RunnersConnect Run to the Top Podcast

Coach Stephanie expands on her marathon training method and how it has helped athletes qualify for Boston. This week focuses on 3 quality runs per week and introduces early training nutrition as an additional and essential part of effective training.

In this week’s episode our host, Stephanie Kay Atwood, runs solo from across the border in Mexico with a tried and true training strategy for Boston Qualifying (BQ’ing): Run-Walk. That’s right. By using run walk, over-distance training and only 3 days of running per week, Stephanie and other athletes she has coached have successfully BQ’d using this training method.

Learn how to use your brain power to be a better runner! Psychologist, bestselling author, athlete and teacher, Dr. Michelle Cleere, works with high achieving athletes, musicians and other top professionals to stay on top of their game. In these pressure-filled fields, the mental factor can be overwhelming. Staying focused and motivated is key to their success.

Justin and Denise Ricks of Mad Moose Events share the history, geology, topography and the incredible routes to run and race in their home area of Moab, Utah, home to two National Parks: Canyonlands and Arches, plus nearby Bears Ears National Monument.

Simon Ong talks about his past health issues and how he changed his life through running. He shares details of his training cycles, from workouts to nutrition and how he went from couch potato to sub 6 minute miles in a half marathon. His story is one of inspiration and passion for running; the enthusiasm for life clearly in his voice.

Have you ever experienced gut issues during training or racing from a product that was supposed to help you feel better? We know that proper fueling during and after endurance performance and training is crucial, but what exactly do our bodies need, when do they need it and why do they need it. Enter Dr. Art Zemach and Tailwind Nutrition. Dr. Zemach is a pediatrician, kayaker, and endurance athlet...

Krista DuChene was the 3rd place finisher in the 2018 Boston Marathon. She has run 15 marathons and her personal record of 2:28:32, set at Toronto in 2013, makes her Canada’s 2nd fastest marathoner of all time. Krista shares her journey through the extreme weather conditions at the 2018 Boston Marathon and what it’s like to experience a major marathon as an Elite Runner. She also tells us about so...

The Great Bangladesh Global Run Day June 6, 2018 is Global Running Day. Run to the Top celebrates the global nature of running as we learn what it is like to run, and race, in Bangladesh. We are joined by Mohammad Shamsuzzaman Arafat who,to honor health and running, has aleady run 1006 kilometers from bottom to top of his country. Bangladesh, a country the size of the state of Iowa, is home to a p...

Have you heard that running is going to mess up your knees or something to that effect? Dr. Cameron Dennis explains to us why that is simply not true. Yes, some runners experience knee issues at certain points, but it isn’t necessarily just because they run, but rather how they run: how often, how fast, how far, etc…

Coach Laura McLean, from RunnersConnect, offers running tips for beginners and more experienced runners as they transition in their own running lives. Laura is a certified endurance coach and is also trained as coach for athletes with disabilities. She is a former elite hockey player who ran cross-country and track in high school. Laura took a brief athletic hiatus after playing college-level hock...

Julie and Lisa describe the 2018 meteorologically challenging Boston Marathon as ‘epic’ as they share their unique strategies for handling the weather. And with so many Boston Marathons under their feet, it’s no surprise that they were also there in 2013 (the year of the bombings). We’ll hear their first-hand experiences during the trauma and chaos that ensued. Coaches in addition to runners, they...

A gardener, a baker, a marathon racer? Why not? Professional garden designer, amateur baker and finalist on the Great British Bake-Off, Jane Beedle gives us an inside look at getting onto the show and how to use the same determination to take on a marathon in 2018. Not just any marathon but the London Marathon. Listen to the pre-marathon interview and post-race follow-up after Jane's attempt at th...

In this episode, Jackie Dikos teaches us how to fuel and hydrate during training, taper and race day while explaining the importance of macronutrients and how to combine them for optimal energy. She also talks about why she focuses on a ‘colorful pate”, how and why to calculate sweat-rate and what to do with that information to more effectively leverage aid stations during marathons. Jackie’s firs...

Have you ever felt that you weren’t (or aren’t) a ‘Real Runner’? Maybe it was because of a perceived lack of speed, perceived body image or something else. Well, you’re not alone and we have just the guest to help re-frame any negative self-talk that is holding you back from your best running self. This week we are joined by Jill Angie - author, podcast host, Certified Running Coach, personal trai...

Let’s face it: Nobody wants a seat on the injury bus. But sometimes we end up there anyway. It could start as a nagging niggle that progresses into a real sideliner or it could just be a persistent twinge that keeps us from performing our best. But how do you know what it is, where it’s coming from and how to keep it from becoming a potentially serious injury? This week we speak with Dr. Brianne S...

In this episode we speak with the winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, Amby Burfoot. We learn about Amby’s background, his experience winning the Boston Marathon, his perspective on the changes in the running world over the last 50 years, and why he believes the brain is the most important part of our running bodies.  

Bob Anderson / Runner’s World In this episode we speak with Bob Anderson. Bob is a native of Manhattan (Kansas), photographer, filmmaker and founder of Runner’s World, My Best Runs and finisher of a grueling year-long race challenge that consisted of one race a week for 50 weeks and averaged under 7:00 / mile pace at age 64. Bob started running at age 15 and eventually launched a 1,000 copy magazi...

A lot of research and empirical data (not to mention a certain book by a certain author about a certain indigenous people who run hundreds of miles seemingly effortlessly) has made a strong argument for a more natural running shoe. But the sudden transition from a traditional shoe to a minimalist shoe often causes injuries rather than prevents them. Imagine that there’s a company that makes shoes...

Ali Feller Meet 3:51 marathoner, author of the Ali On The Run blog and host of the Ali On The Run Show podcast, freelance writer and editor, Ali Feller. Ali’s appearance on this week’s episode was suggested by listener, Angie Sherman and for that, we are certainly grateful. Ali was not a high school track or cross country star; far from it, in fact. Growing up she found running to be punitive rath...

Sandy Baird, DC - Preventing and Treating Marathon Injuries A graduate from LifeWest Chiropractic College, Dr. Sandy Baird is a certified Active RElease Techniques provider whose practice, Riverstone Chiropractic, is located in Oakland, CA. Originally a civil engineer, a persistent repetitive strain injury led Sandy to the field of Chiropractic via massage therapy. Dr. Baird treats both elite and...

It’s understood that we need to stay hydrated not only during physical activities, but in general. But how can we improve the efficiency with which our bodies use hydration? A former collegiate track and field athlete, Vishal Patel has worked with Olympic and World Camp calibre athletes on personalizing their nutrition and hydration strategies to excel in their sports. As Senior R&D Manager for Nu...

While admittedly not a super-athlete growing up, Dr. Brett Hill was naturally drawn to distance running and the mental determination it required. And as he studied to become a successful chiropractor, he realized that his lifestyle habits directly influenced his health so he set about becoming more naturally active and fueled. In this episode, he shares with us that our bodies have an innate abili...

You could easily say that freelance writer, professional blogger, public speaker, coach, 3:11 Marathoner, wife and mother of three Dorothy Beal has a lot on her plate. Like many of us with busy lives outside of our training, Dorothy has had to learn how to balance it all. Oh, AND she has graced the cover of not one, not two, but THREE magazine covers! On this episode, we hear from Dorothy about th...

This week we introduce, certified nutritionist, award winning speaker, best selling author, running coach, certified rafting guide, AND the new host of the Run To The Top podcast, Stephanie Atwood. Stephanie is the founder of Go Wow Living and host of the “Active After 35 Thrive To 105” podcast. In this episode, we learn about her background and listen as she shares secrets she’s learned from help...

Pam recently completed two marathons with seven weeks of training in between, but no significant improvement in her time. She would like to reach her goal in her next race, but feels the 24-week program she used last time is too long. She wants to to know how she can maintain fitness and then ramp up for race. Coach Jeff provides context for post-race recovery and maintenance training prior to jum...