Can 60 Days In The Gym Make Me A Stronger Runner?

I set myself a challenge of doing Strength and Conditioning every day for 60 days to see if it would make me a better runner. I wanted to see if it would be make a faster running, a more efficient runner or have better endurance. I did this challenge as part of my preparation for the Goodwood marathon where I attempted to run a marathon personal best (PB). I've never really done strength work for running in the past, so I was interested to see the effect. I also wanted to see if I could develop a habit by doing something every day for 60 days. In this video I document my journey from day 1 to day 60 and then through my marathon PB attempt.

[@kellymax020]

Think gym work is so underrated in running - the number one way for injury prevention is strengthening! Also just dropped you a follow on Strava!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Max. Yeah definitely! I feel like my form is improving significantly thanks to the S&C. One of those things that is easy to overlook.

[@chrismcdermott3974]

You should give yoga a go, covers your stretching, lower body without weights and some core work too. Finishing off with a meditation is great for the mind too

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Chris. Yeah, I've done yoga in the past and the stretching I've been doing verges on being Yoga. Also a fan of meditation but I tend to use it tactically, such as when I'm stressed or in the past when I've had issues falling asleep.

[@brionia9760]

Well done for sticking at it. Your 4 x a week plan sounds good. 💪👍

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Brioni!

[@trailrunningphil]

So now it’s over, how are you going to implement this into your running week?

[@jamesday1]

Hi Phil, the plan is to do 4 sessions a week. The best time for me is usually at lunch time, as I can squeeze a 40 minute session in when I'm working from home. I'll probably do sessions on either mon/tue/thur/fri/sat. Wednesdays and Sundays are long run days so I'll probably avoid doing sessions then. 40 mins will probably be 5 mins warm up/running dynamics, 2 x 15 min sessions on different areas (lower body, core, upper body - I'll rotate them throughout the week), then 5 mins of stretching. That's the plan anyway. I typically go into the office once a week so will try and avoid doing S&C on travel days.

[@trailrunningphil]

@@jamesday1 that sounds great mate

[@josiahnorman7640]

I'm not sure you can count 3 minutes of exercises in your study towards '60 days in the gym'...

[@jamesday1]

😅 yeah the first week was pretty light but I averaged 30 mins a day for 60 days. The steady build helped avoid any injuries.

[@josiahnorman7640]

@@jamesday1 point taken but it's a bit of a misleading title