Specific strength training to improve running times

Any good functional weight training program will help you improve your running; just think large muscles: squats & deadlifts. 

I've been using kettlebells with clients and in my own training the last couple of years and have seen some good improvements as well. 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and its kind of what I figured.  The best way to improve your run, is to run.  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything as my run training and experience has been somewhat limited to this point.

I've been a weight-lifter most of my life and enjoy spending time in the gym.

That being said, running has always been my weak event and I've focused on it for the last couple of years.  I'm seeing improvement in my running, but I have to attribute it to higher volume & frequency, consistency and weight loss in equal measure.

I still lift, but it is primarily to help ward off injury and off-set muscle loss as I get older (I'm coming up on 60).  I should mention that I have chronic patella tendonitis in my right knee and Achilles tendonosis in my left heel.   I work my legs once a week at the gym and do squats (or leg presses), leg extensions, hamstring curls, & calf raises.  Although lifting doesn't make me faster per se, in my situation it does help keep me out there on the road training.

Mark

That won't take long :-)

Absolutely the best way to improve the run is to run - lots, however, there are stabilizer muscles in the core that, if weak, can definitely have a negative impact on your running.

Man, I wish I could find the video of this guy speaking to a bunch of multi-sport athletes about strength training for the run... it was absolutely awesome and included some great exercises, too.  Basically, the gist of it was that you need to have a strong core, which includes glutes, lower back, transverse abdominus, hip abductors (gluteus medius), etc...

It is when those muscles are weak is generally when you see people with really poor running form. 

E.g. Weak gluteus medius' will lead to the hips tilting excessively when you run, which will cause you compensate by tilting your shoulders in the opposite direction... causing you to be one of those people that sway side to side when they run. Likewise, the transverse abdominus is where you would typically feel a "stitch", and it is generally seen that the fitter the individual is, the less likely they are to experience side "stitches". A weak transverse abdominus may also cause your pelvis to rotate forward slightly, misaligning your lower back.  

You don't need to be a body builder or try to become Conan, but properly applied strength training can definitely help the runner.

I agree with much of this.  Running motion is primarily in the sagittal plane (front to back), so the muscles we use to move in the frontal plane (side to side) tend to be neglected, leading to imbalances.  This can be especially noticeable when someone who does most of their running on flat surfaces such as asphalt or concrete jumps into a trail run, which tends to demand more of the lateral stabilizers.  They frequently end up a little sore, because they're utilizing different muscles.

When prescribing strength training to runners and triathletes, I focus on exercises that improve flexibility, balance, and strengthen the muscles neglected by swiming, biking, and running and the core muscles that support good s-b-r form.  I avoid exercies that work the primary s-b-r movers, because I don't want to compromise the quality of their next s-b-r training sessions because those muscles are fatigued from a strength training session.

...and it's best to let the S-B-R shape the primary S-B-R movers if the goal is to improve S-B-R.  Specificity of training.  

The body is a massively interconnected chain, and any weak link in the chain affects, and is seen in, other parts of the body, affecting overall performance.  I think of holding a chain. I can waggle the top of it and see that movement snake its way down the chain, but I cannot cannot get it to hold a form or ever hope to hold it straight out to the side if I cannot stabilize every joint in that chain.  One weak joint in that chain, and part of it will flop and find its own path of least resistance, affecting everything else down the line in that chain.

I disagree.  If you are a sprinter then I would agree but long distance running not about "strength" like a weight room.  If anything I would suggest to the OP core work and you can use kettlebells for that.

Squats, deadlifts, heel lifts, toe lifts, calf raises, presses... To be included with running, sprints, FARTLEKs, hills (up and down), speed runs, max O2 runs, etc.. In order to get better at running, you need to run. Incorporating all of these types of exercises will provide additional gains in performance.

Good point on the type of running you plan on doing.. For my purposes, I assume you are looking at increasing tri based runs... These runs need to focus on speed and endurance.

Weight lifting = weight

Weight = slower

More running = improved cardio

Speed work = fassssster times

Maybe hit the track and not the gym

^^^^^

I found my best results with the Farkleks and hills.  In addition to the gains, just mixing in these different types of runs really helps to keep things more interesting. 

I think the best part of strength training for me is that it helps keep injury at bay.  Yes it has added some weight to my frame, but not size/inches.  

Just my experience

Agree.  Lighter does not always equal faster.  Me lighter with less muscle density doesn't feel nearly as strong and is not as fast as me with a tad bit more muscle density and a bigger number on the scale.