Training Smarter, Not Harder: Running Myths, Hills, Strength etc

Training Smarter, Not Harder: Hills, Recovery & Running Myths (Women’s Running Collective Ep. 76)

In this episode of the Women’s Running Collective, Hayles and Jussie catch up on the week that was from Jussie’s hill-heavy training as she builds towards UTA 50K, to Hayles sharing how special their International Women’s Day community run was, raising funds for a local oncology unit and women’s shelter.

From there, the conversation shifts into something we see all the time in the running world the pressure to do more. More kilometres, more sessions, more intensity. Hayles and Jussie chat about why sometimes the smartest thing you can do as a runner is actually train smarter, not harder.

They talk about the influence of social media, the pressure that can come from Strava comparisons, and training apps that sometimes push unrealistic mileage without considering real life things like injuries, work, family life, or even menstrual cycles.

The girls then dive into some of the most common running myths they hear from the community like the idea that more kilometres always equals better performance, that you need to run every day to improve, or that strength training will make you bulky. They also chat about misconceptions around running ruining your joints, needing a certain body type to be a runner, or thinking you need expensive gear to get started.

To wrap it all together, Hayles and Jussie break down what they believe are the four key pillars of training well: consistency, speed and hill work, strength training, and rest. Along the way they chat about adding strides, fartlek sessions, cross training, and making sure you’re fuelling and recovering properly.

The episode also features sponsor mentions for the ASICS Superblast 3, plus their weekly recommendations including recovery sessions, planning for the Gold Coast races, and a lifesaver for busy weeks: The Dinner Ladies.

Timestamps

00:00 Sponsor and cold open 00:29 Meet the hosts 01:10 Jazzy UTA training week 03:16 Haley community run recap 05:50 Why train smarter 06:24 Social media pressure and apps 10:57 Misconception more is better 13:24 Rest days and recovery 14:06 Easy miles and zone two 15:27 Cross training and warmups 18:02 Strength and joint myths 18:52 Gear body type and weight loss 22:14 Post Run Refuel 22:50 Pillar One Consistency 24:52 Hills And Speedwork 26:58 Strides For Form 30:10 Fartlek Speed Play 31:11 Pillar Three Strength 32:55 Pillar Four Rest 34:45 Extra Tips Cross Training 36:13 Live Episode Preview 37:32 ASICS Superblast Ad 38:53 Recommendations Segment 43:16 Wrap Up And Thanks