Running Strong - Part 1

A Three-Part Guide to Injury Prevention, Strength & Rehabilitation

Running can be a lifelong joy – if you take care of your body. In this three-part newsletter series, we’ll explore how serious recreational athletes can run healthier and stronger. We’ll cover proactive injury prevention methods favored by top coaches, dive into strength training philosophies that keep runners durable, and discuss smart strategies for dealing with injuries when they do happen. Let’s get started!

Part 1: Injury Prevention – Coach-Tested Methods to Stay Healthy

Staying injury-free is goal number one for consistent training. In fact, roughly half of regular runners get some form of injury each year. Rather than treating injuries after the fact, great coaches focus on preventing them in the first place. In this section, we’ll explore specific modalities used by leading running coaches to build resilience – from short hill sprints to uphill treadmill runs – and how you can incorporate them. The key theme is “prehab”: doing small extra workouts that make your body stronger and more injury-resistant, before any ache or pain sidelines you.

Hill Sprints as Prehab (Brad Hudson’s Secret Weapon)

Legendary coach Brad Hudson swears by very short, steep hill sprints as an injury-prevention tool. If you’re envisioning lung-busting hill repeats, don’t worry – these are different. Hudson’s hill sprints are only about 8–10 seconds long on a 6–8% grade hill. Because they’re so short, you won’t build up lactic acid or exhaust yourself. Instead, the goal is explosive effort: sprinting uphill at near-max intensity for just a few seconds.

Why do this? Hill sprints act like strength training in disguise. Running uphill engages your glutes, quads, calves, and core in a highly coordinated way, and the incline forces you to drive powerfully without the pounding of flat sprints. In Hudson’s view, these bursts let runners prevent overuse injuries down the road. Think of it as bulletproofing your legs – you’re strengthening the tendons and muscles used in running by using the running motion itself, just amplified. This makes hill sprints a form of functional strength training, because you train the specific movement patterns of running rather than isolated muscles. Over a few weeks, your “running chassis” toughens up.

Sprinting uphill is gentler on the body than sprinting on flat ground. The incline naturally shortens your stride and reduces impact forces. As one coach put it, very steep, short hill sprints give you the benefits of speed work without the injury risk of track repeats. If you’ve ever done flat sprints and felt your hamstrings or shins protest, you’ll appreciate that uphill sprints are kinder. Research backs this up – uphill running significantly cuts down impact forces compared to level running, almost eliminating pounding at steep grades.

Hudson integrates these hill sprints at the start of a training cycle (during the base or “introductory” period). A runner might begin with just 1–2 sprints after an easy run, twice a week. Over a month, you slowly build up to maybe 6-8 sets of 8-second hill sprints. That’s it – a few minutes of total sprinting per week. But those minutes pack a punch. After 4–6 weeks, once you’ve developed a stronger foundation, Hudson often transitions athletes to doing strides on flat ground instead (we’ll talk about strides soon). By then, their legs are resilient enough for heavier training. It sounds almost too simple: run uphill for 8 seconds, get stronger. But many athletes (even recreational ones) swear that incorporating these “alactic” hill sprints keeps injuries at bay by fortifying the legs. As Hudson’s book Run Faster explains, it’s a quick way to “strengthen your foundational running muscles and reduce the chance of injury.”

How to try it: Find a hill that’s moderately steep (6–8% grade). After a thorough warm-up and an easy run, do 2 sets of 8-second hill sprints at nearly full effort, with a walk-back recovery. Do this once in your first week. If it feels good, try 2 sprints twice a week. Every week or two, add another sprint. Keep each one short (under 10 seconds) to prioritize power, not endurance. Focus on form: run tall, drive your knees, pump your arms. It should feel like a controlled explosion. Over about a month you might work up to 6–8 sprints in a session. Then you can graduate to doing fast strides on flat ground, knowing your legs have the strength to handle it. Many runners find these micro-workouts fun, and the payoff is legs that can absorb harder training later without breaking down.

Uphill Treadmill Running (David Roche’s Low-Impact Aerobic Boost)

If hill sprints are about building strength, coach David Roche has another uphill trick focused on building endurance with minimal injury risk: uphill treadmill runs, a.k.a. “treadhills.” Roche, an elite trail running coach, often assigns his athletes short extra climbs on the treadmill at a steep incline. For example, he might have a runner do 20–30 minutes at 15% incline on the treadmill as a second run of the day (after a normal run in the morning). These aren’t hard sprints – many athletes will hike at a brisk pace (~4 to 7 kph) on that incline, maybe with a bit of slow running mixed in. The idea sounds a bit crazy at first: why add an extra uphill grind? But Roche has found these low-impact climbs can significantly boost fitness without beating up your joints.

The science checks out. Running (or fast hiking) uphill carries substantially lower impact forces than running on flat ground. One biomechanics study showed that at a 9% uphill grade, impact force is much lower than on level ground, and at very steep grades the impact is almost nil. Think about it – when you run uphill, you’re moving against gravity but not pounding down, so there’s less shock traveling through your feet, knees, and hips. Roche loves this because it means you can get an extra aerobic stimulus safely. He calls these treadmill climbs “bonus” training that compound your fitness gains without the typical injury risks of extra mileage. It’s like cross-training, but more specific to running – “all the benefits of running without the elevated injury risk; all the benefits of cross training without the non-specific stress,” as he puts it.

Roche often uses uphill treadmill sessions for athletes who are either older, injury-prone, or needing an extra edge. For someone who tends to get hurt if they run high mileage, swapping a couple easy runs for uphill treadmill hikes can maintain volume while protecting the body. Even for very fit runners, these “treadhill doubles” (usually done on hard workout days or long run days) provide a potent aerobic boost – essentially simulating the demands of a long uphill climb in a race – without adding wear and tear. Roche has had many athletes break through to new race levels after incorporating regular uphill treadmill work.

How to try it: If you have access to a treadmill that goes on a steep incline, consider adding a short uphill walk or jog once a week. Start conservatively: for example, 15–20 minutes at 10–15% incline at a brisk hiking pace (you should be breathing a bit heavy but able to continue steadily). This could replace an easy recovery run or be done later in the day after a hard run, as pure low-impact aerobic bonus. Keep the effort mostly easy – the goal is time on a hill, not interval training (though advanced runners might throw in a few faster bursts). Over time, you can extend to 30 minutes or increase the incline. Many find this is mentally tough (staring at a wall on a treadmill incline can feel like an eternity!), so maybe put on a podcast or some music. But remember, the reward is big: you’re getting extra cardio work without the usual pounding. As Roche notes, even two of these uphill sessions a week is fine if you tolerate them – just beware the boredom factor! These can be especially useful if you’re coming back from an injury and can’t handle normal running yet; even research suggests tools like body-weight supported treadmills or pool running let you resume training while controlling tendon load. An uphill treadmill is similar – you reduce the impact while still moving in a running motion.

Strides: Speed Maintenance and Form Drills

You know I am already a fan and if you ask a group of experienced runners what they do for injury prevention, and many will mention strides. Strides are those quick 15–30 second accelerations often done at the end of an easy run. They’re not an all-out sprint, but close – maybe 85–95% of your max speed for a short burst. Coaches love strides because they are a gentle dose of speed work that keeps your neuromuscular system sharp without the fatigue of a full workout. In terms of injury prevention, strides serve a few purposes:

• They “remind” your body how to run fast in small doses. If you only ever plod along at slow paces, your form can stagnate and muscles only experience a narrow range of motion. Strides force you to use a quicker turnover, a higher knee lift, and a more powerful push-off. In doing so, you strengthen muscles and tendons that don’t get worked during easy jogs. Essentially, “striding puts your body through different mechanics and stresses, which will help make your body stronger.” By regularly exposing your legs to a bit of faster running, you make them more resilient to the hard efforts in future workouts or races.

• They improve your running form and efficiency. Running a few relaxed sprints teaches your body to move smoothly at higher speeds. You naturally practice good mechanics – a quick cadence, a light spring off the ground, upright posture – because sprinting demands it. Those form improvements then carry over to your normal running. One coach described strides as a way to “maintain touch with your speed” in the off-season – they keep the neuromuscular pathways primed. In fact, strides are known to boost running economy (efficiency) by training you to be quick and relaxed. A hidden benefit is that better economy and coordination can lower injury risk, since you waste less energy and put less strain on yourself at any pace.

• They help prevent the shock of speedwork. If you’ve gone months without fast running, suddenly doing hard intervals can be a recipe for injury. Strides act as a stepping stone. Because they are so short, you recover quickly and don’t accumulate much soreness. But the act of striding conditions your legs to handle higher impact forces and wider range of motion. So when you eventually do a tough track workout, it’s not the first time your body experiences fast running. As one running resource notes, strides “expose your body to a small amount of faster running stress — enough to build toughness but not so much that it causes damage,” thereby protecting you from common issues like IT band syndrome or hamstring strains.

Strides are typically done 2–3 times per week by advanced runners, often at the end of easy runs or as part of warm-ups. For beginners, even once a week can be beneficial. They’re simple: pick up speed over ~10 seconds until you’re near sprinting, hold that pace for 5–10 seconds, then smoothly decelerate. Walk or jog for about a minute, then repeat. 4–6 repeats is plenty. Focus on running tall and relaxed: no clenching your teeth or flailing arms – imagine gliding. After a stride session, you should actually feel better – energized, with any sluggishness shaken out – not exhausted. If you overdo it and find yourself gasping, ease up the intensity.

Form drills often go hand-in-hand with strides. These are exercises like high knees, butt kicks, skipping, A-skips/B-skips, and so on – the stuff you might see sprinters do in warm-ups. Coaches include drills to improve mobility, stability, and running mechanics, which in turn helps prevent injuries. For example, doing skipping or high-knee drills teaches you to drive your knee and use your glutes more effectively, leading to better form that reduces injury strain. A dynamic warm-up routine (like the famous 10-minute lunge matrix or the one coach Jay Johnson uses with skips and leg swings) gets your body ready to run and activates the muscles you need. It’s much better than just rolling off the couch and jogging, which is when you’re stiff and most prone to tweaking something. Form drills and dynamic stretches improve your leg stiffness in a good way – meaning the springiness of your tendons and the stability of your limbs. They also improve coordination and balance, essentially teaching your body better movement patterns. Physical therapists often say running is basically a series of one-legged hops, so drills that improve single-leg strength and balance (hops, skips, one-leg balances, etc.) can go a long way toward injury prevention.

You don’t need to do every drill in the book – even just a few favorites done for 5–10 minutes before a key run can help. As an example, include drills like: leg swings, skipping, high knees, carioca (grapevine), and a few strides. This kind of routine lubricates your joints, wakes up your nervous system, and reinforces proper running form (such as an active foot push-off and a quick cadence). Coach Eric Orton (more on him later) notes that drills can build leg strength and stability starting from the feet, especially if done barefoot now and then. Strong feet and ankles are a huge asset in avoiding injuries like plantar fasciitis or ankle sprains.

Embrace Low-Impact Cross-Training

One more “modality” that top coaches use for injury prevention is plain old cross-training. Running is high-impact and repetitive. Doing some of your aerobic workouts in a low-impact way (biking, swimming, elliptical, rowing, etc.) can give your bones and joints a break while still building fitness. Dr. Laura Marsh, a sports medicine physician, points out that single-sport athletes often develop strength imbalances – “very strong in one area but weak in others, which sets them up for injury.” Cross-training forces you to use different muscles and ranges of motion, helping shore up those weak spots. It also prevents overuse injuries by reducing the sheer volume of impact your body endures. For example, if your Achilles tendon is getting sore from running, substituting a cycling workout can maintain your cardio fitness without further straining the tendon (and might actually help strengthen complementary muscles). In fact, a study found that runners who engaged in other sports had fewer injuries – likely because mixing activities spreads out stress to different tissues.

Coaches commonly prescribe cross-training especially for runners prone to injury or those upping their training load. Instead of running 7 days a week, maybe you run 5 days and on the other days you swim or bike. You’re still working your heart and lungs, but your knees, shins, and feet get time to recover. Some marathon programs include aqua jogging (deep water running with a flotation belt) as a replacement for an easy run – it mimics running form with zero impact. Others might have you do a spin class or a HIIT workout to build power and cardiovascular capacity in a different way. As Dr. Marsh says, “One of the best things you can do is incorporate weight training and active recovery days with something lower stress like yoga, Pilates, walking or stretching.” The variety will actually make you a more well-rounded, robust athlete. And mentally, it can be refreshing to break the monotony – which can help you stay consistent long-term.

To implement this: identify one or two cross-training activities you enjoy or don’t mind (cycling, swimming, elliptical, dancing – anything that gets you moving and slightly out of breath). Schedule them into your week, especially on days after very hard runs or when you feel a niggle coming on. Even a 30-minute easy spin on the bike or a yoga session can promote blood flow and recovery without impact. The goal is to not be “only a runner.” As counterintuitive as it seems, doing less running and a bit more of other sports might keep you in the game longer. Your bones, tendons, and ligaments will thank you for the occasional break. Many experienced runners find that their injury rates dropped once they started cycling or strength training a couple times a week, because their bodies could handle the runs better. So give yourself permission to swap that recovery run for a swim – it might be the reason you can run five years from now without chronic injuries.

Printable Workouts for Injury Prevention

The big takeaway from Part 1 is that smart runners train for injury prevention just as they train for speed or endurance. Investing a little time in these micro-workouts and training modalities pays off immensely by keeping you healthy.

You don’t have to do everything at once – experiment with one new element at a time. The goal is to build a stronger, more balanced athlete, so when you ramp up mileage or intensity, your body can handle it.

For specific, actionable examples of how to integrate strides, hill sprints, and cross-training into your weekly schedule, see our Printable Injury Prevention Workouts

Next week in Part 2, we’ll move beyond preventative drills and dive into the crucial world of Strength and Conditioning. We’ll show you how to build a durable, powerful engine from the ground up, drawing on the foundational philosophies of experts like Jay Dicharry and Eric Orton. Get ready to run faster by getting stronger.