You can bet, when it comes to the strength training mistakes that runners make… I’ve probably made most of them. I had a coach tell me before to do 2 x 50 body weight lunges to fix my runner’s knee. Didn’t work. It just left me sore. I went on a whole HIIT workout-spree in grad school. I got really sweaty and only a little stronger. I tried a billion push ups and all the body weight exercises you could think of during Covid because all the gyms were closed. I got better at push ups, but that...
21 days ago • 2 min read
Raise your hand if you love reading about running or workout plans. ok, maybe this is more for the nerdy runners here…but aren’t we all secretly kinda nerdy, pouring over strava data and hoping our garmins don’t tell us we were unproductive? Case in point: data is fun. It tells us what we’ve achieved. Where we fell short. And usually based on all that…how we can do EVEN BETTER next time. The only thing that would be cooler: is skipping the “where we fell short” part. What if you could? What...
28 days ago • 2 min read
I had a runner actually ask me this: “I know I need to start using heavier weights than the little baby dumbbells I currently have, but I don’t have a good idea of where I should be starting?” And to be fair, for the longest time, I didn’t either. During 2020 when we were all just trying to figure out life, I doubled down on running. Mainly: to start running again. *gasp* I know. Running and I took a couple years off. I wanted to rekindle that relationship. But it was slow going. Because it...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
My first running injury was a groin strain. I was running alongside teammates, getting into the miles of the actual workout and I felt it. A sharp, aggressive stabbing pain in my groin and into my upper inner thigh. I tried to slow down, run it off, speed back up. But nope. Wasn't happening. I gently stretched it, trying to coax it back into cooperating. Bad idea. That only hurt more. So off to physical therapy I went for 3 or 4 weeks. Sometimes I could even see my teammates run by during...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Wouldn't it be nice if our bodies had "check engine" lights? like the kind that let you know it's time to change the oil, when your tire pressure is too low... the kind of warnings that help you stay ahead of the problems and avoid them altogether. Basically... Check engine lights for running injuries. Think that's a myth? Nope! And no, it is NOT a new feature on your garmin or whoop band. Your most powerful tool is your brain and your ability to listen to your body. But did you know you can...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
I'm gonna start off with, YES, this week's blog post is different. Because it needed to be. Because I would be doing you a HUGE disservice if I kept throwing MORE at you. Just more. No explanation. No guidance. Just more exercises, more reps, more ways to use gym equipment or recovery tools. Because a HUGE mistake that I made as a new runner: assuming more was better. More miles = the better your base. More hard workouts = the faster you get. More hills = the stronger you get. Well......let's...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Maybe this is just me, but let me know if this has ever happened to you... Your run is feeling strong. Picking up the pace. You're warm and ready to start your speed work. (or maybe even hills). And you get 3 or 4 repeats/speed intervals in and shoulders are hiked up around your ears. And no matter what, they keep creeping up. And now you've also got a stabbing pain and incessant tightness either between your shoulder blades or in your upper shoulders near your neck. No? Just me? Come on......
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
EVERY LATE WINTER + EARLY SPRING.... It happens like clockwork. First we have the ankle saga. All the ankles get busted. Why? Not always sure, but it's not uncommon for me to see 3-4 ankles in a day in the clinic right now. PLUS, you all from the running fit fam ask for exercises for stronger ankles around now So it's a thing. BUT...it's the next one that really gets ya. Second comes the tight/weak hip and glute era. I know the reason for this one. This is because of speed work season. Some...
2 months ago • 2 min read
I'm pretty sure I've just written a strength circuit that would kick my own butt. So naturally, I assumed you'd like to try it out too! A while back a member of the running fit fam asked "how do I structure a strength circuit that..." hits all major lower body muscle groups to help keep me running-injury free but also NOT take an hour to complete. Like 30 minutes." FANTASTIC QUESTION. Let me give you some hints to what it's NOT going to look like: a bunch of bridges plank variations and dead...
2 months ago • 2 min read