Photo by W_Minshull
It’s no secret that many runners really dislike strength training. While we love to be on the open road (or trail) and run, many of us find no joy in lifting weights. Even when we know how important being lean and strong is for runners, strength-training can feel tiresome and pointless.
Where running is The Force, strength training is from The Dark Side.
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One of the main pieces of advice repeated by Comrades veterans is that strength training is suggested for the up run and critical for the down run. This is not surprising.
The Boston Marathon finishes with the last four miles on a glorious downhill. The finish, however, can be a nightmare on the quads if runners go out too fast in the first seven miles, which are a not-so-obvious downhill.
Imagine that scenario but after you’ve run twice as far. Imagine the quad screaming one experiences in the second half of the Comrades down run. Your Comrades training should help you be prepared for this pounding downhill.
(Note that there is plenty of downhill in the Comrades up run, too. Best to be prepared regardless of the course direction!)
Because many runners find it hard to commit themselves to strength training, it can be best to work from a program. While there are loads of strength training programs for runners available on the internet, they aren’t all high-quality. Research the source before you start following a program. Injury would be tragic!
Comrades Training: An Introduction to Strength Training for Runners
The first is UK-based James Dunne’s Kinetic Revoultion 30-Day Challenge. In the short videos (available via an email subscription), James presents two daily exercises. The body-weight exercises are targeted to runners. Expect lots of work in the glutes, hamstrings, abductors, adductors, and quads.
What I like about the program is that it’s well-balanced, with core exercises and stretches interspersed into the program every few days. Each day’s workout takes 8-10 minutes, and it’s something you can do without breaking a sweat.
Note that you will need resistance bands to do some of the later exercises. If you don’t own some already, they really are a great tool for at-home exercise. I find the medium strength resistance (red band) to be appropriate for the widest range of exercisers and exercises.
Comrades Training: The Benefits of Yoga
Another way to incorporate strength training into your Comrades training plan is with Yoga With Adriene‘s Yoga Camp on You Tube (also available via an email subscription or a pay-as-you-wish download). With a great mix of standing postures, pranyama, relaxation days, and challenging vinyasa sessions, the videos (most of which are around 30 minutes) add an important counterpoint to near-daily running workouts.
Yoga with Adriene has loads of videos you can mix and match. As a runner herself, Adriene Mischler understands of strength and flexibility can help improve your running.
Regular yoga can help you feel more confident in balancing postures, more supported in the low back, and more appreciative of what your body can do. You will find a lot of small muscles that don’t get worked by your running workouts. This overall body balance will benefit you on the hilly, cambered road between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
Comrades Training: Ongoing Strength Training
An excellent resource for runners who want to incorporate ongoign strength work into their Comrades training is Quick Strength for Runners by Jeff Horowitz. It is an excellent resource for runners who want a longer strength-training program but don’t want it to take over their workout time.
Even better, the exercises are easy to do and don’t require tons of fancy equipment. You can literally do them at the end of your run as you are cooling down. It is the only multi-month strength training program I’ve found I can stick to. I can tell it will be an invaluable part of my Comrades training.
Read my full review of the book here.
Incorporating Strength and Flexibility into Your Comrades Training
Whatever program you choose to follow, it will benefit you to incorporate both strength and flexibility routines into your Comrades training. You absolutely need to put in the time running on the road to get you prepared for race day. But you will be thanking yourself if you’ve invested a little extra time to take good care of your flexibility and strength, too.
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