The Run Smarter Podcast

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...

Today Brodie refreshes the concept of load vs capacity. Load is 'the amount of physical load placed on the body' verses Capacity which is 'the bodies ability to handle load'.  This concept helps runners understand WHY they get injuries instead of believing unhelpful misconceptions such as flat feet and leg length discrepancy. It all boils down to one statement: “The body will adapt to the load we...

Should we be training with a lot of variety (different speeds, shoes, cross training, strength training)? Or should we get really good at running on one surface, in the same shoes & not deviate? Brodie dives into the pros and cons of both strategies so you can self-reflect & come up with your own decision. To finish off, Brodie fires away 6 questions you should ask yourself: What type of r...

On this episode Brodie discusses the confusion runners often make during an injury flare-up. Runners often misinterpret weakness when it fact, it could be just an increase in structure sensitivity. When progressing a return-to-running program and executing your rehab exercises, it's not uncommon for a hiccup and mild flare-up to occur. This is often followed with pain & irritation when attempt...

Belinda Beck is a Professor in the school of allied health services at Griffith University. She has been involved in bone health research for 20 years and published over 100 research papers. Today, we discuss stress fractures and bone health. We start with the adolescent population and why diet, bone loading & peak bone mass is so important in this population. Secondly, Belinda dives into symp...

Rebecca Rushton graduated from Podiatry in 1993 and has since developed a key interest in blister management & prevention. We dive straight into the common misconceptions around blisters and how the definition of 'friction' can be very misleading. We uncover why blisters occur from an anatomy stand-point and if some runners are more susceptible than others. Once knowing what actually causes bl...

We kick off our final success story with Danny Symington who managed to overcome 9 months of shin splints. Danny is an avid listener of the podcast and applied the podcast lessons to build up his running mileage. We talk through his journey when symptoms first arose, the mistakes he made, the successful plan and his steps moving forward.  During these success story segments, Brodie interviews a ru...

Today we have a Q&A episode where Brodie answer 5 question from the Run Smarter FB group and the Patron group. Here is what we will cover: If we are trying to ramp up mileage extremely quickly for a race without getting injured, how can we successfully do so? I’ve heard runners get black toes. What is it, how is it prevented and how to treat if you get one or more? How to keep your runs focuse...

During these success story segments, Brodie interviews a runner who has managed to overcome a running related injury after much hardship and frustration. Kara Haas has faced 15 years of Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy. Once running at a very high level and competing at the Olympic trials, Kara's PHT started to get out of control. We dive into Kara's story and her attempts to resolve her pain inclu...

Brodie dives into the science of sprained ankles, including assessment, treatment & prevention. Sprained ankles may not be a common running-related injury, but can be very common outside of recreational running and leaves athletes confused when they can start being active. We first discuss the Ottawa ankle rules for ruling out a fracture. Then once ruled out the evidence behind rest, ice, comp...

On today's success story we have Mark Mulray who was battling Plantar Fasciitis for several months before finding what worked and what didn't work. Mark tried changing shoes, cross-training and had every variation of massage ball and ice bottle under his desk at work. Mark Mulray shares his treatment process that allowed him to not only kick his plantar fasciitis, but go on to finish an ironman an...

Today we have wellness entrepreneur, biohacker & host of the Optimal Performance podcast Sean McCormick. We all know that sleep is the #1 tool to help you recover, perform at high levels and rebuild from a hard workout. But, a lot of runners find it hard to sleep, unwind & detach from the stressors of the day. This is why I have brought on Sean who is going to introduce ways you can enhanc...