RunnersConnect Run to the Top Podcast

Racing season is here and if you’ve been training hard for your next goal race in the fall, it’s time to focus on translating that fitness into race day success, whatever that means for you.  Today’s show is all about how to PR at any distance. We’re going to be giving you our best advice to make sure you get the best results possible come race day. There are a lot of factors that can influence yo...

One of the universal interests of this audience, of course, is how we can stay injury-free longer, recover faster and stronger if and when we do get injured, and generally increase our health spans such that we can participate in and enjoy running for as long as possible.  That’s what today’s episode is all about. Joining Run To The Top is Dr. Kevin Stone, who’s new book “Play Forever” details a r...

Over the past few years we’ve seen massive changes in shoe technology with the growth of carbon-plated “supershoes” designed specifically to make you faster. But, are super shoes worth it for you and, if so, which ones are the best for you?  In today’s show, Coach Hayley and Coach Alex are going to discuss how you can find the perfect pair of racing shoes to meet your specific goals and running st...

Today we’re talking with Dr. Simon Marshall, one of the leading experts when it comes psychology of exercise, about how to manage the anxiety and psychological stress well all face during races These mental stresses can drastically impact our performance and, maybe even more importantly, sometimes make the act of racing itself so stressful that it stops becoming fun. In today’s episode, you’ll lea...

The fall racing season is fast approaching but September is also the deadline to register for the Boston Marathon, so on today’s show we’re covering everything you need to get to the start line of the world’s oldest annual marathon! For many, this April race is seen as the pinnacle of marathon running due to its difficult qualifying standards and notoriously tough hills. It’s also recognized as an...

If you’re already pushing your physical training boundaries, it’s possible that adding visualization to your regimen can help you squeeze out that extra one or two percent on race day? Well, it’s well-documented that most of the top athletes and runners in the world believe it helps. So, today we’re going to be talking about all things visualization with one of the premier experts in the world, Dr...

Nailing your workouts is key to a successful training block but it can be hard to know which workouts are most effective for your specific running goals. If you want to know when and why to run different types of workouts leading up to your next goal race you’ll want to keep listening! On today’s show, our team takes a deep dive on the benefits of some common workouts including specific examples o...

Is there an optimal diet for runners? Are certain supplements more appropriate and effective for runners than others out there on the market?  These are some of the bigger, intriguing questions that we runners face dialing in our nutrition strategies for training and racing. Here today to break down and answers these questions head on is Richard Rosenfeld, a Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngolo...

If you’re a runner, chances are you’ve dealt with some form of running injury or know somebody who has.  Whether you have specific training goals or simply love the act of putting one foot in front of the other, it can be extremely frustrating to have your progress derailed by an injury.  As frustrating as it may be, these setbacks are incredibly common with studies showing up to 65% of runners wi...

While we all start each training cycle rearing to go and extremely motivated for whatever training and life throws our way, the reality is we will all go through periods during training where we’re just not motivated. As an example, I know with some of the record heat this summer, it’s just plain exhausting to always be battling even when you get your runs in before the sun is up. There's no short...

It’s not uncommon to hear conflicting information when it comes to training, nutrition, shoes and more.  There’s often a lot of misleading claims and it can be hard to tell what’s right and what might not be. So, in today’s show, we’ll go over some common beliefs in the running world to help sort out which have merit when it comes to your training.  We’re calling it truth vs myth and we’ll be usin...

One of the most common setbacks in the running sphere is the onset of runner’s knee. Perhaps, it’s affected you at various points in the past, you’re currently suffering from it at this moment, or you’re worried that such an injury is right around the corner. Do not worry! Joining us on the podcast today is Ben Shatto, a licensed Physical Therapist committed to helping proactive runners of all age...

Have you heard about our in-person running retreats, but can’t fit the travel, time off or budget to make it happen? Have been curious about going, but not sure exactly what they are or if it’s a good fit for you? Well, in today’s podcast episode, Coach Jeff is going to detail his latest trip to Flagstaff, Arizona so you can get an inside look at what it’s really like. Plus, he’s going to discuss...

If you’ve been a RunnersConnect fan for long enough, you know one of the main principles we believe in when it comes to marathon training is improving your body’s ability to burn fat as a fuel source while running, especially while at marathon pace. So, how exactly do we do this and what does some of the latest research say? The research in question revolves around the two concepts of Nutrition Pe...

Last week, our coaches Andie and Michael walked us through how runners should be thinking about using protein supplements and which of some commonly taken vitamins are beneficial for runners. If you have not already listened to that episode, you can find part 1 of our underrated vs overrated nutrition edition, released July 21st, on whatever platform you like to listen to your podcasts. There were...

Improving your mind, your body, and the impact your have on the running community and the greater environment around you - these are the topics of conversation in today’s episode with Tina Muir and Zoe Rom. Their upcoming book - Becoming A Sustainable Runner - serves as a practical guide for runners of all abilities and backgrounds who want to better support their own endurance journey, and extend...

When it comes to running performance, there are way too many variables to count and this can lead to some pretty strong opinions about what strategies work and which are a waste of your time.  In today’s show, we’ll be tackling several controversial running topics and getting our expert coaches to weigh in on which are overrated or underrated.  In this new format, our panel will be given a series...

We all know that injuries are the biggest impediment to our continued progression and improvement. The longer you can get in uninterrupted training, the more consistently you’ll improve. That said, there’s a lot we can do (or at least should be doing) to modify our training to reduce the risk of injury. To help us dig deep into exactly what these elements are, we’re interviewing Ethan Paster.  Eth...

There’s a lot of information out there about how to improve your running performance, but it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to trust and how to fit this all in with your busy lifestyle. It would be great if we could spend the whole day training and recovering like the elites but for most of us, the reality is that we need to fit training around other priorities such as jobs, family,...

Running and weight loss are two terms that always seem to go hand-in-hand. Almost everyone that wants to lose weight thinks they need to start running or run more. But, as you’ve heard us talk about before, for runners like us whose primary goal is to run faster, and stay injury-free, running and weight loss is a lot more complicated than many realize. Is weight loss actually going to help your ru...

How to handle training and racing in heat and humidity!  Something a lot of our athletes are talking about now, is the role heat and humidity plays in training and racing. As great as it would be to not see any effect, we know we need to adjust in order to stay on track.  Our athletes have the ability to click a button in their schedule to automatically adjust their paces based on the dew point an...

Sports and health journalist Christine Yu joins the podcast to shed light on the need for inclusive research and guidelines in sports and exercise science, and the transformative solutions that can empower women athletes at every stage of life. Christine’s ground-breaking book - “Up To Speed” -  addresses the gender data gap head-on. She exposes the limitations of current research and guidelines,...

Today we’re back with more listener questions, but this time we’re switching up the format and introducing one of the newest members of our team, Cory Nagler. Cory is coming on board as our podcast showrunner and today he and coach Jeff are going to answer the questions you’ve submitted to us over voicemail and through our social media channels. Along the way, Coach Jeff is going to introduce you...

How do you know which supplements are actually improving your performance on race day and which aren’t? Well, you dig into the research.  And, since I know all of you listening aren’t researchers at heart (or you just don’t have time to dig into everything) we’ve brought on one of the foremost experts in the world at analyzing research studies and applying them to actual training, Alex Hutchinson....

A few months ago we shared a peek inside a week of training of an elite runner, our very own coach Alex Ostberg. Based on your feedback, you really enjoyed seeing how an elite runner shares the same struggles, doubts, and challenges you do, even though they are running paces and times that seem out of this world. Well, Coach Alex is back with another relatable glimpse inside a week of training of...