The Running Explained Podcast

Dopey winner Brittany Charboneau (@funnyrunner26.2) joins the podcast this week to talk all about her magical winning weekend, her life as a pro runner, and training for multi-race events! Brittany's non-traditional path to becoming a professional runner Training for Dopey and her plan going into the weekend Her between-race recovery strategies The hardest moment of the weekend (that almost derailed her win!) Costuming for performance and more!! Brittany Charboneau (@funnyrunner26.2) is a Denver native and a professional road and trail runner sponsored by The North Face. She is known as The Funny Runner thanks to her background in improv and sketch comedy. Most notably, Brittany placed 13th at the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials, has a first-place title at the 2020 Pikes Peak Marathon, and most recently became the first person (male or female) to sweep the 2022 Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge by winning all four races across four days in the 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon distances…all while dressed in costume! Brittany prides herself in her creative approach to her running and on being “not just a runner.” When not training for her adventures, she is a running coach for Mercuria Running, is a digital collage artist, loves singing Disney and Broadway tunes! https://www.thefunnyrunner.com/

Do you get enough sleep? Do struggle with sleep quality or quantity? Are you unconvinced by regular, non-scientist people telling you how important getting enough sleep is for your overall health and your training/running performance? Real-life sleep scientist Dr. Amy Bender (@sleep4sport) joins the show to teach us all about sleep, specifically in the context of athletic performance! The different stages of sleep How much sleep do you need as a runner? Sleep quantity: do naps count? "Banking" sleep Sleep quality Early birds vs Night Owls & training schedule optimization Sleep disorders versus a "normal bad night of sleep" Treatment for insomnia Optimizing our nighttime routine for good sleep quality Meditation or mindfulness for sleep And more! Dr. Amy Bender is the Director Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra, a digital health company focused on improving access to advanced digital sleep analysis and diagnostic sleep technology. An award-winning sleep scientist, Amy Bender is bursting with evidence-based insights that will play an integral role in creating your new sleep strategy. After spending over 15 years studying sleep through many avenues including work as a sleep technician, clinical research, written publications, interviews for stories in Oprah Magazine and public speaking appearances including her Ted Med talk, Dr. Bender has an intimate relationship with the science. Her ability to translate science to the field is evident through her successful work with NHL, Canadian national team athletes, and Olympic athletes.

So you want to run your first marathon!! What do you need to know before you even start training? Running Coach Chris Knighton of Knighton Runs joins the show to discuss training for your first marathon! When do you know you're ready to train for a marathon? What kind of base do you need? "Bucket list" training versus training to perform your best How long should your long run be? The importance of fueling Choosing the right training plan And more! Chris Knighton helps passionate athletes run faster marathons. He is the founder and head coach of Knighton Runs Marathon Coaching and has been featured in Runner's World and Women's Running. His first book, "Run Faster Marathons - The Proven Path to PR" will be released in Early 2022. Chris lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his family. https://knightonruns.com https://www.instagram.com/knightonruns

MAKING RUNNING FRIENDS can be a challenge sometimes! Coach Whitney Heins, founder of The Mother Runners joins the show this week to talk about the importance of building community, finding "your running people" and how to make running friends Why running friends are different from "non-running" friends Finding a group or community The etiquette on group runs Traits of supportive communities and more! 🕶️🦩This episode is sponsored by GOODR SUNGLASSES! Get 15% off (my favorite) running sunglasses in the world & support the show using code RUNEXP at www.goodr.com! 🕶️ Whitney Heins is the founder of The Mother Runners, a VDOT-O2 certified running coach, 2:56 marathoner, freelance writer, a former award-winning TV news journalist, and most importantly, a mom of two beautiful, crazy kids. She's been featured in Runner’s World, The Huffington Post, US News and World Report, and more. She's thrilled to share all she learns with you so you can be your best selves on and off the roads.  Website: https://www.themotherrunners.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunners/

Multiple-time Leadville Marathon finisher, ultrarunner, & run coach Elizabeth Jansen Amell joins the show this week to talk all about how to start trail running! Elizabeth's story of losing her brother & why she started running How is trail running different from road running? Getting started/finding a trail Safety tips and practical advice Do you do speed work & strength train for trail running? Gear requirements Trail races & ultra races and more! Elizabeth is a former PreK teacher turned running coach, business owner, and blogger! With a focus on leading a healthy lifestyle, creating delicious recipes, and sharing her best running tips and race recaps, her blog Elizabeth Healthy Life documents her life as a young adult who turned tragedy and grief into motivation to work hard, build strength, inspire others, set goals, and crush them. Find Elizabeth on Instagram ElizabethHealthyLife.com 

Runner & Coach Michelle Baxter (@therunnersplate) joins the show to talk about achieving her years-long goal of running a sub-3 marathon and what it takes to chase your big goals! Learn about Michelle's journey of pursuing a sub-3 marathon Her best practices for both training and racing (fueling & more!) The anatomy of running a 100 mile peak week Why EVERY marathoner has doubts going into the race Why most runners don't set the right goals on the right timeline Tips for winter running (from Michelle's experience training in Alaska)  and more! Michelle is a running coach, blogger, and sub-3 marathoner. You can find her on Instagram @therunnersplate and on her website at www.therunnersplate.com where she blogs about her training, recipes, coaching, and more!

Welcome to Season 2 of the Running Explained Podcast! This week we're talking to Registered Dietitian Kristen Screen (@screennutrition) about hormones, health, and performance! WHAT are hormones? Why do they matter? Risk factors for hormone dysfunction and dysregulation Cortisol: friend or foe? Sex hormones Sleep for hormone health Insulin (yes, it's a hormone!) Thyroid functioning What you can do to support your hormone health & functioning Important macronutrients & micronutrients for hormone function ...and more! -- Kirsten Screen, MPH, RD, LD is YourFitnessDietitian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourfitnessdietitian Website: https://yourfitnessdietitian.com/ Kirsten Screen, MPH, RD, LD is an integrative performance dietitian. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and a Master of Public Health, both from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). She and her team work with active adults and athletes of all caliber to support root foundations and performance needs. Kirsten has been in this field for over 20 years, and her passion & goal is straightforward: she wants every human to use nutrition to elevate their health, life, and performance - not restrict their body into submission.

My guest for the final episode of 2021 is returning guest Amy Haas (@raceacrossthestates) to discuss staying motivated throughout the dark, cold winter. How DO we stay "motivated" during this time? What IS "motivation"? "After my fall races, I’m having trouble staying motivated because I don’t have a goal to work toward anymore" "My fall races tend to lead to overuse injuries which require patience and PT and limited running. How do I stay motivated?" "It's so hard to find time to run around the holidays, dealing with holiday foods, and running outside when it's snowy and icy!" "Running with my friend is the only way I know to stay motivated/accountable during the winter... how do I run solo?" Tips for creating intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation Practical tips for running in the winter ...and more! Amy Haas is a runner with an ultimate goal to run a half marathon in every single state - with 42/50 already under her belt. Her running journey focuses on enjoying the process & the progress of running - whether it's the process of traveling from state to state or the progress that naturally comes along the way! She is the creator of Run With Aim. Find her on Instagram at @raceacrossthestates and her website www.raceacrossthestates.com

Did you hit the wall in your last race? Are you struggling with fueling your training and racing? Sports Dietitian Kristy Baumann, RD (@marathon.nutritionist) joins the show to talk about THE WALL! What is "hitting the wall" and why does it happen? What should you do if you "hit the wall" in a run or race? Why is carbohydrate important for endurance training and performance? Fueling requirements for endurance events and more!! Kristy Baumann is a Registered Dietitian, marathon runner, wife and mom. As a collegiate runner, she thought she was eating healthy to support her training. In reality, she was eating too 'clean' and unknowingly was restricting calories, cutting out fat and ignoring hunger signs. Food was constantly on her mind and she had a big sweet tooth. These were all signs of underfueling that resulted in recurring injuries and a poor relationship with food. When she began to change her mindset around food, understand the science of nutrition and how the body works. She learned to fuel properly which resulted in feeling more energized and setting new PRs. Now she is on a mission to help other runners avoid "hitting the wall", have a healthy relationship with food, and live their best life. You can follow her on IG at @marathon.nutritionist

Dr. Matt Minard, DPT (@learn.2.run) joins the podcast to talk all about running form, running mechanics, and how to become morer efficient (read: faster!) runners with proper running form! The basics of your running gait cycle Why you should know what you look like when you run Footstrike: how & where to land Overstriding Importance of ankle mobility "Push with the tush" Arm carriage & upper body Running form drills & cues ...and more! 🕶️🦩This episode is sponsored by GOODR SUNGLASSES! Get 15% off (my favorite) running sunglasses & support the show using code RUNEXP at www.goodr.com! 🕶️🦩 -- Dr. Matt Minard received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from The University of Dayton in 2013, and then completed an orthopedic residency program in Charlotte, NC. Matt started an Instagram account (@learn.2.run) to help people run safely after he saw an uptick in running-related injuries after the pandemic started and many turned to running outdoors for exercise after gyms closed. Matt's passion is to keep people running because he personally understands how mentally and physically therapeutic running is. Learn.2.Run offers an abundance of free education along with training plans ranging from military to recreational runners. He’s not sure what the future holds but knows he won’t stop until the world is running safer. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learn.2.run Website: https://www.learn2run.club/