The Run Smarter Podcast

Dr. Carl Foster is an Exercise Physiologist in the Department of Exercise & Sports Science. He has published close to 500 clinical papers on clinical physiology including 'Prevention, Diagnosis & Treatment of Over-training syndrome: Joint Consensus Statement'.Following a quote from Shona Halson 'There's a belief out there that you can't over-train, you can only under-recover', Carl dives into this training trap that slowly morphs into overtraining syndrome.Dr. Foster also helps highlight the difference between functional & non-functional over-reaching within your running, along with the differences in symptoms. Carl also does an excellent job at explaining the course of treatment and even prevention strategies.This was an entertaining interview as Dr. Foster's passion on the topic takes us through historic stories and interesting facts all about our current understanding of overtraining syndrome. If you would like to reach out to Dr. Carl Foster you can do so at cfoster@uwlax.edu Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

Christie Aschwanden is an american journalist, science writer and author of Good to Go: How to eat, sleep & rest like a champion. Christie's work has had a huge influence on the momentum of this recovery month theme and today, we focus on Nutrition for optimal recovery. After chatting about the book we then draw our attention towards hydration to the recreational runner. How important is hydration and how do we know if we are having too little or too much fluid? We then dive into common nutrition mistakes runners often make, whether it is for recovery, race day preparation or weekly routine.We then cover a tonne of listener questions, including the relevance of the 30-minute post exercise nutrition window, how effective beer is post run, and should we follow the science claims on recovery supplements. You can find Christie's website here and also her twitter instagram and podcastIf you would like to learn more about the Proximal Hamstring 4-week program please click on the link hereYou can find Shona's twitter account here Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

Shona Halson is an Associate Professor in the School of Behavioural & Health Sciences at ACU. She is world renowned in the field of recovery and has worked with countless elite athletes. Today, we talk about Shona's 'recovery pyramid', and highlight where you should be focusing your recovery strategy before moving onto other less effective methods.We start off with Shona explaining the benefits of sleep & 'downtime', before moving onto the center focus of the interview which revolves around water immersion therapy, compression, active recovery, stretching and massage.I ask how important cold water therapy is, what the evidence points to, and what would be the appropriate practical implications for a recreational runner. We get specific with the different temperature, duration in the water, whether you should be moving or keep still, and if there is benefit shifting from cold to warm water.We then shift our attention towards compression for recovery, including leggings, medical grade compression and expensive leg compression devices. Lastly, we answer your questions! Including the best active recovery post long run, and whether it's best to completely rest or actively recover following a hard session.If you would like to learn more about the Proximal Hamstring 4-week program please click on the link hereYou can find Shona's twitter account here Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group 

We continue our recovery month with interviewing Chris Schneider. A PhD student in Athlete monitoring & heart rate measures. Chris has contributed to several scientific papers relating to this topic including his leading author contributions in the paper 'Heart rate monitoring in team sports - A conceptual framework for contextualizing heart rate measures for training and recovery prescription'. I chat with Chris about the relevance of heart rate for the recreational runner and where the current science sits on its accuracy. We then dive into factors that can influence your heart rate and when you should be cautious with interpreting this data to make smarter training decisions. Finally, Chris shares his views on the practical implications of heart rate monitoring for the recreational runner, whether it be during exercise, or during recovery. This episode ties in well with our last episode interviewing Simon Wegerif on Heart rate variability and the clinical relevance of its data. Click here to find Chris Schneider on TwitterBecome a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

We continue our recovery month theme with interviewing Simon Wegerif. Simon is the founder of ithlete and has website myithlete.com selling heart rate variability (HRV) apps and sensors.Firstly, Simon explains the measurement of heart rate variability and how the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are involved. He does an excellent job of explaining this concept to the general public and is extremely knowledgeable with the available research on the topic. Simon then explains what will influence your HRV including emotional stress, sickness, physical strain, over-reaching exercise and different foods. Most importantly, we turn our attention to HRV and recovery! Including practical ways you can analyse and interpret HRV to make smarter training decisions. This episode will tie in really well with our next conversation with Dr. Chris Schneider next episode to talk about heart rate and recovery!Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

May I introduce the first guest to our recovery month! Dr. Izzy Smith is a specialist in hormone health and today we focus on all things hormones, stress & recovery.Firstly, Izzy talks about the concept of 'over-training vs under-recovering' and why a recreational runner needs to be mindful of this.We then move onto the role of certain hormones that hinder and enhance our ability to recover. Particularly nor-adrenaline & cortisol, these are typically classed as 'stress hormones' and the body will not enter the rest & recovery phase if circulating high amounts of these.We all know the body will struggle to recover if subject to large amounts of physical stress, but Dr. Izzy Smith highlights the role of emotional & psychological stress as equally important states. We simple cannot recover to the same ability if subject to these psychological stressors. We finish off today's episode with some listener Q&As around magnesium supplements, Vitamin D supplements and anti-inflammatory medications for recovery. You can find Izzy's  Podcast Behind the uniform hereAlso click the link for Izzy's instagramBecome a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

Today is episode #1 of our Recovery Month theme! We kick off the month by recapping on relatable past episodes. Rather than send you back to refresh your knowledge, Brodie thought it would be a better idea to do the hard work for you. So, we summarize the key points from these episode:Episode #7: Stress less: The hidden dangers that reduced your capacity to adapt.Episode #18: Sleep & cortisol in running injuriesEpisode #28: Sleep science for runners with Dr Amy BenderEpisode #59 Q&A: Warm-up, Stretching & recovery tipsEpisode #79 The good & Bad of Massage therapy with Alice SanvitoBecome a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

Following our last interview with Jaclyn, we continue to learn from personal rehab stories. This episode, Brodie interviews Michelle who has suffered from proximal hamstring tendinopathy for over over 12 months. An avid distance runner for the past 10 years, Michelle received a lot of physical and mental benefits from running until her marathon progress was brought to a holt!Michelle has an open conversation about her hamstring pain and the detrimental effects it had on both physical and emotional state. She details how her day-to-day activities became more restrictive and what finally caused her rehab to turn a corner.  Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

On today's episode Jaclyn opens up about her experience with chronic knee pain. After her initial knee pain during marathon training 5 years earlier, Jaclyn found her symptoms gradually spin out of control. Jaclyn describes her experiences as her symptoms intensify, to the point of constant fear and anxiety whenever she had to move or even see other people walking!We dive into the impact thoughts and beliefs have towards chronic pain and how Jaclyn worked her way out of this spiral. She gave herself permission to heal and has started her running journey again feeling liberated and empowered. Listen to her entire story on today's episode.You can find Jaclyn's podcast by searching 'Actually, You are a real runner'.Click on the link to find Jaclyn's instagramOr e-mail Jaclyn at coachjaclyn@jaclynricchio.com  Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group

Dr. Kieran O'Sullivan is a Physiotherapist, Clinician, Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Limerick. His research interests are pain & injury with low back pain specifically. This episode helps debunk a lot of unhelpful myths that plague back pain sufferers. Most of the template from today's discussion comes from the research paper Back to Basics: 10 facts every person should know about back pain. Firstly, we dive into the myth that low back pain is caused by 'weak core muscles'. Brodie shares his experience at university and how this myth was created. Dr O'Sullivan dives into the helpful understanding around general strength without necessarily focusing on isolated 'core activation'.Next we investigate the myth around poor posture. A lot of people will hear lifting is bad for your back and slouching with cause strain, but Kieran highlights the importance of being comfortable when sitting and building up levels of tolerance for lifting anyway you feel necessary.Our last topics revolve around running with pain, effective treatment, unhelpful treatment and passive 'hands-on' methods. This is an eye opener from a lot of people and hopefully an empowering discussion.You can find Dr. Kieran O'Sullivan on Twitter here.As referenced, you can listen to the Empowered Beyond Pain podcast here.For more information and an insightful quiz head to www.lowbackpaincommunication.com/quiz Become a Patron! Choose your Tier HereRun Smarter YouTube ChannelReceive Run Smarter EmailsBook a FREE Injury chat with BrodieRun Smarter App IOS or Android Podcast Facebook group