The Run Smarter Podcast

Matt Pendola has several professional qualifications including a running coach, S&C coach, licensed manual therapist & wellness coach and works with several Olympic athletes. He has also personally achieved a tonne of impressive running achievements including winning the Elite Spartan World Championships Masters Division (2015) & Qualified for Duathlon World Championships 3x. Today, Br...

Brodie starts part 1 of 3 reviewing a new book titled: The science & practice of middle and long distance running. We break down chapter 5 titled the psychology of distance running before interviewing the editor next month. This episode covers the evidence surrounding the use of psychological strategies to help running performance. The psychological effects on performance can be explained by h...

Today Brodie's sister joins the podcast to talk about her massive running revelation. It has taken around 7 years for Zoe to discover the art of running slow and is reaping the rewards. Not only is Zoe feeling fresh and able to run harder during her speed sessions but she has found a love for running and for the first time is her running career is looking forward to putting her shoes on and gettin...

Q&A part two answer your instagram responses. Here are you questions Brodie will be answering: Why do runners implement plyometrics in their strength training when their run is already a plyometric movement? How do you encourage people to mentally & emotionally approach a rehab program? Thoughts on general mobility work for runners? Interventions involving foam rollers, tripper point relea...

On today's Q&A Brodie answers all your questions. Here is what we explore:  1.) What is the amount of time per week one should dedicate to strength training? And is it better to do a couple of longer sessions per week or a little bit most days? 2.) What are some of the best injury-preventing exercises that a distance runner should keep on rotation? 3.) Are there any good exercises to strengthe...

Today Brodie talks about his past 4 weeks of managing multiple injuries, what he has implemented for rehab & how he continues to maintain fitness while injured.  Over the past month Brodie has encountered hamstring pain, a sprained ankle and low back pain. Even though these injuries are piling up one after another Brodie is still remaining strong and maintaining his pre-injury cardiovascular f...

Kira Sutherland has 25+ years of clinical experience in Naturopathic medicine & sports nutrition and creates a truly wholistic approach to optimising performance for athletes. Today, we are uncovering the benefits and misconceptions of fasting. In particular intermittent fasting for runners.  Kira describes the positive effects exercising has in a fasted state, including the fat burning benefi...

On this episode, Brodie entertains the scenario of a runner experiencing unpredicted mid-race soreness and highlights some troubleshooting technique changes a runner can do to get through the remainder of a race. There are changes you can make in your speed, cadence and step width during different terrain in order to shift load on your body. Therefore, if soreness arises in a certain area, it's go...

Ben Lindsay is the managing director at Solushin, a patented Counter-Traction Technology that effectively treats medial tibial stress syndrome. Ben & his team recognised the importance of effective shin splint treatments (training modification, strength training & orthotics) but set out to design a product in conjunction with these traditional treatment to accelerate recover times. We dive...

Greg Lehman is a physiotherapist, Chiro & strength and conditioning coach. He teaches courses to health professionals on biomechanics, with pain science & running rehab.  Greg had previously wrote a blog titled: 'Running is Rehab: When doing is the fixing' and this is exactly what we dive into today. We delve into this term and what it actually means. Greg lists the benefits of continuing...

On this episode Brodie illustrates the importance of eccentric control for runners. He breaks down the different phases of the running cycle and points out different muscle groups undertaking eccentric control. Next, Brodie dives into the benefits of eccentric training including force production, flexibility and rehabilitation purposes. We finish with listing off some key eccentric exercises, how...

We continue our journey! If you haven't listened to part 1 of my chat with Dr. Rachel Zoffness please do so. Today, we dive into practical steps and strategies people can do when they are suffering from pain. Rachel first talks about the concept of 'Cognitive behavioural therapy' and what you think, affects how we feel emotionally, affects how we feel physically, which affects how you behave. Next...

Today we have pain psychologist Dr. Rachel Zoffness on the show to teach us about pain & injury. Rachel teaches pain education to medical residents, serves on the pain education faculty at Dartmouth and is the co-president of the American Association of Pain Psychology. She is also the author of The Pain Management Workbook, an integrative, evidence-based treatment protocol for adults living w...

Epigenetics can interact with your DNA and genes in order to activate & deactivate your blueprint. Even though your DNA is hardwired, the cell's characteristics & function can change based around your epigenetics. Dr. Cam McDonald is a lecturer, dietician & exercise physiologist here to talk about the information all runners need to know about epigenetics. With epigenetics, we can look...

Brodie is releasing a patron exclusive episode onto the podcast feed to share the love. On this episode, Brodie dives into the science and safety tips when introducing power and plyometric exercises into your strength routine. Like running, power based exercises have a tremendously high demand on your body, so care must be taken. If not, it can tip you over the edge and increase your likelihood of...

Today Brodie has Matt Phillips on the show to share his expertise around running injuries. Matt is a Running Injury & Performance Specialist and a past strength & conditioning coach. He is the host on the RunChatLive website, podcast & YouTube channel and creator of the RCL international running conference.  Even with emerging evidence and more clarity around running injuries, runners...

On today's episode Brodie talks about all things Compartment Syndrome. It is a running-related injury that is less commonly discussed and poorly understood. If you have ever experienced lower leg pain that gradually builds up throughout a run, only to subside quickly following rest, it could be compartment syndrome. We start with the anatomy of the lower leg and the related information for compart...

On this episode, Brodie appears as a guest on the Healthy Runner Podcast & within the Healthy Runner Facebook group hosted by Dr. Duane Scotti. Brodie talks about all things running technique: What counts as good running technique? Is there a bad running form? Should we change our running form? Will it make us better runners? Does this apply to runners who are injured? Does poor running form l...

Brodie reviews his favourite research paper titled: Is combining gait retraining or an exercise programme with education better than education alone in treating runners with patellofemoral pain? A randomised clinical trial. This paper was published in 2017 and lead by researcher JF Esculier who appeared on episode 52 of the podcast titled "Is there a right & wrong running shoe?" This paper ana...

Today Brodie is interviewed by PT Alyssa Kuhn about all things Osteoarthritis & running. We start with highlighting some common misconceptions around the cause, prognosis and development of Osteoarthritis. A lot of runners are told that OA is due to wear & tear of your joints and eventually the cartilage in your joints will pass their expiry date and lead to pain, stiffness, disability and...

Today, Brodie performs his first Q&A LIVE within the Patron FB group. Here are the questions we will be examining: How long should I take to recovery following a marathon before I can start training for my next race? What can I do for an MCL ligament injury in my knee and what are some good strengthening exercises to help? I had to take time off my race preparation due to injury, now returning...

Dr. Nick Fuller is the program leader at the University of Sydney working to identify & develop a long-term cost-effective treatment for obesity & related physical/mental health disorders. Nick has developed the 'Interval weight loss program' which has been shown clinically to be the most superior long-term weight loss strategy.  We start by addressing some common myths and misconceptions...

Running Physical Therapist and Running Coach Dr. Duane Scotti joins Brodie on this episode to discuss the 3 types of running that we should all implement into our weekly routine. We dissect 1. Conversational-pace running 2. Tempo runs 3. Intervals to uncover: What is the definition of each type of run? What are the physiological benefits? How do we know we are hitting the right intensity? What per...

On this episode of the Run Smarter Podcast, Brodie interviews running coach Nathan Fenton. Nathan uses running power as his primary metric for running program design and assessment. We explore how to measure 'running power' data and what devices you need. Nathan explains the difference between running power compared to heart rate and pace, along with ways do perform 'threshold testing' to determin...

Triathlon Taren joins Brodie today to discuss how to get involved in the sport of triathlons. Taren owns a business, youtube channel, podcast and various other platforms all about helping the recreational athlete start and thrive in triathlons. We start by addressing some triathlon objections. Comments like 'I cannot swim' or 'bikes are too expensive' are common amongst runners. Also, Taren highli...