quit the workout; therefore, reducing maximal calorie expenditure. Additionally, athletes who choose to work out this way will finish workouts extremely hungry. This can lead athletes to massively overeat after a very tough workout, which will likely result in weight gain and developing unhealthy nutrition habits.

If weight loss is a goal, a negative energy balance is key: If one burns more calories than they consume, they will lose weight. In the end, what matters is how many calories are burned in total through the workout. Spread your workouts out over several days. That way one can train at a high intensity and burn a lot of calories, and at the same time give the body the time it needs to recover properly before the next workout.

RUNNING BEFORE OR AFTER A WORKOUT IF THE GOAL IS TO IMPROVE OVERALL FITNESS

In this case, basically do cardio and strength training in whichever order. Still define a specific training goal for each session. Just be careful about doing too much and getting injured. Start slow, add a little bit of training each week, take a day off if aches and pains start to creep up. Once the gains stop coming, consider reexamining training structure to focus on more specific goals. Try this workout after a run for a great cardio and strength session.

This workout focuses on neglected leg muscles and glute strength (i.e., a firmer butt). It’ll also help improve posture. Learn and do the following movements: Curtsy lunge, kneel & stand, side lunges, single-leg deadlift and wall sits.

In general, avoid doing two workouts back-to-back. Spacing running and strength workouts far apart will allow the body sufficient time to adapt and recover before the next session. If running before or after a workout is the only option, follow the training schedule recommendations above to elicit maximal adaptations. If all of that is too complicated and the goal is to just get fit, do whatever is most convenient.

How to Make Your Easy Runs Faster, While Still Keeping Them Easy

Steal these tips for getting faster on your zone 2 runs—while still keeping them easy.  

Good news: We’re giving you permission to take it easy. Whether you’re gearing up for a race or running regularly to stay in shape, you should be doing the vast majority of your weekly mileage at a totally comfortable effort. 

“An easy run should be at a casual pace that feels easily sustainable and not taxing—when you’re done, it should feel like you could keep going and going,” says Meg Takacs, NASM-CPT, a run coach and founder of the Movement & Miles app.

Although the whole focus of this type of run is to go easy and not stress about your pace, when you’re able to run faster (while still feeling relaxed), you’ll tick off more miles in less time—and be able to get on with the rest of your day sooner. 

Keep reading for more about how to dial into the right effort for easy runs and what workouts to add to your routine to make those outings a little speedier.

The Benefits of Easy Run Pace

The name is pretty self-explanatory: An easy run is any workout that’s not a long training run or speed work, and it should be done at a relaxed effort. The purpose, explains Takacs, is to build up your aerobic system, which uses oxygen as its primary source of energy. “When your aerobic system is strong, you can optimize your performance on anaerobic runs—a.k.a., speed days—as well,” she says. 

There are a lot of adaptations happening in your body during these slower efforts. “Easy runs are extremely beneficial from a physiological standpoint: They increase capillaries, which supply blood to the muscles; increase mitochondria, which converts fat and carbs into fuel; and improve aerobic capacity, the amount of oxygen your body can use while running,” says Takacs. 

They also help your body bounce back from harder efforts—like long runs or sprint repeats, for example—and help combat injuries. “Easy runs, especially for people who run endurance races, are a form of active recovery,” says Gabe Gonzales, head coach and master trainer with STRIDE Fitness in Lubbock, Texas. “Moving your body at a slower pace and keeping your heart rate down flushes lactic acid buildup, avoids putting excess strain on your muscles and joints, and helps your body get stronger and ready to go again.”

How to Find the Right Easy Run Pace

To find your groove on an easy run, use the talk test, says Gonzales: “You should be able to easily hold a conversation with someone throughout the entire run,” he says. “If your heart rate starts to go up and you start having a harder time breathing or talking, you need to dial it back.” 

You can also gauge if your pace is relaxed enough by aiming for a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of no more than 5 or 6. Or if you’re into tracking your heart rate, go for zone 2, or 60 to 70 percent of your max, advises Takacs. 

Whatever you do, resist the urge to kick it up a notch—even if you’re listening to music that makes you feel good and makes a moderate effort feel easier than usual. If you do so, “your recovery is harder, it’s more taxing on the body, and you’re more susceptible to overuse injuries,” says Takacs. Plus, she adds, you’ll miss out on those physiological benefits, “which are key to building a solid foundation for being able to run faster and farther.” 

How to Make Your Easy Runs Faster

Okay, yes, wanting to do an easy run faster is a bit counterintuitive. You’re not supposed to care how fast you’re going, after all. But while you shouldn’t actively try to push your pace during easy outings, the volume and intensity of your weekly runs can help you gradually get faster without pushing the effort level up (which would, in turn, nix some of the easy-run benefits).

Gradually Build Mileage

In terms of total weekly mileage, there’s not a magic number that will help your easy run pace improve, says Takacs, as it depends on your fitness level and heart rate. She recommends gradually building up your mileage, always keeping around 80 percent of your runs throughout the week at an easy effort. 

Mix Intervals Into Other Days

Once a week, mix in some faster intervals with a fartlek run (a type of unstructured speed work where you play around with your speed throughout), suggests Gonzales. “Adding very short bursts of intensity into a run at an overall slow, easy pace helps your body adapt to those quicker paces at the same time you’re building endurance,” he says. 

Adding some workouts incorporating hill repeats can also help, he says, because they strengthen the lower body and will help increase your power output overall—making an easy effort eventually feel even easier.

Build Strength

Along with speed work, make sure you’re getting in some resistance sessions, too. “Strength training is a very important factor in building endurance and durability of your muscles, and it improves your power output,” says Gonzales. 

It may also help make you faster by making you a more efficient runner; exercises such as leg presses and plyometric jumps lead to significant improvements in running economy, according to a 2022 review published in the journal Sports. Plus, says Takacs, resistance training improves joint strength, which can increase your speed by improving your mechanics. 

For the biggest benefit, Gonzales recommends lower body moves that work your glutes and hamstrings—like squats and deadlifts; core moves like Russian twists or mountain climbers; and moves that strengthen your shoulders, like overhead presses, lateral raises, and dumbbell flys—to add power to your arm swing. For each of these moves, he suggests doing two to three sets of eight to 10 reps at least twice a week.

Give Yourself Time

Becoming a faster runner during easy session is a long game. Even if clocking a faster easy run pace is one of your goals, prioritizing the time on your feet and a relaxed effort—rather than pushing into a moderate effort on easy runs—will be the most beneficial in the long term, notes Takacs. “The longer you can sustain an easy effort, the easier it is to gradually increase your pace while maintaining that easy, zone 2 heart rate,” she says

Bored, Injured, or Experiencing a Plateau? Here’s How to Shake Up Your Running

Plus, coach-approved ways to shake up your training. We’re all for having a set run schedule, considering the ease it can bring to your life. You don’t have to formulate workouts on the fly or do any guesswork over how to reach your goals—simply lace up and follow the plan.

But sometimes, too much structure can backfire, causing you to fall into a rut. And that can zap the joy out of running, transforming the activity you once loved into nothing but negativity.

Fortunately, there are simple things you can do to bust out of a rut and get back into a happy running groove. First though, you have to identify that you’re in one. 

With that in mind, we tapped two coaches to learn the signs of when you might want to switch up your run routine, and what those signs might indicate. Plus, exactly how to inject excitement back into your runs. Let this be the permission you need to try something new. 

1. You Dread Working Out

It’s normal to feel less-than-chipper about an occasional workout, but if you find yourself outright dreading your runs more often than not, “it’s time to reassess,” Kaila DeRienzo, a South Carolina-based certified personal trainer and certified run coach tells Runner’s World. 

The potential cause: A few things could lead to dreading workouts. One possible culprit: Your workouts are too challenging because you’ve set a goal that’s unrealistic for your current fitness level, Kai Ng, USATF- and RRCA-certified run coach in New Jersey and New York, tells Runner’s World. Runs and workouts that are too hard cause you to overtrain and ultimately loathe your workouts because all you’re really doing is just beating up your body. 

Another potential cause: Other stressful factors in your life, such as a tough work schedule, or demanding caregiver responsibilities, or parenting duties, all of which can make it tough to devote as much time to running as your current training plan dictates, Ng says. 

The fix: First, have an honest conversation with yourself to understand why you’re feeling amiss, DeRienzo suggests. By identifying the root cause of your malaise, you can take targeted steps to address it, she explains. 

For example, if your dread is tied to a too-lofty goal, such as trying to run four days a week instead of aiming for a more manageable two days or aiming for a PR in a marathon instead of a half or 10K, then let yourself off the hook by lowering the bar. Though it’s great to dream big, it’s also important to be realistic. “Smaller wins are so, so important,” Ng says, as they help build confidence. 

If you pinpoint other factors in your life that are making it tough to stick with your current plan, be honest about what you’re actually able to commit to right now and adjust your routine accordingly, Ng suggests. Maybe this isn’t the season to log 50 miles a week, or finally run a marathon. That’s okay. Not every training cycle needs to end with a PR. 

Lastly, if you realize the sense of dread extends beyond running and into other areas of your life, you may be struggling with a mental health issue, such as depression. In this case, talk to a trained professional, DeRienzo says. 

2. You’re Really Bored

People get into running for various reasons, but one common thread that inspires folks to stick with it is that it engages and challenges them. If you find that your sense of joy about running has evaporated—for example, workouts or races that once felt exciting are now ho-hum—that’s worth looking into. 

The potential cause: You may not be challenged enough, Ng says. While all runners should regularly pencil in easy runs, only doing workouts that feel like a walk in the park can lead to boredom. 

Alternatively, you may not be injecting enough variety into your routine. Perhaps you run the same route every. single. day. Or you carbon copy your workouts week after week. That level of monotony can also lead to boredom. 

The fix: First, evaluate your fitness to get a solid sense of your current abilities in order to help figure out how to best challenge yourself. 

“Whether it is a fitness test, a time trial, a race, get out there and see where you’re at and how you stack up,” Ng says. From there, level up your plan as needed. You might want to talk to a coach for some helpful guidance. 

On the other hand, if you suspect your boredom is due to monotony, shake things up by exploring new running routes (Strava can be a great tool for this), joining a local run club (Ng suggests trying out a different one each week), or experimenting with different types of workouts. This could look like venturing out on trails if you’re typically a road runner or challenging yourself to run hills if you normally go flat. 

Dabbling in forms of exercise outside of running, such as swimming, cycling, dance, and Pilates—really whatever tickles your fancy—can also help add variety and excitement to your schedule. 

Finally, you can also reignite your spark with running by treating yourself to something novel, like a fresh pair of shoes, a snazzy new training outfit, or a fancy fitness tracker. “Getting something new always shakes things up,” says Ng. 

3. You’re Dealing with Injuries

According to 2021 study published in the Journal of Health and Sport Science, 50 percent of runners experience some type of injury every year that prevents them from running for a period of time, and 25 percent of runners are injured at any given time. These injuries can range from shin splints to ankle and knee problems. 

In other words: Almost every runner deals with injury at some point, but if ailments continuously crop up, that’s a surefire red flag your plan needs adjusting. 

The potential cause: Chances are, you’re overtraining by either running too many miles, logging too many high-intensity runs, or not allowing your body enough recovery time in between sessions, Ng says. 

The fix: It’s common sense, but it bears repeating: Don’t train through injury. Instead, scale back your running to allow your body time to heal. Seek help as needed from a physical therapist or coach to fully mend the issue and get their guidance on how to avoid future injuries. 

Keep in mind that factors like poor sleep and inadequate nutrition can increase your odds of injury, so take an honest look at your overall lifestyle and make adjustments as needed. 

4. Your Progress Has Stalled

If, despite consistent efforts, your performance in workouts and races has stagnated, then it’s high time to re-evaluate your current plan. 

The potential cause: You may be overtraining or struggling with a nutrition issue, says Ng, both of which can sabotage performance because your body isn’t getting the recovery it needs. Or, quite possibly, you don’t have enough variety in your routine, DeRienzo says. 

Over time, your body adapts to the work you demand, and if you don’t routinely challenge your body in novel ways, eventually you’ll stop seeing progress. 

As the American Council on Exercise explains: “Doing the same exercise repeatedly could lead to a plateau where no more physiological changes occur.” 

The fix: If you suspect you’re plateauing due to overtraining or nutrition problems, dial back your mileage and/or workout intensity and focus on eating frequent, well-balanced meals.

Also, inject other types of exercise into your schedule. “Move in different ways,” says Ng, explaining that most any type of cross-training movement—from strength training to skiing to swimming to yoga—is beneficial for runners. Because running is such a linear sport (you move in just one direction: forward), taking the time to build your strength and athleticism in other ways can ultimately make you a stronger, more resilient runner. 

Now, if you realize your stagnation is due to an unchanging run routine, spice things up however you can: Add speed work, hit the hills, challenge yourself to run longer, or try new interval workouts. “Having something new and exciting to look forward to each day of the week is going to keep it mentally stimulating and also keep your body stimulated, too,” DeRienzo explains. 

5. You Don’t Feel Confident in Your Workouts

If you don’t have a training plan, have low confidence in your program, or are unsure if the schedule you’re following is inching your toward your goals, it’s time to rethink your approach. 

The potential cause: Choosing the right training plan for you and your goals can help you feel accomplished by checking off workouts one by one. Plus, it will give more structure to your training so you get the right mix of intensities within your workouts and the right amount of rest—rather than simply winging it. If you have a plan, but it’s too generalized and not personalized to you, says DeRienzo, it may also leave you feeling less than confident in your training. “What somebody else does is not going to be the most beneficial” for your situation, she explains. 

The fix: Find the right training plan for you by determining your fitness level and your goals. (You can also use our quiz to point you in the right direction.)

If you're serious about becoming a better runner, you might also consider hiring a coach—even for just a few months—to get personalized guidance and a curated-for-you plan.

“There’s a myth that run coaching is super expensive,” says Derienzo. Truth is, “it’s a lot more affordable than personal training,” she says, noting that in her experiences, it’s realistic to find support for less than $100 per month. Search platforms like CoachUp, Training Peaks, and RunDoyen to connect with a pro. 

6. You’re Missing Workouts

While skipping a run here and there is NBD, if you’re consistently bailing on workouts, then your run plan clearly isn’t working for you. 

The potential cause: Life is probably too busy right now to sustain the level of running your plan requires, says Ng. Or, you may just need more rest. Either way, your current approach just isn’t appropriate for your schedule or fitness level. 

The fix: Take a close look at your schedule and map out which days make the most sense to do which workouts, says Ng. For example, instead of attempting long runs on Sundays like everyone, you might realize Wednesdays are more ideal since you don’t have any work meetings then. Or, perhaps Friday becomes your new strength training day instead of Tuesday, since the gym is less crowded then, making it easier to get in and out. 

Taking the time to rejigger your plan so that it actually makes sense with your schedule will increase your likelihood of sticking to it—and ultimately, seeing results. 

Of course, if you’re missing workouts because you really feel like you need it (or you’re injured), then it’s best to scrap your plan entirely and allow yourself the downtime you need to heal. 

Finally, if it’s your mental motivation that’s making you miss most of your planned runs, it’s probably time to take a break. “Get a breather and gather yourself,” says Ng. By putting distance between yourself and the sport, you can get a clearer picture of what you ultimately want to get out of running. 

Tips to take your running from zero to marathon

Is your goal of completing a marathon daunting because you’ve never run before? Maybe running a marathon is on the bucket list, you're looking to challenge yourself physically, lose weight, or raise awareness for a charity important to you. Whatever your motivation, the first step is finding that ‘why’ and reminding yourself of it along the way.

Beyond having a reason to keep you going, know the techniques for how to start running and hit the distance in the half-marathon or full marathon with our tips below.

1. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Avoid burning yourself out right from the start by gradually building up your runs. Slowly increasing the time and distance you run by 10-20% each week and you’ll be less prone to suffer an overuse injury and tightness. Many run related injuries are caused by a rapid increase in the amount of running done. Give yourself plenty of time to train - around 6 months is ideal for a first-timer. Consider completing a couch-to-5k or other fun run event as part of your training. It’s hard not to fall in love with running once you get going and the temptation may be to run too far too soon which your body won’t thank you for. Instead, work up to those milestones slowly and bit by bit.

2. INVEST IN YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT RUNNING SHOES

Finding the right footwear specifically for your running style is paramount to feeling good on your runs and sticking with it. Take the time to visit a Running Expert location near you to be assessed for your foot type and gait pattern. Through this process, you’ll learn the level of stability and support best suited for you. It’s important to have your running shoes dialled in well before race day to break them in and be sure they don’t cause you any pain.

3. PICK A MARATHON TRAINING PLAN

Following along with a training plan will offer a clear approach on how to train for a marathon and is essential to being ready for race day. A structured plan with a variety of runs with help you complete those 42.2km as strong as possible. Check out our half-marathon training plan and full marathon training plan.

It’s recommended you have a base of at least 4-8 weeks of running regularly before starting on a training schedule. Setting the foundation first will ensure you have a solid base to start your marathon training feeling ready to take on longer distances. Use a running app like ASICS Runkeeper to receive guided training, set goals, and track your progress along the way. Seeing incremental improvement will motivate you to keep going.

4. INCORPORATE STRENGTH TRAINING AND REST DAYS

Strengthening the muscles that power your running will give you better stamina and endurance. Helping you to run further distances and feel stronger while doing it. Balance your training by scheduling in days for focusing on strength. Two of the key muscle groups to work on strengthening are your core and glutes. Try simple targeted exercises like the ones highlighted in our article on Stretching and Strength Training for Runners.

Avoid running yourself into the ground by giving yourself dedicated rest days. It’s important to allow your body time to recover and repair itself. Without a rest day, you risk overtraining, burning yourself out, or even causing an injury.

5. FIND THE BEST FUEL FOR YOU

Don’t risk an upset stomach on the day of the race. Identify during your training what works best to fuel your running. Test out different carb-heavy breakfasts a few hours before your bigger run days. For a full rundown on how to dial in your nutrition, read our article from Claire Turnbull. During your runs over 90 minutes, it’s important to aim to consume around 30 to 60 grams of carbs per hour. Test out different on-the-run fuel that’s simple to eat, digest, and carry. Running gels and chews are a good go-to as they’re easy to carry and contain a nice dose of quick carbs. Another part of fueling is hydration. Race organisers often provide the option of dropping personal drink bottles at stations along the way for when you think you may need more than just the cups they hand out. 

One last highly important key to running a solid race, don’t try anything new on event day.

The top five questions from experienced runners in 2024

No matter how long you’ve been running, there’s always something new to learn. As our knowledge of effective training practices and proper nutrition improves and new technologies are introduced, even experienced runners will have questions. From how to bust through a fitness plateau to fuelling tips for long runs, here are experienced runners’ top questions for 2024.

1.-How do you overcome a fitness plateau?

If you’re putting in the work but the time on the clock isn’t budging, the first step is to assess your training. Are you going too fast on your easy runs? Are you recovering properly (i.e., getting enough sleep and nutrition) between workouts? If you don’t already have a training log, start filling one out after each run, and look for patterns.

Other ways to bust through a fitness plateau include:

Adding speed work, like intervals, tempo runs and hill workouts into your training plan

Adding two short, weekly strength training sessions to improve your power and efficiency

Starting training with a group to help you stay on track

Considering getting a coach to help you create a training plan that’s specific to your goals

2.- How can I avoid injuries as I increase mileage and intensity?

As you increase mileage and intensity, proper recovery and nutrition become even more important. Make sure you’re getting at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and always eat well to replenish calories burned after your runs. (Treats are OK!)

Other ways to prevent injuries include:

Get assessed by a physiotherapist to find out where your weak points are, to prevent injuries before they happen

Talk to a dietitian to figure out what (and how much) to eat before and after workouts

Add strength training 

Consider getting a coach to help you periodize your training properly so you don’t do too much too soon

Include a stretching and mobility practice in your weekly routine to keep your joints and muscles moving well

3.- What are some advanced fuelling tips for long runs?

If you’re training for a longer race such as a half-marathon or marathon, you must practice your fuelling strategy ahead of time during your long runs. For most runners, it takes time for your body to get used to taking in fuel during a run, and trying that for the first time on race day can send you running for the porta potty. Other fuelling tips include:

Carbohydrate loading: In the days leading up to a race, it can be beneficial to increase your carbohydrate intake to maximize glycogen stores. Aim to consume around two to four grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per day before the race.

Pre-race meal: Consume a carbohydrate-rich meal two to four hours before the race starts. Aim for around one to four grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight for this meal. Try different things (oatmeal, toast, cereal, etc.) to find out what works for you.

During the race: For longer races (e.g. marathons, ultras), aim to consume 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour, using energy gels, sports drinks, chews or easily digestible foods such as bananas or dates.

4.- Is there a difference between running outside and on the treadmill?

While many runners will argue that running outside is more fun, the treadmill is a great option when the outdoor conditions are dangerous or simply unpleasant. If you’re training for a race, though, it’s important to do most of your runs on the same surface you’ll be racing on–so unless you’re training for a treadmill race, do your best to get outside whenever possible.

5.- What other running gear would you recommend for someone who already has the basics?

If you already have the basics covered, consider investing in the following:

a smartwatch for data tracking

an extra pair of shoes to alternate between in training, to extend the life of your shoes

specific-use shoes, like a pair of racing shoes, winter running shoes if necessary, or trail shoes 

a fuel belt or hydration vest for longer runs

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s 5 tips for optimal performance

Dr. Andrew Huberman, professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of The Huberman Lab podcast, believes in avoiding health trends, instead prioritizing five basic daily things to achieve peak physical and mental health. Huberman’s tips aim not only to help the general public become the best version of themselves, but also apply perfectly to runners. Here’s what you need to know.

1.- Sleep

“Everyone needs to get a sufficient amount of quality sleep,” Huberman recently said on The Nine Club podcast. He touts sleep as the best stress reliever, trauma releaser, immune booster and emotional stabilizer. He suggests following a consistent sleep schedule, making sure you are exposed to sunlight in the morning (more below), avoiding caffeine eight to 10 hours before bed and limiting naps to 15-20 minutes.

Huberman says most adults need between six and eight hours of sleep every night and suggests letting teenagers and young kids sleep as much as they want.

Key takeaway for runners: Sleep is critical for recovery and should be something runners focus on as much as their most intense training. During sleep, our bodies repair themselves from the microscopic tissue damage done while exercising; insufficient sleep can lead to injury, low energy availability and a struggle to improve. Delving into Huberman’s sleep tips can help you become a better sleeper, and therefore a better runner.

2.- Move more

“It is important to get enough movement. Get your heart rate up, get your breathing up. You’ll live longer, you’ll feel better,” Huberman says. Huberman suggests trying to get one hour of exercise daily, and incorporating strength training into your routine. “The natural decrease of muscle is one per cent per year after age 40, unless you intentionally offset through strength training,” Huberman explains.

Key takeaway for runners: Huberman’s advice doesn’t necessarily mean you should run every day. Try adding movement into your day whenever you can (take the stairs, park farther from your destination and walk for 10 minutes), and count cross-training (which includes brisk walking) toward your daily total. Gentle walking on rest days can help with the recovery process.

3.- Sunlight

Getting sunlight within the first hour of waking helps suppress the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep, while increasing alertness. For many of us in North America, it’s not light out when we wake up during the winter months, and it may not be sunny—but regardless of sunshine, focus on that outdoor light, and if you can’t be out in it as soon as you wake up, incorporate it into your day as early as possible.

Key takeaway for runners: While you certainly don’t need to be an early-morning runner to follow this tip, maybe this benefit will give you a boost to get out earlier more often.

4.- Nutrition

“Try to get 75 to 80 per cent of your food from non-processed or minimally processed sources,” Huberman says. He follows a diet that includes intermittent fasting, and while that doesn’t necessarily work for all athletes, intentionally eating meals at times they are most beneficial may help.

Key takeway for runners: Huberman is quick to point out that everyone is different, and it’s important to work with your own physical needs. Make sure you are taking in adequate nutrition for your energy output, and while a focus on unprocessed foods is clearly beneficial, lose any “food guilt” you have over taking in sugary gels or gummies during training and races–they are necessary for fuelling endurance efforts.

5.- Meaningful connection

“Do what you can to make the interactions you have, online and in reality, with friends, with family, as healthy as possible,” Huberman says, and emphasizes the importance of quality social connection. Feeling socially isolated and lonely has been shown to increase the risk of developing dementia, depression and anxiety, among other health conditions.

Key tip for runners: Embrace your local running community, or work on building stronger relationships with your running friends. If you don’t have access to a local running group, connect online with other like-minded individuals, but make sure to avoid negativity. For some of us, getting in a daily run as a stress reliever may be the tool we need to focus on healthier relationships with our non-running friends and family.

How to Go From 5k to Marathon: Tips From an Expert

Ramping up in distance from a 5k to a marathon is a significant step, and it requires careful planning and gradual progression to avoid injuries and ensure success. 

Build a Running Base

Building your aerobic base is one the most important things you can do when aiming for a longer race. Building this base will help you get stronger and build your endurance so you can handle longer, slower efforts. 

Set Realistic Goals

Establish realistic short-term and long-term goals. Consider running a 10k and a half marathon before attempting a full marathon. This allows you to gain experience with longer distances.

Increase Mileage Gradually

Gradually increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% each week. This helps prevent overuse injuries and allows your body to adapt to the increased workload.

Consistent Running

Aim for at least 3-4 days of running per week. Include a mix of easy runs, tempo runs, interval training, and a long run.

Long Runs

Incorporate a weekly long run into your training. Increase the distance of your long run by 1-2 miles every 1-2 weeks. Every 3-4 weeks, scale back the distance to allow for recovery.

Cross-Training

Include cross-training activities like swimming, cycling, or strength training to enhance overall fitness and reduce the risk of injury.

Rest and Recovery

Allow your body time to recover by scheduling rest days into your training plan. Listen to your body, and if you feel fatigued or notice any signs of injury, take extra rest.

Nutrition and Hydration

Pay attention to your nutrition and hydration. Proper fueling is crucial for longer distances. Experiment with nutrition during your long runs to find what works best for you.

Practice Race Conditions

As you approach longer distances, simulate race conditions during your training. This includes practicing your nutrition and hydration strategies and running at your goal marathon pace.

Tapering

In the weeks leading up to the marathon, gradually decrease your mileage to allow your body to recover and be fresh on race day.

Mindset

Develop a positive mindset. Mental strength is crucial for marathon training. Visualize success, break the race into smaller, manageable segments, and stay focused on your goals.

Race Day Planning

Plan your race day strategy, including pacing, nutrition, and hydration. Stick to a pace that allows you to finish strong, especially considering the longer distance.

Remember that everyone’s body responds differently to training, so be attentive to how your body feels and make adjustments as needed. If possible, consult with a coach or an experienced runner for personalized advice based on your specific circumstances.

Your Successful Race Season Starts Now

We looked at thousands of data points on Strava to determine what winter habits make for a successful summer season

In our monthly column in partnership with Strava, we take a deep dive into compelling data points that reveal the more human side of sport. 

While summer race goals might feel far off, athletes know winter is an important time to commit to consistency. With new year’s resolutions right around the corner (see our recent column on how to meet your yearly mileage goals), we looked at how the most consistent runners use their winter season to get stronger and faster.

Cross-Training Can Help Athletes Stay Consistent Through the Winter

Consistency is key for progressing training and minimizing injury risk. Staying consistent can help you avoid injury, and avoiding injury helps you stay consistent.

Muscle fiber growth and recruitment is improved with consistent stress and recovery cycles, and you don’t need huge efforts to reap the benefits. Short bouts of running (even just 10-20 minutes a day) can produce adaptations down to a cellular level. Consistency is also critical for aerobic and metabolic adaptations, helping your body more efficiently transport oxygen-rich red blood cells to your muscles via capillaries through increased capillarization, a process known as angiogenesis.

When it comes to winter training, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Twenty to thirty minutes on a treadmill or running in the snow is always better than zero (in the context of good health and recovery).

Suppose your goals are primarily to stay healthy and active through the winter. (While we didn’t assess how cross-training affects fitness or speed, it can be assumed that increased consistency and activity frequency usually correlate with improved speed, fitness, and health.)

In that case, cross-training can be an important part of your winter training regimen. Most runners on Strava don’t just run. Seventy-five percent of runners cross-train in the summer, too, using activities like outdoor cycling, walking and hiking to increase their activity frequency.

Runners who cross-trained in the summer had a 20 percent higher chance of staying active through the winter. Eighty-nine percent of athletes who cross-trained in the summer continued to be active throughout the winter, compared to 74 percent of athletes who didn’t cross-train through the summer and continued to be active in the winter.

Consistent athletes stay consistent through the winter. Twenty-four percent of athletes who run three times a week continue to hit that cadence in the winter, while 58 percent further reduce frequency. Fifty-two percent of athletes who run seven times a week in the summer continue to do so in the winter, with only 48 percent reducing run frequency. Still, half of all committed runners scale back to an extent in the winter, but more on that later when discussing offseasons.

While many runners may not be thrilled to take their runs indoors and onto the dreadmill, consistent athletes gravitate towards the treadmill when conditions are tough.

The share of indoor runs doubles from December to February on Strava, with 16 percent of all runs occurring indoors. The treadmill can be a great training tool for athletes, with elites like Elsey Davis logging significant ‘mill time before her Golden Ticket win at UTMB’s Val D’Aran.

According to Strava, winter cross-training also moves indoors, with activities like indoor cycling, strength training, and walking as the most popular cross-training options.

While there’s been much discussion about what constitutes an off-season and the benefits for athletes, Strava data shows that many highly committed and consistent runners take a down-season from higher volume.

Data suggests a modest off-season won’t set reasonably consistent runners back too much, but that athletes who are already running at a moderate to low volume (less than five times a week) should focus on maintaining a base of consistency through the winter rather than rushing to take time off of already low volume.

We’re not saying don’t take time off. Winter can be a great time to emphasize cross-training and strength training and enjoy a new mix of winter sports. But the higher your healthy volume is coming into the winter, the more flexibility athletes have to add additional winter activities into their training without sacrificing fitness. The athletes who have the most success (defined as returning to consistent running come summertime) put themselves in a position to jump back into spring training with a bit of a base.

Ideally, runners shouldn’t need more than a few weeks to get back to their main-season training volume. Swings in training volume increase the risk of injury, and weeks spent “getting back in shape” are less effective at progressing your training forward.

Runners who reduced running volume (defined in average weekly distance) in the winter by 1-10 percent averaged within ten percent of their summer average mileage in spring (March-May). Runners running three times a week in summer who reduced volume in winter by 1-10 percent were still able to put in spring training weeks just seven percent shy on average of their summer mileage.

Usually, this difference is a few miles a week, which is fairly easily re-established. On average, runners who ran five times a week remained within ten percent of their summer average mileage. Runners who reduced volume by 11 to 25 percent were still able to build back effectively in the spring, with three-time-a-week runners only 14 percent behind summer volume and five-time-a-week runners 19 percent behind their summer average.

Runners who reduced volume by 50 percent or more struggled to make up the volume come spring. Three-time-a-week and five-time-a-week runners couldn’t effectively bridge the gap in spring between their winter off-season and summer volume.

In winter, of runners who run three times weekly during the summer, only six percent stop being active altogether, suggesting that many fall back on indoor cross-training activities. Even among athletes from this group who paused running in the winter, 64 percent still logged at least one non-running activity per week. Of runners who average seven runs a week during the summer, there are still low inactivity rates (only eight percent halt activity completely), but only 23 percent of the group average at least one non-run activity a week.

In sum, folks who don’t cross-train don’t have much to fall back on in case of injury or crappy weather, and having a cross-training option that helps you stay active in those scenarios can help you stay more consistent and support your running in the long-term.

Staying on track for a goal is a tough line to walk. In 2022, 22.8 percent of Strava users who set yearly mileage goals finished within 80 to 90 percent of their goal. So close! Thirteen percent were within 10 percent of their goal. For folks within a stone’s throw of their yearly mileage but didn’t quite make it, here are some data-driven tips to make 2024 your most consistent year of running yet.

How You Can Incorporate Taylor Swift’s Workout Into Your Own Running

Like Taylor, I run when I sing—and you should, too. 

I never knew it, but Taylor Swift is my workout doppelgänger. Like Taylor, I’m a singer (mezzo soprano in my chorus), and I run and lift weights.

So I was excited to learn that, like me, Taylor sings when she runs. In fact, music is my fuel, and all of my neighbors have heard me sing on my runs. I have no shame (and a pretty good voice). 

When she was named Person of the Year, Taylor told Time magazine that to prepare for her Eras tour she ran on a treadmill while singing her three-plus hour set list. The internet—and runners and their coaches—had thoughts. 

“It was a great idea for her to pair running and singing to build her endurance for the Eras tour,” Julie Sapper, a Level 2 RRCA-certified coach and cofounder with Lisa Levin of Run Farther & Faster in Hamilton, New Jersey tells Runner’s World. “I hope she took walks and hydration breaks, though, because without them, three hours on a treadmill could cause injury.” 

While we don’t know the exact details of Taylor’s run and strength training workouts, which she did at The Dogpound, a very exclusive gym with NYC and L.A. locations, we do know that all of us can adapt some of Taylor’s habits to our own training. Including—that’s right—singing. 

Sing more to help you run better

If you’ve ever run with a friend and tried to hold a conversation for more than a few minutes, but ended up huffing and puffing, then you have used the “talk test” to help determine the intensity of your run. Essentially, if you can talk while you run then you’re running “easy,” but if you can’t talk and need to catch your breath, you’re running “hard.” These metrics, though, don’t tell you anything about pace or time, which makes some runners doubt the validity of the test. 

This also relates to running and singing. “If you are running at the right intensity, you should be able to sing without pausing for breath,” Alethia Mongerie, also known as Coach Mekela, a Level 2 RRCA-certified coach in Robbinsville, New Jersey, tells Runner’s World. “You should be able to complete a verse or sentence without halting.”

In fact, singing may even be better than talking to determine your intensity while you run because the lyrics and melody need to come out smoothly and without gulps of air. In order to do this, you need to take deep breaths, then let the air out in a continuous exhale so that when you start the phrase,“And it’s new, the shape of your body…” you can get to “It’s a cruel summer/With you” without losing your breath or rushing the words.

Mongerie suggests pairing your singing with zone 2 running. There are five running “zones,” all of which are based on your heart rate. Zone 2 is essentially 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate and should feel like a light effort. “If you can run and sing in zone 2, you are doing it right,” Mongerie says.

Taylor Swift mentioned she used her set list to determine her treadmill pace, often walking during slow songs and speeding up to running during the fast tunes. Consider this another way to incorporate a Fartlek run into your treadmill workouts, which can boost the fun as you surge and slow down at different points throughout your run. Plus, put Taylor on the playlist and you know all too well the range of emotions that’ll help push you through each of those intervals.

Add strength and conditioning workouts, like Taylor’s, to your schedule

While she gave no specifics, Taylor also did what she called “strength and conditioning work” before her tour. “Strength and conditioning are very different and are both important,” explains Sapper. Strength work is lifting heavy with appropriate rest in between sets, while the purpose of conditioning is to work with no (or very little) rest at lighter loads to maintain a higher heart rate. 

Here are two examples:

Strength: 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 squats with a heavy weight where the last rep feels super hard, and with 3 to 5 minutes of rest in between sets

Conditioning: 5 sets of jumping rope for 30 to 45 seconds, followed by 10 push-ups with no breaks between exercises or sets

Both sequences strengthen your legs, while the second also offers cardio benefits, and it’s important to add both types of training to your workout schedule. 

Of course, anyone can see that it’s not just Taylor Swift’s legs that are strong. She holds an eight-pound guitar during part of the show and while, yes, she uses a strap, it’s still an added weight to her upper body. A strong upper body has been shown to improve running economy, too, according to a systemic review with meta-analysis published in a 2021 issue of Sports Medicine. So it’s smart to get your arms in on the action during strength workouts, too.

Recover right (just maybe don’t stay in bed all day)

There is one significant difference between Taylor’s training and performance and that of most runners, and it doesn’t only come down to our paychecks. Taylor hits one city and performs a few days in a row while the rest of us should leave more time for rest and recovery between our workouts, Sapper says.

In fact, in her Time interview, Taylor said she takes to her (hotel) bed for a full day of rest after a stretch of shows. “My daughter, a Swiftie, and I actually discussed this after she saw the show,” Sapper says, “How does she have the stamina to do one concert, much less a few in a row? Unlike athletes, she’s not periodizing her training. The key has to be her recovery and that’s true for any athlete.”

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, periodization comprises training phases and cycles to reach strength and performance goals. Taylor, though, is doing essentially the same show on most nights for months. That’s exhausting both physically and mentally. To recover, she told Time, she lies in bed for a day, resting her entire body, including her voice. 

Most of us can’t—and probably shouldn’t—do that because active recovery leads to better results. Active recovery means walking, getting a massage, or doing other light activities to keep your muscles moving without straining them. 

Create your own playlist for improved performance

All of us are impressed by the musicians—Taylor (now 34), Bruce (72!), and Beyonce (42)— who put on two- to three-hour shows, but we aren’t surprised. That’s because music can lessen the perceived effort of running. 

In fact, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, listening to music improves performance in endurance, sprints, and resistance exercise, but it’s important to listen to music you like, not just the music piped into a gym. In fact, if you don’t like the playlist, you might even be discouraged from exercise. 

So even if you aren’t a Taylor fan, turn up the volume on a playlist you like (or find one from the Runner’s World archives) and start your stride. You might not reach pop star status, but the beats will keep you running toward your goals. 

Why older runners need to strength train and how to get started

There’s no way to stop time, but strength training will help you run stronger for longer. Strength training is particularly important for older runners, as it helps counteract age-related muscle loss, enhances bone density and improves overall stability, reducing the risk of injuries and promoting longevity. Here’s what you need to know to run long and strong.

Combat age-related muscle loss

One of the most significant concerns for older runners is the loss of muscle mass. Scientific studies consistently emphasize the effectiveness of strength training in combating this age-related decline. Resistance exercises like weight-lifting trigger muscle protein synthesis, promoting the growth and maintenance of muscle mass. Not only will this improve running performance, it also plays a crucial role in supporting overall mobility and reducing the risk of injuries.

Enhance bone density

Aging often brings a decline in bone density, increasing runners’ susceptibility to fractures and injuries. Strength training is a powerful ally in maintaining and enhancing bone density; weight-bearing exercises stimulate bone-forming cells, leading to stronger and more resilient bones. For older runners, this means a reduced risk of stress fractures and a safeguard against the impact-related challenges that can accompany running over time.

Boost your metabolism

Metabolism tends to slow down with age, contributing to a potential decline in energy levels. Strength training, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can rev up the metabolic rate. This not only aids in weight management, but also provides older runners with the energy needed to tackle longer distances. As your running efficiency improves, your overall performance is enhanced.

Get started today

No idea how to begin? If you have access to a local gym, it’s a great idea to invest in one or two sessions with a trainer to get used to the equipment and learn a few exercises you can do on your own. There are plenty of ways runners can work on strength at home, though, and YouTube has many videos that are useful to help figure out how to strength-train at home correctly and safely.

Try bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks, which require no equipment and effectively target key muscle groups for runners.

Incorporate resistance bands for added challenge; they’re affordable, versatile, and can be used for exercises like leg lifts, lateral leg raises, and upper body workouts.

Start with a set of light dumbbells for exercises like bicep curls, overhead presses and weighted lunges, gradually increasing the weight as you get stronger.

Incorporating some strength training into your routine doesn’t have to take a lot of time–even fifteen minutes after a run a few times a week will make a real difference.

6 Common Causes of Back Pain in Runners and How to Avoid the Aches

These are the common causes of back pain in runners, according to experts.

If you want to solve a problem, you have to go to the source. The only problem: Pinpointing the source of your back pain can be somewhat tricky. The discomfort can stem from your running, but also activities beyond your workouts, like lifting something that’s too heavy or sleeping on a brand new mattress. 

To help find the common causes of back pain in runners, though, researchers of a study published in Pain Research and Management surveyed 800 marathon runners to better understand how they experience lower back pain and identify potential risk factors. Of the marathoners who reported pain, risk factors included an insufficient warmup, fatigue, poor running posture, and even the environmental temperature. 

While these may cause you to experience aches in your back, we asked a physical therapist and sports physician for other surprising and common causes of back pain—plus what you can do to avoid all of these risk factors for discomfort.

1. You’re Not Strength Training

A weak core—or any weakness along your kinetic chain, including in the muscles around your feet, ankles, knees, or hips—can affect your body’s ability to absorb the impact of running. 

“If a runner’s body isn’t absorbing shock well or efficiently, there will be excess impact forces that are transmitted through the legs and up into the spine or lower back, which can cause low back pain or discomfort,” Daniel Giordano, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., physical therapist and cofounder of Bespoke Treatments, tells Runner’s World. 

This is why it’s so important to strength train at least twice a week, so you can build stronger running muscles for the road. For runners with a weak core or hips, practicing planks and lunges can help stabilize these muscles, says Giordano. Other moves to target typically weak areas of runners include single-leg calf raises for stronger ankles, lateral banded walks for knee strength, and glute bridges for stronger hips. 

Muscle weakness can also cause runners to overcompensate in other areas of the body, which can result in poor running form and also contribute to back pain, Giordano adds. For example, a weak core can cause a runner to slouch or lean forward which places extra stress on the low back and can disrupt running mechanics. 

The best way to zero in on weaknesses and compensations is to visit a professional, like a physical therapist, sports physician, or orthopedist, who can use technology like a 3D gait analysis to assess your running form and measure your ability to absorb shock, and motion analysis to measure your joint range of motion, says Giordano. 

2. You Don’t Warmup

You need to warmup before every workout to properly prepare your muscles for what’s to come, especially if you spend a lot of time sitting throughout the day.

“If you’re sitting all day, your hips are probably going to be tight,” says Giordano. “Then, if you’re not warming up after sitting and just going straight into a run, you’re not going to be ready to run.” Essentially, your body won’t be able to get through ideal gait mechanics without overcompensating. 

For example, “tight hips can limit your range of motion and force other parts of your body, such as your back, to compensate for the restricted movement, which can also result in pain and discomfort,” he explains. 

To fix this, Giordano suggests doing a dynamic warmup, which requires actively stretching your hips, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and rotating your spine to ensure your muscles are ready to go at run time. To target these areas and activate these muscle groups, try bodyweight squats, mini band lunges, pogo jumps, and standing spinal rotations. Also, jog in place or walk for a few minutes before you start picking up the pace, he adds.

3. You’re Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Finding the right pair of running shoes will help improve shock absorption, which can decrease back pain. 

When determining which shoes to choose, it’s all about your running gait, Aaron Mares, M.D., associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and associate medical director for the Pittsburgh Marathon tells Runner’s World. You may need more or less cushion depending on your biomechanics. 

More specifically, your level of pronation—the inward movement of your foot as it rolls optimally to distribute the force impact as you run—will contribute to the kind of running shoe you need, says Mares. 

A running gait analysis can also help identify the shoe that’s best for you. For example, if the analysis determines you overpronate, you might want to consider insoles or a stability shoe. 

Also, look for a lightweight shoe with cushion, as this can not only help you avoid pain but also keep you from slowing down, says Giordano. Heading to your local running store to test shoes before you buy them is always a smart move. 

4. You Increase Your Mileage Too Quickly

“If you’re increasing your volume or your intensity too fast, and your body’s not equipped to handle it, that will lead to excessive force on your lower back,” says Giordano.

That’s why it’s important for you to slowly increase your training volume by 10 to 15 percent each week, so your body can build strength and endurance, he explains. This means if your longest run is five miles but your goal is to run 10 miles, you’d increase your longest run by about 0.5 miles each week until you reach your goal. 

Also, you may want to consider where you’re running, especially if you frequently run on concrete or up hills, as this can also contribute to your pain. “If you’re running on a really hard surface, you’re going to put a lot more impact force up through your kinetic chain versus if you run on soft dirt, fine gravel, or a trail,” says Mares. 

A change of scenery can offer a simple fix—head out to the trails or softer paths like grass—but you also might want to consider dialing back your frequency or intensity. Cross-training with cycling or swimming, especially if running somewhere else isn’t an option, is also a smart option for sidestepping aches when your back asks for it, Mares adds. 

5. You're Not Recovering Properly

“If you’re not sleeping well and not recovering, your body’s never healing. You're constantly in a state of stress, and probably should take more days off,” says Giordano.

Your body needs complete rest days mixed into your schedule so it can properly heal before your next workout. Adequate rest days will prevent you from overtraining, therefore helping you decrease your chances for muscle issues, like back pain, that can stem from an overuse injury.

Ideally, you want to have one full rest day a week, and get at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

6. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

Believe it or not, inadequate hydration levels can also contribute to the risk of back pain. “If you’re not well hydrated, your muscles can become tight and it can lead to strains or sprains, including those in your lower back,” says Giordano.

To avoid this, aim for the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation of men taking in at least 3.7 liters (or 125 ounces) and women 2.7 liters (or 91 ounces), per day, from fluids and water-containing foods.

24 Hours with One of the World’s Best Marathoners

As the 2023 Boston Marathon winner and Olympian Hellen Obiri puts final touches on her build for the NYC Marathon, she’s aiming to become the seventh woman ever to win two majors in one year

Four weeks out from competing in the 2023 New York City Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious road races, an alarm clock gently buzzes, signaling the start of the day for 33-year-old Hellen Obiri.

Despite having rested for nearly nine hours, Obiri, a two-time world champion from Kenya, says the alarm is necessary, otherwise she can oversleep. This morning’s training session of 12 miles at an easy pace is the first of two workouts on her schedule for the day as she prepares for the New York City Marathon on November 5.

The race will be her third attempt in the distance since she graduated from a successful track career and transitioned into road racing in 2022. Obiri placed sixth at her marathon debut in New York last November, finishing in 2:25:49.

“I was not going there to win. I was there to participate and to learn,” she says, adding that the experience taught her to be patient with the distance. This time around in New York, she wants to claim the title.

Obiri drinks two glasses of water, but she hasn’t eaten anything by the time she steps outside of her two-bedroom apartment in the Gunbarrel neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

In September 2022, the three-time Olympian moved nearly 9,000 miles from her home in the Ngong Hills, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, to Colorado. She wanted to pursue her marathon ambitions under the guidance of coach and three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, who is the fourth-fastest U.S. marathoner in history. Ritzenhein retired from professional running in 2020 and now oversees the Boulder-based On Athletics Club (OAC), a group of elite professional distance runners supported by Swiss sportswear company On.

Obiri, who was previously sponsored by Nike for 12 years before she signed a deal with On in 2022, said that moving across the world wasn’t a difficult decision. “It’s a great opportunity. Since I came here, I’ve been improving so well in road races.”

In April, Obiri won the Boston Marathon. It was only her second effort in the distance, and the victory has continued to fuel her momentum for other major goals that include aiming for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and also running the six most competitive and prestigious marathons in the world, known as the World Marathon Majors.

Obiri says goodbye to her eight-year-old daughter Tania and gets into a car to drive six miles to Lefthand trailhead, where she runs on dirt five days a week. She will train on an empty stomach, which she prefers for runs that are less than 15 miles. Once, she ate two slices of bread 40 minutes before a 21-mile run and was bothered by side stitches throughout the workout. Now, she is exceptionally careful about her fueling habits.

Three runners stretch next to their cars as Obiri clicks a watch on her right wrist and begins to shuffle her feet. Her warmup is purposely slow. In this part of Colorado, at 5,400 feet, the 48-degree air feels frostier and deserving of gloves, but Obiri runs without her hands covered. She is dressed in a thin olive-colored jacket, long black tights, and a black pair of unreleased On shoes.

Obiri’s feet clap against a long dirt road flanked by farmland that is dotted with horses and a few donkeys. Her breath is hardly audible as she escalates her rhythm to an average pace of six minutes and 14 seconds per mile. This run adds to her weekly program of 124 miles—some days, she runs twice. The cadence this morning is hardly tough on her lungs as she runs with her mouth closed, eyes intently staring ahead at the cotton-candy pink sunrise.

“Beautiful,” Obiri says.

Her body navigates each turn as though on autopilot. Obiri runs alone on easy days like today, but for harder sessions, up to four pacers will join her.

“They help me to get the rhythm of speed,” Obiri says. For longer runs exceeding 15 miles, Ritzenhein will bike alongside Obiri to manage her hydration needs, handing her bottles of Maurten at three-mile increments.

After an hour, Obiri wipes minimal sweat glistening on her forehead. Her breathing is steady, and her face appears as fresh as when she began the run. She does not stretch before getting into the car to return home.

The remainder of the morning is routine: a shower followed by a breakfast of bread, Weetabix cereal biscuits, a banana, and Kenyan chai—a mix of milk, black tea, and sugar. She likes to drink up to four cups of chai throughout the day, making the concoction with tea leaves gifted from fellow Kenyan athletes she sees at races.

Then, she will nap, sometimes just for 30 minutes, and other times upwards of two hours. “The most important thing is sleeping,” Obiri says. “When I go to my second run [of the day], I feel my body is fresh to do the workout. If I don’t sleep, I feel a lot of fatigue from the morning run.”

Obiri prepares lunch. Normally she eats at noon, but today her schedule is busier than usual. She cooks rice, broccoli, beets, carrots, and cabbage mixed with peanuts. Sometimes she makes chapati, a type of Indian flatbread commonly eaten in Kenya, or else she eats beans with rice.

The diet is typical among elite Kenyan athletes, and she hasn’t changed her eating habits since moving to the U.S. Obiri discovered a grocery store in Denver that offers African products, so she stocks up on ingredients like ground corn flour, which she uses to make ugali, a dense porridge and staple dish in many East African countries. She is still working through 20 pounds of flour she bought in June.

Obiri receives an hour massage, part of her routine in the early afternoon, three times a week. Usually the session is at the hands of a local physiotherapist, but sometimes Austin-based physiotherapist Kiplimo Chemirmir will fly in for a few days. Chemirmir, a former elite runner from Kenya, practices what he refers to as “Kenthaichi massage,” an aggressive technique that involves stretching muscles in short intervals.

Ritzenhein modifies Obiri’s training schedule, omitting her afternoon six-mile run so she can rest for the remainder of the day and reset for a speed workout tomorrow morning. Last fall, he took over training Obiri, who was previously coached by her agent Ricky Simms, who represented Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, an eight-time gold medalist and world record holder, and British long distance runner Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Ritzenhein has programmed Obiri’s progression into the marathon with more volume and strength training. The meticulous preparation is essential to avoid the aftermath of her marathon debut in New York City last fall, when she was escorted off the course in a wheelchair after lacking a calculated fueling and hydration strategy. Obiri had averaged running 5:33-minute miles on a hilly route that is considered to be one of the most difficult of all the world marathon major races.

“It’s a real racing race. You have to make the right moves; you have to understand the course,” Ritzenhein says of the New York City Marathon. “We’ve changed some things in training to be a little more prepared. We’ve been going to Magnolia Road, which is a very famous place from running lore—high altitude, very hilly. We’ve been doing some long runs up there. In general, she’s got many more 35 and 40K [21 and 24 miles] runs than she had before New York last year.”

In New York, Obiri is aiming to keep pace alongside a decorated elite field that will include Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir, former women’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, and defending New York Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi, all of whom are from Kenya. In fact, Kenyan women have historically dominated at the New York City Marathon, winning nine titles since 2010 and 14 total to date, the most of any country since women were permitted to race in 1972.

“They are all friendly ladies,” Obiri says. “But you know, in sports we are enemies. It’s like a war. Everybody wants to win.”

While Obiri is finishing her massage, her daughter returns from school. Though Obiri arrived in Colorado last fall, her husband Tom Nyaundi and their daughter didn’t officially move to the U.S. until this past March. The adjustment, Obiri says, was a hard moment for the family.

“We didn’t have a car. In the U.S. you can’t move [around] if you don’t have a car. We had a very good team that helped us a lot,” Obiri says of the OAC, whom she refers to as her friends. “The athletes made everything easier for us. They were dropping my daughter to school. Coach would pick me up in the morning, take me to massage, to the store. I was lucky they were very supportive.” Now, Obiri says she and her family have fully adjusted to living in the U.S.

Obiri returns home and makes a tomato and egg sandwich before taking another nap. Usually she naps for up to two hours after lunch. Today, her nap is later and will last for two and a half hours.

Obiri doesn’t eat out or order takeaway. “We are not used to American food,” she says, smiling. “I enjoy making food at home.” Dinner is a rotation of Kenyan dishes like sukuma wiki—sautéed collard greens that accompany ugali—or pilau, a rice-based dish made with chicken, goat, or beef. This evening, she prepares ugali with sukuma wiki and fried eggs.

Before bed, Obiri says she can’t resist a nightcap of Kenyan chai. She will pray before falling asleep. And when she wakes up at 6:00 A.M. the next day, she will prepare for a track session, the intervals of which add up to nearly 13 miles: a 5K warmup, followed by 1 set of 4×200 meters at 32 seconds (200 meter jog between each rep); 3 sets of 4×200 meters at 33 seconds  (200 meter jog between each rep); 5×1600 meters at 5:12 (200 meter jog between each rep) and finishing with a 5K cool down.

The workout is another one in the books that will bring her a step closer to the starting line of the race she envisions winning. “I feel like I’m so strong,” Obiri says. She knows New York will be tough. But “when I go to a race I say, ‘you have to fight.’ And if you try and give your best, you will do something good.”

The Physiology of Training Plateaus

Scientists want to know why we don’t keep getting bigger and stronger forever

The law of diminishing returns, in the sports and fitness context, is not particularly controversial. When you’re a neophyte, small amounts of training produce big gains. When you’re a hardened vet, huge training loads are needed to squeeze out tiny gains. Eventually, and inevitably, you hit a ceiling. We’re so used to this pattern that we seldom stop to ask a very basic question: Why?

A major new review paper from Jeremy Loenneke’s research group at the University of Mississippi, published in Sports Medicine, takes on this question in the context of strength training. What, if anything, prevents us from continuing to get bigger and stronger indefinitely, assuming we’re willing to keep upping the training dose? Despite how obvious the question seems, the answers remain elusive. There are several theories, though, which offer some insight about how to push your own plateau a little higher.

The most obvious explanation for training plateaus is that you let the workouts get too easy. A few years ago, I wrote about a surprisingly effective ultra-minimalist once-a-week strength training routine. People who followed it made substantial gains in the first year or so of training, but only marginal gains thereafter. That seemed like a perfect illustration of failing to progress workout volume and difficulty. But the authors of that paper pushed back against this assumption. Data from powerlifters, they pointed out, showed similar plateau effects on a similar timeframe, even though the powerlifters were presumably following much more rigorous and sophisticated training programs.

Loenneke and his colleagues suggest four different mechanisms that might constrain maximal muscle growth. The first is that training eventually makes your muscle cells less responsive to the signals that usually trigger muscle growth. New muscle proteins are synthesized in response to various triggers including food, hormones, and the mechanical stress that strength training imposes on muscle fibers. There are various lines of evidence suggesting that well-trained people produce less new muscle protein in response to a given trigger than untrained people. No one’s entirely sure why, but the end result is that it gets progressively harder to ramp up the production of new muscle as you get fitter.

The other half of this equation is how quickly the muscle proteins you already have are being broken down. The general thinking is that this is less of a factor than how quickly you’re synthesizing new muscle protein, but one clear finding is that you break down protein at an elevated rate when you’re in caloric deficit. This doesn’t seem like a fundamental barrier, but it does suggest that getting enough calories in might be an increasing challenge as you get bigger and bigger.

The third possibility is that there’s a fundamental limit on how big muscle cells are allowed to get relative to their nuclei. The “myonuclear domain hypothesis” posits that each nucleus can only synthesize enough muscle protein to support a given cell volume. Unlike most cells in the body, muscle cells can have more than one nucleus, which enables them to get bigger with training. But the creation of new muscle cell nuclei is a complicated and poorly understood process, so it may eventually put a cap on how big a given muscle cell can get. There are also some other homeostatic mechanisms that may act to keep muscle cell size within a tight range: myostatin, for example, is a growth factor that hinders muscle growth, and whose resting levels get higher in strength-trained people.

The fourth and final mechanism is anabolic resistance, which is the gradual diminution of response to muscle-building triggers with age. This one sounds a lot like the first mechanism: less muscle-growth bang for your stimulus buck. But the difference is that it’s caused by the mere passage of time, rather than in response to prolonged strength training. There are various possible mechanisms: epigenetic changes, lower levels of sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen, insulin resistance, and so on. The idea here is that if you could magically stay 21 forever, you’d be able to keep getting bigger and stronger semi-indefinitely, but the passage of time means that the gradual accumulation of training gains is always competing with the inexorable creep of anabolic resistance.

So which is it? You’ve probably figured out by now that no one is really sure, and the answer is likely a mix of these and other factors. More research is needed. Still, it’s an interesting question, because understanding what general factors limit muscle growth might shed some light on why those limits differ so much among individuals. And it does suggest a practical takeaway: to raise your ultimate ceiling, hit the weights when you’re young, before anabolic resistance kicks in. Even if you slack off in middle age, there’s evidence that the extra cell nuclei you form when packing on muscle will stick around if you detrain and the muscle cells shrink. These dormant nuclei will make it easier to add muscle again later, a form of muscle memory that might help you defy the tyranny of age. And it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition: anabolic resistance is a long, slow process, so those of us no longer in the first flush of youth are still better able to put on muscle today than we will be tomorrow.

In practice, I’m pretty sure that most training plateaus, whether in muscle size, marathon time, or other fitness goals, don’t actually reflect some immutable biological law. We slip into comfortable routines, repeating the same workouts even though our bodies have already adapted to them. We settle for incremental goals instead of dreaming of quantum leaps. We get hurt or stressed out at work or distracted by other priorities. But there’s also some biology at work in the law of diminishing returns. Understanding that biology might eventually help us break through plateaus—or at least accept them gracefully.

What are isometric exercises, and why should runners do them?

If you haven’t tried isometric exercises (or are unclear on what the term means) you’re not alone. This oft-neglected type of strength training involves contracting a muscle without changing its length, with no visible movement at the joint. Instead of the muscle lengthening or shortening, as it does in isotonic exercises (like bicep curls or squats, for example), the muscle remains static, exerting force against an immovable object or resisting an opposing force.

Isometric exercises are characterized by holding a position (or maintaining a contraction) for a set period. Because they require little to no equipment, isometric exercises super easy and convenient, and perfect to add to your routine tonight.

Why isometric exercises?

For runners, isometric exercises are often used in injury rehab, because they allow you to strengthen certain muscles without putting excessive strain on injured tissues. They’re time-efficient, targeting specific muscle groups, and easily integrated into a warmup or cool-down. They can also help build strength and stability in specific muscle groups, which is essential for maintaining proper running form, building endurance and preventing injuries.

Planks

Planks build postural strength around your lower core, which is essential for maintaining good biomechanics, especially when you’re feeling fatigued near the end of a hard run or race.

Begin in a push-up position and straighten your arms, tighten your core and straighten your legs. Focus on keeping your butt in a straight line between your shoulders and heels.

Once you have your body positioned, hold the push-up position for two to three minutes. Stop when you can no longer hold the pose–having good technique is more important than how long you can hold the plank. Add 30-second increments until can hold for several minutes.

Try different plank variations, supporting yourself on your elbows, or by lifting one leg toward your chest. Advance to adding side planks.

Single-leg balance

Standing on one leg for an extended period (with eyes open, which is easiser, or closed, which is more challenging) can help improve balance and stability, which is essential for navigating uneven terrain while running. It can also help with proprioception (awareness of where the ground is in relation to your body), and strengthens the muscles around the ankle, knee, and hip joints.

Find a flat, stable surface to stand on. Begin standing upright with your feet hip-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides, and shift your weight onto one leg. Keep a slight bend in your knee to avoid locking it.

Engage your core muscles by gently pulling your navel toward your spine, and slowly lift the foot of your non-weight-bearing leg off the ground, bringing it to a position where it is just hovering above the floor. Your raised thigh should be parallel to the ground, and your knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle. You can point your toes or flex your ankle; choose a comfortable position.

Gaze at a fixed spot in front of you to help with balance. Beginners can start by holding 15-30 seconds per leg and gradually work up to 60 seconds or longer as they improve their balance.

Release and repeat on the other side.

Wall-sits

This exercise helps create a powerful and resilient stride, improving leg endurance.

Place your back flat against the wall, and slide down until your thighs are at a 90-degree angle to your back (and to the floor). Keeping your lower back flat against the wall, take a deep breath and hold the sitting or chair position for two to three minutes.

It’s OK if you find that challenging–most beginners struggle to hold until the two-minute mark. Add 30-second increments over time, until you reach seven to 10 minutes or complete fatigue.

3 Years After a Car Accident Put Him in a Coma, This Runner Finished an Ironman

Now he runs for his young son with an incurable heart disease.Whether it’s one mile or 100 miles, running is my time to reflect, and appreciate every breath, heartbeat, and mile along the journey, and to celebrate the gift of life.

I’ve always enjoyed running and I started competing in 6th grade on the track and field team for my middle school. I loved being a part of a team atmosphere, and as I entered high school, I still wanted to run, but my coaches preferred that I throw shot put and discus because I was doing a lot of strength training and some powerlifting at the time. I enjoyed the throwing events, but had an interest in running over the years, and would ask my coach to put me in a sprint relay or two throughout the season. Outside of track, I also started swimming competitively when I was 15, and when I wasn’t at swim practice, I was usually jogging.

Growing up, I also had a dream of wanting to complete an Ironman triathlon. I saw the Hawaii Ironman on television when I was 5 years old and was inspired by the athleticism and inspirational stories of the athletes.

Unfortunately, one month after I graduated high school in July 2004, I was involved in a near-fatal car accident. The injuries were catastrophic: my heart went across my chest, I sustained shattered ribs, pelvis, left clavicle, and severe nerve damage to my left shoulder. Nearly every major organ in my body was damaged, failed, or lacerated. I also had a concussion from the impact of the crash and experienced 60 percent blood loss. 

The EMS and rescue workers who got me out of the vehicle were later given awards for their work. I was then flown by a medevac to the hospital, and my trauma team explained to my parents that it would be a miracle if I survived the first 24 hours. Well, I did and I would spend the next two months in a coma, on life support. I was brought back to life eight times during the 14 major operations I had over that time. 

When I came out of the coma, I had lost 100 pounds, and had to learn how to talk, eat, drink, tie my shoes, comb my hair, and brush my teeth all over again. The thought of walking was just that—only a thought—due to the damage to my crushed pelvis.

However, with help from my medical team, I was slowly able to stand, with restraint belts around my waist while being held up by physical therapists on each side. I then progressed to standing on my own with a walker, then a cane, and then shuffling my feet a few inches at a time across the floor to learn how to walk again.

After months of intense physical therapy, I was able to walk around my local high school track, which was a triumphant day. A few months after that, I was able to jog a mile around the track, and I kept progressing from there. 

A year after leaving the ICU in 2005, I finally started college, and joined the swim team (even though I was just doggy paddling or doing light kicking with the kick board once or twice a week for 30-minute sessions.) Then two years later, in 2007, I was able to live my dream of crossing the finish line of the Hawaii Ironman triathlon, and also complete my healing process. 

It was a team effort to save my life that terrible day and help me heal 100 percent from the EMTs, medevac team, pilots, surgeons, nurses, and physical therapists. So crossing the finish line at Ironman was my way of saying thank you to everyone who was a part of my journey and encouraging me every single step along the way. 

Completing that race inspired me to continue racing, and eventually get into trail running, which I love. 

Today, though, I run for my son, Liam. My wife, Pam, and I have two amazing children, Clara, who is 6 years old, and Liam, who is 4 years old. My children are my absolute world and they inspire me on a daily basis. My son, Liam, has a very critical form of congenital heart disease (CHD). CHD is a defect in the heart’s structure that’s present at birth, affecting nearly 40,000 babies each year in the U.S alone. His oxygen levels will always be lower than normal, so he gets dusky in color when he gets upset or cries. 

Since birth, he’s undergone four major open heart surgeries, and other related procedures. His surgeries are palliative—not cures. He also has heterotaxy, which is when the organs are not in the correct location of the body, which can affect their ability to properly function. Liam’s lungs and liver are impacted, and he does not have a spleen so he is at higher risk for infections. 

As Liam grows, he will require more cardiac operations. There is currently no cure for his type of congenital heart disease, and due to the cardiac defects that he has, there is an increased risk to liver dysfunction in the future. 

We have been prepared that in Liam’s 20s or 30s, there’s a possibility he will need a heart transplant. This thought is very difficult for us as a family, but we hold onto the hope that medicine and surgical innovation will continue to advance over the next few years. 

In Liam’s honor, I will be running the Grindstone 100K this year in Virginia. It is also my hope to raise awareness of congenital heart disease.

It’s been nine months since Liam’s most recent open heart surgery, and he is getting stronger each month. Seeing his improvement, and watching what he’s overcome has inspired and filled my heart with such gratitude. I’m going to get to that finish line for my son to celebrate his recovery! 

I’m grateful for my family, and the second chance at life I was given after my near-fatal car accident, so having the opportunity to make it to the starting line of these events is a gift. 

With Liam’s operations, running has been therapeutic for me—it’s a time for quiet reflection, and observing what my son has been able to overcome in his young life. It’s also a time to find inspiration on how I can help him, my family, and other families who are going through this journey. 

Anxiety, depression, and PTSD can become overwhelming leading up to my son’s open-heart surgeries, but running allows me a physical and mental release from the stress. 

When I get out there on the trails, I’m able to confront the concerns and worries that I have. Running has always been joyful, and these days it’s also my way to reduce stress, and inspire my children to see that when you work hard and set goals, you can achieve anything. Running is also my way to raise awareness on congenital heart disease and do all I can to help find a cure for the type of cardiac defects that my son, and many other heart warriors have. These tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Stay consistent

Each week I strive to hit a certain mileage that safely builds off the previous weeks, which then helps build a solid foundation for future training. The more consistent I am with mileage, nutrition, and pace, the better I feel at the starting line. I break larger goals into smaller, more achievable goals that over time help build confidence in my training. Over time, small goals can become big wins during the season!2. Rest and recover

In my first few years of running, I felt inspired to get out the door and train as much as possible each week. However, as I’ve been running more over the years, I have come to realize how important rest and recovery are after each training session. Having high mileage weeks is certainly an integral part of the training plan, but after every three to four weeks, I’ve found that taking the time to decrease the mileage during that “recovery” week helps keep me healthy and well rested.

3. Mix up your training and racing

I’m a bit of a hybrid endurance athlete, and I love to race in a variety of long-distance events, from marathons, to 100 mile ultramarathons. I have multiple goals in each discipline, and depending on the time of year and overall goals for the season, I’ll specifically focus on the upcoming race and how I can best prepare for it. This keeps it interesting! My weekly training plan includes swimming, biking, running, and strength training. The variety of the training and different goals has kept me feeling fresh and motivated. 

Brian’s Must-Have Gear 

→ PowerGel Green Apple: I’ve included Powerbar products in my training and racing since I started competing in sports in middle school, and they are a training staple of mine that I use every single day. During a training run or in the middle of a 100-miler, this is a delicious way to get much needed energy to keep running strong.

→ Nike Kiger 9 Men’s Running Shoe: These are my favorite trail running shoes because they are just the right amount of weight with optimum cushion. The way the shoe is designed, my feet feel secure, mile after mile, and I’m able to get an efficient and smooth foot strike with quick turnover. I also love the style and color range of this shoe, and they have the right amount of grip on technical terrain. 

→Inner Armour Sports Nutrition Whey Protein Matrix: With the amount of training I do each week, recovery is essential in order to make the most of the next training session right around the corner. I’ve found great success in this protein formula because it tastes great, it helps hold onto the lean muscle mass when training, and aids the recovery process so I feel refreshed the next day when I get back out on the trails.

A new runner’s guide to injury prevention

Fall is a great time of year to start running, but it’s important to tread carefully to avoid common running injuries that often plague beginners. Whether you’re lacing up your shoes for the first time or returning to running after a hiatus, here’s a rundown of the most prevalent injuries, and strategies to keep them at bay.

Shin splints 

Shin splints, characterized by pain along the shinbone, are a frequent complaint among new runners. To prevent them, start with a gradual increase in intensity and mileage. Invest in proper footwear that provides adequate support and cushioning. Don’t forget to stretch and strengthen calf muscles to alleviate stress on the shins.

Runner’s knee 

Runner’s knee, or patellofemoral pain syndrome, can result from improper running form, weak quadriceps or overuse (a.k.a. doing too much too soon). Ensure you have appropriate shoes (go to a dedicated running store to be fitted, if you can), and consider using insoles, which will increase comfort and support (be sure to remove your shoe’s removable sockliner first). Pay attention to your running technique and avoid sudden increases in mileage. Regularly incorporating strength training exercises (squats, backward lunges and single-leg deadlifts) can provide stability and reduce the risk of this injury.

Plantar fasciitis 

Characterized by heel pain, plantar fasciitis often stems from inadequate arch support. Choose running shoes that offer good arch support and cushioning. Gradually increase running intensity and stretch your calf muscles and plantar fascia regularly to keep them flexible.

Achilles tendinitis 

Tenderness and pain in the back of the heel are telltale signs of Achilles tendinitis. Ensure your running shoes provide proper heel support and avoid drastic changes in running terrain or intensity. Prioritize calf stretches and eccentric strengthening exercises to prevent this injury.

IT band syndrome 

The iliotibial (IT) band runs along the outer thigh and can become inflamed, causing pain. Incorporate a dynamic warmup routine before each run to properly prepare your muscles. Avoid sudden increases in mileage and consider cross-training to prevent overuse.

General rules to stay healthy

Avoid overtraining

Pushing too hard without allowing your body to recover can lead to overtraining injuries. Follow a structured training plan that includes rest days. Listen to your body, and if you experience persistent pain or discomfort, take a break and consult a sports medicine doctor or physiotherapist.

Take the time for a proper warmup and cool-down

Never skip your warm-up or cool-down. Dynamic stretching before your run increases blood flow and prepares muscles for activity, while static stretches after the run aid in muscle recovery and flexibility.

Invest in proper footwear

Get a pair of running shoes that suit your foot type and running style. Visit a specialty running store to get expert advice on choosing the right shoes.

Listen to your body

Perhaps the most crucial advice of all–pay attention to your body’s signals. If something doesn’t feel right, address it early. Ignoring pain or discomfort can turn minor issues into major injuries.

Remember, the key to a successful and enjoyable running journey lies in gradual progress, proper form and respecting your body’s limits. By staying mindful, listening to your body’s cues and following these preventive measures, you can sidestep the most common running injuries and continue to train and improve.

How Athletes Can Bounce Back After Bed Rest

How Athletes Can Bounce Back After Bed Rest Spending a week in bed, à la John Lennon and Yoko Ono, might sound idyllic. But there’s plenty of research showing that the impact on your fitness and health can be brutal. In one 2016 study, young men who spent a week in bed lost 3.1 pounds of muscle, and their VO2 max and maximum strength declined by 6.4 and 6.9 percent, respectively. People spend months, or even years, trying to make gains of that magnitude, but you can lose it in a week.

The picture may be even worse for well-trained athletes. Studies find that those with the highest initial fitness levels suffer the greatest losses during bed rest. Sometimes there’s no avoiding it, though: surgery, injuries, and illnesses—including, notably, COVID—can confine even the fittest athletes to bed. So a new systematic review in the journal Sports Medicine, from researchers Barry Spiering, Jonathon Weakley, and Iñigo Mujika, takes a closer look at how bed rest affects trained athletes, and how to minimize its negative impacts.

The main finding is easy to sum up. A detailed search of four databases turned up an initial batch of 501 studies looking at fitness losses during bed rest, of which a grand total of zero involved highly trained athletes. This isn’t particularly surprising: if you’re a serious competitive athlete, are you going to volunteer for a study that will probably strip you of months of training gains? Still, Spiering’s main takeaway is that scientists should study this question more. If randomized trials aren’t feasible, it should still be possible to take advantage of situations where athletes are forced to take complete rest, for example after surgery, and do some detailed measurements of how quickly their fitness declines and how long it takes to regain.

In the meantime, the researchers did find seven studies involving athletes classified as “Tier 2: Trained/Developmental,” which is a notch above recreationally active, enabling them to extrapolate some tentative conclusions about what happens to more serious athletes.

One key finding was that endurance starts to decline within about three days. The initial rapid decline is associated with a drop in blood plasma volume, while the subsequent gradual decline reflects physical changes in your heart, circulatory system, and muscles. There’s a small body of literature suggesting that you can fight the initial decline by taking in extra fluid and salt to preserve your plasma volume. The studies use a daily dose of 30 milliliters of water and 0.1 grams of salt for each kilogram of body weight (that’s about two ounces of water per pound), starting a week or more before bed rest starts. The evidence for this is intriguing but not yet definitive.

Muscle strength starts to decline within five days. In this case, there’s an initial rapid decline resulting from neuromuscular changes in how signals travel from the brain to the muscles, then a slower decline as your muscles start to shrink. To fight the neuromuscular decline, you can try motor imagery training, which basically involves imagining yourself doing strength training. As far-fetched as this sounds, there’s a robust body of literature showing that it works, including a Scottish basketball team that did imaginary strength training during the initial phases of the COVID lockdown.

To maintain your muscle mass, there are a bunch of possible tactics. You can have a machine move your limbs for hours at a time, use blood-flow restriction, or apply electrical stimulation to your muscles—which helps stave off muscle wasting even in critically ill patients who are comatose. It’s also crucial to get enough protein, particularly because you’ll likely be eating less than usual while confined to bed. Spiering and his colleagues cite a recommendation of 16.5 grams of essential amino acids plus 30 grams of carbohydrate, three times per day. According to muscle researcher Luc van Loon, the most effective way to stimulate muscle growth and maintenance is the combination of ingesting protein and using your muscles—so if you’re able to get out of bed at all, do it when you’re eating, since even shuffling down the hall to the kitchen will help your muscles make better use of the lunch you eat.

There are some other nuances, like the changes in blood pressure and distribution that result from prolonged bed rest. When you’re standing up, gravity pulls your blood down into your legs. When you’re lying down, it gets redistributed to your torso—and your body eventually gets used to that new normal, so that when you finally get out of bed and gravity kicks in, you get a head rush because you don’t have enough blood pressure to keep your brain supplied with oxygen. One countermeasure borrowed from research into how astronauts handle zero-gravity spaceflight is lower-body negative pressure, a complex procedure that basically involves putting your legs into a specially designed box from which the air is pumped out, drawing blood from the core into the legs and simulating the effects of gravity. This is probably more trouble than it’s worth if you’re just in bed for a week with COVID, but is a cool-sounding idea and could be useful for prolonged bed rest.

The final piece of the puzzle is how long you should expect to take regaining your fitness. Given the absence of studies on competitive athletes, it’s impossible to give any firm answers. Studies on non-athletes suggest that it takes about a week to counter the endurance losses of a two-week bed rest, and two weeks to regain neuromuscular function after a four-week break. But it’s possible that athletes, with their higher initial fitness, might take longer to regain those heights. Spiering and his colleagues give a general guideline of two to four weeks of progressive rehabilitation after a break of up to four weeks, but the details will depend on the circumstances and the reason for the break.

All of this is important to competitive athletes who, for one reason or another, get stuck in bed for a few days or more. But it’s also of interest to anyone who plans to get old. The “catabolic crisis” model of aging suggests that muscle mass doesn’t decline smoothly and gradually; instead, we lose disproportionate amounts during brief periods of total inactivity. Being stuck in bed is never fun, and I can’t say that the prospect of mainlining protein and slogging through sets of imaginary push-ups while I’m there promises to improve the experience. But I’m starting to think that it’s better than the alternative.

The core exercises all runners should be doing

Core strength is important for runners as it stabilizes the body, enhances running posture, and optimizes overall performance. While there are hundreds of exercises that improve core strength, not all are created equal. Runners should focus on performing anti-rotation exercises if they want to move the performance needle.

Anti-rotation for better running form

A strong core ensures efficient energy transfer from the lower body to the upper body, reducing wasted movement and potential injury. For runners, core exercises that focus on anti-rotation are particularly beneficial. These exercises, like Pallof presses and plank variations with controlled twists, mimic the demands of running by challenging the core to resist rotation. This reinforces stability during each stride, preventing excessive twisting and maintaining proper alignment, ultimately improving running efficiency and safeguarding against imbalances.

Try adding the following exercises to your strength training regime to improve your running form and run faster for longer.

Exercise 1: Pallof press

Step 1. Wrap a resistance band around a pole or stable object, holding the opposite end of the band in both hands at your chest. (note this can also be done using a cable machine at a gym)

Step 2: Standing so that the pole is to your left, take a few steps to your right until there is some tension on the band.

Step 3: Brace your core and press your hands out in front of you until your arms are straight, resisting the urge to allow your torso to turn toward the pole.

Step 4: Briefly pause once your arms are fully extended, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10-20 times on both sides, for three sets.

Exercise 2: Pallof press holds

Step 1. Wrap a resistance band around a pole or stable object, holding the opposite end of the band in both hands at your chest. (note this can also be done using a cable machine at a gym)

Step 2: Standing so that the pole is to your left, take a few steps to your right until there is some tension on the band.

Step 3: Brace your core and press your hands out in front of you until your arms are straight, resisting the urge to allow your torso to turn toward the pole.

Step 4: Hold your arms out straight for up to 30 seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat three times on each side.

Exercise 3: Plank taps

Step 1: Get into a plank position, either on your elbows or your hands. 

Step 2: Bracing your core and keeping your back flat, reach out in front of you, extending your arm as far as you can, and tap the ground (you can also place a small object in front of you if you prefer). 

Step 3: Return to the starting position, and repeat on the other side. Throughout the movement, resist the urge for your body to drop or shift to one side or the other. Repeat 10 times on each side, for three sets.

Exercise 4: Half-kneeling single-arm row

Step 1: Loop an exercise band around a sturdy object. Get into a half-kneeling position with your left leg in front of you bent at 90 degrees. (note this can also be done using a cable machine at a gym)

Step 2: Grasp the band with your right hand, leaving your left arm at your side (try not to use this arm for stability).

Step 3: Squeezing your shoulder blade, pull the band back until your right elbow is in line with your torso. Hold, then slowly return to the starting position. 

Step 4: Repeat for 10 repetitions on your right, then do the same on your left. Do this three times for each side.

What to do the week before a half marathon

The week before a half marathon can make or break one’s performance. Months of training can be wasted by trying to fit in one last workout. On the other hand, resting too much in the week before a half marathon (or even the week before a 5k) can leave one feeling flat and low-energy on race day. 

Tapering is a training microcycle that usually takes place the week before a key event, such as a half marathon or a 5k. Longer events like marathons or ultramarathons require longer tapers. Tapering for an event is one of the most complicated and mysterious aspects of athletic performance. 

Learn the seven most common tapering mistakes people make the week before a half marathon. Follow the training plan for the week before the race to arrive fresh, fit and fast at the start line!

AVOID THE 7 MOST COMMON TAPERING MISTAKES THE WEEK BEFORE A HALF MARATHON

Tapering for a half marathon the week before is easy to mess up. Don’t make these seven mistakes!

1. TRAINING TOO MUCH BEFORE THE RACE

Many amateur runners think it is good to train hard right up until the race, particularly in the last few weeks. But these efforts turn out to be counterproductive. Standing at the start feeling tired is a recipe for disaster. 

Instead, decrease total training volume by 30-50% in the week before a half marathon, but not the number of intensity sessions. For example, if the total distance ran two-weeks before the event was 50 km, the total distance should be no more than 35 – 25 km in the final week before the event.

Intensity should not drastically decrease despite overall distance dropping. For example, if a training plan usually calls for two days of intensity per week, still perform those two days of intense training during the final week before the event. 

Reduce the number of intervals in a session by 20% of what they were in the last hard week of training. Even though overall running distance decreases, intensity may actually increase relative to the amount of total distance.

The bottom line: a good taper focuses on quality, not quantity. Do short and fast runs; decrease overall training distance by cutting back on endurance run distance.

A good half marathon training plan will have a built-in taper. Check out this FREE half marathon training plan pdf for a good example. Premium adidas Running members also receive exclusive access to customizable training plans from 5k – marathon.

2. NOT WORKING OUT AT ALL

Tapering and reducing training volumes does not mean you should just put your feet up and stop working out. The tricky part about tapering is not to lose the fitness and pace endurance you have built up. The best way to avoid this is by reducing your mileage and focusing on short and intense workout sessions.

In the last week, it is important to get one more hard workout in four or five days before the race. This is designed to give your muscles one last training stimulus and to prepare your body for the demands of the upcoming race.

Retaining intensity while decreasing training volume in the week before a half marathon has been shown to be an effective tapering strategy for most athletes.

3. STRENGTH TRAINING AND UNFAMILIAR EXERCISES

In the week before a half marathon avoid strength training and unfamiliar exercises. Fatigued and/or sore muscles can quickly endanger performance. Of course, continue to do stretching and mobilization exercises if they have been a regular part of training.

One exercise that could be beneficial in the week before a half marathon is a meditation exercise. Often, athletes develop performance anxiety due to the upcoming event and the abundance of energy (if they are tapering correctly). Meditation can help the mind prepare for the demands ahead of it. 

Try the guided meditation below by professional ultramarathoner Timothy Olson:

4. CHANGING EQUIPMENT THE WEEK BEFORE AN EVENT

Never change any equipment the week before a key race! This ranges from running shoes to sports nutrition and diet. New running shoes can cause an injury that robs one of even starting a half marathon. Sports nutrition can lead to cramps or GI issues that ruin a race.

5. POOR DIET AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Letting diet slip the week before a big event is tempting. The body is busy replenishing glycogen stores, appetite is high, but total calorie expenditure should have decreased. This can lead one to give in to sugar cravings, especially if one is nervous about the upcoming event. 

Now is more important than ever to eat like an athlete. Give the body the nutrients it needs to freshen up before putting in an amazing performance. Here are the nine best foods for runners. Don’t skimp on carbs the two days before the event, and use this carb calculator.

Having an extra drink or two might feel good and promote relaxation; however, it can also lead to poor sleep and dehydration. If maximal performance is on the line, skip the nightcap in the week before a half marathon.

6. NOT SLEEPING ENOUGH

Sleep is crucial throughout all training phases, but especially in the week before a half marathon. If one has been training hard, the body needs sleep to rebuild and regenerate. 

Race nerves can prevent athletes from getting quality sleep in the lead-up to an important event. Here are some practical tips to get fantastic sleep during this crucial week:

Go to bed an hour earlier than usual

Wake up an hour later than usual

Take a nap during the day

Meditate instead of lying in bed awake if having trouble sleeping

If sleep doesn’t come (especially the night before the event), just keep eyes closed and focus on breathing

Don’t stress about not sleeping enough (this will cause sleep issues itself)

7. CATCHING UP ON LIFE

Training for an event sometimes means putting other life factors aside for a time. Weeding the garden, helping kids with homework, cooking dinner or finishing a big project at work all take energy. It can be tempting to finally tackle those life factors that have been put off during training since tapering means less time spent training.

Don’t think of tapering as less time training, but more time for recovering. Because recovering is training too, all those projects can wait one more week. Don’t feel guilty about putting the feet up on the sofa or sneaking off for a nap. Ask partners for continued understanding for one more week and assure them their understanding will mean a lot.

TAPERING PLANS FOR COMMON DISTANCES

Tapering is highly individual. Keep notes about how tapering for various events goes to find the ideal tapering strategy. The following half marathon tapering training plan is an excellent place to start to find one’s perfect tapering strategy. It is built for a race that takes place on Sunday. For a Saturday event, shift all the workouts to the left by one day (e.g., recover on the Sunday before the race, then do the slow long-distance run on Monday instead of Tuesday as shown).

Why You Should Stop in the Middle of Your Run

The case for taking more than just a momentary water break

A few years ago, I was out on a run with a friend in New York. It was the first perfect day of the year—60 degrees, partly cloudy. The city seemed new again. As we jogged through the West Village, she suddenly came to a stop in front of a store window. “Let’s go in!” she said. I was baffled. But we’re in the middle of the run, I thought. How could we possibly interrupt this?

We spent a minute browsing the store and, guess what, the world didn’t end. I still got my run in. That day, my friend taught me a lesson that I try to remember whenever I’m taking my sport a little too seriously: One of the great joys of running is that you can go anywhere. Why wouldn’t you stop to enjoy all the stores, parks, cafes, and farmer’s markets along the way?

As runners, we care about the sport. We track our mileage, time, and progress—and fret when a goal outstrides us. And, yes, there’s a time and place for this structured take. Maybe we’re training for a marathon or trying to clock a speedy 5K. But as these long, lustrous days of summer roll on, I’m calling for a free-spirited approach to lacing up. What if we used our precious running hours to see our cities, towns, and neighborhoods on foot? What if we acted as a running tourist?

Summer is the perfect season to prioritize fun on your runs, says Jess Paris, a personal trainer and master tread instructor at SLT. “Heat and humidity can add extra stress and fatigue that makes it difficult to achieve pace or mileage goals,” she explains. “The summer is a great time to take some pressure off those running goals and just enjoy the movement.”

Lately, my boyfriend and I have been channeling this joie de running into our weekend mileage by sprinting to the ocean, jumping in, and jogging home. Sure, we’re a little wet on the way back, but who cares? (Need I repeat, it’s summer!) Paris has similar priorities. “I think it’s a great idea to use your runs as a travel tool to a fun destination or to explore a new place,” she says. “For example, there’s an ice cream shop in my town that I used to run to with a friend to enjoy a cone and hang around town for a bit before running back.”

Paris adds that the middle months of the year are also a great time to prioritize destination running—or taking a road trip and hitting the ground to scope out a new spot. “If you’re on vacation, check out some running routes ahead of time to explore the local area or attractions,” she says.” Just make sure you’re wearing the proper sneakers. For example, if you stumble across an unknown trail, you wouldn’t want to be caught wearing road shoes.

As you enjoy your summer of casual running, remember that you still need to rest. “Too much of anything is not good, even if you’re using running as a fun activity,” Paris says. “At the end of the day, it’s still exercise, movement, and exertion.” Balance out your efforts with plenty of stretching.

Move through dynamic stretches, such as side lunges, before you take your first step, and static stretches, like a forward fold, as you’re cooling down. “On the days when you’re not running, focus on a restorative or cross-training activity like yoga, pilates, or strength training,” Paris says. “All of those types of exercise will make you stronger and help you recover so that you can truly enjoy your fun runs injury-free.”

I’ve been a runner for eight years now, and I still love every part of it—the manic excitement of race day, jogging the sidewalks of my quiet California neighborhood before the world (or, OK, the West Coast) awakes, and the breathless, post-speed run high. It feels like it will never get old. But, to be honest, I think these wandering summer runs are my favorite. There’s something about them that lets you see your surroundings through fresh eyes. And, in this case, I get to see my own backyard anew.

As I was wrapping up writing this story, I couldn’t help myself. I turned to my boyfriend —who was working just five feet away—and said, “Hey, want to run to Venice and watch the skateboarders on the boardwalk?” Next thing I knew, we were lacing up our sneakers.

Ocean, lake, pond, pool—whatever H2O you have access to, make sure you use it to cool down at least once on today’s run.

Refuel with a mid-run snack from the farmer’s market. An incredible baker hangs out at my local spot, selling muffins, croissants, and scones. I love to grab one, digest for a few minutes in the sun, and then run home.

Let’s put an end to all the running window shopping, OK? I dare you to go in and actually poke around. If you’re stinky, just give everyone a wide berth and (of course) don’t try on any clothes.

Maybe you’ve lived in your city for years, but still haven’t visited the most famous landmark. Take this opportunity to run there, explore, then head home.

Parks are essential to the “run, lounge, repeat” lifecycle I love. Find a greenspace near you and make your way there on foot. Once there, lay down, people watch, or read a book on your phone.

Can Exercise Replace Your Antidepressant?

For centuries, we've known anecdotally that movement can improve your mood. Joggers often describe a euphoric runner's high, while swimmers recall an inner calm that lasts long after they leave the pool. In April, researchers published the strongest evidence to date showing that physical activity does more than induce these temporary feel-good effects; It can actually improve depression as effectively as medication or psychotherapy. The findings build on previous studies showing exercise can reduce anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms.

This mounting evidence doesn't suggest you should toss out your medication or skip your next therapy appointment in favor of exercise alone. But it does indicate physical activity could be a powerful first-line treatment for mental health disorders, especially when combined with other therapies.

Based on the data, some experts see exercise as a safe, cheap antidepressant that could help the estimated one third of adults with mental illness who do not receive adequate treatment. And some clinicians are putting this concept into practice, doling out "exercise prescriptions" for mental health. These scripts give patients step-by-step instructions for physical activity recommendations, much like they would with antidepressants or behavioral therapy. But providers say that on the whole, the field has been slow to embrace exercise as medicine for mental illness, and "exercise prescriptions" remain the exception in clinical care, not the norm.

"Exercise is a good, underutilized tool to help with mental health conditions," Ivan Escobar Roldan, a psychiatrist in Florida who regularly writes "exercise prescriptions" for his patients and studies the use of exercise in clinical practice, says. He co-authored a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice in 2021 showing that while many providers generally encourage patients to be active, they don't often give specific instructions due to a lack of training, education, or standardized clinical guidelines.

"Everyone says you should exercise more," Seattle-based clinical psychologist Julie Vieselmeyer says. "But patients always ask: What does that mean? Do I need to take an extra lap around the grocery store, or does that mean I have to go to a gym for three hours every day?"

Currently, mental health providers don't give the clearest answers to these questions.

A Mind in Movement

Exercise is as close to a miracle drug as we've got. Research shows it works as effectively as some prescription drugs in preventing and treating more than 26 different diseases.

When you start a workout, your pulse quickens and breathing deepens as your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to your brain and muscles. Within a few minutes, you likely notice a lift in your mood as your brain releases "happy chemicals" like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin (the same neurotransmitter targeted by antidepressants). The fleeting bliss of a runner's high results from a spike of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream-cannabis-like signaling molecules that are naturally produced in your body and induce feelings of calm.

After your strength or conditioning session wraps up, the positive effects don't stop. Over time, physical activity can increase levels of a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which leads to the creation of new neurons. More BDNF is correlated with reduced anxiety and depression, better focus, improved cognition, and sharper memory as you age.

When people exercise regularly, the brain's hippocampus-the area linked to memory and learning-has also been found to increase in volume. That's not all. With a regular workout routine, people often feel better, sleep better, eat better, and report improved relationships and work satisfaction. Exercising can burn off anxious energy as well as increase resilience to future stress. Eventually, it can even help people taper off medication and cut down on doctor's visits or medical treatments. People who start to exercise before or during middle age typically save between $824 to $1,874 annually on their health care costs after retirement.

"While medications may take a few weeks to work, you see benefits right away with exercise," Escobar Roldan says. "It's not only going to help with anxiety, depression, and many other mental health conditions, but also with patients' overall health and other chronic conditions."

Getting moving can be tough initially. Despite the upsides, less than a quarter of U.S. adults do enough aerobic exercise or strength training to meet the national physical activity guidelines. But once people get going, exercise's instant gratification often kicks off a beneficial feedback loop, Vieselmeyer says.

"When we're making healthy choices, that ends up affecting how we think about ourselves, our self-confidence, and our energy levels-things affect our emotions positively and lead to behavior change," she says. Working out isn't just about quelling anxiety, depression, or negative emotions, but fostering positive ones too.

Matthew Ellison, a late-twenties investment banker based in New York City, has experienced these benefits firsthand. Ellison has a history of anxiety and recently dealt with a bout of depression tied to work stress. With the support of his therapist, Ellison made going to the gym a daily priority. He says the routine pulled him through this period and has become a non-negotiable practice to maintain his mental health.

"Being able to clear my mind, in the morning or late at night, has honestly been the greatest thing for my mental health," Ellison says. "It's the foundation for my mental well-being."

Barriers to Entry

For more than 20 years, Vieselmeyer has been interested in exercise as medicine, and says that amid recent studies, she is seeing more acceptance of the topic across the field. But even with a robust body of evidence, providers still struggle to convert these research breakthroughs into targeted exercise prescriptions.

That's because there's little formal training or education on the topic. Some clinicians are concerned about their patients' health status and worry that exercise might lead to injury or cause a heart attack. Others simply don't have the time to discuss exercise in depth.

Many providers recommend 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) of physical activity per week-guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-but are hesitant to give concrete instructions beyond that. The American Psychological Association's most recent clinical practice guidelines on depression don't mention exercise as treatment.

In his own practice, Escobar Roldan uses resources like this prescription form created by Exercise is Medicine, a global initiative coordinated by the American College of Sports Medicine. The organization also provides a handy action guide to help providers prescribe the right "dose" of physical activity for more than 40 chronic conditions, including mental health disorders. Exercise is Medicine maintains a referral program for health professionals to connect patients with qualified exercise professionals. Some insurance companies also subsidize training programs or gym memberships, or even reimburse health and fitness expenses. But these programs aren't yet commonly used in the mental health arena. "You need a lot of mounting evidence to see a paradigm shift or clinical practice change," says Escobar Roldan. "With more awareness, we're moving towards that, but we aren't there yet."

To get patients moving, Vieselmeyer and Sarah England, a clinical psychologist based in New York, don't use strict "prescriptions." Instead, they draw on techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, one of the most evidence-based forms of therapy. The psychologists use motivational interviewing to explore the root causes of behavior and barriers to exercise. They also target behavioral activation, which uses behavioral shifts like physical activity to influence people's emotional state.

"If clients are severely depressed and unable to do their laundry, I'm not going to suggest running two miles," England, who helps patients set "SMART" goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, says. "We have to behaviorally activate them first, in smaller steps, like walking around the block."

A Happiness Workout

Ellison managed to establish a regular workout routine with only vague encouragement from his therapist. But for many others dealing with mental health issues, symptoms like fatigue or lack of motivation preclude their ability to exercise regularly.

"When somebody is really depressed, it's hard to put the running shoes on and get out the door, even if they know that's going to make them feel a whole lot better," Vieselmeyer says. Sometimes the easiest entry point might be medication or seeing a therapist, and then progressing to exercise, she says.

Much of the evidence behind the antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects of exercise is based on people with mild to moderate cases of mental illness. A few small studies suggest that structured workout treatments can help patients with serious mental illness in inpatient settings. But on its own, exercise is unlikely to alleviate serious mental illness, experts say.

A major reason why mental health providers have been slow to embrace exercise as treatment is because researchers haven't nailed down the exact "dose and effect" like they would with a prescription drug. More research is needed to determine which type of exercise works best, how much is needed, and who it can benefit mentally.

Based on what we know so far, the most effective exercise prescription includes physical activity that is:

Moderate to Vigorous

Escobar Roldan suggests people bring their heart rate up to the point where they are a little bit out of breath. Gardening, walking, dancing, hiking, running, or cycling can all ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Enjoyable

Most studies point to aerobic exercise as a way to boost your mood, but evidence shows strength or resistance training works too. It's more about getting people moving doing something they enjoy, rather than finding the "perfect" exercise, Vieselmeyer says.

Social

Group exercise sessions, from bootcamp to yoga, can be especially effective. People appear to gain more benefit when supervised by trained health and exercise professionals. There's also the extra opportunity to connect with others, which pays dividends on our mental health.

Doable

Vieselmeyer recommends starting small. No triathlon or two-a-days involved. It's more about working out consistently, not calculating the perfect ratio of Crossfit to Pilates.

"Whatever prescriptions are made going forward need to fit with people's lives, or they're just not going to do them," Vieselmeyer says. "There are already enough barriers for people to exercise."

Ultimately, physical activity isn't a silver bullet for mental health-and more intense movement isn't always the best strategy, especially for fitness fanatics who already train hard. "A good long run is not enough to process through your history of trauma," Vieselmeyer says. If exercise alone was the panacea to our mental health crisis, we wouldn't see any mental health difficulties in professional athletes, England notes.

The right exercise prescription comes down to each person's level of physical and mental fitness. "I certainly hope no one is hesitating to prescribe exercise on top of other evidence-based treatments," Vieselmeyer says. "I would rather give patients more tools than fewer, and then see where their interest lies."

Can Exercise Replace Your Antidepressant?

Some doctors are now prescribing physical activity for mental health. Here's why. 

For centuries, we’ve known anecdotally that movement can improve your mood. Joggers often describe a euphoric runner’s high, while swimmers recall an inner calm that lasts long after they leave the pool. In April, researchers published the strongest evidence to date showing that physical activity does more than induce these temporary feel-good effects; It can actually improve depression as effectively as medication or psychotherapy. The findings build on previous studies showing exercise can reduce anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms.

This mounting evidence doesn’t suggest you should toss out your medication or skip your next therapy appointment in favor of exercise alone. But it does indicate physical activity could be a powerful first-line treatment for mental health disorders, especially when combined with other therapies.

Based on the data, some experts see exercise as a safe, cheap antidepressant that could help the estimated one third of adults with mental illness who do not receive adequate treatment. And some clinicians are putting this concept into practice, doling out “exercise prescriptions” for mental health. These scripts give patients step-by-step instructions for physical activity recommendations, much like they would with antidepressants or behavioral therapy. But providers say that on the whole, the field has been slow to embrace exercise as medicine for mental illness, and “exercise prescriptions” remain the exception in clinical care, not the norm.

“Exercise is a good, underutilized tool to help with mental health conditions,” Ivan Escobar Roldan, a psychiatrist in Florida who regularly writes “exercise prescriptions” for his patients and studies the use of exercise in clinical practice, says. He co-authored a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice in 2021 showing that while many providers generally encourage patients to be active, they don’t often give specific instructions due to a lack of training, education, or standardized clinical guidelines.

“Everyone says you should exercise more,” Seattle-based clinical psychologist Julie Vieselmeyer says. “But patients always ask: What does that mean? Do I need to take an extra lap around the grocery store, or does that mean I have to go to a gym for three hours every day?”

Currently, mental health providers don’t give the clearest answers to these questions.

Exercise is as close to a miracle drug as we’ve got. Research shows it works as effectively as some prescription drugs in preventing and treating more than 26 different diseases.

When you start a workout, your pulse quickens and breathing deepens as your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to your brain and muscles. Within a few minutes, you likely notice a lift in your mood as your brain releases “happy chemicals” like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin (the same neurotransmitter targeted by antidepressants). The fleeting bliss of a runner’s high results from a spike of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream—cannabis-like signaling molecules that are naturally produced in your body and induce feelings of calm.

After your strength or conditioning session wraps up, the positive effects don’t stop. Over time, physical activity can increase levels of a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which leads to the creation of new neurons. More BDNF is correlated with reduced anxiety and depression, better focus, improved cognition, and sharper memory as you age.

When people exercise regularly, the brain’s hippocampus—the area linked to memory and learning—has also been found to increase in volume. That’s not all. With a regular workout routine, people often feel better, sleep better, eat better, and report improved relationships and work satisfaction. Exercising can burn off anxious energy as well as increase resilience to future stress. Eventually, it can even help people taper off medication and cut down on doctor’s visits or medical treatments. People who start to exercise before or during middle age typically save between $824 to $1,874 annually on their health care costs after retirement.

“While medications may take a few weeks to work, you see benefits right away with exercise,” Escobar Roldan says. “It’s not only going to help with anxiety, depression, and many other mental health conditions, but also with patients’ overall health and other chronic conditions.”

Getting moving can be tough initially. Despite the upsides, less than a quarter of U.S. adults do enough aerobic exercise or strength training to meet the national physical activity guidelines. But once people get going, exercise’s instant gratification often kicks off a beneficial feedback loop, Vieselmeyer says.

“When we’re making healthy choices, that ends up affecting how we think about ourselves, our self-confidence, and our energy levels—things affect our emotions positively and lead to behavior change,” she says. Working out isn’t just about quelling anxiety, depression, or negative emotions, but fostering positive ones too.

Matthew Ellison, a late-twenties investment banker based in New York City, has experienced these benefits firsthand. Ellison has a history of anxiety and recently dealt with a bout of depression tied to work stress. With the support of his therapist, Ellison made going to the gym a daily priority. He says the routine pulled him through this period and has become a non-negotiable practice to maintain his mental health.

“Being able to clear my mind, in the morning or late at night, has honestly been the greatest thing for my mental health,” Ellison says. “It’s the foundation for my mental well-being.”

For more than 20 years, Vieselmeyer has been interested in exercise as medicine, and says that amid recent studies, she is seeing more acceptance of the topic across the field. But even with a robust body of evidence, providers still struggle to convert these research breakthroughs into targeted exercise prescriptions.

That’s because there’s little formal training or education on the topic. Some clinicians are concerned about their patients’ health status and worry that exercise might lead to injury or cause a heart attack. Others simply don’t have the time to discuss exercise in depth.

Many providers recommend 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) of physical activity per week—guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—but are hesitant to give concrete instructions beyond that. The American Psychological Association’s most recent clinical practice guidelines on depression don’t mention exercise as treatment.

In his own practice, Escobar Roldan uses resources like this prescription form created by Exercise is Medicine, a global initiative coordinated by the American College of Sports Medicine. The organization also provides a handy action guide to help providers prescribe the right “dose” of physical activity for more than 40 chronic conditions, including mental health disorders. Exercise is Medicine maintains a referral program for health professionals to connect patients with qualified exercise professionals. Some insurance companies also subsidize training programs or gym memberships, or even reimburse health and fitness expenses. But these programs aren’t yet commonly used in the mental health arena. “You need a lot of mounting evidence to see a paradigm shift or clinical practice change,” says Escobar Roldan. “With more awareness, we’re moving towards that, but we aren’t there yet.”

To get patients moving, Vieselmeyer and Sarah England, a clinical psychologist based in New York, don’t use strict “prescriptions.” Instead, they draw on techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, one of the most evidence-based forms of therapy. The psychologists use motivational interviewing to explore the root causes of behavior and barriers to exercise. They also target behavioral activation, which uses behavioral shifts like physical activity to influence people’s emotional state.

“If clients are severely depressed and unable to do their laundry, I’m not going to suggest running two miles,” England, who helps patients set “SMART” goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, says. “We have to behaviorally activate them first, in smaller steps, like walking around the block.”

Ellison managed to establish a regular workout routine with only vague encouragement from his therapist. But for many others dealing with mental health issues, symptoms like fatigue or lack of motivation preclude their ability to exercise regularly.

“When somebody is really depressed, it’s hard to put the running shoes on and get out the door, even if they know that’s going to make them feel a whole lot better,” Vieselmeyer says. Sometimes the easiest entry point might be medication or seeing a therapist, and then progressing to exercise, she says.

Much of the evidence behind the antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects of exercise is based on people with mild to moderate cases of mental illness. A few small studies suggest that structured workout treatments can help patients with serious mental illness in inpatient settings. But on its own, exercise is unlikely to alleviate serious mental illness, experts say.

A major reason why mental health providers have been slow to embrace exercise as treatment is because researchers haven’t nailed down the exact “dose and effect” like they would with a prescription drug. More research is needed to determine which type of exercise works best, how much is needed, and who it can benefit mentally.

Based on what we know so far, the most effective exercise prescription includes physical activity that is:

Escobar Roldan suggests people bring their heart rate up to the point where they are a little bit out of breath. Gardening, walking, dancing, hiking, running, or cycling can all ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Most studies point to aerobic exercise as a way to boost your mood, but evidence shows strength or resistance training works too. It’s more about getting people moving doing something they enjoy, rather than finding the “perfect” exercise, Vieselmeyer says.

Group exercise sessions, from bootcamp to yoga, can be especially effective. People appear to gain more benefit when supervised by trained health and exercise professionals. There’s also the extra opportunity to connect with others, which pays dividends on our mental health.

Vieselmeyer recommends starting small. No triathlon or two-a-days involved. It’s more about working out consistently, not calculating the perfect ratio of Crossfit to Pilates.

“Whatever prescriptions are made going forward need to fit with people’s lives, or they’re just not going to do them,” Vieselmeyer says. “There are already enough barriers for people to exercise.”

Ultimately, physical activity isn’t a silver bullet for mental health—and more intense movement isn’t always the best strategy, especially for fitness fanatics who already train hard. “A good long run is not enough to process through your history of trauma,” Vieselmeyer says. If exercise alone was the panacea to our mental health crisis, we wouldn’t see any mental health difficulties in professional athletes, England notes.

The right exercise prescription comes down to each person’s level of physical and mental fitness. “I certainly hope no one is hesitating to prescribe exercise on top of other evidence-based treatments,” Vieselmeyer says. “I would rather give patients more tools than fewer, and then see where their interest lies.”

How Your Feet Recover (or Don't) After a Marathon, According to Research

New research highlights the type of damage that may occur from 26.2 miles of impact.

Participating in marathons can be a thrilling accomplishment, but it’s not always easy on the body—research has highlighted that marathon runners can be prone to serious soreness depending on muscular strength levels, as well as hamstring damage, for example. But what does it do to your feet? New research in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports finds that the larger muscles in the feet may show damage in the form of swelling and soreness for a week or more after a race.

To determine how feet are affected, researchers recruited 22 college runners who ran at least two to three times per week, and who were registered for the Mt. Fuji International Marathon in either 2019 or 2021. They used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the transverse relaxation time of the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles at four different time points: before the marathon, as well as days one, three, and eight after marathon completion.

To help put that into layman’s terms: The intrinsic muscles of the foot originate and insert within the foot itself, while extrinsic muscles originate in the lower leg and connect to the foot by way of the ankle. Both types of muscles stabilize the inner arch of the foot while working to move the foot during walking and running. Transverse relaxation time, also known as T2, is a measure of muscle damage. 

When comparing the T2 values, researchers found significant damage for one of the intrinsic muscles and three extrinsic muscles the day after the marathon, with values fluctuating over the course of eight days.

“This shows that different foot muscles are affected in different ways during a full marathon, with outer muscles more prone to damage than inner ones,” according to lead author Mako Fukano, Ph.D., researcher at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan. He told Runner's World that pressure on the ankle joint during a continuous, long-distance run like a marathon would affect extrinsic muscles the most because they’re the ones that have to work harder to produce an efficient running stride.

“These findings might help for conditioning and injury prevention,” she said. “They give an indication that building strength in your feet could be important for recovery.”

In terms of how to best take care of your feet, the optimal strategy would be a combination of single- and double-leg exercises incorporated into a strength program, said Carol Mack, D.P.T., C.S.C.S. 

“Strength training throughout the marathon training cycle can to help keep the foot and ankle muscles as strong as possible to run long distances,” she told Runner’s World. “For example, single-leg exercises will help isolate the stabilizing muscles in one leg at a time.”

Examples of some exercises to include in your marathon strength routine include single-leg Romanian deadlifts, single-leg squats, and Bulgarian split squats.

Another factor here is to allow time for recovery, she added. In the recent study, researchers only looked at damage in the first eight days after a race and there was still evidence of muscle damage. That means it’s unclear how long the damage may actually affect foot and ankle muscles, Mack said.

“What’s key is to understand that recovery from a marathon takes time,” she said. “In the weeks after a race, it’s important to take time off from impact exercise to let the muscles in the foot and ankle recuperate.”

The benefits of adding strength training to your running routine

Running is one of the most popular sports in the world for people who want to stay fit. It offers many benefits and gives the participants lots of endorphins to get them through the day.

Although running alone is a great form of exercise, there is more you can do to become the best runner you can be. Below are some of the many benefits of adding some strength training to your normal running routine. 

Strengthen Muscles Around Joints

Because running is such a high-impact sport, runners are more likely to develop injuries like shin splints and pulled muscles. Simple strength training exercises can help build and strengthen the muscles around the joints in the knees, ankles, and hips. 

These are the areas where injuries and long-term pain can occur, so it is better to start strengthening the body before problems occur than to experience an injury and have to take time off of running. 

Increased Bone Density

Running is a sport that will keep you strong and increase your bone density, but strength training can do that as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, prolonged strength training will make your bones denser, which is important for runners.

Denser bones mean less chance of diseases like osteoporosis later on in life. That means more years of running long into the future.

Running Longevity

Runners who integrate strength training into their weekly workout schedule may be able to run for longer. Running is known to be quite hard on the body because it is so high-impact. Because of this, many runners are not able to continue running into their 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s because of injuries or long-term wear and tear. 

Doing exercises to strengthen your body early on in your running career will help you to continue running and staying fit for many more years. 

It Offers An Alternative to Running 

Even runners know that it is not good for you to run every single day of the week. Adding strength training to your routine gives certain muscles a break and offers others to get stronger. A good weight training routine interspersed with long and short runs creates a well-rounded workout routine that will keep you fit. Additionally, strength training gives your whole body a break from the intensity that running brings. The key to a good exercise routine is variety.  

Creates a Social Atmosphere

Although runners can form friendships on the running path, it is hard to have real conversations when running. Often running takes all of the breath you have and none can be wasted on conversation. 

Adding strength training to your running routine gives you and your running buddies the opportunity to chat, share running advice, and just get to know each other better.

Strength training is an activity that is growing in popularity and shows no signs of slowing down. The decision to add strength training to your routine as a runner will only help you to grow as an athlete. Once you consider these benefits, run to the gym and get a spot on the bench before they are all taken.

96-year-old eyes world record at Ottawa Race Weekend

Last May, Réjeanne Fairhead laced her Keds and started walking.

Fifty-eight minutes and 52 seconds later, she crossed the 5k finish line at the Ottawa Race Weekend.

Despite entering her first-ever road race without any training, Fairhead set a new Canadian record in the event's 95-99 age category.

Now 96, Fairhead is targeting the world record for women in that age group. To do so, she'll have to shave about three minutes from last year's time.

"I'll do my best," she said. "If it doesn't rain, I have a better chance."

Rain or shine, Fairhead said the record isn't her top priority.

Her main goal is to raise money for Ottawa's Perley Health long-term care home, where she's volunteered for the last 27 years. Her second is to inspire other older adults to stay active.

"A lot of people, when they get older, they don't want to do anything," she said. "If you're able — not saying if you're sick, that's different — but if you're able to, do something."

Moves 'effortlessly'

Unlike last year, when she entered the race cold, Fairhead has been training with Ottawa-based physiotherapist Richelle Weeks since February.

Weeks said she's worked with seniors in the past, but Fairhead's fitness is "far above and beyond" most of her former clients.

"She moves around like she's in her 40s or 30s," Weeks said. "She just moves around very effortlessly."

Weeks said Fairhead grew up on a farm and has stayed active her whole life while raising six children. As a result, she's managed to stay spry into her 90s, Weeks added.

Fairhead's training regimen started light and gently ramped up in difficulty. She started by walking at her projected race pace — first two kilometres at a time, then building toward the full distance.

Weeks also prescribed some simple strength training exercises, such as sit-to-stands and weighted glute bridges.

To break the record, Fairhead will have to hold a pace of just over 11 minutes per kilometre — a speed Weeks said is "bordering on breaking into a trot."

"She's kind of speed walking," Weeks said. "Now, with formalized training, I think we could definitely take those three minutes off."

The Ottawa Race Weekend 5k kicks off at 4 p.m Saturday.

By about 4:55 p.m., Fairhead will know whether she's captured the record.

"I'm anxious for it to be over," she said. "There's been so much commotion."

The Quest for a Simpler Way to Boost Running Efficiency

Plyometrics can make you a more efficient runner, and it turns out they don’t need to be complicated or risky

It’s pretty clear, at this point, that plyometric training can make you a more efficient runner. There’s still plenty of debate about how it works. Does it streamline the signals traveling from brain to muscle? Does it make your tendons stiffer, enabling them to store and release more energy as they’re stretched with each stride? Does it alter your running style so that you take quicker and lighter steps? No one is sure, but there’s little debate that it does something.

As a result, studies like this one in Sports Biomechanics, published last month by a group led by Aurélien Patoz of the University of Lausanne, don’t garner much attention. They found a 3.9 percent improvement in running economy after eight weeks of either plyometric or dynamic strength training, roughly comparable to what Nike’s original Vaporfly 4% shoe produced. (They also found no evidence that either form of training altered running stride in any significant way, for what it’s worth.)

Why no excitement about a free four-percent boost? As someone who has experimented on and off with various forms of plyometric training over several decades, let me venture a hypothesis: it’s perceived as too complicated, and possibly risky, for most of us. Plyometrics involve explosive movements in which you try to maximize the force produced in the shortest possible time. You often see people leaping off steps, bounding over hurdles, and performing various other feats of impressive coordination.

The subjects in Patoz’s study were amateurs with no prior experience with any form of structured strength training. As a result, the exercises they did weren’t especially daunting by plyometric standards. But they weren’t simple, either. Here’s an overview of the program:

Even if you think your hamstrings can handle drop jumps, plyometric lunges, bounding and so on without snapping, you still need various bits of equipment and a bunch of time. Does it need to be that complicated?

That’s the question tackled by another recent study, this one led by Tobias Engeroff of Goethe University Frankfurt and published in Scientific Reports. They stripped plyometric training down to its bare bones, tested it on a group of amateur runners—and still found a significant improvement in running economy after just six weeks. The exact size of the improvement depends on how you measure it and at what speed, but was between 2 and 4 percent.

Engeroff’s plyometric program involved nothing but hopping on the spot. Specifically, “participants were instructed to start with both feet no wider than hip width apart and to hop as high as possible with both legs, keeping the knees extended and aiming to minimize ground contact time.” They started by hopping for 10 seconds, resting for 50 seconds, and repeating five times for a total of five minutes. They did this five-minute program daily, decreasing the rest and increasing the number of sets each week: the second week was 6 sets of 10 seconds of hopping with 40 seconds of rest; the sixth and final week was 15 sets of 10 seconds hopping with 10 seconds of rest, still totaling five minutes.

This program was based on the idea that it’s tendon stiffness that boosts running economy. In particular, the stretch and recoil of the Achilles tendon provides between half and three-quarters of the positive work required for running, by some estimates. Engeroff’s short daily program draws on recent research by Keith Baar and others suggesting that connective tissue such as tendons responds best to brief, frequent stimulus rather than longer and harder workouts. Notably, this approach didn’t injure any of the runners.

The point here isn’t necessarily that daily hops are the new magic exercise that everyone should do. Indeed, it’s worth emphasizing that Patoz’s study found essentially the same improvements with both plyometrics and dynamic strength training. That’s a familiar result in studies that have tried to determine the best economy-boosting regimen: all sorts of different approaches seem to produce similar results. Patoz’s dynamic strength program involves a bunch of bodyweight exercises that focus on concentric contractions: lunges, step-ups, squats, stair jumps. Those are all components of my current strength routine, and I like the idea that, in addition to stiffening my tendons, I might also be strengthening my muscles.

It’s worth acknowledging that the subjects in both these studies were recreational runners with little prior experience of either plyometric or strength training. The minimalist program that works for them might not do much for a serious competitive runner with years of resistance training experience. Those are the people who might need to do the elaborate one-legged triple-axel hurdle hops that you see in online training montages. For the rest of us, though, the message seems to be: do something. It’s as effective as supershoes, and way cheaper.

How to get back into running after a long break

Dusting off your running shoes after a break can be intimidating. If an injury, pregnancy or busy work schedule got in the way of your passion for running, you may wonder if you’re now too out of shape. Will your body even remember how to run a certain pace? Or will your legs feel weak and wobbly? And how many times do you have to pound pavement or hop on a treadmill before it feels fun again?

The good news is that your muscles retain a memory of their former strength, which can make it easier to bounce back than if you were starting from scratch. If you were sidelined for only two or three weeks, you may not even notice a significant change in your running performance, especially if you remained physically active during your time off.

If it has been longer, you may not want to rush back to several-mile runs. Mix running with walking, take time building up strength in unused muscles, and use a few tricks to motivate and reward yourself.

It can take about two months for a new behavior to become automatic. Once it does, it also becomes less taxing. But until then, you want to minimize the potential for injury and frustration. Use these expert-backed tips to get past the annoying retraining period so you can hit the open road with passion.

Ease into a routine.

You are more likely to stick with a running habit if you start with small goals. That may mean holding yourself back a bit, both in terms of pace and distance. “Slow and steady wins the race,” said Karena Wu, a physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy in New York City. Slow down until you can pass the talk test, which means carrying on a conversation while running.

Try to do two to three short, easy runs per week. You could also follow a couch to 5K training plan designed for beginner runners and those who are returning after a long break. Alternatively, you may use a strategy that incorporates walking breaks into your runs.

Whichever plan you pick, be sure it has elements of strength training, stretching and resting. The point is to stay consistent and remember that you are using this time to recondition the muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues in your legs, Dr. Wu said.

Build in immediate rewards.

You may think you can muscle through the first few weeks or months of running, but research suggests that motivation alone is not always enough. Pairing small, immediate rewards to a task — like watching Netflix while on the treadmill or treating yourself to an Epsom salt bath after a long trail run — can make it easier and more enjoyable to continue doing these activities.

“People repeat behaviors that they enjoy,” said Wendy Wood, a research psychologist at the University of Southern California and the author of “Good Habits, Bad Habits.” “If you hate running to begin with, there’s probably not much you can do to motivate yourself to repeat it.”

Short-term rewards can carry you through the days when your motivation is lagging. And they may even accelerate the formation of your new running habit.

Research shows that you can also get psychological rewards from running with a group of friends, affirmations from a coach or listening to your favorite music. Some studies have shown that people who listen to music are able to run faster, perform better and feel less exhausted.

Start strength training.

Strength training helps prepare your body for running again and can keep you injury free for the long haul. Many physical therapists and running experts even recommend strength training a few weeks before returning to running to build up muscle strength, increase flexibility and improve overall biomechanics.

“I think a lot of people use running to get in shape, but I would really recommend getting in shape to get back to running,” said Irene Davis, an expert on the biomechanics of running at the University of South Florida.

Runners tend to be weak in their feet and ankles, as well as their hips and glutes, Dr. Davis said. To strengthen these areas, try weight lifting, yoga, calisthenics or plyometrics at least two days per week.

Dr. Davis and Dr. Wu recommended exercises that train multiple muscles at the same time, like single and double leg calf raises, lateral band walks (or monster walks), planks, lunges, squats and step-ups.

Stretch.

A well-designed warm-up can also get your blood flowing and prepare your muscles for running. Dr. Wu and Dr. Davis recommended dynamic stretches, in which you move your joints and muscles through full ranges of motion, mimicking the movement you’re about to perform without holding them in place. For runners, they are often the same exercises used in strength training, like lunges and squats, as well as butt kicks and high knees.

Research has offered mixed and often contradicting results regarding the benefits of cooling down after a workout. But many athletes and physical therapists, including Dr. Wu, recommend static stretches, in which you hold a position for a period of time, after a run. She also recommended bringing your knee to your chest, pulling your ankle toward your glutes, leaning against a wall to stretch your calves or going into a deep lunge and moving your hips in a circle. Experiment with stretching and see if it makes you feel more flexible or helps you regain energy for the next run.

Get enough rest.

Just because your body remembers how to do a five-minute mile doesn’t mean your muscles and joints are ready for the toll running can take. While you are rebuilding stamina and strength during runs, you’re also breaking your body down in many ways, like opening microscopic tears in your muscles. Taking at least one day off a week will help avoid injury and let you come back stronger, allowing your body time to recover.

During each run, your body also depletes its stores of glycogen, a type of carbohydrate saved in the muscles and liver. Resting and refueling helps replenish these reserves so that you can use them as energy when you run again.

Remind yourself that you are making progress throughout the whole process. Running is an invigorating way to exercise with the breeze in your hair and the ground at your feet. So dust off those shoes and head out the door.

How to conquer your very first 10K

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A 10K RUN FOR THE FIRST TIME

10k runs are super popular because the distance is manageable for most people. Many people choose 10k as their first running event distance. Here are some tips to prepare for the first attempt at a 10k run:

1. CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Ideally, pick a 10k run at least eight weeks away. This gives plenty of time to get in enough running to train the body (especially the legs) to tolerate running for an extended period of time. 

Beginner runners may be running (and walking) for over an hour. Working up to this duration/distance requires running at least three times per week. Speed and duration of the runs are less important than just getting out and running or walking a couple of times a week since polarized training can improve performance for recreational runners. Don’t add more than 15 percent more total distance per week.

2. BUILD UP LONG RUN DISTANCE

Work up to at least 75 percent of the distance (7.5 km) for the long runs. Try to get in a long run once a week or at least every other week. The long runs will help develop the muscular endurance to tolerate running for 10k. They will also help build confidence that the distance is doable.

An easy way to add distance to the long run is to add 500m – 750m to the longest runs usually done. It may not seem like much, but it will add up! 

3. DON’T WORRY ABOUT SPEED

One does not burn considerably more calories by running faster. Speedwork like HIIT and other forms of interval training can add too much intensity for new runners to tolerate. If the goal is just to finish the first 10k run, don’t worry about doing hard runs (unless you want to because they’re “fun”). Instead, just make sure to consistently train and avoid injury.

4. TAKE RECOVERY SERIOUSLY TO AVOID INJURY

Beginner runners might be tempted to run through the soreness and pain that comes from training consistently for their first 10k. Knowing when to ignore the pain and push through comes with athletic experience—beginner runners don’t have this luxury.

Novice runners are at a higher risk for injury than others, as noted in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Here are some indicators that one should stop or drastically reduce training:

Sharp pains that come on suddenly mean stop running immediately or risk getting injured. 

Prolonged soreness and swelling are likely from an overuse injury. Get in some RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) to reduce swelling and speed up recovery. Don’t keep running on the injury, or it could get much worse.

Sickness symptoms below the neck are not worth continuing to train.

5. FOLLOW A 10K TRAINING PLAN

adidas Running Premium Members can create a training plan suited to their ability level, goal finishing time and race distance. The training plan guides training runs so new runners never run too fast and stay motivated to finish their run strong! Download adidas Running to check out other unique features like Live Cheering!

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A 10K RUN (INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED)

Intermediate or advanced runners are looking to improve their 10k time. They may also use 10k runs to build speed for a longer event like a half marathon or marathon. 10k is a great distance to build speed and endurance without adding tons of fatigue. It requires good endurance, a high threshold and maybe even a good sprint at the end. In other words, it’s a great distance to develop into a well-rounded runner. Follow these tips to try for a new 10k PR:

1. MASTER PACE CHANGES

Running a faster 10k requires training to run a faster 10k. Plan to include HIIT sessions and other types of interval workouts in the leadup to the race. Long runs with several kilometers run at or slightly above race pace are key workouts for race-specific intensity. Tempo and threshold workouts should be a staple in a quality, intermediate to advanced running plan. 

2. STRENGTH TRAINING

Advanced runners and intermediate runners looking to jump to the next level should likely be doing strength training. As found in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, specific strength training can improve running performance. This doesn’t mean going to the gym to bulk up. Instead, bodyweight and functional training are sufficient. Check out adidas Training for a running-specific strength training program alongside a running training plan.

3. RECOVER HARD TO TRAIN HARDER

Intermediate runners might be tempted to skimp on recovery to get in another hard training session. This is what separates intermediate runners from unlocking advanced running performance. Elite runners know when it’s time to take it easy and put their feet up on the couch for an afternoon nap. 

4. GET A GOOD TRAINING PLAN

Following a training plan tailored to specific goals and abilities is vital for intermediate to advanced runners. adidas Running even has customizable plans to help achieve a 40-minute 10k. Become a Premium Member and start a plan to set a new PR in just a few weeks!

5. WARM UP

Make sure to warm up properly on race day. Learn how warm-ups can optimize performance and find the perfect warm-up routine.

Consult a medical professional when in doubt.

The benefits of running for mental health

Boosting Mood and Reducing Stress Through Running

Running is an effective form of exercise for improving both physical and mental health. Not only can it help with weight management, but running can also be a great way to boost your mood and reduce stress levels. Many people find that running can be therapeutic and calming, helping them to relax and manage stress better.

In terms of mood-boosting benefits, running increases the production of endorphins, which are the brain’s feel-good hormones. Endorphins not only make us feel good while running but they also have long-term effects on our overall well-being. Studies have found that regular runners tend to report lower levels of depression compared to those who don’t exercise regularly.

Endorphins can also help reduce anxiety as they promote positive thinking and reduce negative thoughts or worries. Running helps to clear your mind, allowing you to focus on something other than your worries or anxieties. Additionally, being in nature while running can allow you to appreciate the beauty of your surroundings while taking a break from technology and other distractions in modern life.

Running is also an excellent form of exercise for reducing stress levels by providing a way for people to release their frustrations in a healthy manner. Exercise can be a distraction from everyday stresses, as it provides an outlet for people dealing with difficult situations or overwhelming feelings of anxiety or despair. Furthermore, studies have found that aerobic exercises like running help increase the amount of cortisol released by the body which has been shown to improve one’s ability to cope under pressure – this makes it perfect for managing stressful situations more effectively.

For those looking to improve their mental health through physical activity and exercise, incorporating regular runs into your routine is an ideal way to do so! As well as boosting moods and reducing stress levels, running is easy and accessible; anyone can start at their own pace with no special equipment needed other than a good pair of shoes! At PMAC, we strongly encourage all businesses to provide mental health awareness about how physical activity contributes towards improved mental health amongst all employees at all levels – making sure everyone understands the value of regular exercise when it comes to emotional well being.

Regulating Sleep Patterns and Improving Cognitive Function With Regular Exercise

Regular exercise has significant benefits for both our physical and mental health. When it comes to mental well being, exercise can help regulate sleep-wake cycles, also known as circadian rhythms, and boost cognitive functions like memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

Circadian rhythms are physiological, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle. They are primarily influenced by light exposure and melatonin secretion. Exercise has been shown to increase sensitivity to light cues that regulate circadian rhythms, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the desired times. This can be especially helpful for those struggling with insomnia or irregular sleep schedules.

Exercise also increases blood flow to the brain, which delivers more oxygen and nutrients that power brain cell function. Studies show that regular aerobic exercise leads to increased volume of brain regions involved in memory, attention, planning, and organization, which translates to improved cognitive performance. Even brief walks or other light activity can provide cognitive benefits for older adults and those with neurodegenerative conditions like dementia.

Overall, establishing a regular exercise routine has significant and wide-ranging benefits for both physical and mental health. Whether it’s a daily walk, jog, strength training session, or yoga practice, find physical activities you enjoy and stick to a regular schedule to experience better sleep, improved cognition, and an enhanced sense of well being.

Strengthening Mental Health Awareness and Creating Positive Habits Through a Running Routine

Establishing a regular running routine has significant benefits for both physical and mental health. For mental health in particular, running can help raise awareness of how you are feeling and thinking, and create positive habits to support well being.

As you run, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. Notice how your mood changes, what you’re thinking about, and how your body feels. This awareness of your internal state is the first step to managing your mental health. If you notice negative or unhelpful thoughts, try to re-frame them into more positive and realistic ones. Recognize and appreciate any positive feelings or accomplishments, however small. With regular running, this awareness and management can become habitual.

Beyond awareness, running also leads to improved sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, and better self-esteem—all of which support mental health. The ‘runner’s high’ can boost your mood and act as a natural anti-depressant. As you achieve goals and see your endurance and speed improve, you build confidence and a sense of achievement. A predictable running routine provides a sense of structure and control, which can decrease stress and symptoms of anxiety. Overall, establishing a regular running routine, even just a few times a week, can significantly and positively impact your mental health. Running fosters awareness and management of your internal state, and creates positive habits and benefits that translate to all areas of your well being. Through running, you can strengthen your mental health each and every day.

About PMAC

PMAC are a leading provider of workplace mental health and well being training. Their team incorporate years of experience to provide bespoke mental health and well being training to companies globally.

How Long Does It Take To Get Used To Running?

You have decided to start running. Well done, you have taken the most important step. But after the first few workouts, you feel tired and want to quit.

In this article, you will find out how long it takes to get used to running.

Generally speaking, it takes an average person about 4 to 8 weeks to get used to running. The final time is influenced by current fitness level, age, and obesity. With a consistent and proper training approach, you will get used to running faster.

Some get used to the stress of running after just a few weeks, while others need several months. It is difficult to give an exact answer because it depends on the person.

Most people think that if you run continuously for 30 minutes without stopping or slowing down too much, you will get used to running.

It is important to follow the guidelines in the beginning so you do not overdo it and give up training or get injured.

Tip

When you enter the world of running, trust the process because you have a long way to go. The more effort you put in, the more you will get back. Try to enjoy every mile of running and the daily victories of yourself. Over time, you will get used to the exertion of running and it will become easier.

Below are tips that will help you get used to running as quickly as possible.

How to get used to running as soon as possible?

Running is not that easy, but with these tips you will quickly get used to the exertion of running.

Here are some guidelines that will help you get the most out of it.

1. Start slow

Whether you have just started running or you want to take it a step further and run a longer distance or get faster, the important thing is to start slow.

If you are a beginner, start with a combination of walking and running. For example, run for 1 minute, then walk for 1 minute, and so on for 8 reps.

Over time, you will build up so much endurance that you will no longer need walking breaks. Run the running segments at a conversational pace. This means that you can talk normally while running without getting out of breath.

In the initial phase of training, you cannot run too slow, just too fast.

In the beginning, three training sessions per week are enough. Make sure you have at least one day of rest between training sessions. Be sure to take at least one rest day between workouts.

2. Progress gradually

It is important to gradually increase the distance and intensity of your running.

If you change your training plan too quickly and do not give your body a chance to adapt, you run the risk of injury or overtraining, which will keep you from continuing to train.

3. Choose a training plan or consult a coach

Novice runners very often start with training that is too intense. They want to progress as quickly as possible, but out of ignorance they overdo it.

If you are new to running, join a running club or choose a training plan to follow. This way you are less likely to overdo it and quickly give up or get injured.

4. Include strength training

It is important to prepare your body for the stress of running to reduce the likelihood of injury. It is necessary to do strength exercises to strengthen muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints.

Runners should do strength training at least twice a week. Research has shown that it is optimal to strength train 2 to 3 times per week for a period of 8 to 12 weeks to improve the running abilities of middle and long-distance runners.

Strength training not only reduces the risk of injury but also improves running technique and thus running economy.

They also improve neuromuscular efficiency, which is the communication between nerves and muscles, by speeding up the nerve impulses that send signals to muscle fibers.

In this way, your muscles are better coordinated for a more intense workout or race and you can run longer.

You can do strength training anywhere, even at home, without excuses.

5. Focus on running technique

With proper running technique, you can improve your running economy and efficiency. You will tire less, be able to run longer and get used to the effort of running faster.

When running, it is important to:

Keep your body straight, lean slightly forward

Look straight ahead.

Arms are bent at the elbows at a 90-degree angle. Swing your arms in the direction of your movement.

Do not clench your fists, keep your palms open.

Pay attention to the position of your feet. Do not run on your heels. When running fast, run on the balls of your feet.

Tip

Avoid overstriding, as this wastes too much energy and decreases your performance. Foot strike should be just below the knee and slightly in front of your center of gravity. This maintains speed and helps avoid braking. It also protects the knee and allows the muscles and tendons of the legs to absorb the force of the impact.

6. Take care of adequate recovery

Recovery is just as important as training.

Do not neglect your rest days, no matter how good you feel. More training does not mean you will progress faster.

Without adequate recovery, you risk injury, and it is very likely that results will stagnate. This will further demotivate you and you will most likely give up.

7. Listen to your body

Every runner is an individual and each of us knows our body best.

Listen to your body and gradually push your limits.

If you feel tired or sore, take a break and let your body recover before continuing. However, do not let a lack of discipline and motivation keep you from sticking to your plan and reaching your goal.

8. Be patient

Patience is a trait of every runner because nothing happens overnight. It takes time for the body to get used to the exertion/effort of running.

Just as one missed training session will not set you back, one training session is not enough to make progress.

9. Keep a running log

Record the workouts you complete in a running log. Describe how you felt before, during, and after the workout. Note which workouts were easy and which were too hard.

Keeping a log makes it easier to monitor your progress and review your goals to see if you are on track.

Tip

Keeping a running log not only helps you track your progress, but also helps you stay motivated. When your workouts get too strenuous, you can refer back to your previous records and remind yourself of the progress you have made since you started.

10. Don’t compare yourself with others

There will always be runners who are faster or slower than you. Focus on yourself and your abilities and push yourself to your own limits. Others can only help you get the best out of you.

11. Believe in yourself

I often hear “I can’t do that”, but don’t limit yourself with bad preconceptions. Prove to yourself that you can do it the very next workout.

There will be better days and worse days. Sometimes you can’t wait to go running, and sometimes you just don’t feel like it. And that’s perfectly normal. When a crisis comes to you, remember why you are running and what your goal is.

If you listen to the coach’s advice or follow the training plan, and take care of your nutrition and hydration, there is no reason why you can’t run.

What running taught me is that the more effort you put in, the more you will get back.

12. Enjoy running

Finally, no matter how crazy it sounds, enjoy it. With a smart approach to training, that is possible.

Strength Exercises to Run Faster

Once you fall in love with running and embark on your journey of training for races, it is natural to aim to run faster. When you are a beginner, the improvement in speed is a consequence of the quantum rise in endurance. This is because the gains are initially faster and taper off as you become a seasoned runner. Subsequent gains require you to add a variety of workouts to your training. 

The two methods to become a faster runner are speed workouts and strength training workouts for runners. The former is an essential component of speed training and focuses on developing your cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen and clear metabolic waste. Speed workouts include intervals, tempo runs, and repetitions. However, we are not going to focus on them because they are a staple of speed training in any case.

The latter aspect pertaining to strength is often neglected. However, it is this factor that activates muscles to develop power for speed. If we analyze the biomechanics of running, two facets stand out. These include the forward drive with the knee and the push-off with the ball of the foot. Do note that these actions need to be powerful. 

The forward drive requires the hip flexor to be strong. The push-off is a combination of the entire chain, which includes the calves, hamstrings, and glutes, providing propulsive power. You need to build some specific body parts to increase your running speed. 

Here are a few types of bodyweight strength, gym strength, and high-speed running exercises to help you run faster over a period.   

Forms of bodyweight strength exercises: Step-by-step guide

Listed below are some bodyweight strength exercises for runners that you may consider taking up:

1. Single-leg squat

The single-leg squat works the calves, thighs, glutes, and abdominals. This exercise is important for developing leg strength and helps in a larger ground reaction force at push-off. So, this leg workout for runners aids in increasing your overall stride length.  

Start by standing on your right leg. Now, lift the other leg off the ground and either extend it at 45 degrees in front or bend it at the knee. Keep your arms in front of you to stabilize your body.

Engage your core and move your butt back to slowly lower yourself until you are either at a half squat position or deeper if your leg strength is in a good enough posture 

Squeeze your abdominal muscles and glutes, as you push off the ground to come back to your starting position. Keep the left leg off the ground through the sequence.

Start with five repetitions (reps) and build up to 10. Do three sets for each leg.

2. Box jump

This workout targets the calves, glutes, and thighs. It helps develop explosive power in these muscles. Choose a box that is about 14-inch to 20-inch high. Use a height that works for you when performing this workout. It helps in an explosive push-off, which allows you to run faster when a speed workout demands it. 

Keep the box about one short step away

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart

Sink down into a squat with your arms swinging back at the same time

Explode upward by pushing off the ground with your feet. While doing this, your Achilles tendon and calves will generate force. Use your arms to now swing forward and upward to add momentum to your movement.

Ensure you land on the box with your knees bent and have a soft landing

Step off the box

Perform about five to eight reps and two to three sets. Make sure to recover well between each jump.

3. Walking lunges

The walking lunge is one of the best core exercises for runners. It closely mimics the functional muscles used in running. It strengthens the quads, hips, and core. This exercise will help stabilize the body during the stance and push- off phase of running, allowing you to maintain posture at faster speeds. 

Stand tall with your hands on your hips and step forward with your right leg; place the foot firmly on the ground

Sink your hips while keeping your torso upright and bending your right knee. The left knee will come close to the ground in a lunge.

Pause and feel the quads of the right leg contract to hold you in position isometrically

Ensure that your right foot is planted firmly in place. Now, rise and make a smooth transition by stepping forward with the left leg. 

Sink your hips and bend the left knee 

Repeat by alternating legs, as if you were walking forward with each lunge

Do 10 to 12 reps on each leg. Perform two to three sets.

4. Split jumps

This workout plays a pivotal role in core strength training for distance runners. It takes the standard lunge to the next level by helping you develop explosive power. It builds the hips, glutes, and core, helping you develop stability and balance. This aspect is imperative when running fast because balance and stability will help you maintain biomechanics. 

Stand tall with the right foot placed about 2ft–3ft in front of the left foot. This is called a staggered stance. Keep your arms by the side.

Engage your core and keep your torso upright. Lower into a lunge with the right thigh reaching parallel to the floor and bend your knees. The left knee will come close to the floor. 

Swing your arms up to gather upward momentum while jumping up explosively

Switch your legs while you are in the air so that your left leg comes forward and the right leg swings back

Land softly into a lunge with your left foot bent at right angles and your right knee coming close to the ground

Continue alternating legs in an explosive manner

Perform a total of eight to 10 reps. Do two to three sets. 

Types of gym strength exercises

Here are a few forms of gym workouts that can be beneficial  in strength training for marathon runners: 

1. Deadlift

It is a compound exercise, which targets the major body muscles, such as hamstrings, quads, glutes, core, shoulders, lower back, and upper back. You may perform this workout with a barbell or use dumbbells as an alternative. You will develop propulsive force at the hips and glutes, which will translate into a harder push-off from the ground.

Choose an appropriate weight for the barbell and place the equipment on the ground such that the forefoot is under the bar. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart. 

Bend forward with a straight back and grip the bar with an overhand grip (the palm should be facing toward your body), a little more than shoulder-width apart. To do this, squat down a little bit and bend your knees. Your head should be in line with your spine. 

Think of the hip as a hinge and lift the bar off the ground by straightening up. The knees and hips will extend smoothly and the shoulders will push back as the bar reaches the thighs. Remember that if the transition from bending over to straightening up is done in proper form, the bar will graze the shins and knees on its way up. 

Lower the bar slowly, ensuring you keep a straight back again

Perform six to eight repetitions. Do two to three sets. 

2. Seated calf raises

 The calves are constantly being worked when running. They are a major muscle group that comes into play for the push-off. This muscle group has two muscles. These include the outer calf (gastrocnemius) and the inner calf (soleus). The seated calf raise targets the soleus in a focused way while also working the gastrocnemius. With strong calves, you are likely to become a faster runner. 

Sit upright on a bench with your feet flat on the ground

Ensure that the bench’s height is such that your hips are more or less in level with your knees

Grab two dumbbells and place them on your knees

Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly lift your heels off the ground while keeping the ball of the feet planted firmly

Make sure to lift the heels to the highest possible level so that your calves feel a full contraction 

Lower your heels back as slow as possible

Perform 10 to 15 reps. Do two to three sets.

Kinds of high-speed running exercises

Here are two high-speed running workouts to include in your training schedule:

1. High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Tabata sprints

In this high-intensity form of running training, the heart rate reaches 95%-98% of your maximum heart rate for a short period. It works the anaerobic system and provides a boost to the neuromuscular system that trains the legs. You need to develop power and fast feet when executing this workout. So, you get trained for speed, which makes a transition into your submaximal runs, such as the half and full marathons. This training also improves running economy, which is a measure of how much oxygen you use at a certain submaximal speed. 

Begin with a warm-up by jogging gradually for 10–15 minutes

Choose a track or a straight and level road with no obstructions or uneven surface

Start a sprint and build as much speed as you can within 20 seconds

Slow down and walk or jog for 10 seconds

Repeat this eight times to get a 4-minute workout

Do only one set if you are a beginner

Rest for 90 seconds and repeat this activity for two to three sets if you are a seasoned runner

2. Hill sprints

Hill sprints help you develop a combination of leg strength and speed. They are also easier on the legs because the pounding you take is much less than running on a level surface. Apart from being useful in preparing you for hills in races, this exercise develops faster running ability since you are working against your body weight on an incline. 

Start with a warm-up by jogging with ease for 10–15 minutes

Choose a hill that has an inclination of 8%-12% with no obstructions or uneven surface

Burst up the incline in a sprint for 10–15 seconds

Slow down, turn around, and walk back down the hill

Ensure you have recovered well and your heart rate has dropped

Repeat this six times. Add a repetition every week to reach 12 reps. 

How 51-year-old Ken Rideout Runs Sub-2:30 Marathons

Relentless dedication and strength training are some of the keys to his success 

Ken Rideout insists he’s just an average guy who likes to run marathons as fast as he possibly can.

He admits he’s never been a great athlete, but, at the same time, his commitment to training and his results are extraordinary. The 51-year-old resident of Nashville, Tennessee, has blossomed into one of the world’s top masters runners with a fierce competitiveness that has helped to consistently run some astonishingly fast times at World Marathon Majors races over the past several years.

He won the 50-and-over division at the New York City Marathon (2:33:31) in 2021 and the Boston Marathon (2:30:21) in 2022 and he has come in second in that age division in London (2:29:54), Chicago (2:29:53) and Berlin (2:35:48). He also won the 2021 Myrtle Beach Marathon outright in 2:30:58 just before turning 50.

On March 5, he’ll toe the starting line at the Tokyo Marathon in an attempt to once again compete for a podium finish in his age division.  He ran 2:29:14 to win his division in Tokyo.

At 5-foot-10, with a muscular physique, Rideout breaks the mold of both typical elite runners and faster recreational runners. It’s his relentlessness to being the best he can be — including and especially his strength training — that sets him apart as an age-group runner and not any inherent talent as an endurance athlete.

“When I am in a race, my mindset gets to the point that I’m gonna run until I collapse,” Rideout says unapologetically about his steadfast approach. “I’m gonna give every ounce of energy until there’s nothing left to give. Win or die trying, that’s the message. If you have that mindset, you can’t lose.”

Growing up in a troubled family in a rough suburb of Boston and taking up boxing at an early age, Rideout has applied a fighter’s mentality and a notorious work ethic to every challenge he’s faced in life, sometimes to his own demise.

As a teen, he took a job as a prison guard where his dad and brother were incarcerated. He worked his way through college, eventually earning a sociology degree from Framingham State University. Although he became a self-made, overachiever as a financial services sales executive, he admitted he suffered from imposter’s syndrome working alongside many Ivy League colleagues and eventually struggled with burn-out, and was diagnosed with substance use disorder tied to his excessive opioid use.

After working through a recovery program, Rideout found a more balanced path in life,  channeling his energy into endurance sports, following a mostly vegan diet and the joy he shares with his wife and their four young children.

Rideout first applied his intensity to triathlon and qualified for the Ironman World Championships three times and won the 40-44 age division at Ironman Wisconsin in 2015 with a 9:36:15 effort. But that sport took too much time away from his family, so he turned his focus to marathons in 2019.

So how does someone who started running in his late 30s and didn’t really focus on it until his 40s become fast enough to run 5:45 pace for a marathon after turning 50? Being unabated in his approach every single day.

“I’ve heard some people say I’m lucky to be able to do this at my age, and I’m like, ‘I’m not lucky,’ I work my ass off every day,” he says. “I eat a perfect diet during the week. I work out twice a day. I’m a freaking lunatic with this stuff. I live this full-time.”

Despite his exuberance and intensity, Rideout says he’s grateful that most of his running brings a Zen-like calm to him. He admits he doesn’t want his energy to lead him to a dark place again. When he can, he listens to podcasts or audiobooks while he’s running because he wants to be able to maximize his time to train and learn something at the same time.

“This is just my outlet,” he says. “Running is one of the things that makes me feel good about myself.”

When Rideout turned his focus to running five years ago, his training initially consisted of a 10-mile out-and-back run with 1,200 feet of vertical gain six days a in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. The other day of the week he’d typically run 20 miles as hard as possible. While that helped continue to build his aerobic base and led him to a 2:40 effort at the Los Angeles Marathon, it only got him so far.

In 2019, he hired coach Mario Frailoli, who added structure to his training by increasing the length and adding specificity to his long runs, implementing speedier workouts into his routine and also encouraging him to slow down on his easy days that help optimize recovery.  He also makes sure that he stays between 70 and 80 miles per week. Since then, he’s run 2:36 or faster six times, including a 2:28:25 personal best at the age of 48 at the 2019 California International Marathon.

In addition to his run training, he works on strength in his home gym four days a week with a circuit that includes pull-ups, squats, bench press and numerous core exercises, as well as boxing drills — including punching a heavy bag. His functional strength and athleticism are among his biggest assets, something that many recreational runners lack, Fraioli says.

Plus, because he’s not burdened by having 35 years of running in his legs, he still has considerable elastic recoil in his legs. (And yes, his carbon-fiber plated Reebok Floatride Energy X shoes also help, Rideout says.)

“He’s doing it right, and honestly, he has been doing it all long,” Fraioli says. “He has more than 10 years of aerobic development under his belt and a lot of that came on a bike and in the pool. And I think the strength training really just helps to keep him in one piece. It’s giving him that structure and that guidance and honestly just keeping him from, you know, completely running himself into the ground.”

Although he still works in the financial world, Rideout has also helped train mixed martial arts fighters and boxers, and is the co-host of the combat sports podcast, “The Fight with Teddy Atlas.” Because of his success and notoriety, he has been all over the media in recent years, including appearances on high-level podcasts with Rich Roll, Joe Rogan, Samantha Nivens, Dr. Andrew Huberman and Fraioli’s “The Morning Shakeout” weekly running show a couple of times.

Rideout has been eager to share his story — and fans and followers seem to appreciate his vulnerability — but insists he’s not special or extraordinary, especially as an athlete.

“Everyone has what I have. I’m an average guy” says Rideout, who played hockey and football in college. “The only thing I do that other people don’t do is I try as hard as I can, I dedicate myself to being the best I can be. And I would say that if there’s one metric that matters above everything — and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know this — it’s that consistency is the most important thing. Show up every day.”

You Need to Fuel Strength Training Differently. Here's How to Do It Right.

In the off-season, many runners head to the weight room for a strength-focused training block. Strength training is a different stimulus for the body than the aerobic nature of running, and therefore requires a different kind of fueling. Most people associate weightlifting with protein powders, and for good reason: dietary protein triggers the metabolic adaptation and rebuilding of muscle, a process known as muscle protein synthesis (MPS). But eating for strength is not quite as simple as just eating more protein.

The nutrition strategies for muscle building and strength are complex and interrelated. To get the most out of your work in the weight room, lean into these important factors when planning your strength training and daily diet.

Timing of protein intake

Not only is it critical to meet your daily protein and energy needs, but the timing of protein and carbohydrates is key to optimizing strength gains and recovery.

The window of anabolic opportunity begins in the hour before a strength session and lasts up to 24 hours after resistance training.

Pre-workout

Consume 15-20g protein, 25-50 grams of carbohydrates (carbs), and 16-24oz of water in the hour before resistance training. If an aerobic endurance session follows your resistance training, increase carb intake to kickstart glycogen replenishment.

During a workout

Fueling during a strength session depends on whether you are coming from an endurance session, missed the pre-workout snack, or are going into an endurance workout next. Generally, it is not necessary to fuel during a session unless you need some energy. In that case, a sports drink with carbohydrates is a good idea. Regardless, plan on bringing water and always start your workout well-hydrated.

Post-workout

To enhance muscle repair, accelerate glycogen repletion, and promote favorable changes in body composition, plan for a snack or meal containing both protein and carbohydrate.

In the early recovery phase (0-45 minutes after a workout), consume 15-25 grams of protein along with 25-50 grams of carbs and 20 ounces of fluid per pound of weight lost during the session. It's worth noting that consuming more than 40 grams of protein at once has not been shown to enhance the muscle rebuilding response. Just because the body-building world glamorizes the consumption of protein, more is not necessarily better. If you consume more protein than is needed, the extra protein is either burned for energy, which is not very efficient, or stored as fat, which is likely not desirable.

Your nutritional choices around training are often influenced by convenience and practicality. Unless you are going into a meal, aim for on-the-go food such as Greek yogurt with fruit, peanut butter and honey or jelly sandwich, low-fat cheese, and crackers, chocolate milk, or a protein bar.

Daily Nutrition

Since muscle protein rebuilding is ongoing for at least 24 hours, consuming adequate nutrition to support MPS long after the workout is recommended.

The athlete's size and age are determining factors in how much to consume at one time. Smaller athletes' may need only 15-20g, whereas larger athletes with more muscle mass and higher energy output can easily incorporate up to 30-35g protein at one meal. Older athletes (>55-60 years old) require more protein to achieve the same effect due to the progressive loss of muscle mass associated with the aging process.

To maximize physical adaptation and maintain a robust immune system, the timing and amount of protein/carbohydrate are critical. Here is a general guideline.

Meals

Include protein at each meal (15-35 grams, depending on size and age of athlete).

Snacks

Bridge the gap between meals that are more than four-five hours apart. Include 10-15g of protein in snacks.

Bedtime snack

Dairy protein (made up of whey and casein) is ideal due to casein's slow-releasing nature and the fast-releasing nature of whey. In addition, the whey/casein pairing supports muscle building/repair during the overnight fast.

Camille Herron’s Advice: Skip the Long Run

Bones are made of dynamic tissues that need stress, just not too much, says one of the world's best ultrarunners

In January, my social media feeds were filled with the typical new year posts—year-end recaps, reflections and resolutions, and hopes for the coming year. But one tweet caught my eye.

Ultrarunner Camille Herron shared one reason why she thought she was “crushing world records” in her forties: She only does one or two long runs a month (nothing over 22 miles) and she never does back-to-back long runs. Case in point: she ran one easy 20-miler in the lead-up to the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival’s 100-mile race last year, which she won outright. Instead, she focuses on cumulative volume and running frequency.

In her words, “Long runs are overrated.”

In the world of ultrarunning, where there’s a bravado around epic big-mileage days, Herron seems like an anomaly. Among the replies to her tweet, there was curiosity tinged with a side of skepticism. How could an ultra-distance athlete—one who holds world records for 100 miles and for the longest distance covered in 24 hours—run no longer than what you’d typically do in a marathon build-up? Shouldn’t her training mirror what she’d need to do in an ultra?

Karen Troy saw Herron’s tweet too. But her first thought was, “Wow. Someone’s actually trying to do it.” To Troy, who’s a professor of biomedical engineering and the director of the musculoskeletal mechanics lab at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Herron’s training philosophy reflected what she’d read in scientific journals and seen in the lab related to mechanical stress and bone adaptation. “To me, it really aligned well with a lot of the theory,” she says.

Bone is a dynamic tissue. It changes, adapts, and gets stronger in the same way that muscles do. And in order for them to get stronger, you have to load them.

Bones have a “set point”—akin to the thermostat in your house—for the optimal amount of mechanical stress it wants to experience. Depending on the amount and rate of force transmitted through the bone, bone cells respond by either adding or removing bone. Too much force and the cells build bone to temper the load. Too little force and the cells get rid of bone so that it can sense more load.

Scientists have long been interested in finding the sweet spot between the amount of physical activity that induces adaptation and strengthens bone and the amount that can lead to injury—a fine line that many runners are intimately familiar with. What they’ve found in studies with animals like mice and rats is that, after back-to-back loading cycles, bone cells start to ignore the mechanical stress and stop adapting. Troy says it’s like when you walk into a smelly room. “It smells pretty bad for 10 to 15 minutes, and then you adapt. If you stay in the room, it stops smelling,” she says.

However, just like your nose can become re-sensitized if you leave the smelly room, bone cells do too. Studies have found that bone cells start to pay attention to mechanical stress again after a four-to-eight-hour rest period. When you spread the load over multiple sessions rather than one sustained bout, you gain more bone. (Tendons and ligaments respond similarly.)

The evidence suggests that distance running has diminishing returns when it comes to bone health. Troy hypothesizes that bone may respond to the stress of running over the first half mile or so but then become desensitized to the monotonous, repetitive loading. “You’ll get muscle and cardiovascular adaptations, but your bones aren’t paying attention anymore,” Troy says. “You’re just adding miles and potentially accumulating damage, but you’re not going to add adaptive stimulus that will help the bone become stronger.”

There isn’t a lot of data in people, making Herron an interesting case study. “Humans are made to move frequently,” Herron says. “The body responds to change and dynamic stimuli, so you need to stress the body in different ways.” It’s an approach she believes can work for runners at all levels and distances.

Her training is peppered with frequent, shorter bouts of running. Most days, Herron will run 10 to 15 miles and then doubles back for six or seven miles after a four-to-eight-hour rest period. Over a two-week period, she completes four main workouts—short intervals like 400-meter repeats; long intervals like one-to-three-mile repeats; a progression run, usually incorporated into a long run; and a hill session where she stresses both the uphill and downhill components to load her body eccentrically.

In between workouts, she runs easy and incorporates strides and drills twice a week. She likes to race a marathon or 50K a couple of weeks before a big race as a way to practice her nutrition and stress her body “just enough.”

“You can’t just look at a singular long run or back-to-back long runs. You have to look at the whole picture. Every run is like bricks that add up over time,” she says. Over the years, Herron has played around with her training formula and has cut back on her long runs, emphasizing quality over quantity and running for time rather than just distance. “I’m totally fine doing two hours as my long run,” she says.

It makes sense that Herron’s training is steeped in science. She was pre-med at the University of Tulsa before turning her focus to scientific research, studying the impact of strength training on bone and muscle. In graduate school at Oregon State, she investigated the relationship between mechanical stress and bone recovery for her master’s thesis. By studying bones, maybe she hoped to understand why she experienced multiple stress fractures in high school and college. What she learned shaped how she trains.

But she didn’t put the theory into practice right away. Early in her marathon career, she was still doing long runs up to 26 miles. It wasn’t until she started training at altitude that she began to split up her runs. Her coach (and husband) Conor Holt thought it would help her acclimate to the altitude, but she says, “It was like a rocket to the moon.” She recovered better and felt more spark in her legs.

Sabrina Little, ultrarunner and five-time U.S. National Champion, has also seen the benefits of this style of training. In college, she used to log big miles, a 30-mile run before doubling back for another 20 miles the next day. But once she graduated, she no longer had the luxury of dedicating endless hours to training. She expected to be less prepared for races but a funny thing happened—she performed better. It turns out that running multiple times a day may have other performance-boosting effects too.

“When I set the American record in the 24-hour run, my longest run was maybe 16 or 17 miles,” Little says. She would train in the morning and then come back for a faster session in the afternoon. “Breaking things into shorter blocks was beneficial. I was able to do higher integrity work instead of just long, slow distance,” she says. She thinks it helped her body absorb her training.

Now, as a parent to two young kids, Little definitely doesn’t have long blocks of time, so she practices what she calls “prepositional running”—before things, between things, and after things.

However, both Herron and Little logged many miles before happening upon their current training strategy. “I don’t want to say big days aren’t needed, but it’s hard to say what role they play,” Little says. “There’s a way in which the big races are kind of grandfathered into your legs, like you’re never too far away from your last 50-miler.”

While Herron and Little’s training mirrors research findings, it can’t be considered in isolation.

There are other factors that influence bone health and adaptation aside from mechanical loading—genetics, nutrition, running gait, and how much bone you laid down during your peak bone-building years. Hormonal health matters, too, because bone cells have sex hormone receptors. If your hormone levels are low, Troy says it tips the balance toward bone removal, leaving the tissue more vulnerable to injury.

Whether or not eschewing long, sustained bouts of running is the key to success and injury prevention, there are benefits to fostering the idea that not everyone needs big days on the road or trails.

“Most people have responsibilities and can’t spend all that time outside,” says Little. “People should know there are other possibilities. It could get a broader scope of people participating.”

Avoid the seven most common tapering mistakes the week before a half marathon

The week before a half marathon can make or break one’s performance. Months of training can be wasted by trying to fit in one last workout. On the other hand, resting too much in the week before a half marathon (or even the week before a 5k) can leave one feeling flat and low-energy on race day. 

Tapering is a training microcycle that usually takes place the week before a key event, such as a half marathon or a 5k. Longer events like marathons or ultramarathons require longer tapers. Tapering for an event is one of the most complicated and mysterious aspects of athletic performance. 

Learn the seven most common tapering mistakes people make the week before a half marathon. Follow the training plan for the week before the race to arrive fresh, fit and fast at the start line!

Tapering for a half marathon the week before is easy to mess up. Don’t make these seven mistakes!

1. TRAINING TOO MUCH BEFORE THE RACE

Many amateur runners think it is good to train hard right up until the race, particularly in the last few weeks. But these efforts turn out to be counterproductive. Standing at the start feeling tired is a recipe for disaster. 

Instead, decrease total training volume by 30-50% in the week before a half marathon, but not the number of intensity sessions. For example, if the total distance ran two-weeks before the event was 50 km, the total distance should be no more than 35 – 25 km in the final week before the event.

Intensity should not drastically decrease despite overall distance dropping. For example, if a training plan usually calls for two days of intensity per week, still perform those two days of intense training during the final week before the event. 

Reduce the number of intervals in a session by 20% of what they were in the last hard week of training. Even though overall running distance decreases, intensity may actually increase relative to the amount of total distance.

The bottom line: a good taper focuses on quality, not quantity. Do short and fast runs; decrease overall training distance by cutting back on endurance run distance.

2. NOT WORKING OUT AT ALL

Tapering and reducing training volumes does not mean you should just put your feet up and stop working out. The tricky part about tapering is not to lose the fitness and pace endurance you have built up. The best way to avoid this is by reducing your mileage and focusing on short and intense workout sessions.

In the last week, it is important to get one more hard workout in four or five days before the race. This is designed to give your muscles one last training stimulus and to prepare your body for the demands of the upcoming race.

Retaining intensity while decreasing training volume in the week before a half marathon has been shown to be an effective tapering strategy for most athletes.[1]

3. STRENGTH TRAINING AND UNFAMILIAR EXERCISES

In the week before a half marathon avoid strength training and unfamiliar exercises. Fatigued and/or sore muscles can quickly endanger performance. Of course, continue to do stretching and mobilization exercises if they have been a regular part of training.

One exercise that could be beneficial in the week before a half marathon is a meditation exercise. Often, athletes develop performance anxiety due to the upcoming event and the abundance of energy (if they are tapering correctly). Meditation can help the mind prepare for the demands ahead of it. 

Try the guided meditation by professional ultramarathoner Timothy Olson, posted in a video:

4. CHANGING EQUIPMENT THE WEEK BEFORE AN EVENT

Never change any equipment the week before a key race! This ranges from running shoes to sports nutrition and diet. New running shoes can cause an injury that robs one of even starting a half marathon. Sports nutrition can lead to cramps or GI issues that ruin a race.

5. POOR DIET AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Letting diet slip the week before a big event is tempting. The body is busy replenishing glycogen stores, appetite is high, but total calorie expenditure should have decreased. This can lead one to give in to sugar cravings, especially if one is nervous about the upcoming event. 

Now is more important than ever to eat like an athlete. Give the body the nutrients it needs to freshen up before putting in an amazing performance. Here are the nine best foods for runners. Don’t skimp on carbs the two days before the event, and use this carb calculator.

Having an extra drink or two might feel good and promote relaxation; however, it can also lead to poor sleep and dehydration. If maximal performance is on the line, skip the nightcap in the week before a half marathon.

6. NOT SLEEPING ENOUGH

Sleep is crucial throughout all training phases, but especially in the week before a half marathon. If one has been training hard, the body needs sleep to rebuild and regenerate. 

Race nerves can prevent athletes from getting quality sleep in the lead-up to an important event. Here are some practical tips to get fantastic sleep during this crucial week:

Go to bed an hour earlier than usual

Wake up an hour later than usual

Take a nap during the day

Meditate instead of lying in bed awake if having trouble sleeping

If sleep doesn’t come (especially the night before the event), just keep eyes closed and focus on breathing

Don’t stress about not sleeping enough (this will cause sleep issues itself)

7. CATCHING UP ON LIFE

Training for an event sometimes means putting other life factors aside for a time. Weeding the garden, helping kids with homework, cooking dinner or finishing a big project at work all take energy. It can be tempting to finally tackle those life factors that have been put off during training since tapering means less time spent training.

Don’t think of tapering as less time training, but more time for recovering. Because recovering is training too, all those projects can wait one more week. Don’t feel guilty about putting the feet up on the sofa or sneaking off for a nap. Ask partners for continued understanding for one more week and assure them their understanding will mean a lot.

How to get the most out of your low running mileage

Are you wanting to get faster for an upcoming race, but everything you read is only telling you to run more? Although many of the pros run hundreds of kilometres per week, high mileage for the everyday recreational runner who has work, family and other commitments is unrealistic. Increasing the distance you run is bound to help your body become more familiar with faster paces and distances, but not every runner has time to do that.

If you don’t have time to increase your mileage, here’s how to get the most out of the mileage you’re currently running.

What is low mileage?

A low-mileage training plan has no set distance, and it can vary depending on the race distance you are training for. If you are training for a marathon, 60 to 80 kilometres per week would be seen as relatively low; a 5K or 10K runner can typically get away with 30 to 50 kilometres a week, with high-quality speed sessions.

Prioritize speed workouts

Whatever your training goal may be, your training schedule should be designed around two quality speed workouts each week. These days will be the most important sessions of the week to get the most out of your low mileage.

If your goal is to break 20 minutes in the 5K,  the bulk of your speed workouts should equal up to the distance you’re training for and match the paces needed to reach your goal. (Example: For a 20-minute 5K, 12x400m @ one minute and 35 seconds per lap, which is equal to 18-20 minutes of running).

Keep easy runs short

Studies have shown that anything between 10 and 40 minutes of running can be beneficial when recovering from a tough run or workout. Easy runs are done to get your heart pumping and stimulate blood flow to your legs, but at an intensity that won’t fatigue you.

They are also an opportunity to teach your body how to run in a fatigued state, which can be crucial when you’re entering the final few kilometres of your goal race.

Ideally, you should do your easy run within 24 hours of your last hard workout or long run to keep your legs moving, but keep the time and distance between 15 and 45 minutes depending on what you are training for.

Make strength training essential

The lower your mileage, the more important it is to use strength training as a tool to power your aerobic engine. Cross-training exercises like biking, swimming, HIIT or elliptical training can help someone on lower mileage maintain their aerobic fitness, despite cutting out longer runs. Doing a short 20 to 30-minute low-impact strength session on your rest days can only help you become a stronger runner. 

Structure your rest days

Runners on a low-mileage plan should generally take two rest days per week. These rest days should be planned around your harder workouts and long run, on opposite ends of the week (see below). 

Example: Monday (workout), Tuesday (easy run), Wednesday (rest), Thursday (workout), Friday (easy run), Saturday (long run), Sunday (rest)

Strategically planning your rest days will be key to getting the most out of your low mileage and having your body rested heading into your speed workouts.

Boost recovery quickly by focusing on two things

Recovering quickly and well after hard workouts and long runs is a key part of building strength and power over a season, and (hopefully) nailing some goals along the way. While there are a wide variety of tools out there that claim to help runners recover quickly and with little effort, the two key ingredients that coaches (and science) widely agree on are free and underutilized: sleep and calories.

Focus on these two things, and you’ll notice your ability to recover improve, without purchasing a single fancy gadget or embarking on any early-morning cold plunges.

Get more (and better) sleep

Coach and author of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning Jason Koop shares that the “effect that high-quality sleep has on your immune system and your ability to recover (or not) is quite astounding.” Studies have suggested that proper sleep can reduce the chance of injury in adolescent elite athletes at approximately the same rate as strength training.

Not only will quality sleep help you rebound from workouts, but it will also help you function better during your daily life, and is constantly being credited with contributing to a wide variety of health benefits, including longevity.

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Work on optimizing four factors in your bedroom: calm, cool, dark and quiet. Koop suggests minimizing clutter (that includes televisions and screens of any type), keeping your room at an ideal range of 15.5 C to 19.5 C (60–67 F), and minimizing light and sound in your room.

“Light (and the absence thereof) has the biggest effect on telling your body when it is time to sleep and time to be awake,” he writes. Blackout curtains and covering objects with power lights are good options to assist with this.

Consume enough energy to support your activity level

“If sleep is the gold standard for recovery, energy balance is next in order of priority,” says Koop. Regardless of the specific foods you are eating, you will simply not improve as a runner unless you are consuming enough calories to support your daily activities, as well as your training.

In a society that seems fixated on appearances, this can be a challenge, and men and women pro athletes have spoken candidly about their challenges with disordered body image and disordered eating.

“If you are losing weight because you are not sufficiently supporting your training workload with calories and nutrients, you will lose both fat and lean muscle mass,” explains Koop. “Athletes who are too lean cannot train as effectively, because they cannot recover from hard efforts as quickly.”

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Working with a registered dietitian can be helpful if you aren’t sure where to start–and if that’s not accessible for you, there’s a gamut of science-backed nutritional info out there. Make sure you’re tapping into quality information: both Dr. Stacy Sims and Pamela Nisevich Bide are both well known for helping athletes excel at the nutritional components of their training, and have helpful books and websites to delve into.

Educating yourself as much as possible on nutrition and focusing on food as fuel can be a great jumping-off point. Remember that your body needs a great deal of energy on recovery days. You may feel like you’re actively doing less, but behind the scenes your body is repairing tissue damage and building strength for your run.

Ready to run stronger and faster? Start building your base

Whatever your running goals are this season, making sure you have a strong base is essential. Just like a well-built house, creating a solid foundation is key before beginning to train for specific racing goals. Working on aerobic efficiency, and improving the structural ability of your body to withstand training stresses are ideal things to focus on as you embark on a new season of running.

A running base is usually built over six weeks or longer: the specifics will depend on your running experience and fitness level. Even if you haven’t taken an off-season, spending a few weeks dialing in the basics will get you started on the right (or left) foot.

Strengthen your aerobic engine

Essential to base training is improving your ability to use oxygen–creating a strong aerobic engine. The more efficiently you can use oxygen when you run, the longer you can delay the point at which lactic acid begins to build up (a.k.a. you reach your lactate threshold), and the longer you’ll be able to maintain a faster pace once you begin to add speedwork. Base training should include lots of easy and steady-state running, allowing you to recover quickly between runs.

Coach and podcast host Jason Fitzgerald explains on Strengthrunning.com that runners should gradually increase mileage as they begin to build their base. While the amount of volume you add to your regular running will vary depending on your experience and goals, most runners will have one long run per week (or every second week) that they should build on.

Build structural tolerance and durability

Structural tolerance or integrity refers to the capacity of your tendons, ligaments and joints to withstand a progressive increase in physical training. The greater your structural tolerance, the longer your body can continue to resist fatigue and injury.

While your base training will include mostly easy mileage, you can start to build structural tolerance by taking some of those easy runs over rolling hills and varied terrain. Adding in some basic strength training and mobility exercises is another great way to build your structural tolerance, and you don’t need fancy gym equipment to get started.

Try this bodyweight-strength routine at home and stay injury-free (and fast) all season. You’ll make your entire body stronger and more resilient to injuries, which will allow you to train harder later on without getting injured.