Back in July, when I was struggling to get past a flareup of an old hip injury, I decided to embark on an amped-up core- and hip-strengthening routine to get my body in the best possible running shape before starting to train for the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 25. I’ve culled a few new exercises from the pages of Runner’s World and the collective wisdom of other runners since then, and wanted to pass along the plan I’m convinced has kept injury at bay as I’ve tackled 15-, 18- and 20-mile runs.
- Georgetown physical therapist (and ultramarathoner) Robert Gillanders’ “never get hurt” workout
- Gillanders’ suggested follow-up workout, which includes an excellent variation of the side plank position (plank position is big for me now)
- The ITB stretch Dr. Daniel Pereles dubbed “the only one that works,” shown in the first photo of this Running Times feature about the IT band.
- This great core workout from Runner’s World, which includes Swiss ball extensions and the plank position, among others.
- My old physical-therapy routine, which includes:
3 X 25 walking lunges
3 X 25 single-leg presses
3X 25 single-leg squats
Hamstring curls
Leg lifts with weights (I do these on each side, on my stomach and on my back. Here’s a how-to for the side-lying lifts.)
Clamshells (shown here, along with lots of other interesting-looking running-specific exercises)
On the BOSU, flat side up, blue side on the floor:
-Squats with 10-lb med ball: 3 sets of 8
-1-leg raises in following positions: 3 sets of 15 seconds/each
(all of these require you to balance on one leg in the middle of the ball while doing something else with other leg)
-leg bent 90 degrees at knee (shin parallel to ground)
-leg bent 90 degree at hip (quad parallel to ground)
-leg extended 45 degrees out from side of body
-leg extended back 45 degrees/body forward (think swan)
Feel easy? Close your eyes, which makes it harder to balance.
What’s your favorite core- or hip- strengthening exercise? Share it by posting a comment!
Amy Reinink 
I love using the balance ball for butt lifts. Sooo painful, but so good!
Sounds hard-core! How exactly do you do these?
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thanks so much for this article! I’m suffering from IT band issues right now and am anxious to try these out so I can embark on marathon training sans pain!
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