The Passionate Runner

Episode SummaryMary Johnson is a running and strength coach and Founder of Lift | Run | Perform, an organization that specializes in teaching runners how to use time in the weight room or in your own home to optimize your running performance. Mary is a USATF certified running coach, owner of Lift, Run, Perform, mother of two and she's going after her own goals after having babies. Recurring injuries plagued Mary for years until she found strength training and it totally changed her life and training paradigm.Today, Mary and Whitney talk about the struggles of returning to running postpartum and what that looked like for Mary. Mary shares the origin story of her company, Lift | Run | Perform, and provides some tips and best practices for strength training. Mary and Whitney explain the Five Major Movement Patterns as well as how different workout reps spur different changes in the body. Finally, Mary talks about some of the exciting projects she's working on, including her ‘Breaking Three' project.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:18 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Mary Johnson, who joins the show to share her experience as a runner, running coach, mother and the work she did to overcome postpartum challenges in order to become stronger15:02 – Why pregnancy is so polarizing19:20 – The origin story of Mary's business, Lift | Run | Perform22:55 – Pros and cons of strength training for runners26:31 – The Five Major Movement Patterns, explained33:36 – How different reps spur different changes in the body38:19 – Mary provides her thoughts on what strength training should look like when marathon training45:25 – Mary suggests some workout equipment options48:25 – Proper form and technique while working out50:10 – How strength training has changed Mary's experience running51:48 – Mary's ‘Breaking Three' project55:32 – Whitney thanks Mary for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow himTweetable Quotes“I think having an easier delivery this time has made me aware of how significant and different every delivery can be.” (11:54)“We knew that the best thing that was necessary for athletes was coaching the person as a human as opposed to coaching the person focused on a time goal. And that was our mission statement.” (21:26)“When we're running, we're pounding. There's a ton of force that's put on our body. So, we hit the ground, it goes through our foot, to our ankle, to our knee, to our hip, to our back, and we are not stable when we hit that ground. We can absorb the shock fine but after step after step, the body doesn't sustain that pounding very well. It needs to be strong. And that's the simplified reason why running alone isn't enough to keep us strong.” (23:09)“First, I would make sure you take a month, pre-Marathon cycle, to lift. Yeah, you could run but you're probably going to go down in mileage anyway. And this is a great time to get yourself in the gym. If you're sore, that's ok because it's not gonna affect your workouts. But you have to be intentional about it.” (38:46)“When you run without any aches or pains, it's amazing.” (50:21)Links MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Mary's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/itsamarython/Lift | Run | Perform Website –

Episode SummaryLaura Norris is a certified running coach, small business owner, writer, and content creator. She believes in a blended approach to coaching that utilizes both evidence-based methods of training and a holistic approach of coaching the runner as a person first, athlete second. Laura's philosophy emphasizes sustainability, enjoyment, and long-term growth. Today, Whitney and Laura talk all about how to predict your marathon time. They discuss pacing, pickups at the end of long runs, and the different types of running calculators, including Jack Daniels' VDOT. Finally, Laura provides tips and best practices on tapering, fueling and when to heighten your focus on your marathon goals.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:12 – Whitney Heins welcomes Laura Norris back to the show to discuss her CIM Training and how to predict your marathon time12:09 – Pacing and Jack Daniels' VDOT running calculator20:27 – Other popular running calculators25:12 – Best workouts to help inform what your marathon time will be28:01 – How to determine your marathon pace30:52 – Pickups at the end of a long run36:12 – The Garmin Race Predictor, easy miles, and long-run pace43:01 – The best time to focus on your goal time and marathon tapering46:02 – Fueling and other best practices to implement prior to race day50:21 – Whitney thanks Laura for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“Picking an arbitrary goal time is a sort of reverse engineering that doesn't work in training, because you're not this robot who you can input, ‘I want to run a nine minute mile pace' which is roughly what you want for a sub-four hour Marathon. Unfortunately, training doesn't work that way. A lot of times people see these nice round numbers or there's some sort of excitement around them, but you just can't program a number into your body. It's all dependent upon where your current fitness is and where your aerobic capacity is.” (10:26) (Laura)“For most runners, taking a 10k or longer will give them a more accurate result than taking a mile or a 5k just because those shorter distances have more anaerobic contribution. And that's when you're getting into differences of muscle fiber typology. So, you can have someone who really excels in the Marathon and once they get into anything above their critical speed, they aren't as fast as the equivalent race times would predict.” (17:34) (Laura)“Once we get to four and a half to five hours and five and a half to six, your marathon pace is gonna have a lot of overlap with your easy pace. And, when we talk about marathon pace, it's not always this reverse engineered X minutes per mile faster than your easy pace. It's about the pace you can sustain for a certain duration.” (25:33) (Laura)“One workout that I find that is really great is to do ten minutes at threshold, thirty minutes at threshold, all those ones that push the upper end of threshold and really rely on the ability to control your pacing and then kinda add to thet.” (30:36) (Laura)“Where you are eight weeks out from your marathon is not where you're gonna be in your marathon. And, if you're reaching peak fitness eight weeks out from a marathon, you should probably be worried. You're probably overtraining.” (43:39) (Laura)“Carbs are the spark that's gonna fuel the fire of the marathon. You need that substrate. You're putting gas in your tank. No one's giving out medals at the end for running the marathon on the fewest carbs.” (48:19) (Laura)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn –

Episode SummaryDr. Haley Perlus is a sports psychologist with knowledge and personal experience as an elite athlete, coach, fitness professional, and entrepreneur. An overall wellness enthusiast, Dr. Haley Perlus provides her clients with the necessary mental toughness tools to quickly and consistently achieve their highest level of performance. Today, Whitney and Dr. Haley talk all about how we can believe in ourselves, get and maintain confidence, and overcome our mental blocks.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:55 – Whitney Heins welcomes Dr. Haley Perlus to the show to share the remarkable story of her inspiration to pursue sports psychology13:07 – Your ‘Three Best Words' and giving yourself grace20:57 – Best practices for moving on from a bad day27:08 – Quiet confidence, achieving ‘flow state,' and pressure35:14 – Overcoming anxiety and mental blocks46:06 – Three solutions for overcoming mental blocks56:19 – The reality of sports57:50 – Whitney thanks Dr. Haley for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“Usually when athletes call me it's because they've tried everything else. They've tried their nutrition. They've tried their skillset or their conditioning. They've tried all of these things and nothing is helping them perform better or overcome that one thing.” (10:46) (Dr. Haley)“You can gain the experience and the tools by doing. If you've been running for fifteen years without seeking out sports psychology, I guarantee you learned some mental toughness along the way. Or, you could just listen to Passionate Runner and listen to you and get educated so that you can get out on that training path and out on your run and start to utilize the tools immediately.” (11:35) (Dr. Haley)“If you can bring back your three best words, at least one of them, often that allows you to push through a little bit more. And then, after that, if you find yourself not having your best performance, to me that's still a sign that you put forth your best effort. And then it's time to give yourself some grace. There's a big difference giving yourself some grace and letting yourself off the hook.” (16:04) (Dr. Haley)“Being upset tells me two things. It tells me, one, that you really care. And it actually, in my opinion, is a sign of confidence. If you're upset, it means that you thought you could do better. And if you think you can do better, that's a sign of confidence.” (21:57) (Dr. Haley)“Pressure is earned. We don't put pressure on ourselves for things we don't think we're good at. We don't put pressure on ourselves for things we don't care about. When we do the work - when we put in the time and the effort, and develop our skills, and see the progress - we put pressure on ourselves. It's earned. We need to embrace it.” (34:00) (Dr. Haley)“A mental block is also fear of success. This is huge. If you achieve a good performance, now you've got to keep doing it.” (45:19) (Dr. Haley)“Every time we have a thought, we plant a neural pathway in our brain; it's like a seed. But it's just a seed. It's just a thought until we start fertilizing it and giving it tender loving care. So, you have to repeat the thoughts that you like, the thoughts that help you. Repeat them and, with frequency and repetition, that seed - that neural pathway - grows. It's a process called myelination. It grows and grows and grows and becomes your more dominant thought.” (51:11) (Dr. Haley)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club –

Episode SummaryBen Reale is the Founder of the personal training group, Condition One Fitness & Nutrition. He's a Marathon runner, licensed attorney, and a former Marine Officer who has led more than 6,000 one-on-one training sessions and 600 small group classes. He is an expert in thoroughly evaluating someone to determine their ‘movement baseline,' incorporating individualized corrective strategies into specific training programs as needed. Today, Whitney and Ben talk about making exercise a habit and how to overcome and work around all the potential life obstacles that can get in the way of making running a habit. They touch on rewards, ‘gaming your brain,' and everything that supports making running a habit, like good eating, good sleeping, rest days, and strength training.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Ben Reale to the show who shares his unique career trajectory, including his time as a personal trainer and a Marine09:44 – Habit formation and making sustainable changes by taking it slow15:39 – The power of consistency and overcoming life obstacles20:35 – Finding your ‘Why,' outcome-based goals, and behavior-based goals32:00 – The effectiveness of rewards and ‘gaming your brain'40:16 – Bright spots and other tools for making running a habit46:41 – Whitney thanks Ben for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with himTweetable Quotes“I think that the big takeaway is that if people are in that situation and they've come up with a Plan A and a Plan B, and they gotta get thirty minutes in, or whatever they're trying to accomplish for a run, if it's consistently not happening, then it's like, ‘Hey, that's ok. It's just feedback that you have to change your plan because it's not working.' And I think that's a powerful piece too because being able to break away and almost from a 30,000 foot view just look down on it and say, ‘Well this is not working so I need to change it' is important.” (16:32) (Ben)“I think at the end of the day, if it is a priority to you, you're gonna find a way to get it done in some way, shape or form.” (19:50) (Ben)“So a lot of times we'll break things down in terms of outcome-based or behavior-based goals. And so, if your outcome is to run the NYC Marathon, that's great. We can delve into why you want to do that, but then we also want to take into account the behavior-based goals that are gonna be required to ultimately get you to your outcome.” (24:45) (Ben)“I think the rewards can be the most effective when you have intention behind them and some specificity.” (32:23) (Ben)“Maybe you're training for a race, maybe you've got a nagging injury, maybe you're trying to institute strength training into your program. Looking at your bright spots on either a weekly or monthly basis and then picking out what went really well that's specifically related to something that's difficult and then asking. ‘how can I do more of that,' is key.” (40:30) (Ben)“I think, generally speaking, if you're trying to change something, whether it be lifestyle, nutrition, fitness, if you're trying to get started with running, break things down as small as possible and think about what you can do on your worst day.” (44:28) (Ben)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Ben's Website –

Episode SummaryAmy Stephens is a registered dietitian, certified specialist in sports nutrition, blogger, runner and food coach. She has over twenty years of experience working with amateur and high-performing Olympic level athletes to achieve their sports performance goals using the latest science- backed approaches. Today, Whitney and Amy discuss how running affects our hormones and how our hormones affect our running. Amy delves deep into the signs you should look for that may signal that you have an imbalance and strategies to keep hormones balanced through training, recovery, and how you eat.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:04 – Whitney Heins welcomes Amy Stephens to the show who shares her expertise as a registered sports dietician and the impact hormones have on running08:50 – Signs to look out for when monitoring your hormones and stress level17:15 – Low estrogen and low testosterone19:25 – The importance of diet and nutrition29:24 – Next steps for those experiencing a hormonal imbalance37:26 – Whitney and Amy both open up about their shared experience with hormones, having children, and how it impacted their running42:37 – Whitney thanks Amy for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“What does it mean to balance hormones? What does this all mean? Why is this important? Hormones kinda control everything in our bodies. They regulate all of our functions such as the menstrual cycle, bone growth, heart rate, muscle growth and repair, digestion, temperature, blood sugar, mood. They control everything.” (07:19) (Amy)“Exercise is great, but too much or maybe not recovering well can definitely impact performance. So, you asked about signs or how to know when your body is not recovered. So let's start there. There's some signs that are very clear that I usually ask someone. Do they feel rested? Sometimes people can say, ‘No, I feel tired all the time. I don't feel like I'm recovering from the workouts.' Another big sign is there's no appetite. If you don't have an appetite, it means those stress hormones might still be circulating.” (10:59) (Amy)“There are some initial studies, Adam Tenforde out of Boston has some great studies that show that low testosterone can have a similar impact on men, meaning that the bone reformation after a workout can be altered with low testosterone.” (18:41) (Amy)“Also, it's about getting used to trying different foods. See what works for you so you know on race day what your body feels good with and what maybe it doesn't.” (28:54) (Amy)“Carbs are not bad. They provide energy and help us to feel better. And that's part of a healthy diet.” (31:35) (Amy)“Cortisol levels can be helpful, but again if you just worked out or if you're feeling stressed at that moment, that cortisol is going to be high. The same goes for insulin. Insulin levels are high after a meal. That's normal.” (35:53) (Amy)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Amy's Website – https://www.amystephensnutrition.com/Amy's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amystephensnutrition/?hl=en

Episode SummaryMegan Robinson has been a competitive track and cross-country runner since high school and has competed in numerous long distance races, including the Boston Marathon. She is a Level 1 certified RRCA coach and registered dietician/nutritionist (RDN). Today, Megan joins the show to discuss why Marathon fueling can be so complicated, the physiology of fueling and the importance of hydration. Megan and Whitney discuss tips and best practices for carb loading, why there are mixed messages in the media about fueling and nutrition and what an ideal baseline nutrition plan looks like.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Megan Robinson, who joins the show to share her experience as a Level 1 certified RRCA coach and registered sports dietician09:21 – Why Marathon fueling can be so complicated11:41 – Mixed media messages about fueling and nutrition14:18 – The physiology of fueling19:08 – The importance of hydration and the role of electrolytes25:08 – Megan's recommended baseline nutrition plan33:26 – How runners should time their gels and electrolytes41:49 – The dangers of dehydration and low blood sodium46:41 – Megan's thoughts on taking caffeine during races55:41 – Tips and best practices for Carb loading1:02:39 – Whitney thanks Megan for joining the show and wishes her luck in her next ran in ChicagoTweetable Quotes“It really made such a difference and impacted my life and how I saw nutrition. Especially to a teenager - especially as a female - you get those mixed messages. You look at your body type. You have negative body image often.” (06:37)“I think the Marathon training is the hardest just because most of us are not used to eating on a run. Our gut is not used to taking in nutrition. So, when I start talking to the athletes I coach, who are training for Marathons, it's really starting with the basics of getting your body used to taking in a little nutrition. So, I think it's fear of taking in nutrition, lack of knowledge of how much your body actually needs, and understanding the physiology of why you need it.” (10:50)“If you don't have Type 1 Diabetes, your body has this wonderful regulation system. So, if your liver has enough glycogen in it, then if you start to exercise and don't eat something and your blood sugar starts to drop, your liver will make enough sugar to regulate your blood sugars.” (15:23)“When you're dehydrated, your blood thickens. So, when that blood thickens, it's increasing your heart rate, it's increasing your blood pressure, it's increasing your perceived effort. And it makes it a lot harder to get that oxygen to the working muscles.” (22:31)“Once we start getting into longer runs, like Marathon training, I usually recommend taking anywhere from four to eight ounces of fluid every fifteen minutes.” (29:36)“So don't feel like you have to replace every amount of sodium that you're sweating out. You just don't want to get to a point where you're diluting your blood sodium levels. And what I mean by that is that if you were on a long run, it's a hot, humid day, and you're only taking in water, your risk is lowering your blood sodium levels, and that can be dangerous. That's what we call hyponatremia, which is low blood sodium.” (41:49)“A general way to carb load without getting too nuts and counting grams of carbohydrate and ruining your total diet is by shifting your calories to eating more carb-based foods and reducing the fat and protein in your diet.” (56:54)“The purpose of carb loading is to really maximize that muscle glycogen. And it's been shown that it possibly could increase your performance by three percent. But the downside is...

Shanna Birchett is the true definition of a ‘mother runner' with an inspirational story. A mother of six kids under six years of age, Shanna returned to running with grit, determination, and compassion for herself. Shanna believes in embracing the season you're in, whether that's a new runner altogether or a seasoned runner who is looking for that next level of improvement. Today, Shanna shares her relatable transformation story, talks about overcoming a medical condition, and provides tips and advice that all runners can implement in their daily routine.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:50 – Whitney Heins welcomes Shanna Birchett to the show to discuss her upbringing as the sixth of eight children in a military household and her running origin story 09:26 – Shanna opens up about her struggles with a health condition 15:06 – Getting gritty and overcoming the fear of her condition 16:28 – Serving a church mission, getting married and having six children (under six years old) 18:39 – A return to running as a Mother Runner 28:29 – ‘Mom guilt,' not getting enough sleep, and other major obstacles Shanna has overcome 33:35 – Setting and defining boundaries and taking it day-by-day 37:14 – How Shanna is able to run 60 miles per week 39:24 – Asking for help and embracing the season you're in 45:53 – Advice for those looking to enter or reenter the sport of running 47:18 – Growing into a more mature runner and mother 49:19 – Shanna's big goals for the future 51:25 – Whitney thanks Shanna for joining the show, sharing her story, and for being so inspirationalTweetable Quotes“I always knew that collegiate running was something I loved and wanted to do, but on a spiritual side, I take a lot of those big decisions to heart. So, I did a lot of praying about it to try and figure out, ‘Ok, is this really my route?' And, long story short, I ended up getting the answer of ‘No.' I wasn't supposed to run collegiate.” (13:30) (Shanna) “I just had so many moments where I had gained so much resilience and so much strength from those dark periods. I felt like I just had to prove it to myself that there was still something in there inside of me of that had so much more potential.” (16:11) (Shanna) “Mentally, I think I had to be ok with the state that I was in, and not forcing my fitness.” (28:57) (Shanna) “If you take it day-by-day and you're consistent at it, even in small doses, and you make the most of it, it will pay off in some way. That can vary for everybody. It could be just thirty minutes and that adds up. We don't have to do big things all the time to make results.” (46:21) (Shanna) “It's hard to plan those big goals when you've had so many obstacles just to this point. You've tried to commit and then something has popped up and you ask yourself, ‘Is this my season now?' But, as my husband has always said, ‘Don't worry about the future. Focus on the now.'” (50:33) (Shanna)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Shanna's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/motherhood_running/Shanna's Website – https://linktr.ee/motherhood_running

Mike Kiss and his wife, Kristin, are friends of Whitney that she's known since high school. Mike and Kristin Kiss like challenges. The two former athletes set out 10 years ago to run a half- marathon in all 50 states, a goal that they accomplished in four years. Since then, their priorities have expanded to include two children, but one thing remains: their willingness to take on big, audacious goals. Today, Mike and Kristin joins the show to talk with Whitney about his unique goals, the hardest race he's ever competed in, and the biggest challenges he's faced along the way.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:54 – Whitney Heins welcomes Mike and Kristin Kiss to the show to talk about the importance of stretching, what they love about running, and why they set such lofty goals 17:43 – Mike and Kristin talk about their unique and audacious goals 21:35 – Racing in Las Vegas and running 50 half marathons in all 50 states25:37 – The hardest race Mike and Kristin ever ran 28:47 – Getting their kids involved and another arduous goal 33:42 – How running has fortified Mike and Kristin's relationship 41:51 – The biggest challenges Mike faced when trying to achieve his goals52:44 – What's next for Mike and one piece of advice for anyone looking to take on a big, audacious goal 58:23 – Whitney thanks Mike for joining the show to share his storyTweetable Quotes“If I'm so prescribed, I don't enjoy it. And, at the end of the day this is all about having fun and enjoying running. I don't want it to become work. If it becomes work, I'm not gonna want to do it. So, I'm just looking at the adventure side of it.” (13:03) (Mike) “You plan as well as you can and then things don't go well. And then you don't plan, or maybe you make the wrong decision, and things can still go well. You never know.” (28:13) (Mike) “The difference between a half and a full, as you're aware, is that you can get by with ‘okay weather' in a half marathon and it's not gonna make a huge impact on the day or the time. ‘Okay weather' for a full marathon can be a lot more challenging.” (44:45) (Mike) “Everything is a competing priority. There's finite resources. You have to make decisions and concessions, but I haven't walked back from a trip that we've done with our kids regretting that we did it or that we spent money to do it.” (48:18) (Mike)“I just encourage people to look at it in that light and put yourself out there. Find resources, find people that are gonna support you. I think you'd be surprised at how many people will be in your corner to help you along the way.” (56:35) (Mike/Kristin)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Mike's Email - mikeakiss@gmail.comMike's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikeakiss50in100 - https://www.50in100.com/

Ashley Nowe is a pregnancy and postpartum fitness specialist, nutritionist, fitness coach, and the Founder of Get Mom Strong, an organization that offers at-home fitness programs for moms. In 2022, Ashley created an app called SLAM (Strong Like A Mother), which combines science-backed pelvic floor and core exercises with sweat-inducing workouts. Ashley is on a mission to ensure that as many women as possible go through pregnancy and postpartum feeling empowered and informed. Today, Whitney and Ashley discuss the critical role your pelvic floor plays in running, exercises you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor, and how to get back into running postpartum.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Ashley Nowe to the show to share her struggles with diastasis recti while pregnant, her decision to become a pelvic floor physical therapist and the role the pelvic floor plays in running14:48 – Tips and moves for working out your pelvic floor16:39 – Signs that you may have a tight or weak pelvic floor18:48 – Advice Ashley would give to runners looking to return to running postpartum22:01 – Why men should also take care of their pelvic floors23:08 – Spontaneous healing postpartum26:07 – What it looks like to learn how to breathe properly30:27 – The inspiration to launch the SLAM app35:47 – Ashley speaks to the importance of mobility37:07 – Whitney thanks Ashely for joining the show and for the work she's doingTweetable Quotes“I found a magical occupation called pelvic floor physical therapy, and it changed my whole life. I learned everything I wish I had learned - everything women deserve to have learned even before we have kids. I learned how to breathe, how to engage my core, how to utilize my pelvic floor, and it was life changing.” (06:20) (Ashley) “As a runner, fitness is an outlet. And when somebody takes that from you and your body's not functioning as it should, it's a loss of identity and it's a loss of your outlet.” (07:52) (Ashley) “Just going back to all of these basics that you probably have never even thought about or been taught can really change the way your body functions. It's particularly important if you're a runner because that breath is everything, right? And if your body is in a better position, you're gonna be able to run further, faster, harder, and without issues.” (11:16) (Ashley) “Your pelvic floor is meant to be reflexive. It's meant to be almost like a trampoline. As you're impacting, as you're hitting the ground in your stride, you want that pelvic floor to gently lengthen and contract, and lengthen and contract. It shouldn't be something you even have to think about. Your pelvic floor should just know, ‘This is what I have to do.'” (13:12) (Ashley) “One thing I want to address because I feel like it's a really important topic is if you're newly postpartum - prior to twelve weeks postpartum - really legitimately take it easy and build strength before you run. You can save yourself a lot of heartache if you work on that rehab during that twelve weeks. But if you're past that twelve week mark, and you didn't do the pelvic floor rehab, and you went out for a run and are experiencing issues, it's never too late. That's the other piece of it. It's never too late to heal.” (19:19) (Ashley) “There was just such a need. And I felt like the real need was for the athlete population. There is nothing to rehab your core and pelvic floor that's not boring. I want to sweat. I want endorphins.” (31:12) (Ashley)Resources MentionedGet Mom Strong – https://getmomstrong.com/about-me/Get Mom Strong...

Heather Hart, ACSM EP-C, is full time running coach, exercise physiologist, certified strength and conditioning specialist, mother of two teenagers, writer, and ultrarunner who believes that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary feats. She is also the co-founder of Hart, Strength and Endurance Coaching and the co-founder of Relentless Forward Commotion, a running resource and strength and run coaching. Today, Whitney and Heather discuss adaptation training, the important role of recovery in getting fitter, and Heather's passion for helping everyday athletes learn how to balance training for big athletic goals with real life.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:55 – Whitney Heins welcomes Heather Hart to the show to define ‘adventure racing,' to discuss her experience returning to running postpartum, and to share how she got into run coaching14:20 – From puking after one mile to running adventure racing19:32 – The origin story of Relentless Forward Commotion22:03 – Understanding adaptation training25:15 – Different techniques to bust through a plateau32:47 – Fatigue management and the difference between functional and nonfunctional overreaching36:45 – The benefits of taking extra rest38:59 – The Principle of Individuality41:22 – Listening to your body46:44 – Whitney thanks Heather for joining the showTweetable Quotes“We just like to really work with endurance athletes but really help them focus on all aspects of fitness, and helping them reach their goals.” (14:13) (Heather)“I think all athletes kind of have a progression over time - even if they stay in the same sport - just kinda with what their goals are.” (17:59) (Heather)“So, that's what so many athletes who come to me, and come to you, and probably every other running coach out there, that's often what they do is they don't understand. They say, ‘I've been running. I run this far every day and I have for years and I'm not getting better. Maybe I'm getting worse.' And that's because there is a ton of science showing how our bodies adapt to exercise and these principles of exercise basically help you understand how you want to build a training plan to reach your goals.” (23:11) (Heather)“I think that coaches and, for lack of a better term, fitness influencers have been doing a great job lately at emphasizing how important rest and recovery days are. Because we know that we don't make those adaptations during training. It doesn't happen then. It happens after training, during recovery. So we need to balance out those hard workouts with recovery days so we can actually make those adaptations.” (26:18) (Heather)“Going back to fatigue management, when we're trying to progressively overload, we do need to do what's called ‘overreaching.' And there's functional overreaching and nonfunctional overreaching. Functional overreaching is purposeful. Nonfunctional is usually what happens to people who just have a chaotic training plan and don't really take enough rest and they're getting tired.” (33:40) (Heather)“I would say the number one thing is to remember the Principle of Individuality. Just because you see another athlete - even if they're training for the same race as you and they have the same amount of experience as you - your body and their body are not the same. Genetically, you're not the same. Who knows how well your body is recovering compared to that athlete? They may be able to do more than you. You may be able to do more than them. That doesn't make one right and one wrong.” (40:02) (Heather)“Part of being an athlete is learning your body like that. This is not supposed to be easy.” (43:09) (Heather)“I think that's part of our job as coaches. A lot of people think...

Episode SummaryShannon Mulcahy is a mental strength coach with a Masters Degree in Sports & Exercise Psychology. She's worked with clients ranging from world-champion swimmers to amateur and professional triathletes, runners and cyclists, to athletic departments and the military. Shannon knows the value of performing at your best when it counts most while having fun along the way. Today, Whitney and Shannon discuss what it means to be mentally tough, tips and best practices for improving your mental strength, and understanding how the mind works in order to improve performance.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:59 – Whitney Heins welcomes Shannon Mulcahy to the show to share her background as a mental strength coach and how she works with her athlete clients09:52 – Defining mental strength16:20 – Shannon's experience working with collegiate programs and the military19:06 – Ice baths and other ‘toughness' practices24:18 – Everyday tips and best practices for improving our mental toughness34:05 – Negative thoughts and strategies to override them40:59 – Visualization46:04 – Meditation and deliberate breathing56:49 – Whitney thanks Shannon for joining the showTweetable Quotes“A little bit with sports psychology is you have this side of it where it's more mental-health based, and then you have the side that's much more performance-based. And that's where I fall.” (06:55) (Shannon)“[Mental strength] is really just looking at the circumstances that you have, understanding that there's stress, and dealing with it in whatever way is going to be best for you.” (13:01) (Shannon)“I'm not necessarily a big biohacking fan and saying, ‘You don't need to take this cold bath,' or these very tangible, specific things. I am a person that promotes doing what's going to work for you. I always say that step one is building awareness around you and your habits, your thoughts, and your emotions, so you can recognize when you're starting to get uncomfortable and when you're starting to feel out of control.” (24:53) (Shannon)“When you're doing something really hard, your brain to some extent is saying, ‘We can't do this. We can't keep going.' And it feels impossible. Deep down, somewhere inside you, you know that you can, but your brain is telling you, ‘No, stop. We don't like this.'” (30:26) (Shannon)“Negative thoughts are very common; they are very normal. They are not necessarily bad. Yes, we maybe want to minimize them or shift them. However, you will not ever ever be able to get rid of all of your negative thoughts. So, if that is your goal, that will not happen. Brains do not allow that to happen. So, we need to adjust our expectations.” (34:45) (Shannon)“We all know in the moment, when your brain is not in a great place, it is really hard to change it. And once you're physically pushing yourself, especially pretty hard, you have less brain power essentially to argue with yourself or reframe those thoughts. It gets more challenging.” (40:00) (Shannon)“The more stress that you have - whatever that stress is, whether it's physical, work, training, family - the more that's going on, the more self-care you have to do.” (54:57) (Shannon)Resources MentionedShannon's Website – https://www.mulcahyperformance.com/Shannon's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-mulcahy-19291830/Books Mentioned:Mind Gym –

Episode SummaryDr. Sarah Colón Louie is a fellowship-trained Doctor of Physical Therapy who specializes in treating women runners with hip pain to enable them to return to running pain-free, faster, and with more confidence. Today, Whitney and Dr. Sarah talk all about hip health, the role that hips play in our running, and tips and best practices for keeping them healthy. Dr. Sarah speaks to running hygiene, techniques for maintaining good hip health while running and advice for pregnant and postpartum runners.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Dr. Sarah Colón Louie to the show to share her running origin story and what inspired her to become a physical therapist07:43 – Why hip problems are so common among women11:06 – The role of the hips in the gait cycle and exercises to help your hips while running16:33 – How to know if you have full hip range of motion and promoting overall hip health22:40 – Signs that you are suffering from hip issues26:19 – Knowing what you can and cannot run through29:36 – Home remedies for helping with hip discomfort after running31:42 – Hip health for pregnant women and postpartum and advice Dr. Sarah would give to pregnant runners37:58 – Whitney thanks Dr. Sarah for joining the show and sharing her wisdomTweetable Quotes“How I describe our bodies at a joint level, whether it's in the hip or the back or knees, like our skin wrinkles on the outside of our face, our body is going to wrinkle on the inside of our body. So, we're gonna have osteoarthritis. We're gonna have degenerative issues, potentially even bulging disks. We're gonna have labral tears. And these things are somewhat normal in the degenerative sense. If you had an MRI on your body tomorrow, I'm sure you'd be amazed at all of the things that are going on in there degenerative sense. If you had an MRI on your body tomorrow, I'm sure you'd be amazed at all of the things that are going on in there.” (08:18) (Dr. Sarah)“I would say that the hips - and even the low back going up one segment - is where everything stems from.” (12:03) (Dr. Sarah)“So, for us to figure out their level of comfort and then build them up on that, I really take into consideration their personal running hygiene and how they can run more comfortably.” (21:23) (Dr. Sarah)“I would say that the number one red flag as a runner that we want to watch out for is a bone stress injury, or a stress fracture to the hip. This is probably the number one thing that I am never going to ask a runner to run through. And so we just want to clear that and have peace of mind around that. The symptoms of that can really look different to different people, but it's mostly unrelenting pain.” (26:46) (Dr. Sarah)“Working on a pelvic symmetry muscle energy technique is something that I love to do for my pregnant mom runners just to help reset their pelvis. And then I give them a ton of either double limb or single limb exercises - whatever they can tolerate - that are gonna get them to gently recruit their abdominals, low back, and hips to maintain that stability of their pelvis.” (33:12) (Dr. Sarah)“My word for the year is ‘hope.' And I just want to bring hope to as many runners as I can and just get them to their goals no matter what their story looks like.” (38:23) (Dr. Sarah)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Dr. Sarah's Website –

Episode SummarySara Hayes is the Founder and Head Coach of Mindful Miles, a women's movement and wellness company that prioritizes mindfulness habits, personal development, and intuitive movement. Sara and the team at Mindful Miles use their knowledge and experience to promote the importance of body image, advocacy and movement for mental health. Today, Whitney and Sara talk about the Mindful Miles Running community that Sara has cultivated throughout her journey, what it means to be ‘more than a runner,' and the importance of setting intentions rooted in healthy and positive space.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Sara Hayes to the show to share her running story and the origins of Mindful Miles Running09:30 – The Mindful Miles Running community14:30 – How Sara works with runners17:26 – More than a runner23:18 – What it means to get back to the person/runner you were30:44 – Running to lose weight42:05 – Dealing with data46:13 – Sara shares some of her own mindfulness practices54:56 – Whitney thanks Sara for joining the show and sharing her storyTweetable Quotes“When I graduated college I was really burnt out from the sport, and I was heartbroken because this thing that I love so much - and that has made me who I am and has given me the best moments of my life - has also brought me to my knees and it's made me hate everything about myself. I just looked at myself in the mirror one day and said, ‘I can't do this anymore. I can't continually try to change myself. I can't hate my body. I give up.' In doing that, in hitting rock bottom, it was the best thing that could have ever happened for me because Mindful Miles, years later, came about.” (06:42) (Sara)“For the most part, I think a blanket statement is that you have to have blind faith. That's why it's so important to choose a coach that right off the bat, you have that gut feeling. Because on the days you are doubting yourself, you're going to return to that blind faith.” (15:02) (Sara)“What I've seen in myself and others is we struggle to get back into running or a movement routine, because we have this idea of what running looks like. And oftentimes, it's sparked from comparison of who we used to be, or the comparison of the runner that we know. And, you have to get really honest with yourself and redefine what running looks like. Life looks different after kids. Life looks different with each phase of having a child and how much they need you and rely on you.” (23:18) (Sara)“What does it mean to get back to the runner that you were? Is it time? Is it a feeling? What is that specifically and is it reasonable? We start with these surface level goals and ideas, but will it actually bring us joy and is it actually reasonable and realistic for our lives.” (29:25) (Sara)“This is my firm belief. If your body has weight to lose, it's going to do so on its own. It's going to find its own natural, healthy weight.” (34:33) (Sara)“Data's great, but the way you're feeling and any symptoms that your body is presenting, that's also data. And we can learn to work with that.” (45:03) (Sara)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Sara's Website – https://www.mindfulmilesrunning.com/Sara's Instagram –

Episode SummaryMakenna Myler, while pregnant with her first child, ran a mile in five minutes and 25 seconds— just 10 days before she gave birth to her daughter in October. Her husband, Mike, created a TikTok post that accumulated over 6 million views. Her story jumped to numerous other news sites around the world...and she just did it again, right before this recording---running a 5:17 just days before she's set to have her second child.The following spring after having her first, she started entering races to qualify for the Olympic trials. At the end of May, she finally qualified with a time of 32:03.62 in a 10,000-meter race in Oregon. Her time was almost three minutes faster than her best collegiate time.[2]In the trials on June 26, 2021—seven months after having her first baby—she placed 14th out of 44 runners in a highly competitive 10,000-meter race. Although she didn't go on to compete in the Olympics, she signed a contract to run professionally for Asics.In her debut as a pro runner, she ran the Deseret News half marathon in 1:09.54, beating the old course record set by fellow BYU standout Sarah Sellers. Makenna competed in track and field for Brigham Young University from 2011 to 2014.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:58 – Whitney Heins welcomes Makenna Myler to the show to share her running story, including how she ran a mile in five minutes and forty-five seconds while 9-months pregnant14:17 – Makenna reflects on her very first ‘Pregnant Mile'20:09 – The genesis of The Naked Myler21:45 – Key running lessons Makenna has learned throughout the years27:53 – Changes Makenna has made that have helped her with running through her cycle33:35 – The importance of showing up35:28 – The ‘Internal Governor,' explained41:45 – Makenna reflects on her experience and the realities of running while pregnant51:16 – Makenna shares the goals she has for her website54:21 – Whitney thanks Makenna for joining the show and sharing her storyTweetable Quotes“So, we did the [pregnant] mile. It wasn't really planned that well. I was jumping in the middle of this guy's three-mile tempo. It wasn't an official race. He was even late because he was trying to do a run before I even did the mile. And then he came, filmed it, thought it was funny so he tried to make a funny video to show our friends and family, and posted it on TikTok. And then half a day later he said, ‘You have half a million views and ESPN wants to post your video.'” (16:44) (Makenna)“I think what hit me the most was the self-deprecating comments that happened so much. And that's why we actually started The Naked Myler, which kinda led into this female-running guide for women because so many people - and especially women - were like, ‘Wow, I can't even get off the couch and I'm a terrible person because I can't run a five minute mile.' I really wanted to help people and help them connect happiness with running.” (19:05) (Makenna)“Now, we have the Naked Myler blog, which is a resource of women - four females - who are running through all things pregnancy, periods, all the hormonal changes to help them navigate how to do that with their cycles.” (20:34) (Makenna)“First, just mentally understanding that was a huge game changer. I would still show up for the same workout, but I would have to understand, ‘Ok, my body is not responding today. I'll cut the workout in half. That is ok and I'm not going to let that drag me down or ruin my training. I'm just going to continue on.'” (27:58) (Makenna)“I think it's also important to distinguish between adaptations and racing. Because, to me, training is where you're trying to get your body to adapt to stimulus. And the race is more of the

Episode SummaryDr. Todd McGrath is a primary sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He's also an endurance athlete who works with runners at all levels, including elite to the ‘weekend warriors.' Dr. McGrath has also served as team physician for the U.S. Soccer's National Teams. Dr. McGrath has a strong personal and professional interest in endurance athletes. Today, Dr. McGrath joins the show to talk about running marathons closely together, what needs to be considered, and advice on how to recover faster and maximize the time in between marathons.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:57 – Whitney Heins welcomes Dr. Todd McGrath to the show to share his extensive background in sports medicine and advice he would give to those considering running back-to-back marathons07:43 – The physiological impact of running back-to-back marathons12:02 – How long is the ideal break between marathons after not running your best race14:07 – Tips and best practices for ‘getting your legs back' after running a marathon15:32 – Identifying when a race isn't going well17:07 – Risks of running marathons too closely together18:34 – Injuries and overtraining20:31 – The six-week mark22:06 – Why recovery is the key to running back-to-back marathons25:27 – Whitney thanks Dr. McGrath for joining the show and sharing his experienceTweetable Quotes“If you decide early on during the New York City Marathon that things aren't going how you wanted them to, and you decide to dial it back and take it easy and you make sure you're not too beat up after the race, then it's not unreasonable two to three weeks later to think about shifting to that ‘A' Race. The training has been done. It's still a little bit difficult though.” (08:30) (Dr. McGrath)“There's a few different physiological systems that are impacted pretty significantly. First off, your energy stored is completely depleted. You use up everything you have and then some, which is why you need to replenish during the race. You get a significant amount of muscle breakdown. You see things like your total KC - which is one of the enzymes that goes up in your bloodstream with muscle breakdown - that can go up incredibly high after a marathon. And it can stay high for days to a week or more after the marathon. Even after the muscle soreness is gone, you can still have elevation of that.” (10:08) (Dr. McGrath)“You don't run the risk of really hurting yourself, perse. You run the risk of not feeling well, negative performance because of it. You can get into the risk of potential injury if you just jumped back into training, but there are ways to do it if you're gonna do it.” (13:32) (Dr. McGrath)“I can find all the articles that will say that you should keep running with this injury or that, with the exception of a few. That's because the health benefits of running - whether you're racing or just running to run - far outweigh the negative effects of not being active at all.” (20:15) (Dr. McGrath)“The recovery phase is critical. Look at it as the training was done. You've logged the miles. You've put the training into that first marathon. The gap in between the two really should be about recovery from the first marathon, getting plenty of sleep, rehydrating or replenishing all the nutrients lost in that marathon early on. Try to eat a well-balanced diet. Don't try to crash, or lose weight, or anything like that in between. Fill the tank back up, basically.” (22:34) (Dr. McGrath)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The...

Episode SummaryAndrea Ripley is a mother, running coach, and elite distance runner from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials with a Marathon best of 2:43. She's currently coaching with her husband, Zach Ripley, at A to Z Running, where they help runners thrive. Today, Andi joins the show to share her own journey of running, overcoming injuries, and handling adversity. Whitney and Andi talk about how to battle significant running injuries with grace, patience, and perseverance. They share their own personal experiences with injury, how the running community has helped them, and other enlightening lessons and insights that will help with injuries or any challenges in life.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:56 – Whitney Heins welcomes Andrea Ripley to the show to share her running story, overcoming injuries and shifting her perspective on what running means to her16:34 – Pregnancy, overcoming health conditions, and leveling up in the face of adversity19:08 – It's the process, not the outcome22:23 – Returning to running post-pregnancy and Andi's first labrum tear31:43 – Maintaining a positive attitude through patience and perseverance37:57 – Finding identity through running and ‘The Phantom Ponytail'43:01 – Struggling with being surrounded by the running community while injured45:36 – Self-protective habits to make sure you stay healthy when returning from injury50:09 – Final thoughts and Andi's mantra for this year53:47 – Whitney thanks Andi for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“My biggest growth has been through finding my own intuition as a runner, and really putting aside the expectations of others, and what I perceive they think I should do, or could do. But that has been kind of a journey, for me, to let go of the outward and really focus on what running needs to do to meet my satisfaction in the sport.” (13:15) (Andi)“I ran until I was 20 Weeks, and then I was having really terrible Braxton-Hicks, and then I started getting the symptoms of my condition, which kept me from training. But I still walked a lot and I was still active. But that was disappointing for me because I thought if I tried hard enough and I was dedicated enough that I'd have this dream, fit pregnancy, and that was not the case for me.” (18:06) (Andi)“I think that the most difficult moments, for me in my running journey, are the ones that helped me most in my development. And I feel that I leveled up - even if it took time, I leveled up - because of the challenges that I was experiencing, and pregnancy was one of those challenges for me.” (19:08) (Andi)“My main goal is not the performance. That's not my main goal. It's fun, and I like to chase hard things. But my main goal of running doesn't have to do with an outcome; it has to do with the process.” (21:09) (Andi)“I call it the ‘phantom ponytail.' I have had this imagery in my head for a long time of this girl and she's myself. And I see her ponytail and she's always ahead of me, and I can't catch up to who I was at that ideal moment in my life. And, I chase after her and it's unattainable, and it's frustrating. And I compare myself to either something that I've been or achieved, or it's what I hope I will be.” (39:30) (Andi)“I feel like when you get back to running, it's almost like you're dating again. Yes, we know each other, but let's get reacquainted with this discomfort and how this internal dialogue is going to go. And you kind of get back into a rhythm of self-talk.” (48:41) (Andi)Resources MentionedWhitney's...

Episode SummaryAndrea Pomaranski has been through so much in her road to becoming an elite runner and has learned an incredible amount about herself throughout the process. So much good can lie ahead even when we're in the middle of a dark period. When Andrea was in the middle of hers, she refused to believe that was the end of her story. Today, Andrea joins the show to share how she was able to step through the dark times and the importance of putting in the work every day, even when it's hard.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Andrea Pomaranski to the show to share her running story and the importance of asking for help as a mother runner19:36 – Filling your own cup24:48 – Andrea's Marathon progression29:45 – Andrea's mentality during marathon cycles32:24 – Maintaining a healthy balance of competitiveness and the love of running38:30 – Overcoming struggles with Osteoporosis40:41 – Andrea opens up about a tragic and devastating moment in her life45:19 – Lessons from a Masters Athlete48:52 – What's next for Andrea and how to connect with Andrea for coaching opportunities51:34 – Advice Andrea would give to athletes who are struggling with internal pressure54:12 – Whitney thanks Andrea for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“It's really hard. I struggled for years. Every single time I went out the door for years I would almost be on the verge of tears, telling myself, ‘You shouldn't do this. You're not as good of a mom as you want to be.' And that's just not the case whatsoever. I fully believe it makes me better.” (16:14) (Andrea)“There have been a couple of marathons where I've taken off like twenty seconds. What's funny is that, in that marathon cycle, I feel like I made these huge jumps and then I'm always happy of a PR of maybe 20 seconds. But then, sometimes it takes a cycle to catch up. So the next time, I'll make these big jumps but you don't always see them.” (28:39) (Andrea)“There's such a delicate balance between when you work so hard at something, and you need a break to kind of let your mind and body reset, and then you're ready to jump back in full force again. But then there's also this other side where sometimes you just have to push through those hard moments knowing that you're really close to turning a corner and doing something great.” (36:24) (Andrea)“This is why I'm so passionate about people being in sports and putting your kids in sports. A lot of the lessons I learned about perseverance and never giving up and always trying. I don't know if I could have gotten through that experience as gracefully as I did without having those values instilled in me at a very young age.” (41:41) (Andrea)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Andrea's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/apomaranski/?hl=enTeam Run Run – https://teamrunrun.com/

Episode SummaryHadley Sorensen is a health and fitness coach, lifelong runner and author who is looking to publish her first book, Confessions of a Picture Perfect Mom. Today, Hadley joins the show to share her journey to sobriety and how running played a pivotal role in helping her move past alcohol. Whitney and Hadley talk about navigating the complicated relationship with alcohol, Mommy Wine culture, and the increased glamorization of drinking in the running community.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:57 – Whitney Heins welcomes Hadley Sorensen to the show to share how she used running as a way to navigate the world without alcohol and the work she's doing now to help others facing similar struggles06:25 – Regret, shame, and alcohol10:20 – How the pandemic impacted Hadley's mental health11:29 – Huge life challenges Hadley went through13:48 – Mommy wine culture16:40 – The role running played in Hadley's recovery25:24 – Backlash that Hadley received from her decision to stop drinking27:58 – How running has helped Hadley in her sobriety32:18 – Does running have a drinking problem?39:46 – Key takeaways Hadley would like listeners to leave with42:01 – Whitney thanks Hadley for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“I say that I was an enthusiastic social drinker. I drank the same way everyone around me was drinking. I had a problem, but my problem was a problem for me. I don't think it was me being self-aware. I realize that lots of people feel this way, but nobody who looked like me was talking about it.” (07:04) (Hadley)“Things really seemed to escalate from 2020 on. And I know lots of women were in that same situation because, as mothers, we were put in this impossible position by Covid. We faced more stress than ever. We were making impossible decisions every day. And so, alcohol use among women rose dramatically during Covid.” (10:45) (Hadley)“I was really excited to see what running would feel like when my body started healing and there were no more hangovers. Running is miserable if you're hungover; you're dehydrated. And I fought through a lot of runs like that. I was giving my body too many things to recover from. So I couldn't wait to see what running was like.” (20:43) (Hadley)“There was some attrition because I really changed my focus on my [Instagram] page. I was no longer talking about fitness for the average mom. I was talking more about my running and the alcohol-free life. I kind of grew a lot of followers in that alcohol-free space, which is a huge community on Instagram. I had no idea until I stumbled my way into it.” (26:56) (Hadley)“Running was like my therapy. It gave me the space to think through so many tough situations that I was dealing with. It gave me a place to set goals that I could work for that really helped when I was going through this huge transition. It was the thing that was stable when everything else was in upheaval. And I leaned into it. It felt so good. It brought the joy back.” (28:57) (Hadley)“There are ways to drink responsibly as an athlete or just your everyday runner. But my whole point is let's stop glamorizing and highlighting this link between the two. Same with ‘Mommy Wine.'” (38:51) (Hadley)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club –

Episode SummaryDr. Haley Perlus is a sports psychologist with knowledge and personal experience as an elite athlete, coach, fitness professional, and entrepreneur. An overall wellness enthusiast, Dr. Haley Perlus provides her clients with the necessary mental toughness tools to quickly and consistently achieve their highest level of performance. Today, Whitney and Dr. Haley talk all about how we can believe in ourselves, get and maintain confidence, and overcome our mental blocks.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways00:55 – Whitney Heins welcomes Dr. Haley Perlus to the show to share the remarkable story of her inspiration to pursue sports psychology13:07 – Your ‘Three Best Words' and giving yourself grace20:57 – Best practices for moving on from a bad day27:08 – Quiet confidence, achieving ‘flow state,' and pressure35:14 – Overcoming anxiety and mental blocks46:06 – Three solutions for overcoming mental blocks56:19 – The reality of sports57:50 – Whitney thanks Dr. Haley for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“Usually when athletes call me it's because they've tried everything else. They've tried their nutrition. They've tried their skillset or their conditioning. They've tried all of these things and nothing is helping them perform better or overcome that one thing.” (10:46) (Dr. Haley)“You can gain the experience and the tools by doing. If you've been running for fifteen years without seeking out sports psychology, I guarantee you learned some mental toughness along the way. Or, you could just listen to Passionate Runner and listen to you and get educated so that you can get out on that training path and out on your run and start to utilize the tools immediately.” (11:35) (Dr. Haley)“If you can bring back your three best words, at least one of them, often that allows you to push through a little bit more. And then, after that, if you find yourself not having your best performance, to me that's still a sign that you put forth your best effort. And then it's time to give yourself some grace. There's a big difference giving yourself some grace and letting yourself off the hook.” (16:04) (Dr. Haley)“Being upset tells me two things. It tells me, one, that you really care. And it actually, in my opinion, is a sign of confidence. If you're upset, it means that you thought you could do better. And if you think you can do better, that's a sign of confidence.” (21:57) (Dr. Haley)“Pressure is earned. We don't put pressure on ourselves for things we don't think we're good at. We don't put pressure on ourselves for things we don't care about. When we do the work - when we put in the time and the effort, and develop our skills, and see the progress - we put pressure on ourselves. It's earned. We need to embrace it.” (34:00) (Dr. Haley)“A mental block is also fear of success. This is huge. If you achieve a good performance, now you've got to keep doing it.” (45:19) (Dr. Haley)“Every time we have a thought, we plant a neural pathway in our brain; it's like a seed. But it's just a seed. It's just a thought until we start fertilizing it and giving it tender loving care. So, you have to repeat the thoughts that you like, the thoughts that help you. Repeat them and, with frequency and repetition, that seed - that neural pathway - grows. It's a process called myelination. It grows and grows and grows and becomes your more dominant thought.” (51:11) (Dr. Haley)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club –

Episode SummaryTricia DeNardis is a physical therapist, pregnancy & postpartum exercise specialist. She is an eating disorder survivor who is on a mission to help other women have a healthier relationship to food. Today, Tricia joins the show to discuss how to have a healthy relationship with food and running. She gets vulnerable and opens up about her own struggles, speaks to the warning signs that could indicate an unhealthy relationship to food, and best practices to implement that can help.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:12 – Whitney Heins welcomes Tricia DeNardis to the show who discusses her running background, her struggles with an eating disorder, and what it means to have a healthy relationship with food and running16:03 – Warning signs that you may not have a healthy relationship with food or your body19:15 – A moment of clarity and motivation24:41 – Tricia shares strategies she uses to prevent herself from going down the spiral29:17 – How Tricia teaches her children to have a healthy relationship with food34:25 – Other red flags that indicate you may have an unhealthy relationship with running37:32 – Advice Tricia would give to those struggling with an eating disorder or other issues with food40:36 – The importance of being introspective and self-aware and understanding your personal motivations46:27 – Whitney thanks Tricia for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“I have three kids, so for me it's so important that I am setting a very good example for them. I don't diet. I don't talk poorly about my body in front of them, period. I do think there's a lot to be said about what you're saying out loud.” (12:54) (Tricia)“Particularly, if you're someone that has had a history of eating disorders, I would strongly recommend that you stay away from any of the macro counting, measuring your food, getting on the scale, or even having goals like losing pounds. I think that can be a really bad downward spiral.” (16:43) (Tricia)“I always had goals of being lean, and cut, and having muscle. And those things didn't really happen until I stopped focusing on it so much. When I shifted and started focusing on the priority of fueling my body so I can do the things that I wanted to do, my body just got to a happy place.” (18:26) (Tricia)“I am stubborn to the max, but I'm not afraid to admit when I'm totally wrong.” (25:54) (Tricia)“The irritability thing is huge. If you're constantly feeling irritable because your body is just run down, then that's a red flag right there.” (35:55) (Tricia)“I know from my point of view I was probably the most miserable in my entire life when I was the smallest because it was just a constant thought. And I was probably the happiest in my life when I was super pregnant.” (43:17) (Tricia)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Tricia's Website – https://www.mindbodysoldier.com/Tricia's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/burpeesandburpcloths/?hl=enTricia's LinkedIn –

Episode SummaryAmy Stephens is a registered dietitian, certified specialist in sports nutrition, blogger, runner and food coach. She has over twenty years of experience working with amateur and high-performing Olympic level athletes to achieve their sports performance goals using the latest science- backed approaches. Today, Whitney and Amy discuss how running affects our hormones and how our hormones affect our running. Amy delves deep into the signs you should look for that may signal that you have an imbalance and strategies to keep hormones balanced through training, recovery, and how you eat.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:04 – Whitney Heins welcomes Amy Stephens to the show who shares her expertise as a registered sports dietician and the impact hormones have on running08:50 – Signs to look out for when monitoring your hormones and stress level17:15 – Low estrogen and low testosterone19:25 – The importance of diet and nutrition29:24 – Next steps for those experiencing a hormonal imbalance37:26 – Whitney and Amy both open up about their shared experience with hormones, having children, and how it impacted their running42:37 – Whitney thanks Amy for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“What does it mean to balance hormones? What does this all mean? Why is this important? Hormones kinda control everything in our bodies. They regulate all of our functions such as the menstrual cycle, bone growth, heart rate, muscle growth and repair, digestion, temperature, blood sugar, mood. They control everything.” (07:19) (Amy)“Exercise is great, but too much or maybe not recovering well can definitely impact performance. So, you asked about signs or how to know when your body is not recovered. So let's start there. There's some signs that are very clear that I usually ask someone. Do they feel rested? Sometimes people can say, ‘No, I feel tired all the time. I don't feel like I'm recovering from the workouts.' Another big sign is there's no appetite. If you don't have an appetite, it means those stress hormones might still be circulating.” (10:59) (Amy)“There are some initial studies, Adam Tenforde out of Boston has some great studies that show that low testosterone can have a similar impact on men, meaning that the bone reformation after a workout can be altered with low testosterone.” (18:41) (Amy)“Also, it's about getting used to trying different foods. See what works for you so you know on race day what your body feels good with and what maybe it doesn't.” (28:54) (Amy)“Carbs are not bad. They provide energy and help us to feel better. And that's part of a healthy diet.” (31:35) (Amy)“Cortisol levels can be helpful, but again if you just worked out or if you're feeling stressed at that moment, that cortisol is going to be high. The same goes for insulin. Insulin levels are high after a meal. That's normal.” (35:53) (Amy)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Amy's Website – https://www.amystephensnutrition.com/Amy's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amystephensnutrition/?hl=en

Episode SummaryBen Reale is the Founder of the personal training group, Condition One Fitness & Nutrition. He's a Marathon runner, licensed attorney, and a former Marine Officer who has led more than 6,000 one-on-one training sessions and 600 small group classes. He is an expert in thoroughly evaluating someone to determine their ‘movement baseline,' incorporating individualized corrective strategies into specific training programs as needed. Today, Whitney and Ben talk about making exercise a habit and how to overcome and work around all the potential life obstacles that can get in the way of making running a habit. They touch on rewards, ‘gaming your brain,' and everything that supports making running a habit, like good eating, good sleeping, rest days, and strength training.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Ben Reale to the show who shares his unique career trajectory, including his time as a personal trainer and a Marine09:44 – Habit formation and making sustainable changes by taking it slow15:39 – The power of consistency and overcoming life obstacles20:35 – Finding your ‘Why,' outcome-based goals, and behavior-based goals32:00 – The effectiveness of rewards and ‘gaming your brain'40:16 – Bright spots and other tools for making running a habit46:41 – Whitney thanks Ben for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with himTweetable Quotes“I think that the big takeaway is that if people are in that situation and they've come up with a Plan A and a Plan B, and they gotta get thirty minutes in, or whatever they're trying to accomplish for a run, if it's consistently not happening, then it's like, ‘Hey, that's ok. It's just feedback that you have to change your plan because it's not working.' And I think that's a powerful piece too because being able to break away and almost from a 30,000 foot view just look down on it and say, ‘Well this is not working so I need to change it' is important.” (16:32) (Ben)“I think at the end of the day, if it is a priority to you, you're gonna find a way to get it done in some way, shape or form.” (19:50) (Ben)“So a lot of times we'll break things down in terms of outcome-based or behavior-based goals. And so, if your outcome is to run the NYC Marathon, that's great. We can delve into why you want to do that, but then we also want to take into account the behavior-based goals that are gonna be required to ultimately get you to your outcome.” (24:45) (Ben)“I think the rewards can be the most effective when you have intention behind them and some specificity.” (32:23) (Ben)“Maybe you're training for a race, maybe you've got a nagging injury, maybe you're trying to institute strength training into your program. Looking at your bright spots on either a weekly or monthly basis and then picking out what went really well that's specifically related to something that's difficult and then asking. ‘how can I do more of that,' is key.” (40:30) (Ben)“I think, generally speaking, if you're trying to change something, whether it be lifestyle, nutrition, fitness, if you're trying to get started with running, break things down as small as possible and think about what you can do on your worst day.” (44:28) (Ben)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Ben's Website –

Episode SummaryClaire Bartholic is an ASAF Certified Running Coach and a NESTA Certified Sports Nutrition Specialist. Claire is also the host of one of the most popular running podcasts in the world, The Planted Runner Podcast. Today, Whitney and Claire discuss tips and mental tricks that can help you run your best, how to flip the ‘comparison trap' on its head, and the importance of positive self-talk. Claire shares some mental training exercises that she does with her athletes and provides advice for overcoming self-doubt and other mental obstacles.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:06 – Whitney Heins welcomes Claire Bartholic to the show who shares how she went from running to get in shape for her high school reunion to becoming a full-fledged Marathoner12:56 – Solving the puzzle of running16:29 – Self-awareness and knowing when to listen to your body18:45 – Mental training strategies23:49 – The impact of positive self-talk outside of running24:43 – Common scenarios that all runners should plan and prepare for mentally33:00 – Distanced self-talk, alter ego and other mental strength exercises41:06 – Overcoming self-doubt45:33 – Flipping ‘comparison' on its head48:34 – Common mental training pitfalls that Claire sees with her athletes52:34 – Advice for Mother Runners everywhere55:46 – Whitney thanks Claire for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“It came to be less about the marathon itself and more about the puzzle of it - figuring out what I needed to do to do this super amazing thing, learning as much as possible. I was absolutely obsessed with the science of it and how you do it. And then figuring out how to implement it for myself. It was quite the journey.” (09:31) (Claire)“Through that journey I have found my life's work, my life's passion. It is absolutely what I was put on Earth to do, is to help people transform their lives through running. And I am just so excited to honestly wake up every day and do stuff like this.” (11:03) (Claire)“I say, ‘Goals are like a bar of soap. The tighter you hold onto them, the easier they slip away.'” (19:48) (Claire)“While you're running a race, if you're forcing something to happen, how much mental energy does that cost you? If you're so focused on ‘I gotta hit this. I gotta hit that,' that's going to take away from your race. And, if you have a more chill attitude - still competitive - and if you have a much more neutral voice in your head, you're a lot more likely to actually do the thing.” (20:06) (Claire)“If you have a terrible race, but you can still execute your strategy, that's amazing. Even if you're off your time, if you can still get the spirit of what you are trying to do, you will be a better Marathoner.” (27:02) (Claire)“Counting is something that you learned as a really small child. It is something that is really, really deep inside your head. And so, you can do that and focus on that without any thought at all. And what it does is it shuts out the other voices that are saying, ‘This is hard. I'm slowing down.' You just have something to focus on.” (39:02) (Claire)“So, before we try to demonize ‘comparison,' understand that is absolutely part of being human. It's a fundamental part of being human, and it's not something that we should actually change.” (46:14) (Claire)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club –

Episode SummaryNeely Gracey is a three-time Olympic Trials Qualifier and Founder of the run coaching group, Get Running Coaching. Today, Neely joins the show to discuss racing strategies such as running the tangent, navigating water stops, and other tactics to consider. Neely shares her thoughts on running etiquette, how to settle into your comfort zone when you find yourself running alone, and what to do when things don't go as expected on race day.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:01 – Whitney Heins welcomes Neely Gracey back to the show to discuss her training and how the altitude has impacted her12:08 – Running the tangent and other race strategies18:19 – Running etiquette19:34 – Navigating water stops26:33 – Other tactics to consider prior to race day35:29 – Settling into your comfort zone when you find yourself running alone41:08 – Turning off the self-doubt and tuning out the excuses51:00 – What to do when things don't go according to your plan1:03:45 – Whitney thanks Neely for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“So the tangents are something that you often see in the Elite race. In a major, for example, all the majors have a blue line, and that is the tangent. The blue line is where the measured course is. So, if you can run the blue line, you're gonna run 26.2. If you run off the blue line, you are not going to be taking the most efficient, measured route. And, therefore, you may run further.” (14:15) (Neely)“For my athletes, I always tell them to grab two cups at every stop. Every single water stop capitalize with two cups, because you know you're only getting an ounce or two out of each cup. So, over the course of a marathon, you're gonna need every single stop with two cups each to get in the appropriate amount of fluids that you need for that distance.” (21:07) (Neely)“In my book I actually have a whole chapter on breathing and how to run on effort by utilizing this strategy. So, it's you breathe in two steps and out two steps and that's one. So in two, out two, in two, out two. And I do this in every race that I run and every workout that I do. It really helps me stay really focused and engaged and get the most out of myself on the day.” (37:42) (Neely)“One of the things that you can do is utilize ‘you' instead of ‘I.' Research has suggested that we respond better when someone else tells us we can do it. So, when someone else cheers, ‘You got this' your brain is gonna register it better than if you're just saying, ‘Ok, I can do this. I can do this.' And so, if you talk to yourself as someone else - as a coach, for example - and you say ‘You can do hard things. You can get up this hill,' whatever it may be, that is going to be more effective.” (43:46) (Neely)“I was on a team with multiple Olympians. It was really, really special for me on that day. And, at the end of it, I realized it was because I was prepared mentally that if anything didn't go my way, it was still going to be ok. And I could only control myself, my attitude, and my approach to what was happening out there. And I feel like it made all the difference on that day. From that time forward, I've pretty much entered every race with that attitude of, ‘I can only control myself.'” (57:14) (Neely)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/Neely's Twitter –

Episode SummaryLaura Norris is a certified running coach, small business owner, writer, and content creator. She believes in a blended approach to coaching that utilizes both evidence-based methods of training and a holistic approach of coaching the runner as a person first, athlete second. Laura's philosophy emphasizes sustainability, enjoyment, and long-term growth. Today, Whitney and Laura talk all about how to predict your marathon time. They discuss pacing, pickups at the end of long runs, and the different types of running calculators, including Jack Daniels' VDOT. Finally, Laura provides tips and best practices on tapering, fueling and when to heighten your focus on your marathon goals.Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/Key Takeaways01:12 – Whitney Heins welcomes Laura Norris back to the show to discuss her CIM Training and how to predict your marathon time12:09 – Pacing and Jack Daniels' VDOT running calculator20:27 – Other popular running calculators25:12 – Best workouts to help inform what your marathon time will be28:01 – How to determine your marathon pace30:52 – Pickups at the end of a long run36:12 – The Garmin Race Predictor, easy miles, and long-run pace43:01 – The best time to focus on your goal time and marathon tapering46:02 – Fueling and other best practices to implement prior to race day50:21 – Whitney thanks Laura for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with herTweetable Quotes“Picking an arbitrary goal time is a sort of reverse engineering that doesn't work in training, because you're not this robot who you can input, ‘I want to run a nine minute mile pace' which is roughly what you want for a sub-four hour Marathon. Unfortunately, training doesn't work that way. A lot of times people see these nice round numbers or there's some sort of excitement around them, but you just can't program a number into your body. It's all dependent upon where your current fitness is and where your aerobic capacity is.” (10:26) (Laura)“For most runners, taking a 10k or longer will give them a more accurate result than taking a mile or a 5k just because those shorter distances have more anaerobic contribution. And that's when you're getting into differences of muscle fiber typology. So, you can have someone who really excels in the Marathon and once they get into anything above their critical speed, they aren't as fast as the equivalent race times would predict.” (17:34) (Laura)“Once we get to four and a half to five hours and five and a half to six, your marathon pace is gonna have a lot of overlap with your easy pace. And, when we talk about marathon pace, it's not always this reverse engineered X minutes per mile faster than your easy pace. It's about the pace you can sustain for a certain duration.” (25:33) (Laura)“One workout that I find that is really great is to do ten minutes at threshold, thirty minutes at threshold, all those ones that push the upper end of threshold and really rely on the ability to control your pacing and then kinda add to thet.” (30:36) (Laura)“Where you are eight weeks out from your marathon is not where you're gonna be in your marathon. And, if you're reaching peak fitness eight weeks out from a marathon, you should probably be worried. You're probably overtraining.” (43:39) (Laura)“Carbs are the spark that's gonna fuel the fire of the marathon. You need that substrate. You're putting gas in your tank. No one's giving out medals at the end for running the marathon on the fewest carbs.” (48:19) (Laura)Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn –

Episode SummaryDavid Block is the Founder and CEO of Previnex, a nutritional supplement company that is committed to using science, clinically-tested ingredients and going above and beyond the testing and production standards required in the industry. Today, Whitney and David talk about the nutritional supplement industry, what ingredients to look for and to avoid when purchasing vitamins and supplements, and where you can get the highest quality products. David speaks to the distribution channel in the vitamin supplement space, his passion for optimal health and wellness, and what inspired him to launch Previnex. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:02 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, David Block, who speaks to his background in endurance athletics and how he became an expert in all things nutritional supplements 13:02 – The Previnex origin story 17:09 – Why there are loose regulations in the supplements industry 25:16 – Best practices on what ingredients to look for when shopping for nutritional supplements 32:26 – Finding other high-quality products (outside of Prenivex) 40:28 – Should you buy supplements through Amazon? 43:48 – David provides his thoughts on gummy vitamins 47:31 – Whitney thanks David for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can learn more about Previnex Tweetable Quotes“I just became an expert in all things nutritional supplements. And I was just bothered by a lot of what I saw which got me kinda crazy enough to start a company in the space.” (09:55) (David) “When you dive deep into the industry, unfortunately, you realize pretty quickly that it's a very predatory industry. Unless a consumer has a background in nutritional science, they honestly have a zero percent chance of understanding what ingredients can benefit them, or what products can benefit them, because it's super nuanced.” (11:31) (David) “The vision was never, ‘Let's be everything to everyone.' The vision was more, ‘Let's go into categories where we know we can make the best joint supplement, or immune supplement, or whatever it is, and have the clinical data to back it up.'” (16:04) (David) “If they get to X million dollars in sales, they'll just pay that two, three, four million dollar fine. And that's just a business decision. I could tell you so many stories, which I'm a little hesitant to do because I don't want to rip other companies, but this is actually like a business strategy in the industry. They go back to the predatory line of company profits and revenue matter more than consumer health, which is nuts. You can build a nice business by serving your customers really well with products of excellence.” (18:33) (David) “Vitamin C is a good tell for me. Ascorbic acid is like the lower quality, least expensive form of Vitamin C. It can be harsher on your stomach. So mineral ascorbates have always been my preferred form of Vitamin C. It's five to six times more expensive per kilo at the raw material level, but it's less harsh on the stomach. The data shows your cells readily intake mineral ascorbates and get more out of it than just ascorbic acid.” (29:20) (David) “I'll also look at the ‘other ingredients' for protein or meal replacement powders, because that's where a lot gets hidden. I don't want to see any gums because you can do it without gums. I don't want to see any sugar alcohols because those spike a glycemic response in insulin production, which you do not want over time. I don't want to see artificial anything. I don't want to see artificial sweeteners. It's just a tell-tale sign that a company is not doing it well. And so gums, sugar alcohols, preservatives, artificial anything would be things where I would say to avoid those products.” (31:46) (David) “Children's gummies drive me nuts, because I think they just have too much sugar or they don't have enough [vitamin minerals] because it would taste so bad...

Episode SummaryNiraj Vora & Ryan Hill are the Founders of The Stride Shop, a physical therapy clinic that helps runners dealing with injuries get back to training and racing strong. Having worked in various physical therapy clinics, Nirah and Ryan know that runners deserve personalized care and are here to provide that care and to help runners reach their goals. Today, Whitney engages in a rich discussion with Niraj and Ryan on the inspiration behind launching The Stride Shop, knowing the difference between a ‘niggle' and a major injury, and injury PTSD. They discuss the role that the mind and the nervous system play in injury, as well as Covid and tips for returning to running post-Covid. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:13 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guests, founders of the Physical Therapy The Stride Shop Niraj Vora & Ryan Hill, who joins the show to share their athletic backgrounds and 09:51 – What inspired Niraj and Ryan to launch The Stride Shop 12:30 – ‘Eureka' moments 16:07 – Understanding the difference between a ‘niggle' and a major injury 19:12 – When a runner should consider seeing a physical therapist (PT) and the science behind neuropain 24:35 – The roles of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems 28:35 – Injury PTSD 31:40 – Returning to running after Covid, including advice and best practices 44:52 – What's next for Niraj & Ryan 47:49 – Whitney thanks Niraj & Ryan for taking the time to join the show and lets listeners know where they can learn more about The Stride Shop Tweetable Quotes“I think that we both have a passion for treating this population. And there's also just a lack of proper care for this population. I think, generally speaking, if a runner goes to see somebody they aren't really talking to somebody who knows what it's like to go run an eighteen mile run on a Sunday morning.” (10:03) (Niraj) “If you're able to train without making the situation worse, there may be a fairly straightforward solution that can keep you training and address whats going on. But if you wait four or five months and have carried that pain and that injury for that long, it becomes a little bit harder a lot of times to treat that. So, I would say sooner is better. I know that goes against a lot of human nature, especially runners who just want to keep going.” (19:38) (Niraj) “I do a lot of deep breathing exercises as a preparatory for exercising or running for my patients just to tap into that rest and rejuvenation recovery system. So, the more that we can send that signal - activate an area, send a signal to the brain that this is a non threat, start to carve that pathway - the better.” (23:28) (Ryan) “The more than we can tap into the parasympathetic system when it comes to chronic injuries, the better that recovery is going to be.” (24:59) (Ryan) “I will say that this probably is one of the most important situations to proceed slowly. When it comes to pain and nervous system, I always tell people that basically you have a cup, and that cup is how much stress that your body can take. And so, it doesn't mean that it's only physical stress. When you have Covid or an illness, there are mental stressors that go along with it.” (35:19) (Niraj) “I think sometimes healthcare professions - ourselves included - maybe miss the mark when we talk about aqua jogging or cycling as the best forms of cross-training for runners. I'm not on that train anymore.” (43:53) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Ryan's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hill-pt-dpt-ocs-09565476/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hill-pt-dpt-ocs-09565476/) The Stride Shop –...

Episode SummaryTodd Buckingham is the Chief Exercise Physiologist at The Bucking Fit Life. He earned his PhD. in kinesiology from Michigan State University. In addition to being an expert in endurance performance, Todd is a Triathlon World Champion and a 2:25 Marathoner. Today, Whitney and Todd talk all about The Marathon Taper. They discuss the science behind tapering, why some runners feel awful after the tapering process, common mistakes to avoid and best practices to employ when tapering. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Todd Buckingham, who joins the show to share his running origin story, how he trains for Marathons and the biggest mistake runners make 11:03 – A 2:25 Marathon and 40 miles per week 16:46 – Finding your ‘Magic Mileage' 21:28 – The Marathon Taper 27:23 – The physiology of the Marathon Taper 30:20 – When you should time your ‘peak' workout during Marathon training 33:14 – Guidelines for knowing which Taper is best for you 36:35 – How to know if you tapered correctly 42:13 – Why many runners feel terrible when they taper and recommendations for runners who think that they aren't doing enough 48:36 – Common mistakes runners make when tapering and best practices for tapering the right way 53:44 – What's next for Todd 55:58 – Whitney thanks Todd for taking the time to join the show Tweetable Quotes“Distance Running is an aerobic sport. And to perform your best, you need to have the good aerobic base built. And you can't do that if you're pushing the envelope on your easy runs because when you run too hard, your body's not able to produce and develop new mitochondria.” (09:38) “That's one of my favorite sayings. So, I have athletes who I coach - runners, triathletes, cyclists - and that's one of my favorite sayings. ‘Just because you can run faster doesn't mean you should run faster. Or, just because you can do this race, doesn't mean you should do this race.'” (16:26) “I always tell my athletes to just focus on comparing yourself to you. Don't compare yourself to anybody else because it doesn't matter what anybody else is doing. And that's why when I go to a race, I don't really care who else shows up. I know what I'm capable of and my training has prepared me for this race. I don't need to compare myself to anybody else.” (19:55) “So, the purpose of the Marathon taper is to have you fresh and ready to race the best Marathon you can. When you're in training, you're always gonna be carrying some level of fatigue because you're putting in thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, one hundred miles a week. And your body is not able to recover from that in a day or two. So, the taper, which is gonna depend on your fitness level and what works for you because sometimes a one-week taper works for some others and a week and a half or a two week taper works for others. And so, you really have to experiment with what works best for you.” (22:06) “The body craves consistency. And so, when you take that away, it kinda gets thrown outta whack.” (44:02) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Todd's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-buckingham-4b5246b4/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-buckingham-4b5246b4/) Todd's Website – http://www.toddbuckingham.com/ (http://www.toddbuckingham.com/) The Bucking Fit Life Website – https://www.thebuckingfitlife.com/home (https://www.thebuckingfitlife.com/home)

Episode SummaryNatalie Mitchell is a seven-time marathoner, four-time Boston qualifier and five-time triathlete who is also a mother to three incredible children and wife to her best friend, Jerold. Today, Whitney and Natalie share in a rich discussion on why we love running despite the sacrifices and heartache it can sometimes give us, handling a Marathon DNF with grace and running safety, especially in the wake of the tragic murder of Liza Fletcher. Natalie opens up about her husband's recent life-threatening health emergency and the major lessons she has taken away from that experience. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Natalie Mitchell, who joins the show to share why she continues to return to running despite the heartache it can give us 10:10 – A beautiful Marathon build, a devastating injury, and dealing with a DNF (Did Not Finish) 22:56 – Natalie's fierce mindset and her ability to play the long game 27:25 – Natalie training and recovery journey 34:19 – Pivoting from the Indy Marathon to a late Fall/early Winter Marathon 39:37 – Natalie opens up about her husband Jerold's recent life-threatening health emergency 45:36 – Whitney and Natalie reflect on the recent murder of Liza Fletcher and the importance of keeping yourself safe while running 52:06 – Whitney thanks Natalie for taking the time to join the show and share her story Tweetable Quotes“I love the Marathon so much because the training, and the discipline, and just really what you have to put into your training from every perspective - from time management, to nutrition, to setting these really fun and hard goals - those are, for me, some of the reasons I keep coming back to the distance.” (07:18) “We all have little aches and pains and things that happen in the Marathon. That's just part of the sport. But it wasn't that. It was like this hamstring is just done at this point. It's telling me that. And now I have to listen to my body. If I push myself through just to say I crossed the finish line, A.) I'm not gonna do anything that I know I'm capable of. And B.) I'm gonna be so injured after this that who knows when I'm gonna be able to get back on the road again? So we pulled out. It was super emotional. I mean who wants a DNF? I always believe in finishing what you start and you don't quit, but it just wasn't meant to be that day.” (20:59) “I thought, ‘Ya know, I'm gonna try to make the best of the experience that I have. I'm here. There's this beautiful stadium. There's a lot of great things that are happening. These runners are putting their all into it and they're having a great day. And my day is going to come, it's just unfortunately not going to be today. But I do want to be there, and cheer other people on, and just be there and soak up the experience.” (24:14) “I think the big lesson here that we both want to put out to the world is that this can happen to anybody. We really feel like if this can happen to us, it can happen to anybody. You can be a runner. You can be fit. You can take care of yourself. You can feel like you're doing all the things that you should be doing to take care of your health, and something like this happens.” (42:10) “I think the only thing we can do is just try to be as safe as we can and let people know where we're going and just don't make yourself a target. No one should be able to look at us and say, ‘I know that Whitney runs at 7am every day on this route.' Nobody should know that.” (49:25) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Natalie's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-mitchell-336630123 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-mitchell-336630123) Natalie's...

Episode SummaryMegan Robinson has been a competitive track and cross-country runner since high school and has competed in numerous long distance races, including the Boston Marathon. She is a Level 1 certified RRCA coach and registered dietician/nutritionist (RDN). Today, Megan joins the show to discuss why Marathon fueling can be so complicated, the physiology of fueling and the importance of hydration. Megan and Whitney discuss tips and best practices for carb loading, why there are mixed messages in the media about fueling and nutrition and what an ideal baseline nutrition plan looks like. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Megan Robinson, who joins the show to share her experience as a Level 1 certified RRCA coach and registered sports dietician 09:21 – Why Marathon fueling can be so complicated 11:41 – Mixed media messages about fueling and nutrition 14:18 – The physiology of fueling 19:08 – The importance of hydration and the role of electrolytes 25:08 – Megan's recommended baseline nutrition plan 33:26 – How runners should time their gels and electrolytes 41:49 – The dangers of dehydration and low blood sodium 46:41 – Megan's thoughts on taking caffeine during races 55:41 – Tips and best practices for Carb loading 1:02:39 – Whitney thanks Megan for joining the show and wishes her luck in her next ran in Chicago Tweetable Quotes“It really made such a difference and impacted my life and how I saw nutrition. Especially to a teenager - especially as a female - you get those mixed messages. You look at your body type. You have negative body image often.” (06:37) “I think the Marathon training is the hardest just because most of us are not used to eating on a run. Our gut is not used to taking in nutrition. So, when I start talking to the athletes I coach, who are training for Marathons, it's really starting with the basics of getting your body used to taking in a little nutrition. So, I think it's fear of taking in nutrition, lack of knowledge of how much your body actually needs, and understanding the physiology of why you need it.” (10:50) “If you don't have Type 1 Diabetes, your body has this wonderful regulation system. So, if your liver has enough glycogen in it, then if you start to exercise and don't eat something and your blood sugar starts to drop, your liver will make enough sugar to regulate your blood sugars.” (15:23) “When you're dehydrated, your blood thickens. So, when that blood thickens, it's increasing your heart rate, it's increasing your blood pressure, it's increasing your perceived effort. And it makes it a lot harder to get that oxygen to the working muscles.” (22:31) “Once we start getting into longer runs, like Marathon training, I usually recommend taking anywhere from four to eight ounces of fluid every fifteen minutes.” (29:36) “So don't feel like you have to replace every amount of sodium that you're sweating out. You just don't want to get to a point where you're diluting your blood sodium levels. And what I mean by that is that if you were on a long run, it's a hot, humid day, and you're only taking in water, your risk is lowering your blood sodium levels, and that can be dangerous. That's what we call hyponatremia, which is low blood sodium.” (41:49) “A general way to carb load without getting too nuts and counting grams of carbohydrate and ruining your total diet is by shifting your calories to eating more carb-based foods and reducing the fat and protein in your diet.” (56:54) “The purpose of carb loading is to really maximize that muscle glycogen. And it's been shown that it possibly could increase your performance by three percent. But the downside is obviously you're shifting your calories, it's a diet change that your body's probably not used to, and you will gain some water weight, which is actually a good thing.” (1:01:03) Resources...

Episode SummaryAmanda Brooks is a renowned running coach for middle-of-the-pack runners and founder of one of the top running blogs out there, Run To The Finish. As a certified running coach and personal trainer, she's helped thousands of runners over the last ten years run over 26,000 miles and believes running is more important now more than ever. Today, we learn why Amanda decided to be a trailblazer in the running blogosphere, launching one of the first ever blogs about running. She provides tips for staying injury-free, training healthy and celebrating all goals, big and small. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:15 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Amanda Brooks, who joins the show to share her passion for writing and how she turned blogging into a career 11:33 – How Amanda fell in love with running 13:31 – Catering to middle-of-the-pack runners 18:15 – Enjoying the process and celebrating the little moments 24:23 – Amanda speaks to redefining what a ‘runner' is 27:50 – Advice Amanda would give to new runners who are struggling with being consistent 32:25 – Why strength training is critical for runners and other best practices for staying healthy 37:17 – Common mistakes most runners make and common myths about running 41:19 – What the future holds for Amanda as she enters her forties 44:23 – How Amanda winded up in Colorado 45:33 – Whitney thanks Amanda for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her Tweetable Quotes“Even as a little kid, I wanted to be a writer. I wrote stories and took them into my teachers like not homework, just stories...I just knew I wanted to write.” (07:20) “A lot of people who started a blog and wanted it to be a business immediately had no business experience. Whereas, I had ten years of leading Fortune 500 companies through projects. So, I immediately was able to respond to businesses like I was a business, and I think that shifted a lot of things.” (11:04) “I think for a lot of people it's a process of ‘go for the goal,' and then have a season where you're just running and enjoying your fitness and then go for a goal. Too often we just go from goal to goal to goal to goal. And that's where I see a lot of the burnout and the frustration.” (18:15) “You don't have to run. There are ways to be healthy, and happy, and fit. But if you want to run, go to a race and look at the people crossing the finish line. They are every size, every age, every gender. If you want to run, this is one hundred percent doable.” (25:01) “Oftentimes, it's coming back to your ‘why.' Pace is not your why. It's not what makes you show up. It's not why you started running. And then, it really is thinking about what actually brings you joy on your runs?” (36:16) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Amanda's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabrooksmclatchie/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabrooksmclatchie/) Run To The Finish – https://www.runtothefinish.com/ (https://www.runtothefinish.com/) Run To The Finish Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RunToTheFinish/ (https://www.facebook.com/RunToTheFinish/) Run To The Finish Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/runtothefinish/ (https://www.instagram.com/runtothefinish/) Run To The Finish Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/runtothefinish/ (https://www.pinterest.com/runtothefinish/) Run To The Finish Twitter – https://twitter.com/runtothefinish (https://twitter.com/runtothefinish) Run To The Finish YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/runtothefinish (https://www.youtube.com/runtothefinish)

Episode SummaryBoard-certified behavior analyst and sleep expert, Nicole Shallow joins the show to discuss why sleep is so crucial, especially for athletes and mother runners. From her own experience with struggling with sleep from early childhood, Nicole realized that knowledge is power. Through learning about sleep science, what is sleep, and how our behaviors impact our ability to sleep soundly, she was able to transform her own mental and physical health. Today, Nicole shares her passion so that others can take back the night and conquer their days. Nicole breaks down the anatomy of a sleep cycle and provides tips and best practices for optimizing sleep. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:04 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Nicole Shallow, who joins the show to share her struggles with sleeping and how she was able to fix her sleep and transform her mental and physical health 09:01 – How the Technology Age has impacted our sleep 11:31 – Why sleep is so important, especially to athletes 14:40 – The anatomy of a sleep cycle 20:04 – Best practices for improving quality of sleep and disruptive sleep habits to avoid 26:02 – Sleep and running 35:04 – Benefits of napping 38:03 – Weaning off sleep aides 40:49 – How to know if you are not getting enough sleep 46:23 – Whitney thanks Nicole for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her Tweetable Quotes“The Technology Age really has impacted sleep for everybody. And the research is pretty pronounced on that where, especially in teens and children, they're learning to soothe using technology.” (09:02) “When we sleep, all of the healing happens, both mentally and physically. And the research is unable to find any system in the body that doesn't benefit from this. Hormone balance, muscle repair and growth, mental health and managing thoughts and emotions, and problem solving. All of these things happen while we sleep.” (12:07) “Your REM sleep is so important for emotional regulation, storing memories, and a lot of your mental health side of things too.” (16:42) “It is figuring out what your body needs. So, if you ask yourself, ‘Am I getting injured? Am I getting sick? Are these things happening to me? Why can I never get ahead or move forward in my running?' Maybe it is taking a look at the sleep and seeing if you can improve the quality of the sleep that you're getting. Sometimes it's not even about quantity; it's the quality.” (19:29) “Alcohol actually limits your REM sleep as well as your deep sleep. So, your sleep is sedated. You've effectively sedated yourself into sleep, because that's what alcohol is, it's a sedative. And you're not going to achieve those same quality deep restorative sleep. You're not gonna spend that much time there. And then same with REM sleep; you're not gonna get much of it. That's why sometimes if your body is processing it overnight, you get kicked out of REM sleep.” (24:37) “Sleep begets sleep. So, the more sleep that we get, the more sleep that we want. So once kids start sleeping through a couple of those wakings - and it's not conscious - their bodies want more of that.” (33:26) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Nicole's Website – https://www.yourbehaviourgal.com/ (https://www.yourbehaviourgal.com/) Nicole's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleshallow/?originalSubdomain=ca (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleshallow/?originalSubdomain=ca) Nicole's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/yourbehaviourgal/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/yourbehaviourgal/?hl=en)

Episode SummaryMary Cates is a running coach, an ultra-Marathoner, and cancer survivor. Mary has been working with athletes since 2013 and coaches every distance from beginner to ultramarathon as well as multi-sport endurance athletes including Sprint, Olympic and Ironman Tri's. Mary's motto is simple, but it takes a long time to embrace: brain before legs. Training the body is great but to get to the next level, you've got to dig inside. Today, Whitney and Mary reflect on how training and running expectations change as you get into your forties and beyond. Mary opens up about her battle with a rare type of brain cancer and how her journey has kept her as motivated as ever to continue doing what she loves: running. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:17 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Mary Cates, who joins the show to share her inspiring story 09:16 – Mary opens up about her diagnosis and battle with a rare brain cancer 13:42 – Staying in the moment and the decision to pursue Ultra Running 19:19 – Training tips for running into your forties and beyond 25:43 – Strength-training and dieting 31:55 – Setting expectations, patience and Race Day 36:14 – What keeps Mary passionate about running 38:33 – Whitney thanks Mary for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“I think that first time around, when I came through it [battling cancer], I sorta thought I was tougher. I'm tough, I got through that. But then the second time it was so humbling that it just changed my perspective on everything. Looking back it made me a better coach.” (10:23) “Running is the thing that helped to remind me that I'm me and not ‘Mary the cancer patient.' It let me just block out all that other stuff even when I could only run a mile. It gave me the ability to be me. I completely lost the feeling that I was anything but this patient. But when I ran, I remembered, ‘Oh yeah, you're more than that.' We get really in it with our training. It's such a gift. It is the thing that allows you to take a break from the rest of the world.” (12:20) “When you're forty and over, you can't hide from it. And you end up just digging this hole and it's so hard to get out of. For me, the biggest thing is just making sure my easy runs are actually easy runs. That's a huge thing for me, for sure.” (20:57) “I eat a lot of food. And I think that's probably also - again knock on wood - one of the reasons I stay relatively healthy. I'm not in the camp of limiting too many things.” (28:50) “Races, to me, are the celebration of the life that you've had of running. Especially if you've been doing it as long as we've been doing it. I think Race Day is really a different thing. Anything can happen on Race Day.” (32:24) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Unrunning Website – http://unrunning.com/ (http://unrunning.com/) Mary's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/un_running/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/un_running/?hl=en)

Episode SummaryGina Rouse has over 20 years of experience at the highest levels of the running world. As a competitive athlete, she first met success at the scholastic level as a state champion and parlayed that success into a college scholarship to the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga where she became a Southern Conference runner of the year. Gina has continued her success into adulthood, after beginning a family, where she has continued to craft and update her pursuit of the highest levels of achievement as a runner. Today, Whitney and Gina reflect on Gina's achievements as a runner, why she needed to step away from running, and what keeps her inspired to chase big goals in her forties. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:17 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Gina Rouse, who joins the show to share her running origin story, her collegiate career and how she overcame an eating disorder 19:14 – A return to competitive running and becoming a mother 22:29 – How Gina met her husband, a shared bond, and delicate communication 31:04 – A gritty mentality and the capacity to dig deep 35:31 – Being comfortable being uncomfortable 39:55 – Turning forty and overcoming mental doubts 48:00 – Whitney thanks Gina for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“After college I really just needed to have some time to step away from the sport and not be so identified with eating, sleeping, and breathing, running track and cross country.” (11:45) “For a good long while in the recovery process, measuring and focusing on what I was asked to do as far as I need to have this much protein, fat, and carbs. It was something I could focus on, but it was a healthy focus.” (13:06) “It has been the most beautiful unraveling of all of that tightly wound part of me. Having three daughters has just broken that down in a great way. It's so uncomfortable at times because I want so badly for all the ducks to be in a row, but it's so wonderful that God uses the kids to help us get over ourselves.” (20:40) “Matt has really taken the back burner with a lot of his training over the last few years, especially with the last Olympic Trials. That whole year before the Olympic Trials, he really backed off on his goals in a concerted effort to allow me the extra time to do what I felt like I needed to do to prepare. That's a huge sacrifice on his part and I hope to be able to give him that time and space too.” (29:39) “I've always had this drive, as soon as I started cross country, to be the best. And to be the best, I've got to see what they're doing and do it.” (32:37) “It is wise of us to be a lot smarter about training. I don't quite train as hard as I did even just a couple of years ago. And while that's difficult to mentally come to terms with, when you feel better physically and you're not on the verge of overtraining, then I think we can still get a lot out of our systems even at a more mature age.” (43:53) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Knoxville Endurance – http://www.knoxvilleendurance.com/index.htm (http://www.knoxvilleendurance.com/index.htm)

Episode SummaryLiz Fanco has an amazing story of transformation, determination, and passion. After having eight kids and losing more than 100 pounds, Liz found a passion for running that she never thought possible. She is an ‘MOM' (mother of many) and today she joins the show to share herstory of weight loss, sustainable lifestyle change, being a multi-sport athlete and running for a cause. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:11 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Elizabeth Fanco, who joins the show to talk about her experience raising eight kids on a farm and her passion for running races journey of transformation 10:42 – Liz's running origin story and how she went from hating running less to loving it 24:30 – How Liz learned to prioritize herself 32:39 – Inspiring others to run 36:08 – Whitney thanks Liz for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her 37:37 – Liz's upcoming races and big goals she's set for herself this year Tweetable Quotes“It's the most mom thing ever to have my quiet place be in the car.” (02:53) “It's been awesome to be able to use my gifts and my passions to help other people. It's one of those, ‘Find a job that you love and you'll never work a day in your life.' And I love working on races. I love helping put them together. I love planning them. Race day and the day before races are so energizing for me.” (09:55) “I was so worried that the running community was going to look at me and be like, ‘Yeah, you don't fit here. You can go sit in your car and write a check.' But they weren't. Runners are so welcoming and that was amazing to me.” (14:36) “When you go from ‘I could never' to ‘I just did' the world opens up for you because all of a sudden you realize that you are actually capable of more than you thought you could do.” (15:09) “Especially as a mom, carving out time for yourself is really difficult. And, I tell people a huge part of the transformation this year was the fact that Todd carved out time and showed me that I needed to prioritize myself. I'm a better mom when I prioritize myself. I'm a better wife when I prioritize myself.” (24:30) “I found my passion. I have a passion for clean water. I have a passion for World Vision. And that's what got me into running. I feel like this is who I was created to be and it is such a cool feeling to experience that and to have found that at this point in my life.” (30:01) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Liz's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/running_l8ter/ Liz's Feature on The Today Show – https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/mom-loses-100-pounds-1-year-runs-nyc-marathon-rcna8769 (https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/mom-loses-100-pounds-1-year-runs-nyc-marathon-rcna8769) Tris4Health – https://tris4health.com/ (https://tris4health.com/) Team World Vision – https://www.teamworldvision.org/ AlterG Treadmill – https://www.alterg.com/ (https://www.alterg.com/)

Episode SummaryCarolyn Su has established herself in the world of running as a resource, inspiration, and advocate for change. Carolyn is the creator of DiverseWeRun, an Instagram page that amplifies the stories of Black, Indiginous, People of Color (BIPOC) runners and advocates for racial representation, equity and inclusion in the running community. Today, Whitney and Carolyn discuss activism, Carolyn's struggles with mental and physical health, and her mission to empower others to show up fully as themselves in all aspects of life. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways00:52 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Carolyn Su, who joins the show to talk about the launch of her upcoming podcast, For the Love of The Run 11:35 – Carolyn gets vulnerable to discuss her running origin story and shares how she overcame mental and physical health challenges 18:47 – Discovering your value and worth outside of your running goals 23:45 – Surgery, COVID and training for a comeback marathon 34:20 – The inspiration to launch, DiverseWeRun 39:16 – How building relationships can foster diversity and inclusion 48:01 – What keeps Carolyn passionate about running 50:02 – Whitney thanks Carolyn for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“My sense of worth and my place in life as a person - my identity essentially - was really based on a lot of external standards that I had bought into. So, at that time, running was more of a tool and a mechanism to reach and meet those standards.” (16:22) “I have to, once again, revisit what is true about who I am, about my worth, my purpose in life and what is actually valuable in the big scheme of things - what actually matters. You know, I feel like it's a continuous journey.” (21:55) “Right now, I am in a place where I just want to make sure I can go out for easy runs with my heart rate where it's supposed to be. And then after that we can look into other races. I am registered for the Chicago Marathon in October.” (31:10) “Every week, I write a feature on an athlete who is a person of color. The whole platform highlights and amplifies our stories and shares how a person's cultural background and race really impacts our entry into running as well as our experience in the sport, even now as we continue to show up.” (34:38) “Ultimately, I think what is important is that all of us approach things with a desire to understand and to get to know the person, whomever it is that you're interacting with. And building relationships with people takes time.” (40:33) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Carolyn's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/irunfortheglory/ (https://www.instagram.com/irunfortheglory/) Diverse We Run Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/diversewerun/ (https://www.instagram.com/diversewerun/)

Episode SummaryMichelle Baxter is a mother of two who lives and trains in Anchorage, Alaska. Michelle became obsessed with running at age ten and, almost thirty years later, she's still setting PRs, coaching others in their running goals, and she finally achieved her dream of running a sub 3 marathon in 2021. Today, Whitney and Michelle talk about how Michelle stays motivated to train in the cold and dark climate of Alaska, the nutrition hacks that helped her achieve her goals, and how she's been able to balance being a mother with continuing to improve as a runner. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways00:53 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Michelle Baxter, who joins the show to talk about her running journey, what brought her to Alaska and the difficulty of training in such a cold and dark climate 16:01 – What helps Michelle remain mentally strong during strenuous workouts and recalling the tragedy of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing 21:57 – Michelle reflects on how she balances pushing herself and giving herself breaks as she coaches herself 24:27 – What it took to achieve the Sub-3 Dream 28:21 – Running the California International Marathon 36:56 – What keeps Michelle motivated as a mother runner 42:41 – A wave of emotions after finally achieving her goal of a sub-3 marathon 46:29 – The Faster as a Mom Club 51:01 – Battling the feeling of being tired and the importance of sleep and recovery 55:00 – Whitney thanks Michelle for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“People say it's manic-depressive. It's depressing during the winter and manic during the summer just because you try to cram everything in in those three months. Whether it's hiking, fishing, camping, all of those things we try to cram in during a very short period of time.” (10:55) “I think college is when I realized how much I enjoyed it. It was my social time of the day and I realized how much I actually liked the activity of running.” (13:03) “Your biggest cheerleader is your past self. Nobody's cheering for you more than your past self. When I think back to myself as a college athlete, I was below average. So now to see the progress that I've been able to make over those fifteen years, it's really cool. Even that motivates me to keep going and see how much faster I can get.” (40:28) “I never thought I'd be faster after having kids. I mean I had the hope, but I didn't know if it was possible.” (47:15) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Michelle's Website – https://www.therunnersplate.com/ (https://www.therunnersplate.com/) Michelle's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/therunnersplate/ (https://www.instagram.com/therunnersplate/) Michelle's Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/therunnersplate/ (https://www.pinterest.com/therunnersplate/) The Runner's Plate Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/therunnersplate (https://www.facebook.com/therunnersplate)

Episode SummaryPodcaster, Speaker, and Running Coach Linsey Hein joins today's show to share her own experiences as a mother, marathoner, and coach. Lindsey discusses her podcast, I'll Have Another, and the approach she takes to interviewing top-tier elite runners such as Lee Troop, Julie-Anne Staehli, and Heather MacLean, among others. Whitney and Lindsey talk about the importance of giving yourself grace as a runner and a parent, balancing family, work and running, and what it takes to come back from injuries. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways02:25 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Lindsey Hein, who joins the show to discuss the recent Boston Marathon, how Lindsey prepares for podcast interviews and how she overcomes nerves while interviewing elite runners 12:58 – Giving yourself grace 15:44 – Whitney and Lindsey talk about her running background and their kids 23:43 – The inspiration to launch I'll Have Another, Lindsey's podcasting style and how she approaches interviews 39:34 – What kind of athlete is Lindsey? 41:38 – What's in a (podcast) name? 45:48 – Motherhood, running and coming back from injuries 57:28 – Whitney thanks Lindsey for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“I just want to make sure I'm so well prepared that I'm doing a service to my listeners so that they have an enjoyable conversation to listen to.” (10:31) “I usually write down a bunch of facts about someone and then write down some talking points and then, depending on who it is, five or six pointed questions. Some people I don't write any questions down. I just have the talking points like I want to make sure we hit this. It just totall depends on who they are. A coach for instance, I'm gonna be way more specific with questions written down ahead of time.” (12:04) “I think when people are honest about the help they have it makes the rest of us feel like, ‘Ok, maybe I'm not doing X, Y, & Z, but I don't have help here.' And it's really easy to compare your life to someone else's and think, ‘Well, if she can do all these things, why can't I?' Nobody's life is the exact same.” (14:23) “This is what I'm known for. I say, ‘I'm probably just gonna do five miles,' because that's all I feel like doing in the moment. And then I usually tag a couple more on at the end. Famous last words, ‘I'm just gonna do five miles.'” (37:38) “If there's a soccer day or something like that that's really packed with family stuff, that run is happening the day before or the day after. The run is not taking priority over work and family. I think that there's a way to do that, it's just figuring it out.” (50:41) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Lindsey's Website – https://lindseyhein.com/ (https://lindseyhein.com/) Lindsey's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lindseyhein626/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/lindseyhein626/?hl=en) Lindsey's Twitter – https://twitter.com/lindseyhein (https://twitter.com/lindseyhein) Lindsey's Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/illhaveanotherpodcast/ (https://www.facebook.com/illhaveanotherpodcast/) Lindsey's Portfolio of Podcasts: Why Is Everyone Yelling? With Lindsey Hein – https://sandyboyproductions.com/why-is-everyone-yelling-podcast/ (https://sandyboyproductions.com/why-is-everyone-yelling-podcast/) The Herban Farmacy Podcast – https://sandyboyproductions.com/herban-farmacy/ (https://sandyboyproductions.com/herban-farmacy/) Up + Running Podcast – https://sandyboyproductions.com/up-running/ (https://sandyboyproductions.com/up-running/) Illuminate Podcast – https://sandyboyproductions.com/illuminate-podcast/ (https://sandyboyproductions.com/illuminate-podcast/)

Episode SummaryAmy Stephens is a NYC-based dietician who specializes in sports nutrition and diabetes. She has been featured in publications such as the New York Times , Martha Stewart Living , and The New York Post , to name a few. With over twenty years of experience, Amy is passionate about health and helping others find realistic solutions with the right, real foods. Her expertise ranges from helping everyday people with diabetes create realistic and science-based eating strategies, to elite professional athletes who are US Olympic Team contenders that approach food as part of their performance and recovery training. Running for weight loss is generally a topic Whitney tends to steer clear of because running is so much more than losing weight. But so many people start running with that goal in mind, and today, Whitney and Amy want to help set those runners up for success so that they become hooked on this healthy lifestyle. Amy shares some of her experiences with sports nutrition and provides tips and best practices for approaching the goal of weight loss in a healthy manner. This includes recommendations on what foods to eat and which ones to avoid, how to know when you're getting enough nutrients, and why there are no ‘good' foods or ‘bad' foods. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways03:48 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Amy Stephens, who joins the show to share how she got into nutrition and the work she does with elite runners 11:39 – Running for weight loss and why it's such a tricky subject 13:22 – Two keys to running for weight loss 18:45 – Being mindful, not obsessive, over nutrition 22:51 – What a healthy plate looks like 25:10 – Quinoa, sardines and vegetables 28:50 – Signs that you are getting enough nutrients 36:01 – Caloric intake and what meals and snacks should look like on workout days 44:11 – Amy provides her thoughts on fad diets and intermittent fasting 48:34 – What keeps Amy passionate about running and what's next for Amy 51:01 – Whitney thanks Amy for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“Running not only is a lot of work, but it's not just about the running. It's about eating properly and fueling your body for the runs and being a little bit more strategic and mindful about your nutrition.” (12:21) “Diet culture tells us carbs are bad. Well, some types of carbs might not be nutrient dense. I don't say foods are ‘good' or ‘bad.' I think that leads to a lot of confusion. Foods are not good or bad. They are more nutritious and less nutritious.” (18:13) “The way to know you're getting enough nutrients is that you have energy, you're completing workouts and you're feeling good.” (29:04) “It takes thirty minutes for your hormones to start to shift and let your brain know that food is coming. So, eating more slowly. Sometimes I'll have someone have a glass of water before their meal. Or even in between bites, have a glass of water and just think, ‘How does my body feel? Did I eat enough? Am I getting full?' And, if you ate a plate of food and you want a second plate, wait ten minutes.” (33:59) “Your body always wants to hold onto those calories. That's how we're designed. And so, if you tease it, it's going to make it harder. Be consistent. Monday needs to look as similar to Saturday as possible.” (38:04) “Oh there's so many things about running that I love. I think the one thing that stands out to me is the running community. I think the people that I have come across are awesome and it's like this subculture.” (48:37) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Amy's Website – https://www.amystephensnutrition.com/ (https://www.amystephensnutrition.com/)...

Episode SummaryElisabeth Scott is a multi-certified run coach and creator of Running Explained, an organization that is on a mission to turn everyone into educated, smarter, faster runners. Elisabeth is also the host of the wildly popular Running Explained Podcast, a show that answers all running questions for beginners and experts alike. From training to racing, nutrition, recovery and gear, there's always something new to learn about running. Today, Whitney and Elisabeth talk about her inspirational running journey, going from a beginning runner who was completely sedentary to running a 4:05 marathon in just six months! Elisabeth speaks to why running became such a passion for her and what inspired her to launch Running Explained. As a new runner, she learned a lot but also made a ton of rookie mistakes. Elisabeth talks about those common mistakes as well as tips and best practices for becoming a better, faster, stronger, and more educated runner. She talks about why running can get so complicated, why running culture is so refreshing and what's next for her and her business. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways03:00 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Elisabeth Scott, who joins the show to share her incredible running story and how running became a lifelong passion 11:00 – Elisabeth shares the story of why she started running and how it helped her overcome addiction 13:30 – Early questions Elisabeth had about running as a beginner runner and common mistakes to avoid for beginners 20:53 – A running awakening 24:15 – Running culture and the launch of The Running Explained Podcast 28:34 – How and why does running get so complicated? 31:37 – Some guidelines of running and why they are not one size fits all 34:23 – Characteristics of a smart runner 37:05 – Mistakes Elisabeth has observed from both new and experienced runners 45:49 – What's next for Elisabeth as she expands her business 47:14 – What Elisabeth loves most about running 48:48 – Whitney thanks Elisabeth for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“That's why I started Running Explained, because I didn't want anybody to go through what I went through as a new runner, feeling lost and making all those mistakes.” (10:23) “You put in the work, and you make the progress that you do, and it does get easier. You just have to be consistent about what you're doing.” (15:45) “Gaining those gears on your bike is really important, but what you probably don't realize is that there is a gear that is your easy gear. There is a gear that is a low intensity running zone that a lot of runners who start like I did - running everything really hard - because that's what they're used to. They don't understand the importance of slowing down when they can - when they have the fitness to - to run in that easy effort zone.” (18:18) “I love talking about running. And once I realized that this might actually be something I could do as my job, it was awesome. So, between what I'm doing with the podcast and the Instagram account, trying to explain concepts that are running related or physiologically or emotionally related to running and coaching, I get to do what I love all day long.” (28:05) “I think the only thing I can think of where it's one hundred percent applicable to one hundred percent of runners is don't overstride. Everything else is negotiable depending on what you are trying to do and who you are as an athlete.” (33:36) “I think that's the thing that I take the most pride in is how many people who follow me or listen to what I'm saying on the podcast reach out and say that that change in how they run - in slowing down their easy days - helped them fall in love with running again.” (46:43) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The...

Episode SummaryMatt Chittim is a former college basketball player and coach who started running at a young age. Though his running journey was far from typical, after college Matt started taking running more seriously and eventually became fully invested in the running community. Matt is the host of The Rambling Runner, a podcast about and for dedicated amateur runners who are working hard to get better and achieving inspirational results while balancing running with the rest of their lives. Matt believes that storytelling is a powerful tool and that amateur runners have some of the most fascinating stories to share. Today, Matt talks to Whitney about the work he is doing to help amateur runners reach their enormous potential. He discusses some of the strategies he's employed with his own running, such as increasing aerobic capacity and putting in more miles. Matt reflects on some of the mental, emotional and physical challenges he's had to overcome, including injuries and not taking running too seriously. Finally, Matt talks about the importance of having the right mindset as a runner and why we should all strive to focus on controlling the things we can. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways03:00 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Matt Chittim, who joins the show to share his passion for running and what his running journey has entailed 16:31 – Matt reflects on how running injuries led him to launch his podcast, The Rambling Runner 22:13 – The exponential growth of Matt's podcast and how he turned a side hustle into a full-time job 27:35 – Overcoming obstacles and controlling what you can control 38:33 – Increasing aerobic capacity 42:17 – Getting back to marathoning 45:20 – Not taking running too seriously 50:41 – What Matt loves most about running 56:01 – Whitney thanks Matt for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow him Tweetable Quotes“So I thought, alright, a lot of pros are already getting interviewed. We don't need another person interviewing these pro runners. I'll just interview amateur runners who have interesting stories. I love those kinds of stories.” (20:55) “For me there was the injury piece. I felt like I was always going from couch to race. There was no building upon fitness.” (29:39) “I look back on periods of my life and I know I didn't get the most out of my circumstances. Even if my circumstances didn't change, I did not get the most out of them from a running perspective. And I have regrets surrounding it and I'm trying to remedy that situation now.” (38:14) “Every long run I did at mile twelve it became a struggle. And I would finish my long runs but I was well aware that I needed to get stronger. And the only way this is gonna happen is if I'm running longer and putting more miles in. And it's not simply in the long run. I need to do more of this and not just more meaning more per week, but also many more weeks of this.” (38:57) “When I dwell on the competitiveness and some of the negativity that can stem from it, it makes me the kind of person that I don't want to be. And that has an impact on all the other areas in my life. It's easy to reign that in when I'm not taking running seriously.” (48:00) “It's the same reason I love all sports; it's not running specific. It's people who are working hard to get better at something in the face of whatever challenges that they have, whether those are physical challenges, mental and emotional challenges or situational challenges.” (50:47) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Matt's Website – https://theramblingrunner.com/ (https://theramblingrunner.com/) Matt's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rambling_runner/...

Episode SummaryKristy Baumann is a registered dietitian, marathon runner, wife and mother to a six month old and a three year old. As a new runner, Kristy thought that she was eating healthy to support her training. In reality, she was eating too clean and, unknowingly, restricting calories, cutting out fat, and ignoring her hunger signs. It wasn't until she began to change her mindset around food and understand the science behind nutrition and how the body works that she was able to learn to fuel properly, feel more energized and improve her running. Today, Kristy and Whitney talk about Kristy's journey as a runner, common mistakes marathon trainers make in regards to food and fueling and best practices for correcting those mistakes. Kristy provides insights on hydration, energy gels and post-marathon recovery. Finally, Kristy speaks to what she loves most about running and why she's on a mission to spread the message that having a positive relationship with food is the foundation of fueling well as a runner. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways00:56 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Kristy Baumann, who joins the show to share her running journey and how she became The Marathon Nutritionist 09:03 – Common fueling mistakes runners make during the marathon training process 13:42 – How to train your gut and the trouble with fasted runs 20:03 – The importance of eating easily digestible carbohydrates and what refueling should look like 25:16 – Preparing for Marathon Race week and why hydration is critical 28:16 – When should marathon trainers be carb-loading and recommendations on which fibrous foods to eat 31:27 – Common mistakes runners make on Race Day 34:53 – Advice on when to take the first energy gel during a marathon 39:00 – Hydration recommendations while running a marathon 41:20 – Recovery post-marathon 44:38 – How Kristy makes sure her athletes are eating enough throughout the day 47:26 – What Kristy loves most about running 49:14 – Whitney thanks Kristy for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“I would always hear about eating disorders. But I never realized there was this whole realm of disordered eating as well where we have disordered thoughts about food which comes from diet culture and the pressure to look a certain way.” (06:51) “As female runners, our hormonal makeup is completely different. And food and carbohydrates are essential in making sure that we're able to perform to the best of our ability.” (16:18) “So your body is always using different forms of energy; it's not just using one. So, when you're running slower, it's using carbs and fats as a source of energy. But, there comes a point where even fat or protein as a source of energy takes longer for your body to break down in order to use it as energy.” (18:54) “Honestly, the way you eat during taper doesn't really change until a couple of days before the race. You still want to eat balanced meals. You still want to honor your hunger. Just because you're running less doesn't mean you should now be dramatically changing the way you're eating or intentionally reducing carbs.” (25:48) “Some people are totally fine eating foods made from white flour, while other people need to be more aware of eating and incorporating complex carbs like oatmeal, or incorporating a flax seed in order to prevent constipation or gut problems going into a race.” (30:28) “Thirst isn't a good indicator of when we need to drink water. There's a lot of research on how we can't rely on thirst alone when we're exercising.” (40:37) “Honestly, the part that I love about running is that when you run you learn so much about yourself, whether it's through challenging workouts that you never thought you could complete to the personal self-confidence I've gotten from running.” (47:42) Resources MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn...

Episode SummaryMary Johnson is a running and strength coach and Founder of Lift | Run | Perform, an organization that specializes in teaching runners how to use time in the weight room or in your own home to optimize your running performance. Mary is a USATF certified running coach, owner of Lift, Run, Perform, mother of two and she's going after her own goals after having babies. Recurring injuries plagued Mary for years until she found strength training and it totally changed her life and training paradigm. Today, Mary and Whitney talk about the struggles of returning to running postpartum and what that looked like for Mary. Mary shares the origin story of her company, Lift | Run | Perform, and provides some tips and best practices for strength training. Mary and Whitney explain the Five Major Movement Patterns as well as how different workout reps spur different changes in the body. Finally, Mary talks about some of the exciting projects she's working on, including her ‘Breaking Three' project. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:18 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Mary Johnson, who joins the show to share her experience as a runner, running coach, mother and the work she did to overcome postpartum challenges in order to become stronger 15:02 – Why pregnancy is so polarizing 19:20 – The origin story of Mary's business, Lift | Run | Perform 22:55 – Pros and cons of strength training for runners 26:31 – The Five Major Movement Patterns, explained 33:36 – How different reps spur different changes in the body 38:19 – Mary provides her thoughts on what strength training should look like when marathon training 45:25 – Mary suggests some workout equipment options 48:25 – Proper form and technique while working out 50:10 – How strength training has changed Mary's experience running 51:48 – Mary's ‘Breaking Three' project 55:32 – Whitney thanks Mary for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow him Tweetable Quotes“I think having an easier delivery this time has made me aware of how significant and different every delivery can be.” (11:54) “We knew that the best thing that was necessary for athletes was coaching the person as a human as opposed to coaching the person focused on a time goal. And that was our mission statement.” (21:26) “When we're running, we're pounding. There's a ton of force that's put on our body. So, we hit the ground, it goes through our foot, to our ankle, to our knee, to our hip, to our back, and we are not stable when we hit that ground. We can absorb the shock fine but after step after step, the body doesn't sustain that pounding very well. It needs to be strong. And that's the simplified reason why running alone isn't enough to keep us strong.” (23:09) “First, I would make sure you take a month, pre-Marathon cycle, to lift. Yeah, you could run but you're probably going to go down in mileage anyway. And this is a great time to get yourself in the gym. If you're sore, that's ok because it's not gonna affect your workouts. But you have to be intentional about it.” (38:46) “When you run without any aches or pains, it's amazing.” (50:21) Links MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Mary's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/itsamarython/ (https://www.instagram.com/itsamarython/) Lift | Run | Perform Website – https://liftrunperform.com/ (https://liftrunperform.com/) Lift | Run | Perform Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Lift-Run-Perform-778360652345852/ (https://www.facebook.com/Lift-Run-Perform-778360652345852/) Lift | Run | Perform Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/liftrunperform/ (https://www.instagram.com/liftrunperform/) Link to Megan and David Roche's podcast Some Work, All Play –...

Episode SummaryAt the age of twenty-four Dr. Jason Karp was one of the youngest college head coaches in the country and now he is the first American coach known to have moved to Kenya to coach Kenyans. Jason has written a dozen books including, Running a Marathon for Dummies and Running for Women and he has a passion for the science of athletic performance. In addition to being a coach and author, he's an exercise physiologist, speaker and creator of the Revolution Running Certification, which has been obtained by coaches and fitness professionals in twenty-five countries. Jason's research has been published in many peer-reviewed journals and he's also been an instructor for the USA Track and Field Level 3 Coaching Certification and four coaching camps at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. For Jason's contributions to the industry, he has been honored with several awards, including the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition Community Leadership Award (twice). Today, Jason and Whitney talk about the work he's doing in Kenya, what it's like for runners living there, and what his overall goal is while he's over there. Dr. Jason provides some insights into nutrition, different types of training and his own experience as a runner. Finally, Whitney and Jason bust some common myths and misconceptions that are not backed by science like, ‘Does strength training really make you faster? And does your cadence actually matter?' Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:32 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, renowned running coach, Dr. Jason Karp, who joins the show to share his passion for the science of athletic performance and the work he's doing over in Kenya 12:46 – Jason's upcoming TED Talk 15:17 – What a typical day looks like for a Kenyan athlete 23:30 – Jason provides some nutritional advice to runners and the major metabolic differences between male and female runners 27:44 – The best time for women to be racing 31:09 – Training focusing on mileage 33:34 – The myth of the 80/20 Rule and how Kenyans train 39:40 – Strength training debunked 44:40 – The best types of training and how to prevent running injuries 49:22 – A unique workout that Jason has designed 56:50 – What has kept Jason so passionate about running 59:30 – Whitney thanks Jason for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow him Tweetable Quotes“So, I have a couple of different goals for why I'm here [in Kenya]. But one of the reasons is because, to my knowledge, there's never been an American coach who has moved to Kenya to coach the Kenyan runners. So that is appealing to me. I wanted to do that because it's never been done before.” (10:45) “Sometimes you should do the long run without having breakfast first and you shouldn't take carbohydrates during the long run because you want to deplete the tank. That's one of the purposes of doing such long runs all the time is to deplete the tank so that you'll respond and adapt to that situation by making a bigger fuel tank because that's what improves endurance for next time.” (25:12) “Ultimately, what causes the signal for adaptation is time because your legs have no concept of what a mile is. Mileage is arbitrary. Your legs have no concept. And, if you take two runners - one who is very fast and one who is slow - and they both run thirty miles a week, the really fast runner is running less total time than the slower runner. So the slower runner is actually under more stress even though their mileage is the same.” (31:36) “Any time you add a new stress, a little bit of that stress has to be added first, let your body recognize it, adapt to it, and then you add a little more stress. I mean that's the whole training process.” (48:59) “If you were to go outside and run on flat ground and start out slow and count the number of steps in a minute and then you pick up the pace and then you count...

Episode SummaryAnne Maher is a wife and working mom who is passionate about running and triathlons. She discovered running later in life and is now setting some impressive personal records (PRs) and aiming for some ambitious goals. Today, Whitney and Anne talk about how Anne has been able to go from a beginner runner with no experience to Marathoner and how she's achieved some major breakthroughs in a short amount of time. Anne speaks to how she balances her training with being a mom, wife and a professional, provides tips for staying mentally and physically healthy and shares her goals for 2022. Anne is currently taking her Pro License in Triathlon and is considering going after the new Marathon Olympic Trials Qualifying Standards (which is now a 2:37). Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways01:18 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Anne Maher who joins the show to share her inspirational running journey, from non-runner to Marathoner 15:31 – A strong belief and an incredible support system 25:19 – Setting intangible goals 29:25 – Anne's Triathlon debut 33:09 – Balancing ambitious goals with family, work and everyday life 38:19 – Whitney and Anne share their thoughts on the new Olympic Trials Qualifying Standard 46:22 – What motivates and drives Anne 49:23 – Anne's hilarious Instagram handle 53:10 – Whitney thanks Anne for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“I started finally doing workouts and truly started run training and kinda finding my potential in running. It's been a fun couple of years seeing how far I can go and continue to improve. And I'm not done but I'm enjoying it.” (08:52) “Believing I can do things, asking for help and being patient for the right time to pursue my goals, those three things were instrumental in my breakthroughs over the last few years.” (18:52) “And I think what these last few years have shown me is even if the race day doesn't go the way you wanted, if the training cycle overall goes according to plan, they all stack up and build on each other. And if you're being consistent and training in a thought out way, that is going to get you to those goals.” (24:12) “One of my goals for 2022 is that I want to earn my ‘Pro Card' in Triathlon and try to race as a Pro at least once by the end of 2022.” (31:49) Links MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Anne's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/margsandmarathons/ (https://www.instagram.com/margsandmarathons/)

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Whitney welcomes three-time Olympic Trials Qualifier and Founder of the run coaching group, Get Running Coaching, Neely Gracey. Neely is an incredibly real and genuine person who has an amazing running story. She's honest about the challenges she's faced both as a runner and as a mother, and she truly wants to share her experiences to help other runners. Neely believes that coaching helps inspire her to keep working towards her goals as a runner, mother and business owner. She's the eleventh American female ever to break 70 minutes in the half marathon. Today, Whitney and Neely talk about Neely's life as a professional runner, the challenges she encountered when she became a mom, and how she has exercised patience in reaching her goals. Neely opens up about her relationship with her husband, how a surprise pregnancy affected her running career, and what inspired her to write her book, Breakthrough, due out Spring 2022. Finally, Neely provides some sage advice to runners and shares the goals she has for herself in the coming year. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways00:52 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Neely Gracey who joins the show to share her incredible running journey, motherhood, and how she's overcome challenges throughout her career 11:52 – How Neely attained her pro athlete status as a runner 18:11 – Cultivating a winning running culture 22:23 – How Neely met her husband 26:56 – Neely's injury history and how she started training with a world-class Adidas coach 32:14 – How Neely got to the point of easing off and letting her body guide her post-injury 34:08 – An incredible run to the Olympic Qualifiers 39:05 – The surprise of Neely's life 42:48 – Neely's upcoming book, Breakthrough, and what inspired her to write it 53:04 – Goals for 2022 56:16 – Whitney and Neely express their disappointment in the recently released Olympic Trials qualifying standards 57:35 – The vital role of sleep 58:24 – Whitney thanks Neely for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her and Get Running Coaching Tweetable Quotes“Teams need a leader and they need a leader that is positive and cohesive and respected.” (18:22) “I honestly think it was all of the hormonal stuff. I think that was literally the reason behind all of [the injuries] and that my body wasn't ready. And I mentally was ready so I pushed harder than I should have and pushed my body into it and my body just kind of put up the stoplight for me.” (30:10) “Finally I just got to the point where I said, ‘Ok, I don't even care if I ever race again. For me, I just want to be able to run every day and have fun with it.'” (33:18) “My whole goal for 2020 was just to have a very steady progression of base-building fitness so that I could start racing again and feel really good and strong. And then, of course, the pandemic hit and I said, ‘Well, it doesn't change my goal because my goal was to run consistently.' And I had a great 2020.” (35:39) “The main focus of the book is kind of a big picture of all the things it takes to be a good runner and to meet your goals.” (47:02) “There's tons of training books out there. There's no one right way to train. Everyone is going to have a different approach and I've learned that as a professional.” (50:44) Links MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Get Running Coaching Website - https://getrunningcoaching.com/ (https://getrunningcoaching.com/) Get Running Coaching Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/getrunningcoaching/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/getrunningcoaching/?hl=en) Neely's Twitter - https://twitter.com/neelysgracey (https://twitter.com/neelysgracey) Neely's Instagram -...

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Whitney welcomes writer, microbusiness owner and certified running coach Laura Norris. Laura is an amazing wealth of knowledge when it comes to the science of running. In fact, she has served as a mentor to Whitney and a co-coach for her athletes at The Mother Runners. She coaches adult recreational runners from beginners to Boston Qualifiers to 50K runners. She even qualified for Boston twice herself! Her areas of expertise include physiology, marathon training and long-term sustainability in sport. Today, Whitney and Laura dive deep into the science of running, from anaerobic and aerobic training regiments to how different types of runs help train the body's systems to make us better runners. Laura discusses what happens to our bodies when we run and how we can use science to make us faster. Finally, Laura explains the Running Economy, Specificity of Training and why you can't rush fitness. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways00:42 – Whitney Hines introduces today's guest, Laura Norris who joins the show to share her expertise in the science of running 10:53 – The many different systems the body utilizes for energy 14:53 – How different types of running help us train our body's systems to become more efficient runners 18:08 – Developing a program for marathon training and how it differs from training for a shorter race like a 5K 21:47 – Specificity of training 24:23 – Advice for those starting out as a new runner 25:45 – How heart rate correlates to different types of runs and rate of perceived effort (RPE) 29:23 – What happens when you make the mistake of going too hard during your run and how Laura keeps her athletes in check 34:18 – The Running Economy, explained 38:58 – Why you can't rush your fitness 42:04 – How Laura trains athletes who are struggling with their speed 45:40 – Common pitfalls Laura sees athletes make that hurt their performance 49:07 – A great goal for beginner runners 50:31 – Whitney thanks Laura for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“I think the biggest thing that gets lost with people is you do lose that musculoskeletal fitness and that neuromuscular fitness much more quickly than say metabolic and cardiorespiratory adaptations. So a lot of people will lose the strength and elasticity of their tendons and that's why sometimes when people come back too soon after a hiatus they get injured again.” (10:19) “If you are doing anything below a 5K or longer, you're gonna be predominantly anaerobic. Once you hit the marathon, it is almost one hundred percent aerobic energy, very little anaerobic going on. So that informs how a majority of the training should be. A majority of the training should maximize your aerobic systems. And that's where easy runs come in.” (18:30) “Heart rate can generally correspond with ventilatory rate. And ventilatory rate is more reliable than heart rate, I think.” (27:21) “I think it's first and foremost important to think about Running Economy as this multi-faceted thing. Essentially Running Economy is how efficiently you use the oxygen you consume.” (34:38) “You always have to train where your fitness is, not where you want your fitness to be. Because, quite simply, if you're trying to train your fitness to where you want it to be and you're not there yet, you're gonna be working all the wrong systems when you do workouts.” (39:44) “Thirty minutes is where you get a lot of great health benefits from running. That's where you're going to improve your insulin sensitivity. That's where you're going to make your heart healthier and stronger. That's where you're gonna improve lung health. So, that's always a great goal for beginner runners.” (50:00) Links MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother...

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Whitney welcomes physical therapist, Dr. Joe Norton. Joe has dedicated his life's work to helping runners get out of the injury cycle and back to doing what they love. This episode hits particularly close to home for Whitney as she's been battling running injuries for the past two years so she knows a bit about how confusing and frustrating these battles can be. Today, Whitney and Joe talk all things running injuries, from what you can do to avoid them to how to tell when you need to take time off. They discuss the importance of maintaining a healthy regiment in order to be a good injured runner. Finally, Dr. Joe highlights the differences between bone and soft tissue injuries and provides detailed information on timelines for return to run. Episode SponsorRunner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (https://pro.runnerclick.com/) Key Takeaways00:42 – Whitney Hines introduces today's guest, Dr. Joe Norton who joins the show to share why he pursued physical therapy and provides his thoughts on all things related to running injuries 07:29 – Identifying the source of a running injury 10:30 – The Disease of More and advice Dr. Joe would give to those recovering from running injuries 19:55 – Tightness, stretching and why rest is not always the best 26:11 – Best practices for being a good injured runner 28:42 – The importance of getting your injury looked at by a professional 31:54 – Proactive steps you can take to avoid the injury cycle 36:12 – Addressing running form 41:42 – The difference between bone and soft tissue injuries 45:23 – Timelines for return to run 48:33 – Patience, patience, patience 52:03 – Whitney thanks Joe for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow him Tweetable Quotes“Most people want to get better. So, it's finding those opportunities to make some changes. And the least amount of changes I can make to someone's lifestyle or exercise habits is usually the best.” (11:46) “The layups for being a good injured runner are: make sure you're sleeping well, make sure you're eating well and make sure you're getting in some type of movement every day.” (26:29) “The risk of any activity is that you're likely to develop an injury sooner or later.” (32:24) “Focus on the process, not the destination. I tell myself that every day I wake up and I write out my daily plan and I write that upon my planner. Because it's so easy to get stuck in the, ‘I can't do this.'” (51:22) Links MentionedWhitney's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5) The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (https://www.themotherrunners.com/) Joe's Website – https://www.joenortonpt.com/ (https://www.joenortonpt.com/) Joe's Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/joenorton_pt/ (https://www.instagram.com/joenorton_pt/) Joe's Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/joenortonPT/ (https://www.facebook.com/joenortonPT/) Joe's LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-norton-pt-ocs-cfmt-b8b73345/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-norton-pt-ocs-cfmt-b8b73345/)

In this episode, Whitney welcomes physical therapist and expert in women's health, Dr. Carrie Pagliano. Carrie has been a dynamic and innovative leader in the areas of Women's/Pelvic Healthy for over twenty years. She is a double board certified clinical specialist in orthopedics and women's health. She served as past President for the Executive Board for the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy. Carrie speaks internationally in areas of postpartum return to sport and intercreative models of practice and pelvic physical therapy. Today, Whitney and Carrie talk about the return to running after having a baby – how to do it, how not to do it – common misconceptions and mistakes and the hope that no matter your diagnosis, you can still have a future in this sport! Carrie is a wealth of knowledge and shares her expertise in a straightforward, practical and often humorous way. Whitney and Carrie discuss best practices and timelines for return to run postpartum, common myths about running postpartum and the importance of progressing the conversation about women's pelvic health. Thanks to Our Sponsor!https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (Runner Click Pro) (use promo code "PODCAST" to get your first month free) Key Takeaways00:34 – Whitney Hines introduces today's guest, Dr. Carrie Pagliano who joins the show to share her background as a physical therapist and why she chose to focus on women's pelvic health 09:04 – Carrie opens up about her first pregnancy and a realization she had shortly thereafter 11:42 – Why the perfect pregnancy doesn't exist and what you can do 17:07 – Why it isn't necessary for everyone to see a pelvic floor specialist postpartum 20:28 – Signs you should be aware of when running postpartum 23:11 – Timelines for return to run 26:42 – How to tell when you're ready to run and what the progression can look like 30:47 – Myth busting 36:55 – Advice for leakage and running 39:05 – Progressing the conversation of women's pelvic health 42:49 – Commons mistakes made by postpartum runners 46:47 – Whitney thanks Carrie for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow her Tweetable Quotes“Fortunately, we've had some increases in postpartum research. We've had a lot of good education as far as return to sport, adding load and things like that. It's all about just kinda taking everything that was around me and sort of mashing it up and seeing what we could come up with.” (10:40) “We can go in with the best laid plans but be ready for things to change. And, I think that's Parenting 101. You cannot control all of the variables. That's the first lesson.” (13:05) “I always tell people, ‘Worst case scenario, if we're talking a surgical situation, you're always gonna wanna go in stronger and more prepared so that you can protect the life of the surgery.'” (25:58) “Somebody's got an angle and a reason that they're telling you that. And the fact of the matter is to drive from a position of fear as opposed to information on a vulnerable population is really shitty. It's not ok.” (33:36) “So much of this stuff we weren't having these conversations because we didn't have moms that were running and winning Olympic races or NYC marathons. We didn't have role models that were doing these things and now we have this subset of people who are doing these things.” (39:58) “I think getting back to running sounds so simple because you just walk out the door and do it. But it's something that can be incredibly complex. But it doesn't necessarily have to be if you can collaborate and work together with somebody that's used to doing that.” (45:27) Resources Mentionedhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5/ (Whitney's LinkedIn) https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (The Mother Runners Club) https://carriepagliano.com/ (Carrie's Website) https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ (Carrie's Instagram) https://www.facebook.com/CarriePaglianoPT/ (Carrie's Facebook)...

Welcome to The Passionate Runner, the podcast that helps avid runners understand the science, simplify the complicated and remove hurdles so that your next run is not only fun and fulfilling, but fuels you with passion and purpose. Join lifelong runner, running coach, and mother of two, Whitney Heins, as she talks with experts in areas such as nutrition, training and physical therapy to share their insider knowledge so you can run your best & BE your best in the time that you have. In this episode, Whitney welcomes Evan Wood to the podcast. Evan is an RRCA Level I certified running coach in New York City and he's been running marathons and half marathons for over 10 years. Evan loves to help runners of all levels reach their goals which he does through his business, Just Another Running Coach. Today, Whitney and Evan talk about the mental strength we gain from running and how it can help us overcome challenges big and small, no matter what life throws at us. Evan talks about how running has empowered him, given him confidence and kept him motivated in all areas of his life. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!https://pro.runnerclick.com/ (Runner Click Pro) KEY TAKEAWAYS01:03 – Whitney Heins introduces today's guest, Evan Wood who joins the show to share his background as both an RRCA certified running coach and a filmmaker 08:59 – Evan opens up about how the loss of his father, a diagnosis of Chron's Disease and a life changing experience in the Bahamas played a role in his running origin story 21:22 – The decision to open up rather than internalize the pain 25:47 – The running community 32:48 – How running led to Evan's dream career 37:51 – The journey to becoming a marathoner 42:49 – Evan talks about launching his coaching business, Just Another Running Coach, and speaks to his gratitude for the opportunity to share his story 46:20 – The common theme Evan has noticed in filming his documentary series about profiling inspirational runners 49:57 – What keeps Evan motivated and passionate 55:45 – Whitney thanks Evan for joining the show and lets listeners know where to follow him TWEETABLE QUOTES “My only option was to learn how to run. It was very challenging but, long story short, that is how I got introduced to running. And, by the end of the semester, I completed the half marathon. I started out as one of the slowest students in the school and it turns out I was the third student to finish the half marathon.” (17:35) “It was amazing. And I was so lucky to have that support system. It's that kind of support system that I would later find in the running community.” (25:16) “Sometimes life is just out of our hands. Things happen and what can we do? We can still work hard. We can still believe that we don't have to be defined by what happens to us. It's like classic quote, ‘It's not about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and get back up.'” (30:33) “I've been really blessed. Having the opportunity to tell my story has been such an amazing opportunity. If it just connects with a couple of young people with Chron's and inspires them, that just makes me feel like I've done everything I can hope to do in my life.” (43:32) “At the end of the day, it's important to remember that if you're not motivated to run for six weeks in a row to build a base mileage, that's ok. Do what feels fun and enjoyable. And I think that's a huge part of it. It's community but it's also finding that thing that really makes it fun for you.” (52:46) RESOURCES MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5/ (Whitney's LinkedIn) https://www.themotherrunners.com/ (The Mother Runners Club) https://justanotherrunner.net/ (Evan's Website) https://justanotherrunningcoach.com/ (Evan's Coaching Website) Evan's Email  https://www.instagram.com/justanotherrunningcoach/ (Evan's Instagram) https://www.facebook.com/JustAnotherRunningCoach/ (Evan's Facebook)

Running has so many benefits for the mind, body, & soul. But it can be SO hard to keep going because, let's face it, RUNNING IS HARD! Join lifelong runner, running coach, and mother of two, Whitney Heins, as she talks with experts in areas such as nutrition, training and physical therapy to share their insider knowledge so you can run your best & BE your best in the time that you have. If you're an avid runner, we're here to help you understand the science, simplify the complicated and remove hurdles so that your next run is not only fun and fulfilling, but fuels you with passion and purpose. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy