The Happy Runner

Years ago I was in a bad place. I had demons, a lot of questions I couldn’t find answers for and I was barely able to make it through the day. I was introverted, much more than I am today and unhappy. Not only with my life but also with the way I looked like. As if that wasn't enough I went through a divorce. But the I somehow discovered running. Not by chance, sport was always part of my life...

It's obvious that after a marathon or half marathon we first need to rest. But before we jump back into our running we also have time to do all those things we neglected a bit during the last weeks because of all the running we did. It's time to explore new routes ... to run by feel ... to look around and enjoy ... to be happy. To run because we want to run, not because there's a train...

What happens after we hit 50, is a decline in performance. A decreasing aerobic capacity, loss of muscle mass and an increase in body fat. There are ways to slow the changes or even reverse them. Not huge changes. What we as runners need to do are small changes that will postpone the changes in our body. If we start to train and live smart we still will be able to run fast and strong after 50. I&#...

Today I am sharing with you what really happened at Prague marathon 2023 where I ran a new marathon PB of 3:16:02. I have done my best to cover as much as possible and go into as much detail as possible, not only the race but also the course itself and the conditions. So you will find this episode even useful if you plan to run the Prague marathon in the next years. If you have any questions regar...

It's almost time to run my next marathon. Just arrived to Prague yesterday and tomorrow I'll be standing on the start line of one of the most iconic marathons worldwide. They say it's a 42k long sightseeing tour of the city. But the race itself is just the last day of the journey. For me this journey started in deep winter and it took me 14 weeks to get to this point. Looking back I th...

You know I'm not much into review but to be honest I was intrigued when approached by Mike from Oladance to test their earbuds or as they call the wearable stereo. So after more than a year of running without music or listening to podcasts from fellow creators I decided to try running with music again. If you want to find out more about the wearable stereo from Oladance and my thoughts on the...

When over 40 we are over our prime when it comes to physical activities, running included. But there are still ways to stay and run strong even while getting older. Today I'm not gonna talk much about the impact of age on running. I will rather give you a few tips how to still be able to run strong when in your 40's. One topic that's also addressed in this episode is pilates. Some time...

We probably all had an illness while training for a race. But the closer race day, the more frustrating it can be when we are not able to run. I just had a nasty chest infection last week, about a month before Prague Marathon. Had the same issue a few years back while training for my second marathon but this time around I was smarter. Learned from past mistakes I made and I think I made the right...

The last 12 to 16 weeks where all about running and preparing for your race. But what to do, when the race is over? Should you continue running? Maybe sign up for another race? Should you rest and enjoy life? Well, there probably is no right or wrong answer to this question. But still I addressed a few important points on the topic in today’s episode.

I just ran my first half marathon of the year and guess what? It was a big learning lesson. Probably this was the most controlled half marathon that I ever ran but it felt good. So don’t go out and make mistakes, learn from my experience. Lately I did some changes to my marathon training and I can feel I’m moving in the right direction with these changes. I feel stronger, more rested and more in c...

A lot of times we get carried away and we forget why we started running in the first place. It’s good to think about it every now and then, so we don’t forget why we are doing it. It’s not about the races … there’s more to it. And let me be the one telling you, why I am running.

Why another review of the New Balance 1080 v12? Well, I got a pair from Top4Running for testing and reviewing and I think that for some this shoe is a great, if not the best option there is. The model is almost a year old and lately there are some great deals for the shoe. With the New Balance 1080 v12 you will get a shoe that can do almost everything: from easy runs, even run - walks, up to 5k or...

Do you want to know what motivates Marlene to go out runnig? What her tips are to live a healthy lifestyle? Or maybe you just want to find out more how she came to running and what her goals and plans are for this year? Well all of that and more in this episode of The Happy Runner podcast. And since Marlene also wrote a book and as many has her own webpege, feel free to click on the link to find o...

Scott's achievements are quite remarkable. He was the first Welsh Person that finished many endurance races. I'm not gonna give out too much in this description. Best would be to hear it from him ... the races he ran, the training he puts in, his goals and his work for the Operation Smile charity. If you want to find out even more about Scott you can browse through his webpage .  If you will...

We can still run fast when getting older but there are a few things we need to concider. Probably the two most important are my first and my last advice. Not that all the others don't matter.  All in all we need to train smarter. But before I'll go too much into detail listen to the episode and find out how I managed to run a personal best over the marathon distance at the age of 52. I know,...

We all know the importance of aerobic base training and we know that this is the foundation we as runners need to start with our race specific work. But is aerobic base training just about running easy and moderate? Do we also need to include some faster workouts, interval sessions and tempo runs into our aerobic base training? Is this maybe the time to try some new things? You have questions, I g...

Well there’s no easy answer to the question. Some train for up to 20 weeks for a race, some only a week or two. Personally I’m not a fan of too long training blocks when it comes to running. A better solution in my eyes is to … well, you’ll find out more if you listen to the episode. If you are looking for a free training plan that works you can get one at: runadsmile.net and if you need a persona...

Today I host Anastasia, another runner who went backwards and started with marathons first and ended up with … well you’ll find out. But there is more to her than just running … and at the end she will offer some advice to those of you already running and also those of you new to running. I personally think we can all learn something from her experience.

In the last years a lot was written about the 80/20 training principal and how it should be the best for runners. But is it really the best? Does 80/20 training really work? Or are there other training principals that work better? I found a study that claims, that 80/20 is not the best and while looking back at my last marathon training plan I realised, that I did almost the same as suggested by t...

Are you struggling to run a fast 5k or 10k if you mostly run half marathons or marathons? Scaling down the distance doesn’t mean that we able to run much faster. Find out why and find out what to do to successfully run faster when scaling down the race distance. If you need good running training plans that work or if you need personal support you can get it on the runandsmile.net webpage.

The running story of Sarah is a bit different. Why? Well her first race was a marathon. Not just any marathon but the New York City marathon. Well, since then she did also half marathons and 10k races ... and for this year she plans ... well, listen to her and you will find out about her running story, her life, her plans ... and even some tips for those new to running. And last but not least ......

What is important to become a runner? How to start with your running journey? What kind of equipment do you need? Find answers to this questions and more in this weeks episode of the podcast. Free training plan "From walking to jogging" and "From jogging to running": runandsmile.net How to build strong habbits with coach Lauren: Appple podcast

What are the plans of this podcast for 2023? Did I manage to achieve my running goals in 2022 and what the plans are? You will find answers listening to this episode as well as some other running related plans that I set for 2023. If you have any running related questions feel free to contact me over the contact page on runandsmile.net on the webpage you will also find free training plans for most...

Are people in the Ukraine still running? Yes, they are. Running is actually an activity that helps people living there. Listen to this episode to find out more about the personal running story of Anika as well as insights into the way runners live these days in Ukraine.

What pace do you need to run? How your training should be structured? What about the longrun? Do I need tempo runs and how fast do they need to be? What about fueling? In this episode you will find answers to all the questions regarding on how to run a sub 2 hour half marathon. If you have more questions or you need a personalized training plan or support please fill out the contact form you'll fi...