Balance, Stability, Mobility, Durability…. these are some of the words that come to my mind when I think of being the type of runner that is able to sustain their training volume. Running is a physically taxing activity- so there is the potential for injury and illness when you train day after day after day. There are so many elements which are essential to your sustainability and health as a runner; recovery and nutrition (an entire post will be dedicated to this piece!), strength, and an ability to physically withstand the demands of constant pounding on the ground! In this post, I will go over some of the supplementary training exercises I complete to benefit my training. Especially as a student, sitting down several hours a day completing assignments, it is important to make sure my body is prepared to meet the demands of run training. Below are some video demonstrations of what I like to do before my runs to ensure I’m ready to go!

1. Balance Board Exercises!

The Balance Board is an awesome tool to use for a few minutes before each run. I like to do a few variations with various levels of difficulty to warm up:

  1. Two feet flat on board – the most basic of exercises to warm up for the rest!
  2. One foot slightly ahead of the other (feet flat on board) – mimics the running movement – there is always one foot in front of the other when you run, so it makes sense to warm up with this balance skill!
  3. On the balls of your feet – this one makes it more of an advanced balance exercise and also focuses on ankle stability which is really important for trail running and cross-country running!
  4. Single legged – when you run, you are constantly performing several single legged movements; it makes sense to warm up with this in mind to get yo ready to run and make your single-legged balance strong!
  5. Band exercises on the balance board – a good exercise which incorporates balance, mobility and resistance training. I like to save this one for last since it is the most difficult of them all!

2. Band Exercises!

Bands are a great tool to use to increase the difficulty level of the exercises by providing more resistance! This exercise can be completed without a band as well; once you are comfortable with the movement and have the balance to complete it, you can incorporate the band to make the exercise more challenging! For this exercise, the goal is to stay up on the balls of your feet (as you would while you run) and practice the movements while keeping your feet pointing forward (as you would while you run). It is a good way to practice form efficiency and forward movement and translate this skill into your running!

I hope you find these videos helpful and find some benefit in performing these activities to supplement your run training!