I certainly understand the convenience aspect of it. Absolutely. That said...if squatting is priority over running, are you sure you don't want to try some other non-injurious form of cardio instead? Swimming (yaaaah....waaay better, honestly) or even ellipticals or rowing machines really could help you with weight management just as well as running. If running isn't something you really LOVE, I personally tend to suggest that people try other activities to save themselves and their joints (say what you will--the impact of running, particularly distance running, can be extremely hard on joints) for the activities that they're actively devoted to. Not everyone's built incredibly well for running. It can be hard to witness/read logs in which people are carrying on with a fantastic running career while doing serious strength training, but those people are, well, special. If you want to take care of the pain and squat like a boss again, don't do things that cause the pain.
But you're getting that from a former cardio-junky-turned-strength-athlete-who-now-doesn't-give-a-damn-about-cardio(and weighs LESS now with lower body fat than when she was a cardio dork)-chick. My priorities are, of course, in a particular place, and yours might be quite different.
