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Last week I talked what type of exercises, in general, you should be doing in different seasons.
Well... let's get more specific! Here are some of the exercises I recommend! Do these to get faster and more powerful & resilient: Split Squat Single Leg Deadlift with Foam Roller (or add weight) Single Leg Hip Thursters Elevated Bridges Step Ups Do these to get healthier hips and knees: Side Band Walks Side Step Ups Banded Fire Hydrants Transverse Step Ups Bowler Squats Give them a shot and let me know how it goes!
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Holidays are almost over and it's almost time to get back into a regular routine.
For a generic baseline, I like to structure the year as: Jan-March: Easy running, bit of fast work to keep up speed, and heavy lifting to build strength. Easing off towards March if you have a spring marathon. April- May: Mixing in more workouts for stamina and more speed, moderate lifting. Adding in plyos if you have a spring marathon. June- Aug: Mobility and light lifting. More time outdoors getting in quality miles. Sept-Nov: Big race season. Race specific lifting & plyos. Speed and tapering. Dec: Simple and recovery time Obviously this depends on your races and other life events. But for most people, now is the next 8 weeks is a great time to think about lifting heavy. There isn't a need to find your 1 rep max, but it is worth going almost to failure with (leaving 1 rep in the tank) with a 3-6 rep exercise like the Squat or Deadlift. I know it's weird for us endurance athletes, and not worth risking too heavy and injury, but being stronger will make you faster and more resilient. Last post, I talked about how to prep for this season like you would a hard race/workout/training cycle.
Today... I want to introduce you to one of my favorite terms during chaotic times, which is the F*ck-It-Bucket. See... Your body actually sees exercise as stress. In a perfect world, things that are hard (exercise, studying, difficult conversations)... after some rest/recovery/cool down time... actually make life better or easier in ways. That "after some rest/recovery/cool down time" is key. With it, you rise to new levels. Without it, you get ground into dust. Right now? You likely have less rest/recovery/cool down time. Whatever doesn't need to be done, put it in the F*ck-it-bucket til 2026. You won't get weaker by missing a strength workout (not til a month later), you loss stamina by missing a long run (that takes at least 2 weeks), and you won't get slower by missing a speed workout or two. If it feels good, crush some Zone 2 & 3 runs. Maybe choose a hilly route Maybe do some strides. For sure, enjoy yourself this time of year. 'Tis the season for life to get a bit rough.
Don't get me wrong... I love the lights, cheesy holiday movies, and spending extra time with family and friends. But dark/colder/shorter day, EOY deadlines with work, and extra pressure to travel & keep up with festivities is stressful. Honestly, it can be a bit Type 2 fun. (Not always great in the moment, but amazing upon reflection) So if you're up to your eyeballs in tinsel and anxiety... Remember what gets you through the tough spots in hard runs or races:
This is a marathon, not a sprint. And come January, you'll look back and think about how magical it all really was. (or not, January is its own different flavor of rough sauce lol) After the holiday, and most importantly... while at sea level, I decided to test out my mile.
7:30... ick. That's over 20 secs slower than previous attempts. I was really hoping to break 7 to feel on track for a mile PR by my birthday. It was incredibly discouraging. (which is fine to sit with for a day) And a bit embarrassing. (bc I knew I would share it in this post). But also, important. Because this is how we get better.
Anyhoo... already looking forward to my late December/January mile! I hope you about to enjoy SO MANY CARBS!
I know I will. And then, without any hesitation, we are thrust into another holiday. At least it makes the gloomier, shorter, and colder days more enjoyable. Since this season is focused around shopping, here is my short list of gifts for runners: ▶️Bicarb- Bougie and I haven't tried it myself, but based on the reviews... it's the splurge people are unwilling to give themselves ▶️Honestly, anything off of the The Feed ▶️Running gloves that become mittens: because frozen hands are the worst and having a second pair is helpful after the original gets too snotty and needs to be washed (please wash them) ▶️A shoe dryer: Maybe I'm just haunted by living in the PNW, but having dry shoes is such a luxury. Not that shoving paper towels or newspapers (do those still exist??) in them or trying to blow dry them without breathing in the stink isn't great... but yea... ▶️ A shadow box display case: Because your efforts should be honored. ▶️ Shoes & races are great too, but tend to be a specific... so is a dicey purchase. Jackets, leggings, shorts are wonderful as well, but people can very particular about sizing. Lights are also excellent, but hopefully everyone already has those?? For safety?? What else would you add to this list? Recently 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 put out an article recommending a 5 x 5 plan to help runners get stronger.
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝙍𝙒 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. That being said, I don’t believe that a 5 x 5 plan is the best strength program for runners. Specifically, the Strong Lifts 5x5 plan. Why? Because the goal of SL5x5 is to improve maximal strength, without the considerations of other training… aka your running. Even if you take out your harder running workouts and just focus on a 5x5 plan and continuing good foundation of easy running mileage… 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. Especially if you follow the 5x5 to a T, bc that requires you to add 5+lbs to the lifts each training session. And the article mentioned testing a 1 rep max, which I don’t recommend for pretty much anyone except for powerlifters since the risk/ reward is not in anyone else’s favor. 𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝟱𝘅𝟱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻? 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆. But it is balanced with other exercises that give their nervous system a break, increase single leg strength, and include stability and explosiveness. And while I do appreciate the full body exercises represented in the 5 x 5 program, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱. I was scrolling the 'gram when this quote hit me in the face like a ton of bricks...
"to fall asleep, you must pretend to be at sleep first. and that's how everything works." Well dang. Soooooooo... You can't become a confident racer until you've signed up for a lot of races. You can't become strong until you've stumbled your way through some strength workouts. You can't hit high mile weeks if you keep telling your friends you "go for runs" instead of "I'm a runner". The same goes for art, work, and relationships. Not quite a "fake 'til you make it", but invest and believe in your success until it happens. Or insomnia is cool too, I guess 🤷♂️ Last week I went for a hike with some friends. To the surprise of NO ONE I'm trying to convince them to do more strength training.
Well. Turns out, I was going to make them do some whether they liked it or not. Just kidding, they were 100% on board. We were about a mile in when we saw a woman hobbling down the trail with her boyfriend. Her ankle was FREAKING HUGE. We did the usual dance of... Us: Are you ok? Them: Yea, just a badly twisted ankle Us: Do you need any help? Them: Oh no, we should be ok... but how far to the cars? Us: Exactly a mile Them: Ok thanks... And off we parted. Sound familiar at all? Well. We decided to turn back and help. Not only bc it was a ROUGH mile, but because if you're tired of doomscrolling and you want to see more good in the world... you need to start with taking action yourself. We made a 4 person stretcher and it was a tough march down to the trailhead. But I know it was better for that girl than hopping her way down (and selfishly, I'd like to think my ramblings and questions kept her distracted from the pain) And as much as I'd love to focus on tooting my own horn and accepting my Nobel Peace Prize, I can't ignore the glaringly obvious. We could only help because we were strong. Again, I was already trying to convince my friends to get stronger... but they hold on to a lot of residual strength from years of rock climbing & obstacle course racing. When I promote strength, it's usually aimed at getting faster, avoiding injury, or even just looking better when you pass a mirror. But honestly, being strong means you can help. It means being able to carry that hiker or a hurt pet, lift your kid so they can see the parade, or nail that slam dunk, and push that luggage into the overhead compartment for the elderly person next to you. Be strong not just for yourself, but for your community. It's getting chilly out... so what should you wear as the temperature drops?
Questions? Let me know in the comments below! |
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