So my choices are to give up and go back to not running anymore, or making a serious effort to overcome the injury hurdle and get back to running injury free. I’ve chosen the latter path and have enlisted the help of a physical therapist to get me on the right track.

Postural Restoration Institute

The exercises that have been prescribed for me appear to be based on concepts from the Postural Restoration Institute. From what I can tell, Postural Restoration Institute is a approach to treating muscle imbalances in the body through a comprehensive evaluation of movement patterns. One of the focuses of the Postural Restoration Institute school of thought is to use proper breathing as a way to achieve stronger core muscles.

As I mentioned in my prior post, the main exercise for the back pain is to use the 90/90 hip lift balloon exercise. The idea of blowing up a balloon to combat back pain sounds a little crazy, but I have to say that I’ve experienced some progress.

Of course, the “progress” could all be in my head – the placebo effect – but my upper back already feels stronger and I understand the concept of trying to strengthen more core from the inside out.

As for the knee, the physical therapist prescribed the side lying adductor pull back exercise.  I could try to explain this rather complicated exercise, but it’s probably best to watch this video:

The basic idea of the exercise is to activate the adductor and glute medius muscle to assist in the stability of the femur. According to the therapist, one of the reasons for my knee pain is that my femur is basically inward due to the fact that my adductor and glute medius are not firing.

The unstable femur puts a tremendous amount of strain on the inner knee – thus the nasty and nagging “runner’s knee” pain.

Still Hoping for Hood to Coast

I apologize to all of those who have followed the blog over the last few months. It’s been pretty depressing with all of these injuries.  But it’s all worth it if someone is helped by any of my posts.  The biggest thing for me is to keep running and not give up like in the past.

I still have a goal to run in the Hood to Coast relay race at the end of August and also hope to run a tune-up 5k in July. However, I really need to get my body to state that allows me to run some solid tempos and interval workouts.  It is so hard to run a fast race without speed work.

Hopefully the techniques from Postural Restoration Institute can save the day. We will see!

The post Postural Restoration Institute – Hope For My Running Injuries? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

However, the pain is back with a vengeance, so I decided to take a trip to a physical therapist.

A Surprising Diagnosis

Prior to my appointment, I thought that the therapist would recommend the standard strengthening exercises that other therapists have suggested to me for upper back pain, such as doing overhead shrugs, and “push-ups plus” type routines.

However, instead of suggesting that I strengthen the muscles on the outside of my rib cage, she felt that I should focus on my internal core muscles that assist with my breathing.

She took a look at my breathing patterns and felt that my short, weak breathing was causing all sorts of problems with my upper back muscles. Instead of using the powerful diaphragm muscle to work my lungs, my upper neck and back muscles, such as the trapezius and scalenes were doing most of the work.

These muscles are not designed to be the primary muscles for breathing, so they were getting incredibly overworked.

The Balloon Method

In order to fix my faulty breathing pattern, the physical therapist prescribed an exercise known as the 90/90 Hip Lift with Balloon. This exercise involves lying on your back with your feet on the wall.  After creating a slight hip lift, you breath in and blow into the balloon.

After you have breathed out fully, paused with your tongue on the roof of your mouth.  Don’t let any air from the balloon come back into your mouth, and don’t pinch the balloon to keep air out of your mouth.  After four seconds, inhale and repeat.  This video does a much better job of actually showing how this exercise is done:

Does the Balloon Method Work?

The short answer for me: It is too soon to tell. I’ve only been doing the exercise for a few days. Although I think that my back feels a bit better, this may be the placebo effect. I think it will take weeks for me to know whether my faulty breathing is the reason for my upper trapezius pain.

As always, I’ll keep you updated.

The post Can Blowing Up a Balloon Decrease Back Pain? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

I ignored the knee pain when it first started – the pain was barely noticeable. It was probably just some phantom soreness after a hard run.

I still wasn’t too concerned when I felt the pain again the next day during a run.  This time it was a bit more localized on my inner knee, but I really did not want to take a day off and disrupt my training.

About 20 minutes into the run on the third day, I realized that I had developed a legitimate case of runner’s knee. The pain was pretty intense. After the run, I had a tough time bending my knee without pain and heard the dreaded “cracking” sound when I tried bending the knee joint.

Since my first experience with runner’s knee about two months ago, I have been working hard to find a way to get over this injury hurdle and get back to pain-free running.

I happy to report that, although I’m not 100%, my knee is feeling much better.  I attribute my improvement to two things:

• Diligently completing the hip exercises from the RunnersConnect Strength Training program twice per day – especially the clam shell exercises and side-lying hip abduction exercises, and
• Speeding up my running cadence. I haven’t spoken about cadence yet on the blog, so let me give a brief explanation.

What is Cadence?

Cadence simply refers to how often a runner’s feet hit the ground.  For example, if your feet hit the ground 160 times in one minute, you have a running cadence of 160.

This number may not seem like a big deal, but a low cadence may signal that a runner is over striding and subjecting his or her lower body to increased and unnecessary impact forces.  Based on research by the famed running coach, Jack Daniels, the optimal running cadence is about 180.

In dealing with my knee pain, I discovered that I had a cadence of about 150. Although I don’t think my slow stride was the sole reason for my knee pain, the increased impact force on my lower leg from the low cadence certainly exacerbated my pain.

After discovering my low cadence, I immediately worked to increase my turnover rate and get up to the 180 number.  It was incredibly awkward at first – I was putting each foot down so fast that it felt like my shoelaces were tied together.  However, by my third and fourth run, my knee actually started to feel better.

How to Measure Cadence

The easiest way to measure cadence is to use a running watch such as the Garmin Forerunner 310xt (with a foot pod).  With a foot pod tied to your running shoes, Garmin and other running watches will give you a real time read on your specific cadence.

Although I have a Forerunner 310xt, I have not yet purchased a foot pod, so I am measuring my cadence the old fashioned way: counting my steps. Here’s how I do it:

1. Every mile or so, I glance at my watch and notice the specific time
2. For thirty seconds, I count each time my left foot hits the ground
3. I then double this number to account for my other foot (i.e. if my left foot hit the ground 45 times, my cadence for 30 seconds if 90).
4. Then double the number for both feet to get my cadence for a minute (i.e. 45 times for my left, doubled to 90 for both feet, doubled to 180 for one minute).

Again, the goal is to be at around 180 per minute.  If I am below this number, I make a conscious effort to pick my feet up faster.

That’s all there is to it.

Unfortunately, my effort to increase running cadence has not helped my trapezius pain, but I hope that a visit to a physical therapist this week will help.

The post Want to Reduce Injury Risk? Increase Your Running Cadence appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

I apologize for not posting in a while.  To be honest, I’ve been really frustrated this past week about an injury situation that is threatening to derail my goals for 30 Minute Runner 2.0.

Trapezius Pain as a Running Injury?

If you’ve been following my prior posts, you know that I had originally scraped my plans during my original 30 Minute Runner experiment after I experienced some serious runner’s knee pain.

Well, the knee pain is much better after following the exercise prescriptions in the Runner’s Connect Strength Training Program. However, an old injury foe has decided to make its presence known in my training: trapezius pain caused (I think) my lack of scapular stability.

I have had trapezius pain off and on for about three years. It is certainly an odd injury for a runner to have…I am mean how much do runners really use their upper backs?

Nevertheless, about 20-30 minutes into my run, I get a stabbing pain in my upper trapezius that makes running super painful.

A Threat to the 30 Minute Runner 2.0 Experiment

I originally thought that I beat this injury a year ago my working on strengthening the trapezius muscle, but the pain is back.  Due to the pain, I wasn’t able to run my scheduled fartlek workout in the Run Faster program last week and had a super painful long run on Sunday.

Over the years I have invested a lot of thought into why my trapezius sometimes hurts so much during running.  I think the main culprit is my terrible posture when I’m working at my desk at work.

Whatever the cause, the injury really sucks.  One real downer is that many runners have experienced common running injuries such as runner’s knee, achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis, but don’t have any problems with their upper backs.

Therefore, it is really hard to get good solid advice on the best way to treat this injury. I have an appointment scheduled with a physical therapist next week and am crossing my fingers that she will be able to help me continue with the 30 Minute Runner 2.0 experiment.

Stay tuned!

Photo courtesy of Galex

The post Trapezius Pain: A New Threat to My Running Goals appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

The 30 Minute Runner 2.0 experiment has entered into a new phase. After three weeks of base training with easy mileage, I’m now ready to start added some variety to my workouts – including the progression run.

I’m still in the “introductory” running period of the Run Faster program, so these first few workouts are not meant to be overly difficult of long – however, they are important in building a foundation for more challenging workouts in the future.

The Progression Run

I ran my very first workout yesterday in the Run Faster program – a 6 mile progression run. A progression run is simply a steady run that ends with a fast pace.  For example, my workout today was a 6 mile run with the last ten minutes at a moderate pace.  The ten minutes were also run uphill to maximize strength training.

One of the cool things about the Run Faster program is that it often combines the traditional Sunday long run with these progression runs. It is a fantastic way to take advantage of the benefits of the long run while also including a mini tempo run at the end.

Combining two workouts into run is a huge help for my very busy schedule.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that concluding a long run at a faster pace is really tough.  I had averaged about 8:20 minute mile pace for the first 5 miles of the run and I ended up dropping the last ten minutes to about 7:40 pace.

Due to the fact that I ran the last ten minutes uphill, I was really feeling it in my legs and lungs.  However, it was also a lot of fun to switch pace and get my legs cranking.

It is difficult to know if I ran the ten minutes at the correct pace.  In his book, Coach Hudson does not provide specific time goals for progression runs.  Rather, he leaves it up to the runner to determine what pace feels “moderate” or “hard.”

In order to run well during the “progression” phase of the run, I definitely recommend taking the first part of the run easy.

So without further ado, here is my current training for 30 Minute Runner 2.0 as recorded by the Garmin 310XT.  I realize that many of these runs exceed 30 minutes, but I had the time to go a bit further on some of the days and took advantage of it. Not every week will be the same.  Stay tuned for a recap of the first fartlek workout later this week!

The post Getting Faster With Progression Runs – 30 Minute Runner 2.0 appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

The more things change the more they stay the same. Although I’m shifting to a different training plan, my running last week wasn’t all that different to my old plan – minus the 10-20-30 workouts.

Training in the “Introductory Period”

As I mentioned in my post explaining the 30 Minute Runner 2.0 plan, I am following the excellent advice in the book Run Faster by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald.  As explained in the book, quality training plans should always include  3-5 week “introductory period” of training.

During this period, the focus is on building mileage volume and strengthening the body for future speed and threshold workouts. Therefore, I ran an average of 30-35 minutes five days last week. On Monday and Thursday, I included one set of hill sprints.

The whole idea of using hill sprints as a method of injury training is still pretty foreign to me.  However, I’m going to commit to them and see if it improves my bad track record when it comes to running injuries.

On Sunday, I ran a five mile long run – long runs are something that were missing from my original plan. I think they are a key component of building aerobic endurance, strength, and reducing the chance of injury.

Status of My Runner’s Knee Injury

Speaking of injuries, I’m still working on fixing my runner’s knee.  My knee feels much better than it did a few weeks ago. The RunnersConnect strength training routines are fantastic and are helping to strengthen my weak hips, glutes, and quads.

Of course the real challenge is to commit to the strength program.  This can be really tough – especially with a busy schedule – but I am trying to include at least a few of the exercises in the RunnersConnect program after every run.

Another thing that is helping my knee is self-massage on my quad muscles.  After poking around a little, I discovered that my outer quad on my affected leg is super tight. I think the tight quad is slightly pulling my knee cap off its track, which causes pain on the inner portion of my knee.

I’ve been using a foam roller to loosen it up a bit – using the roller hurts a bit, but I think it’s working.

More Introductory Training – And Hood to Coast?

During the next few weeks, I am going to continue to build as much mileage as possible with my busy schedule and continue focusing on hill sprints at the end of some of my runs.

My hope that smart “introductory” training will provide me with a solid foundation for the speed workouts and threshold runs that will come later in the plan.

By now, you might be saying, “This all sounds great, Casey, but what are you training for?” Good question.

A few of the teammates on my old college team are pushing me to run on their Hood to Coast team in August.  If you don’t know, the 200 mile Hood to Coast race is one of the largest relay races in the world.  The course winds from Mount Hood in Oregon to the Oregon Coast.

If I run, I will be expected to run at least three legs of the relay, with distances that vary from 3 miles to 7 miles. I obviously have a ton of work to do to get into shape, but I think I will try it.  It will certainly provide me with plenty of motivation.

The first week of 30 Minute Runner 2.0 is in the books. Onward!

The post Building the Base for Hood to Coast – 30 Minute Runner 2.0 appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

Welcome to 30 Minute Runner 2.0. 

As chronicled in the last few posts of the series, 30 Minute Runner 1.0 was a pretty big failure.  My original goal was to see how fast I could run a 5k with only 30 minutes of running per day.  My plan was to do easy 30 minute runs 3-4 times per week and run the 10-20-30 workout 1-2 times per week.

The hope was that the 30 minute easy runs would build my aerobic capacity, while the 10-20-30 workouts would help improve my VO2Max.  I thought it was the most efficient way to improve my running.

Well, it may have been efficient, but it was horribly misguided.  I ended up with knee tendonitis after running the intense 10-20-30 workouts when my body was not ready for them.

The Plan for 30 Minute Runner 2.0

Instead of jumping into intense workouts without a proper base, 30 Minute Runner 2.0 will be based on tried and true training principles. I will still plan to stick to 30 minutes per day of running – except for some long runs and speed workouts – but the plan will be very different.

My go-to guide for designing my plan is Run Faster From The 5k to The Marathon by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald. As I mentioned in my prior post, this is an outstanding book that simplifies complex training principles.

The foundation for the book is the idea of three training periods of training: Introductory, Fundamental, and Sharpening.

• Introductory: 3-4 week period in which a runner gradually increases mileage through daily easy runs and one long run per week to build an aerobic base.  This period  may include some light threshold training (sustained runs at close to race pace). Any speed workouts during this period are shorter in duration (i.e. 4 X 30 second fartlek workout). This period also includes a 8-second hill sprints in order to increase hip and lower leg strength to prevent injury.
• Fundamental: 5-7 week period in which a runner’s training because more specific for his or her race.  There is a focus on more race pace workouts for a longer periods of time (i.e. 7 X 600m at 5k race pace).  Hill training is included in this period, but they are “repetitions,” not “sprints.”  The hill repetitions are a good way to combine strength training with speed work.  Threshold runs are longer and more sustained.
• Sharpening: 4-6 week period which is designed to peak a runner for his or her goal race.  The workouts are designed to simulate your specific goal race as close as possible (i.e. 5 X 1000m at 5k goal pace with one minute rest).  All workouts are tailored for the exact race – you don’t run 400 meter repeats if you are training for a marathon.

By focusing on three different periods with different types of workouts, I stand a much better chance of maximizing the development of all of my body’s running systems.  This is much more comprehensive than just running 10-20-30 workouts every week.

How to Fit All This Into 30 Minutes Per Day

As you can tell, my new plan is more complicated than running easy 30 minutes per day with a few 10-20-30 workouts thrown in now and then.  The 30 Minute Runner 2.0 plan is a bit different and includes the following weekly pattern: (1) 3-4 days of 30 minute runs, (2) 1 long run, (3) 1-2 workouts (i.e. threshold runs, speed workouts, etc.).

This is going to take more effort than the original plan, but is also a much better way to train and will hopefully will be much more fulfilling.

With that said, I will have to break the “30 Minute” Runner rule at least 2-3 days per week:

• Long Runs: The original 30 Minute Runner plan included no long runs.  In order to maximize my training, I am going to make a real effort to introduce long runs into my training.  Long runs are really important in developing endurance and aerobic conditioning. Although my busy schedule leaves me no time for long runs during the week, I am going to try to run long on either Saturday or Sunday.
• Speed Workouts: Depending on the workout, I may have to run longer than 30 minutes.  Due to my busy schedule, this is going to be tough.  One option is to combine the long run day with a threshold workout (i.e. run the last 20 minutes of the long run at threshold pace). We’ll have to see if I can make it work.

However, before launching into 30 Minute Runner 2.0, I am focused on getting my hips and lower body muscles stronger to treat and prevent knee pain. I’m diligently following the RunnersConnect strength training program, including the Bia hip routine, and strength program for runner’s knee. I’ve been super happy with the exercises and already feel stronger and more stable in my lower body.

Follow My Progress

I have appreciated all of the support I’ve gotten from runners who are interested in a training plan that can work for busy people.

I’m sorry that my first attempt was unsuccessful, but I hope you understand that I’m not holding anything back – this blog contains my real experiences in trying to run fast with a family and full time job.

Please contact me with any helpful tips and advice. It is always great to hear from readers.

Let’s see if this works!

The post Welcome to 30 Minute Runner 2.0. Let’s Do This – 30 Minute Runner appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

If you’ve been following my 30 Minute Runner experiment, you know that I wanted to see how fast I could race a 5k with only 30 minutes of running per day.  In order to give myself the best chance to succeed, I decided to jump right into high intensity interval training workouts to help improve my VO2Max.

The main workout that I used was the 10-20-30 workout which a recent study showed to be a quick but very effective option for increasing a runner’s VO2Max. Unfortunately, I got a little too excited about this workout and underestimated its intensity.

Long story short – I now have some knee tendonitis that is preventing me from running – not cool!

You can see the sad state of my training by looking at the data from my Garmin Forerunner 310XT in the month of April.  There are far too many days with no running.

This is certainly not a pretty running log, but I want you to understand exactly what I’m going through.  I don’t want to hold anything back because you may be able to learn from my mistakes and avoid the problems I’m experiencing in my training.

I have been following the excellent RunnersConnect strength training program – including the Bia strengthening hip routine and the specific exercises for runner’s knee. These routines have helped to improve my knee pain, but I have a long way to go to improve my strength.

So What’s the Plan Now?

Well, I think I’m done with the 10-20-30 workouts for a while.  While I believe it is an effective workout, they are way more intense than I originally thought due to the constant changes in speed.  My body clearly was not ready for the intensity and I paid the price.

Instead of chasing a secret workout, I think I need to go back to the tried and true methods of periodization and gradual progression used by running coaches for decades. In other words, I should have focused on building a solid aerobic base and then gradually have introduced speed into my training.

Instead, I jumped into some pretty intense speed and am now paying for it. Don’t make my mistake.

Using the Run Faster Principles of Coach Brad Hudson

While I am disgusted with my dumb training plan that got me injured, the 30 Minute Runner experiment is not over.  I’m currently working on a smarter training plan that allows my body to gradually adapt to higher intensity running.

One book that is really helping me think about training plans is Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald.  Brad has coached many great American runners, including Dathan Ritzenhein, and details his training principles in this easy to read book.

Run Faster is a fantastic introduction to building a training plan and gives reader plenty of tools to customize plans – even on a very busy schedule.

My favorite training book had been Daniels’ Running Formula by the great coach Jack Daniels.  But Coach Hudson’s book is a bit easier to digest – it is not as scientific Daniels’ Book – and provides some great insights the best way to adapt a training plan to your specific circumstances.  I’ll share more about the book in the coming days and weeks.

Until then, I’m focused on clearing up my knee tendonitis and returning to pain-free running.

Have you ever rushed into a training plan only to get injured?

Do you have any advice for me in coming back from injury?

The post My Training Plan Got Me Injured – What Now? – 30 Minute Runner appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

If you haven’t been following the saga of my battle with runners knee, here is a brief recap.

Last month, I decided to see whether I could run a decent 5k on only 30 minutes of running per day.  My plan was to use high intensity interval training, including the 10-20-30 workout, to maximize my fitness gains.

However, I made a huge mistake of jumping right into full 10-20-30 workouts without getting my body used to speed workouts.  I was fine for the first few workouts sessions, but I soon developed a bad case of runners knee – in my case, pain in the inner knee next to the patella.

Like so many runners, I stupidly ignored the pain and pressed on with my training.  Of course, that only made things worse and I was forced to take some days off and look for ways to treat the injury.

My Initial Runners Knee Treatment Plan

My first idea on how to treat my runners knee pain was to do some strength training to build up my inner quad muscle – also known as the “VMO” muscle. Many running web sites refer to a weak VMO muscle as a key cause of knee pain.

After two weeks, I can report that the VMO strengthening exercises are helping to an extent, but the improvement is very gradual. I also tried to mix in some squatting exercises to strengthen the entire quad muscle, however, I’m just not seeing rapid improvement.

“Frustrated” does not even begin to describe my emotions.

I think many injured runners have given up in my current stage.  There is a common pattern: A runner gets excited adding mileage or additional speed work to his or her training program. The runner then does far too much intensity too soon and develops knee pain from overuse.

The runner may try to few things to treat the injury (i.e. ice, strength training, etc.), but when those things do not provide immediate relief, the runner gives up running for a while.  All prior fitness is lost.

Well, I’m breaking that pattern. I’m not giving up!

My New Runners Knee Treatment Plan – RunnersConnect Strength Training

I have decided to stop watching random knee exercise videos on YouTube and aimlessly searching the web for treatment advice.  Instead, I am making a commitment to use the RunnersConnect.net Strength Training Program.

I have heard a lot of great things about the RunnersConnect Program and actually competed in races against the creator of the program, Coach Jeff Gaudette, when I was a college runner (yes, he beat me every time we raced).  He is a great guy who knows his stuff.

The RunnersConnect Strength Training Program is a comprehensive program for the entire body designed to treat and prevent running injuries. It includes information on speed and form drills, plyometrics, core work, lower leg strengthening and so much more.

To attack my runners knee pain, I’m going to focus on the hip strength routine known as Bia (named after the Ancient Greek Goddess of Force). Based on information I have learned from Coach Jeff and other sources, I really think that my weak hips are the primary cause of my knee pain.

The Bia routine includes 10 different exercises all designed to improve hip mobility and strength.  The workouts only take about 5-10 minutes to complete, but they are intense.

I completed the Bia hip exercises for the first time today and my lack of hip mobility is really eye-opening.  The Bia routine comes with a video in which Jeff and another runner demonstrate the exercises, but my mobility does not come close to matching the mobility of those guys.

Obviously, I have a long way to go.

Follow me on my journey to treat and cure runners knee and get back to my 30 Minute Runner experiment. If you also are battling knee pain, get the RunnersConnect Strength Training Program and do the workouts with me. I’d love to have company and bounce ideas off others.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about whether the Program is right for you.

* Please note that I do earn a small commission if you purchase RunnersConnect Program through the link above. I really appreciate your support of The Runner’s Resource – it helps keep the site going!

The post RunnersConnect: My New Runners Knee Battleplan – 30 Minute Runner appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

I recently received an e-mail from a reader who has been following the 30 Minute Runner experiment. She was intrigued by the goal of figuring out the best low mileage training options and asked whether I had read the book Run Less Run Faster by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss.

I had never heard of this book, but the title sounded interesting. I picked up the book at my local bookstore and started reading.

Run Less Run Faster Principles

The training principles behind the Run Less Run Faster program are unique and are a lot different from my 30 Minute Runner program. In my program, I am running 30 minutes per day at least 3-5 times per week, and doing short but high intensity interval workouts 1-2 times per week.

The Run Less Run Faster Program would eliminate all of my easy run days.

The basic idea of the Program is that, during a one week period, runners should run three high quality workouts, two cross training workouts, and take two days off.  The authors refer this basic plan of three run days and 2 cross training routine days as the 3Plus2 plan.

There are three types of high quality workouts: track repeats, tempo runs, and long runs.  Here are a few examples from one week in the 5k plan:

• Track Workout: 10-20 minute warmup, 6 X 800 meters (with 400 meters rest), 10 minute cool down
• Tempo Run: 1 mile warmup, 4 miles at “mid tempo pace”, 1 mile cooldown
• Long Run: 7 miles at “long tempo pace”

The book includes detailed pacing tables for each type of workout based on a runner’s fitness level.  As a 20 minute 5k runner, I would be expect to run the 800 meter repeats in 2:57 minutes. My “mid-tempo” pace is 6:58 per mile. And my “long tempo” pace is 7:13.

These paces are pretty intense , but I guess you have to work hard when you are only running three times per week.

Cross Training in Run Less Run Faster

One of the key distinguishing factors in the Run Less Run Faster program is the use of two “cross training” routines per week.  The authors are very clear that the cross training must be non-impact.

This eliminates treadmills, stair-climbers, ellipticals, certain home workout programs, such as “Insanity” and “P90X,” and jumping rope. Therefore, the only viable cross training exercises for most people are swimming, cycling (including spin classes), and using a rowing machine.

My understanding is that the purpose for the non-impact cross training is improve a runner’s fitness without risking injury.  This could be a godsend to runners who always seem to get injured with higher mileage programs.

Is Run Less Run Faster for Me?

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was refreshing to see a unique take on how to best train for a race.  It was also remarkable to see detailed training plans for marathon times as fast as 3:05 using only three runs per week.

However, I think the Run Less Run Faster program has different goals then my 30 Minute Runner program.

The Run Less Run Faster program is all about limiting the number of running days, but, with the cross training component, the total exercise time per week remains largely the same as other plans.

The 30 Minute Runner experiment is all about limiting the amount of time spent running. It is perfectly acceptable for me to run seven days per week, as long as I don’t regularly exceed 30 minutes per day of running.

It seems to me that the Run Less Run Faster program would take much more time than the 30 Minute Runner Plan.  Not only are the workouts way longer and more intense, but finding ways to cross train could be a real pain.

I don’t have much interest in purchasing a gym membership, driving to a gym, and doing lap swimming or spin class. This would take much longer than a 30 minute run.  I’m also not interested in spending a lot of money on a rowing machine.

So while I am intrigued by the Run Less Run Faster program, I just don’t think it makes a lot of sense for me at this moment in my life.

Have you tried the Run Less Run Faster program?

How did it work for you?

The post Run Less Run Faster – A Low Mileage Option? – 30 Minute Runner appeared first on The Runner's Resource.