The Running Explained Podcast

This week's episode is a RUNNER Q&A! Coach Elisabeth answers questions about warm-ups, "glute activation", how to find your race pace when you're doing mostly easy running, WHY our runs are (often) of different lengths during the week, a first marathon pep talk, and more! 🕶️🦩This episode is sponsored by GOODR SUNGLASSES! Every pair comes with a 1-Year Warranty and 30-day FREE returns. 100% sa...

What role does nutrition play in injury prevention & injury recovery? What can you do to reduce your injury risk, and how can you support your injury recovery with nutrition? Registered Dietitian Steph Hnatiuk (@steph.the.runners.dietitian) joins the show to help us understand the relationship between injury and nutrition! The role underfueling plays in increasing injury risk Carb restriction...

How do you learn to TRUST that the process is working? How do you learn to TRUST yourself instead of trying to be "perfect on paper"? How do you become OK with your goals taking longer than you want to achieve? Coach Angie Brown, DPT, of @realliferunners, joins the show to talk about TRUST: learning to trust the process and trust yourself! Common misconceptions about the process Why is it so hard...

PLYOMETRICS! What place do they have in an endurance runner's training? Dr. Matt Casturo, DPT, CSCS (@themovementsystem) joins the show to introduce us to plyometrics for endurance runners! What are plyometrics? "Sport-specific" training vs "general fitness training" Muscle fiber types and "explosive" power The Stretch-Shortening Cycle Tendons! WHY an endurance runner might want to include pl...

You've probably heard about "macros", but what about "MICROS"? Micronutrients are a key component of nutrition for both health and performance, and sports dietitian Kirsten Screen (@screennutrition) is here to teach us all about them! What are micronutrients? "Micros" vs 'Macros" Key micronutrients for endurance athletes Electrolytes, iron, Vitamin D, and more How to make sure you're getting ENOUG...

How much of performance is mental vs physical? Is that something you can even quantify? Probably not, but the two are clearly inextricably linked. Mental Performance Coach Shannon Mulcahy (@mulcahyperformance) joins the show this week to talk about the role your MIND plays in your performance! What do we mean when we talk about the mental side of performance? The toxic side of telling someone anyt...

What's the deal with... supershoes? The Doctors of Running (@doctorsofrunning) Matthew Klein, PT DPT PhD(c) OCS GCS FAAOMPT, and Nathan Brown, PT DPT OCS, are here talk all things CARBON PLATES, fancy foams, performance improvements (maybe...?) and more!! What IS a "supershoe"? History of this new generation of footwear Getting nerdy about foams What does the "plate" actually do? Supershoe geometr...

Welcome to Season 3! Dr. Matt Minard, DPT, CSCS, founder of Learn2Run, joins Coach Elisabeth for the first episode of 2023 for a deep dive on running cadence. WHAT is running cadence? WHEN does cadence matter? WHO should pay attention to cadence? Learn about optimal cadence, the relationship between cadence and speed, cadence and stride right, and more in this wide-ranging conversation about runni...

Coach Elisabeth breaks down 5 lessons & reflections from 2022 in this final episode of the year, including.... Stress is stress You can't always get what you want A little speed goes a long way An object in motion stays in motion Being in shape is awesome; getting into shape sucks This episode is sponsored by InsideTracker! For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store; visit...

Let's finish up 2022 with an old-fashioned listener Q&A! Coach Elisabeth goes through a variety of listener-submitted questions in this second-to-last episode of the year, discussing training cycles & trying to get pregnant, stress fractures, best hydration vests, run coaching, and more!

What happens when you lose your period? Amenorrhea (missing menstrual cycles) is unfortunately common among the endurance athlete community, and Cynthia Donovan, MS, RDN, CDN (@period.nutritionist) joins the show to discuss all things MISSING PERIODS, including what's happening when your period disappears, why we WANT a regular menstrual cycle for short- and long-term health, and steps to take if...

THE SEQUEL IS HERE! 13 years ago, "Born to Run" was released and captivated the running (and non-running) world. Now author Chris McDougall has partnered with coach Eric Orton to write BORN TO RUN 2: The Ultimate Training Guide , the follow-up, fully illustrated companion. Chris and Eric join the show today to talk about some of the stories and anecdotes in the book, finding the joy in running, an...

Sports nutrition & performance fueling isn't just for elite athletes; anyone with any goal of feeling good and improving performance (WHATEVER those goals are for you!) should be understanding their body's fueling & nutrition needs. Sports Dietitian Natalie Robertello, MS, RD, CSSD, CDN (@befueledsportsnutrition) joins the show to discuss the mindset and belief systems we have around fueli...

The only constant is change, and while running may seem like your rock in the ever-flowing river of life, your relationship with running WILL change over the course of not only your life, but the seasons of life you find yourself in. Tina Muir, Founder of Running for Real, mom, podcaster, and former professional runner and international runner for Great Britain & Northern Ireland joins the sho...

What is Overtraining Syndrome? Psychologist and researcher Jill Colangelo, ALM (@jillcolangelopsych) joins the show this week to talk about this extremely important issue that endurance runners are at risk of when training stress and recovery are out of balance, dangerously so. Learn about Overtraining Syndrome, including... What is Overtraining Syndrome (OTS)? What are some of the signs and sympt...

“Biohacking” practices have proliferated in the last 20 years, marketed as ways to optimize your body, health, and performance… but is biohacking something you should really be focusing on? Dr. Adrian Chavez calls himself an “anti-hacker” and joins the show to talk about biohacking, marketing, and why you should focus on nailing the foundations instead of pouring money into biohacks. A brief histo...

Let's talk about it. Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions you can experience, and running is an integral part of many runners' mental health management. Ultrarunner & coach Will Frantz joins the show for a raw conversation about depression, running, mental health, feeling good, feeling bad, working with clients who are struggling with their mental health, neurotransmit...

Trying to run BACK TO BACK marathons (or other races?) Sports Dietitian Stevie Lyn Smith joins the show to help you understand how to handle running two big endurance events two days, two weeks, or two months in a row! Understanding the most important things about running back-to-back races: when is it a good idea, when is it a bad idea? Discussing the types of training that might be required The...

Coach Elisabeth recaps the Chicago Marathon! Hear about the course, the experience, and the weekend itself! The course The crowds The weekend experience On-course support Tips & tricks The pros & cons to running a race like this! 🕶️🦩This episode is sponsored by GOODR SUNGLASSES! Get FREE SHIPPING on your next order of sunglasses & support the show using code RUNEXP at www.goodr.com!&n...

Every runner will need to take time off at some point, whether a normal post-race recovery period, several weeks or months to deal with an injury or illness, or months+ (hello, baby!) for a variety of reasons. That's life! Don't freak out! How do you take time off, stage a comeback, and keep believing in yourself the whole way through? Kim Clark (@trackclubbabe) joins the show to talk about how to...

PLANTAR FASCIITIS is one of the more common, and more stubborn, running-related injuries. Dr. Duane Scott, DPT, PhD, OCS (@sparkhealthyrunner) joins the show to share his 20+ years of PT wisdom about Plantar Fasciitis! What is Plantar Fasciitis & what does it feel like? WHY is Plantar Fasciitis a more common running injury? What is fascia and what causes PF? Treatment: orthotics? Yay or nay? C...

Does it sometimes feel like runners speak a different language? What does all this lingo mean? Coach Claire Bartholic (@theplantedrunner) joins the show this season to talk through some common running vocab and abbreviations so we're all on the same page! What is a "workout"? Why aren't all runs workouts? Threshold, tempo, & speed PR vs PB Race-specific vocab Gear vocab and m...

WHAT and HOW MUCH to eat as a runner? Sports Dietitian Cortney Berling ( @eatwell.runbetter ) joins the show to discuss the "Athlete Plates" tool for runners and how to figure out your nutritional needs from day to day! FIND THE PLATES HERE What are the Athlete Plates? Easy/Rest Days Moderate Days Heavy Days WHEN you need the different days Why running messes with sensations of hunger & fullne...

What's the deal with running and KNEES? Why are knee injuries so dang common in runners? Is running actually bad for your knees? Dr. Lauren LaPierre, DPT (@thepersonalizedrunningdoc) joins the show to talk ALL THINGS KNEES! Knee anatomy & function Why knee issues are so common in runners "Runner's knee" pain IT Band Syndrome How to reduce your risk of knee injury How to address knee pain Using...

RUNNING IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH, but how & why? Health versus performance; is it an either/or? Dr. Elizabeth Knight joins the show to talk all things health & running, including the cardiovascular benefits of regular exercise, health vs. performance, health AND  performance and more! Running to be healthy: how much running do we need to do? The cardiovascular benefits of regular runni...