The Running Explained Podcast

Got shin splints? WHY?? What causes shin splints and what can you do about them? Sports Physical Therapist Dr. Marie Whitt rejoins the show to discuss all things shin splints, including...⁠⁠ Symptoms of shin splints (what do they usually feel like?)⁠ What ARE shin splints?⁠ What (do we think) is the cause of shin splints?⁠ How should you treat shin splints if they pop up?⁠ Specific prehab & rehab exercises for shin splints⁠ Reprogramming neuromotor control to treat shin splints ⁠ Dealing with chronic shin splints ⁠ ...and more!⁠ Dr. Marie Whitt, DPT, is runner and a sports Physical Therapist. Her job is to help runners train smarter to get stronger, and be faster by improving movement so you can run your best and compete at your highest level! https://www.drwhittfit.com https://www.instagram.com/dr.whitt.fit

WHY DO MY HIP FLEXORS FEEL TIGHT?? Physical Therapist Dr. Lisa Mitro (@dr.lisa.dpt) joins the show to talk about the how and why behind hip flexor issues in runners! What are the hip flexors? "Why do my hip flexors feel tight??" Self-assessment for tightness versus weakness How to treat weak hip flexors How to treat tight hip flexors Stretching: yay or nay? Are weak hip flexors preventing you from increasing your cadence? and more!! Dr. Lisa Mitro is a physical therapist that specializes in the prevention and treatment of running injuries and has helped thousands of runners from across the globe. She’s on a mission to inspire and educate runners of all experiences and ages so they can continue running pain-free. She is a Richmond native and a true believer that movement is medicine. Find her on Instagram at @dr.lisa.dpt and on her website www.drlisadpt.com

Dr. McKale Montgomery, 2:34 marathoner and iron researcher, joins the show this week to discuss her two great loves: endurance running and iron!! Learn all about iron and the role it plays in our body every day, the importance of iron for endurance performance (and health), and more! What role does iron play in our body? Why is sufficient iron important specifically for running performance? Iron deficiency/anemia & causes & risk factors Iron overload & causes Iron absorption & metabolism The daily iron needs of the average runner PLUS learn about McKale's elite-level training and her big upcoming goals! Dr. McKale Montgomery, MS, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University, and has a marathon PR pf 2:34:36. In her lab, she studies how perturbations in cellular iron metabolism influence both health outcomes and disease progression. You can find her on Twitter at @McKaleDavis  -- Elisabeth Scott is the founder and head coach at Running Explained. She holds certifications from RRCA, USATF, and UESCA and is on a mission to get runners to slow the heck down on their easy runs. Find her at www.runningexplained.co and on Instagram at @runningexplained

The Boston Marathon returns to Patriots' Day in 2022! Coach Mary Johnson (@itsamarython), Founder of Lift.Run.Perform, joins the show to talk ALL THINGS BOSTON! From the history of the race, to qualifying times, and an overview of the course itself, tips, tricks, and how-tos, this episode is your primer on the Boston Marathon! A brief history of the Boston Marathon How to run Boston: qualifying times and charity bibs Discussion: is it possible that anyone can run a BQ time? The "Boston Qualifying Standards" THE COURSE: running your best Boston! Pacing and strategy for the downhill start The logistics of the start & Athlete Village The atmosphere & crowd Tips for your first Boston Marathon And more! Mary Johnson is a USATF and VDOT certified running coach, owner of Lift.Run.Perform, mother of two under 3, and athlete. She's had the pleasure of coaching athletes of all levels and abilities - from sub-3 marathons to beginner 5ks. She believes in a slow progression and consistent communication between coach and athlete. Above all, she believes in meeting yourself where you are as an athlete, believing in yourself, and flourishing from there. She also wants to encourage more runners to shed their fear of the weight room, because a strong athlete is a strong (and fast!) runner.

Interested in ultras? What IS an ultra, how do you train for one, and how the heck do you fuel such long endurance event? Sports RD Kylee Van Horn joins the show to discuss the basics of ultrarunning events, what she considers an "ultra" from a fueling standpoint, and what you need to know about fueling and hydration (and ALL the logistics) for your ultra event! What IS an ultra? Is it just by distance, or by time on feet? The standard ultra race distances Basic logistics for training & racing Fueling strategies for ultras Hydration & electrolytes for ultras and more! Kylee Van Horn, RDN is an endurance sports dietitian, who takes a balanced, sustainable approach to fuel the everyday up to the elite athlete.  Her mission is to separate facts from fads in the nutrition space and work to provide easy nutrition solutions to help improve health and performance.  Today, Kylee is the founder and owner of her sports nutrition business Flynutrition, which helps runners, triathletes, and skiers to learn not only the ‘why’ but the ‘how’ behind fueling for performance.  She also is a freelance writer for Trail Runner Magazine, Women's Running Magazine, and Outside Online. Beyond her work in sports nutrition, Kylee can be found running peaks near Aspen, CO with her two Australian shepherds and ultra endurance husband, Sean.

Have you ever walked into a running store and been intimidated and overwhelmed? Do you want to learn more about running shoes? Hollie Sick (@fueledbylolz) joins the show to talk all about how to buy running shoes and her experience working in run specialty for a decade!⁠ 👟What we mean when we say you should get "fitted" for a running shoe⁠ 👟What to expect when you go to a running store⁠ 👟"Arch support"⁠ 👟Do you need to "break in" your running shoes?⁠ 👟Shoe sizes & widths⁠ 👟Rotating shoes⁠ 👟Carbon plate shoes and other shoe technology/trends⁠ 👟General terminology⁠ 👟and more!⁠ Hollie Sick has been running for 12 years. She has worked in run specialty for 8 + years and probably fit over 1000 people for shoes. She has seen the rise of minimalist shoes, then maximalist, and now carbon plated. You can find her on social media as fueledbylolz and blogging www.fueledbylolz.com.

SOLO EPISODE! Making a race day plan: what do you need to do to make your big race day successful? Logistics: traveling, food, timing, etc Working backwards on race day Big races with corrals & special considerations Race day gear Fueling & Hydration strategy A, B, C, D goals Developing pacing strategies  Planning for in-race challenges & rough spots and more! Elisabeth Scott is the founder and head coach at Running Explained. She holds certifications from RRCA, USATF, and UESCA and is on a mission to get runners to slow the heck down on their easy runs. Find her at www.runningexplained.co and on Instagram at @runningexplained

Sports Dietitian Steph Hnatiuk returns to the podcast for a deep discussion on body composition: what it is, what we really mean when we talk about body composition and "recomposition", and why chasing that ultra-low body fat percentage or certain physique goal might not be helping your running performance! What does "body composition" mean? Factors that influence body composition Why the scale can stay the same while your body composition changes Why "leaner" isn't always healthier When body recomp & training go together (& when they don't) Nutritional timing for body composition and more! Steph Hnatiuk has been a Registered Dietitian and Fitness Coach for over 10 years and has helped thousands of people improve their eating habits, get big results, and develop a better relationship with food. She helps runners of all levels achieve their personal best performance using her 3-step strategy: the Fuel Train Recover method. You can find her on Instagram @steph.the.runners.dietitian, or at www.stephaniehnatiuk.com

What happens when you're running "aerobically"? What is "anaerobic" training? WHY should you know and care? Coach Laura Norris (@lauranorrisrunning) brings the SCIENCE on this episode on go through WHAT happens in our bodies when we're creating energy aerobically versus anaerobically, WHEN you train in one specific energy/effort zone versus another, and WHY we should know this! What is "aerobic" energy production versus "anerobic" energy production The basics of how your body creates and uses energy in different effort zones Aerobic threshold & the importance of building your aerobic base "Maffetone Method" training VO2max (maximum rate of oxygen uptake per minute) The thresholds you should know about Training intensity distribution 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! 🕶️ Laura Norris is a certified running coach, content creator, and marathoner. She is the owner of Laura Norris Running and has coached over 220 runners, from beginner runners to BQ marathoners to 100K ultra runners. Her marathon PR is a 3:29 and half marathon PR a 1:34. She is also earning her Master of Science in Applied Exercise Science at Concordia University - Chicago. In addition to coaching and running, she is a wife, toddler mom, and rescue dog owner, and enjoys gardening, home brewing beer, hiking, and spending time outdoors.

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/