Plyometrics anyone?

Lot's of fun stuff to be had there (and lots of in-depth kinesthetic discussions to be had)... take it easy at first, no need to blow anything up.  Any of the jumps are good for leg strength and core development.

Google "plyometric jumps" and you'll get lots of suggestions.

bts

Personally I like the Split-Squat Jump or Jumping Lunges or whatever you want to call them.  Start in a lunge position, jump up out of it, switch legs in mid-air and drop back down into the lunge, repeat ad nauseaum (which for me happens after about 30).

bts

I was going to say that this is very clever, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions  because it may have made you hopping mad so I decided to just skip it.

To the OP - the book Explosive Running by Michael Yessis discusses using plyometrics along with {gasp} traditional weightlifting to improve running.

Plyos are deceptive because they don't "feel" that hard but are actually quite stressful. Start slow. JohnnyKay made some good suggestions - bounding, one-legged hops, and skipping as part of your running workout are good. Save the advanced stuff, like in-depth jumps, for much later. The key to plyos is minimum contact witht he ground - pretend you're hopping on hot lava. If you find yourself slowing down and "waiting" on the ground, stop the set, rest, then resume.

http://www.runningplanet.com/training/running-drills.html

Some of those form drills that were mentioned....

Is that a jab at my utter lack of restraint in the "Mission Accomplished" thread ?  I swear I've taken my happy pills and I'm doing much better today.

bts