Today was a cross training day and I used it for a little strength training.  One of my new favorite exercises is the single leg deadlift.  I actually found a very educational video about it on YouTube, but it unfortunatly has some annoying ads going across it:

With about 37 seconds left in the video, he does the single leg deadlift with a dumbbell in each hand.  That’s the way I do it.  The exercise primarily works the hamstrings and lower back, but doing it on one leg also strengthens the stabilizing muscles that are important for balancing your body while you’re running.  The exercise was first recommended to me as a way to help prevent my IT band syndrome from flaring up again. 

If you’ve never done it before, I highly recommend trying it without any weight first.  It looks like a pretty easy exercise, but it’s a little deceptive.  Keeping your balance can be a challenge the first few times.  I’ve seen people do it on unstable platforms.  I’d like to work up to that, but I’m not ready yet.

My light routine for today was as follows:

Strength Workout

10 minutes warmup (stationary bike)

2 sets of single leg deadlift on each leg

2 sets of single leg extensions on each leg

2 sets on the adductor machine

2 sets of standing abduction with an elastic band

I meant to work my abs today too, but I completely forgot.  Tomorrow is a day off, then Saturday is my long run.