Breaking through a performance plateau when you seem to be slowing down can be frustrating. Running improvement sometimes can be difficult. How do you train differently? What are the low-risk, high-reward activities that will prompt you to keep improving? Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes on your training is what it takes. Use the improvement suggestions in this episode to help you think more strategically about your training, challenge yourself to try something new, and get out of your comfort zon...
Nov 05, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brian Zuleger is a professor of sport psychology at Adams State University, where he is also the mental strength coach for the Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He works directly with athletes in an integrative, holistic approach. Brian is a certified Exercise Physiologist from the American College of Sports Medicine. He applies his education with the athletes he works with as a personal trainer and coach. We discuss the partnership that he has with athletes, the skills that they focus on...
Oct 29, 2020•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting anything new can be overwhelming, especially if you do all the research upfront. Read about running and you'll find yourself wondering if you have the "right" shoes, gear, training plan, etc. To simplify, we have a free course to help you with getting started as a new runner . The information will help get you going and keep you running. Today's podcast addresses questions that we collected from our community. Many are frequent ones that every new runner will wonder about at some point....
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rose is a scientist and an enthusiastic runner. While she wasn't involved with organized running teams through her earlier years, she has been running for several decades. Now, in her 40s, Rose is wondering if she can continue to get faster in her marathon times and beat a PR from her 20's. Rose is a strong and committed runner who has made significant improvements in the last few years. She previously dealt with a lot of discomforts, but is now running pain-free. She attributed that to her stre...
Oct 15, 2020•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wondering what you can do to prevent injuries? Let's learn from the best in the sport! Today's podcast rounds up advice from the world's top female runners on what they do to prevent injuries and stay healthy while performing at the highest levels. I asked a single question to 5 of the best runners in the world - Colleen Quigley, Sara Hall, Grayson Murphy, Kate Grace, and Molly Huddle: What single idea, tool, or strategy is most helpful in keeping you healthy and running injury-free? The respons...
Oct 08, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Matt Phillips in an expert in the field of massage therapy and performance, which is why he's one of our few repeat guests! Our previous podcast focused on running form , but today we're discussing another specialty of his: massage. Originally a strength and conditioning coach with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Matt turned his attention to Sports Therapy in 2004. Since then, he has focused his work on distance runners and endurance athletes. He is also a lecturer in Anatomy and Physio...
Oct 01, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tyler Andrews is a HOKA elite runner and multiple record holder. I had Tyler on the podcast a few years ago when he was gearing up for his 50k world record attempt . He just missed that record but he’s been busy staying fit and going after even more challenges. That’s our discussion today because Tyler finds himself in a similar situation as the rest of us: training without a clear goal on the calendar. So, he made up his own race! Recently, he organized the Chaski Challenge where over 50 Olympi...
Sep 24, 2020•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shawn Bearden is a professor of exercise physiology at Idaho State University where he focuses on ultra endurance performance. He has published research in the American Journal of Physiology and the Journal of Applied Physiology, and he’s previously studied at Yale, UVA, and George Mason. Shawn hosts a podcast of his own called the Science of Ultra, where he interviews the smartest scientists in the world about the physiology of ultra endurance. If you want to understand the intricate details of...
Sep 17, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anne Mauney is a certified Registered Dietitian, has a master’s in public health, she has taught at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and has run dozens of half marathons and marathons. Her work has been featured in Glamour, The Washington Post, Woman’s Day, and in many other publications. She writes a nutrition and lifestyle blog at fannetasticfood.com and runs her own private counseling practice from annetherd.com . I admire her approach to nutrition because it's sustainable, wel...
Sep 10, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Roche is a two-time USATF trail national champion, the 2014 U.S. Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year, and a member of Nike Trail Elite and Team Clif Bar. You might have read his work that he publishes regularly on the Trail Runner magazine website or perhaps you’ve read his book, The Happy Runner . You can hear me talk about that book with David’s wife Megan in episode 82 of T he Strength Running Podcast. David isn’t just an incredibly talented trail runner, he’s a wonderful writer and a co...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest is Anya Mullen - she's not a pro runner, she’s not a PT or a coach, but she is a regular runner just like you and me. She also has been working for Strength Running for the better part of a year now, helping me refine some of the content that you see on our various channels. We first met back in 2015 at a group run and started working together earlier this year. Her running career spans nearly a decade and her life has changed quite a bit over that time, along with her running. Any...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Todd is a former attorney turned manual therapist who scratched his own itch. After years of experiencing pain, he set out to understand what causes it, how to move better, and effective strategies for reducing pain and improving your athletic performances. He has written two books, A Guide to Better Movement and Playing with Movement , which are interdisciplinary ways of looking at the problems of injury and pain. He brings in a broad diversity of disciplines like stress physiology to complex s...
Aug 20, 2020•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest is none other than 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson . You might recognize her as a 3-time national champion, or the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, or maybe you’ve just seen her on TV a lot. She’s been a broadcaster for years, having commentated on races for ESPN, NBC, ABC, and USATF TV. Her commentary has appeared in numerous world class races from the Boston Marathon to Footlocker Nationals, to the Tokyo Marathon. In our conversation, you'll hear about her many accomplishme...
Aug 13, 2020•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Monti is the founder, editor, and publisher of Race Results Weekly , which is a weekly subscription service for the world’s running results. David also used to recruit elite athletes to race at New York Road Runners events and worked as a sports media consultant. Through his work, he has a fascinating perspective on the sport. He attended and watched some of the most electrifying races the world has ever seen - and we talk about the races that most stick in his mind after all these years. ...
Aug 06, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Madeline Strandemo is a 2018 graduate of the University of Minnesota where she was on three Big Ten Championship teams, an All-American, and two-time Big Ten individual champion in the indoor mile and the 3000m steeplechase. She graduated with a double degree in marketing and Mandarin Chinese. Madeline has an interesting background, having moved around the world numerous times and participating in a variety of different sports in her childhood. In fact, she attributes a lot of her success to the...
Jul 30, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you know if you'll be successful as a runner? It mostly comes down to luck (genetics) and work (training). We can't affect the former, so let's focus on the biggest variable that impacts our success: the training that we do. That training must follow some broad but important rules if you want to avoid performance plateaus and continuously improve year after year. Those rules can be best summarized in three of the most important words for runners: consistency, progressive, and modulation. ...
Jul 23, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lisa Tamati has overcome many challenges in her life. From body image issues and tough races to a childhood sense of insecurity and nearly losing her mom. Through all of this, she has developed many coping strategies that she shares with us in this episode. A favorite strategy for Lisa is "going all in". She recognizes the vast human potential and knows that if we are 100% committed, we will find a way and overcome barriers. As one of New Zealand’s best ultra runners, she has 25 years experience...
Jul 17, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's conversation is a long overdue episode on hydration. I'm thrilled to have Andy Blow on to share his expertise. Andy is a Sports Scientist with a degree from the University of Bath, focusing his expertise on sweat, dehydration and cramping. He's also a former elite level triathlete with numerous Top 10 finishes and an Xterra World title. He's now the CEO of Precision Hydration . As runners, we're all familiar with cramping, electrolytes, and hydration - but Andy really breaks these down f...
Jul 09, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Amelia Boone is a giant in the obstacle course racing world and she's started competing in ultramarathons over the last few years as well. Many of her fans know she has struggled with an eating disorder and spent time in treatment last year. She’s now in recovery, she just moved to Colorado, and she’s been riding her Ellipti-Go on the Front Range’s big climbs over the last few months. Jason has always looked up to Amelia and admired her work ethic, her talent, and her drive. But also her vulnera...
Jul 02, 2020•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast At Strength Running, we're focusing on mastering our mindset in 2020. How do we build the mental fitness to have unstoppable confidence, the mental toughness to persevere, and the fortitude to stay consistent with your training month after month? In this episode, coach Jason Fitzgerald discusses: The benefits you should expect from sports psychology Common mistakes he wants you to avoid A story of his first experience with the performance psychology strategy of visualization Two strategies for i...
Jun 25, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s episode, we’re discussing how to reframe adversity and manage fear. Cindra has numerous tools that she talks about for reframing adversity. One that I liked, in particular, is asking yourself "why is this happening for me ?", instead of " to me ". This helps to view challenges in light of the growth opportunities. She also suggests asking yourself questions like: What is the opportunity here? How is this situation a gift? What is amazing about my life/family? What can I be grateful fo...
Jun 18, 2020•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest today is Jay Ell Alexander. She’s the owner of The Vaughn Strategy, a public relations strategy consulting firm. And in 2018, she become the owner and CEO of the Black Girls RUN! Organization. Black Girls RUN! wants to encourage African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority. Their goal is to create a movement to lower the disproportionately high health outcomes in the female African-American community and subsequently, lower the number of women with chronic disea...
Jun 11, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Justin is currently the Mental Performance and Leadership Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, a major league baseball team. Prior to that, he worked for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Browns. He works with both coaches and players to improve the overall performance of their organizations. Justin holds a Master of Science degree in Sport and Performance Psychology and his framework for improving performance will give us a glimpse of how he works with a variety of his clients. We also address questio...
Jun 04, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Duane is the owner of Spark Physical Therapy in New Haven, CT and host of the Healthy Runner Podcast. Duane initially started running as an adult, wanting to add some cardio to his gym sessions. After having a hip surgery, his doctor advised him to get off the treadmill and run outside. Without having fully recovered, Duane suffered a running-related hamstring tendon injury. Through his own rehabilitation and his work as a physical therapist, Duane continues to set Personal Bests in his running ...
May 28, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Joyce is a titan in the world of elite sport. He has worked at the highest levels of world athletics and with multiple national, world, and Olympic Champions. He’s worked at two Olympic Games, with elite rugby and soccer teams, and is currently the Head of Athletic Performance with the Greater Western Sydney Giants soccer team in Sydney, Australia. He holds masters degrees in both sports physiotherapy and strength and conditioning and teaches the Masters of Strength and Conditioning course...
May 21, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scott Caulfield is the director of strength and conditioning at Colorado College and previously the coaching education manager and head strength and conditioning coach for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He holds a bachelor's degree in physical education, a master's degree in sports coaching, and three important certifications: Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist with Distinction (NSCA) Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach with Distinction (NSCA) Level 2 A...
May 14, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Runners, friends, I recorded this episode to give you a small jolt of encouragement when I think we all need it. I sincerely hope you are well, safe, healthy, and able to see those who you most care about. I’m in awe at the bravery of our healthcare pro’s who put their lives at risk to help others - and I’d like to give an enormous, public thank you to these heroes. As we’re all experiencing more and more fatigue from being quarantined and isolated, I hope that you reflect on what’s most importa...
May 07, 2020•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Angie Spencer is the cohost of the Marathon Training Academy Podcast and someone who just finished the 50 state challenge. But she added two important twists: first, not every race was a marathon. Some of them were ultramarathons! And she didn't run all of the marathons just to finish them. In fact, her 50th marathon this past January in Hawaii was a substantial Personal Best. How in the world did Angie run a PR in the marathon - a BQ no less - more than a decade after starting the challenge? Sh...
Apr 30, 2020•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of my goals with Strength Running is to prevent you from making the same mistakes that I've made in my own running career. Because I've made almost all of them! Some of my "favorite" mistakes have been: Running my easy days too hard Not doing any dynamic warm up exercises before each run Inconsistently completing my strength exercises Relying too much on intensity and brutal workouts to "prove" my fitness Now, my coaching philosophy is more balanced. There's less pressure on any one individu...
Apr 23, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Victoria Sekely was a varsity tennis player at Georgetown where she got her undergraduate degree in human sciences. She then went to New York University and earned her doctorate in physical therapy. She's a USATF-certified running coach, certified Kinesio Taping practitioner, and received her certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) certification from the National Strength & Conditioning Association. In this episode of the podcast, we're discussing a variety of weaknesses that are c...
Apr 16, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast