balancing new running program/strength training

I need some help please!

I am doing the C25k program, currently on week 5 and all the information I can find on new running programs says be sure and give your legs a day of rest in between to recover and rebuild.  On days I do not run, I take a 60 min spin class so I am getting cardio every day.

I have also added strength training and use a personal trainer twice a week.  Everything I have read on that says not to train the same muscles back to back but to allow rest days in between.

When I try to do lower body strength training on same days as my run, I completely run out of gas and hit walls and make no gains.  So I have tried alternating run & strength train days and my legs constantly felt like dead weight and never really felt good.  So this past week I have abandoned strength training my legs and they finally feel good and runs feel good and my time in the spin class have seen harder workouts because I have the 'legs' to do it hard.  Of course, my PT doesn't like this solution at all.

How do you balance it all, yet still give your legs adequate rest to recover?

That's a tough question to answer. This is jusy my opinion so its not worth much. Your legs are the biggest muscles in your body and can take a ton of abuse. If you want to run and are doing c25k I would lay off the spinning and do the strength training because the legs are the easiest place on the body to add lean muscle mass. Again just my opinion and the stronger your legs are the faster you will run in the end. I would make sure they get at least a day a week of no lifting running or spinning.

Until I had really gotten used to running and nuilt my endurance up some I couldn't do cardio and lower body on the same day.  It was only after I had started gaining some muscle in my lower body and really become used to running that I was able to do both on the same day. 

I would advise running on back to back days and do lower body weights on your non run days.

Just listen to your body so you don't get an injury from over use (I know funny comming from me).

I do not run back to back days (knees can't take it), and I never work the same muscle group with weights back to back (too sore after weights-need recovery time).  This is a typical week for me:

Sat-run
Sun-upper body weights, abs
Mon-run
Tues-lower body weights, abs
Wed-power walk
Thurs-core or yoga
Friday-off

This is just a sample--I use different workouts so I don't get bored, and if weather doesn't permit running outside I'll do treadmill or a cardio workout like boxing.

I only workout 6 days a week for an hour/hour and a half max. 

 

I would do the runs every other day in the morning, Spin in the evening on the same day as the runs.  Do the strength training on the alternate days. One day on the lower body, the other on upper body. Take one day off a week to recover. Make sure you allocate enough time for stretching so your legs feel restored.

Be sure you are taking adequate days off. The body needs rest and also that's when your fitness gains happen. If you don't take enough days off, you will not progress as fast as if you.

Thanks everyone for the great advice.  I am going to revise my schedule and try a different weekly routine.  I appreciate the inpute.

I also am going to take a good look at my nutrition.  I have not adjusted my caloric or protein intake since adopting a vigorous exercise program.  Going to add calories & protein in small weekly increments and see if I can find the right balance between nutrition and exercise to stay fueled up for my workouts.