Most runners either skip strength training or do it completely wrong. In this episode, Joost breaks down how just 5 to 10 minutes a day makes you a stronger, more durable runner — no gym, no heavy weights. Just a minimalist routine that improves your running economy without sabotaging your recovery.

• Why heavy lifting can actually slow down your running adaptation
• What gluteal amnesia is and how to fix it
• The 5 pillars of the minimal strength routine
• How to fit it all into your daily schedule — without losing extra time

1. Glute Activation & Myrtl Routine

Pick 3 exercises from the Myrtl routine or the bodyweight routine to wake up your glutes before every run. Three sets of eight reps is all it takes. The full Myrtl routine can be done after your run or during TV time.

🎥 Bodyweight Glute Activation – watch here🎥 Myrtl Routine – watch here

2. Lunge Matrix (before your run, ~3 min)

Runners move in one plane — forward. The lunge matrix trains all directions, keeping you strong and injury-free. Start with 3–4 reps per direction and add one rep each week, as long as you have no niggles.

🎥 Lunge Matrix – watch here

Note: if you have knee issues, skip this pillar and build back in gradually.

3. Hill Blasts (weekly)

8-second hill sprints with 2:30 walking recovery. Improves your running economy and fires up muscles you've never used before. Some muscle soreness after your first sessions is a good sign — it means it's working.

🎥 Hill Blasts explained – listen to the previous episode

4. Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) (after your run)

Not static stretching — assisted stretching using a rope or towel. Genuinely improves your range of motion, which is essential for an efficient stride. Only do this when your muscles are warm, after your run.

🎥 AIS Stretching Routine – watch here🎥 Calf, Lower Leg & Foot AIS Stretching – watch here

5. Single-Leg Balance While Brushing Your Teeth

Stand on one leg with your eyes closed — 10 seconds right, then left. Keep alternating until you're done brushing. No extra time required, but incredibly effective for ankle strength and proprioception. This is the exact exercise physios prescribe after ankle sprains.

You don't need to be incredibly strong to run a marathon. You need to be durable and efficient. Your body has to handle 50,000 steps without breaking down — and that comes from awakening the right muscles, not building bigger ones.

The question isn't how much you can lift. It's whether your glutes are firing, your pelvis is stable, your hips have full range of motion, and your ankles are strong enough to support an efficient stride.

This routine addresses all of that in under 10 minutes a day.

• 🌐 Full routine with video links: pacebuddies.com
• 🎥 Bodyweight Glute Activation: youtube.com/watch?v=85B1dfmgxrg
• 🎥 Myrtl Routine: youtube.com/watch?v=hX7Url8Pz0w
• 🎥 Lunge Matrix: youtube.com/watch?v=GJo7_MiRLkU
• 🎥 Hill Blasts (previous episode): youtube.com/watch?v=ezJZjXDAwak
• 🎥 AIS Stretching: youtube.com/watch?v=R1gk_tHVxn4
• 🎥 Calf, Lower Leg & Foot AIS: youtube.com/watch?v=LxXLYQcBpWs

Injuries or niggles? See a physio. Want to add weights? Work with a personal trainer who understands that your strength routine must support your running — not compete with it.

Show Notes – The Minimal Strength Routine for RunnersWhat This Episode Is AboutWhat You'll LearnThe 5 PillarsYour Daily ScheduleMomentWhatBefore your runGlute activation (3 exercises from Myrtl) + Lunge matrix (~5 min)After your runAIS stretching + Myrtl routine (~10 min)Every eveningSingle-leg balance while brushing teeth (0 extra min)WeeklyHill Blasts sessionWhy This WorksLinks & Resources

Most runners shuffle. Short stride, low heel lift, zero power. It's not laziness — it's your glutes being completely switched off. And the frustrating part? Adding more miles or speed work just reinforces the problem.

In this episode we go deep on gluteal amnesia, the neuroscience of running mechanics, and the two tools — hill blasts and strides — that will rewire your movement pattern from the ground up.

─────────────────────────

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

─────────────────────────

• Why your glutes are the primary engine of your stride — and why most runners never actually use them

• What gluteal amnesia is and how hours of daily sitting literally rewires your neural pathways

• Why adding speed before fixing your form makes the problem worse, not better

• The injury connection: why Achilles issues, calf strains and plantar fasciitis are almost always a glute problem in disguise

• Hill blasts: how 8 seconds uphill forces the correct movement pattern and retrains your nervous system

• Full technique breakdown: Tall · Relaxed · Piston · Pop — and why each cue works

• Strides: how to translate the new pattern to flat, fast running

• The ATP-PC energy system and why 2.5 min walking recovery is non-negotiable

• The Pre-Super Base phase: what needs to happen before any threshold or marathon-specific training

─────────────────────────

TIMESTAMPS

─────────────────────────

00:00 — Cold open: the shuffle on the running path

02:30 — Intro: Form Before Speed

05:00 — The glute as engine: why almost nobody uses them

10:30 — Neuromuscular adaptation: you train a movement, not just fitness

16:00 — Hill blasts: science + full technique breakdown

22:00 — Strides: from hill to flat running

27:00 — Practical takeaway: what to do differently this week

31:00 — Outro + next episode: the minimal strength system

─────────────────────────

START THIS WEEK

─────────────────────────

Hill blasts — Pick one easy run day. At the end, find a ~5% gradient and do 4 reps. Run hard uphill for 8 seconds. Walk for 2.5 minutes between each rep — no jogging. Technique cues: tall (perpendicular to the slope, not leaning in) · relaxed shoulders · piston arms straight forward and back · pop your heels up under your hips. Add one rep per week until you reach 8.

Strides — On a different day (at least 2 days apart): add 5 × 20 sec at 5K effort after an easy run. Walk back to the start between each. You're training the nervous system, not building fitness.

Myrtl routine — 5–7 min of hip work after your long run. 12 movements: leg swings, hip circles, donkey kicks, fire hydrants. Search "Myrtl routine running" on YouTube.

─────────────────────────

LINKS

─────────────────────────

🌐 Website: pacebuddies.com

📞 Free coaching call: cal.eu/pacebuddies/freecall

Not making progress? Book a free 30-min call — no commitment. We look at where you are, what your goal is, and whether coaching is the right fit.

─────────────────────────

NEXT EPISODE

─────────────────────────

The Minimal Strength System — how 10 minutes a day, done right, gives you 95% of the injury prevention benefit without destroying your recovery. Do runners actually need to lift weights? That episode gives you a very clear answer.

Interview with John Starrett: Coaching Beginners to Olympians — The Stazza System Explained

John Starrett has been coaching runners for over 40 years. Since moving online in 2017, he's guided nearly 900 athletes to sub-3 marathons and over 250 to sub-2:30 — including athletes at the US Olympic Trials and the Tokyo Olympics. In this episode, he breaks down the complete Stazza's Stable system from the ground up.

What you'll learn:

• Why 5 runs per week is enough for most sub-3 marathoners
• The Foundation phase: building the base before any real training begins
• The Pre-Super Base: hill blasts and aerobic strides to go from hip flexor to glute dominant
• The Super Base: the 40-50-60 endurance spine runs and the V-shaped valley of death
• Why one marathon per year beats two every time

Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & John's background01:18 – The numbers: 900 sub-3s, 250 sub-2:30s, Olympic athletes02:03 – Ifa Cook: from 2:46 to the Tokyo Olympics03:00 – How online coaching works04:10 – The Kenya running camp05:33 – Coaching recreational runners: form before fitness07:00 – One marathon per year08:08 – Why 5 runs/week beats Norwegian doubles10:25 – Why most runners plateau11:00 – The Foundation phase13:09 – The Pre-Super Base14:05 – Hill blasts explained18:31 – Aerobic strides progression21:15 – The Super Base24:45 – The V-shaped valley of death28:39 – Results: 30 sec/km improvement in 14 weeks

Find John:Website: stazzasstable.comInstagram: @stazzas_stableYouTube: youtube.com/@stazzasstable1965Podcast: The Stablemaster Speaks (Spotify & Apple)

About this episode

Most runners skip the one phase that actually builds speed. They go straight into marathon-specific training, do the long runs, hit the intervals — and wonder why they plateau after 8 weeks.

The secret? It's called the Super Base. A 4-month training block that builds durability, raises your lactate ceiling, and makes your body ready to handle real speed work without breaking.

In this episode, I break down exactly how it works.

[00:00] – Intro: What is the Super Base?
[01:15] – Why building a base matters (the glass analogy)
[03:00] – Who needs the Super Base?
[04:00] – The 3 key sessions explained
[04:45] – Midweek workout: threshold progression (weeks 1-4)
[06:30] – The V-shaped valley explained (weeks 5-11)
[08:45] – Climbing back up (weeks 12-17)
[10:00] – The endurance spine run (40-50-60 progression)
[11:30] – Hill blasts: why 8 seconds changes everything
[12:30] – How to schedule your week + the 48-hour rule
[13:30] – Why pacing discipline matters
[14:15] – Outro & CTA

• The glass analogy: Your training capacity is a glass. Base building makes it bigger.

• Threshold progression: 20 min → 40 min @ threshold in 4 weeks

• The V-shaped valley: Weeks 5-11 go down in rep length, up in speed. Weeks 12-17 build back up with faster paces.

• Endurance spine: 30 min warmup + 40/50/60 min @ tempo + 30 min cooldown. Repeat every 3 weeks with faster pace.

• Hill blasts: 8-second hill sprints to activate glutes and improve stride efficiency

• The 48-hour rule: Never do a midweek workout and a long run within 48 hours. Protect your key sessions.

I'm Joost, running coach at Pacebuddies. This podcast is for runners who are tired of cookie-cutter plans and training hard without getting faster.

No copy-paste schedules. Just honest, no-nonsense conversations about what actually works — whether you're training for your first 5K or your tenth marathon.

New episodes every two weeks.

The Super Base works — but only if you get the pacing right. If you want someone to look at your numbers, adjust your weeks, and keep you accountable:

→ pacebuddies.com/

Book a free 30-minute call. No pressure. Just a conversation about where you are and where you want to go.

Most runners follow training plans that were never written for them. Plans that don't know they slept badly, have work stress, or just feel off. And when those plans don't work? They blame themselves.

In this episode, we break down why generic plans fail, what the "no cut-and-paste" rule actually means, and how to adjust your training — not every 12 weeks, but every single week.

No fluff. No generic advice. Just honest coaching.

• Why "push through" is usually bad advice

• The SRA cycle — and why its timing is different for everyone

• How sleep, stress, and nutrition change your training week

• A SWOT analysis for runners (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

• Three practical levers to adjust any workout

• How to save your week when life gets in the way

I'm Joost, running coach at Pacebuddies. This podcast is for runners who are tired of cookie-cutter plans and training hard without getting faster.

No copy-paste schedules. Just honest, no-nonsense conversations about what actually works — whether you're training for your first 5K or your tenth marathon.

New episodes every two weeks.

Stop guessing. Start progressing.

→ pacebuddies.com

1-on-1 coaching. No standard plans. Just smarter training, built around your life, your goals, and your body.

Know a runner who needs to hear this? Share the episode — helps them, helps me.

@pace.buddies on Instagram / Strava /

Show Notes – The Aerobic Edge

Episode: Stop Training Too Hard (The SRA Cycle)

Most runners think improvement happens while they're running. It doesn't. It happens after — when you recover, adapt, and come back stronger.

In this episode, we break down why "harder is better" is keeping you stuck, how the SRA cycle actually works, and why recovery isn't passive — it's when you get faster.

No fluff. No generic advice. Just honest coaching.

I'm Joost, running coach at Pacebuddies. This podcast is for runners who are tired of cookie-cutter plans and training hard without getting faster.

No copy-paste schedules. Just honest, no-nonsense conversations about what actually works — whether you're training for your first 5K or your tenth marathon.

New episodes every two weeks.

Stop guessing. Start progressing.

→ pacebuddies.com

1-on-1 coaching. No standard plans. Just smarter training, built around your life, your goals, and your body.

Know a runner who needs to hear this? Share the episode — helps them, helps me.

@pace.buddies on Instagram / Strava