The Strength Running Podcast

Running nutrition can be confusing. To begin with, there’s your day-to-day diet. The debates will forever rage on in running circles on how to fuel your training, from keto to high carb to whole 30 and everything in between. At the end of the day, simple whole foods are your best bet, not following specific, restrictive rules on quantity and substance. On top of that, there’s a general sense that running means you need “extras” in your diet. Extra iron, extra protein, extra…. fill in the blank. Runners frequently turn to supplements to satisfy these “needs.” There are thousands of articles and blog posts, not to mention advertising, dedicated to convincing you that as a runner, you need to add specific nutrients to your diet. This episode discusses what's needed (and what you can skip) and how to dial in your nutrition for better running performance.

28 Feb 201916min

Beth Skwarecki is the author of two books and the Health Editor of Lifehacker. She's here to dispel fitness and health myths that might be leading us astray. Beth is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the Association of Health Care Journalists. After getting a BA in biology from Alfred University, she received her Master's in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Rutger's University. She also has previously taught nutrition and environmental sciences at the Community College of Allegheny County. Her two books will interest the science nerds out there: Outbreak: 50 Tales of Epidemics That Terrorized the World Genetics 101: From Chromosomes and the Double Helix to Cloning and DNA Tests, Everything You Need to Know About Genes This conversation focuses on the many side aspects of a healthy lifestyle that make running easier. After all, it's critical to have a lifestyle that supports running. You can't train well if you barely sleep and drink a lot... We're talking about: DNA trivia for runners How her job has changed her outlook on health and fitness How to engineer a less groggy morning (for the morning runners out there!) Whether elderberry supplements are a waste of money Beth and I also discuss running in the dark, the cutoff point for running in extreme cold, and the warning signs of frostbite.

19 Feb 201958min

Lindsey has always been a runner. She ran cross country in high school and after running for fitness and health in college, started running marathons post-collegiately. To date, she's run 14 marathons and is currently preparing for the 2019 Boston Marathon. She's also a RRCA-certified running coach. Her podcast is one of the most popular running podcasts out there: I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein has more than 160 episodes and features the most talented runners on the planet: Meb Keflezighi Paula Radcliffe Scott Jurek Shalane Flanagan Lindsey is in a unique situation after being able to explore the training, lives, mindsets, and careers of so many world-class athletes. I couldn't help but have so many questions: How do we relate to elite runners who have physical gifts that we simply do not? What separates the best from the rest of us? How do we learn from these runners to enhance our own training? In our latest episode for the Strength Running Podcast, we discuss the drawbacks and opportunities of interviewing elite runners, mindset shifts related to running when you start having kids, and a lot more.

14 Feb 201945min

Recovery means much more than what you do - it's also about what you don't do. For example, many runners think foam rolling or taking an ice bath are effective recovery methods. And if you enjoy them, I won't argue! But what you're not doing is equally important: Are you using your day off from running to do your own taxes and run 34 errands? Did you plan your big (i.e., stressful) family vacation for your post-marathon recovery week? Do you stay out late enjoying one or several too many adult beverages? If the answer is yes, then it almost doesn't matter what you do for your post workout recovery. Because the addition of stress - whether physical or mental - derails our best recovery efforts. That's why when I was in college, our track coach was very understanding of poor workout splits during mid-terms. You simply can't perform physically and mentally at a high level for very long. We previously discussed a hierarchy of injury prevention strategies and how some tactics are far more effective than others. The same is true for recovery strategies. I want you to understand the best, most productive, and effective ways to recover from your hardest workouts. And I'm thrilled to present you with today's podcast episode with Ms Christie Aschwanden. Christie is the lead science writer for FiveThirtyEight and a former health columnist for the Washington Post. She's also a finalist for the National Magazine Award and her work has been featured in Discover, Smithsonian, and O, The Oprah Magazine. A fellow Coloradan like myself, Christie was a high school state champion in the 1,6000m run, a national collegiate cycling champion, and an elite cross-country skier with Team Rossignol. Her new book is Good to Go: What The Athlete in All of Us Can Learn From the Strange Science of Recovery. She's on the podcast to discuss individual post workout recovery strategies but also the bigger questions: How do we know if we're fooling ourselves that something is working (when it isn't)? Why isn't it enough to simply ask, "Does this recovery method work?" Overall, have we made recovery too complicated? How do you prioritize mental recovery? If you were to speak to the entire Olympic Team about recovery, what would you say? This episode is an excerpt of my full conversation with Christie for the Team Strength Running group coaching program.

4 Feb 201944min

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending an hour talking to Sarah Canney. She's a Road Runners Club of America and USA Track and Field certified running coach in addition to being a competitive mountain runner and member of the 2018 US National Snowshoe Running Team. In fact, she recently placed 9th at the World Championships in Val di Non, Italy on January 5th. Now, I've never gone snowshoe running. I don't own any snowshoes. Frankly, I don't even like the cold. But after hearing Sarah speak more about the sport and how fun it can be, it's something I'm dying to try (and you can't get a better snowshoe running venue than Colorado's Front Range!) And while snowshoe running might be a lot of fun, it can also be an extraordinarily helpful method of cross-training: There's less impact running slower on snow (and less injury risk) It's incredibly specific to running (in fact, it is running) Because it's more difficult than running on the road, less time is needed for a great workout The more and more I think about this sport, the more that I think runners need to try it! In this episode, we talk everything snowshoe running: How it's very similar to cross country The gear and equipment required for success The training: how is it different from running? What you need to know before getting started How difficult it can be and how that relates to pace and effort We also discuss her running retreat Rise. Run. Retreat. for women and how she's making a big impact in the world of women's running.

28 Jan 201948min

Megan Roche is a professional runner for HOKA ONE ONE and the 2016 USA Track & Field Trail Runner of the Year at the ultra and sub-ultra distances. A five-time national champion, she’s also the North American Mountain Running Champion and a six-time member of Team USA. Her new book The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer was written with her husband David Roche (also an elite runner who contributed to our Little Black Book of Recovery & Prevention) and presents a unique and compelling view of how to excel as a distance runner. In it, she discusses a wide range of fascinating topics for runners: The difference between hard and fast – and when to prioritize each How to define “the process” Why kindness can help you become a better runner And of course, Megan and David cover the training side of things with a focus on how to get the most out of your body. In this podcast conversation, Megan and I talk about: Can positivity make you a more robust runner? Does running make people more optimistic? Why is running “meaningless?” How her medical degree has impacted her training A lot more…

10 Jan 201942min

Over the last two years, I've been learning more and more about strength training. In fact, our new strength program High Performance Lifting (details here) has rocketed to our most popular training course. Like many runners, I'm not in love with weightlifting (I'd rather be running!) but I've come to appreciate just how valuable it is for endurance athletes. Higher levels of strength almost always lead to faster race times.   That's why I'm thrilled to present a new podcast with strength coach Tony Gentilcore. Tony previously joined us on the pod to talk about why runners should lift. He's back on today to go into more detail. Tony pointed out during our conversation that all of us deadlift all day long. Whenever we pick something up from the ground (a child, a bag of groceries, your running shoes), we're performing a deadlift. If we practice that movement and get stronger moving in that way, it will make life - and our running - a lot easier. And that's the mentality we should all have when we think about strength training: it's exercise that makes other exercise easier. But we're going to talk a lot more about the deadlift in this episode: Is there such a thing as "perfect" lifting form? Should we chase ideal form or make adjustments based on our own anatomy? The similarities between running and strength training If you're not sure where to start, don't miss SR's free strength series.

10 Des 201849min

Now, my goal at Strength Running is to always show you the most effective approach. The training that will most likely get you to achieve your biggest goals. That’s why we don’t waste time on minutiae. We don’t chase shiny objects like CrossFit Endurance or wonder if we should go keto or run all of our miles barefoot. We focus on what has been shown to conclusively work for runners. As you can imagine, some prevention strategies are better than others: If the goal is a fast marathon, great long runs are more effective than pool running workouts If the goal is a fast mile, speed development is more critical than foam rolling or core routines If the goal is to stay healthy long-term, a good dose of strength training is better than regular ice baths This episode will rank the most effective injury prevention strategies so you know which one to choose for your needs.

6 Des 201816min