Week 0: Let’s Prepare
Starting a Running Program without first taking a look at what it will require would be like setting out on a camping trip without packing any gear, you’re just asking for a challenging time. Thoroughly work through each element of Week 0, learning, planning, gathering supplies, and preparing yourself for the journey ahead. Doing this will make the experience so much more accessible, attainable, and enjoyable.
Day 1
Complete the Ready to Run Checklist
Before you lace up your running shoes and head out the door, let’s do a quick assessment to make sure you are physically ready to start this journey. Running, like any form of exercise, is a skill you learn and develop, and which places stresses and demands on the body. It is important to make sure that you are physically prepared for the road ahead.
Action Steps
Set up your workout environment: Having a designated space to perform exercises will not only make your workouts easier, but less likely that you will have any barriers to completing them. Find some space in your home or at your gym that you prefer, that has some room to move, and do what you can to designate it the area you train. Gather your equipment, and generally have your workout space as ready to go as possible for easy access.
Start thinking about your running guides and those you enjoy running with. If you run with a sighted guide, now is a good time to check in with them to make sure they are available and ready for the challenge. Always wise to have a few people around that you like to run with just in case someone is unavailable. Also it is a good practice to train with multiple people, in the event a “favorite ” guide is not available on race day or during part of the program then you are comfortable running with others.
Familiarize yourself with these exercises
Wall Angel
Quick Description: Stand with your back against a wall with the back of your hands, forearms, head, shoulders, and buttocks all maintaining contact with the wall. With your hands by your shoulders and your elbows at your side, slide your arms up overhead while breathing out, and then slide them back down into the starting position.
Starting Position: Let’s start with our back against an open wall area. The goal of this exercise is to maintain contact with the wall on several points of the body, which keeps us aligned properly. The back of your head, shoulders, buttocks, calves, and heels should all be touching the wall. Your elbows are bent with your hands at shoulder level and your elbows down by your ribs. The backs of your hands and forearms are touching the wall as well. We would call this a W position, as the shape of your arms create a shape similar to the W letter.
To Perform the Exercise: Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, slide your hands straight up the wall until your arms are extended fully overhead. Through this movement, you are trying to keep all of those points of contact, assessing whether or not you had to move away from the wall with any body part to reach the top. Once extended, slowly slide your arms back down to the original starting position.
Muscles Targeted: This exercise measures the range of motion of several major joints and muscles in the upper body.
Common Mistakes: This movement is not meant to be done with speed or intensity. It is meant to be performed slowly with much observation of your body for deviations in movement, pain or discomfort, or anything else that may indicate an abnormality that should be assessed by a physician.
Single Leg Heel Raise
Quick Description: Standing on one leg. Something nearby to help with balance. Raise up all the way onto the toes and hold 3-5 secs and slowly lower down. Be sure to keep contact with the ground under the big toe at all times. Repeat a few times on each leg. Next, try the same exercise with a slightly bent knee, only raising the heel up halfway. Repeat both legs.
Starting Position: Let’s start this exercise standing up straight next to a stable object you can hold on to for balance if needed. Center your weight over your grounded foot by moving your hips laterally, shifting to the side of that leg slightly, effectively putting your grounded foot right in the middle of your body alignment. Another way of saying it, you’re not tipping to the side, your head and shoulders should stay right over your hips, but your whole vertical torso should be shifted just a little to the side so that your bottom foot is right in the middle of your body. Now raise your other foot off the ground and out in front of you slightly with your knee bent at a shallow angle, just to keep your leg out of the way and your foot from contacting the floor. Your arms should be bent to 90 degrees and at your side with your palms facing each other out in front of you, just like when running. The exception is if you are having balancing issues, you can place your hand or hands on whatever stable object you are using for balance. Finally, there will be two different positions for the knee of the leg you are standing on. The first position is with that knee completely straight as you perform the exercise, which will target the Gastrocnemius (calf muscle), and the second position is with the knee slightly bent and your hips back when performing the exercise, which will target the soleus (calf muscle).
To Perform the Exercise: Drive the toes of your bottom foot into the ground and lift your heel up so that it is off the floor as high as you can. Hold for 3-5 seconds and then slowly lower back down. Repeat the exercise a few times per leg, and then change to the bent knee position and repeat the movement. With the knee bent position, you do not need to raise the heel up quite so high.
Muscles Targeted: Gastrocnemius and Soleus (calf muscles), as well as several stabilizer muscles in the hips, buttocks, and core.
Ways to Increase Intensity: If your balance is exceptional and your looking for a challenge, you can perform this exercise on a soft surface, which will create less stability and more of a challenge for your muscle coordination. You can also add resistance by holding on to weights while performing the movement.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this is a challenging exercise for you, you can place the toes of your elevated foot back onto the floor for a little more stability. Think of 90%of your weight being in your bottom foot, but about 10% in the one you just put back down, just helping the movement along as needed.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake is not redistributing your weight to be centered for this exercise. It is so common when a person is told to balance on one foot, that they automatically just pick the other straight up off the ground. If you are standing on both feet, then all of a sudden, one foot is gone, you are going to topple over. Focus on staying up as tall as you can while centering your grounded foot directly underneath your body for best results.
Another common mistake is trying to look down at your foot while doing this movement. Your head should be up tall and your spine erect. This will help maintain balance, and improve posture.
Squat
Quick Description: Standing with feet just outside of hip width apart. Sit back first with the hips and let the knees bend. As you lower down into the squat let the hips and knees open slightly. As you return to standing be sure to push into the floor with the feet. After 5 reps, stay at the bottom of the squat and raise one arm up towards the ceiling, bring it back down, raise the other arm, and then back down. Come up from your squat. Repeat one more time.
Starting Position: Let’s start standing fully erect with your feet hip width or just slightly wider, and your toes pointed directly forward toward 12 o’clock, or just slightly more open.
To Perform the Exercise: Understand that the squat is one of the most powerful, most often used, and most often improperly performed, exercises out there. Follow all of these guidelines, and listen to your body, as small variations may be appropriate for your build or athleticism. First, engaging the right muscle groups is essential, in this case, the hips and buttocks are the primary movers, along with the hamstrings (back of the thigh) and quadriceps (thigh). Start the movement by pushing your hips back toward the wall behind you a few inches, causing you to flex at the hips and put your weight back on your heels. Be sure to not lose neutrality in your spine, your lower back should still have a shallow forward curve, just as if you were standing up. Now, keeping your weight in your heels, sit your hips back and down, like you are sitting in a very little chair that is way back behind you. Note, if you want to make sure your getting this right, you can get a literal chair or stool and perform a squat standing several inches away from it, sitting down, touching the chair very lightly, and then standing back up. As you lower into your squat, your knees should stay open as wide as your feet, and your chest and back should be upright and as tall as you can make them. When you have dropped as low as you can, drive your heels into the ground, squeeze your buttocks and your core, press your knees out, and push your head toward the ceiling as you drive back up to the starting position, finishing with your hips driving forward again and squeezing at the top. Your arm position through this exercise can vary. Keeping your arms out in front of you can help counterbalance the backward movement of your hips, just be sure to still keep your chest and head up as high as you can, your not trying to reach toward the front of the room, just hold your arms out for balance. You can also bend your elbows and keep your arms at your side, or even raise them over head for an added challenge. . You can perform many variations and manipulations on this primary movement, including sitting at the bottom of your squat, raising one arm, then lowering it and raising the other, then standing back up. Perform 6-10 reps with control and focus on good posture and stability.
Muscles Targeted: Glute Complex (buttocks), Hamstrings (back of the thigh), Quadriceps (thigh), and many accessory muscles including core muscles, postural muscles, and muscles in the lower legs and feet.
Ways to Increase Intensity: This primary exercise has dozens and dozens of variations to make it more challenging. One simple technique is to slow down your movements, especially on the way down (eccentric). Perform a slow count of 3 or 4 on the way down, and a count of 1 or 2 on the way up for a simple but effective way of turning up the intensity.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If squats are challenging for you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. A super simple way of taking some pressure off your legs, knees, hips, or back, is to hold onto a stable object while sitting back into your squat. Examples may include the edge of a counter, the back of a couch, a banister railing, a suspended rope, a low pull-up bar, a strong door knob, etc. Holding this object will allow you to sit back a little more and share some of the stress with your upper body, allowing you the right tension to strengthen your legs and work toward doing unassisted body weight squats. The best objects are easily gripped and stable at about upper belly or chest level.
Common Mistakes: There are many mistakes that can be made with this exercise, I will list the most frequent ones, and note that these mistakes are not always on or off, black or white. Often There are subtle and small variations. You don’t have to be bent over double for it to be wrong. Even a small misalignment in your lower back can cause big problems over time, so always be on the look out for these, even if you are experienced with exercise.
First common mistake is rounding your back and dropping your chest. Though the squat is a full body exercise, engaging many muscles in the upper body in an accessory manner, it is primarily for the legs and buttocks, so we want the upper body to be as neutral and stationary as possible. Your upper body should stay as erect as possible through the entire movement, your core tight, your back neutral and strong. Imagine looking at a person in front of you while you are squatting, whether at the top or bottom, you want to point your face, chest, and belly toward them the entire time.
Another common mistake is not sitting back into the squat. If you miss the first step of pushing your hips back and subsequently not sitting in that imaginary chair way back behind you, you will have a tendency to push your knees forward and your weight into your toes. This puts a lot of pressure in your knees and long term is not biomechanically sound. Your knees can and will move forward slightly, but your weight should remain in your heels, and your knees should not pass your toes.
Another common mistake is allowing your knees to collapse together, whether on the way down (eccentric) or on the way up (concentric). If your knees collapse together, you are getting a better push, but the tension is no longer in your leg muscles, but is being shifted into the ligaments of your knee. Press your knees open as you sit and stand, keeping them to the same width as your hips and feet. If you struggle with this, you can prime those muscles by performing squats with a short elastic band around your knees. The band will try to pull your knees inward, and as you fight to keep the band stretched open, you will strengthen the muscles that externally rotate and abduct your legs.
Ankle Mobility
Quick Description: Stand with your toes against the base of a wall and slide your knee forward as far as you can, preferably all the way to the wall if you have the mobility, keeping your knee directly over your third toe.
Starting Position: Let’s stand facing toward a wall with one foot forward and the other slightly back and off to the side. Putting the toes of your front foot up to the wall, make sure that your foot is completely perpendicular to the wall, not turned one way or another. Your shoulders, chest, belly, and hips are squared up and not turned to the side. You can place your hands on the wall for support and comfort during this movement.
To Perform the Exercise: Simply slide the knee of your front leg forward, keeping your foot flat and heel in contact with the floor the entire time. Glide your knee forward until you either feel your ankle restrict any more forward movement, or your knee gently makes contact with the wall. Your knee should be directly over the middle toe of your foot, and again, your hips and torso should be square, facing directly toward the wall.
Muscles Targeted: Soleus (the large deep muscle of the lower leg)
Common Mistakes: This is not an exercise in speed or strength, and moving too quickly and not paying attention to your biomechanics is a mistake. Take your time to feel your body’s movements to note any restrictions or pain you may feel. Use this movement in the future to help open up the ankle joint for better movement if you feel your range of motion is limited.
Half Kneeling Step Ups
Quick Description: In a half-kneeling position with the right knee down, left foot out on the ground in front of you. Push into the left foot to stand up and place the right foot beside it. Step back with the right foot and slowly lower back to right knee down. Repeat on the same side 10 times. Repeat on the other side. This exercise will challenge balance and coordination while working the hip muscles.
Starting Position: For this exercise, let’s kneel down on the floor on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. In this kneeling position, both knees are bent to 90 degrees. Your front foot is flat on the floor in front of you with your knee up, and your back foot is turned down with the dorsi side, or the top of your foot, on the ground. Your bottom knee is on the floor directly under your hips, and your hips are directly under your head and shoulders with your arms at your sides. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees, and put your hands out in front of you, keeping your elbows at your side. Keeping your arms stationary will increase the demand on your legs.
To Perform the Exercise: Drive your front foot into the floor as you push the top of your head toward the ceiling to move into a standing position. As you stand all the way up to a fully erect stance, place your back foot lightly on the floor, keeping the majority of your weight on your drive foot. Once there, immediately step that same foot back again and slowly lower down into your starting position. Repeat about 10 times, and then switch legs.
Muscles Targeted: Glutes (buttocks), Hamstrings (back of thigh), Quadriceps (thigh), and other stabilizer muscles in the hips and core.
Ways to Increase Intensity: To increase the challenge for this exercise, you can avoid letting your back foot touch the ground as you come up, instead trying to balance through the entire movement. When you get really good at this exercise, you can also add resistance by holding on to weights as you perform your repetitions.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: There are several ways to decrease the tension of this exercise, including turning your back foot under so that your toes are dug into the floor, which will allow you to push slightly off your back foot to stand up. Another way to make it easier is to have a sturdy object to hold onto to help pull yourself up to your standing position, such as the edge of a kitchen counter or the back of a couch.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this exercise is leaning your chest way forward when standing up. To challenge your leg and hip muscles properly, it is best to keep your torso very erect, trying to keep your head over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips. Imagine driving the crown of your head toward the ceiling as you stand up, and this will help keep you aligned.
Another common mistake is dropping back down to the ground too quickly. Everything about this movement should be steady and controlled, especially on the way back down to the floor. Soft smooth movements should be your goal through the duration of the exercise.
Day 2
Read through the Sports Nutrition for Runners Document
Your body is an amazing machine. It has the ability to adapt, to learn, to change and heal. You will soon be embarking on a fantastic journey of challenge and growth, and along the way you will be asking your body to do things it has never done before. In order for your body to do what you are asking it to do, you need to provide the right fuel and building blocks for it to move and adapt. Read the Runners Academy Sports Nutrition for Runners to start learning about the best ways to feed your body correctly to maximize your results and performance.
Action Steps
Stock your Kitchen: Make some time to supply yourself with highly nutritious foods that will fuel your workouts and recovery.
Check in with your running guides. Now is a good time to begin to organize a schedule for when guides or running partners are available. Remember not everyone is available all the time so a little flexibility is really important.
Familiarize yourself with these exercises
Bird dog
Quick Description: Starting on your hands and knees again in the table-top position. Extend your left leg out behind you as you extend your right arm straight out ahead of you. Keep the back of the neck long as if looking straight down towards the floor. Reach out in opposite directions and balance and hold this position for about 10 secs as you breathe. Return to the start position and repeat on the other side, extending the opposite arm and leg, keeping the spine quite still.
Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the top of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck. Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back. In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral. Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor. Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment. Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head. Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar with your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly. For your spine from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.
To perform the exercise: raise one arm and the opposite leg off the floor and extend them out so that your raised arm and leg are straight and level with your hips and shoulders. Your raised arm should be pointed ahead of you toward 12 o’clock, and the opposite leg and foot, the one you have raised and straightened, should be pointed back toward 6 o’clock. Return back to your starting position by lowering your arm and leg back down, bending the knee again, and returning back to your quadruped position. Hold each of these positions for about 10 seconds per side, focusing on raising the leg and arm up as much as you can without over arching your lower back.
Muscles Targeted: Your traps, posterior deltoids, or rhomboids (your upper back), your glute complex (your buttocks), and your hamstrings (the back of your thigh).
Ways to Increase Intensity: You can make this exercise more challenging by adding wrist and ankle weights to the movement, or by beginning in a push-up plank position instead of the quadruped position, which would challenge your core much more through increased rotational and sagittal tension.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: keeping a slight bend in the knee and elbow will decrease the demand on those muscle groups. Fight for full extension, or straightening of those joints as you improve and become stronger.
Some common mistakes with this exercise: First, moving the spine out of it’s neutral position. The spine should remain neutral and steady throughout the whole movement, not over arching or rounding. Imagine that there is a glass of water on your back as you do this exercise, in order to not spill the water, you have to remain very steady in your torso and hips as you move your arm and opposite leg.
Next, not fully extending the leg and arm: When raising up, be sure to fully lock the elbow and knee of the extremities you are lifting for the full effect. Your arm and leg should raise to the same height as your hips and shoulders, creating a straight line from the finger tips of your raised arm, to the toes of your raised leg.
Another common mistake is allowing your head to drop down so keep your neutral alignment by pointing your nose toward the floor and pushing the back of your head toward the ceiling.
Cat Camel
Quick Description: On your hands and knees. Knees are under your hips and hands are under your shoulders. Extend your spine and look up towards the ceiling, then round your back and tuck your chin towards your chest, tuck your tailbone as well. Then proceed back into the extension, chin up and tailbone up. Breathing throughout. Repeat 10 repetitions.
Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck. Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back. In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral. Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor. Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment. Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like your trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head. Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar with your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly. For your spine, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.
To Perform the Exercise: Slowly alternate between full flexion and full extension of your spine. For the first position, put your spine into full extension by simultaneously raising your head and looking up as high as you can, and pushing your chest and belly toward the floor as far as you can. Keep your elbows straight and don’t move your hands, knees, or feet. Then move into the second position, which is full flexion of the spine, by dropping your chin down toward the floor and then toward your chest, and simultaneously pushing your shoulders and back up toward the ceiling as high as you can. Again, keep the rest of your body in the exact same position. When raising your spine up, try to pull your belly button into your spine for the full contraction. Repeat for 10 repetitions.
Muscles Targeted: This will lengthen and stretch the core abdominal muscles, as well as the spinal muscles such as the erector spinae (the large muscles on either side of your spine), and the small muscles that run between your vertebrae.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake is sitting back on your heels when performing this movement. Stay up in your table top position with your hips over your knees.
Another common mistake is not rolling the hips when arching the spine. As your spine drops down, think about trying to push your tail bone and the back of your head closer together, and when your spine raises up, thing about pushing your chin and your groin closer together, rolling and turning the hips with each movement.
Childs’ Pose
Quick Description: From table-top position, take a slightly wider stance with your knees and sit your hips back towards your heels. Walk hands forward slightly and let the chest fall towards the floor. Focus on breathing into the rib cage, inhale to expand the ribs and exhale. Hold for 3-4 breaths. Walk hands towards the right and hold and breathe. Then walk the hands to the left and hold and breathe.
Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position. Your hands should be as wide as your shoulders just on the outside of your ribs, with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be up slightly from your body, in line with your face, and not by your chest as we normally would have them. Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back. In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral. Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor. Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment. Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head. Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar, your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly. For your spine, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are in a stance slightly wider than your hips instead of directly under your hips like we would normally do, and your knees and feet are the same width, approximately 10-12 inches between your knees and the same between your feet. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.
To Perform the Exercise: Slowly sit your hips back toward your heels and lower your chest toward the floor at the same time. As your chest comes down, you can walk your hands out further away from you until your face and chest are just a few inches from the ground and your arms are fully extended out over your head. You can increase or decrease the tension as needed by sliding your hands further forward away from you or back towards you. Take one hand, and place it on top of the other, stretching that arm and shoulder across the mid line of your body. Repeat on the other side and be sure to take slow deep breaths as you feel the muscles and joints in your back, shoulders, and chest stretch open. You can hold each position for 3-5 seconds, and repeat as needed.
Muscles Targeted: Primarily the Latissimus Dorsi (the large muscles of your back on the side of your body), but it also stretches open the muscles of your chest, shoulders, and belly, as well as potentially your hips and buttocks.
Common Mistakes: Keeping the knees too close together. You don’t need to open your knees so much that you feel the stretch in the groin, but you want to get a slightly wider base than normal to allow your hips to sit back further and get a better stretch in the torso.
Frog Stretch
Quick Description: From the table-top, all fours position. Open the knees as wide as still feels comfortable. Then rock your hips back towards your heels, trying to keep the tailbone up and NOT tucking under. Rock forward again over your hands and repeat the hips back towards the heels. 8-10 reps.
Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck. Your elbows are fully extended, or straight with your scapula, or shoulder blades, slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back. In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral. Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor. Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment. Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head. Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar and your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly. For your spine, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. In the normal table top position, your knees would be directly under your hips, but for this exercise, open your knees wide to the point just short of the furthest you can stretch. Finally, your feet should be externally rotated so that the inside arches of your feet are on the floor and your toes are pointed to the side.
To Perform the Exercise: Simply sit your hips back toward your heels until you feel a good stretch in your groin, focusing on keeping a neutral alignment in the spine, not allowing your lower back to round up toward the ceiling, but maintaining the slight forward arch toward the floor. If it is more comfortable, you can also come down to the floor on your forearms instead of being up on your hands. Rock back for a few seconds, then move forward again taking tension off the muscles. Repeat this movement 8-10 times.
Muscles Targeted: The hip adductors
Ways to Increase Intensity: As with any stretch, increasing your range of motion will increase intensity, such as widening your knees in your starting stance and sitting back further toward your heels. Be cautious not to over stretch, as this can have the opposite effect of improving flexibility. Your stretch should be slightly uncomfortable, not painful.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: To reduce tension, do not rock back so far toward your heels and bring your knees closer together in your starting stance, shortening the distance between your knees.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake is allowing your lower back to round up toward the ceiling. Do the movement correctly by keeping a neutral arch in the lower spine, which will help make sure that this stretch focuses on the hip adductors.
Another common mistake is not having enough padding on the floor. Make sure that the surface you are working on is well padded so that your joints are protected, especially under your knees and ankles as these will commonly be sensitive points of contact with the floor.
Glute Bridges
Quick Description: Laying on your back, knees bent and feet are flat on the floor and about hip width apart. Push into the floor with both feet as you lift your hips and butt up towards the ceiling. Release back down to the floor and repeat 10-15 times.
Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or face up, on the floor, on a firm but padded surface such as a carpet or hard flooring with a yoga mat. Flex, or bend, the knees, pointing your knees toward the ceiling and place your feet flat on the floor about 6 inches from your buttocks, maintaining about 6 inches between your feet and knees. The position of your arms and hands is preferential, you can leave them at your side palms up, or turn your palms down, or you can fold your arms across your chest.
To perform the exercise: keep your feet flat and your shoulders and head in contact with the floor, and lift your hips up off the ground toward the ceiling as high as you can, squeezing your glutes (buttocks) at the top. Then, slowly lower back down to the starting position. Repeat 8- 10 times.
Muscles Targeted: the hamstrings (or back of your legs), your glutes (or buttocks), and your lumbar Erector Spinae (or lower back).
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you want a little more of a challenge, you can place your feet on a raised or unstable surface. Some examples are a bottom step, a foam roller, a stool, or small stability ball.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this exercise is challenging, place your arms on the floor at your side with your palms down so that you can press into the floor with your hands and use a small amount of leverage from your arms as you lift your hips.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this movement is not keeping the feet parallel. There should be equal spacing between your toes and heels, approximately 6-8 inches, or as wide as your hips. Don’t allow your toes to turn out or in, as this can place a twist in your knee.
Another common mistake is not squeezing and activating the glutes at the top of the lift. Be sure to push your hips as high as you can, tightening your buttocks at the top.
Day 3
Read the Observational Findings with Recommendations (Observational findings of Blind Runners Report)
Socrates was known to have stated “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” It is so important to take the time to learn about what can go wrong when running, so you know what to look out for as you are on your journey. Take a look at this document, which explains some of the tendencies of runners, both blind / partially sighted and sighted. It will help you understand the totality of the program, the reasons for added workout sessions, and how you can avoid injury and limited performance.
Action Steps
Gather your equipment: Purchase and/or gather up all the things you will regularly need for the journey ahead and have a designated place for each item, such as a specific drawer or gym bag. These items can include good running shoes, designated workout clothes, running tether, water bottle, towel, smart watch, etc.
Familiarize yourself with these exercises
Hip Flexor Stretches
Quick Description: In a kneeling position, bring your right foot onto the floor in front of you which will put you into a half kneeling position. In this position, get tall and tuck your tailbone under your pelvis. This should already put tension on your left hip flexor. Glide your right knee forward slightly for a greater stretch in the left hip flexor area. Glide back to release slightly and continue gliding forwards and backwards. Raise and reach up through the left arm to feel even more of a stretch. Repeat 5-10 glides and then switch sides.
Starting Position: For this stretch, let’s kneel down on the floor on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. In this kneeling position, both knees are bent to 90 degrees. Your front foot is flat on the floor in front of you with your knee up, and your back foot is turned down with the dorsi side, or the top of your foot, on the ground. Your bottom knee is on the floor directly under your hips, and your hips are directly under your head and shoulders with your arms at your sides. If you have decent range of motion already in your hip flexors, you can choose to slide your bottom knee back behind you a few inches to start, which will elongate the muscle a bit more. Be sure to squeeze your belly in tight and not allow your lower back to over arch through this movement, which will be a tendency in this exercise.
To Perform the Exercise: Glide your front knee forward slightly, which will pull your hips forward and force your leg that is down to stretch open the hip flexor at the front upper part of the leg that is down. Go until you feel a good stretch, then return to the starting position. Repeat 5-10 times, and repeat for the other leg.
Muscles Targeted: Psoas (the hip flexor)
Ways to Increase Intensity: To increase the stretch, you can raise the arm on the same side as the leg that is down. Reach your hand to the ceiling, and you can even try to reach the other hand toward the floor at your side. As you lean slightly to the side and push your hips forward, this will really open up the hip.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: Sometimes the kneeling position can be uncomfortable. You can perform this movement while standing up by keeping one foot on the ground and placing the shin of your other leg on a padded and stable chair and pushing your hips forward.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake is over arching your lower back. As you arch your spine, your hips are rotating forward into an anterior pelvic tilt. This will take pressure off your hip flexors and put tension in your lower back. Focus on tightening up your belly and imagine pulling your belly button into your spine, keeping your lower back from over arching.
Another common mistake is not pointing your front foot straight ahead. Watch your foot position as you glide forward, if your toe is pointed in or out, you could put a twisting movement into your knee.
Side Lying Active Quad Stretch
Quick Description: Starting on your left side, stack your shoulders, hips and knees. Bend your left knee to 90 degrees at hip level resting on the floor in front of you and reach behind to grab your right shin/ankle. Bring your right knee or thigh backwards gently as you push your right hip forwards to feel a stretch in your right quad. Keep ahold of your leg as you bring it forward to release the stretch. Repeat 10 times holding the stretch for only 2 secs. Then switch sides.
Starting Position: Let’s start on the floor on a padded surface, lying on your side with your torso (upper body) and your legs straight, your legs stacked one on top of the other, and your top arm resting on your hip. You are welcome to support your head on your bottom arm or on a pillow as needed. Take your bottom leg and bring your knee out in front of you with your knee bent to 90 degrees. For example, if you are lying on your left side, your left leg will be resting on the floor out in front of you with your left knee bent and at hip level, and your right leg still straight and in line with your body.
To Perform the Exercise: Flex (bend) your top leg, bringing your heel back behind you. Grab the ankle of that leg with your top arm and pull your heel closer to your buttocks as you simultaneously push your hips forward. Hold for about 2 seconds, release the tension slightly, and then repeat about 8-10 times.
Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps (thigh) and Psoas (hip flexor)
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this stretch is over arching your lower back. You will naturally arch slightly more than neutral because you are pulling your hip back into extension, but focus on tightening up your abdominals and pulling your belly button into your spine, which will limit your anterior (forward) hip rotation and push the stretch into your hip and thigh instead of your lower back.
Side Lying T-Spine Twist
Quick Description: Laying on your left side, your right knee is bent at 90 degrees at hip level on the floor in front of you, left leg straight on the floor. Let your head rest on your left arm. Reach your right arm forward slightly and then with your exhale, raise the arm up and over and behind you as you twist your upper body towards the right as far as you can towards the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat about 10 times per side.
Starting Position: Let’s start on the floor on a padded surface, lying on your side with your torso (upper body) and your legs straight, your legs stacked one on top of the other, and your top arm resting on your hip. You are welcome to support your head on your bottom arm or on a pillow as needed. Take your top leg and bring your knee out in front of you with your knee bent to 90 degrees. For example, if you are lying on your left side, your right leg will be resting on the floor out in front of you with your right knee bent and at hip level, and your left leg still straight and in line with your body. Now, take your top arm and place it on the floor out in front of you perpendicular to your upper body.
To Perform the Exercise: Take your top arm which is forward from your body, and then with a big exhale, raise the arm up and over and behind you as you twist your upper body, trying to push your scapula (shoulder blades ) towards the floor as far as you can. Your top leg that is bent and on the floor in front of you should not move at all, and as you twist and push your shoulder blades back, you are trying to point your chest toward the ceiling without moving your hips or legs. Return to the starting position and repeat about 10 times per side.
Muscles Targeted: Most of the major muscles in the chest, shoulders, and core.
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you want to increase the intensity of the stretch, you can straighten your top leg out perpendicular to your body instead of having a bent knee. This will extend the stretch further into the hips and hamstrings as well as the thoracic spine.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If you want to decrease the intensity of the stretch, you can decrease the level to which you raise your top leg out in front of you. For example, bending your knee slightly and keeping your feet a bit closer together will allow your hips to roll just a bit more as you twist the shoulders, and in turn this will decrease the tension in the muscles you are stretching.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is holding your breath during the movement. Taking in deep breaths and releasing them slowly while trying to relax will improve the effectiveness of the stretch.
Star Balance
Quick Description: Stand on one foot and find balance. Then use the other free leg to reach forward, to the side and towards the back to challenge your balance. Repeat 5-6 times. Keep balancing throughout and then switch legs.
Starting Position: Let’s start this exercise standing up straight next to a stable object you can hold on to for balance if needed. Center your weight over your grounded foot by moving your hips laterally, shifting to the side of that leg slightly, effectively putting your grounded foot right in the middle of your body alignment. Another way of saying it, you’re not tipping to the side, your head and shoulders should stay right over your hips, but your whole vertical torso should be shifted just a little to the side so that your bottom foot is right in the middle of your body. Now raise your other foot off the floor just an inch or two, and keep it hovering there. Your arms should be bent to 90 degrees and at your side with your palms facing each other out in front of you, just like when running. The exception is if you are having balancing issues, you can place your hand or hands on whatever stable object you are using for balance.
To Perform the Exercise: Move the foot that you have elevated, forward to a comfortable but challenging distance. Return to the starting position, and then lift it to the side to a comfortable but challenging distance. Return to the starting position, and then lift it back behind you to a comfortable but challenging distance, then return to the starting position one more time, still hovering over the ground. This would be considered one cycle, repeat 5-6 times and then switch legs.
Muscles Targeted: This exercise will challenge most of the muscles in the core, along with the major muscles of the hips and buttocks.
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can stand on an instable surface such as a soft mat or balance disc. This will cause you to have more instability and a greater need for muscle activation.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: To make this exercise a bit easier, you can hold onto a stable surface for support. Challenge yourself to only hold on when absolutely needed and work toward balancing without assistance.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this exercise is swaying and leaning with the upper body. Think of your upper body being as still as a statue, shifting just slightly to counter balance the movement of your leg. The idea of this exercise is balance and stability, so keep yourself strong and stable through each movement.
Toe Yoga
Quick Description: In a standing position. Feel the ground with your whole foot and toes. Lift just the big toes off the ground, leaving the other toes on the ground. Repeat 10 times. Then, raise all the toes off the ground, leaving the big toes down. Repeat 10 times. Practice spreading all five toes out, creating space between all toes, and release. Repeat 5-10 times.
Starting Position: Standing up tall with your feet hip width and your toes pointed forward.
To Perform the Exercise: Good strength and flexibility in our feet is key to longevity and performance. Connect with the movements of your feet by first grounding them into the floor at all corners, noting that your arches (the inner side of your mid foot) should be lifted up off the floor. Spread your toes out and dig them into the ground, and lift your big toes only, holding for 2-3 seconds. Repeat about 10 times. Then, spread your toes again, now grounding your big toes into the floor and lifting the rest for a 2-3 second hold. Repeat that movement about 10 times as well.
Muscles Targeted: All of the small muscles that flex and move the feet.
Ways to Increase Intensity: Performing this exercise with longer holds will help challenge the coordination of the muscles more intensely.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: You can perform this series of movements in a sitting position for a bit more ease.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake is trying to perform this exercise while wearing socks and/or shoes. Not that practicing this movement while standing in line at the store or while sitting at your desk is a waste of time, this is still good for you, but when specifically training your feet, remove all the supports and barriers and allow your feet to move freely.
Day 4
Read the Running Technique Guidelines Document.
Playing a piano, typing on a keyboard, shuffling a deck of cards, riding a bike, these are all things that we would consider a skill. A skill is something that you have to learn and practice to become proficient in. Running is exactly the same. Some people think that running is an innate ability and that your body will automatically know how to do it. Though it may come more naturally to some than others, nevertheless it is a skill that requires learning and practice to master. Practice these techniques often to help improve performance and prevent injury.
Action Steps
Make your plan: Take a look at your calendar and your daily routine, and determine what days and times you will carve out for your upcoming program. This will be different for everyone, easier for some and more difficult for others, however if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. Having a designated time each day will go a long way in the consistency, progression, and thus, the enjoyment, of your running journey.
Familiarize yourself with these exercises
Breathing Techniques
Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or laying on your back face up, on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or hard surface with a yoga mat. You can have your feet flat with your knees bent and pointed toward the ceiling, or you can put your legs straight out on the ground with your toes pointed up, whichever is more comfortable for you.
Deep Breathing: Place one hand on your abdomen and the other hand on your chest. Start to breathe a little deeply but slowly. Try to feel where your breath is moving your body
Rib breathing: Place both hands on the outer edge of your lower rib cage so your thumbs are wrapped towards your back and your elbows are resting on the ground pointed to the sides. Practice breathing into your hands. With your inhale you should feel your hands expand outwards. As you slowly exhale all of your air, you should feel your hands coming back towards each other
Belly breathing: Place a hand on your belly. Practice inhaling to expand the belly a little and exhale, the belly should drop. Don’t over do this one as a really expanded belly is not what we are looking for.
Double Knee to Chest Low Back Stretch
Quick Description: On your back, bring knees in towards your chest and hold them there with your hands. As you gently pull the knees in towards your chest, also reach your tailbone away from your head and tuck the chin slightly to lengthen the back of the neck. Hold and breathe as you lengthen your spine. Hold for 60 secs. Gently drop one knee down at a time to release
Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or face up, on the floor, on a firm but padded surface such as a carpet or hard flooring with a yoga mat. Flex, or bend the knees, pointing your knees toward the ceiling and place your feet flat on the floor about 6 inches from your buttocks, maintaining about 6 inches between your feet and knees. Rest your arms at your side to begin.
To Perform the Exercise: Lift your feet off the floor as you draw your knees in toward your chest. Next, depending on your flexibility, you can either place your hands on your shins and gently pull your knees in closer, or you can actually wrap your arms around your legs, and use the weight of your arms to draw your legs in further. Once you have pulled your legs in, lengthen the back by pushing your chin down toward your chest, and try to turn your buttocks up as high as you can, effectively rounding out your spine. Your back will remain in contact with the floor the whole time. After 60 seconds, slowly release one leg at a time and return to the starting position.
Muscles Targeted: Erector Spinae (the large long muscles on either side of your spine), Glute Complex (buttocks), and other small muscles in the back and neck.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is rushing through the process. It can be uncomfortable, so the natural tendency will be to get it over as quickly as possible. However, if you take your time and go slowly, taking deep breaths, and connecting your mind to the muscles you are working open, you will find a much better return on your effort.
Piriformis Stretch
Quick Description: Laying on your back with both legs outstretched in front. Lift your left leg up towards your chest and grab your left knee and bring the left lower leg or ankle and knee towards your chest. You can also internally rotate the right leg and thigh inwards to feel more of a stretch in the left hip. Hold and breathe for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 3 times each leg
Starting Position: Laying supine (on your back face up) on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or hard surface with a yoga mat. Place your legs straight out on the ground with your toes pointed up toward the ceiling.
To Perform the Exercise: Lift one leg up, bend your knee, and draw it in toward your chest with your hands. As you bring your leg in close, externally rotate your leg by grabbing your foot or ankle and pulling the inside of your ankle toward the direction of your chin. This movement will cause you to slightly point your knee out toward the side, but focus on pulling both your knee and the inside of your ankle up toward your upper chest as far as needed to feel the stretch. Hold this position and take deep breaths for about 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat 2-3 times for each side.
Muscles Targeted: Piriformis (a small flat muscle in your buttocks)
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you are looking for a deeper stretch, you can internally rotate the leg you are not stretching. Take that leg that is still straight on the ground, bend the knee and place your foot flat on the floor. Now, let your leg drop inward toward the side of the leg you are stretching, this will shift your hip position and accentuate the stretch.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: To decrease the intensity, limit the amount of external rotation as you pull your leg toward your chest.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is rushing through the process. It can be uncomfortable, so the natural tendency will be to get it over as quickly as possible. However, if you take your time and go slowly, taking deep breaths, and connecting your mind to the muscles you are working open, you will find a much better return on your effort.
Pretzel Stretch
Quick Description: Laying on your right side, bend your left knee up towards your chest and place it on the floor in front of you. Support your head with a pillow or your own arm. Bend your right knee and take your left hand and reach behind you to grab your right ankle. Once you have this position, exhale as you twist your left shoulder backwards towards the floor. Hold and breathe for 30 seconds. Release slowly and repeat on the other side.
Starting Position: Let’s start lying on your side on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. You can support your head with your bottom arm, or another object like a pillow. Take your top leg, bend your knee to 90 degrees, and bring it up toward your chest as close as you can reach, resting your leg on the floor so that the inside of your knee, lower leg, and foot are touching the ground. Now take your bottom leg, and bend your knee, bringing your heel up toward your back/buttocks. The outside of your bottom leg is still resting on the ground. Finally, reach back with your top arm, and grab the ankle of your bottom leg that is back behind you.
To Perform the Exercise: Take a deep breath, and exhale as you roll your shoulders back toward the ground, trying to point your chest toward the ceiling and keep your hips and legs in the same position. As your shoulders move toward the floor and your hips stay stationary, you will feel a large stretch through your hips, back and shoulders. Hold for about 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite side.
Muscles Targeted: This will stretch many of the rotational muscles in the core and hips such as the Internal and External Obliques (lateral belly area).
Ways to Increase Intensity: For a bigger stretch, you can try to straighten your top leg, increasing the stretch in your hamstring as well as your hips, core, and back.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: For a lighter stretch, you can bend your bottom knee, but limit how high you bring your heel, and avoid grabbing that ankle with your top hand. Then when you roll your shoulders back toward the ground, you will not have as much of a stretch.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is rushing through the process. It can be uncomfortable, so the natural tendency will be to get it over as quickly as possible. However, if you take your time and go slowly, taking deep breaths, and connecting your mind to the muscles you are working open, you will find a much better return on your effort.
Day 5
Read through your full running program outline
Familiarize yourself with the day to day workings of your running program. Note how many weeks it will be, what workouts you will be doing between runs, the days you will rest, etc.
Action Steps
Check in with your running guides, make sure they know the schedule and are ready to go when you are.
Familiarize yourself with these exercises
Back Squeeze Group
Quick Description: Lying on your stomach, you will have 4 different positions for your arms. In each position, you will lift your straight arms and/or legs off the floor as high as you can. Superman Squeeze with your arms straight overhead, Y Squeeze with your arms overhead but out slightly to the side, T squeeze with your arms straight out to the side, and Inverted Y Squeeze with your arms back by your hips and slightly out to the side. These exercises challenge the muscles in the upper back and those that stabilize the shoulder blades. This is great for anyone that gets tightness in their upper back with running or life!
Starting Position: Let’s start prone (face down) on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. Your cervical spine (neck) should be neutral as you point your nose toward the floor, but lift your head up, pushing the back of your head toward the ceiling. Your chest, belly, hips, thighs, and shins should all be resting comfortably on the ground, while the tops of your feet should be flat on the floor approximately hip width, and your toes pointed back. Finally, in this series, there will be four different arm positions, and each one will be described in the movement, but the rest of your body position will remain the same through each one.
Bear Position Shoulder Tap
Quick Description: Table top position with a neutral spine. Curl your toes under. Press into the hands and balls of the feet to hover the knees just off the floor. Hold this position and breathe. Then keeping your spine still, lift one hand to tap the opposite shoulder, then the other shoulder 10 times. Lower the knees to rest. You will feel your core working on this one!
Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck. Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back. In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral. Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor. Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment. Another way to say it is to keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head. Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar with your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly. For your spine from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Now, dorsiflex, or point your toes into the ground, until the bottoms of your toes and the balls of your feet are touching the floor. Finally, shift all of your weight onto your hands and toes, lifting your knees off the floor only about 1-2 inches or so. Your knees should remain under your hips, and there should be very little movement as you maintain the exact same stance, just holding your knees off the ground.
To Perform the Exercise: Now that you are in the bear position, maintain the exact stance you are in while not allowing your shoulders or hips to turn or drop, lift one hand from the ground and tap the shoulder of the opposite arm. Put that hand back down and repeat with the other hand. Continue until you have about 10 repetitions for each side.
Muscles Targeted: Primarily the muscles of the core including the rectus abdominus, Obliques, and Transverse Abdominals, but also the muscles of the arms, shoulders, and legs in this full body core exercise.
Ways to Increase Intensity: To increase the tension and demand of this exercise, you can reach your raised hand out to the side instead of tapping the opposite shoulder. This reach to the side will challenge your stability even more and target some of the muscles in the posterior shoulder as well.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: To decrease the intensity of this exercise, instead of tapping the opposite shoulder, you can start by just lifting your hand off the ground a few inches and gently placing it back down. Work toward a higher and higher lift, perhaps tapping the elbow of the opposite arm, and eventually reaching across your body to the opposite shoulder.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this exercise is dropping your head toward the floor. It is very important to maintain a neutral spine, which means pointing your nose toward the floor, but lifting your head up into alignment with your spine.
Another common mistake is starting with your hands out in front of your body. Your hands should be at chest level, and not up by your neck or face.
Another common mistake is slapping your hand back down to the ground as you change arms. This should be a steady rhythmic movement, as your hand comes back down to the floor, it should be a soft contact with control.
Dead Bug
Quick Description: Lay on your back, bring your knees up over your hips to 90 degrees. Extend your arms straight up over your shoulders, palms facing each other. Now extend your opposite arm and leg with your exhale. Alternate sides for 12 repetitions each side. Perform 2 sets.
Starting Position: Let’s start supine (face up on your back) on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. Notice that with your legs straight out on the ground, your lower back is arched slightly away from the floor, creating a slight space. As you move into this exercise, that arch may expand or narrow slightly, but focus on maintaining that exact same spacing as you shift your arms and legs. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and raise them up toward the ceiling so that your knees are directly over your hips, and your shins are parallel with the ground and your toes are pointed straight up. There should be equal distance between your knees, ankles, and toes, approximately 6 inches or so. Now, extend both arms toward the ceiling, straight up over your chest with your palms facing in toward one another. Finally, contract the muscles of your core by imagining that someone is about to stand on your stomach, and focus on maintaining that contracted mid section through the entire exercise.
To Perform the Exercise: Take one leg and the opposite arm, and as you exhale, slowly lower them toward the floor, your leg straightening as you push the bottom of your foot toward the room in front of you, and your straight arm dropping toward the floor directly over your head. Lower them down to just several inches from the ground, and then slowly lift them back up to your starting position again. Through the movement, focus again on contracting your core muscles and maintaining the same neutral arch in your lower spine. Repeat the movement on the opposite side, alternating back and forth until you have about 10-12 repetitions on each side.
Muscles Targeted: This will target the majority of the core stabilizer muscles
Ways to Increase Intensity: You can increase intensity by adding some resistance to your movement using ankle or wrist weight attachments.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: You can decrease intensity by shortening your movement a bit. As you extend, you can keep your knee bent and just lower your heel toward the ground, and lower your arm down only about half way toward the floor. Focus on contracting your core and moving toward the full extension of the exercise.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this exercise is relaxing and or shifting through the mid section too much. The idea behind this exercise is that as you move your arms and legs, there will be varying forces that pull on your core and hips. Keep your belly tight and your mid section still as a statue so you can to train your body to stabilize during alternating arm and leg movements.
Glute Bridge Variations
Quick Description: Lie on your back, with feet hip width apart and knees bent. Push into your feet to lift your hips and butt up off the ground and then back down. Repeat 5 times. Then, keeping the feet hip width apart, let the knees come together. Perform the glute bridge by raising the hips up and down in this position 5 times. Then bring the feet right together, let the knees fall out about half way and perform the glute bridges in this position, repeat 5 times. The hips don’t lie! The hip muscles power your stride and provide stability to the whole lower limb.
Starting position: Let’s start supine, or face up, on the floor, on a firm but padded surface such as a carpet or hard flooring with a yoga mat. Flex, or bend the knees, pointing your knees toward the ceiling and place your feet flat on the floor about 6 inches from your buttocks, maintaining about 6 inches between your feet and knees. The position of your arms and hands is preferential. You can leave them at your side palms up or palms down, or you can fold your arms across your chest.
To perform the exercise: keep your feet flat and your shoulders and head in contact with the floor, and lift your hips up off the ground toward the ceiling as high as you can, squeezing your glutes (buttocks) at the top. Then, slowly lower back down to the starting position. Repeat 5 times. Now, keep your feet where they are and collapse your knees together. Repeat the hip lift, driving your belly and thighs toward the ceiling while keeping your knees touching. Repeat 5 times. Then finally bring the insides of your feet together, and let your knees fall open about half way, a few inches wider than your hips. Lift your hips again, squeeze your glutes and try for maximum extension just as in the other positions. Repeat 5 times.
Muscles targeted: The hamstrings (or back of your legs), your glutes (or buttocks), and your lumbar Erector Spinae (or lower back).
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you want a little more of a challenge, you can place your feet on a raised or unstable surface. Some examples are a bottom step, a foam roller, a stool, or small stability ball.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this exercise is challenging, place your arms on the floor at your side with your palms down so that you can press into the floor with your hands and use a small amount of leverage from your arms as you lift your hips.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this movement is not keeping the feet parallel, whether they are hip width or in close. There should be equal spacing between your toes and heels in either position. Don’t allow your toes to turn out or in, as this can place a twist in your knee.
Another common mistake is not squeezing and activating the glutes at the top of the lift. Be sure to push your hips as high as you can, tightening your buttocks at the top.
Day 6
*Learn the Workouts
Take a moment to skim through the workouts that go with your program so that you have a good idea of what you will be doing in between your running sessions to help maintain your body as it develops. You probably started this program with a goal of gaining a more fit and healthy physique, and doing the running program without the augmentative workouts would be similar to never changing the oil in your car as you could run it for a while, but eventually it will break down on you. Know these workouts well, and don’t skip them. It may take a while before you learn all the exercises and feel confident you are doing them correctly, this is normal so don’t worry too much about being perfect. Take your time and if you are not quite sure about something, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are feeling pain, please stop the exercise and discuss what’s going on with your doctor. After all, you are running to feel better.
Action Steps
Plan your Routes: It may seem intuitive, but with all the miles you will be putting behind you, take some time to plan out the places you will be running. Learn the distances between larger landmarks, and have some different options available for a change of scenery.
Familiarize yourself with these exercises
Overhead Squat
Quick Description: Standing with feet outside of hip width. Hold towel or rope over head pulling the arms apart. Perform your squat keeping the towel or rope overhead. Repeat 10 times. This is an amazing total body exercise, it will wake up and strengthen your spine and hip muscles.
Starting Position: Let’s start standing fully erect with your feet hip width or just slightly wider, and your toes pointed directly forward toward 12 o’clock, or just slightly more open. Now, take a rolled up towel or rope and hold it in front of your thighs, gripping it firmly with your palms facing your legs at about hip width. Pulling the towel or rope open, raise your arms straight up over head, keeping lots of tension on the towel or rope, as if you were trying to tear it in half.
To Perform the Exercise: Understand that the squat is one of the most powerful, most often used, and most often improperly performed, exercises out there. Follow all of these guidelines, and listen to your body, as small variations may be appropriate for your build or athleticism. First, engaging the right muscle groups is essential, in this case, the hips and buttocks are the primary movers, along with the hamstrings (back of the thigh) and quadriceps (thigh). Keeping the tension on the towel and your arms straight overhead, start the movement by pushing your hips back toward the wall behind you a few inches, causing you to flex at the hips and put your weight back on your heels. Be sure to not lose neutrality in your spine, your lower back should still have a shallow forward curve, just as if you were standing up. Now, keeping your weight in your heels, sit your hips back and down, like you are sitting in a very little chair that is way back behind you. Note, if you want to make sure your getting this right, you can get a chair or stool and perform a squat standing several inches away from it, sitting down, touching the chair very lightly, and then standing back up. As you lower into your squat, your knees should stay open as wide as your feet, and your chest and back should be upright and as tall as you can make them, with your arms still overhead. When you have dropped as low as you can, drive your heels into the ground, squeeze your buttocks and your core, press your knees out, and push your head and hands toward the ceiling as you drive back up to the starting position, finishing with your hips driving forward again and squeezing at the top. Perform 6-10 reps with control and focus on good posture and stability.
Muscles Targeted: Glute Complex (buttocks), Hamstrings (back of the thigh), Quadriceps (thigh), and many accessory muscles including core muscles, postural muscles, and muscles in the lower legs and feet.
Ways to Increase Intensity: This primary exercise has dozens and dozens of variations to make it more challenging. One simple technique is to slow down your movements, especially on the way down (eccentric). Perform a slow count of 3 or 4 on the way down, and a count of 1 or 2 on the way up for a simple but effective way of turning up the intensity.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If squats are challenging for you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. A super simple way of taking some pressure off your legs, knees, hips, or back, is to hold onto a stable object while sitting back into your squat. Examples may include the edge of a counter, the back of a couch, a banister railing, a suspended rope, a low pull-up bar, a strong door knob, etc. Holding this object will allow you to sit back a little more and share some of the stress with your upper body, allowing you the right tension to strengthen your legs and work toward doing unassisted body weight squats. The best objects are easily gripped and stable at about upper belly or chest level.
Common Mistakes: There are many mistakes that can be made with this exercise, I will list the most frequent ones, and note that these mistakes are not always on or off or black or white. Often there are subtle and small variations. You don’t have to be bent over double for it to be wrong. Even a small misalignment in your lower back can cause big problems over time, so always be on the look out for these, even if you are experienced with exercise.
First common mistake is rounding your back and dropping your chest. Though the squat is a full body exercise, engaging many muscles in the upper body in an accessory manner, it is primarily for the legs and buttocks, so we want the upper body to be as neutral and stationary as possible. Your upper body should stay as erect as possible through the entire movement, your core tight, your back neutral and strong with your arms up overhead. Imagine looking at a person in front of you while you are squatting, whether at the top or bottom, you want to point your face, chest, and belly toward them the entire time.
Another common mistake is not sitting back into the squat. If you miss the first step of pushing your hips back and subsequently not sitting in that imaginary chair way back behind you, you will have a tendency to push your knees forward and your weight into your toes. This puts a lot of pressure in your knees and long term is not biomechanically sound. Your knees can and will move forward slightly, but your weight should remain in your heels, and your knees should not pass your toes.
Another common mistake is allowing your knees to collapse together, whether on the way down (eccentric) or on the way up (concentric). If your knees collapse together, you are getting a better push, but the tension is no longer in your leg muscles, but is being shifted into the ligaments of your knee. Press your knees open as you sit and stand, keeping them to the same width as your hips and feet. If you struggle with this, you can prime those muscles by performing squats with a short elastic band around your knees. The band will try to pull your knees inward, and as you fight to keep the band stretched open, you will strengthen the muscles that externally rotate and abduct your legs.
Side Plank with Hip Thrust
Quick Description: Lay on your side propped up on your elbow. Stack your hips and knees. Knees are bent to about 90 degrees. Push into the elbow and knees to lift the hips up and push them forward, squeezing the glutes. Keep the neck in line with the spine. Sit back and down with the hips and repeat. Perform 10 reps on each side. You can also straighten the top leg and raise and lower the straight leg while you hold the side plank. This exercise targets the side body muscles of the lower back and hip. More specifically the Lats, Quadratus lumborum, obliques and Gluteus medius. These muscles are important to stabilize the pelvis while running and weakness can lead to lower back pain and Iliotibial Band tightness.
Starting position: Let’s start on the floor on a firm but padded surface such as a carpeted floor or hard surface with a yoga mat. Imagine you are lying on a giant clock face, your hips are centered in the middle of the clock, your head is pointed toward 12 o’clock, your feet toward 6 o’clock and you’re lying on your right side with your belly facing toward 9 o’clock. Now flex, or bend your knees half way, or until they are 90 degrees, and the bottoms of your feet are pointed toward the wall behind you, or to 3 o’clock. Your feet, ankles, and knees are touching as your left leg is resting on top of your right leg. Prop your upper body up off the floor by placing your right elbow directly under your shoulder, pointing your right forearm and hand in front of you toward 9 o’clock while your palm and forearm are on the floor. Your left arm and hand are resting on your left hip and leg. Your hips are still on the ground, but your ribs and shoulders are elevated up off the floor. One final check, if viewed from above, there should be a straight line from your head, through your shoulders and hips, and to your knees. Don’t have your knees out in front of you, or your hips back as everything should be in a line.
To perform the exercise: Keep your right knee and elbow on the floor, drive your hips up off the ground as high as you can, squeeze your buttocks and push forward and up. In this position, the only things touching the ground are the outside of your right foot and lower leg, and your right elbow, forearm, and hand. Drive your hips up and forward as high as you can reach, and hold this position for 5 seconds, and then gently lower your hips back down until you lightly touch the ground before pushing back up to your elevated position. Repeat about 10 times and then switch sides. If you feel too much pressure in your knee or elbow, double up your padding for extra support.
Muscles targeted: Your hip abductors (the outside of your hips), your Obliques and quadratis lumborum (the sides of your belly), and several accessory muscles in your chest and shoulders.
Ways to Increase Intensity: If your looking for more of a challenge, instead of stacking your legs, you can straighten and elevate your top leg. Take your top leg and line it up with the rest of your body, meaning that there is a straight line from your heel, through your hips and shoulders, to your head. Hold this foot off the ground several inches as you perform your repetitions for some added tension.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this movement is a bit challenging, you can take your top hand and place your finger tips on the floor in front of you near your ribs. As you raise your hip up, you can push into that hand for a bit of assistance as you work toward performing the full exercise. Be sure not to lean forward as you place your hand on the floor in front of you. Keep your belly and chest pointed toward the room in front of you and not toward the floor.
Common mistakes: One common mistake is allowing your hips to sag down and back when at the top of the lift. If I were to see you do this exercise from the ceiling, there should be a straight line from your shoulders, through your hips, to your knees, and from the back side of you, the same thing. You want to be as straight as you can be, lifting your hips up as high as you can, and forward as far as you can, really squeezing your buttocks.
Another common mistake is allowing your elbow to drift up toward your ear. Make sure that you are keeping the elbow directly under the shoulder, even tucked in a little closer to your ribs rather than under your ear.
Single Leg Balance
Quick Description: Standing on your left foot, lift the right knee and thigh up to hip level, and straighten and bend the right knee while you balance on the left leg. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times each leg. For more of a challenge move the non stance leg forward and backwards while trying to balance. Improving balance will improve your running efficiency.
Starting Position: Let’s start this exercise standing up straight next to a stable object you can hold on to for balance if needed. Center your weight over your grounded foot by moving your hips laterally, shifting to the side of that leg slightly, effectively putting your grounded foot right in the middle of your body alignment. Another way of saying it is that you’re not tipping to the side as your head and shoulders should stay right over your hips, but your whole vertical torso should be shifted just a little to the side so that your bottom foot is right in the middle of your body. Now raise your other knee to hip level out in front of you with your foot dangling down under your front knee. Your arms should be bent to 90 degrees and at your side with your palms facing each other out in front of you, just like when running. The exception is if you are having balancing issues, you can place your hand or hands on whatever stable object you are using for balance.
To Perform the Exercise: Keeping your body as still and balanced as you can, straighten your front elevated leg, pointing the bottom of your foot toward the room in front of you. Hold for 10 seconds, and then relax it slowly back to the starting position. The only thing you want moving in this exercise is your knee extending and flexing, nothing else should be moving. Repeat the exercise about 5-6 times and then switch legs.
Muscles Targeted: This exercise will challenge most of the muscles in the core, along with the major muscles of the hips and buttocks.
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can swing your leg forward and back as you move in and out of these repetitions, causing your body to have to stabilize more. Also, you can stand on an unstable surface such as a soft mat or balance disc. This will cause you to have more instability and a greater need for muscle activation.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: To make this exercise a bit easier, you can hold onto a stable surface for support. Challenge yourself to only hold on when absolutely needed and work toward balancing without assistance.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this exercise is swaying and leaning with the upper body. Think of your upper body being as still as a statue, shifting just slightly to counter balance the movement of your leg. The idea of this exercise is balance and stability, so keep yourself strong and stable through each movement.
Day 7
Enjoy the Day
Tomorrow you will start a new adventure. You will challenge yourself in new ways, and find yourself stronger and more capable than you ever thought. For today, rest and enjoy all life has to offer.