Running generates 3-7 times your body weight in impact force per footstrike. Even running at comfortable/conversational pace asks a LOT of your body!

Additionally, every runner has their own biomechanical quirks/idiosyncrasies/developmental opportunities. Maybe one foot lands differently from another. Maybe you favor one side a bit more than another.

It’s important to strengthen, stabilize, and ‘balance’ in order to help manage any quirks/idiosyncrasies/developmental opportunities, stay aggravation/injury-free, and run economically/efficiently.

Outlined below is a basic routine I do in my living room to strengthen/stabilize/balance.

-5 min. of marching/running in place while carrying weights in each arm (2/5/10 pounds…or whatever works for you.) followed by a set of ‘drills’

-3 min. of drills (4 drills @ 45 seconds each). Here are the drills I usually do…there are countless ‘other’ drills out there that could be included/incorporated.

#1-Heel raises, squats, lunges, high knees
#2-Right side plank, left side plank, standard plank, superman/superwoman
#3-Heel raises, squats, lunges, pushups
#4-flutterkicks, v-situps, bicycle crunches, russian twists
#5-Heel raises, standard plank, superman/superwoman, pushups

I usually do 5 min. of marching/running in place BEFORE my first set of drills and AFTER my last set of drills. If you do this, you’re looking at a pretty solid 45 minute workout.