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Strength training can help runners. But if running is the part of training you enjoy most, how much space should strength really take up? In the fourth episode of The 5 Pillars of Better Running, Bjørn-Ivar looks at strength training from a runner’s point of view. Not as a separate fitness project, but as something that needs to support the running rather than take over the week. The episode explores what strength training can actually add to running, including improvements in running economy, strength and performance, and why those benefits do not necessarily require an increase in VO₂max or body mass. It also looks at the practical side. Does strength need its own hour-long session, or can a short session added to the end of a run be enough to make it worthwhile? How does the answer change for someone running three times a week compared with a more serious recreational or highly trained runner? Age is another important part of the discussion. Strength may begin mainly as a performance tool for younger runners, but as we get older, maintaining strength and power becomes increasingly important in its own right. The episode also takes a closer look at one of the most common claims around strength training: injury prevention. The research is more complicated than simply saying stronger runners get injured less, so the focus is on what the evidence actually supports rather than making promises it cannot make. And finally, Bjørn-Ivar looks at what useful strength training for runners can actually look like, why simply creating more endurance fatigue in the gym may miss the point, and how strength can fit into the week without compromising the running that matters most. Running is still the main thing. Strength is there to support it. Research referenced in this episode Llanos-Lagos C, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moran J, Sáez de Villarreal E. Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(4):895–932. Llanos-Lagos C, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moran J, Sáez de Villarreal E. The Effect of Strength Training Methods on Middle-Distance and Long-Distance Runners' Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(7):1801–1833. Wu H, Brooke-Wavell K, Fong DTP, Paquette MR, Blagrove RC. Do Exercise-Based Prevention Programs Reduce Injury in Endurance Runners? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(5):1249–1267. Klein M, Patterson C. Changes in running biomechanics in master runners over age 50: a systematic review. Sports Biomechanics. 2025;24(5):1168–1196. Kidgell DJ, et al. Determining the cortical, spinal and muscular adaptations to strength-training in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Rese Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode continues The 5 Pillars of Better Running with pillar three: HARD TRAINING. We look at VO₂max, threshold, running economy, interval structure, recovery and load management, and why different hard sessions create different adaptations. For masters runners, the focus is not on avoiding intensity, but on using it well enough that the body can absorb it. The goal is not maximum fatigue. It is the right training stimulus, placed in the right context. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode continues the series The 5 Pillars of Better Running with pillar two: easy running. Easy running can look almost too simple to matter. The pace is controlled, the heart rate stays lower, and compared with a hard interval session, the immediate fitness stimulus can seem modest. But that is only part of the picture. Easy running allows us to accumulate more training without making every additional kilometre equally costly. Over time, that extra volume contributes to aerobic development, including adaptations in the mitochondria inside the muscle and the capillary network that helps deliver oxygen where it is needed. The episode also looks at why easy running can support better quality on hard days, why it can help runners gradually tolerate more training, and why injury prevention is better understood as managing load and recovery rather than assuming that slow running is automatically safe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yomif Kejelcha has spent more than a decade among the world’s best distance runners, from 3,000 and 5,000 metres on the track to the 10,000, half marathon and marathon. In this episode, Bjørn-Ivar reflects on Kejelcha’s journey through extraordinary performances, championship near-misses and a gradual move towards longer distances, culminating in his 56:51 half marathon world record in Buenos Aires. It raises an interesting question for the rest of us: how certain should we really be about the kind of runner we are? The distance that suited us five or ten years ago may not be where we find our best running today. A conversation about persistence without stubbornness, staying curious, trying different distances and allowing our running to develop over the long term. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode begins a new series: The 5 Pillars of Better Running. The first pillar is consistency. Not perfect training weeks. Not completing every planned session. And not trying to make up every workout that gets missed. Instead, this episode looks at consistency as the ability to keep returning to running over time. A missed interval session, a shorter run, tired legs, or an unexpected change in everyday life can easily make a training week feel as if it has gone wrong. But long-term progress is built over months and years, not around one perfect Tuesday. The episode explores why trying to catch up can sometimes disturb recovery, why protecting what comes next can reduce unnecessary injury risk, and why adjusting a session does not automatically mean the training has failed. Consistency is less about never being interrupted and more about maintaining a relationship with running that can continue through different seasons of life. The first pillar is therefore simple: keep returning, allow training to adapt when needed, and give progress enough time to develop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to return to running after the summer without rushing, losing confidence or increasing your injury risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer often brings fewer structured workouts and more opportunities to simply enjoy running. While many runners worry about maintaining fitness, this episode explores a different perspective: that summer can help you become a better runner in ways that aren't measured by pace or mileage. Bjørn-Ivar reflects on how exploration, enjoyment, perspective and balance all contribute to long-term development. Through stories and reflections, he looks at why memorable runs often matter more than perfect workouts, how running fits best when it supports life rather than competes with it, and why a healthy relationship with the sport is one of the strongest foundations for lasting progress. Whether you're on vacation or simply enjoying a change of routine, this episode is an invitation to step back from the numbers, reconnect with the joy of running, and discover how the lessons of summer can stay with you long after the season has ended. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer often changes the way we train. Travel, family commitments and different routines can make even the best training plan difficult to follow. In this episode, Bjørn-Ivar explores why adaptability may be one of the most important qualities a runner can develop. Rather than trying to force perfect training into an imperfect schedule, this episode looks at how flexible thinking helps maintain consistency, reduces unnecessary stress and supports long-term progress. You'll hear why protecting habits matters more than protecting routines, why short runs still have value, how to avoid the make-up workout trap, and why rebuilding momentum is often more important than chasing fitness. Whether you're on vacation or simply navigating a busy period of life, this episode offers a practical perspective on staying connected to running without losing sight of the bigger picture. The goal isn't perfect training—it's learning how to keep moving forward through every season of life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer often brings a change of routine. Travel, family commitments, social events, and a break from normal schedules can leave many runners worrying about lost fitness and interrupted training. In this episode, I explore why that concern is often larger than the actual risk. We look at what happens to fitness during shorter periods of reduced training, why maintaining fitness can sometimes be more valuable than chasing improvement, and how experienced runners learn to adapt their training to the realities of life rather than fighting against them. I also share a personal update on my Sub-20 5K project and why I've had to adjust my timeline after several months where migraine symptoms have limited the quality training needed to pursue that goal. This is a conversation about consistency, patience, realistic expectations, and understanding that long-term progress is built over years rather than a few individual weeks. Whether you're heading into vacation season or simply trying to balance running with the rest of life, this episode is a reminder that fitness is often more resilient than we think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part 2 of the 5K Training Guide, Bjørn-Ivar Sigbjørnsen moves from the purpose of different workouts into how training can be built around the runner doing it. The episode looks at how much easy and harder running makes sense when you train two, three, or more days per week, and why a 5K plan should have a clear weekly rhythm rather than simply collecting sessions. The episode covers practical workout choices, including threshold sessions, 5K-specific intervals, hills, strides, and longer easy runs, along with how those sessions can be balanced across a training block. Bjørn-Ivar also discusses the limitations of the 10 percent rule, why distance alone does not show the full training load, and how tools such as Strava Relative Effort or Garmin training load can be used alongside body feel and recovery. Recovery, sleep, fueling, and hydration are connected to the training itself, with particular attention to the importance of carbohydrates around harder running and the role of protein in rebuilding afterwards. Strength training is discussed from a runner’s perspective: as a possible support for performance and durability, but also as an added demand that needs to earn its place in the week. The episode also explores how to respond to soreness and recurring discomfort, how to taper for a goal 5K without losing speed, and how to approach race day with controlled pacing and a clear head. After the finish line, the race becomes useful feedback for the next block rather than a verdict on the whole process. Bjørn-Ivar also shares an update on his own goal of returning to a sub-20-minute 5K at age 57, reflecting on why speed now has to be built with more patience, respect for recovery, and a commitment to protecting the daily running he values most. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first part of the 5K training guide, Bjørn-Ivar Sigbjørnsen looks at what the 5K really asks from a runner and why the distance is more than just a short hard effort. The episode covers how to start from the runner you are today, why easy running matters, how harder sessions should have a clear purpose, and why the body needs time to adapt before race fitness shows up. The episode also explains how different workouts support different needs, from short faster running and 5K-specific intervals to threshold work and hills. Recovery between reps is discussed as part of the workout itself, including when standing, walking, or easy jogging can change the purpose and effect of a session. Heart rate, pace, feeling, and lactate are presented as useful tools when they support the bigger picture, rather than numbers that should control every decision. Bjørn-Ivar also shares an honest update on his own Sub-20 5K project at age 57, including why speed takes more patience now than when he was younger, and why staying healthy and keeping daily running in his life matters more than forcing a goal too quickly. The episode closes by introducing Part 2, which will continue with recovery, sleep, fueling, strength training, injury signals, race week, pacing, and the mental side of the 5K. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this marathon special, I take a closer look at Sabastian Sawe’s 1:59:30 in London and why it felt like more than just another world record. With three runners under the previous world record in the same race, this episode looks at what may have shifted at the very front of the marathon. We go into what made the run so remarkable, why this counts as the first official sub-two marathon, and why the negative split tells us something important about how the distance may now be raced. We also spend time on the harder questions around trust and testing, and on the practical side of performance, including shoes, high-carb fueling, bicarbonate, weather, race execution, and marathon-specific training. The episode closes by bringing the conversation back to regular runners. What can ordinary marathoners actually use from a performance like this? How should training, pacing, fueling, and long-term development be understood in light of what we saw in London? This is a calm and thoughtful look at one of the biggest moments the marathon has ever had. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spring has given many runners a base of strength, consistency, and momentum. Now the question is how to use it well. In this episode, Bjørn-Ivar looks at the shift from spring strength toward summer speed, using Faith Kipyegon as a profile of calm, efficient running built over time. The episode explores how speed works best when it grows out of a steady foundation, not when it is forced too quickly. There is a workout idea built around controlled effort and quicker rhythm, a nutrition spotlight on feeling light without under-fuelling, and an injury check-in focused on the lower legs, calves, achilles, and feet as faster running returns. For masters runners, the focus is on adding speed without overloading the week: one clear quality session, one longer aerobic run, small touches of pace, and enough recovery to absorb the work. The Sub-20 project update brings the same theme back to real training life, where the base is present but race readiness still needs time. A calm episode about choosing the next phase carefully, protecting continuity, and letting quicker running come from support rather than urgency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I stay with a part of running most of us know well: the stretch where the work is there, the consistency is there, but things still do not quite come together the way we hoped. Through the story and training approach of Sifan Hassan, I look at what runners can learn about patience, range, timing, and staying healthy enough for progress to last. I also get into the kind of workout that helps when you want to move forward without forcing it, how nutrition supports training when the body feels flat, and why spring can bring soreness in the upper quads and groin when hills and forest running return after a winter on flatter ground. There is also a masters running section on how to keep improving through better rhythm, recovery, and durability rather than chasing too much intensity. To close, I bring it back to my own Sub-20 5K project, now only a couple of months from the deadline, and talk honestly about where things stand with the base training, the missing speed, and the adjustments needed around back pain, migraines, and recent groin soreness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode comes from a week of training in Gran Canaria, where warmer temperatures, steep terrain, and a different daily rhythm change how running feels and how training needs to be handled. We look at how to stay consistent during travel without forcing structure, and how to adjust effort when heat and hills shift the demands on the body. The episode explores how alternative movement like hiking and cycling can support running fitness, and how small adjustments in nutrition and hydration help maintain energy, recovery, and overall well-being. There’s also a focus on reading body signals in a new environment and making small decisions that keep training moving forward instead of building fatigue. For masters runners, we look at how to manage recovery, spacing, and maintaining some connection to speed while adapting to changing conditions. The Sub-20 project update reflects a period of interruptions, with injury and reduced intensity, and what it means to stay consistent when progress isn’t linear. Overall, this episode is about keeping the rhythm of running alive, even when routines change, and allowing the body to adapt so that training continues to build over time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.