Strong is Fast
As a college soccer player, I had a fairly robust strength program. Once my soccer career ended and my running journey began, strength training took a back seat. I witnessed runners around me not making it a priority and subconsciously I told myself “ I was muscular enough” and probably was fine. My running coach would give me a few exercises I would do if I got to them which realistically meant never. I know- so typical of a distance runner!
Miraculously, I made it through six years without being an injured runner. I assumed I was just durable and it would not ever be anything I would be plagued by. Fast forward to the fall of 2018, I was training on an injured foot to qualify for the olympic trials. Since I had never had a running related injury, I was in denial that my foot was an actual “injury” and it took me merely all of 2019 to return to normal training that allowed me to get back just in time for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. My diagnosis was controversial and complex and what was required to heal the damage was difficult to navigate. After several attempts to return after I thought I was better, I started to be curious about how a lack of a poor movement program was influencing poor body control.
With performance in general, there are a lot of moving parts ( no pun intended) and uncontrollables. Injuries make you crave anything you can influence. Upon my return, I felt I needed to commit to moving better before stacking on mileage. Admittedly, I am not an expert in strength training and needed help. I had been to gyms before, and had experiences where I did not feel confident that coaches/ trainers understood the goals of endurance athletes. Fortunately, Anthony Duran, owner of San Marco Strong, has invested himself into helping several runners reinvent their stability, speed, and strength.
Over the past two years of adding this to my training , I have felt what was once a laundry list of things to remember to do to improve form and body awareness comes more organically. The goal has been that the coordination, control, and precision that I would possess in the first mile, would follow me through later miles. Overall, running in general feels a little more smooth and efficient.
I know as runners, it’s hard to fit in one more thing from what we are already doing. Naturally, we like to make our Strava’s look like we are machines, but can neglect the “little things''. Also, with running our endurance events being our priority, I know that it can be difficult to time strength workouts around our key training sessions in a fashion that doesn’t interfere. After putting a lot of thought of how to successfully implement a consistent strength program into training, I thought a lot about energy management. As a registered dietitian, I am constantly coaching my athletic clients on how to gain more energy and more benefits from their training.
Strength Training Tips For Runners
Here are my top tips of how to manage energy around a strength program.
#1 - Treat strength workouts like a hard running, swim, or bike workout:
We do not want to just go through the motions of this part of our training. Try to prepare mentally and physically to gain the most benefit from strength sessions. If you are under fueled and haven’t rested, then probably not going to get a ton of benefit of adding another form of activity. Don’t worry, I’ll discuss proper strength workout nutrition in the next tip.
#2 - You can’t make gains while your tank is EMPTY:
Nutrition recommendations can vary dramatically based on individual goals. Regardless of goals, we want to make sure that we allow ourselves to have available energy for the training, while supplying the body with needed nutrients to recover after. As with other activities, fueling up in the hours prior to strength training is essential to an effective session. The goal of this small meal is to boost energy for the training itself as well as to prime the body for faster recovery after the workout.
Approximately two to three hours before strength training opt for a meal that is:
Relatively high in carbohydrates to maximize energy
Low in fat and fiber to minimize gastrointestinal distress
Ample in protein with small amounts of fat for a complete and balanced meal
Approximately 30 minutes to one hour before strength training, fuel up with a small and easily digestible snack that includes protein and carbohydrate foods to aid in digestion and absorption of glucose and amino acids.
This pre-workout nutrition for strength training is still just part of the nutrition equation when it comes to maximizing results. In the 30-45 minutes after training is completed, it’s vital to refuel and recover with effective post-workout nutrition to help replace muscle glycogen, repair muscle damage and rebuild muscle tissue, all in preparation for the next session. The best post-workout snacks include a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio that is a 3:1 (3 grams of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein). Research shows this carbohydrate-protein combination consumed within 30-45 minutes of exercise nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. This stored glycogen is then ready to fuel your next training session and repair the tissues as well as build and repair muscle tissue .
#3 - Communicate about your goals with all coaches and trainers:
If you have a coach for your sport, make sure to inform them of your plans of adding strength training. It may be helpful to explain types of exercises so they understand the demands on your body and can plan your training accordingly. They may be able to outline a timeline of when it’s appropriate to push harder vs. back off. Also trainers/ strength coaches should know what types of sessions you have and when goal races are.
If performance is truly your goal, do not get confused by exercise vs. training. See the post here to distinguish the difference between exercise and training. Ultimately, you do not want to exhaust energy on efforts that do not promote your training. If you’re running 40-50 miles per week or training ~10 hours a week as a triathlete, you probably do not need a HIT session or to start your watch to see how many calories you burn.