I made it through week one! Today was the first day of week number two of marathon training so it was back to a short, three mile conversational pace run and then home for a kettlebell strength workout.
Last week I overdid the reps on my kettlebell workout and it made the following day’s 5 mile run sluggish due to some DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Today, I kept it to 10-12 reps per exercise. This also made for a bit shorter of a workout so I could finish sooner and start my workday.
I know we runner’s love to run and sometimes it feels like strength work just cuts into our running time, like hey, why would I spend the next 45 minutes throwing around kettlebells when I could be getting in more miles? However, I implore you to take a step back and see how strength training can actually keep you on the road longer and in a healthier position if you take the time to put in that extra work.
Additionally, as we age (especially women) we need the extra muscle for overall health. Personally, I feel more energetic and mentally focused after a strenght training session. It makes me feel strong and that boosts both my mental confidence and my physical well-being.
No gym required
It’s not necessary to join a gym, although more power to you if you want to. Personally, I’ve never been very fond of gyms. I’m a long-time at-home-exerciser and workout DVD horder. I still have a drawer in my living room full of The Firm and Gillian Michaels DVD’s (don’t judge me). I’ve done P90X, Insanity, Lift4 and a multitude of BeachBodyOnDemand workouts over the years before picking up running as my true exercise passion. They’re all great supplementary workouts and I’m sure I’ll return to at least some of them someday. I especially like P90X2 which is all about functional fitness (if you haven’t tried this one, I highly recommend it). However, I’ve found that most programs did not focus enough on my running specific muscles, so when I started increasing my weekly mileage those muscles and tendons revolted and I got injured.
That’s why I researched running specific strength training that focuses on my weak spots. Much like my runner’s strength workout program that I developed from the book Running Rewired, the kettlebell exercises also focus on strengthening the larger muscles, as well as the core, back and arms. I encourage you to work with a personal trainer or research running specific workouts on YouTube from reputable instructors to develop a program that addresses your weaknesses.
Yeah, it’s hard to mainly do moves that target weak areas but you’ll find your strength and stamina increases fairly quickly. Keep a tracking sheet to log your reps, band tension and weight that you’re lifting and watch how quickly you progress from week to week. You’ll also start to notice your strength gains during your runs in the form of less muscle soreness and greater power. Ideally, it will also help you stave off injury and keep you running longer and stronger.
Workouts
- 3 mile run at conversational pace
- 18 minutes Kettlebell strength – 2 rounds of 7 exercises (10-12 reps each)