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Foot health expert and co-founder of Gait Happens, Dr. Jennifer Perez unpack the misunderstood world of feet. From bunions and plantar fasciitis to toe strength and footwear myths, Dr. Jen breaks down how your feet impact your entire body and what you can do—starting today—to reconnect and restore their natural strength. Expect actionable advice, surprising insights, and some myth-busting around the shoes you might be wearing right now. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why Dr. Jen shifted her focus to feet after her own injuries.How foot pain can derail confidence and daily life.Exercises to activate toe strength and rebuild foot control.What plantar fasciitis and bunions actually are—and how to treat them.Why most shoes are harming your feet and how to choose better ones.The role of toe spacers, barefoot training, and natural gait.What “less shoe” really means and how it helps prevent injury.Episode References/Links:Gait Happens Website - https://gaithappens.com/Gait Happens Referral Link - https://gaithappens.com?ref=mwe4ndk (use code: LESLEY)Jen Perez's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gaithappensGait Happens YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@gait_happensGuest Bio:Dr. Jennifer Perez is a board-certified chiropractor and co-founder of Gait Happens, an education-focused platform helping people rethink foot health from the ground up. With advanced training in biomechanics and years of hands-on experience, she focuses on improving foot strength, mobility, and overall movement to keep people doing what they love—without pain or limitations. In her Lafayette, Colorado practice, Dr. Perez works with everyone from high-level athletes to everyday movers. Through Gait Happens, she also supports clients around the world with virtual consults and programs designed to get to the root of common foot issues like plantar fasciitis and bunions—without jumping straight to orthotics or surgery. Known for her real-world, movement-first approach, Dr. Perez is also a trusted voice in the health and fitness space. Whether she's working with patients, teaching professionals, or speaking on stage, she's passionate about helping people build a stronger foundation—literally—and showing that taking care of your feet doesn't have to be complicated.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! 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And not just, you know, when you think about like your skin health and things like that, but truly, from a biomechanics perspective, our feet are our foundation, and how they interact with the ground is really important and has a huge influence on the rest of our body.Lesley Logan 0:19  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 1:02  All right, Be It babe. This conversation, this is about your feet. We got to talk about them. We got to talk about them because I don't want your dreams in this life, the things you want to do to ever be held back by pain. And a lot of pain that we have in our bodies is actually coming from what's going on in our feet. And the guest we have today is one of the most amazing experts on feet, like just truly, truly amazing Dr. Jenifer Perez from Gait Happens. She is going to nerd out with us. And if you're not watching this, I do recommend that, after the end of listening to it, that if you are interested in seeing what she's showing, you want to go to our Be It Pod YouTube channel and see the video, because she's showing the muscles of the feet. We talk about bunions, we talk about plantar fasciitis. We talk about even this, like, how to choose shoes. And I know this can be a little off the beaten path, because you're like, what about the journals? You guys, you got to take care of your feet. You have to, if it's between journaling and doing a foot exercise, maybe do a minute of foot exercise and a minute of journaling, because it's important that you know yourself inside and out, but that you're taking care of your feet, because they are going to take you everywhere you want to go, every place you want to be it until you see it. So here is Dr. Jen Perez from Gait Happens. Lesley Logan 2:11  All right, Be It babe. So this, today's guest is someone I've been kind of hunting down, kind of stalking in the best way, exploring all their things, nerding out, and I'm really excited, mostly personally, because I've been so interested in my own feet and and just like trying to not have the bunions that I feel like are inevitable happening to my feet. But, at any rate, Dr. Jen Perez from Gait Happens is our guest today. And Dr. Jen Perez, can you tell everyone who you are and why you rock at feet so much?Dr. Jenifer Perez 2:42  Absolutely, I love that you're so excited. I mean, this is, this is what I do. It is foot education, essentially, what it all boils down. And it's kind of funny, you know, not to dive too deep into my story, but I didn't like, I hated feet growing up.Lesley Logan 2:54  I'm so glad you're telling us, because I'm like, are you really into feet? Dr. Jenifer Perez 2:57  I know I like, I was like, feet are gross. I want nothing to do with feet like and then halfway through chiro school, I attended a seminar, we're trying to learn how to tape shoulders, and the instructor kept talking about feet. And essentially, what ended up happening is she kind of pulled the curtain back on how important our feet are. And not just, you know, when you think about like your skin health and things like that, but truly from a biomechanics perspective, our feet are our foundation, and how they interact with the ground is really important and has a huge influence on the rest of our body. And as soon as I kind of really started to think about feet from this perspective, I got really excited, because it's something that is not talked about enough, which is why I love having conversations like this, so kind of how I ended up in the foot world, I guess. Lesley Logan 3:46  I think that's really great, because I was gonna, like I, part of me was thinking, like, you must have seen some weird looking feet. I'm a Pilates instructor. I've seen some weird feet, and when I see them, I kind of inquired, like, what's your life been? How long have you had this? Because I don't, you know, like in Pilates, they don't go deep on any one thing. You can, you can niche out and everything. But like, you know, I'm really obsessed with Joseph Pilates had a ton of foot stuff. He had the toe corrector and the foot corrector. And, like, it's really kind of cool to see people like yourself and other people doing stuff that, like the toe corrector does, and so it's like, it's nice to know that, like, you know, in the 40s, he was doing these things. But we don't go into nuances. When I'm like, seeing arches have fallen, then I see like, you know, 70 year old people who had arches fall now their ankle bones are, like, humongous. And I'm like, oh my God, we have to know more about our feet. And I, like, one of the things I hear people, hold people back from, like, things they want to do is pain. You know, as a Pilates instructor, I work with a lot of people, when they're in pain, they don't go on trips, you know, and that's like a luxury, anyways, but it also holds people back from just even attempting taking on jobs or moving or trying new things. And so kind of wanted to dig into like, you know, What? What? How important are feet? And do they really hold us back or is that like a story we're telling ourselves?Dr. Jenifer Perez 5:01  No, you're, you're absolutely right. And of course, my population is biased, because they're coming to me with pain, typically. But those stories that you all mentioned are stories I hear every single day. Someone saying, you know, I had this trip to Europe planned, and I canceled it because I can't walk, you know, more than 100 steps a day, and that's going to require me to walk thousands of steps a day. Or someone who is they have they can't walk to the mailbox at the end of their driveway, and or they're terrified to even shower barefoot because their feet hurt so bad. I mean truly, foot pain, like we said, you're on your feet all day long, and so when your feet hurt, it really does hold you back. And that kind of comes in a spectrum of different severities and different kinds of pain and different pathologies, but at the end of the day, it does hold us back. And that's what I'm trying to help people do, is kind of retake their foot health and really strengthen their feet so that they're not holding them back anymore.Lesley Logan 5:59  Yeah. I mean, like, my, my dad's 72 and like, I yesterday, were at the gym together, and I watched him, like, navigate his leg over a bench. And I, part of me, was like, oh, I don't want to do that. And part was like, no, get that leg over that bench. Like, as long as he can lift his leg high enough to go over a bench sideways, he's holding the barbell. Like, we're good. But like, I think, you know, I, he lives in a senior living center, and I watch people like, their life declined so fast because they're not as active. But if you are in pain and you're not active, like other things, shut down, you know, like, and we can talk about, like the calves are like the second heart, right? So if you're not taking steps, you're not pumping the blood back up, and you're not taking steps because your feet hurt, like other things just go wrong.Dr. Jenifer Perez 6:42  Well, and it's and to your point, it's also, it's not just the physical right, it's our mental and emotional health as well. Because if you can't walk, if you can't do the activities that you love, then we start to see mental decline with that as well. And it's really fascinating. There's more and more research coming out around cognitive ability, which is also fascinating in itself but, fall risk alone, fall risk, one of the biggest indicators of fall risk is toe strength. They used to think it was, you know, the bigger muscles, like the glutes and the hamstrings and things like that. And when they did a comparative analysis, the two biggest indicators of fall risk were blood pressure and toe strength. Lesley Logan 7:18  This is insane to me. I love because I always like, say, like, say, like, like, Pilates helps you fall better. And there is some truth to that. Like, we help with, like, you know, hip muscles and core strength. And you're like, you understand, move your legs with your center, but it is your, the toe strength is something that's so interesting and like, so let's talk about, like, maybe we should just get into it. Like, I kind of, is it like our big toe only? Is it all 10 toes? What if you lose a toe? What? How do we strengthen our toes? Dr. Jenifer Perez 7:48  Yeah, let's jump in. So that research in particular looked at all 10 toes. So it looked at big toes and outer toes, and it found a significant difference in fall risk based on both. So the good news about that is, we have 10 toes. So let's say there is a toe amputation or, you know, some kind of accident or injury, you know, we have 10 so we can (inaudible) strength, right? Our bodies are amazing adapters. But in the average person, we are looking for strong toes. We actually have kind of a reference range around that we even measure toe strength in our office. Lesley Logan 8:24  Oh, my God, I have to come visit you. I just want to know if they're good. Dr. Jenifer Perez 8:28  Right? Everyone's favorite part of their appointment, because everyone starts like clenching their fists and sweating in the chair, trying so hard. But we're looking for about 10% of our body weight out of the big toe and about 7% of our body weight out of the outer four toes. So the big toes, (inaudible) is supposed to be stronger. It also has, for those watching, you can see my fancy foot model. So it also has a thicker bone. It has reinforcements. It even has two sesamoid bones which increase the lever arm, which basically makes it better for propulsion, similar to what our kneecap does. And so all of this is designed to make us really, really strong. But we have four layers of built-in muscles inside our feet. And I love using this foot model with my patients because.Lesley Logan 9:18  Oh my gosh. You guys. This is the most. I've never seen a foot model like this. This is insane. I've never seen one like this. I know that the feet have, like, all the the feet have the most amount of joints and muscles, correct, like, that's, it's in your feet, yes.Dr. Jenifer Perez 9:31  So lots of joints and muscles, (inaudible) both the most. But a quarter of our bones are in our, a quarter of our bones in our entire body are in our feet. And we have 33 joints in our feet. They're designed to move and be flexible. And it's, it's really, really incredible and intricate, but I use this foot model to show and for those that are listening, it's a model that shows the four layers of muscles to really give you a visual of how much muscle is in our feet. And how much we truly can strengthen that?Lesley Logan 10:03  Yeah, I, okay. So the reason you came up is because I was doing a lot of research on Joseph Pilates' accessories, because I'm doing his big accessory deck of flash cards. And my listeners know we've been talking about this a long time. I've been doing this. And so, like, there's all these, like, little toys and tools that he used to use, and one was marbles, and one was towels. And the marbles he would have you pick up a marble with your big toe, and then your second toe, and then your third, and your fourth and your fifth. And when I was doing the research, I could not pick up a marble with five different toes. I could do it with like two toes at a time, or these three toes over here. And I am proud to say when I was when I was actually having to film it, I was like, oh, one, and I did all five. I'm so proud of my feet. Like, over six months, I've, like, improved the dexterity of that. The towels is so hard, because I can scrunch it, but I couldn't flick it out. And, yes, I couldn't, I couldn't unravel the towel. And I'm like, what is going on? But so it's like, like, part like, the bottom part of my foot was strong, but maybe the top part of my foot wasn't so strong. So I have, like, so do you strengthen your toes? I don't think it's just by squeezing them, because I'm afraid, am I wrong about giving people hammer toes? Like, I don't want to do.Dr. Jenifer Perez 11:11  Such a good question. It's such a good question. Let's dive in a little bit, because this is one, one area where Joseph Pilates was so far ahead of the curve. But we have also learned a lot since his work, right? Yeah. Lesley Logan 11:28  Thank God. Thank God, we've learned more. It's been a while. Dr. Jenifer Perez 11:31  I love like using towel scrunches or marble pickups if we need to start somewhere, and that's what's going to do it for you, then do it. It's better than not doing anything, but in general, I tend to avoid those exercises. And the reason is because of hammertoes, you were totally right on the right track. So essentially, we have four sets of muscles that flex and extend our toes. So hammertoes is when the toes start to lift and curl over time. And if they stay in that position, they can become rigid and arthritic and really, really painful. They also were associated in that same study with an increase in fall risk as well, as well as bunions. And so what we want to do is activate the muscles, but with the toes in a long and flat and wide position. So, an alternative, something that you can do right now, if you're barefoot, is if you just lift up all 10 toes and then spread them out as wide as you can. And even if it feels like they're not listening to you, just keep telling them to spread and then reach them out long and wide and try to bring them back down to the ground. Hold that engagement, hold that press, and you should start to feel the arch underneath your foot start to activate. That's the muscle that's right here that I already took off my model.Lesley Logan 12:51  And it can activate even if you like, have flat feet, because I have people always who like to fight me on this, like, I have flat feet, it won't lift. And I'm like, I think the muscle still activates, guys.Dr. Jenifer Perez 13:03  Yes, yes, exactly. We can dive in to foot shape in a second, too. But the last piece of that exercise is, if you want to add a little bit more, just barely lift your heels like enough for a credit card. Lesley Logan 13:09  Oh, that I haven't done. The spreading of the flick the lifting the toes, I love to teach. The spreading them out. I even try to get people to do one toe at a time, which, by the way, I can do it reverse pinky toe to big toe, but not big, for whatever reason, it's like big toe and then all four. But, so, okay, that's, I've not done the heel lift, okay.Dr. Jenifer Perez 13:32  Yeah, I think you can do to improve dexterity, improve activation of the muscles, rebuild the connection between our brain and our feet, because that's a big piece of it is because we don't use our feet. Many people, our feet are stuffed into cushy socks and cushy shoes and ignored all day long. They even have indoor shoes that they're wearing. Lesley Logan 13:52  Yes, yes.Dr. Jenifer Perez 13:52  Our feet are ignored. Just even rebuilding that connection can be really important. But when I'm dealing with patients in pain, one of my big things, especially when it comes to trying to encourage them to walk and move past their barriers, is engaging the muscles in a way that we actually use in locomotion. And in the gait cycle, we activate the muscles of our feet in order to push off and move forward. That's why I really like that long press lift the heels, because that's exactly how we use those muscles in the walking gait cycle.Lesley Logan 14:26  Yeah, okay, love, love, I'm gonna send you, my friend has a, I take a Pilates session with a friend. He's an amazing teacher, and he's got a client he's been with for 10 years. The guy will not take his shoes off. He does yoga in shoes. His Pilates in shoes. He's like, if I take my shoes off, my feet hurt. I have plantar fasciitis and I, if I take them off, my feet hurt. And I was just like, you know, I think, I think they hurt because you don't take them off. I'm just, just something that, like, maybe you should.Dr. Jenifer Perez 14:55  Yeah, I mean that really like the first kind of knock on the door, but you're totally right. It is typical. Because people have felt pain. So then they get into orthotics or cushier shoes, shoes that really are designed to do the work for you, because it alleviates the pain. But then the golden rule of the musculoskeletal system is use it or lose it. So the longer that we're now in these shoes and these orthotics that are doing the work for us that may have been good in the short term, but in the long term, our feet start to atrophy more, and we become reliant on them, and then we need a more aggressive orthotic and a cushier shoe, and it just becomes this cycle that we have to eventually break. Lesley Logan 15:34  Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Everyone, please re-listen to that. So a yoga teacher, he's like, the two worst inventions were shoes and chairs and, like, you know, they and I'm excited for Brad to listen to this, because he, he, he's been wearing Birkenstocks in the house because he was having, like, plantar fasciitis pain. But if he wear these Birkenstocks, he won't have it and I think that's fine. He's really good at spreading his toes. Like, this is not a knock on him. But I do get concerned, like, are we just like, not forcing the feet to do the job that they're supposed to do, even if they are Birkenstocks. And, you know, there's lots of information about they can be amazing, but I just sometimes worry, like, are we not giving his feet the opportunity to be strong on their own? Dr. Jenifer Perez 16:15  Yeah, yeah, I would give Birkenstocks a B minus, for me, like, they're great because they're, they're a decently low stack height, so not, they're not really cushiony. They have a beautiful wide toe box so it allows your toes to spread, but they're very rigid, and they do have that arch support. So it kind of depends on what our goals are. If we do have an active diagnosis, active diagnosis, like plantar fasciitis, they can be helpful in alleviating that pain. But, again, on the flip side of that, we want to start strengthening our feet, because plantar fasciitis, you okay if I dive into plantar fasciitis? Lesley Logan 16:55  I want you to do that because and then we're gonna get to bunions because of my own personal interest. Dr. Jenifer Perez 16:59  Those are kind of the two that like, everybody (inaudible). Lesley Logan 16:54  I think everyone's heard of. I think we can definitely, yeah, we don't have to go into, like Morton's neuroma, unless we have time. Dr. Jenifer Perez 17:01  Plantar Fasciitis is and fasciitis means more of an inflammatory response. So we're talking about like short term acute pain. The kind of umbrella term is plantar fasciopathy, something going wrong with the plantar fascia. But essentially, the plantar fascia is best friends with this muscle right here, called our flexor digitorum brevis. Lesley Logan 17:20  Okay. Dr. Jenifer Perez 17:21  That muscle is one of the two muscles that presses our toes down, flexor digitorum brevis is the one that presses our toes down flat. Flexor digitorum longus is the one that curls our toes. Lesley Logan 17:32  Got it. Dr. Jenifer Perez 17:32  Right. Going back to our conversation before, when we lengthen the toes and press them, FDB is the one we're activating. The reason this matters with the plantar fascia is because when we go to push off, when we go to take a step and we push off of our foot, FDB is actually what gives us the elasticity to push off of. It's like the trampoline that we're pushing off of. But it has to be strong in order to do that. It has to be able to be, have tension. If it doesn't, we have to get tension from somewhere else. We get it from our next door neighbor, the plantar fascia. Every step we take, rather than using a strong FDB to push off of we're using the plantar fascia, and it becomes more and more irritated while we're on our feet, and then it kind of does this, like stiffening and recoil when we're off our feet, and the second we go to stand up again, that's when it's like, there's the pain again. So when it comes to plantar fascio, when it comes to plantar fasciopathy, the number one thing I'm looking at is strength, and how do we create a stable foot at push off.Lesley Logan 18:37  Yeah, okay. Thank you for that. I think that is really key, and it makes me that like one, because you start to watch people like, I don't watch people in the airports anymore because it's just too much. The posture, the head, head to the side, the heads hanging off of the bodies, like the hip over I'm like, I can't I cannot. They're not paying me. I can't do it. And my husband's just like, look at how that person's walking. Like, look at how that one foot, I'm like, babe, they're not asking for our help, yeah, put some blinders on. But he's like, what's (inaudible) I'm like, they don't, they can't, they no longer can roll through their foot. They're no longer, they're now they're kind of like, and that is going to limit you. That's going to affect falling, first of all, because it's not how you're supposed to walk. It's also going to affect knees, hips, back, like, it just a whole chain, right? I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I always think of the feet is like, the shocks of the car and also the tires of the car, because, like, if they're off, then the whole body is off, right? Dr. Jenifer Perez 19:25  That's actually an analogy we use all the time, is even with, like, performance athletes, right? Like, if you compare an athlete to a car, you can have the best performance car, sports car in the world, but if the tires don't work, it's not going anywhere, you know. Yeah. Lesley Logan 19:40  Yeah, yeah, okay, let's talk bunions. You know, I obviously things have gotten wildly different, you know, like it used to be, don't get a bunion surgery, you'll never walk again. And now, like, people are getting bunion surgery and they are successful. But like, do we is everyone who gets a bunion, like, destined for surgery? Can you change that? Can you fix it? What do we got? Dr. Jenifer Perez 20:00  Yeah, great questions. So first of all, for those that don't know what a bunion is, bunion is when we have a deviation of the first metatarsal, so the long bone that's behind the big toe starts to deviate outwards, and then the toe starts to deviate towards the other toes, and it creates this angle of what we call the first ray, which is the big toe and the first metatarsal, and then as this drifts outwards, we start to see a bump develop on the inside of that joint. Now that bump is not it's not arthritis, it's not a growth of the bone. It's actually the head of the metatarsal sticking out sideways. And so it's truly a joint dislocation that then we are walking on all day long. So when it comes to bunions, they come in different grades. So we have a mild, a moderate or a severe bunion. Mild to moderate bunions can absolutely be helped with conservative care. Conservative care being things like toe spacers, things like strengthening exercises, adjusting your shoes, working on building strength and stability. When we get past that moderate mark, that's when we start to have that discussion of, is surgery going to help? And there's also lots of different kinds of surgery out there. I'm in favor of never get a fusion unless you have to, because especially at the big toe, we have to be able to bend the big toe in order to walk, run, move, and if we can't, we're going to go somewhere else. And then, like you said, that is going to affect that whole chain. So that's kind of the brief thing of bunions. What else do you want to dive in? Lesley Logan 21:28  Okay, so this is fascinating. So okay, I have a wide toe box, right? Like, we'll just get personal. I'm just, I think it's better to have an example. So a wide toe box always have, I have my father's feet, like, really, really narrow heels, super high arches, wide toe box, and I had a big space between my big toe, my four, my other four toes that no longer exists. My toe is now over, right? I use those amazing toe spacers. I do want to know if I'm supposed to put something in those little slits. So I use those. I'm like, kind of obsessed with them, because with them on, I can actually point my big toe when I don't have them on my big toe doesn't really point, like it go, it's straight, but it doesn't really like point with the foot. It's very fascinating to me when it's when it's in alignment, it's like doing a great job, which is probably what's, what has, what's happened. But because of all the footwork that I do, I mean, like I have, I do footwork on my Reformer with no padding, I have no pain. I do a lot of foot corrector, toe corrector, tons of stuff to really, like, keep my feet strong. But I am not like, I don't know. Maybe I'm like, expecting something that shouldn't happen. I'm not seeing a reduction of my bunion, nor is my big toe staying where it needs to be without the spacers. So is it just time? Is it daily homework? Like, what? What are people with bunions who have a minor to moderate supposed to do?Dr. Jenifer Perez 22:43  Yes, I love it. So couple of things there. So let's talk about you first, and then I'll talk about a different presentation, because there's kind of two different presentations of bunions and one would be kind of more the like, like you said, the high arch, more rigid foot type. There's another kind of bunion that happens in a more flexible low arch, flat foot, foot type. And so number one, when we're talking about bunions, it starts to be an instability in that joint. So although we can strengthen, although we can improve function and decrease pain, it's not always going to stay there. So even Dr. Conley, my business partner, she has a pretty significant bunion on her right foot. She wears her toe spacers all day long, every day, and if she doesn't, she doesn't get pain, not right away. If she didn't consistently, she probably would over the course of few weeks or a month. But if she doesn't, you can definitely see that bunion popping out more. So she uses them as a guide, because of that laxity that's developed in that joint. So it kind of depends on how far along that spectrum we are as to whether the big toe will stay there or not, because it can in definitely the more mild cases, but it just depends. Now talking about, kind of one piece of the puzzle that might be missing with everything that you mentioned, is with the more stiff foot presentation. So you're more high arch foot type. One of the really important jobs of our foot, like we said, there's 33 joints, it has to be able to move and dissociate and unlock. And sometimes what people with high arches have a hard time with, is pronation. We live in this more supinated position. The arch is higher up. And now when the foot comes down to the ground, since we can't move through the mid foot, which has all of these that are designed to twist, if I can't move through there because it's locked down, I'm going to move excessively through my forefoot, so we're basically making up for that motion in the forefoot, which can lead to that instability and that bunion. This is the same presentation as Dr. Conley, by the way.Lesley Logan 24:51  Oh, well, I mean, I'm in good company. But that makes a lot of sense, because, you know, I like, I've had to work really hard when I point my feet to not, is it like, like, supinate? Is it like? What do you mean? You, like, I like, I want to make sure that my don't have like, flippers. I have like, two feet. So I'm like, I'm pointing my feet, but the pinky toes are not coming towards each other. It's a really, it's a really big thing that I have to work on, because my ankles are so hyper mobile, so that, that makes a lot of sense, and got it. So I need to stretch. I need to actually let my arch stretch out.  Dr. Jenifer Perez 25:23  Let your feet relax. And it's also, it's kind of a learned response too. Like you said, if you have hypermobile ankles, sometimes what we'll do is we'll try to make up for finding stability with our feet, and then we just never let them relax. So the conversation used to always be like around pronation and like, pronation is the devil, but really, I see a pretty good 50-50, split of people who need strength and control of pronation versus people who need to learn how to relax their feet again and start to pronate. Lesley Logan 25:24  Yeah. Okay, super fun. So you mentioned there's another, there's another type of bunion, though. Dr. Jenifer Perez 25:34  So, basically, exactly the opposite. Okay, so now think about your more flat foot, foot type, more flexible foot type. What happens here is, because we don't have good control of the mid foot, we start to spill over into uncontrolled pronation. Again, pronation isn't the devil we just need to be able to control it. So now, when I spill over into uncontrolled pronation, you see how my forefoot starts to deviate, this way? Lesley Logan 26:21  Yes, yes. I had a client who that's how his foot, he had callus. It was so bad. It was like. Dr. Jenifer Perez 26:26  Like a callous on the inside of the big toe. Sometimes they'll even have it on the inside of the joint where it is, too. Those are called pinch calluses. And the reason they get them is because when the forefoot starts to deviate with that uncontrolled pronation. Now, when they go to push off, they're pushing off across the big toe, so they get a callus on the side of the toe, and that pushes their toe over towards the other toes, which can contribute to a bunion. The one thing we haven't mentioned across the board is absolutely footwear. Footwear 100% contributing to this as well, because your body can only move in the range of motion that's allowed. And if we are in footwear that has a triangular shaped toe, then it is bringing your toe towards the other toes. There's no way your toe can sit in alignment if it's in a shoe with a pointed toe box. Lesley Logan 27:16  Yeah, I know I've had to, like, change all of my shoes. I keep my my high heels for my wedding that I'll never put on ever again. I don't think my feet would even fit in them at this point, but I like, keep them for just like the look of it. But like, I am a tennis shoe. Like, if I if I can't wear tennis shoes, we are really in trouble. I have one pair of, like, really wide toe box clogs, and I'm like, okay, if I have to wear dressy shoes, we will put these on and. Dr. Jenifer Perez 27:39  Well, I mean, there's also, like, more and more and more options coming out. So like at our website, Gait Happens, we have a whole list of footwear that has a wide toe box, but for example, so for those again, watching so, I mean, you look at more of like a traditional flat even, and you have this absolutely pointed toe box. Imagine your big toe in this position. Your big toe is supposed to be here.Lesley Logan 28:02  Because it's straight up, and it's going literally across the middle of your foot.Dr. Jenifer Perez 28:04  Right? And now we're going to bend on that joint, yes, imagine a door that's hung crooked, and then we just decide to open it 10,000 times a day. Lesley Logan 28:05  Right. Dr. Jenifer Perez 28:13  So it just is basically, really harming that joint. But there's options out there that you can have a shoe that's similar, but with a wide toe box. I mean, same thing with looking at, like, more of your daily tennis shoes or your running shoes, right? Like, there's options that have a wide toe box out there. I also have, like, I got these (inaudible) loafers that I am loving, and I could not find them this morning, I'm so upset. Lesley Logan 28:41  Someone stole them from you. They're so good. Okay. We all have to go, like, scour your website before you buy new shoes, because that is, that is the thing. Like, my feet do not have pain. You don't have any issues. But if I put on a pair of shoes where it's going to put my toe in the wrong spot, then I am going to have pain. Like, that's when I have it. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, you know? I mean, like footwear. So basically, we're outsourcing the natural gait of our body to a footwear, which is then affecting how our rest of our day goes, but then also how our bodies feel in the future.Dr. Jenifer Perez 29:15  Yeah, absolutely. I mean, our bodies conform to shapes. We've seen that with foot binding in history, we've seen that with the whale bone corsets. We've seen that with the neck elongation, our body will conform to a shape if you put it in that shape, and it is not any different when it comes to the foot. Lesley Logan 29:33  Yeah, yeah. Okay. So, so how often should we be paying attention to our feet? Like, is this something we're supposed to do? Because, you know, people, everyone has, I don't have enough time. They barely have enough time to work out, like, how how often should they do foot exercises? How should they be thinking about their feet? What do we got?Dr. Jenifer Perez 29:49  So as much as you can give me, I mean, I'm very realistic, right? If you're having pain, then spend more time on this, because it really does impact your life. But if we're just talking about the average person looking for prevention and longevity, then how about we just start with going barefoot a little bit like let your feet be feet. Go barefoot around the house. Let's get rid of the house shoes. Let's maybe go walk on a few different surfaces outside when it's warm enough and not snowing, like it is here, you know. So just let your feet be feet, and then you can do stuff like adding toe spacers. If you're concerned about the spacing between your toes. We like the toe spacers that we have because you can wear them while you're moving around.Lesley Logan 30:31  They're, they're amazing. I actually will just say, like, I wear them just to walk around my house. And I thought maybe they won't stay in because like, of how they are. No, they stay. I also wear them doing yoga. I wear them doing Pilates. I don't have to have socks with them on. Like, you know, sometimes I have to adjust it a little bit. But, like, it's actually, they're really amazing, and they fit in almost all my shoes. And when they don't fit, I'm like, hmm, maybe these shoes, maybe these shoes need to go get donated.Dr. Jenifer Perez 30:56  Yeah. So, I mean, just simple tips to honestly, like, if you're going to be doing a ton of walking, maybe you just roll your foot out on a ball afterwards, give it a little bit of love. Maybe add a little bit of foot activation before a workout. If you know you're going to be doing, like single leg workout or things like that, there's, there's a ton of small things that you could do to add foot health into your day, and part of it is just the awareness. Go walk around your hallway after listening to this or wherever you are, and actually think about reaching your toes long and engaging your toes with each step, and see how different that is from how you've been walking for the last 10 years.Lesley Logan 31:32  Yeah, you know, this fascinates me, because I will sometimes see, okay, like, you know, people wear flip flops at the airport and they're like, pinky toe doesn't touch the ground. And I was like, isn't it supposed to touch the ground? Like, were they born like that? Did they like change their body like, what happened? Why is their pinky toe not on the ground? Dr. Jenifer Perez 31:50  To your point, I can't look at a lot of people in the airport anymore, but I do celebrate with people when I see them in shoes that I do approve of, because it's so far and few between. So I'm like, hey, nice Altras. And they're like, that was weird.Lesley Logan 32:04  I, you know what? I love that we just had an amazing guest on who was talking about, like, your bubble of influence. And like, like, just giving a stranger a compliment is, like, affecting your bubble of influence. And like, you are doing that within what your influence wants to be. So I, I'm, I'm all in on that. This is so fascinating. I think, you know, I just, I think a lot of times people think about the way our media has trained us is like, think about your abs, or the abs that will like, the muscles that will tone your, the exercise will tone your core, these will tone your arms. And I'm always just like, because I get asked these all the time, and I tell my publicist, I'm like, I gotta talk about, like, their, are their feet aligning like it does, like their hips, we have so many things to talk about before they even do the sit up like, there's just like, and it's not that I'm a nitpicky person. I'm not. I'm kind of like, safe, ugly movement is fine, you know, as long as it's not dangerous. But we're so obsessed with like, from the waist up that we're not really focusing on like, really where some of the root problems are and where we have a lot of control, which is like our foot choices, our shoe choices, like walking around our house barefoot, giving our feet some love.Dr. Jenifer Perez 33:07  Yeah, I think it all comes down to what are your goals? Right? Are your goals to live fast, die hard, whatever, right? If you if your goal is, I want a six pack and I want to enjoy my life for whatever that looks like. Great. If your goal is I want to go climb Machu Picchu, or I want to be able to run into my 70s and 80s, then we need to have a conversation that looks very different around supporting that longevity and that movement potential. Lesley Logan 33:35  Yeah, yeah, you're amazing. Okay. I mean, I could talk to you for hours, but we're gonna take a brief break and find out how people can find you, follow you, work with you and your Be It Action Items. Dr. Jenifer Perez 33:51  Perfect. Lesley Logan 33:45  All right. Dr. Jen Perez, where do you hang out? Where can people like, if people, I know you're in a place that snows, but like, can people work with you who don't live near you? Like, what? What do you have? Dr. Jenifer Perez 33:54  So, great question. So first of all, we have lots of free resources. So our Instagram account is Gait Happens, G-A-I-T Happens. And we have thousands of videos on there. We also are expanding our YouTube as well. So Gait Happens on YouTube, lots of free videos, lots of things to check out there. If you're wanting a more personalized approach. So for those that are worldwide, we, our team does virtual consultations. I don't personally do virtual consultations anymore, but we have a whole team of practitioners that do. We also have DIY programs, like a 12-week Fit Feet program. If you'd rather just get a program that you do on your own, but if you do want to come work with me, I am in Colorado. I'm in Kinetic Chiropractic is my clinic in Lafayette, Colorado, and I have people fly in all the time, and then we can do follow up appointments virtually, but we do that first appointment together. Lesley Logan 34:46  That's so cool. I have to see if that's on the way to Aurora, because that's where, that's my next trip into Colorado. So okay, I mean, I feel like you've given us a lot, but I just want to like for our people who are like, okay, what's my first next step? No pun intended. Bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps people can take to be it it till they see it, what do you have for us?Dr. Jenifer Perez 35:08  I love it. I have two kind of challenges, I would say. One that can be immediate and one that's for the next time you buy shoes. So, the immediate challenge is go barefoot for five minutes. That's it doesn't require any equipment. Just take your shoes off. And if you're not already going barefoot, and if you're already going barefoot, then I challenge you to go barefoot for five minutes on new textures. So if you're already going barefoot at home, go outside, go walk in the grass, go walk over some stones, let your feet start to discover texture and movement over surfaces again. And if you're not going barefoot, then start by going on those soft surfaces for five minutes, let your feet move and feel. So that's my, my number one. You can do this right after this. And then my number two is the next time that you buy a pair of shoes, I challenge you to not only buy a pair of shoes that may look a little different than you're used to because they have a nice, beautiful, wide toe box that lets your foot move, but I challenge you to buy something that's a little less shoe, and what I mean by that is less aggressive, so less stiff, less arch support, less cushion, less shoe than you think that you need just step it down a little bit, because that's going to challenge your feet to do a little bit more of the work.Lesley Logan 36:33  Yes, I'm in on all of this. I love this so much. Dr. Jen Perez from Gait Happens, thank you. This was a dream interview I wanted to do since I've stumbled upon you and all that you're doing. And I just think it's really amazing. And I know for a fact, if you're an OPC member, you guys, come on. You have to, you have to go check this out. It's gonna be part of your like, we always, I always say, like, your feet are connected to your seat. Like, that's, you know, and it's you know, that's really is. And people challenge. I've had people literally tell me I was doing the Toe Corrector with rubber bands. I was just showing people like, you don't have to buy fancy things. You can just use rubber bands. Here's what I'm doing, and it connects to the seat. And I had trainers of the wazoo going, that's not how your like, glutes work. And I was like, okay, I don't know how you study for anatomy, and that's fine, but I'm gonna tell you right now you obviously haven't done it, because if you do the exercises correctly, you can't help but feel your butt work like the outer hips work, the hand, everything is like turning on so they are connected, maybe not directly, because your feet are not touching your seat.Dr. Jenifer Perez 37:29  Absolutely. I actually have a fun party trick that I will do with trainers when I'm working with trainers, and I have them lay on their stomach and extend their leg behind them with their their knee bent, and then you down on their thigh. And what this is doing is it's a muscle test for your hips. So it's like, if you're, you've got strong hips that should be nice and strong. So I have them do that barefoot. And it's usually like, okay, great. That was awesome. You were able to not let me press down. And then I take my other hand and I squish their toes together, and I press down, and it goes because you you can't when your toes are squished together, it affects the whole chain. Now, can I explain that neurologically? No, I cannot, but I can tell you that it works every time I do it.Lesley Logan 38:13  Yeah, I think, you know, I think we'll get the neuro I mean, it's just going to take time for us, especially in this western society where everything's kind of siloed to like, see how it all connects, you know, but it is connected. And if you can feel it, then, like, we don't actually need the science right now to prove that what you're feeling is true. So someday, someday, well, you are doing the Lord's work. I really think so. And thank you so much for being here with us today. Everyone, how are you going to use these tips in your life? Are you gonna go buy a new pair of shoes with this in mind? Are you going to go walk around barefoot? Please tag Gait Happens. Tag the Be It Pod and share this with a friend, especially your friends who are complaining about your feet. You know who those people are? They tell you all the time. So make sure the ones that take their shoes off at the club, which is a little not okay, please don't do that. I live in Las Vegas, and I'll see people walking barefoot. I'm like, I don't think you want to do that here. That's, don't do it there. Anyways, until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 39:10  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 39:54  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 39:59  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 40:03  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 40:10  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 40:14  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tFDd3vfFxvc?si=ysH8Vhj04dt8b5YO Welcome to The Runegade Podcast - we're your hosts Mark and Todd, and we're happy you found this podcast. As always, we'd appreciate a follow, like, share, comment - to help grow our audience allowing us to deliver the best running content to help you be a better runner and feel free to drop us a line at runegadepodcast@gmail.com So lace up a pair of Altras, and get your FloatRun Harness ready, Golden Harper joins the podcast and wow - Golden is a wealth of knowledge, experience and he's a new friend of the Podcast. Golden Harper, one of the founders of Altra Running, a running coach, an accomplished runner and an innovator in the running shoe industry - shares his story running story, and what a running story it has been thus far. And with lots of unfinished business left before him. We discuss common running shoe misconceptions, Super Shoes, the importance of strong feet and how to do this, injuries, motivation, arm placement to influence the best foot strike, how rotating running shoes have been proven to reduce running injury, Super Shoes. From running a 3:08 marathon at the 10, to setting the World Record at the age of 12 with a 2:45, to founding Altra, to being completely interested in helping people be better runners and reducing injuries by focusing on running form - we explore all the terrain. Thank you to Golden, a new friend of the podcast. Use code RUNEGADE20 for 20% P.R. Gear https://prgear.co/ We couldn't do this podcast without an audience, without our friends and a special callout to 2 friends of the podcast: PATH projects: https://pathprojects.com/ - looking for the best running gear? Hats, tshirts, base layers, shorts, jackets ... everything performs. Use code RUNEGADE10 for 10% off (limited time) Two Rivers Treads: https://tworiverstreads.com/- the nations first minimalist footwear store, owned by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella - get the best natural footwear brands here, and they can help answer your questions

LASHer, graphic designer, and death doula Niki "Phoenix" DiGaetano sits down with Doc to talk about facing what comes your way and embracing the plot twists in your life. Settle in and buckle up as Phoenix and Doc discuss life implosions, adulting, tramily life, street Altras, the appeal of trail life, lessons from the end of the line, sticks of butter, and plot twists, lots of plot twists. An unforgettable episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everyone, welcome back to The Outdoor Biz podcast and Episode 406. Today, I'm talking with Brian Beckstead, Co-founder of Altra Footwear. After 11 years in the run and outdoor specialty retail space, Brian worked to create Altra Footwear with Golden Harper. He built a sales team as VP of Sales, pioneering the early years of Altra before becoming President. He then worked to finalize and transition of Altra from ICON Health and Fitness to the VF Corporation. Brian currently focuses on Strategic Projects and PR. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys problem-solving and strategizing, usually in the mountains trail running or fly fishing where he says . . . ideas thrive! Facebook Twitter Instagram   The Outdoor Biz Podcast   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!   Sign up for my Newsletter HERE.   I'd love to hear your feedback about the show!   You can contact me here: email: rick@theoutdoorbizpodcast.com   Or leave me a message on Speakpipe!   Brought to you this week by The Running Event   Show Notes [00:02:15] Initially reluctant, Brian joined the track team in junior high and ended up enjoying it. [00:06:20] Brian started working at The Running Store at 16, now in the industry for 25 years. [00:08:26] Two shoe nerds experiment by putting a shoe in a toaster oven and turning it into a flat shoe. we'd always kind of been a little bit In the barefoot movement. we always like to finish our runs doing strides, you know, sprints barefoot on grass [00:10:12] Since we took out the drop in the shoe, we needed a name for this. And so we coined the term somehow it came up with, we coined the term zero drop. That was our, that was our concept. And so that was something that, uh, with the ultra brand we still use to this day is zero drop [19:55:09] I had the CEO of ICON, our ownership group, pulled me in one day and he said, Hey, Brian, you know, we really want to take ultra to the moon. We want you guys to be as big as you possibly can. And he said, we are, uh, we're looking at some investment groups, uh, for Altra. And I was like, what investment groups are you selling us? Like, well, not necessarily. Like we're going to be meeting with some people over the next two weeks. And I ended up meeting with VF a week later, not even knowing that my company was up for sale as founder and president of the president at the time. So it was a bit of a shock. We were not prepared for that acquisition [00:14:29] We all had different roles, but we helped each other in every aspect of the business. Golden focused on research and development, Jeremy on website marketing, and I ran the sell side. Golden and I collaborated on designing shoes and I tested them in trail races. [00:21:38] REI is our biggest account, specializing in Altras. Our focus is on run specialty and full service running stores. We also branch out online but primarily wholesale. [00:24:16] Angel investor Joe Morton and the narrator's father were influential mentors. Morton took a risk and had a positive influence, while the narrator's dad helped in desperate times. [00:29:31] I have a daily meditation practice that brings mental clarity and emotional balance, derived from departing a strict religion. It's the most beneficial part of my routine. Favorite Books: One of my favorites is Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It's an absolute gem just in terms of the way the brain works. So I find that those types of things very fascinating. I read all sorts of stuff. I'm just reading one right now, Boliviar of Simon Boliviar, who's just amazing, kind of like George Washington of South America. [00:32:14] Favorite Piece of Outdoor Gear: The Katadyn BeFree 0.6L Water Filter is a convenient way to carry and drink water directly from natural sources like rivers and lakes while fishing or trail running. It is durable, affordable, comes in different sizes, and has an effective filtering system. [00:34:52] Brian is active on social media and, open to feedback, loves the outdoor exercise industry. Follow Brian Instragram Facebook Linkedin Follow Brian Instragram Facebook Linkedin

We all know running shoes are important, but I learned recently WHY they are so important and how "training" in the wrong shoes can be a disaster.  Joining me in this episode is a host of other runners from my online communities sharing thoughts on their favorite running shoes.  Excited?  Well then, grab your shoes...let's go for a run.Check back soon for the compiled list of favorite running shoes. Support the showJoin my mailing list! Just sent a quick email to dawnpedersonruns@gmail.com with the title "Email List" and I'll add you to my list. Emails feature upcoming episodes, running tips, upcoming coaching services and products, and more... Find me on Facebook: Dawn Running Also, check out my blog, Running By DawnMusic written and recorded by Jeremy Hancock

For this episode, I had the joy of speaking to Tim Choi - one of my first running friends in DC. Tim is a staple in the DC running community. You can catch him organizing happy hour runs with friends and circling the track in his Altras. (He also has an amazing food Instagram @timwich.eats.)During this episode, we covered his experience at the Tokyo Marathon, along with all the lead up including the immigration protocols and best food spots, his experience running the North Carolina Krispy Kreme Challenge (and the best strategies for crushing a dozen donuts quickly), his favorite DC races and a pre Parkway Classic tale, and his advice for running the Berlin Marathon. I hope you enjoy! (Also, I am pretty sure we got a few digits of pi wrong while speaking, but I'll leave it to the audience to call the pod out for fake news.)Thank you to Tim for taking the time to speak with me. And thank you, as always, to Dan Hoffman for the soundtrack.

First, yes I know it's May 18th and not April 18th. I apologize for my idiocy. This week I ramble about a few more days on the New England Direttissima and why I ultimately decided to stop. I also rant about "are you running Boston" and Altras.

Joining this episode is Zach Bitter, an ultra-marathoner, endurance athlete, and coach. We dive into human performance during long stretches of endurance sports, how to wrap our heads around discomfort and touch distances, and the science behind gear like arm sleeves and their benefits doing long ultras.    Zach is the 100 Mile World Record Holder (11 hours 19 minutes 13 seconds), 12 Hour World Record Holder(104.88miles), has 9th Fastest Time Recorded on the JFK 50 Mile Course, and is a three time National Champion (50mile x2 and 100km).   We deep dive into the inner mind of Zach and how he is able to take extremely long distance races and break them down into manageable training plans and mindset training.    In this episode we cover… Different types of fatigue: mental and physical Training for a road race vs trail race and how pacing works with each, as well differences in recovery for each.  How your body handles hard surfaces during road races compared to the uneven terrain of trails and how your body mechanics are different.  Training cycles throughout the seasons (from extreme cold to extreme heat) and how you transition between them and begin anew with each season.  Training gear- learning about shoes like Altras which have zero drop and toe boxes, to hearing about how arm sleeves generate a cooling effect (for hot runs) and a warming effect (for cold runs)   Resources: Human Performance Outliers Podcast   Zach Bitter Website   Zach's Instagram     Thank you to Momentous, Tracksmith, and Picky Bars for sponsoring this episode. Being a tough year with additional stresses on top of an already overwhelming situation means sleep can often be lost...but it is the one thing that we know would help us. Being a former insomniac, I know the frustration going to bed early, yet being unable to switch your brain off can bring. These Momentous Elite Sleep capsules are fantastic and contain Melatonin, Magtein® (Magnesium L-threonate), and Wild Jujube Seed Extract which together will help reduce nighttime anxiety, gently fall asleep and improve circadian rhythm to achieve higher quality sleep.  Go here and use code TINA for 20% off.   Tracksmith is a Boston based running clothing company that truly cares about the quality and care of their running clothes. Running can be a demanding lifestyle for our clothes, they definitely go through the wear and tear to where we may be purchasing new clothes constantly. Tracksmith designers truly work with the finest materials and think of you as a runner in mind with spots for your keys, phone, and fuel. You can go here to check out my favorites! You can get $15 off your purchase of $75 or more, click here and enter code TINA15.   I am thrilled to be sponsored by Picky Bars now! I have had a few people on the podcast who are from the Picky Bar Company and I am happy to say that their ideals are right in line with what Running for Real stands for. These bars are not only delicious but made of real food and are made for sport, imagine that…. It's gluten, soy, gmo, and dairy free with even some vegan options.  Click here for 20% off AND you can also get an additional 20% off your order, if you purchase a Picky Club membership. A membership entitles you to hand pick your own Picky Bars products and you will be getting a box every month of your picks.   Thanks for listening! We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us: Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram If you are struggling through something a guest mentions, chances are, others are too, and you will help them feel less alone  Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here. Thank you to Zach, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.  

Chase the Jester Across California Virtual Runs Mon May 25 - Thu December 31, 2020 San Francisco / Lake Tahoe / Los Angeles, CA US 99988 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/andy-noise/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/andy-noise/support

Podcast YouTube Link https://youtu.be/tlxzwJbl3To   Hiking YouTube Channels I like: Kraig Adams https://www.youtube.com/user/KadamsMedia My Own Frontier https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2u9cXRD29jeYdJr6Ha0aqg Catherine Gregory https://www.youtube.com/user/CatGPhoto Erik Normark https://www.youtube.com/user/fagelguiden Outdoor Adventures https://www.youtube.com/user/FrozensAdventures Adventure Archives https://www.youtube.com/user/AdventureArchives   Social Media and Contact Info: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/itsagooddaypodcast/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsagooddaypodcast/ Twitter https://twitter.com/itsagooddaypod1 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2WFCM2ffSvZwVkYLgaHJ5D Email: itsagooddaypodcast@gmail.com

1. Processed Food (Inflammation)When arthritis brought my whole life to a dead halt this spring, I decided to try a plant-based diet. The results were ridiculous. In about a month, I went from barely being able to walk to running a 60-second 400m (in barefoot shoes) and regularly crushing 20-minute 5Ks like they were casual jogs.I'm now 5'11" and 145 pounds, which would have felt wimpy to my 170-pound self, but accepting my body the way it is feels amazing.Here's the best part—fruits, veggies, and legumes are so low-fat, you can literally stuff your face all day long and not gain a single pound. If you keep lots of vegan munchies on hand, it's easy to resist junk food.Plus, plants are much cheaper than meat!Breakfast: steel-cut oats and half a banana (instead of cereal)Lunch: freeze canning jars of legumes/veggies (instead of takeout)Snacks: nuts and seeds (instead of chips and candy)Dinner: veggie stirfry, sweet potato stew, etc (instead of meat)Dessert: fresh fruit (instead of cookies and pastries)Rules: mostly plants, not too much, and organic (when possible)Further Reading: How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger2. Working Out (Injuries)Planet Fitness closed about two weeks after the Coronavirus pandemic started ramping up, which left me without a gym for the first time in ten years. Initially, I tried using free weights, but the pain that had been developing in my knees and hips just got worse.I could barely walk and I started to question whether I would ever be able to run again. As a last-ditch effort, I bought a book on bodyweight exercise. I didn't care for it, but the general idea was interesting.After some experimenting, I finally stopped taking other people's work out advice and stuck to natural balancing/flexing moves. That, plus switching to a vegan diet made my whole body leaner, meaner, and pain-free.It's also more fun and less hassle, overall.Gyms: cancel your membership, you don't need itWeights: throw them out and just use your bodyAdvice: ignore fitness advice and do what feels naturalFlexing: tense your muscles, aim to feel a “burn” (not pain)Balancing: do exercises on one leg to recruit more muscle groupsBending: avoid full extension, as it can stress your jointsCardio: running and hiking are better than static liftingFreedom: bodyweight exercises can be done whenever, whereverDIY: use benches, walls, and tree limbs to work different angles3. Medication (Allergies & Baldness)I started taking Zyrtec in middle school to treat my pollen and dust allergies. It became so automatic that I took it every day for fifteen years. After going plant-based, I decided to go medication-free.I thought my allergies would go nuts, but there was almost no difference. I also felt less drowsy and more focused during the day.The same is true for my other meds. Propecia made me depressed instead of stopping my hair loss. Nasal sprays gave me nosebleeds. Inhalers reduced my lung capacity. In every case, the side-effects of modern science were worse than the symptoms I was trying to alleviate.Allergies: wash/vacuum frequently and eat a vegan diet (inflammation)Hair Loss: just shave your head and grow a beardMental Health: minimalism, outdoor exercise, avoid TV and newsSleep: buy a hands-free book stand and read for 1–2 hours before bedEverything Else: some or all of the aboveFurther Reading: Lost Connections by Johann Hari4. Cushioned Shoes (Plantar Fasciitis)In 2017, I got a part-time job at a local running store. With the employee discount, I was able to score some of the best shoes in the world—from high-cushion Hokas to “zero-drop” Altras.The problem was, no matter how many brands I tried, I kept getting injured. Calf strain. Plantar fasciitis. Joint pain. Shin splints. Plus, the shoes would wear out in under three hundred miles (not bad at a 50% discount, but expensive for regular customers).Finally, I ordered a pair of Vibram FiveFingers (minimalist toe shoes). After switching to a “midfoot stride” and training nearly barefoot for three months, my injuries disappeared. I haven't had a single twinge for TWO YEARS, which is virtually unheard of in the running community.Bonus…at 2,000 miles, my Vivos and Vibrams both feel brand new.Cushion: throw your cushioned running shoes in the garbageBarefoot: practice running barefoot around a local turf or grass fieldStride: use a midfoot stride (it's impossible to heel-strike barefoot)Footwear: buy Vibram FiveFingers or VivoBarefoot (if you don't like toes)Orthotics: inserts are a scam (your arches do not need support)Trails: trails are softer, more varied, and easier on your bodyMiles: gradually increase your distance with barefoot shoesRacing: put your body and health before your training goalsFurther Reading: Born to Run by Christopher McDougallConclusion: The Caveman RuleThere's been so much hijacking of the word “natural” in the past decade that it's hard to even tell what's natural anymore. Amazon and Google are rife with brands that claim to be organic (or minimal or harmless) but turn out to be poisonous garbage.My favorite trick for deciding what's natural is “the caveman rule.” When you're unsure about a product or you have a bad feeling, ask yourself…How ridiculous would a caveman look doing this thing?I can picture a caveman eating plants, running, washing their face, and wearing minimalist shoes or sandals. But when I try to picture a caveman eating at McDonald's, bench pressing two hundred pounds, using a nasal spray, or strapping $200 cushioned Nikes on their feet…I just can't, it's too fucking ridiculous. (:

The first pair of Altra Running shoes probably don’t look anything like what you have in mind. In fact, the first several hundred pairs of running shoes that co-founders Golden and Brian worked on had a variety of logos on them. Altering other running shoes is how they got their start in the shoe-making business and how they came up with their name, Altra. With a goal to fix the running shoe industry, Altra did whatever was necessary to help runners feel great and perform well. Meet Brian Brian Beckstead is a lifelong runner, but running hasn’t always been an enjoyable experience for him. He ran competitively in college but sustained four stress fractures in a short period of time that stopped him in his tracks. He took a year off of running about that time, and decided to pursue other hobbies such as fishing. However, he never escaped the running community, working at a running store all the while.  Zero Drop After Brian finished college, his friend Golden took over the running store they had been working at, and Brian left to work for another company. Not long after, Brian received a call from Golden telling him that he had altered a shoe by cutting off the heel and noticed how much better the running mechanics were. Soon, they came up with the term “Zero Drop” and were using a variety of methods to remove the heels from shoes including bandsaws and belt sanders. Golden began suggesting this alteration to chronically-injured runners that were coming into the store, and the reviews were outstanding. Longtime injuries were disappearing, and before they knew it, Golden and Brian had altered 1000 pairs of shoes for customers.  Altra is Born At the time, they didn’t really look at these alterations as a business opportunity. They simply wanted to help runners. Soon they realized that shoe brands were not interested in changing their shoes to incorporate the positives of zero drop. If these shoes were going to be made, Brian and friends either needed to buy more bandsaws, or create their own shoes. One thing led to another; soon Golden found an advanced prototype company in Oregon while Brian landed their first angel investor. “We got really lucky,” says Brian, referring to the timing of the investment. It was 2009 and startup investors were hard to come by. However, everything seemed to work out, and one inheritance and a lot of hard work later, they had their first pair of Altra running shoes—this time with their brand name on the side. Fixing the Running Industry In Latin, Altera is “to fix or mend something that is broken.” From the beginning, that has been the goal of Altra. Even before it existed as a shoe company, its founders were doing unconventional things to try to help runners. Creating a wide toe box by skipping the bottom two eyelets when lacing a shoe, or literally cutting off pieces of a shoe—these were simply the best improvements they could do at the time. Now Altra is a global company, with resources to make the best possible shoe for all runners. Their goal is to question and challenge the status quo in the running industry in order to help everyone run injury free. “[Altra] is not for the elite, fast runners,” says Brian, “Beginning runners are our favorite people to get into Altras.” Helping runners is the goal, and they have been willing to challenge many norms in that pursuit.  A Changing Industry The running industry is changing and Altra has definitely been a part of that thus far. Nearly every big brand company that makes running shoes has some type of zero drop option. Creating a shoe that encourages great running mechanics is just the beginning. Treating those they sponsor with equality is hopefully something else that starts to gain momentum in the running world. One of Altra’s core values is “disruptive.” Sometimes not a popular term among their investors, it can have a bit of a negative connotation. But the goal isn’t to be disruptive just for disruptive’s sake; it is the way to create big change. This has proved successful for Altra thus far, and should only create more positive change in the future.    Resources: Brian on Instagram Brian on Facebook Altra Running Shoes   Thank you to my wonderful sponsors Athletic Greens and Tracksmith for sponsoring this episode of the Running for Real Podcast.   Athletic Greens is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients. Just to help my immune system be stronger and greater! It is so simple to do and it taste good as well. Now you can get a free travel pack with 20 servings with your first purchase, Visit here to learn more!   Tracksmith is a Boston based running clothing company that truly cares about the quality and care of their running clothes. Running can be a demanding lifestyle for our clothes, they definitely go through the wear and tear to where we may be purchasing new clothes constantly. Tracksmith designers truly work with the finest materials and think of you as a runner in mind with spots for your keys, phone, and fuel. You can get 15% off your first purchase, click here and enter code TINA.   One of the things that I truly LOVE to do every week to get to know my audience better is my Newsletter I will cherish and guard your email. It is a way that I can get to know you all and to build a true connection with you, as social media has been tough on me lately. I know how annoying it is when you sign up for something and suddenly find yourself on 50 other email lists. This is just you and me. I promise. If you are interested go here to sign up! Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode. To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from) Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one. Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here. Thank you to Brian, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Gear. For some people it's their favorite topic in the world, for others, it results in a shoulder shrug and an eye roll. But whether you love or hate gear talk, there's no way around it: what you carry on your back, plays a big role in how much you enjoy your hike. More precisely, getting it wrong the first time, can be emotionally and financially draining. -Check out the full list of what our hikers changed in the show notes below- Today our hikers share what they've sent home, what they've upgraded- really an overall glimpse into their gear systems thus far. FIND US ON ITUNES | FIND US ON GOOGLE PLAY | FIND US ON STITCHER Get a 10% discount off at northxnorth.co by using code "TREK10". In today's show, we hear from:  PCT HIKERS Karthikeya Nadendla Sent home Big Agnes Air Pillow, but is considering retrying on trail, or trying Sea to Summit Pillow Started with New Balance Summit Unknowns, swapped out for for Altra Timps after heel pain Laura Stewart Sent home cook set cup accessory Forwarded the larger snow basket option for trekking poles Dropped Patagonia long-sleeve button-up in favor of long-sleeve sun shirt Removed netting from Outdoor Research skort and paired with men's boxer briefs Added sun gloves Sent home Injinji toe socks liner and is using a single layer Darn Tough sock Considering adding a sun umbrella Julie Klazynski Switched Sawyer Micro for a Sawyer Squeeze Planning to send home: mug, stove, mace, extraneous toiletries (lotion, shampoo, conditioner) Liam Purtle Sent ahead microspikes Bought larger size shoe (went from 10.5 to 12) Eric Dernbach & Alison Dernbach Upgraded to Altras with wider fit Sent home: mug, extra pair of long underwear, pack cover, first aid kit, book Angie Kane Swapped out hiking shorts in favor of hiking pants for sun protection Upgraded to Sawyer Mini from Sawyer Micro Added Injinji liners Sent home shorts, sleeping pants Received from home: yoga shorts with pockets, cheap leggings (to replace sleeping pants) Check out our suggested PCT Gear List. CDT HIKERS Sara Dhooma Added Six Moon Designs Sun Umbrella Ordered cuben fiber food bag Dosu Sent home: long underwear bottoms Bounced forward: solar panel [divider] Have any praise, questions, praise, comments, praise or praise for Backpacker Radio?  Reach out to podcast@thetrek.co. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!   Download this episode here. Find us on Stitcher and Google Play. INSTAGRAM: Follow Trail Correspondents, The Trek, and Badger. YOUTUBE: Subscribe to The Trek. FACEBOOK: Follow Trail Correspondents and The Trek. < sign up for our newsletter > Editing and music courtesy of Pauly Boy Shallcross.

You ask, I answer! And with a little luck, the answers might actually be useful! This month, the Qs you've asked me to A cover topics including ultras, Altras, Cadbury Eggs, and a whole lot more! Check out the show notes for this episode for a list of all the questions, some decent memes/GIFs, a variety of links, and a few other random odds and ends at http://DizRuns.com/693 Today's episode of the show is sponsored by: XO Skin Get the best moisture wicking and odor eliminating running gear on the market, from head to toe, at http://xoskin.us. And use code DizRuns at checkout to save 20% on your order! Love the show? Check out the support page for ways you can help keep the Diz Runs Radio going strong! http://dizruns.com/support Become a Patron of the Show! Visit http://Patreon.com/DizRuns to find out how. Get Your Diz Runs Radio Swag! http://dizruns.com/magnet Subscribe to the Diz Runs Radio Find Me on an Apple Device http://dizruns.com/itunes Find Me on an Android http://dizruns.com/stitcher Find Me on SoundCloud http://dizruns.com/soundcloud Please Take the Diz Runs Radio Listener Survey http://dizruns.com/survey Win a Free 16-Week Training Plan Enter at http://dizruns.com/giveaway Join The Tribe If you’d like to stay up to date with everything going on in the Diz Runs world, become a member of the tribe! The tribe gets a weekly email where I share running tips and stories about running and/or things going on in my life. To get the emails, just sign up at http://dizruns.com/join-the-tribe The tribe also has an open group on Facebook, where tribe members can join each other to talk about running, life, and anything in between. Check out the group and join the tribe at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedizrunstribe/

I love this time of year, and for me, finding Christmas gifts that really match the person you are buying for is a fun challenge to take on. If you have a runner who you want to get the perfect Christmas present for, or if you are someone who is unsure what to ask for yourself, maybe this runner gift guide will give you some ideas to make it a little easier. Now I am getting back into running higher mileage again and running is certainly a big part of my life again, I have been able to think about what runner goodies are making our lives easier this year. Some of my list were on my 2017 list, and many are new, with a special thanks to my running for real superstars community for giving me some of these recommendations. Some of these products were sent to me for free, but my opinions are my own, and my reviews are honest, if I don't like a product, I will never put it on my website (remember a few months ago I turned down a big payment for a product I could not endorse), so you know these are my true recommendations for the best gifts for the runner in your life. Let's dive in: For the Runner Stocking Filler: Bombas Performance Socks ($12-$17) You may have heard me talking about Bombas a lot lately, and I really do love what this brand stands for. It makes my heart swell knowing that they donate a pair for every pair that is purchased, and they are also very interested in sustainability and looking after our world for the future. Now, for the part you actually care about, are the socks comfortable? Well, if I tell you I ran a half marathon race in the rain with them on and didn't have a single blister or sore spot? Or how about that I have done pretty much every run, certainly every long run (2hrs-2hr 30) in them for the past few months. So yes, I love them, and you can get 20% off your first order with the code running4real Find Bombas socks here. For the Runner with a Baby, Toddler, or Young Child: Chicco TRE Stroller ($379) I never thought I would be a stroller mother runner, but here I am, running most of my runs each week with my stroller, taking Bailey around the local area. Thankfully, it actually works quite well as she takes a nap, so I come back refreshed, feeling good as I got my run in, and she comes back rested and feeling ready to play. This stroller is a little heavier than some of the other models, but it is also very luxurious for the baby, and has a lot of really cool extras that I really enjoy. I gave a bigger review of the stroller in my postpartum running guide, but it comes down to, I love this stroller! Find the Chicco TRE Running Stroller here. For Running Safety: Run Angel ($99) I have become a lot more aware of safety in the last year, and with the attacks that have happened recently, my Run Angel helps me feel safe and prepared. There are quite a few safety style products on here, but this one is my most valued and this is one of the products I recommend to friends above all other running products. Your safety is more important than anything, and this watch-looking device you wear on your wrist will send out an alarm the loudness of a rock concert if you push the giant button in the middle. It will also send an alert to three loved ones when you push it. You can get 10% off with code running4real Get yourself one, and all your loved ones too. Find Run Angel here. For a Runner Who....well, a runner who runs ;): Garmin Forerunner 235 ($299) I love love love my Garmin! I may be a nowatchmeadvocate and tell you not to look at your GPS watch while you run and especially while you race, but I still wear one, every day. I love it, and it is just so easy to use. If you are looking for a running watch, look no further...unless you can afford the higher end models, in which case, by all means go for that instead! Find Garmin Forerunner 235here. For the Runner Who Enjoys Wearing Nice Running Clothes (who doesn't!): Mercury Mile ($125-$150) I have many friends who are huge fans of Stitch Fix, and as much as I love the idea of it, being real, I wear running clothes or activewear most of the time, so it just seems a little silly. However, Mercury mile does the same thing, with running clothes, from emerging brands and long time running brands alike. You fill out a survey with some measurements, choices, styles you like, and more. From there, a personal stylist picks you out a full outfit, and sends it to you. Whatever you like, you keep, whatever you don't you send back. They will then charge you for the pieces you kept. I LOVE the idea of this, and we all know that running in cute (or handsome for my male readers!) clothes can motivate you and help make even the worst runs feel better. Besides, they are good at picking out matching outfits...something I am terrible at. This is the perfect gift if you are unsure what to get your runner loved one. You can get 10% off using code running4real Mercury Mile and order yours here. For the Runner Who is Trying to Eat Healthy: Ikea Silicon Baking Sheet ($5) I recommended this last year, but it really is a great gift for a low price. I am starting to see more of these around the stores, including a 3 pack in Costco last week, so you may not have to go around the rabbit hole that is Ikea, but a silicon baking sheet for a runner is a lifesaver. They are so easy to clean, and you are helping to look after our world by limiting your foil use :) Find the Ikea Silicon Baking Sheethere (or at your local Ikea!) For Runners Who Listen to Music and Podcasts: A running headset (price varies Now, there are plenty of brands you can choose from here. I have heard good things about most of them, even the cheaper ones you can get on amazon. I am still using my VI, I love it, and it works well for me. If the runner in your life listens to music or podcasts, having a headset that is made for running is going to be so much better for them than using the headphones that come with their phone. It makes a huge difference and a happy runner. Find more about VI here. For Runners Who Love to Read: Brave Athlete Calm the F*ck Down ($17) I recommended this one last year, and I will recommend it again as it is so good for us to be reminded of how much of a mental sport running is, and how we can actually learn to be better, rather than just trying to fight against something we understand. This book covers the science, but explained in a way that makes sense. Find The Brave Athlete here. Let Your Mind Run ($18) I have not read this one, but I have heard SO MANY people say how this book by Deena Kastor has changed their life. I know Deena Kastor is someone who we all look up to for the incredible achievements she has, but from what I hear, she is very real in this book, and the advice is actually simple enough for us all to use. My superstars RAVED about it, and if your runner wants to learn to be their best, this one should be on your list. Find Let Your Mind Runhere. Girl, Wash Your Face ($16) Okay, so not a running book, but this book is AMAZING. Each chapter addresses a lie we tell ourselves that destroys our confidence and the way we see ourselves. Rachel is actually a runner, so there are a lot of analogies in here, but it is the way she explains her story, then gives actionable advice that really speaks to me, and if you are anything like me, speaks to you too. One note though, this is definitely a female focused book :) Find Girl, Wash your Face here. Endure ($13) I am a HUGE Alex Hutchinson fan, and he is a wonderful friend who I know will always come out with useful information to help us achieve our best in running. This year he released his book on the capacity of the mind, and it was fascinating. I read it while Bailey was really young and asleep on my chest, and then I had Alex on the podcast to talk about it. If you are interested in the mental side of our sport, I strongly suggest giving this a read. Find Endure here. Road to Sparta ($15) If you listened to my podcast episode with Dean Karnazes, you would have noticed the connection Dean and I had, and it was mostly because I felt I had got to know him through reading this book. Our conversation was amazing, as was this book. Honestly, I am not really a history book kinda person, so I was not sure what I would think of this. I also thought Dean would be very commercial, and it just wouldn't be authentic. I was wrong in both ways. Find Road to Sparta here. For the Runner Who isn't a Size 0: Day/Won Leggings I am SO excited there are more running and activewear brands making their way into the industry, and I am especially excited for Candice Huffine, "plus size", or more accurately, curvy model, who has created her own fun line of clothing for runners from sizes 0-32, and they are SO cute. I love my block print leggings, especially that they are high-waisted, and I think this company has a bright future ahead. Find Day/Won Clothes here. For the Runner Who Gets Sore orTight and/or Travel often: CTM Band This was created by my good friend Kyle Bowling, a Chiropractor who is a runner himself. Not only have I loved getting to know him because he actually gets us, and doesn't just try to stop us running, but he has created a product that is absolutely ideal for runners. It gives you compression, tension, and movement (hence the CTM), which allows us to go further than a foam roller or compression gear alone. These have been flying off the shelves, and some of the best elites in the world have heard about it and are using it. Get yourself or your loved one a CTM band, especially if they have to travel a lot. They will thank you. Running for Real fans get $10 off using code running4real here. For the Runner Who Needs More Confidence: Strong by Kara Goucher ($14) I do not yet have this journal, but I absolutely want it. I have heard Kara on multiple podcasts talking about this book, and it sounds like it is the kind of journal I will LOVE, and I am sure you will too. If you struggle with confidence, especially when you are in the thick of training and things are hard, this journal will help you keep your mind in the right place and see the good in what you are doing. Race day will arrive, and you can feel confident you are ready..and strong! Find Strong here. For the Runner Who is In Heavy Training: Bodyhealth Perfect Amino  ($39.95) I took Perfect Amino for the final few years of my elite running career, and I really noticed when I forgot to take it. I really did notice that it helped me to recover faster and feel better. Now I am back to running harder again, it is great for the same thing. If you have a race coming up that is important to you (or your runner loved one), you can't get a much better gift than the gift of faster recovery! Especially if you are a little injury prone, the faster you can recover, the less chance your body has of breaking down with injuries. Find BodyHealth Perfect Aminohere and use coupon code TINA10 for 10% off. For the Runner Who Wants to Look After Their Feet: Altra Escalante ($130) I have been testing out all kinds of runner shoes this year, and these have become my favorite. Honestly, I never thought I would wear Altra...they were always a little...well, weird-looking, but they have come a long way with their designs, and I really appreciate the wide toe box (a podcast in a few weeks will explain why). I have raced in these and run most of my workouts and long runs in them without a problem. If you are used to a high drop, you may need a little time to get into these as they are zero drop, but I went from my 4mm drop shoes to these with ease. Also note, Steve has been wearing Altras for years, and has been raving about them, that is what ultimately gave me the nudge to get them. Find the Altra Women's Escalante hereand Altra Men's Escalante here. For the Runner Who Has to Run in the Dark Often: Black Diamond Spot Headlamp ($30) I had never really been someone who had to ever run in the dark. Maybe on the odd occasion, but most of the time I would stumble my way through, and somehow manage to not fall over by staying in the lighter areas. Now, as a mother, sometimes you have to get your run done early. I talked about runner safety and how important it is in a recent blog post, but I also realized that by not wearing anything to be able to see where I was going, I was putting my safety at risk another way. There are so many headlamps out there, but this one had great reviews and was relatively inexpensive, so I gave it a try, and I liked it a lot. If you or the runner in your life runs in the dark often, this will be just what they need....although one word of advice, this does chafe my forehead (not a good look!!) if I wear it right on my head, so I either wear a cap or headband underneath, so it is not directly touching my skin. Find the Black Diamond Spot Headlight here. For the Runner Who Has to Run in the Dark Often Part 2: Amphipod Running Vest ($30) Now, when it comes to safety, another element I never really considered before was actually being seen! I always kind of assumed I would be fine, and thankfully, I was, but it doesn't mean that I was safe. People who are up and about in the early hours of the morning are not expecting to see a runner, and in most cases, they are running late...so trying to get somewhere quickly, which means they won't expect to see you. I didn't think I would wear this very often when I purchased it, but I do wear it often, sometimes when it is not even dark out, but because I just feel so much safer with it on. It is bright enough to catch the attention of a distracted driver, which could be a life saver with the number of people on their phones while driving now. I really like this vest, and I have worn it with just a sports bra and shorts, so I can vow that it does not chafe :) Find the Amphipod Xinglet Vest here. For the Female Runner Who Wants to Run with her Phone: Koala Clip ($28) I never used to run with my phone. In fact, I used to laugh at family who would ask me to take my phone with me. I was too serious for a phone. Now though, I see that was not just stupid logic, but also could have put me in danger many times. I love to listen to music or podcasts on some of my runs, and rather than using a safety pin to hold my phone in a pocket in my tights, this Koala clip is ideal. It also means the phone stays close to my bluetooth headphones, so they don't loose connection (which they would sometimes do when in my tights). This is especially good for hot summer days as you can strap your phone to your sports bra without any fear of it bouncing around, and it is sweatproof, so keeps it protected from your perspiration. I will admit it does not work that well with my Lululemon Enlite bra on its own, but overall, this was one of my favorite finds of the year. Find the Koala clip hereand use code running4real for 10% off. For the Runner Who Has to Run in the Cold: Brooks Cascadia Vest ($110) and Brooks Canopy Jacket ($120) I love running in vests. I am not sure why, or where that came to be, but most of my winter runs involve one of my three running vests. I usually like to underdress a little, as I hate being hot, but I find a vest is such a good compromise. You can keep your core warm, but then it does not cover your arms...okay, lets be real, armpits up, which is where we tend to get hot. I just got this Brooks Cascadia Thermal vest, and I LOOOOVEE it! I might even get myself another one to just wear day-to-day. It is comfortable, it is light, it is warm (but not too warm). If you have cold runs ahead, this is going to be something you will wear all. the. time. Find the Brooks Cascadia Vest here. I also love the Brooks Canopy Jacket. EVERY runner needs a good running jacket, and this one is wind resistant and water-resistant, while being SO LIGHT, you could stuff it in any bag to be ready when you need it. In the winter, the cold can cut through you like a knife, and having a good jacket means you can throw it on top of however many layers you need that day, and feel warm enough. I also love the color options. I have the maroon, but they also have a nice blue. Find the Brooks Canopy Jacket here. For the Female Runner: Lululemon Enlite Sports Bra ($98) I know, I know, I need to shut up about this damn bra, but years later I still love it, and years later it was absolutely worth the money spent. I know $100 seems like a lot for one bra, but I am telling you, mine look exactly the same as they did the day I purchased them, because that is the thing about Lululemon, their stuff lasts SO well. I have things from 10 years ago, that are still in such good condition. This bra is just my favorite, and it is just worth every penny for me (as long as you get the right size!) Find the Lululemon Enlite Sports Bra here. For Runners Who Are Proud to Be: Sarah Marie Design Studio ($30-$60) Sarah has done such a fantastic job of making us runners feel good about what we do, and show that we are in this amazing little community. I have multiple Sarah Marie outfits. Some I workout in, and some I just wear day-to-day. They are good quality, they are cute, and they are practical. I have yet to have someone come up to me and ask if it is one of her designs, but the day it does, I will be SO excited. If you or the runner in your life loves to talk about running or show pride in our sport, this is the perfect gift. Find more about Sarah Marie Designs here. For the Runner Who Wants to Cook More: Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow ($16.50) Last year I featured their first book, and I use it often, but this year, Elyse and Shalane released their second cook book, and it has even more fantastic recipes including three new variations of the ever popular superhero muffins. We have made quite a few things from this book already, and we have given Bailey a lot of the meals/snacks too as we know she is getting good quality food into her body. She LOVES it, and if you have a runner (or not for that matter!) in your life who is trying to eat healthy, they will too. Find Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow here. For a New Race Day Shirt (while giving this lady a little support): Running for Real T-Shirts, Tanks, Sleeveless Vests, and Cap ($22-$27) I would love if you could support me and what I do by purchasing one of my Running for Real apparel pieces. It would make my heart swell 1000000 times if you could wear it for an upcoming race and tag me in a photo, but even if you just wear it as a pajama top, it would mean so much. They are really soft materials, and performance made, so they will wick the sweat away and keep you comfortable. I hope you love these as much as I do. Find Running for Real Apparel here. For a Treat for Your Runner: Sunglasses ($12-$40) Goodr has exploded onto the scene the last year, and around a year ago, a fan of mine (thank you Liz!) sent Steve and I a pair each. At the time, I was unsure what they were and wasn't sure about the bright blue color I was given. Fast forward a year, these are not only my go to glasses for life as well as running, but they are my number one lifesaver for when Bailey is fussy. Seriously, I save them for a last resort, and they usually work to distract her. They are apparently indestructible, and look the same as they did before I let a baby chew, hit, and play with them for hours on end. Do yourself a favor, save your money for expensive glasses, they just get ruined anyway, get yourself a pair of Goodr...plus you can be part of the cool crowd, that's what we all want, right? ;) Goodr Sunglasses here. For Every Runner: Road ID ($24-$30) Once again, coming back to safety. If you are out running and something happens. Maybe you didn't eat enough that morning and passed out, or maybe you are dehydrated, or something much worse, it can be almost impossible for a random person to know how to contact your loved ones. Road ID has been around for years, but they are SUCH a good thing for a runner to have, especially if you do not carry your phone...or if that phone is locked. Road ID contain the contact details of your loved ones, along with allergen information for you, and anything else that would be important to note. None of us would want to be in a situation where this would be used, but really, none of us are exempt from it happening, so it is something simple to keep you safe, and allow your loved ones to feel reassured that they will know if you are not safe. Find Road ID here. For the Marathon Runner: SPIbelt ($22) I do not have one of these, but the Running for Real Superstars Community RAVES about them and to be honest, I really need to get myself one after years of trying to stuff too many things in my sports bra or in pockets too small. One of these belts is handy for not having your possessions bounce around while you run, and this one is ideal for summer runs...or winter runs below layers. Find the SPIbelt here. For the Runner Who Struggles to Switch Off: Headspace Subscription ($96 for a year subscription) I have always been someone who tries to do a million things at the same time. My mind is always running, and it is not surprising I have been through bouts of insomnia in my life (talked about working with a sleep therapist here). However, even with Bailey in the picture, although I have been able to slow those thoughts a little and be in the moment with her, I still feel overwhelmed a lot. I was introduced to Headspace by my current therapist, after hearing people talk about it for years. I wasn't sure it would work for me, I have never been good at meditation in past, but this is just 10-15 minutes a day, and the founder, Andy Puddicome, talks you through it in such a calming, soothing voice. I have not managed to do it every day, but I have done it probably 5/7 days a week, and I really am starting to enjoy it. Note, it is an app, so you will need to download to your phone. Find out more about Headspace here. They also have a free 10 meditation trial. For the Runner Who Needs a Hug: Oofos Shoes ($60-120) I just got myself a pair of these recently as I was curious after hearing so many of my Superstars tell me that these shoes were their favorite running product. Now I have a pair, I can see how comfortable they are, and really do feel like a hug for your feet. I am excited to wear these around as they really do feel nice on my feet, and although I try to be barefoot as much as possible, this time of year...it's just not realistic, these are a perfect every day shoe! I have both the flip flop (thongs) and the shoes, which is great, as I can now give my feet the recovery they deserve in winter and summer. Find the flipflops here or the Oofos shoes here. For the Runner You Love the Most ;) : A Sports Massage (price varies) Who wouldn't want a sports massage? Runner or not, it feels SO good to be pampered, and if you have been stressed out by life lately (who hasn't), this is something most of us will never do for ourselves, but we would appreciate so much. It doesn't have to be a sports massage, but any kind of massage can go very far in our busy world. If the runner in your life is training hard for a race or has just raced, this would be ideal to help them get back to feeling themselves again.   Resources: Last week's episode with Fiona Oakes  Running for Real Superstars Community Support Tina through her Patreon Page Buy a Running for Real T-shirt, Tank, or Hat Thank you to Bombas and Bodyhealth for sponsoring this episode of Running for Real. I absolutely LOVE these Bombas Socks, and I think it is SO COOL that they donate a pair to a homeless shelter for every pair you purchase (socks are the number one requested item from homeless shelters, but they cannot accept used pairs). Use code running4real at Bombas.com/running4real and you can get 20% off your first order!   Now I am back to training, guess what was the first thing I did to start making sure I recover quicker (as coming back to fitness really beats your body up!), yep, you guessed it, BodyHealth Perfect Amino! Get 10% off at Bodyhealth.com using coupon code TINA10   Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode. To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from) Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one. Subscribe on iApple Podcasts (iTunes), Stitcher, CastboxOvercast, Spotify, Google Playand now iHeartRadio Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe on iTunes, you can find out here. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show. What would you add?

(0:49) This week, to mark the two-year anniversary of the podcast, I offer a quick summary looking back and forward. (0:55) Yesterday I heard about an Appalachian Trail thru hiker named Croatoan, or Crow for short. Crow was his trail name, which all A.T. thru hikers carry. Importantly, you can’t give yourself a trail name. Someone else has to name you along the way. Crow’s girlfriend was named Porridge. Another hiker he encountered along the way was named Bear Wrestler…more on him in a few minutes. Crow was a Sobo, a south bound hiker heading from Maine to Georgia. This is a far more unique route, as most thru hikers are Nobos, hiking north. These hikers maintain a rich culture. Each wears their own trail flare, and has their own trail style. They are obsessed with their gear and food. They develop their own improved walking method to cover ground efficiently. Hikers typically won’t veer far off course, no more than a tenth of a mile, for almost any reason. Crow once left a meaningful gift he had received by a river bed, realized it two tenths of a mile later, and just kept moving. Two exception to this rule are to visit a brewery or find some homemade ice cream. (1:50) There are different types of thru hikers. White blazers are hikers who follow the main trail, lit by the famous white blazes marking the way. Blue blazers often go a step further, exploring side trails in addition to the main trail. Green blazers smoke weed the whole time. There are other colorful ones I’ll stay away from here as they aren’t safe for work. Apparently you can spot an imposter in a number of ways. My favorite was that anyone wearing big, sturdy hiking books should be questioned, because most thru hikers realize quickly that they are way too heavy and opt instead for lightweight shoes. Crow had a nice pair of Altras. (2:22) This brings us back to Bear Wrestler. Around a campfire, Bear Wrestler was telling Crow and his girlfriend all about his long trail adventures and feats, but Crow noticed that Bear Wrestler was still chubby, carrying 40 pounds of fat. This is a second way to spot a potential imposter. When hiking intensely for months on end, it is impossible to keep any weight on, so Bear Wrestler was clearly a yellow blazer, a type of hiker who drives between trail heads instead of hiking the entire way like the purists. As I heard about Crow and his adventure, I was thinking about what to say in this short episode about what I’ve learned across two years running this podcast. What I quickly realized is how many yellow blazers there are in the world, and that at many times in my life, I too have been a yellow blazer—opting for easier but less authentic, and less interesting, routes. The podcast is part of a portfolio of things that I’ve put in place in my life to try to avoid being a yellow blazer. To instead push myself to be more like a blue blazer, exploring anywhere I can. (3:16) Looking back on the incredible guests I’ve had, I realize now the common mindset that unites them, and I’d like to highlight that mindset here. Even though my guests have come from just about every conceivable background, investing and otherwise, they are all in persistent and consistent pursuit of original experience. Now, that might sound obvious, but its rare to meet people whose default is to chase original experience. These people stand out quickly now to me, because I can recognize freshness in them, patterns I haven’t already seen 10 other times elsewhere. I now think often: am I doing this because its conventional, and/or because I’m watching what other people do? I think if you do the same exercise, you’ll be alarmed by how often the answer is “yes.” Diving a bit deeper into these people and what unites so many of my past guests, there are four elements that I see over and over again. (4:01) The first is common trait is deep curiosity. My take on curiosity after meeting all these people is that it works best in two ways: through building units of exploration, and through embracing strange intersections. When people ask me what I do, I’ll sometimes just list the actual things I do, instead of a job title. So I say, I read books, papers, and articles. I run tests on data, using many of the same scripts and tools. I have tons of individual conversations with people in nooks and crannies of the investing world. I talk to clients and prospects. I write letters and white papers. These are my units of exploration, and I expect that I’ll keep repeating each of them forever. I have no clue where that might lead, but I’m confident that through curiosity fueled repetition, I’ll find good things. My close friend and most frequent podcast guest Brent Beshore has looked through 12,000 business deals. Talk about repetitions. I think curiosity, and the interesting investing opportunities it creates, is just a set of habits. Finding the right habits, the right units, is a great start. I also often see what I call strange intersections. Picture a Venn diagram with tiny, but interesting, overlap. Some of the most intriguing things I’ve learned about live in these strange intersections. Ali Hamed and Savneet Singh, who are partners at a firm called CoVenture, have found interesting overlap between the worlds of lending, technology, and old world business. Whether it be shoe returns online or watermelons, they’ve found unique ways to lend at high rates on unique platforms enabled by technology. I often see people using seemingly unrelated interested, ideas, or strategies together to produce something different. I encourage everyone to think about strange ways of combining their areas of expertise and interest. (5:40) The second common trait is persistence through randomness. Sometimes when I talk with people about the importance of curiosity, they say it sounds too easy and fun. The good news for the skeptics is that more often than not, its not fun, it is a total slog. When I looked back recently, I found that I only finish about 1 in 7 books that I start. Even most that I finish aren’t great. Put differently, I read an incredible amount of mediocre books to find just one book that makes a difference. This happens everywhere. The vast majority of data and ideas that we investigate at O’Shaughnessy Asset Management go nowhere at all. I think most people will agree that the journey of discovery is often tedious, filled with dead ends, and above all random. My favorite example of this persistence through randomness was my conversation with Josh Wolfe, which I recommend in its entirety. One of my favorite phrases picked up in the past two years is the Shangaan phrase Hi Ta Xi Uma, which I learned from Reinius Mflongo, one of the top trackers in Africa. It means “we will find it,” and Reinius will keep muttering it when he loses a track and struggles to find the next one. Everything is hard, and usually much harder than we can fathom. All the best people I’ve met through the podcast just don’t let that stop them. They also seem to develop an awareness of this constant difficulty and just become used to it. (6:55) This second trait, persistence through randomness, is perhaps my favorite way to test for yellow blazers. There are many people in the world of business and investing who can talk extremely well. But if you keep peeling back the onion, asking more and more specific questions of a yellow blazer, you’ll find nothing original. But when you do hit on something, several layers down, that you’ve never heard before, that to me is a mark of persistent inquiry. That’s the kind of people I’m after. (7:21) The third common trait is risk management. It is tempting to view uncertainty as a sort of risk, but I think that is a large mistake. All the good stuff is found in places that haven’t been mapped already. In fact, to take the idea of original experience a step further, what is common across the best people I’ve met is not just having the experiences, but then bringing some sort of order to the chaos they found in uncertainty. This isn’t risk, in my opinion. If anything, not seeking out chaos is what’s risky. But then there are the conceivable risks: things that could go wrong that we can list ahead of time. On this front, guests were often very thoughtful: developing plans to be deployed when specific risk scenarios play out. I loved Mike Zapata’s story about the darkest night. He and his SEAL team would prepare and practice every tiny detail of a mission, creating plans for all risks, then wait to attack on the darkest night they could, because even though the conditions were hardest in the dark, their preparation and risk mitigation would shine in that difficult environment. More specific to investing, many of my guests have a clear focus on downside risk protection. Several people have told me that there are common ways that things go wrong, but many more unknowable reasons things go right. So instead of trying to predict what will work, focus on avoiding the common pitfalls. My favorite example again came in Africa, being told 100 times to not run when lions charged us. It is a common and known risk factor (each of our guides had been charged more than 50 times), but one that was easily mitigated. If you don’t run, the lion will stop short and maul and eat you. You just have to have that lesson beat into your brain a hundred times ahead of time because the basic instinct, as is so often the case with investing, is to run. (8:57) For the fourth common trait, we return to our thru hiker Crow one last time. I heard Crow’s story from my friend Bill, who picked up Crow hitchhiking to give him a quick ride into town. Bill offered to buy Crow dinner. He accepted with a huge smile, telling Bill “wow, that is some real trail magic right there.” Trail magic is my favorite piece of lingo in the thru hiking culture. Hikers tell endless stories about trail magic, which is what they call the acts of kindness and goodwill bestowed upon them by strangers along their journey. Food, shelter, a quick lift, a homemade cookie. Consider how incredibly positive sum trail magic is. The givers and the receivers of the magic both come out ahead. Despite all I’ve learned about business and investing over these two years, my favorite question to ask is still my final one in each episode, about acts of kindness. Getting to hear more than 100 stories of kindness from these people has been the highlight for me, and the best lesson. (9:49) Summed up, what I’ve learned from these people is to follow your own way, always. Figure out the right units of exploration, embrace strange intersections, and carefully consider what could go wrong. Rest when you need it, be dogged and aggressive when the situation calls for it, but just keep going. Do it all with respect for others and as much trail magic as you can muster. Thanks to all the great people I’ve had on the show, and thanks to you for listening for these two years, I promise to keep this discovery process going in some way, shape, or form forever. Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag

Golden Harper grew up around running. Working at the running store his father opened in the Utah mountains from a young age, the track athlete and marathon fanatic was able to share his passion for the sport with customers of all experience levels. He also saw his fair share of clientele with severe foot problems. After years of studying body mechanics and exercise science in college, the entrepreneur manufactured a pair of sneakers that would stave off injury—the first pair of Altras. And Harper’s #hurdlemoment? That came right as he was taking a leap of faith to get the brand off the ground; a snowboard accident that left him in rough shape, temporarily unable to walk—nevertheless run. In episode 10, Harper shares how the experience made both him and his company stronger, and what exactly sets Altra apart from the other sneaker brands on the market. --- @altrarunning @rungolden1 @hurdlepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hurdle/message

You have questions? I have answers! And with any luck, the answers will even be helpful... This month's listener questions include race day potty issues, who I'd pick to interview if I only could do one my episode, struggling with adjusting to Altras, and more. Check out the blog post for meme/GIF madness, and to see all of the questions this month, at http://DizRuns.com/405 Love the show? Check out the support page for ways you can help keep the Diz Runs Radio going strong! http://dizruns.com/support Become a Patron of the Show! Visit http://Patreon.com/DizRuns to find out how. Get Your Diz Runs Radio Swag! http://dizruns.com/magnet Subscribe to the Diz Runs Radio Find Me on an Apple Device http://dizruns.com/itunes Find Me on an Android http://dizruns.com/stitcher Find Me on SoundCloud http://dizruns.com/soundcloud Please Take the Diz Runs Radio Listener Survey http://dizruns.com/survey Win a Free 16-Week Training Plan Enter at http://dizruns.com/giveaway Join The Tribe If you'd like to stay up to date with everything going on in the Diz Runs world, become a member of the tribe! The tribe gets a weekly email where I share running tips and stories about running and/or things going on in my life. To get the emails, just sign up at http://dizruns.com/join-the-tribe The tribe also has an open group on Facebook, where tribe members can join each other to talk about running, life, and anything in between. Check out the group and join the tribe at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedizrunstribe/

Altras, Salomons, Brooks, Skechers, and Hokas, oh my. Join us this week as we talk about shoes we’ve worn and loved (or not) on the trails.  Angela updates us on her recent run on the North Fork 50 course, and Melissa issues a plea for advice on trail running shoes with aggressive outsoles. Thanks for … Continue reading Episode 14: Shoe talk

Altras, Salomons, Brooks, Skechers, and Hokas, oh my. Join us this week as we talk about shoes we’ve worn and loved (or not) on the trails.  Angela updates us on her recent run on the North Fork 50 course, and Melissa issues a plea for advice on trail running shoes with aggressive outsoles. Thanks for … Continue reading Episode 14: Shoe talk

Tempo Runs Patrick Kelly submitted a question about tempo runs using the "Send Voicemail" on the right side of TriathleteTraining.com.  He was having difficulty hitting his goal tempo pace in a 10 mile run.  The run was designed to be a 2 mile warmup, 6 miles at 5:52, and a 2 mile cool down.  The basis for his run came from a Jack Daniel's article. I addressed the tempo run, the definition, and the reason he wasn't hitting his goal pace.  It lead me to create this more detailed article on the tempo run. Zero Drop Shoes UPDATE I cannot recommend Zero Drop shoes.  I had 3 pairs of the shoes and all wore through the outsole at around the 100 mile mark.  I inquired with the company. They sent me another pair to try and the same thing happened.  I notified Gold Harper two times via email of the problem on two occasions and he did not respond.  I called and emailed customer service multiple times. They were very nice and I was always told they would get back with me very soon.  Finally, 20 days after my first email with pictures (and after not returning phone calls), they gave this response without knowing anything about my gait: "If that is the case with those, it sounds like you are still heel striking. I recommend you shorten your stride or increase your cadence and that should prevent that from happening in the future." My cadence is around 90. This problem appears to be caused by the soft rubber used in the outsoles and I'm extremely disappointed in the product quality of Altra and their customer service.  I can't recommend their shoes.  xxx I recently consulted with an athlete who used Altra shoes.  As a result, I called the company to ask more questions.  The guy I reached on their support line was very helpful and knowledgable, and I followed up again, which resulted in an interview with Golden Harper, the company founder. He came up with the idea for the shoe while working in his family shoe store. He credits the use of high speed video video in 2009 in the development of his shoes.  The slow motion video helped him notice an unnatural gait caused by heavily cushioned shoes with a deep base.  Zero drop shoes was the answer to the running problems he was trying to fix. He coined the term, which means there is no drop from the heel of the shoe to the forefoot.   He discusses the benefits of zero drop shoes and their foot shaped toebox, as well as the biomechanics of a zero drop shoe compared to a traditional running shoe. It's a compelling story and I'm looking forward to trying a pair of Altras myself.  They are available in specialty running stores altrarunning.com. Subscribe via iTunes