EHughes323
Level 4 Valued Member
First, some back-story. I am a runner who trains using StrongFirst principles. 2 years ago I worked up to running a 1:46:00 half marathon doing nothing but strength training 4 days a week (squats, deadlifts, bench, pullups), hill sprints 3 days a week, and a 2 mile walk every morning on an empty stomach. I then (stupidly) switched over to a typical higher-volume-and-higher-mileage running program and soon became plagued by chronic injuries.
After a 1.5 year break from running and focusing on strength training (mostly deadlifts, get ups, and swings) I have returned to my old ways of training for races. 1-2 days a week of hill sprints, 2 days of get ups (S&S style) and 2 days of two-handed swings (PM man-maker style). Also a 2-3 mile walk every single day. Here are my results:
Last week I ran a PB 5k in 19:34, and just this past Sunday I ran a PB 10k of 43:00. Both of these races were done on pavement, and I ran them both barefoot, and had I worn shoes for these races my times would have been even faster. I plan on working back up to the half marathon distance and beyond by sticking to these StrongFirst training principles that have kept me happier, healthier, stronger, faster, and injury-free. Just wanted to share this to show that running performance can be achieved with very little actual running, and a focus on strength, speed, and power; or to put it more simply, a focus on being StrongFirst.
After a 1.5 year break from running and focusing on strength training (mostly deadlifts, get ups, and swings) I have returned to my old ways of training for races. 1-2 days a week of hill sprints, 2 days of get ups (S&S style) and 2 days of two-handed swings (PM man-maker style). Also a 2-3 mile walk every single day. Here are my results:
Last week I ran a PB 5k in 19:34, and just this past Sunday I ran a PB 10k of 43:00. Both of these races were done on pavement, and I ran them both barefoot, and had I worn shoes for these races my times would have been even faster. I plan on working back up to the half marathon distance and beyond by sticking to these StrongFirst training principles that have kept me happier, healthier, stronger, faster, and injury-free. Just wanted to share this to show that running performance can be achieved with very little actual running, and a focus on strength, speed, and power; or to put it more simply, a focus on being StrongFirst.