Most runners would rather lace up their shoes and spend time out on a trail or road than work out in a gym. I mean, you didn’t become a runner to spend more time indoors.

There is a whole world of routes to explore when you are out on a run, and none of them pass through a weight room.

More likely than not, you’re focusing more on strength now because you realize that doing nothing but running is not working out all that well for you.

Maybe you realized this because of time off from running due to an injury. Or maybe it’s because you want to log faster miles….or just more miles in general.

Estimates of the rate of injury for runners vary depending on what you read, but some sources say injury rates for runners can be as high as 80 percent in a given year and 80 percent for each individual runner over the course of his or her lifetime.

80%!!! The time has come for runners to embrace strength training. Despite the stats, the sport of running has never been proven to be dangerous. People will continue to run. Your friends and neighbors do it, you get jealous when you see others out on the road.

Jay Dicharry, a physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist at the University of Virginia, calls running “a crazy type of badge-of-courage sport in which you have to pound yourself into shape day-in and day-out until you emerge on top.” In this article, Dicharry points to several well-documented studies showing that weightlifting is tremendously beneficial for running in many ways that decrease injury risk and improve performance.

He tells runners, “Get in the weight room. It is hugely important for runners to lift.”

I know it’s not fun. I know it hurts. I know you’d rather be running… But a few minutes each day spent on strength training will keep you on the road longer and it will help you be a better runner!

Push hard until your muscles are sore so when you run…all you feel is freedom.

Day 24 exercises: Full Body – 4 sets of 15 today!

****Click here for how to videos****

• Clean and Press
• Soldier Twist
• Primal Crawl
• Yes Kick
• Bedtime Plan

Bonus: Freedom Run – Run a mile, run 5 or 10 or whatever your heart, mind and body desire…but go run. I’d love to see everyone logging some freedom today!

Speed Work: Mile Repeats – Last week we did a “mile test run” to see where we were at. The workout was intended to be one fast mile after warm up and cool down. This week we are doing 2-3 of those miles, but not at your fastest speed. You want to be at about 85%-90% of your 5K race pace. Think of it as a “tempo pace”. Your tempo pace should be a little faster then the time you would be able to hold during a half marathon. For example, my fastest half marathon is just under 2 hours (average 9:10/mile), so my tempo pace for these mile repeats would be around an 8:55. Never ran a half? That’s ok! I know the numbers are a little daunting to some, but don’t stress. Reach out to me by PM here and let’s chat. I will help you figure out where you should be.

• Warm Up – 1 mile (or more)
• Mile Repeats – 2-3 miles – No walking during your mile repeat. Run 1 mile then rest for 2 minutes. Stand there. Breathe. Do not walk. Start your watch over or hit that “lap” button before each mile. After you get your breathe back (don’t wait too long, 2 minutes is enough recovery time) then do another mile. Repeat 2-3 times.
• Cool down – 1 mile (or more)
• Total of 5-6 miles
• Stretch! – 7 Key Stretches for Runners

I always ask that you reach out and chat with me about speed work paces, but not many people take me up on it. I am here to help you get stronger and faster so don’t just go out all willy nilly…take a few minutes ahead of time to find out where you should be. Reach out and PLAN ahead Crew!

Today’s strength work is hard. It will hurt and might even feel a little awkward. Push through it and then shake it out with a FREEDOM RUN!

After all that hard work…you deserve a little freedom! Make it a great Monday Crew! 🙂