Injuries. Practice preventive medicine. The more injuries, the less enjoyment of running. Be aware that most of our injuries come from feet and shoes and speedwork (especially when you attempt to exceed your training base). Learn the difference between hurting and being hurt. Learn when to back off. Be patient when injured.

Jogger? A lot of words have been written to try to explain the differences between a runner, a jogger, and a slogger (that’s a slow jogger). But do these semantics really matter? What’s important is how much you enjoy running and what you get out of it. Jogger jibes? We’ve all heard them (sometimes even aimed at us), but as Emerson told us, “The first wealth is health.” If what you’re doing—slogging, jogging, running—is contributing to your physical and mental health, it’s the right thing for you. Health stimulates enjoyment of life.

Knowledge. Know the basics. Run smart. Take every advantage you fairly can through what you know. In a race, learn to run the shortest route: run the tangents (that’s the way the course is measured, after all). Stay off the crown of the road to avoid injury. Learn techniques, such as relaxing your hands, proper breathing, not overlifting your trailing leg in a long-distance race, and when running downhill, don’t overstride but shorten your stride and increase your rotation.

Lifetime. Pattern your running to last a lifetime. If you’re lucky, you will age. And if you are going to age and to run, you should be patterning your running to last a lifetime. You will enjoy your running more if you pattern it to a lifetime of running and not to just a few moments of fun, novelty, glory, or diversion. It’s better to be part of the action for your whole life than to have a starring role that lasts a few brief years.

Motivation. Sometimes the hardest part of running is putting on your shoes and getting out the door. Your motivation needs constant refueling. Find what interests you and go for it—be it short races, trail runs, marathons, or ultras. Work at staying out of a rut. Even little things are important, such as varying your training route, pace, and distance. Bribe yourself. About mile 20 of the marathon, promise yourself, if I just finish this race, I’ll pig out on pizza, beer, ice cream, steak, chili mac—whatever. Also, learn to enjoy your running more by doing it rather than by talking or reading about it. The best motivation for running is to run.

No more mañanas. How many people do you know who are going to start exercising tomorrow? Or stop smoking tomorrow? As a runner, how many times have you told yourself, I won’t run today, but I’ll run twice as far tomorrow? How often does that really happen?

Oneness. Maintain your individuality. Nobody knows you better than you. One of the reasons you run is for your own growth and development. Most of the stuff we read in running literature is about national- and world-class runners, not about us. Its application is limited, so don’t swallow it hook, line, and sinker.

As George Sheehan was fond of telling us, “In running we are each an experiment of one.” And he’s right: we each bring different genes, attitudes, body builds, goals, aspirations to the sport. Here’s a four-line poem by Edward Philpots to serve as a reminder:

Voyager upon the sea
To yourself be true;
And whatever your lot may be
Paddle your own canoe.

Philosophy. Develop a running philosophy. Keep it simple. Like Alice Roosevelt Longworth said, “I have a simple philosophy. Fill what’s empty; empty what’s full. Scratch what itches.” Even a philosophy of life can be expressed in simple terms, as in this Swedish proverb:

Fear less, hope more
Eat less, chew more
Whine less, breathe more
Talk less, say more
Hate less, love more—
And all good things will be yours.

If you want an example of a running philosophy, here’s mine: experience and experiment, enjoy and endure. Trying to excel is just fine as long as it does not interfere with your pursuit of the other four Es.

Quality over quantity. Build endurance before speed. You need an endurance base before you can enjoy running. You’re not going to enjoy running, especially running a marathon, if you’re exhausted all the time you’re running. The glory of endurance is that practically all of us can attain it if we have persistence and are willing to invest the time and energy. Once you have built endurance, focus on speed. Even if all you do is long, slow distance running, speed has a place in your training. When we talk about the value of exercise, we’re talking cardiovascular, which is where speed comes in. If you want big dividends on your exercise premiums, you’ll need some speedwork to benefit your cardiovascular system. Speedwork pays off indirectly in another way—it makes your long endurance runs easier and more enjoyable.

Races. A race can be more than just a race. Sure, the competition is a thrill, but there’s also the socializing, the camaraderie, the experience, the stimulation. Don’t make a habit of just going to a race, racing, and then coming home. Add some extra activities, just for pleasure. Visit a tourist attraction in the host city, tour the town, try a new restaurant, or just hang out with some running buddies.

Solo running. What’s best? Running alone or with a partner? I think you’re best off mixing the two. Do some solo running for the “thinking time.” We all know running is a great time to mull things over. We’re on this planet such a short time, we should give pause every so often—like when running—to ponder why. Solo running can also be a safety valve after an exasperating experience, giving you a venue to cool off and cope.

Running with a partner allows you to exchange ideas, enjoy companionship, and, yes, commiserate over your running injuries. Talking and running along, you can often forget you’re running, and the miles fly by.

Track. For a good contrast to your road running, every now and then wander over to a track for some interval running or speed play. A track, be it all-weather or dirt, is kinder to your legs than pavement.

Unicorn. Don’t play leapfrog with a unicorn. That is, don’t ask for trouble, because you might get it. For instance, don’t expect to run a 6-minute mile if the fastest 440/400 you can muster is 1:45. You’re also playing too near the unicorn horn if you have a major injury, say a quivering hamstring, but try to race anyway.

Vacation. Plan a vacation around a race. If you like to camp, try the Crater Lake Rim Marathon in southern Oregon. If you like running downhill, try St. George (in southern Utah), and maybe stop off at Las Vegas. (Las Vegas, of course, has its very own downhill marathon in midwinter.) If you want something fresh and scenic, try the Catalina (Island) Marathon. If you want to get away but not spend much money, and you love to run under really big trees, try the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in May or the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon in October. If you want a fun marathon amidst a tourist haven, take in the Honolulu Marathon in December or, if you’re feeling especially ambitious, the Maui Run to the Sun 36-mile race, which goes from sea level to 10,000 feet!

What? Have you decided what you want out of running and out of marathoning specifically? What are you seeking? Health? Physical conditioning? Competition? Recognition? Satisfaction of your curiosity? Recreation? A mix of all of these?

If having fun is your target, seek out what most appeals to you: places to run, places to race, people with whom you can run. If you want to excel, then you must go in for specificity. It’s true, as they say, that if you want to get full enjoyment from your running, you’ve got to take time to smell the flowers, listen to the wind, feel the wind at your back (and sometimes at your front), admire a tree, appreciate the colors and moods of nature. Yes, even to pet horses and talk to cows.

Which brings to mind what one-time mile world record-holder Jim Ryun says in his book, In Quest of Gold:

Ultimately, the expectations—both of the public and those I forced on myself in running—prohibited me from enjoying the simple pleasures of running itself. Like experiencing the solitude of a Kansas field; stopping to talk to a group of cows; standing victorious on top of a hard-fought hill; exulting in the changing seasons of the countryside; feeling what seems to be a sanctified stillness when running through a gentle snowfall.

‘Xcuses. Know the excuses for not running and avoid them. We all know them: “It’s too hot,” “It’s too cold,” “I’ve got too many things to do.” Ron Clarke, the great Australian record-holder in everything from the 10K to the 20-mile run, said that the only days he did not run were when he had a fever. That’s dedication. Once you begin making excuses, there’s no end to them.

Yourself. Think of yourself as a runner. If you do, the running attitude will sort of rub off on your lifestyle and on your choices of food, drink, and diet. For starters, start keeping a diary or log. As the years pass, the log also serves as a good medical record—and as the building blocks of a beloved avocation.

Zen. Years ago, Mike Tymn, a friend in Hawaii, sent me a book, The Zen of Archery, and inside the cover inscribed: “This is probably the best book you will ever read on running.” I looked at the title again and thought Mike must have sent the wrong book. Then I began to read this tiny 77-page book filled with much white space. It’s an account by a German professor who lived five years in Japan and tried to understand Zen through the practice of archery. He learned how the man, the bow, the arrow become one. The man becomes egoless as he learns to shoot without shooting. The hitter and the hit are no longer two opposing objects but rather one reality. Through running, you can arrive at something close to this Zen understanding. Maybe you have already been there.

YOU ARE a marathoner. That makes you a member of one of the most fit groups of people on Earth. Still, you sometimes have pain in your lower back following a long run, as well as soreness and fatigue in your shoulders and arms. Perhaps you’ve wondered whether strength training would help solve these problems. Maybe you’ve also heard that you can be a better runner if you start lifting weights.

Being stronger would be nice, but you already spend a lot of time running. And as a runner, you don’t want to put on any extra weight that you’ll have to carry around with you. Is it possible to become stronger without spending much more time training, and without getting much bigger? Yes. What you need is a simple, straightforward strength-training plan designed especially for long-distance runners.

Well, step right up. You’ve come to the right place.

This two-part article presents a strength-training program designed to help you meet your running goals without getting much bigger or less flexible. In Part I, I’ll explain why you should start strength training, and then in Part II, I’ll show you how you can quickly and easily fit a short, effective strength-training program into your current training schedule. You don’t need any prior experience or knowledge to begin this program, only a willingness to try something new. And if you follow the simple plan presented in my articles, you’ll end up being not only a better runner, but also a healthier person.

WHY SHOULD I LIFT WEIGHTS?

You know all about the benefits of distance running: lower risk of heart disease, a stronger immune system, and easier weight control, just for starters. However, you may not be aware of the additional benefits of strength training. Weightlifting is the jelly to running’s peanut butter; it provides health benefits that are different from, and complementary to, distance running. Here’s how.

What major muscle groups do you suppose you exercise when you run? The quadriceps and hamstrings, of course. Anything else? How about the hip flexors and the muscles of the calf—the gastrocnemius, the soleus, and the tibialis. Is that all?

The answer is: You exercise all the major muscle groups.

Running is a total body movement, involving contraction and extension of the leg muscles and rotation of the upper body in a complex sequence of movements. To run properly, everything must be working smoothly. A weakness in any major muscle group hampers the entire effort of running and leads to poor running form. Weak abdominal muscles allow stress to accumulate in the lower back. A weak lower back can change the tilt of the hips, leading to hamstring problems. A weak upper back may lead to fatigue and poor posture, further stressing the lower back. Weak quadriceps can lead to misalignment of the kneecap, causing knee pain.

Running can’t really help solve these problems. Running improves the cardiovascular system through high-repetition movements, but it doesn’t build significant amounts of strength. In fact, because running stresses certain muscles more than others, such as the hamstrings over the quadriceps, it actually contributes to certain muscle strength imbalances. The answer is to find a type of exercise that carefully overloads all the muscles through heavy resistance, triggering an adaptation response in the muscles, leading to improvements in strength.

That exercise is, in a word, weightlifting.

A carefully designed weightlifting plan builds strength in all the major muscle groups, which restores balance to the body. This in turn enables the body to move correctly and efficiently while running. Strong quadriceps hold the kneecaps in place, preventing the misalignment that leads to inflammation and pain. A strong lower back and hamstrings prevent pelvic tilting and the pain that often results from this condition. Strong shoulders will prevent undue fatigue. Strength training will accomplish all this and more. Your newfound strength will also make molehills out of mountains on those “challenging” courses. And it will help increase and maintain your bone density, which can stave off osteoporosis. And because muscle is active tissue and needs to be fed, strength training will increase your metabolism, making weight control easier.

If you’re worried about looking like a professional wrestler, relax. Women, especially, rarely have the genetics that allow for much muscle building. Although there are weightlifting programs designed to increase your size dramatically, this program is not one of them. This program will tone and strengthen your body without putting on large amounts of muscle mass. And on top of all this, you’ll be able to carry all of your groceries from the car to the kitchen without cursing quite so much.

There’s also no need to worry about losing flexibility. There’s really no such thing as being “muscle-bound.” Either you’re flexible or you’re not. Increasing strength doesn’t change this condition. Further, strength training is not incompatible with flexibility. As long as you continue with a daily regimen of easy stretching, you’ll be able to maintain or even increase flexibility as you follow this program.

PRINCIPLES OF STRENGTH TRAINING

By now you should be convinced that adding some weightlifting to your training regimen is a good idea. Maybe the big questions bouncing around in your head now are where, when, and how? We’ll get to all those details shortly. Before you take up our strength-training program, however, it would be wise to get a doctor’s clearance. This program is designed for apparently healthy adults who have no physical limitations. If you have had any serious injuries in the past, or are experiencing any pain now that limits your range of motion, do not begin this program until a doctor gives you a thumbs-up. Okay, now we’re going to talk a little bit about the big picture and set out some guidelines.

1. Come Prepared

Exercise takes commitment. You know this from your running. But all your commitment to strength training won’t matter unless you are properly prepared for your strength-training session. Here are the rules.

First, don’t begin your workout on an empty stomach. You’ll feel tired and uninspired, and you won’t be able to work out as hard as you should, which means you won’t be in a position to make any significant progress. So get fueled. Aim to eat at least a healthy snack an hour or two before your workout. It should be high in complex carbohydrates and low in protein and fat, to make it easily digestible. You can eat the same foods you would munch before a long run, such as fruit or a bagel.

We’ll pause here for a word about nutrition. Common wisdom used to be that weightlifters needed extra amounts of protein, especially steak. This isn’t necessarily true. Active people do need more protein, but you will not need more protein just because you take up this program. Having said that, however, it’s important to make sure that you are already eating the proper amount of protein. As a rule, you should be eating at least one half-gram of protein for every pound of body weight, but you shouldn’t take in more than 25 percent of your daily calories from protein. So, for example, if you’re a 130-pound runner,