Running Isn't Enough: The Missing Piece Every Runner Needs | The Runner's Sole Podcast

Running Isn't Enough: The Missing Piece Every Runner Needs | The Runner's Sole Podcast

Think running alone is enough to make you a stronger, faster, and injury-free runner?

Think again.

In this episode of The Runner's Sole Podcast, podiatrist and runner Sharon Miller reveals the one thing many runners overlook—and why simply logging more miles isn't always the answer.

From strength training and mobility to injury prevention and long-term performance, Sharon explains why your muscles, tendons, and joints need more than just running to stay healthy and keep improving.

Whether you're training for your first 5K or your next marathon, this episode will help you understand what your body really needs to become a stronger, more resilient runner.

🎧 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:

✔ Why running alone doesn't train every muscle you need
 ✔ The difference between endurance and strength
 ✔ Why resistance training is essential for runners
 ✔ Which muscles runners commonly neglect
 ✔ The role of stretching and mobility in injury prevention
 ✔ Why stronger muscles help protect your joints and feet
 ✔ How strength training can improve running efficiency and performance
 ✔ Simple ways to build a stronger running body without spending hours in the gym

💪 KEY TAKEAWAY

Running makes you better at running—but it doesn't build everything your body needs.

If you want to run longer, recover faster, reduce injuries, and continue enjoying running for years to come, strength training isn't optional—it's the missing piece.

Train smarter, not just harder.

🔗 LINKS

🌐 All Episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2545750

👟 Online Foot Consultation: www.runnerssole.co.uk

👥 Join Our Running Community: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17oz7x3jFe/

🏃 ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Runner's Sole Podcast is where running meets science, stride by stride.

Hosted by podiatrist and runner Sharon Miller, the podcast helps runners prevent injuries, improve performance, and better understand foot health through practical, evidence-based advice.

Whether you're just starting your running journey or chasing your next personal best, you'll find expert tips to help keep you running strong.

Support the show

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome back to the Runner Soul. This is the place where running meets science stride by stride. And as ever, I am Sharon, your resident podiatrist, and I'm also a runner, and you guessed it, a foot nerd. And today we're talking about a common misconception. And that is that running and stretching are enough to keep your whole body strong. Now, I hear a few ooze out there. I bet you're thinking that can't be right. I stretch all the time, I do 50k's a day. But hear me out, guys. Running is one of the best forms of exercise you can do. It improves your cardiovascular fitness, builds endurance, strengthens the bones, boosts your mental health, and burns calories. Stretching, meanwhile, helps maintain the flexibility and the mobility, and together they're an excellent combination. But here's the catch, guys. They don't strengthen every muscle in your body. And let me explain why. Which parts of the body does running actually train? When you run, your body repeats the same movement pattern thousands of times. The muscles doing most of the work are your calves, your quadriceps, your hamstrings, your glutes, and your hip flexors. Your core helps stabilize your trunk and your arms swing rhythmically to balance your stride. Now these muscles become incredibly efficient at the specific demands of running. Notice there, I say the word specific because the body adapts very precisely to the challenges we give it. Known as the principle of wait for it, it's a big word. Specificity. And if you ask your muscles to perform the same repetitive movement over and over and over and over, they'll become better at that movement, but they won't necessarily become stronger in other possible ways. One of the biggest misunderstandings in fitness today is confusing muscular endurance with muscular strength. Now they are both very different things. Running requires your leg muscles to contract repeatedly for long periods, often at relatively low force. Strength training, on the other hand, challenges your muscles with much higher load or fewer repetitions. Imagine carrying a shopping bag all day long versus lifting a heavy suitcase onto a shelf. Both use your muscles, but they challenge them in completely different ways. Running builds remarkable endurance, but it doesn't provide enough resistance to maximize strength gains. How come some muscles hardly get challenged at all? Many important muscles receive very little stimulus from running. For example, your upper back muscles, your chest, your shoulders, your biceps, and your triceps, the muscles responsible for pulling movements, and the muscles that stabilize your shoulder blades. Now these areas simply aren't loaded enough during a run to become significantly stronger. Even within the legs, there are certain smaller stabilizing muscles which may not receive enough targeted work, especially if you always run on flat, predictable terrain. And this can probably explain why runners get injuries. But what about stretching, I hear you say? Stretching is fantastic, but it has a different purpose. Stretching helps improve your flexibility, it can maintain joint range of motion, it may reduce feelings of stiffness, and it can improve movement quality when combined with strengthening exercises. But here's the thing stretching does not create enough resistance to stimulate meaningful muscle growth or significant strength increases. So, in other words, your stretching definitely does improve how well muscles move. Strength training improves how much force the muscles can produce. Those are two completely different adaptations. Why does this all matter for runners? Well, if certain muscles have become weaker than others, the body starts compensating. And that's when you might notice poor running posture, your hips dropping from side to side, your knees are collapsing inwards, you have reduced running efficiency and more fatigue late in the races, and greater risk of overuse injuries, which isn't good. So strong muscles don't just make you more powerful, they also help absorb impact, stabilize the joints, and maintain good running form when you're tired. What is the missing piece? Well, the missing piece is resistance training. This is where strength training comes in. Just two sessions each week can make a huge difference. We're talking about exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, step ups, rows, push-ups, overhead presses, and planks. It will all help strengthen the muscles that running alone doesn't fully develop. Research consistently shows that runners who include resistant training often experience improved running economy, better sprint finishes, increased power on heals, greater resilience to injury, improved bone health, and better overall athletic performance. Yay! Interestingly, adding strength training doesn't necessarily mean gaining lots of muscle mass or becoming heavier. When programmed appropriately, most runners become stronger and more efficient without compromising endurance. So let me give you some examples to help you understand what I'm trying to explain. Now imagine your cardiovascular fitness is the engine of a car. The running makes the engine incredibly efficient. But if the suspension, the tires, and the chassis aren't equally well maintained, well, eventually the performance suffers. And here's another example. Think of your body as a house. Running builds one room beautifully. Strength training reinforces the entire structure. So the stronger the foundation, the better everything will work and stay together. I think we can all agree that running is an outstanding exercise. Stretching is valuable for maintaining mobility, but neither can replace the benefits of progressive resistance training. If your goal is to become a healthier, stronger, more resilient runner, or simply just to move well throughout life, do consider strength training as part of your routine rather than something separate from it. You don't need hours at the gym. Just a couple of focused sessions each week can help fill the gaps that running naturally leaves behind. Your future self and your running legs will definitely thank you. Thank you for striding through this episode with me. And if you enjoyed it, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a comment or share it. And let me know where you're missing from. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Buzz Sprouts, and pretty much everywhere you can think of. It genuinely helps more runners. Discover our podcast, and if you want to be part of the community and share stories, tips, and supports each other along the way, come join us over on Facebook at the RunnerSoul Family. If you've got questions about your foot health, about running or anything and everything in between, I am always happy to help. And for that reason, I offer online foot consultations, so no matter where you are in the world, we can get your concerns properly sorted. You'll find all the links in the show notes. And before you go, just please remember your feet aren't just along for the ride. They are the foundation of every step you take and everything you do. So please do take care of them and they will take care of you. So until next time, keep on running smart.