Can I squat and run for distance?

In my opinion, for a casual athlete, leg strength will help, not hurt your running efforts. There are elite CrossFit guys who are trying to squat 500# and run a sub 5-minute mile on the same day. Now granted that's not a 1/2 marathon, but it's also crazy to think of. I personally feel like I can run faster and farther when I have been squatting regularly.

what is some strength? are you talking 2.5x your body weight ? Do you have specific goals?

You can always squat and run. What you are trying to accomplish will make a difference

Dustin - I should ask, how much weight do you want to squat?

That's an excellent question. I want to squat the max amount that won't slow down my running, whatever that may be.

I'm guessing you'll want to stay in the 8-12 rep range then and not really try for a max effort. You might want to possibly follow a hybrid of SquatEveryday where you have a quick squat session - maybe 3 sets of 12 and then do 1/4 mile of walking lunges. That will get you some oveall strength and crazy endurance from the lunges. However you'll have to play with it. Here's a great article on squatting for distance running: athleticlab.com/.../

Why stop half way? Go for the full.

I'm still pretty fat. Maybe the full will happen when I take care of that.