Run Farther & Faster — The Podcast with Coaches Lisa Levin and Julie Sapper

Lisa shares her amazing weekend and incredible performance in Chicago! She shares how she pulled it off and some tips for those running the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group Championships—hint: don’t do it in Chicago. We have a sponsor for this episode, Lagoon, a customized pillow that we are both using enthusiastically. Check out Lagoon at https://lagoonsleep.com/pages/run-farther-faster-and...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program this week to discuss the big reveal—the Boston Marathon announced that only qualified runners who ran 5 minutes and 29 seconds faster than their qualifying time were accepted. We discuss the why, what, and who of this. We also share our thoughts on how to improve the current selection process. Please join us on October 22 at 10:30 for a book signing and...

We are beyond excited to release this episode with Brad Stulberg, who just wrote the (already) bestseller, Master of Change. Brad researches, writes, and coaches on mental health, well-being, and sustainable excellence. He is also the bestselling author of The Practice of Groundedness. He regularly contributes to the New York Times and his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and the...

The title of this episode sums it up. After coaching for 14 years, we frequently see patterns, many of which are positive, but some are negative and, as a result, hinder runners’ ability to improve and most importantly stay healthy! We discuss five common patterns— without judgment—just observation—that we see, how to identify them, and ways to break them. Please join us on October 22 at 10:30 for...

Crazy story—while we were recording our episode last week and updating our listeners on Julie’s ACL recovery, we received an email from Dr. Kevin Stone, a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and expert in sports medicine and orthopedics, who specializes in finding ways to treat injuries in addition to or as an alternative to surgery. In this episode, Dr. Stone shared why we need to be creative with...

After tearing her ACL by not running (go figure) and undergoing surgery in December, Julie shares an update on her recovery eight months later. We have a sponsor for this episode, Lagoon, a customized pillow that we are both using enthusiastically. Check out Lagoon at https://lagoonsleep.com/pages/run-farther-faster-and-lagoon Use the code RFF for 15% off. Finally, follow us on social media (Insta...

Last month, Jonathan Ladson, also known as Fogell Mcloving, ran the entire 91 miles of the DC area Beltway in just under 18 hours which beat the previous fastest known time (FKT) set by Michael Wardian. If that wasn’t enough, just in 2023, Fogell set a 2:36 marathon PR at Boston, followed by a fourth-place finish at Big Sur two weeks later, and a stellar performance at the Comrades Marathon while...

Yes-small adjustments in training can lead to big performance breakthroughs on race day! In this episode, we share the small changes that runners of all levels can make right now to gain more from training and ultimately improve race performance. Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Lagoon, a customized pillow that we are both using enthusiastically. Check out Lagoon at https://lagoonsleep.com/...

Melody Fairchild, one of America’s fastest high school runners, shares her journey from high school record-setting phenom to empowering youth coach. Melody, the director of the Boulder Mountain Warriors Youth Running Club, shares her comprehensive approach to running and life, particularly for adolescent girls. Melody is also the author of “Girls Running,” a comprehensive guide for adolescent runn...

We are diving into a topic over the next few episodes that is near and dear to us—youth athletics. To kick off this series, we welcomed back Amy Goldsmith, RD, who treats hundreds of teen athletes in her practice, Kindred Nutrition. In this episode, we discuss some of the problems in youth sports and Amy provides some concrete solutions on how adults can better support and advocate for our young a...

We are back after a few weeks off to take a breather and enjoy some time relaxing—who are we kidding—we were overwhelmed by June madness like so many and just didn’t have time to record!! To kick off our next season, we welcomed local running legend, Harold Rosen, who just ran a 27 minute 5K at age 80! Harold, who can be found on a podium winning his age group at local races, is most known for his...

In this coaching episode, we provide essential tips for ensuring that your summer training leads to fall gains. Topics include: setting appropriate goals, pacing for heat and humidity, fueling in the summer months, fitting in training while navigating summer travel and schedules, and ways to find joy in running. We also announce the winner of this month's drawing. For all who entered and left a po...

Kelly Scherf, who we refer to as the shoe whisperer, is back to share the ins and outs of super shoes. Kelly is the apparel buyer for RnJ Sports and a seasoned runner and coach. Kelly has been providing fittings for runners of all levels, from elite to very beginner, for over 20 years. In this conversation, we talk super shoes, including what defines a super shoe, when to wear them, how to use the...

Christine Yu is an award-winning journalist who covers the intersection of sports, science, and women's health. She is a regular contributor for Runner's World, Women's Running, Self, Outside Magazine, The Washington Post, and ESPNW. Christine’s first book, UP TO SPEED: the Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes, will be released on May 16th (pre-order is available). The book, which is FASCINATI...

We are so thrilled to welcome Rick Hoyt, and his brother, Russ, both of whom are the children of Dick Hoyt.  Dick, who passed away at age 80 in 2021, and his son, Rick, are the dynamic duo known as Team Hoyt that competed together in various athletic endeavors, including 72 marathons and six Ironman triathlons. Rick and his father ran the Boston Marathon 32 times, and we always loved seeing them a...

After a whirlwind weekend of events, a live show, meeting and reuniting with our runners, and, oh yeah, running, we sat down and recapped our Boston 2023 experience. Each year is memorable, and this year was no exception. We hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as we did recording it! We are already counting down the days until next year. Like this podcast? Please leave a review on wherev...

What an honor to co-host a panel of pioneering women with Cherie Louise Turner of Women’s Running Stories. A huge thank you to these fabulous pioneer women for continuing to share their knowledge and stories! All three women on the panel were among the best in the world during their running careers and helped lay the foundation for women’s marathoning. They have also been instrumental in moving th...

With less than two weeks until the 2023 Boston Marathon, we share our A to Z tips for a successful taper. We also welcomed Julie's husband, Darren, who spectated seven Boston Marathons with kids of all ages/stages between 2007 and 2022. Darren provides excellent tips for a successful specatating experience. Lisa also shares details about her Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run experience. Join us on Sunda...

What an incredible honor to talk with one of our running she-roes, Alisa Harvey! Alisa, a National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame inductee who was featured in the documentary, Breaking Three, shares her journey from high school track star to professional athlete, to master athlete, which propelled her to a lifetime of accomplishments! To name a few, Alisa broke 4:30 in the mile, won gold at t...

We are so excited to announce an exciting event with Cherie Louise Turner! Cherie is the host of the Women’s Running Stories (formerly Strides Forward) (@womensrunningstories) Podcast, and we are so excited to collaborate with her again this year!

In this episode, we welcomed for the THIRD time our dear friend and top physical therapist and running coach, Rachel Miller, owner of ProAction Physical Therapy, who gives a ton of solid advice on managing those little pains and niggles one month before race day and why taking some time off will NOT derail your performance. No one has a perfect training cycle, and Rachel shares how we can save our...

Contrary to popular opinion, you can run your best race at Boston, provided that you prepare and execute with the right plan (and in decent weather conditions, of course). In this episode, we share a step by step plan on how to train and race for a PR on this storied course. Don’t forget to leave a review and/or share this episode. Thanks for listening! Have a coaching question? Email us at juliea...

Denver-based clinical sports psychologist, Dr. Justin Ross, helps athletes all over the world develop high skills aimed at peak performance.   In this episode, Justin provides tips for scenarios that runners experience while training and racing, including overcoming pre-race and performance anxiety, negative thoughts after a workout or race, fear of failure, and anxiety after injury. &nb...

We welcomed registered sports dietitian and two-time Olympic Trials Qualifier, Kelsey Beckmann Pontius, back to the podcast. In this episode Kelsey maps out a fueling blueprint for Boston that can also be used for any marathon. Nutrition is the one element of our training that we can control, so why not optimize it now?! Kelsey is the owner of Meteor Nutrition (www.meteornutrition.com) through whi...

We've been following Shawanna White's running trajectory for years on Instagram, and we were so thrilled to finally meet her in person!  Shawanna was one of the nine amazing women featured in the documentary, Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African-American Women Marathoners, and holds the record for the most sub three-hour marathons for United States-born Black female marathoners.  Shawanna is...