10k easy run (47:39) WINDY / Karl's take on strength training for runners

It was another windy day in the Antelope Valley (AV). I got out just before it started to get REALLY bad. I wanted to try and keep around 7:40-7:50 pace which is what I want to run my first 12 in tomorrow. I ran mostly north and south which gave me a cross wind most of the way but my splits were all over the place. I won't even mention them. It will be hard to hold back a little for 12 miles as the pace felt pretty easy.

My average pace was 7:40.

For those of you that did not see the article in the AV Press on the running clinic that Clay and I put on in February, you can read the article at Clark's Blog. Take it with a grain of salt, things were taken out of context and we were slightly misquoted.

The NY Times recently posted two articles that are directly related to the topics we discussed at the clinic and are an interesting read.
Can Weight Training Make You A Better Runner?
Can Stretching Prevent Soreness And Injury?

A research team from the Human Performance Laboratory at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, is gathering information about the strength-training habits of regular runners. You can help. Just take their simple survey here:

I have done resistance training before but rarely lifted legs until recently (last October) when I joined Clay in evolving a circuit training, or super sets, workout at our lunch break to complement our running. I think runners don't strength train their legs, number one, because it makes them so sore that they cannot run for a few days, and number two they think they will gain weight and it will slow them down.
The strength training that we do is a complete body workout with an emphasis on core training, hip and knee stability, and dynamic lifting. It is a complete body workout. Currently it takes us 20-25 minutes to complete, and there is very little rest.
When I first started the program I was sore for a few days after each workout. Now I have no problem running the next day, and we complete the work out 2-3 times per week. The strength training, I believe, has allowed me to increase my mileage quicker without injury. It has also allowed me to POWER up the hills I run stronger and with better form.
Many elite runners are doing similar types of core training. I believe, and it has been proven in many articles, that strength training for runners can be very beneficial. It can even be more beneficial than adding miles just for the sake of adding miles.
Read also Paradigm Shift in Training Endurance Athletes.

Currently our workout is as follows:
3 laps of the gym side stepping with resistive band
2x25 reverse lunges each leg
30x alternating arm swings kettlebell squat
2x15 kettlebell bent over rows each arm
2x15 Bosu ball pushups (or to failure)
2x10 Bosu ball planks with leg extension
5x each, side planks with rotation into plank and back
15x each side kettlebell figure eights
30x double arm swings kettlebell squats
2x25 reverse lunges each leg
3 laps of zombie walk with resistive band

We get all this done in 20 minutes!
It is the equivalent effort of running an all out 5k.

The workout is always evolving. Occasionally we add a new exercise such as dips or other variations of plank exercise. We only started using the Bosu ball about 2 months ago. I will begin posting a weekly video of one of our exercises this week.
I do not recommend starting any of the kettlebell exercises without proper instruction. Some of the plank exercises are also very advanced.

A final note: Running alone does not make us stronger. Even running hills, which runners have thought for many years is their strength training, does not make one stronger. Running more and more miles trains our neuromuscular system to become more efficient at one thing, running. Our body will adapt for any weaknesses or imbalances we might have, and with enough stress will lead to injury.