From poor tune-up races to switching up nutrition, pro runners face the same lessons more casual runners do.

Laura Thweatt is a 2:25 marathoner, professional runner for Saucony, and former US cross country champion.

She placed 5th in the 10k at the 2016 Olympic Trials and 5th in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.

We talk about:

• The emotions before a goal race and working with a sports psychologist during a taper
• Using a training journal to calm pre-race nerves and boost confidence
• Injury management with high mileage
• Handling a bad tune-up race
• Laura’s goals and strategies for the Chicago Marathon (which she had to pull out of after recording due to an Achilles injury)
• Laura’s approach to nutrition and using higher carb products during long runs
• How runners can celebrate breakthrough performances and absorb them before moving onto new goals

If you liked this episode, could you take a minute to leave a 5-star rating and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts?

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Laura on Instagram
• Get your own Performance Training Journal to prepare for your next personal best.
• Boost your mental toughness, banish pre-race anxiety, and build more confidence before your next race.

Thank you 2Before!

We are supported by 2Before, a powerful sports supplement made from New Zealand Blackcurrants designed to increase endurance, manage inflammation, support immunity, and promote adaptation. 2Before helps to boost performance by increasing blood flow, making it more efficient for the body to pump oxygenated nutrient-rich blood into the muscles.

So, if you want to try to boost your performance and immune system, use code JASON for 30% off 20 packs and multi-serve packs at 2Before.com.

Thank you to 2Before for supporting Strength Running!

Thank you AG1!

We’re also supported by AG1, the greens superfood mix. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens. It’s recommended by professional athletes and has over 7,000 positive reviews.

One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.

I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. They’ve made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable and rigorous with the 3rd party testing that they do.

For our listeners, they are offering a year’s worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop – the choice is yours. Check out AG1 to redeem your offer today.

Do super shoes give runners who use them an unfair advantage? Do they make it impossible to compare modern finish times with earlier performances?

Sabrina Little is a trail and ultra runner, formerly a professional runner for HOKA. She has won 5 national titles and a World silver medal, she previously held American records in the 24-hour and 200K, and she was 2013 USATF Ultrarunner of the Year.

Sabrina earned her doctorate in Philosophy and teaches ethics at Christopher Newport University.

We talk about:

• The ethical concerns of super shoes
• Sabrina’s lack of satisfaction post-5k due to wearing super shoes
• The distortion between effort and outcome when wearing super shoes
• The nuance of fairness and privilege as they relate to super shoes
• The need for clear shoe technology definitions and regulations to maintain the “spirit of sport”
• Why runners and coaches need to advocate for the intrinsic value of running

Continue the super shoes conversation by sending this episode to a friend with your thoughts.

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Sabrina on X/Twitter
• Sabrina on Instagram
• Sabrina's book, The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners
• Find Sabrina Little on Strava
• Want to learn more about super shoes? Tune into episode 227 with biomechanics and sport science PhD Geoff Burns.
• Hear from top track, road, and ultra runners on how they stay healthy.

Thank you DrinkLMNT!

A big thanks to DrinkLMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at DrinkLMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best. 

DrinkLMNT's products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.

If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.

Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out DrinkLMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.

Thank you to 2Before!

We are supported by 2Before, a powerful sports supplement made from New Zealand Blackcurrants designed to increase endurance, manage inflammation, support immunity, and promote adaptation. 2Before helps to boost performance by increasing blood flow, making it more efficient for the body to pump oxygenated nutrient-rich blood into the muscles.

So, if you want to try to boost your performance and immune system, use code JASON for 30% off 20 packs and multi-serve packs at 2Before.com.

Thank you to 2Before for supporting Strength Running!

Want to run faster with fewer injuries? Take a look at your gait.

Jessica Wulke is a dual board-certified specialist physical therapist in orthopedics and sports. She has extensive experience treating professional athletes and continues to treat athletes in the NFL and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

Jessica was the leading gait analysis and running injury therapist at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation.

We talk about:

• The basics of gait analysis for runners
• Common issues that gait analysis can identify, like hip and core weaknesses
• Hip drop, crossover gait, and foot pronation or supination
• How strength training can help your form and prevent injuries
• The expected timeline for retraining running form
• How running form impacts performance
• How to be proactive in staying strong and reducing injury

Send this episode to a friend who you want to be your accountability buddy for form drills!

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Jessica on LinkedIn
• Academy Medtech Ventures
• Get my favorite form cues and how to implement them in your training.

Thank you to 2Before!

We are supported by 2Before, a powerful sports supplement made from New Zealand Blackcurrants designed to increase endurance, manage inflammation, support immunity, and promote adaptation. 2Before helps to boost performance by increasing blood flow, making it more efficient for the body to pump oxygenated nutrient-rich blood into the muscles.

So, if you want to try to boost your performance and immune system, use code JASON for 30% off 20 packs and multi-serve packs at 2Before.com.

Thank you to 2Before for supporting Strength Running!

Thank you AG1!

We’re also supported by AG1, the greens superfood mix. This is a category-leading greens mix that has 75 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, and adaptogens. It’s recommended by professional athletes and has over 7,000 positive reviews.

One scoop per day is what I’ve been doing to help me fill in any nutrition gaps in my diet. It also provide a nice boost of energy and focus throughout the day. With all 3 of my kids in school, I know I need to support my immune system or else I’m getting sick and can’t train.

I also love that AG1 has changed over the last decade. They’ve made 53 improvements to the formula based on the latest research to make these nutrients more absorbable and rigorous with the 3rd party testing that they do.

For our listeners, they are offering a year’s worth of free Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs of AG1 with your first purchase. You can sign up for single shipment or for a monthly drop – the choice is yours. Check out AG1 to redeem your offer today.

How much attention do you need to give to your weight as a runner?

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky is an obesity and lipid specialist physician who’s helped thousands of patients across the US.

After competing on a college track team in the horrible early 2000’s culture of “lighter is better,” I wanted to bring a medical expert onto the podcast to discuss weight loss in a responsible way.

We talk about:

• The balance between fueling for performance and the potential need for weight loss
• Assessing whether weight loss is clinically indicated or potentially harmful
• Focusing on nutrition rather than just running more to lose weight
• Body composition and maintaining muscle and bone mass
• The risks of RED-S and what both men and women should look out for
• Nutrition recommendations for runners
• Thoughts on weight loss medications like Ozempic for runners

Chime in with your top takeaways from this episode on Instagram.

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Dr. Nadolsky on Instagram, on X/Twitter, and on YouTube
• Docs Who Lift Podcast
• Get recovery and injury prevention tips from 9 elite runners.

Thank you DrinkLMNT!

A big thanks to DrinkLMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at DrinkLMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best. 

DrinkLMNT's products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.

If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.

Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out DrinkLMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.

Thanks to MOBO Board!

Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!

Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.

I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.