The Running Explained Podcast

Our miniseries on triathlon continues with Sports Dietitian Natalie Robertello, MS, RD, CSSD, CDN of BeFueled Sports Nutrition to educate us on the FOUNDATIONS of fueling for multisport events, i.e. triathlon! The basics of multisport fueling How do your daily nutrition needs change as training volume increases? Understanding your hydration needs Planning your multisport nutrition plan Sport fuel...

Let's answer some questions! In this episode, Coach Elisabeth answers 4 running related questions: What’s the deal with these menthol gels? Are they going to help me in the heat? The recommendations for running (or not running) when you’re sick and how to deal with the “back to school” season of constant sickness Dealing with severe race anxiety Can men get RED-S/have Low Energy Availability too?...

What is toxic fitness culture? It's attitudes and beliefs in the "fitness" space (yes, including running) that promote unrealistic and unhealthy approaches towards exercise and fitness, and unfortunately, sometimes these things show up in the endurance running space as well. Running Explained Coach and Personal Trainer Amanda Katz joins the show to talk ALL about it! -Toxic fitness c...

What does it mean to have a sustainable approach to running? What does exploring the relationship between environmental sustainability and running look like? Co-authors of the new book "Becoming A Sustainable Runner" Tina Muir and Zoë Rom are here today to talk about it! -"Sustainability" in the context of training -Creating ways we can have a sustainable, i.e. "lifelong" enjoyment of running -En...

Are you interested in delving into the world of triathlon as a runner? What do you need to know? Coach Danielle Hirt (@runwithcoachd) is here to talk about all the things you need to know to get started in triathlon as a runner! -Overview of triathlon as a sport -Different triathlon distances -Where should a runner start when they want to make the transition into tri? -Biggest differences between...

WHY AM I GETTING SLOWER? As coaches, this is a common question we we get, and Coach Amanda Brooks (@runtothefinish) and Coach Laura Norris, MS (@lauranorrisrunning), co-hosts of the Tread Lightly Podcast, are here to talk about it! -When an athlete comes to you and says "help, I'm getting slower", what are the first things that come into your mind about what you want to know about th...

Let's learn all about our calves nd Achilles tendons and how important they are for running! Sports Chiropractor Luke Nelson (@sportschiroluke) joins the show today to teach us all about our calves! -The structure of our calves: what are the key muscles? - What role do our calves play when we run? -Common calf-related issues runners face: tightness, muscle cramps, etc -The Achilles tendon and...

What is pain? No, not the suffering we experience in a race or hard workout, but ACTUAL pain? Physical therapist Dr. Megan Waples, PT, DPT of @perfectstridept joins the show today to talk to us about pain! What is pain? Is pain always a bad thing? The difference between the "pain of racing" vs injury-related pain Is where you feel pain always where the issue is? Is inflammation always ba...

What can perimenopausal athletes do to support their health and training? Well, let's start with nutrition! Registered Dietitian Brooke Czarnecki, RDN, LD of Intentful Nutrition (@intentfulnutrition) joins the show today to talk about perimenopause, being an endurance athlete in perimenopause, and what you can do to support your health and performance during this time! What is perimenopause? W...

How can we stay competitive with our running as we age? That is the central question posed to our guest this week, Dr. Eoin Everard, PhD, biomechanist, physiotherapist, and current World and European Over-35 3k Champion! -How to extend high performance into your 40s and beyond -What a newer runner might expect from their ability to perform when starting in their late 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond -What...

What's the difference between preventative work and rehabbing an injury? What is a physical therapist considering when you're coming in with an injury versus creating a preventative framework or targeting performance optimization? Dr. Marie Whitt, DPT (@dr.whitt.fit) rejoins the show to talk all things rehab vs prehab! What is rehab vs prehab? Differences in phases of injury rehab: where w...

Let's talk about low-carb diets for endurance athletes! Sports dietitian Holley Samuel, RD, MEd, CPT (@holleyfuelednutrition) joins the show to talk about low carbohydrate approaches for endurance athletes. Good? Bad? Let's discuss! Intentional vs unintentional carbohydrate restriction The purported benefits of a low-carb approach; does it translate to performance gains? The current state...

How can we make running a sport that is welcome to ANYONE who wants to run? Marathoner, author, coach, & activist Martinus Evans ( @300poundsandrunning | @runslowaf ) joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about his new book, The Slow AF Run Club , size & pace inclusivity, challenging the status quo, having uncomfortable conversations, and about being a voice for change and a force...

What is fatigue? What causes it? What can we do to improve our fatigue resistance? Exercise physiologist Dr. Phil Batterson, PhD (@criticalO2) joins the show today for a deep dive into the science of muscle fatigue in endurance athletes! What is "fatigue" and why does it happen? How your muscles and your mitochondria work How can we develop FATIGUE RESISTANCE to become better endurance a...

HOW can you be an informed consumer of sports nutrition products? How can you critically evaluate the claims set forth by different sports nutrition companies, sort through the BS, and find the best products for you? Sports Dietitian Stevie Lyn Smith, MS, RDN, CSSD, CDN (@stevielynlyn) joins the show to help us become more informed consumers and understand different marketing pitches for sports nu...

What does foam rolling actually DO and how can you include it appropriately in your training? What about percussion massagers? What is fascia, and what does it do? Does KT actually work? Physical Therapist Dr. Duane Scotti, DPT, PhD (@sparkhealthyrunner) returns to the show to help us understand how these tools can help (or hurt, if used incorrectly) you as a runner? Foam rolling 101 What's th...

In this mid-week Q&A episode with Coach Elisabeth, we tackle 3 recent questions from runners: What's going on with all these marathoners who run massive PRs (30-40 minutes or more) from their 1st to their 2nd marathon? Can I still get faster as a masters (over 40) runner Why is my watch VO2max decreasing/why does my watch say my run was "unproductive"? -- Looking for guidance in...

Should you train by TIME or train by DISTANCE? ...or both? Coach Elisabeth breaks down time-based vs distance-based training, the pros and cons of each, and what we're ACTUALLY targeting in our training Training plans written to time vs distance WHY and WHEN time vs distance is more appropriate Distance-based training applied to athletes of different paces What happens on runs of different len...

What do you get when you run all six of the Abbott World Major Marathons: Berlin, Chicago, London, New York, Boston, and Tokyo? You get a special medal and a place on the short list of runners who have accomplished such a feat! Marathoner, journalist, and coach Ashley Mateo (@ashleymateo) joins the show to talk about her Six Star journey! What does it mean to run these 6 races? The logistics of ru...

Coach Elisabeth recaps running the 127th Boston Marathon this past Patriots Day! Learn about... the uphills, the downhills, the good, the bad, and the ugly of running a quad-shredding course like this one!

Ultramarathons are a big commitment… can you still train for one with limited availability? Coach Kelly Vigil (@moremilesmorefun) is here to talk about her experience training for a 50k on top of being a full-time working mom of 3 kids under 5! -The importance of base-building -Finding the time; what does that look like? -Time on feet vs specific distance targets -Learning to be flexible! -What wo...

Learn about your IMMUNE SYSTEM and how endurance running affects it! Immunologist Dr. Yasmin Mohseni, PhD, joins the show this week to talk about running and our immune systems, including... The basics of what our immune system is and what it does Is exercise good for our immune system? Why? What's going on when we feel like we're "getting sick" after a very hard run or a very ha...

What IS discipline and how do we cultivate it? Do you struggle to stay "motivated" and be consistent? Do you believe that discipline is about sacrifice, denial, and rigidly inflexible scheduling? Coach Elisabeth explores the concepts of discipline, motivation, and willpower in this solo episode! Discipline & willpower are often associated with self-denial, with struggle, with sacrifi...

How do we get better at racing? We need to race! Racing is a skill that is developed through experience, and yes, you'll make some mistakes along with the way - that's NORMAL. Coach Sara Manderscheid joins the show to discuss the lessons we can learn from racing, how to learn the RIGHT lessons from your races (good or bad!) and more! What do we mean when we say "racing is a skill&quot...

Running is many things; it's therapeutic, it's good for our mental and physical wellbeing, and it's probably part of your mental health management! But running ISN'T therapy or a replacement for therapy. Therapist & coach Sarah Strong, MSW, LCSW (@the_trail_therapist) joins the show to talk about this and the ways that we can make sure that we're using running responsibly for our mental health...