Strength alongside walking/ running!!

[Susiesue61]

Hi. Completed couch to 5k last year, hated the long runs but have since started jeffing and can do 5k on a good day 😂 Also walking and we’ve signed up for a half marathon Mighty Hike which I’m terrified about!!
everything I’ve read says that strengthening my legs will help with the hike but I don’t know where to start. I hate the gym so need to do it at home. Any suggestions would be very welcome 😊

The thing that has strengthened my feet, legs and ankles (and made me able to run without twinges/injuries and less prone to plantar fasciitis and twisted ankles) is pilates. The class I go to focuses on strength (with lots of resistance band work) and balance (lots of stuff on one leg.

James Dunne has some great YouTube videos aimed at runners which would help with building leg strength. Look at foot and calf strengthening, not just the big upper leg muscles. You can do a lot with stuff you have at home (stairs, backpack of books, water bottles, towels) and even more if you add some resistance bands which are very cheap.

Yoga or Pilates would probably help.

im a fairly keen runner but have been returning from injury and I’ve really enjoyed the strength for runners YouTube videos that use resistance bands. They seem to target all the right bits and I think they’ve help my recovery. They’re only 16 min workout and not too complicated. I brought my resistance bands for £5 on Amazon.