I am interested to know what people think about whether weight-lifting (or some other type of resistance work) helps your running. Specifically, I am concerning with races 5k and up. Also, if weight-lifting does help, what type of weight-lifting do you do?
Here are some thoughts from places around the web, books, and articles:
(1) Don't lift! If you are running 5k and up, you shouldn't do any weight-lifting. What you should do are (i) hills, (ii) abdominal/core work, and (iii) circuit work (e.g. pushups, pullups, one-leg squats, calf raises, etc.), and (iv) strides.
(2) Lift! Do everything in (1) but also do various sorts of weight-lifting for your legs (heavy weight but a small amount of reps)
(3) Lift! Do everything in (1) and (2) except change "heavy weight" for "light weight" and "small amount of reps" for "a large number of reps."
I'm all for strength training. I try to be smart about what I'm scheduling during the week. For example, making sure legs are right before or after a long run. Core work is definitely important. Also, don't leave out arms. Good shoulders and arms can really help you hold yourself well as you run. When I'm getting ready to run a longer race I usually cut out strength training about two weeks before just to make sure my legs are rested.
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