Part II: How to Include Running into Your Lifting Without Holding Yourself Back.

This article is for anyone who has made the calculated decision to add running into their strength routine. If you are curious if running is for you see “Part 1: Should you add Running to your Routine?”

Overzealous trainees will do too much and burn themselves out. Many others don't push themselves hard enough.

So how much is enough, but not too much? Let's dive into the details and I'll give you some specific recommendations about how to find the sweet spot!

Programming running, or any other modality, alongside strength training is a matter of accounting for and distributing load effectively. A lot of that is going to depend on the trainee and I am always inclined to keep things as simple as possible before adding layers of complexity. With most beginners, I would have them do whatever works with their schedule (we have nothing without consistency) when they have established a routine we can make adjustments depending on performance and fatigue. A good rule of thumb is to put running as far away from any more difficult lower body training as possible. If we were swimming or rowing this would be inversed with upper body training but since we are talking about running here, yea... lower body. 

If you were strength training you would be careful how many sets, reps or weights you increase week to week. 

Let's take calf raises for example. It is perfectly reasonable to do 2-3 sets of 20 calf raises once or twice a week. The muscles in your calf (gastroc) respond well to that type of training. However you wouldn't add a set of 20 week in and week out. 

You can think about running the same way. You wouldn't want to increase volume ad infinitum. That is a lot of stress the body is unprepared for. If you have made this mistake, you are not alone (hello, coach Valerie circa 2015). 

A good rule of thumb is to increase 10% a week. 

Find your easy base pace. Regularly add mileage or time slowly, adjusting for effort. My preference right now is to add time because it gives you more flexibility to self regulate. What I mean is you may have different energy available on given days and using time as our multiplier let’s the day be what it is without holding you to a hard number. 

Run 1 mile at an easy pace. This should be a pace you can hold a conversation through. You can measure your heart rate but the conversation test is usually a much more accessible way to assess effort. 

Let’s say that an easy one-mile run ends up taking you 12 minutes. 

From there add 1 minute a week (or 0.10 miles), if it feels miserable, repeat that time (or mileage) the following week. I would recommend someone start this 2x a week for a moderate progression or 1x a week for a slow easy progression, that is really going to depend on what other training someone is doing, how much time they have, how much of a priority running is and what they can recover from. If they have a specific goal to reach on a hard date we may want to use mileage as our delineator. 

When we start hitting our distance or time goal easily and consistently we will add or change our second run to some interval training. 

You can continue to do this for months. I wouldn't expect to see improvement every time but we should see a general trend of a decreased pace over time if the program is successful. 

Big takeaway is to add volume slowly and vary training.

Form considerations

• Focus on kicking toe straight up and heel straight back to butt

  * Try walking butt kicks and high knees

  * Focus on exaggerating the movement and focusing on driving knees straight up and down

• All the same general form cues (breath, brace, foot mechanics) for movement that we go over with trainees apply. 

  * Focus on staying tall and squeezing abs. Think of yourself as rising and falling on a carousel pole. 

  Program: 

• One long run a week

• Vary training with a focus on intervals. It's important to have good form, but setting up runs where you're not doing the same thing everyday - incorporating intervals, longer runs, speed work and hill training.

My current program is split into two runs: one ‘long’ run of 2 miles and one 30-minute tempo run (1 minute fast run push, 2-minute recovery walk).

Considerations

• A treadmill run versus an outdoor run is not the same thing and the data you collect will do little to inform one of another. 

• Be consistent and conservative. Running will impact training. The degree and how will depend on the individual but if you are not consistent then you have no way of knowing and implementing modifications to training to accommodate both activities. 

Contraindications (fancy trainer speak for not recommended) 

• There is talk that running interferes with squats. While this is probably the most likely lift to cause interference, it isn't a rule. Everyone is different. Like all things it depends on someone's ability to recover. Studies have shown support for both interference and no interference. Most people are not far enough on either the strength or endurance end of the spectrum to have this have a big effect, although it probably will have more than 0 effect. If you can, set up your week in a way that places running as far away from any heavy lower body work as possible.

• Although not ideal, if you are performing both strength training and running in the same day separate them out by 3-5 hours. If you have to perform both running and strength training in the same session, perform strength first (if these priorities are equal). 

Equipment

• Shoes: 

  • You can have your gait measured at your local running store but a lot of this is going to depend on personal preference. I have a particular brand I like. I got my gait measured and bought a very reputable (and expensive) pair of running shoes that never felt right. I eventually went back to my tried and true. 

  • Shoes should be replaced roughly every 300-500 miles

• Apps

  • Nike Run: Free app with rudimentary information to examine performance data over time (I would not use their programs as I do not think they are individualized enough) 

  • Strava: Paid app with more detailed information to examine performance data over time

  • Gym Boss: Interval timer that will not interfere with music

There you have it! This isn't an exhaustive explanation but it should get you started. To find out more about how you can start incorporating running into your routine I am happy to help you flesh out a road map!