Doctors of Running Podcast

At the roundtable today, Nate, Matt, and DJ discuss the three questions they're asked most often as shoe reviewers and physical therapists: How does X shoe fit and is it responsive? How stable is X shoe?, and what shoe would you recommend for a certain condition or pain? Also, they take an in-depth look at Asics's latest update to the Cumulus series, now featuring Flytefoam Blast. *This episode is...

At the roundtable today Nate and Matt are joined for the first time by Doctors of Running Contributor, Megan Flynn to answer a variety of listener questions. How does body weight change the impact of super shoes, especially for women? What is Morton's neuroma and what should you look for in shoes to help you deal with it? How do stability shoes impact conditions like genu varum? Join us for answer...

In a very special episode, Matt interviews Laurent Malisoux, PhD about his extensive research into the connection between shoe cushioning and injury rates. Dr. Malisoux is the Group Leader of the Physical Activity, Sport and Health (PASH) research group at the Luxembourg Institute of Health. Over the last 5 years, he focused his research activities on the prevention of sports injury and the evalua...

Today at the roundtable Nate, DJ, and Matt discuss how a shoe should fit. How do you asses whether a shoe fits you well? What should you look for when shopping for running shoes? What are the consequences of poor fit? They also take an in-depth look at Saucony's latest update of the Freedom 5 featuring the same PWRRUN PB midsole foam as their Endorphin line. They also review Saucony's updates to t...

Today Nate and DJ are joined by two very special guests from PUMA: Todd Falker (Senior Product Line Manager) and Laura Healey  (Manager, Footwear Innovation). They give us an inside look at how PUMA came out of nowhere with a great lineup of shoes in 2021 and what updates they have planned for 2022 and beyond. We also look at the development at two brand new shoes, the FAST-R and the RUN XX c...

Today at the roundtable Nate, Matt, and David discuss the tibialis posterior, including its role in the gait cycle, how it can get irritated or injured, and what shoes may be best for dealing with tib post pain. They also take an in depth look at Saucony's latest refresh of the cult classic Kinvara, version 13. Also, at the end of the month we'll feature a new DOR giving initiative. For Febru...

Today Nate and Matt take a deep dive into rocker soles in running shoes. What exactly is a rocker sole? What's the role of toe spring in a shoe? Who may benefit from a rockered sole and who may not? Afterwards we discuss what to do when presented with conflicting evidence and how to sift through the vast amount of information and research available. Finally, Matt gives his review of the XTEP RC 26...

Today at the roundtable we discuss the continually blurring lines between different categories of running shoes: namely trainers, performance trainers, and racing shoes. We talk about whether performance trainers are even useful and if so, why? We then dive into Craft's new offerings: Ultra 2, Ultra Carbon 2, and Race Rebel. Chapters 0:00 - Intro/Big Favor 2:08 - The Subjective: favorite long dist...

In today's episode we revisit conversations that have been had regarding foam, namely discussing what changes foam leads to on the body and how long foam may last in a shoe. We then highlight our new guide on doctorsofrunning.com that helps people consider what to think about when purchasing their first pair of running shoes (or close to it). Embedded in those discussions are pearls of advice for...

Today on the roundtable we have the joy of talking about our second DOR Giving initiative. You'll learn more about the Life Rolls On foundation and the wonderful work they do. You can learn more and donate to their organization here: https://liferollson.org/. Next we talk about the art and science of uppers, and why they are one of the most overlooked pieces of shoe design. We give our picks for f...

Today to the roundtable we welcome Stuart Jenkins, a seasoned innovator in the running shoe industry who has worked with independent inventors across brands, led Deckers' innovation team, and now has started BLUMAKA. We dive into what he has found makes innovation work and how companies can fail at innovation, all while considering his newest endeavor with BLUMAKA, which has a focus on high perfor...

We will be taking a break for 2-3 weeks on the Roundtable but will still be producing all our website content, so feel free to check that out at www.doctorsofrunning.com. After our break the podcast will be full steam ahead! Happy New Year!

Today is our final episode of 2021, and we couldn't be more thankful for all of you who have joined this community! We are closing out the year with an exciting new giving initiative which we discuss in detail. However, this month's organization that we are supporting is Megan's Wings. You can check out what they do on their website: https://www.meganswings.org/. After that, Matt and Nathan dive i...

We are in the final episode of our DPT Approved Awards for 2021. Our team has tested over 110 shoes and ran over 15,000 miles in 2021 (so far) and we are ready to dish out our picks for numerous categories of shoes. Our final category is a fan-favorite: Best Road Racing Shoes. We talk through our individual contributor picks for both shorter and longer distance road racing with a focus on "super s...

Today we are continuing our run through our DPT Approved Awards. Our team has tested over 110 shoes and ran over 15,000 miles in 2021 (so far) and we are ready to dish out our picks for numerous categories of shoes. Today's roundtable focuses on one of our favorite topics, which is stability within running shoe construction. We are dishing out two awards today. First is the "Best Stability Shoe",...

Ready for about 100 tangents? Well here they come. Today we are continuing our run through our DPT Approved Awards. Our team has tested over 110 shoes and ran over 14,500 miles in 2021 (so far) and we are ready to dish out our picks for numerous categories of shoes. We break down the best plated performance trainers in 2021 while presenting our individual picks and our team's consensus pick. We de...

Today we are continuing our run through our DPT Approved Awards. Our team has tested over 110 shoes and ran over 14,500 miles in 2021 (so far) and we are ready to dish out our picks for numerous categories of shoes. Today we break down the best non-plated performance trainers in 2021 while presenting our individual picks and our team's consensus pick. We define performance trainer as "a shoe that...

It's that time of year! Our team has tested over 110 shoes and ran over 14,500 miles in 2021 (so far) and we are ready to dish out our awards. Up first is the Best Daily Trainer Award. We define daily trainer as "a shoe that can eat up a lot of your training miles, is reliable and consistent, has mild versatility, and can function as a workhorse shoe." In other words, which shoe do you just keep r...

In today's episode we had the privilege of sitting down with Tina Danforth, Product Manager of Running Footwear and Apparel for Mizuno USA, to talk in depth about the supply chain issues within the running industry. We talk about how the supply chain works, what areas have been affected, what consumers can expect (in terms of availability and price), and some tips for shopping in the future. Then...

Today Matt and Nathan sit down to break down the changes that happen to a crowd favorite (Endorphin Speed 2) when you slap a RunShield upper onto it. They then discuss two shoes within the Solar Glide series and certain design patterns that muddy clean transitions and mechanics. Finally they dive into staying safe in darker and colder weather, while pointing out some of their own favorite gear.

In today's episode we dive into the knowledge base surrounding 0 drop shoes and what demands they place on the body. We also discuss transitioning to a 0mm drop platform and considerations of how to do it safely. We then discuss in depth the Altra Paradigm 6, all while trying to bring David along, who was deep into character throughout the review (see YouTube to visualize costumes). 

In today's episode we first get a peek into David's testing experience of the Bondi X after he took it for a steady state 21 mile long run. We then give some quick tips on recovery after hard race efforts and what our body needs in recovery. The bulk of our time is spent reviewing the Adios Pro 2, comparing to other models, and talking about the unique construction of the shoe. Finally, we dip int...

In today's episode, Matt sits down with Dustin Joubert to talk about the physiology behind Super Shoes. Dustin has a PhD in Exercise Physiology and is a professor at Stephen F Austin State University. He has been conducting running economy research regarding how people respond to a various number of the current super shoes, including the Alphafly, Vaporfly, Metspeed Sky, Rocket X, and Endorphin Pr...

We are back in the recording studio and are thankful to be back together. First, we quickly touch on the differences between the Mizuno Wave Rebellion pre-production model and the final production models that we just received in the mail a few weeks ago. There are some important differences! We then recap Nathan's MKE Lakefront Marathon experience and dive into the experience of pain throughout tr...

Today we finish our HIGHLIGHTS series with the second part of our conversation on foot strike and how it impacts running and the runner. Next week we will be back with brand new content and updates on fall training/racing/studying.