When I first started lifting, it wasn’t for my running. My sole intention was to get as big and strong as I possibly could. I went from exclusively running 140 miles a week, to running three days per week for 30 minutes, and lifting heavy weights six days per week. But something interesting happened along my journey to strength: Aside from putting on 25 lbs of muscle in just over four months, I started to feel better during my runs, even though I was running less.