Strength training is a completely different physiological stimulus from running. It provides distinct benefits that you just can’t get from running, but are crucial to health and optimal performance. The two main benefits of strength training are that it prevents and helps heal injuries, and it enhances performance. Done properly, strength training creates a foundation for injury-free running and allows you to keep up with increasing mileage and intensity on your runs. And on the performance sid...
Dec 15, 2022•21 min
If there’s one book that turned the running world on its head and inspired millions to pick up the sport, it has to be Born to Run. Christopher McDougall’s first hand tale of drama and barefoot running included an unforgettable cast of characters like Caballo Blanco and Barefoot Ted set in a backdrop of mystery and danger in the Copper Canyon of Mexico. Runners everywhere cast aside traditional running shoes to run free like the sandal-wearing Tarahumara natives Chris chronicled. The book was in...
Dec 08, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 17
How did 17-year-old track athlete Emily Cole go from running with her teammates one day to waking up from a coma two days later? The surprising answer is healthy eating. I’ll let Emily tell you the details of her brush with death and it’s not a spoiler to say that she is absolutely thriving now. In fact, not only is Emily excelling on the track at D1 Duke University, she is building a successful career as a student athlete. Thanks to a change in the law that allows student athletes to finally pr...
Dec 01, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 16
How much progress can you make in your running in a single year? If you plan it right, it could be more than you can imagine. Welcome to the Planted Runner. I’m Coach Claire Bartholic and my mission is to help you improve your running, your mindset, and your life with science-backed training and plant-based nutrition. In this episode, I’ll explore how and why a yearly running plan can be critical to your success. You’ll learn: what happens when you don’t make a strategic plan for your goals, how...
Nov 24, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 15
One in four American women suffer from some kind of pelvic floor disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health. That's 25% of us! And yes, that number goes up as we get older. And running can trigger accidents and make it worse. And this is not just a female phenomenon. Men have a pelvic floor too and can also have issues. Most guys certainly aren’t talking about it! Some people are so ashamed, embarrassed, and downright fearful of leaking that they choose to quit running all together...
Nov 17, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 14
There’s nothing like crossing the finish line. You’ve trained for weeks or months or even years and finally, you’ve done it. If the race went well, you wonder if you could have given a little more. If the race didn’t go well, ooh, it’s going to sting, but soon you are plotting your redemption race. Either way, you know that with a little better training or a few changes here and there, your next race will be even better. But of course, in long distance racing, that is not always the case. When y...
Nov 10, 2022•17 min
If you’ve ever raced or done a group track workout, you’ve seen them. Grown men and women in tiny shorts doing exaggerated skipping and hopping. Swinging their legs back and forth. And you’ve seen those runners that look like they are not going for a run, but practicing for a line dance, doing the grapevine back and forth. Should you start swinging, skipping, and dancing, too? Yes. A little jogging before your runs and races isn’t enough. Those weird, silly rituals really do have specific benefi...
Nov 03, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Running alone hasn’t become more dangerous. But it did get a lot more scary in September 2022 when runner Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped and murdered when out for an early morning run. We can’t control the predators in our world, but there are ways that we can run with less fear and more confidence, no matter what time of day. We can take our power and our confidence back. I don’t think it’s too dramatic to say that what you are about to hear could end up saving your life. Welcome to the Planted R...
Oct 27, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 11
As much as I’d love to tell you otherwise, plant-based eating can be a real struggle for some people, especially athletes. Simply giving up animal products is no guarantee of better performance, more energy, or reduced recovery time. Why do some people thrive on a whole foods plant based diet while others start to feel worse? Could it be that this way of eating really isn’t right for everyone? I’ve brought on plant-based registered dietician Ashley Kitchens to explain more. You’ll learn: the com...
Oct 20, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 10
If you want to get good at something, it can really help to be inspired by someone who has done it before. It doesn’t mean your road is going to be exactly the same, but studying the journey of others can be like a headlamp in the dark. So today, I’m going to go over the 10 steps I took to go from not running at all to finishing a marathon in 2:58 at age 42. Some of you are familiar with my story but many of you don’t know all the details. And I want to be completely clear, I’m not sharing this ...
Oct 13, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Runners have been told that heel striking is bad. Or at least, it’s not nearly as good as a runner who hits the ground on the midfoot. But what if that advice is completely wrong? What if heel striking is actually superior and can help you run faster? On today’s episode, I’ll be talking to Dr Matt Minard about why he thinks most runners will actually run faster when they heel strike. You’ll learn: why the way we walk has a lot to teach us about how we run, about the part of your running form tha...
Oct 06, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 8
If you are an early morning runner, you probably head out the door as soon as your shoes are tied. There’s no time to eat a meal, wait for it to digest, contemplate why you got up so crazy early in the morning when the rest of the world is peacefully sleeping…and then go for your run. But there are huge benefits to eating before a run, even very early in the morning. Now whenever I talk about this, I get feedback from runners who NEVER eat before their runs. Some runners do it because they don’t...
Sep 29, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Do you have your heart set on a certain finishing time for your next race? Most runners are racing to see if they can go farther or faster than before, which means that you’ll be in uncharted territory. How do you KNOW what your goal pace should be? You can't. But there are some good ways to at least figure out if you are being realistic or ridiculous with your goal pace. In today's episode of The Planted Runner Podcast , I'll explore: how you can get pretty darn close to predicting a realistic ...
Sep 15, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 5
There’s an effort in running that is deceptively sweet. It’s not slow enough to be called jogging, yet it’s not hard enough that it feels too challenging. To many it just feels like “real running.” But if you spend too much time at this medium-effort comfy pace, like many runners do, it can sabotage your training and tank your improvement. This is why it’s called the Gray Zone . On today's Planted Runner Podcast , you’ll learn: why so many runners find themselves stuck in the gray zone a better ...
Sep 08, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Better running form makes a huge difference in running your best. But you can't just go out and try to run with better form. Well, at least not for very long. Your body will soon revert back to however you always run once your mind starts thinking about what's for dinner or what you're doing this weekend. BUT there are great ways to train your mind and your body to run better. It's just that most of them don't happen on the run. Want to know who arguably has the best running form in the world? O...
Sep 01, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Learning to pace is a fundamental skill of running well. But the concept of pacing actually has the power to improve everything in your running, and maybe even your life as well. There is a common rhythm or pace that can actually be quite universal. And if you can figure out that pattern and then apply it to everything you do, you will be amazed at the results. In this episode of The Planted Runner , Coach Claire explores this universal strategy. You’ll learn: how to pace your workouts to improv...
Aug 25, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 2
How do you transform yourself from a casual runner into an endurance athlete? How do you go from a basic level of running fitness into someone who completes endurance events for fun? On this episode of the Planted Runner Podcast , Coach Claire will tell you how. She will go over: the most important aspects you’ll need to know when you are taking your running up another level the advice she gives all her athletes of all abilities to do, and the things that she wishes she knew when she started get...
Aug 18, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 1
