How do I find the time for stretching and strength training???

I was recently asked about stretching and strengthening and how one finds the time to do it all.

Every magazine has articles and routines on the subject and it can be overwhelming to new runners. Plus, most new runners are struggling just to find the time to run let alone do all this other “training”.

How does one do it all?

The answer I provided – “we don’t!!”

That being said, I am an advocate of cross training and strength training but like most I struggle to prioritize and find the time.

If you can dedicate a day a week to spend in the gym instead of on the road - that's great! And I highly recommend in the winter or your off-season you try to do so.

But for the average runner who is trying to balance work, children and other aspects of living while also trying to log the necessary miles, it can be hard to dedicate the necessary time your body needs for maintenance.

I feel your pain and over the years I developed my own simple routine.

First, I categorized my areas of concern – I’m concerned with my Strength (S), Core (Core), Hips (H), Balance (B), Knees (K) and Rolling/Stretching (R). Any day that I perform any routine in one of those categories I mark my running log with the appropriate letter. I then make sure I do at least 1 routine of each a week. Yes, occasionally on a Sunday as I am reviewing my week I realize I need to do a few routines but for the most part I’ve managed to work them in.

For Strength and Core I aim for 3 or 4 times per week and this can be very basic – Pushups and Planks. If you can get yourself into the habit of doing pushups at least every other day before you jump in the shower in the morning you’ll be doing fine. For your Core – it doesn’t take 5 minutes to do a set of planks – 1 minute for a standard plank and then 1 minute for each side. Sure, there are plenty of routines you can spend hours on to get 6-pack abs but you’re a runner – you just need a solid core.

For my Hips I multitask while watching TV. Instead of sinking into the couch in the evening, sit on the floor and perform your various hip routines. I love executing the stability program developed by Alberto Salazar and Nike – The Oregon Project Stability Program – it’s simple and quick and you don’t need any fancy gadgets.

For my Knees I make sure I do what I call “stair squats” at least once a week. For these you stand on 1 leg, sideways on the stair – inside leg on the stair and the outside leg hanging off. You then simply squat down until the outside foot touches the step below and then you lift back up. As you bend your knee, be sure it tracks over your foot and it doesn’t collapse in. 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps at least once a week will do wonders at preventing “runner’s knee” from coming on.

Balance – another simple item to perform while watching TV!!! I never fully appreciated the value of this until I started doing the aforementioned Oregon Stability routine and I realized my balance was horrible!! Now I just stand in front of the TV and balance on 1 foot. There are a number of different poses you can take but just start by balancing on 1 foot. Once this is easy for you, try the “running pose” where you lift one knee up along with opposite arm as if you were running – and then try to get up onto the ball of your foot and hold it.

So with only adding a few minutes a week to do planks and stair squats, we have managed to do everything else while watching TV or waiting for the shower to warm up!!

That leaves us Stretching and Rolling. After each run, as part of your cool down, you should develop your own little routine to stretch out your calves and hamstrings and whatever else might be bothering you. But also give yourself 30 minutes at least once a week to perform some other basic stretches and to do some rolling and the average runner will be fine. I’d like to suggest much of this can also be done in front of the TV but given the positions you need to take this may be a little more difficult.

So, work out your own routine and keep track of it. If you feel an injury coming on you may want to spend a little more time addressing a specific issue and you may want to vary what exercises or stretches you perform every now and then. But don’t get overwhelmed by everything you read and don’t beat yourself up over it. If you do a little every week you should be fine.