Strength training & its periodisation, ankle shuffles, RunStrong training plans and much more...
#WhatsUpThisWeek?
Strength training follows the same pattern as a running cycle. Know all about it at this week’s #GeeksOnFeet
Resistance Band Ankle Shuffle Jumps enhance lower-body strength, power, agility, balance, and cardiovascular endurance. Learn all about it at #WoW
Fatima Ouhaddou Nafie wins European Running Championship despite a fall, this and more #RunSHORTS
Happy Reading!
#GeeksPoll
Where do you stand in the 42.195 km club? #geekspoll
The results of last week's poll on Resting Heart Rate for runners are here.
#WoW - Resistance Band Ankle Shuffle Jumps
This exercise enhances lower-body strength, power, agility, balance, and cardiovascular endurance.
How to do it?
Place a resistance band just above your ankles. Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core engaged.
Jump lightly while shuffling one foot forward and the other backward (e.g., right foot forward, left foot back).
Land softly, keeping knees aligned over toes. Focus on quiet, controlled landings to reduce joint impact.
Immediately jump again, switching leg positions mid-air (left forward, right back).
Continue alternating legs rhythmically for 30–60 seconds or desired reps.
Use a band with moderate tension to challenge stability without compromising form.
@GeeksOnFeet: Runner’s Guide to Periodizing Resistance Training
While runners are meticulous with mileage and pace charts, resistance training often gets sidelined. This week’s article makes the case for bringing it front and center — and doing so seasonally. Just like running has its off-season, base, build, peak, and taper phases, strength work can (and should) follow the same rhythm. The off-season is your time to lift heavy and build muscle. As your running ramps up, strength work shifts to support, maintaining gains without compromising workouts. Come race week, it tapers to short sessions that preserve strength and reduce fatigue.
From barbell squats to plyometrics, this guide lays out how to periodize resistance training so that it complements your running, not competes with it.
8 Week Off-Season Resistance Training Plan for Runners
This off-season, we’re helping you build a stronger engine. Our new 8-week resistance training plan is designed specifically for runners — no fluff, just focused strength work that improves posture, power, and injury resistance. With 3 weekly sessions built around big lifts and runner-specific movements, this plan complements your reduced mileage and sets you up for a stronger comeback.
Smart strength. Stronger running. Complimentary for all RunStrong members.
RUN STRONG
Prepare yourself for Hyderabad elevations
Personalised for your goals
Customised to your fitness
Can be planned per your schedules
Access the plans now at https://runstrong.geeksonfeet.com/training-plans/races/hyderabad-marathon
#RunSHORTS
Geoffrey Kamworor's Triumphant Return at Rotterdam
Geoffrey Kamworor secured his third career marathon win, and his first since the 2019 New York City Marathon, by finishing in 2:04:33 at the Rotterdam Marathon. This time was just 10 seconds shy of his personal best and marked the fifth-fastest marathon time globally in 2025
The 32-year-old Kenyan, a three-time world half marathon champion, executed a strategic race. After maintaining a steady pace with a lead group through the 30-kilometer mark, Kamworor surged ahead just after 35 km, creating a gap that his competitors couldn't close. He finished ahead of Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa (2:05:06) and Chimdessa Debele (2:05:26). This victory was particularly significant for Kamworor, marking his return to the top after battling injuries in recent years.
In the women's race, Jackline Cherono delivered a commanding performance, winning with a personal best time of 2:21:14. She finished exactly one minute ahead of Ethiopia’s Aminet Ahmed (2:22:14) and Azmera Gebru (2:22:15). Read more here.
Benard Biwott and Bedatu Hirpa triumph at Paris Marathon
Kenya's Benard Biwott, just shy of his 23rd birthday, delivered a stellar performance to win the men's race in 2:05:25, shaving 29 seconds off his previous personal best. Biwott broke away from a nine-man lead pack with 10 km to go, sealing his second major European marathon win just seven months after taking the Frankfurt Marathon on his debut in 2:05:54. Djibouti’s Ibrahim Hassan finished second in 2:06:13, while Kenya’s Sila Kiptoo secured third place with a time of 2:06:21.
In the women's race, Ethiopia's Bedatu Hirpa edged out compatriot Dera Dida in a thrilling finish, clocking 2:20:45 to Dida's 2:20:49. This victory mirrored their close contest at the Dubai Marathon earlier in the year, where Hirpa also prevailed. Kenya's Angela Tanui completed the podium, finishing third with a time of 2:21:07. The women's race was highly competitive, with eleven athletes finishing under 2:30, marking one of the deepest fields in the event's history.
Fatima Ouhaddou Nafie wins European Running Championship despite a fall
At the 2025 European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven, Spain's Fatima Ouhaddou Nafie delivered an inspiring performance in the women's marathon. Midway through the race, she suffered a fall after colliding with another runner at a drinks station. Ouhaddou Nafie quickly regained her composure, rejoined the leading pack, and surged ahead in the final kilometers. She crossed the finish line in 2:27:14, leading the Spanish team to gold alongside Majida Maayouf and Ester Navarrete.
Here is her fall and come back
Registration for the Hyderabad Marathon starts
The registration for the 14th edition of one of India's largest marathons, the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon, started this week. The race is scheduled on 23rd and 24th August 2025, with a 5K scheduled on 23rd August as a curtain-raiser, followed by the elite marathon, amateur marathon, half marathon, and the 10K on the following day. The marathon race takes the runners through some prominent landmarks like the Hussain Sagar Lake, Raj Bhavan Road, KBR Park, Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge, University of Hyderabad with a finish at Gachibowli Stadium. The previous edition of the race was granted the World Athletics ‘Basic’ label race by World Athletics. The race is also one of the races that offers race-day t-shirts as an option throughout the categories.
Race Calendar
We have revamped our race calendar with everything you need to know about the race, route, experience, and much more. We have added information about major races, and we need the help of the community to make it further robust. Thus, we invite runners to share their experiences related to race routes and other information that will benefit other runners.
Next 6 Months:
Search and find races using our Race Finder at geeksonfeet.com/races.
#TipOfTheWeek - Build Strength from the Feet Up, Not the Core Down
Most runners obsess over “core strength” but forget where every stride truly begins, with the feet. According to Jay Dicharry (Running Rewired), the intrinsic foot muscles and ankle stabilizers are the first point of contact and force transmission in running. Weak feet = unstable chain = poor running economy
Why this matters:
The foot arch acts like a spring — weak springs lose energy.
Stability at ground contact affects knee tracking and hip control.
Neglecting foot strength can lead to compensation patterns and injuries.
Try these foot-focused strength drills:
Short foot exercise (a.k.a. foot doming)
Toe splaying
Towel curls
Single-leg balance with eyes closed
Eccentric Calf Raises (great for Achilles integrity)
Do these barefoot, 3x/week. Stronger feet = stronger, more efficient runner.
#TriviaOfTheWeek: Age is just a number!
Did you know that Mark Kiptoo from Kenya ran a sub-2:10 marathon, clocking 2:09:12 at the age of 48 to win the 2025 Zurich Marathon, held on 13 April? It was his third consecutive victory at the event. Unlike many of his Kenyan compatriots who take up the sport at a young age, Kiptoo began running only in his mid-20s while serving in the Kenyan Armed Forces. He competed internationally for Kenya for the first time in 2007, at the age of 31.
Support Us
Our mission is to empower the running community by providing valuable insights into all aspects of running. Through our weekly updates, we’ve been able to make a significant impact, reaching runners across India and beyond.
This wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support and feedback from our community. If you’ve found value in our work and appreciate our efforts, we kindly ask for your support through a donation. Your contribution will enable us to continue delivering high-quality content and help us make an even greater impact.
Thank you for being an integral part of our journey!
Contributors to this edition: Aditi Pandya, Karthik Nadar, and Aravind Yarra