The Strength Running Podcast

Sara Hall has been competing at the highest level for nearly 30 years. She was the 2000 high school national cross country champion before earning 7-time All-America honors at Stanford University.

Not only has she won 10 US National Championship titles, but she’s the only American to win national titles in both the mile and the marathon. Her incredible range is also demonstrated by her gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in the steeplechase, while also being the second fastest American female marathoner with a time of 2:20:32.

She was previously on the podcast when I interviewed 5 el...

Coach Sean Brosnan turned around a struggling Newbury Park high school cross country team that hadn't qualified for a State Championship in 25 years. Soon, they had won three consecutive National Championships. How did he do it?

Sean shares the psychological and physical strategies he used to instill belief, develop fitness, and build the bond between teammates. His all-in, often unorthodox approach, raised eyebrows but undeniably got incredible results.

Himself a distinguished endurance runner, Sean was a collegiate All-American in both cross country and track and holds a personal best of 3:44.33 in the 1500m. He's now...

What are the most effective recovery strategies for runners?

In this episode, Jason distills his 15+ years of coaching and 27 years of running experience into the most important lessons about the recovery process. Hindsight is 20/20!

For more on recovery, download our free Little Black Book of Recovery & Prevention and you'll hear advice from 9 elite athletes including Dathan Ritzenhein, Amelia Boone, and more.

Thank you for listening and subscribing to the Strength Running Podcast!

After resisting most supplements for the better part of my life, I’m cautiously changing my tu...

Phil Batterson is a competitive runner, former running coach, and the founder of Critical Oxygen. Phil has a PhD in human bioenergetics and a love for all sorts of endurance sports, from rowing to track and field and ultras. His goal with Critical Oxygen is to teach athletes and coaches how to optimize their physiology to maximize endurance performance.

This episode is important and is a repost of episode 330 from 2023.

Phil breaks down some of the complex physiology behind the three different thresholds to make it more accessible, as well as providing practical ways to...

Dan joins us on the podcast today: a runner who recently improved his marathon from 3:38 to 3:08.

In this conversation, Dan shares what he did to improve by a massive 30 minutes over 26.2 miles. But what if he wants to keep going? What if Dan wants to run another 30 minutes faster and start flirting with a sub-2:40 marathon?

We'll cover what training changes need to happen to break 3 and run a much more competitive marathon finish time.

Thanks to Dan for coming on the podcast and sharing his story!

More resources: 

Andrea (Annie) Rodenfels is a 7x All-American in the steeplechase and 5,000m, national champion, Drake Relays 3,000m steeplechase champion, and 2x Olympic Trials qualifier.

Annie is also one of the few pro runners to come from a Division III school. In this episode, we discuss her path to going pro:

When you get a new smart watch, heart rate monitor, or other type of wearable, do you know how it will help your running, specifically?

Dr. Peter Tierney is a health and performance researcher, consultant, and coach who’s worked with many professional sports organizations across Europe. He joins us today to discuss the science behind wearable tech.

We discuss: 

Runners are heat training more often with saunas, hot tubs, and hot weather runs. How much do we need to realize the full benefits of heat training? What are the best options and how do we structure it into our training?

In this episode, coach Jason Fitzgerald shares how to think about heat training from duration to frequency to type of heat training.

Resources: 

Thanks Boulderthon!

Boulderthon is a top 10 race in America according to USA Today and one of the be...

Dr. Philip Skiba is a physician, performance consultant for the Breaking 2 project, coach to dozens of world class athletes, and author of Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes.

Phil is a world-class expert on running physiology and how to race faster. His groundbreaking research into Critical Power, Critical Speed, and the "W Prime" model of fatigue help the best runners in the world plan their training. And the best coaches seek him out for guidance.

In this conversation, we discuss: 

Keira D'Amato holds the American record in the 10-mile and is the former half-marathon and marathon American record holder. Her new book, Don't Call it a Comeback, is now available for preorder. 

She was a 4x All-American at American University in both Cross Country and Track but took about a decade off from running seriously in her 20's and 30's. Keira joined us on the podcast in 2018 to discuss her comeback to running. Now, she's back to discuss what that comeback looked like and how she made it happen. 

Keira and Jason discuss: 

Colleen Quigley is a 2016 Olympian, steeplechaser, and former model. She accepted a full scholarship to Florida State University, where she became a nine-time NCAA All-American and a 2015 NCAA Champion in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

Colleen went on to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, finishing 8th in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She is also a current world record-holder in the 4x1500-meter relay, set in 2020.

In this episode, we discuss Colleen's:

Podcaster and coach Lindsey Hein recently hosted Jason on her podcast, I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein. The conversation was wide-ranging and touched on a variety of topics so it had to be shared again!

Lindsey asks Jason about: 

You can also read more about Jason & Strength Running here.

Boulderthon is a top 10 race in America according to USA Today and on...

Pete Pfitzinger is a RRCA hall of famer, top American at two Olympic Marathons, and legendary coach and author most known for his book Advanced Marathoning (the 4th edition is now available for preorder!).

He's the top American at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Marathons, a 2-time winner of the San Francisco Marathon, 3rd place finisher at the 1987 NYC Marathon, and a coach with 30+ years of experience.

He's on the podcast today to discuss marathon training:

Strength training is such a valuable tool for building speed, power, efficiency, strength, and injury resilience, that this episode needed to be republished! It originally aired in March 2022.

Andy Galpin, PhD has been an assistant professor at California State University Fullerton for more than a decade. He formerly won a Division 3 national football championship while earning his exercise science degree at Linfield College. He then got his Master’s in Human Movement Sciences and his PhD in human bioenergetics. He serves on many advisory boards in the area of human performance, wrote the 2017 book Unplugged, and is a...

Continuous Glucose Monitors - or CGM's - tell you how much glucose is in your body in real-time. But can they be helpful for runners?

As the carb revolution continues and we understand the importance of high-carb fueling for endurance performance, the next logical question to ask is: Well, what's the optimal level of glucose? Is there a range that's most beneficial?

Coach Hunter Allen joins us to discuss how to train effectively with a CGM. He is a USA Cycling Level I coach, founder of the Peaks Coaching Group, cofounder of TrainingPeaks Software, and a...

A breakthrough race is intoxicating. Running a big Personal Best is a clear sign that you're training well, thriving, and on the right track.

But what happens next?

What happens after you run a big PR and your season comes to an end? How do you keep the momentum going, while still respecting recovery and your need for down-time? 

This episode is a repost of a conversation on the Elevate Your Running podcast with coach Sara Manderscheid. We talk about:

Do nasal strips actually help you breathe better? What about detox diets or organic food - are they worth it?

In this episode, Dr. Nick Tiller shares the evidence behind a variety of health and wellness trends and ideas, including:

Dr. Nick Tiller is a research associate at the Lundquist Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, an acclaimed writer, and author of The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science which was named one of Book Authority's "Best Sports Science Books of All Time." He is an...

Creatine is now one of the most hyped supplements with promises of faster recovery, leaner muscle gain, and even increased strength and power.

But should distance runners consider adding it to their routine? Is it worth the benefits while considering its drawbacks.

Brady Holmer is a physiologist, 2:24 marathoner, and author of the Physiologically Speaking and Run Long, Run Healthy newsletters (the latter was previously authored by legend Amby Burfoot). He joins us to discuss:

My client Brandon has had an amazing few years: he resolved several imbalances, improved his stride, healed ITBS, ran PR's in 4 major race distances, and also set a few training mileage PR's .... wow!

In this episode, he explains how he turned his running around and got faster, healthier, and able to train even more.

A big part was his embrace of strength training with our High Performance Lifting program. For other options, see all of our Training Programs.

We discuss:

Dr. Victoria Sekely is a physical therapist, certified strength & conditioning specialist, and certified running coach. She is one of the brightest, most nuanced thinkers in the running space.

In this episode, we answer YOUR questions about strength training!

I am so impressed with Victoria that...

Bestselling author and acclaimed exercise science journalist Alex Hutchinson is back on the podcast!

He is a regular columnist for Outside magazine writing the Sweat Science column and has contributed to publications such as the New York Times and the New Yorker.

He’s a former member of the Canadian national team, holds a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge, a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and conducted post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency.

We're exploring the frontier: what Alex is most excited about from the latest research th...

Hear Jason getting interviewed about fundamental training: the most important elements of any training plan, why you should focus on middle distances, the remaining 1% of things to focus on, why the term "full marathon" should be banished, and more.

This is a repost of an episode of the Inspired Soles Podcast.

Resources from the show:

Don't forget to hit the follow button and subscribe to the Strength Running Podcast!

After resisting m...

Jackie Gaughan is one of the fastest marathoners in the United States.

She’s a Boston-based, Saucony sponsored athlete who ran for the University of Notre Dame where she earned All-conference honors in both cross country and track. She qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials at Berlin, where she was the second American finisher. She holds a personal best of 2:24:40 in the marathon and 1:10:01 in the half marathon. 

Jackie's also a full-time financial analyst for Goldman Sachs, often working 50-60 hours a week. How does she run more than 100 miles per week, with hard wor...

Our diet and fueling habits are setting important examples for our kids. Are we doing it right?

Joining me is coach Michele Pettinger. She’s a Level 2 certified coach through the Road Runners’ Club of America, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition through the ISSA, and she’s the author of the new book The Young Runner’s Guide to Nutrition.

We discuss how young runners should be fueling and approaching nutrition (which during the teen years is a formative time period). It’s critical we get the basics of sound nutrition habits right early so that we...

150 years ago, electricity was added to mechanical products to make them better. It ushered in the era of the automobile and was described as the Second Industrial Revolution.

We're now experiencing a second revolution: adding intelligence to common products to make them better. And this intelligence is coming for your running shoes.

Avelo is pioneering the world's first truly smart running shoe: one that measures motion over time, so you can determine how your body experiences impact and how your form degrades as you fatigue.

This is game-changing: imagine knowing when you've over-extended...

No runner wants to get injured. But the worst part of an injury is often the mental side of it, not the physical!

Sure, you can go to the PT or self-treat your injury. That will help you physically heal. 

But what about your loss of identity when you can't run? What about the loss of a future goal? How will you respond to feeling like you lost your community?

Perhaps more importantly, your mental outlook will affect how you treat your injury and the level of success of that treatment. We have t...

Bestselling author, running coach, nutritionist, and 2:39 marathoner Matt Fitzgerald is back on the podcast!

Today, we're answering the big question: How do you master the sport of running?

We're not talking about getting fast or turning pro. Instead, we're talking about mastering the craft of running: becoming process-oriented and in-tune with yourself so that you can achieve your potential in the sport.

Matt's new book, Chasing Mastery, addresses this topic. He's also authored 30+ other endurance books, including some of my favorites: 

In thi...

Running gets harder as we get older. Being a master's runner makes it harder to focus on health, speed, and improvement. 

But with a sound approach, we can thrive in our 40's, 50's, and beyond.

Joining us is Coach Michael McGrane, who has been in the running industry for more than 40 years. Currently the head coach of the Norwich University Cross Country team, he's won "Coach of the Year" awards, holds a 2:30 marathon PR, and is currently training for his 24th Boston Marathon.

We’re going to discuss the physical and psychological changes tha...

Coach Elisabeth Scott hosts the enormously popular Running Explained podcast and joins us today to answer your running questions!

We’ll be answering questions about warmups and cool-downs, strides, tempo workouts, core routines, how to taper effectively, and when to schedule strength training.

Want to get your questions answered by Jason during our live Coaching Call? Join Team Strength Running!

Thank you Gut & Green!

Previnex’s new Gut & Green Superfoods powder is my new go-to. It has organic barley and oat grass, alfalfa, spirulina, chlorella, kale and broccoli… and that’s it. Their...

Melanie is a 40-year old runner who had some success in her 20's but is now ready to make a comeback. How can she do it?

In this behind-the-scenes coaching call, Jason helps Melanie with her training and goals as she re-commits herself to running after years focusing on weightlifting. 

Melanie is a member of Team Strength Running, our group coaching program that gives you a team of your peers, ongoing coaching guidance from me, a library of training plans and other resources gear discounts, and more. Join our team at strengthrunning.com/join/ to d...

You start feeling pain in your Achilles tendon– should you still go for an easy run?

Dr. Duane Scotti, DPT, PhD, OCS is a running physical therapist, Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, run coach, host of the Healthy Runner podcast, and founder of Spark Healthy Runner.

We talk about:

Take these recovery strategies from a pro to recover faster and feel better from run to run.

Brendan “BJ” Cole is an Australian Olympic 400m hurdler, massage therapist, and sprint and strength coach.

We talk about:

Team Strength Running combines coaching with community to help runners work toward all sorts of goals.

Team member Brian came on the show to share about his running journey and goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

I gave him some steps to take to make his dream a reality, and thought you’d also benefit from hearing a recording of a live coaching call.

We talk about:

There's a lot of confusing info on the internet when it comes to building endurance.

Let's get you the knowledge you need to set you up for a strong, injury-free year. Listen to get answers to these questions:

Get your fill of running news, exciting gear, and race thoughts on another Unfiltered episode with Jon Levitt!

Jon is a sub-3 marathoner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston now living in Boulder. He hosts For The Long Run Podcast, aimed at understanding what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.

We talk about:

Are the injury prevention tools you’re using truly helping, or are they a waste of time?

Dr. Kate Mihevc Edwards, PT, DPT, OCS, is a board-certified orthopedic specialist, author, and renowned running medicine physical therapist with over 15 years of experience in orthopedics and sports medicine.

As the owner of Precision Performance and Physical Therapy in Atlanta, GA, and founder of Fast Bananas RUNsource, she is dedicated to helping runners—from recreational athletes to Olympians—prevent injuries, recover effectively, and achieve peak performance.

We talk about:

What can endurance runners learn from sprinting about running form, technique, and mechanics?

Stuart McMillan is an Olympic Sprint Coach who’s coached more than 70 Olympians over 9 Olympic Games and over 30 medals won.

As the CEO of ALTIS, an elite training environment and global leader of education in sport performance, Stu’s an absolute legend in the world of elite sprint performance.

We talk about:

Whether or not you've tried ketones yourself yet, you should hear the fascinating research and predictions from an expert.

Michael Brandt is the founder and CEO of Ketone-IQ. He's also a 2:42 marathoner, triathlete, and former professor at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

We talk about:

Runners often struggle with mindset blocks, so let's tackle them together.

Ian Sharman is the founder of Sharman Ultra Coaching, a team of elite running coaches. He ran his personal best marathon of 2:21 at age 43, and a half marathon PR of 1:03 at age 44. Ian's won over 50 marathon+ races with at least one win every year for 19 (and counting) consecutive years.

Ian also holds the fastest time in a trail 100-mile race by a Brit at 12h44m, boasts the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (69h49m), has won the US...

Combining coaching with community can make a massive difference in training happily and healthily.

Enter: the Team Strength Running coaching program.

This podcast episode is a recording of a 2024 Team Strength Running Coach’s Chat where I dig into these questions: