Balancing running and other sports

Balancing running and other sports

Running is one of the most powerful ways to build cardiovascular fitness and it can elevate your performance across almost every other sport. But to truly reap the benefits, all your training needs to work together. When done right, every session should complement the next, not push you toward burnout or increase your risk of injury. It's about training smarter, not just harder.

Therefore finding the right balance of all of your training is key. 

So how do we find that balance?

First, get clear on your priority. If running is your main focus, then we’ll design your entire training schedule to support your running goals - everything else will complement that. But if another sport, like CrossFit or football, is your priority, we’ll start there and look at how running can fit in sustainably and safely. The key is knowing what matters most to you, and building everything else around that purpose.

Secondly, it is all about periodization of training, balancing rest and recovery alongside the exercise. Using the example that football is your priority, take a look at your weekly training schedule. You may have two training days and a game day. The two training days may be at a mid level intensity, whereas game day is where you will be going all out. It will be crucial to take a full recovery day before game day in order to reach your peak performance when it matters. If you are integrating running into this schedule, aim to schedule your harder run days (speed sessions or long run) in a way to allow enough down time (at least one down day) before your next football training sessions or game.

Nailing your Femmi focus

In terms of your Femmi Focus - this will depend on your overall goals. If you are aiming to get faster, to help you with more power in football, the ‘Striving for speed’ or ‘Fire up’ Focuses would be ideal to help you reach these goals. If you’re after more aerobic endurance fitness, ‘Mellow moving’ or ‘Building your base’ would be the key plans for you. Within each Focus there are a few ways you make it work for you around what you’re trying to achieve, let’s dive in:

• You can select the days of running - this gives you the ability to make it work around the rest of your training
• When setting up your focus you can choose between an easier, balanced or harder program - for example Femmi might offer you 2, 3 or 4 runs per week. If your other sport is your main priority and you have a fair bit of training for that spot air on the side of caution and go with the easier load
• You can ‘reschedule’ your runs - which allows you to shift training week to week if other sessions move or change
• You can ‘skip’ runs - if you’re feeling fatigued and just need to skip a programmed run but hate the idea of having it sitting there not completed - tap into the run in question and in the top right corner tap the 3 dots, then choose to skip workout

What about the gym and running?

When it comes to balancing gym work with running, strength training is a powerful tool. It builds resilience, improves power, and helps protect against injury. But if your goal is to become a better runner, nothing replaces the impact of consistent, high-quality run sessions. Hitting the gym the night before a key speed workout can compromise your performance and slow your progress. Instead, consider lifting after your run or the following day, even if your legs are tired, you’ve already nailed the most important session. Prioritize what moves the needle most.

To wrap up, understand your focus. Plan your training around that. And if your running goals come first, be aware of how much else you are doing that might impact your performance as a runner.