Lisa Mitro, Physical Therapist for Runners

It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that running a certain distance is “normal”…. But if I compare where I am to where I was, the progress and the things I’ve accomplished are actually unbelievable 16 years ago I was running 5 poles after softball practice and thinking it was the hardest thing Fast forward and now I’m running marathons?? Who is she?? Progress really is a wild concept when you keep staying consistent with what you enjoy. Here’s to accomplishing so much it becomes unbelievable to your past self

Foam rollers aren’t just for rolling your muscles pre run. They can be used to challenging your stability, especially in the bridge position. This one will make your hammies burn, so to modify just lift your pelvis and glutes up and down (take out the march) Save it and try it during your next workout ✅

If injury prevention is one of your goals for 2025, I encourage you to add in more prehab exercises to your strength routine ➡️ prehab exercises can be thought of as exercises that help to prevent injuries by addressing areas of weakness as you learn to stabilize the joint ❌ prehab exercises are not exercises that you did in rehab that are way too easy where you are going through the motion and not seeking any benefit ✅ think of prehab exercises as the higher level rehab exercises or the rehab exercises that continue to challenge you Where do you start? Find a strength program that’s specific to running and includes prehab exercises in addition to strength, power and mobility movements. If you’re newer to strength training but want to run stronger in 2025, join the 30/30 running group- 30 days of strength training (3 days a week) for 30 min each workout, costing you only $30 (comment 30 below and I’ll send ya the info)

Endurance activities do not build strength ⬇️ You may feel stronger and become more tone, but there is a huge difference between those muscle fibers and the ones you build when you are strength training When you strength train, you work your type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers, so even if you are lifting weights in isolation, you are actually still working some of your endurance fibers All the more reason to lift weights as a runner Ps. Runners shouldn’t consider HIIT workouts as their strength workouts. The goal of the strength workouts is to build strength, not primarily work on endurance fibers

If you keep getting shin splints, it may mean your body has trouble absorbing the shock when your foot hits the ground This means too much load or force may be going through your shins causing the pain ❌ To improve your shock absorption and decrease the load through your shins: • improve your ability to disperse the load upon landing with plyometrics •increase your cadence if it’s too low and you are over striding. I recommend only increasing your cadence by 5-7% and do this with a metronome instead of trying to take shorter strides •improve ankle mobility, specifically into ankle Dorsiflexion. This will allow you to absorb the shock when landing For a full rehab plan to get rid of shin splints, go through the Foot and Ankle Program- 12 weeks of rehab exercises designed for runners so you can quickly return to pain free running (linked in bio)

Airplanes are a great exercise because they address: •hip internal and external rotation with control •single leg stability •thoracic rotation •trunk stability •foot/ ankle stability For a modification: drop the weight For a progression: take the foam roller away

If your goal in 2025 is to run stronger, but you don’t have much time and want to start strength training with exercises and movements that will actually improve your running , comment “30” below and I will send you information on the 30/30 running group starting January 1st. $30 for 30 minute strength workouts for 30 days- comment “30” below for more information ⬇️⬇️ When I started strength training with running specific movement patterns instead of generic workouts, I felt stronger, was running faster, and overall felt like my workouts were improving my running instead of just making me sore and affecting my runs If you want to become a stronger runner this year, you don’t need to carve out hours in the gym to hit every muscle group. Instead, focus on movement patterns such as the hip hinge, single leg stability, the push off portion of gait and more to improve your running (and prevent injuries). Once you’ve improved your foundation, you’ll notice an improvement in your running whether it’s during a speed workout or longer run.

Socks are the BEST gift!!!! I take back anything bad I ever said about them as a kid 🫣

What shoes do you wish were under your tree? For me, it’s the New Balance 1080s v14 👟

Don’t only focus on your speed work if a PR is a 2025 goal⬇️ Building speed is more than just pushing it during a speed workout and a PR is a product of achieving a bunch of small goals that contribute to running faster Building runners strength is only going to help you run faster, feel stronger at the end of a hard workout and run further with less fatigue. Last year when I was chasing my PR, I hyper focused on going to the gym at least 2x a week and challenging myself to lift heavier weights with running specific movement patterns Save this post for a reference if you need ideas for your runners strength routine ✅ For a full strength program designed for runners, go through the Runners Complete Program to build runners strength, power and decrease your risk for injuries

Freezing weather + running = low motivation

Comment “YOUTUBE” below for more shin splint rehab exercises ⬇️ One of the most important things you can do in addition to the rehab exercises is focus on load management This means you are reducing the load if the pain level is moderate or high when running and you can do this by: 1. Increasing your cadence by 5-7% 2. Reducing your weekly mileage 3. Decreasing your speed and/ or taking speed work out 4. Improving your running form ➡️ Taking 2 weeks off from running isn’t going to cut it because you have to fix why the pain is coming on. If there’s an inflammatory response, yes rest can help but when you return to running the pain is more than likely going to come back For specific rehab exercises that help you get rid of Shin Splints, go through the Foot and Ankle Program- 12 weeks of progressive exercises designed for runners (has helped over 2,000+ runners). Linked in my bio for more info