Every athlete requires an individualized training plan to achieve a balanced and sustainable athletic career. For runners, the mileage component is the primary topic. However, just as a meal requires more than one food to satiate and provide adequate nutrition, training plans comprise multiple elements to achieve healthy and long-lasting athletic outcomes. It’s also important to recognize that fitness plans will vary from athlete to athlete as each runner is different.

Each aspect of the training plan is notable. Sure, there are bragging rights to running miles upon miles, and it looks great on Strava, but in the long run? There’s much more to consider. An ideal recipe for an athlete’s fitness includes strength and conditioning, cross-training, rest and recovery, nutrition, sleep (yes, sleep gets its own category away from rest and recovery!), and mileage, which we’ll break up into: speedwork, long runs, and easy runs. Some of these categories overlap, but I think it’s important to talk about them individually. Each element is vital to ensuring that an athlete is healthy and well-balanced. Each deserves to be revered.

Over the course of this next year, we’ll focus on each of these “ingredients” in the runner’s training plan for at least one blog post. This first one is a bit of a combination; we’ll be discussing cross-training and strength and conditioning. Later on, we’ll have other pieces that center exclusively on each one.

Ben Kessel looking to the side and smiling while wearing a dark blue Quassy Triathalon hat and a shirt that says "Guru Cycles" on it. The background is blurred but red and green in color. — Ben Kessel, strength coach and founder of Priority Fitness.
Photo provided by Ben Kessel

Coach Tony and Charlene, known for their speed training series.
Photos provided by Tony Watson and Charlene Kohler-Britton

Cross-Training

While working on this piece, I had the honor of speaking with strength coach Ben Kessel and PPTC’s speed work Coaches Tony Watson and Charlene Kohler-Britton, who offered their insights on cross-training.

As athletes, we often risk overworking the muscles we use most for our sport, which can lead to injury. Cross-training, when done with the right sports and exercises and a structured schedule (Coach Tony recommends keeping a training journal to help maintain that structure and alert you to issues with your plan) can prevent this overuse, strengthen underworked muscles, and allow overworked muscles to recover.

Benefits of Cross-training

The benefits of cross-training are quite varied. Ben Kessel emphasizes that cross-training can help with bone density, which can prevent stress fractures, especially if you’re also getting enough protein intake.

Cross-training can also help your speed, posture, recovery, and range of motion.

Additionally, Cross-training can help build supportive muscles. If a runner only runs, their leg muscles may be overworked, leading to fatigue and injury. Cross-training helps to strengthen muscles not utilized in running, which gives your quadriceps, hamstrings, core, gluteals, hip flexors, and calf muscles a break. Varying your motions helps mobilize other muscle groups, which brings power to your movements.

Cross-training can also increase durability or help you maintain your form as you get tired. Kessel underlines this benefit, “The more you can keep your form, the less risk of injury you’ll have, and the faster you’ll go.”

Coach Tony suggests that to evaluate form, you could strap your phone to a treadmill to record yourself while running or have a trusted friend record you. Alternatively, you could see if a coach could complete a gait analysis for you. This is often a crucial first step in developing a fitness plan.

The Best sports/exercises to supplement Running

As far as sports that are most beneficial for runners, all the articles that I read and every person I talked to agreed: biking, strength and conditioning, and drills will help you to be a better, more well-rounded runner.

Yoga (“not hot yoga”, Charlene stresses), especially slow, yin yoga, Tai-chi, and swimming, all help the body to recover if you’re taking these exercises easily. “Swimming,” Ben Kessel says, “is great for circulation and stretching. It also gets you out of gravity for a bit. When you swim, it really helps the body recover and feel good.”

Meanwhile, biking can help build your aerobic fitness and muscular base, because it works many of the same muscles as running does.

Strength and conditioning, if done right, can “lengthen the life of a runner,” Ben Kessel says. This is because when you target building leg muscles while strength training, it increases the power of your movements, improving your running performance and how efficiently your body is using oxygen. This efficiency creates less strain and wear on the body, which is likely to lead to greater running longevity.

Three people biking on a beach. The sky is a bright blue with a few wispy clouds while and their tires leave marks in the sand. — While biking at most beaches may not be recommended, biking is a great way to cross-train.
Photo by Rachael DePalma

Frequency of Cross-training

Although cross-training (for this section, the phrase cross-train refers to biking or swimming) is beneficial to runners, focusing too much on biking or swimming can be detrimental.

How often you cross-train really depends on how much you’re running, Ben Kessel, Charlene, and Coach Tony all pointed out. They suggest that if you run six times a week, you should not cross-train at all. The seventh day should be for rest. Please, please rest. Despite the “no days off” movement, rest is so vital. It helps your body recover and repair, and allows you to have the energy and strength to train for the remainder of the week.

If you run four to five times a week, cross-train once a week. If you run three times a week, it’s recommended that you cross-train twice per week. Each cross-training session should be approximately 30-50 minutes.

Just a little chart to break down exercise frequency for ya!

Strength and Conditioning

If you’re training for a marathon, Ben Kessel recommends strength training 1-2x/week with weights. If you’re strength training twice a week, Kessel suggests making adjustments according to your mileage. Lifting for 20-30 minutes after an easy run is all that’s needed, even if this means cutting some of your mileage slightly. It’s also important to stress that you’ll want to be in a maintenance routine during the last 6-8 weeks of your marathon build. In other words, it is advised that you either hold or decrease your workout load during this time.

Ben Kessel also states, “Marathon training is actually one of the most important times to do strength and conditioning; you don’t want to give it up. It helps with your power, which will convert into speed, keeps your muscles fired up and awake, active, and alert, which helps support your musculoskeletal system.” Additionally, since you run so many extra miles during marathon training, there’s an even greater risk that the muscles engaged during runs will be overused. As running is a constant forward motion, it can cause lateral supportive muscles to atrophy. Strength and conditioning introduces lateral movement to maintain supportive muscles, which helps support joint, tendon, and ligament health as well as range of motion.

The sun rising over two tall building and a city park. The clouds are pink and purple as the bright yellow sun peaks out. In the park, a group of people in athletic clothing stand or squat while looking at the man in front of them. — Ben leading PPTC members in a strength workout.
Photo provided by Ben Kessel

This being said, when doing strength and conditioning, consider whether you are training for sprints, 5ks/10ks, half marathons or full marathons. Each requires different strength exercises, as sprinting requires more explosive muscle movements, while long-distance running requires greater endurance.

Sprinters benefit from high-intensity exercises with lower reps. Exercises such as cleans (hang or power), squats (overhead and back squats), plyometrics (jump squats, burpees), and stair or sled sprints are best for sprinters.

Meanwhile, long-distance runners benefit from lower-intensity and higher reps. Long-distance runners will yield improved results with exercises such as bodyweight or light resistance squats, lunges, step-ups, planks, and bicycle crunches.

A strong foundation in strength training and knowledge of the proper technique for each exercise are essential, because incorrect form could lead to injury. Having a coach or a personal trainer can help you build that solid foundation. When introducing strength and conditioning into your training plan, take it slow and start off with bodyweight to ensure you have the correct form.

Other Sports as Cross-training

Often, runners have other athletic passions such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, tennis, or skiing. This is great! If you’re not training for a race, then go for it! It may not directly help your running, but it does have general athletic advantages, and it makes you happy, which is paramount. However, if you are training for a race, cutting back or taking a break from these sports is recommended as there is a higher risk for injury.

Charlene says, “You have to really choose your primary sport and [ask yourself] ‘Is running my primary sport, at least for now, or is the swimming that I love to do?’” Your answer will lead you. Charlene states,“Your primary sport has to be the focus; any other cross-training should be supporting it, but not overwhelming it.”

Coach Tony points out, “You spend seven months training for a marathon, and you make one mistake [while playing soccer], and boom, you’re done- your season is finished.”

A group of runners stand together in their running clothes, smiling under the lamplight as snow can be seen in the background. — One of Coach Tony and Charlene’s speed work groups.
Photo provided by Tony Watson and Charlene Kohler-Britton.

Cross-training when injured

If you do become injured, though, cross-training can serve as a stepping stone between injury and running. However, every person and injury is different, so consulting with a physical therapist and/ or your doctor and following their plan and advice is highly advised. Charlene, Coach Tony, and Ben Kessel all agree, your doctor and physical therapist know you and your injury and are professionally trained to guide you; they will help you find the likeliest path to healing.

When your injury is acute, the best thing for your body is to rest. Coach Tony stresses that “It takes a long time to get back to the [pre-injury] level. You really can’t push it from the get-go… Runners, we do get overzealous. We run today and we feel good, and then tomorrow we say, ‘you know what? Yesterday I did two miles, I think I can do four today.’ No… you’ve got to take it easy.”

Charlene and Coach Tony both advised that coming back from an injury slowly is vital, as rushing recovery can lead to prolonged injury. “It’s hard to be patient, but I think patience is the main thing,” Charlene stated.

Once you’ve had time to heal and you’ve been cleared to cross-train, swimming can generally help you rest and recover when injured. Biking can also be a valuable cross-training exercise, but it depends on the injury. Charlene warns, “If you’ve had sciatica, sitting on the bike is probably the last thing you should be doing. Only when you get your strength back and don’t have that active nerve pain anymore would biking be useful.”

Ben Kessel states that variety is advantageous, especially when your injury extends for a longer period of time. Not surprisingly, cross-training exercises that are beneficial to runners who are actively training are also generally good if you are injured. Strength and conditioning and aerobic cross-training, such as the elliptical (which can hold your run fitness), cycling (which you can do, as long as it’s pain free, at higher intensity since it puts less load on your joints), swimming, water jogging (also known as aqua jogging), pilates, yoga (though again, hot yoga is not recommended), tai chi, row machines, and the Alter G treadmill, can really help you to keep your fitness and to recover. It is essential to emphasize again that before starting to cross-train while injured, one should first consult a doctor and/or physical therapist to ensure that these exercises will be beneficial rather than causing further harm.

Overall, cross-training can be a worthwhile companion to running, if structured and approached thoughtfully, with consideration given to the individual’s needs. It builds supportive muscles, gives primary muscles used for running a break, and can help you maintain fitness while recovering from an injury. It contributes to developing overall health and adds variety to your individualized athletic plan.

Editor’s Notes:

The above is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem, condition, or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed professional.
Non-endorsement disclaimer:
We are grateful to Coach Tony, Charlene, and Ben Kessel for generously giving us their time and providing us with information. The information provided by Coach Tony, Charlene, and Ben Kessel and this post does not constitute or imply an endorsement or recommendation by PPTC.

Text by: Rachael DePalma (she/her)
In conversation with: Charlene Kohler-Britton, Coach Tony Watson, and Ben Kessel
Photos by: As attributed
Produced by: Rachael DePalma

PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.

The Training Plan: A Runner's Cross-training Guide