The Running Explained Podcast

MAKING RUNNING FRIENDS can be a challenge sometimes! Coach Whitney Heins, founder of The Mother Runners joins the show this week to talk about the importance of building community, finding "your running people" and how to make running friends Why running friends are different from "non-running" friends Finding a group or community The etiquette on group runs Traits of supportive communities and mo...

Multiple-time Leadville Marathon finisher, ultrarunner, & run coach Elizabeth Jansen Amell joins the show this week to talk all about how to start trail running! Elizabeth's story of losing her brother & why she started running How is trail running different from road running? Getting started/finding a trail Safety tips and practical advice Do you do speed work & strength train for tra...

Runner & Coach Michelle Baxter ( @therunnersplate ) joins the show to talk about achieving her years-long goal of running a sub-3 marathon and what it takes to chase your big goals! Learn about Michelle's journey of pursuing a sub-3 marathon Her best practices for both training and racing (fueling & more!) The anatomy of running a 100 mile peak week Why EVERY marathoner has doubts going in...

Welcome to Season 2 of the Running Explained Podcast! This week we're talking to Registered Dietitian Kristen Screen (@screennutrition) about hormones, health, and performance! WHAT are hormones? Why do they matter? Risk factors for hormone dysfunction and dysregulation Cortisol: friend or foe? Sex hormones Sleep for hormone health Insulin (yes, it's a hormone!) Thyroid functioning What yo...

My guest for the final episode of 2021 is returning guest Amy Haas ( @raceacrossthestates ) to discuss staying motivated throughout the dark, cold winter. How DO we stay "motivated" during this time? What IS "motivation"? "After my fall races, I’m having trouble staying motivated because I don’t have a goal to work toward anymore" "My fall races tend to lead to overuse injuries which require patie...

Did you hit the wall in your last race? Are you struggling with fueling your training and racing? Sports Dietitian Kristy Baumann, RD ( @marathon.nutritionist ) joins the show to talk about THE WALL! What is "hitting the wall" and why does it happen? What should you do if you "hit the wall" in a run or race? Why is carbohydrate important for endurance training and performance? Fueling requirements...

Dr. Matt Minard, DPT ( @learn.2.run ) joins the podcast to talk all about running form, running mechanics, and how to become morer efficient (read: faster!) runners with proper running form! The basics of your running gait cycle Why you should know what you look like when you run Footstrike: how & where to land Overstriding Importance of ankle mobility "Push with the tush" Arm carriage & u...

Dr. Alyssa Olenick, PhD of The Lyss Method ( @doclyssfitness ) join the show today to teach us all about our menstrual cycles, hormones, and our running and training! The physiology of the menstrual cycle How does this impact our performance? Periodizing our training around our cycle Periodizing our nutrition around our cycle What about hormonal contraception? Mastering the basics before worrying...

Do you need to lose weight to become a faster runner? Is there such a thing as "racing weight"? Sports Dietitian Amy Goblirsch, RD (@the_running_dietitian) joins the podcast to talk about underfueling, performance, and Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome (RED-S). What are the signs of underfueling? Intentional vs. unintentional underfueling Running & weight loss - can they coexist? Do you need to...

BUILD THAT BASE!!! Coach Nick Klastava (@nklastava) joins the podcast to talk all things "base-building" (and why it's SO important for you as a runner!) What is "Base-building"? Base-building vs. Volume-building Base-building vs. Race-specific training Workouts in a base-building phase Easy running rules: how & why? "Maintenance" & when to do maintenance in your schedule What is an "Off-s...

A VERY busy woman, Kelly Vigil (@moremilesmorefun) joins the podcast to talk about finding the time to run while also parenting 3 kids and working full-time! Learning to be flexible with your training schedule & your running goals Kelly's post-partum (X3!) running & training story Stroller running Running & breastfeeding Getting creative with the time you have available Put it on your...

"How long will it take for me to reach xx time?" "How long will it take until I start seeing results?" "How long will it take until I get faster?" Coach Montana Depasquale ( @coachmontanadepasquale ) joins the show to discuss how long it takes to get faster! Spoiler alert: it depends! Why "how long until I see the results I want" isn't the right question you should ask Why a race PR isn't the only...

IT'S COLD! Can you still run? YES! Are there things you should know? YES!! Winter running footwear options Dressing for the conditions How the cold impacts performance Fueling & hydrating when it's cold When does it become dangerous? Hypothermia, frostbite, extreme temperatures Stay safe and have fun!

GI DISTRESS!! Why does it happen at the WORST times? How to figure out what's causing the issue? Sports Dietitian Meghann Featherstun (@featherstonenutrition) joins the show to talk about... What happens to our gastrointestinal tract/digestion when we run What are common causes of GI distress when running? Assessing fiber intake The role dehydration plays in GI issues Why osmolality matters in rac...

Dr. Victoria Sekely DPT (@trainsmartrunstrong) joins the show to talk about a very important (and difficult) topic: coping with injury. In this episode, we cover a range of injury-related topics including:⁠ ⁠🤕 The basics of injury prevention⁠ ⁠🤕 What really happens when your injury "goes away" its own⁠ ⁠🤕 When you need to see a physical therapist⁠ ⁠🤕 Getting injured right before your big race;...

Can you get "faster as a master", i.e. get faster over 40? Heck yes!! Claire Bartholic (@theplantedrunner) joins the podcast this week to talk about her journey in running her fastest times over the age of 40, and how your training as a masters runner might change compared to when you were younger! CAN you get faster over 40? How cross-training might benefit masters runners more Alternatives to th...

Sometimes it can feel like we're being bombarded with training data and metrics. What's important? What's not? What's "normal"? Learn about the basics of common running metrics including...⁠⁠ GPS (pace & distance measurement)⁠ Heart rate measurement⁠ Cadence⁠ Stride length⁠ Vertical oscillation & vertical ratio⁠ Ground contact time & ground contact time balance⁠ Resting heart rate⁠ Hea...

My guest this week, Jaci Wilson, is on the show to talk about BURNOUT, something that far too many of us experience at one point or another in our lives. Jaci is recovering from her own period of burnout and talks about understanding what burnout is, how to identify it, and how we can help prevent it. We also talk about how to create a healthy and sustainable relationship with running so that it a...

My guest this week is Sports Dietician Holley Samuel, MEd, RD, CPT ( @fitcookienutrition ) and we're talking about CARBS!! How do carbs work in our body compared to other fuel sources? Where do carb cravings come from? What is glycogen & how do glycogen stores work? Glycogen-depletion runs Post-run refueling strategies "Carb-Loading" in preparation for a long run or a race Carbs & blood su...

Physiotherapist Brodie Sharpe returns to the podcast to discuss RUNNING ECONOMY! What is it? How to improve yours? Those are the two big questions we tackle in this episode!  Get your free e-books (Vol. 1 & 2) from Brodie on how to overcome injury, stay injury-free, and run faster! Get them here.  Running economy as a measure of "efficiency" VO2max and what it tells us Running form &...

Learn all about your runner's feet with Sports Podiatrist Suzanne Hamilton (@suzannehamiltonpodiatry)!! Our feet are what carry us around for all these miles, but how much do you know about properly caring for your feet, and how do the things we do during our training affect them?  THE CRASH COURSE ON BLISTERS! The cause of foot or toe numbness Bruised/blackened toenails Choosing shoes when y...

My guest this week is Coach Danielle Hirt ( @runwithcoachd ) and we're discussing training for a half or a full marathon when your goal finish is in the 3/6 hour range! It's important to know how to train properly for the race YOU are going to run and how, or if, that training might differ from "commonly available" training knowledge (like the infamous 20-mile long run for marathon training) and t...

My guest this week is Amy Haas, aka @raceacrossthestates! In this episode, we're talking about motivation, mindset, mental toughness in races, and more! When over-relying on motivation is not a good strategy Motivation vs. habit and accountability Learning to "flip the script" on negative thoughts & negative self-talk Expectations vs. reality when you're in a race Staying mentally tough during rac...

Dr. Marie Whitt, DPT, ( @dr.whitt.fit ) is back on the podcast for this episode on pronation, foot motion, shoes, and more! What actually happens in your foot when you run? How does this influence the shoes you buy (and vice versa?) What can you do to make your feet strong?  Pronation: what are pronation and supination Correcting overpronation (& overcorrection) Heel whip and "egg beater"...

In this solo episode, it's all about STRESS! Poor, misunderstood stress. Did you know that stress is actually a good thing, in the proper doses? Did you know how important the recovery from a stressor is? Do you know WHY chronically elevated cortisol is so dangerous? What IS stress? Chronic vs acute stress Stress & the stress response Allostatic load, and allostasis vs homeostasis Your lazy br...