Podcasts about coach mk

This year, there's no Tiger King to save us...so what do we do? How do we train for the rest of the year?   At the time of recording, the mask mandate had just been lifted nationwide, with the promise that small group gatherings may be possible by July 4th. Though there are signs that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, we are still a long ways away from pre-Covid racing conditions. Coach MK used to work in reinsurance, covering big events (like sports and marathons) and her thoughts on the business side of racing can be too boring to process, so she brings in Coach and Sponsored Athlete Nikkia Young, who happens to be the President of Richmond RRCA. The two discuss what they expect, and what signs they will be looking for to be confident things are shifting.    Then, Coach MK speaks with Dr. Dietz on how she interpreted those statements and how she will be preparing, as a medical professional and as a runner, for the rest of the year.    At the end of the day, a runner without a race is like a fish without a bicycle. At Fitness Protection we know that races are not the reason to get up and go....yet racing seasons have always provided structure to our running. This episode helps runners navigate no-man's land while we wait out the uncertainty of 2021.  

Coach MK livestreams the #WeeklyWins and answers the questions of Fitness Protection members each week. They are a lot of fun, super informative! This week, Coach MK talks about cold weather running gear and the outlook for 2021 races.    #WeeklyWins - 3:10 Runner Interrupted ReBuild Char Gore woke up to pouring rain, but decided she wasn’t going to let that stop her from getting her run in.  Managed 3 miles with her pup in the rain. Char Gore has 2 wins this week!  She had her 3 month post cancer treatment appointment and all signs point to it being completely gone! She was able to start running again in October and said “she can feel the strength coming back - I even love tackling hills because it is a tangible sign that I am stronger.  In 2021 I'm excited to be a beast!” Maintain Brenda Haskill had some great cross country skiing lately.  She said she hit 33 miles of skiing this week for my staycation holiday! Crazy and fun.  I’ll be back to running Monday-Friday due to work and skiing on the weekend. HR training with FPP all year sure made my ski season a lot better and I adapted to it so fast. I’m skiing uphill like a beast right now!

Coach MK livestreams the #WeeklyWins and answers the questions of Fitness Protection members each week. They are a lot of fun, super informative! This week, Coach MK talks about Romjul and more details about Slow Buring starting in January.   #WeeklyWins - 13:18 Runner Interrupted ReBuild Brenda Haskill has had some huge Personal accomplishments for 2020 she :

Coach MK livestreams the #WeeklyWins and answers the questions of Fitness Protection members each week. They are a lot of fun, super informative! This week, Coach MK talks about Slow Burn starting in January.    #WeeklyWins - 9:35 Runner Interrupted ReBuild Christine Lancaster felt good about the amount of running she was able to get in during the month of November. Brenda Haskill found her run helpful in shaking off the anxiety caused by a bad dream. Beth Hobson has been a badass at work and is excited about turning her badassery towards her running since her work is calming down. Maintain Corina Terry had a great run where she listened to Christmas music while she ran.

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK talks about FPP during the holidays.    #WeeklyWins - 8:57 Runner Interrupted ReBuild Alicia Budd, ran a virtual 10k today. She said “it didn’t feel great but I am so happy that almost exactly 4 months after major surgery I ran a 10k. 2020 won’t get the best of me!!!!” Char Gore listened to her body.  Her mind wanted to run an hour but her body said 45 minutes was enough and she honored that! Kristen Frazier said “I LOVE starting thanksgiving with a run, and as it’s only once been with an official turkey race it’s no big deal to do a 5k on my own!  The sun finally came out today after a week of grey, Rainey grossness, and my daughter decided to join me!  It’s been weeks since I really ran, so the fact that I pulled off a 5k with relatively little waking was a MASSIVE win!  (Kept my heart rate under 140 to be smart). All good.” Maintain Corina Terry had a great long run.  She said “ Yes! I felt so good today! I almost made it the full 2 hours I was going to run, but cut it short by 11min. That’s okay. I hit a hill on my run 2ce, so I feel like that kinda makes up for it” Daniel Faltyn did a Thanksgiving virtual half and found that Alice’s Restaurant made the perfect running song for him that day! Trisha Thome ran a virtual turkey trot and said it was great fun to pick up the pace for a little bit as she’s been slowly returning to running after her broken toe.   Questions - 13:42 ReBuild - 13:42 For the Return to Hope event on the 3rd - what time will that be? What time zone? Can Mr. MK share another holiday drink recipe this year? Maintain - 15:08 I feel really sluggish when I get my period. Any tips for putting the pep back in my step? Are you even thinking about racing this year?   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK answers a question about if there is any correlation to feeling horny after a run.     #WeeklyWins - 26:17 Runner Interrupted ReBuild Amanda Bailey’s husband is taking some time off to help with their kids who are out of school again because of the pandemic.  This time means more breathing room for both of them and more sleep and running for Amanda. Kristen Frazier is making space for more boundaries with her loved ones which have been good for her mental state Melissa Yakuzo is back and rebuilding Maintain Sara Seeburg has been having to do more inside runs but the treadmill is growing on her   Questions - 30:28 ReBuild - 30:28 Is there a foam rolling move for the hamstrings? Mine feel tight/sore so was wondering if I could torture (I mean help) them with some foam rolling. I can’t believe I’m asking for more foam rolling! Starting back from scratch - run/walk keeping my heart rate down. If only one glute is tight what strength is the most important for me to be doing? ❤️ Melissa Maintain - 35:27 Please answer in your best Dr. Ruth voice...so sex...there seems to be a positive correlation with me. After a strong good run, I have a strong good, well evening? I mean most of the time I'm already lubed up so I've got that going for me. Not sure there is a real question here, just a topic for conversation. Thanx. It’s not taking me as long to warm up even with the temperatures dropping, can I cut my warm-up shorter?   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK talks about returning to hope snd not returning to crazy expectations.    #WeeklyWins - 30:06 Runner Interrupted Char Gore is planning on A Turkey Trot as her post-cancer goal race. She said “ since our local one is canceled my family and I are doing our own too! I am trying to do matching bibs so we'll see how that goes.  And my mom is crocheting our dog a Turkey coat!” ReBuild Brenda Haskills husband had a much-needed surgery and after a couple of rough nights, she and he both slept! Her Hubby slept and actually didn’t flop around because his nerve pain is gone and meds are helping with procedure pain. The next day she had a beautiful run in stellar sunshine. Stride sandwich for me! Amazing how you feel after a proper restful night. Alicia Budd had a great run this Saturday. She said she’s “Still working back up after surgery in July and today felt like a “real” run for the first time since then. I’m doing run/walk intervals and they’re feeling great. It was also wonderful to smell bacon and laundry. Somehow those smells just make me smile.” Maintain Coach Nikkia ran a half marathon this morning!   Questions - 35:14 ReBuild - 35:14 Hi, I’m unfortunately in a place with my body where I’m more of a runner interrupted than a runner.  I’ve started doing some Pilates at home (we can’t go to the studio where I am right now) and it is going well.  I know you have experience with it and wondered if you had any suggestions for how to have the best experience. I’m needing some encouragement.  I’m in a season in life where the most running I can get most days is 20-30 minutes and while I love it it’s not easy to even carve out that time.  I’m feeling like I’m not getting enough running to make any real positive impact.  Is there any benefit to continuing to work to find 20 minutes of running? Maintain - 44:14 I ran a race today and as I woke up from my nap, I realized I had totally gotten out of any kind of recovery routine.  Can I get a refresher on race/hard effort recovery! I’ve been a one-shoe runner for most of my running life, but am thinking about getting a lighter less cushioned pair for races and faster runs and keeping my regular pair for everyday training.  Is there a benefit to this and what do I need to consider if I go this route? Thanks!   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

#AskAway 10/18/20 Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK talks with Dan Faeltyn about his half marathon and answers questions about winter running.    #WeeklyWins - 18:56 Runner interrupted Char Gore says “October is my month! I just finished nearly one year of cancer treatment.  Chemo, radiation,  and surgery are all behind me now. The last few weeks of treatment were horrible. I was weak and sick. Build ReBuild Amanda Bailey is Happy to report she’s been able to get my early morning running mojo back this week and ran Tues, Weds, and Thurs in the dark. She said she’d been struggling to get up for the last few months so was really glad she could do it this week and It always helps her day be better.  Kristen Frazier went on a trail run and wanted to keep going when she hit the halfway point rather than turning around. She’s been really happy with how her running is going lately Maintain Sara Seeburg got in a 90 minute run with her BRFs. She said “Running with these two, as hard as it is some days, always does my soul good!”   Questions - 23:29 Maintain - 25:32 I'm planning to do a Yeti type challenge on November 21 (so 6 weeks from now), doing a 5k 6 times in 24 hours. I've been following maintain and completing 90%+ of my runs since May. Is there anything extra I should be doing to prepare for this? Thanks! Build - 29:48 Hi coach. I've noticed my knees have been achier on runs in the mornings and the weather gets colder. Is this normal, and are there any preventative measures I should include? Hey! I'm ready to start talking about winter running. My morning runs are getting quite cold (sometimes below freezing) and I have been layering up successfully to keep my core a nice temperature. The problem is my hands. They never seem to get warm and the only mitts I have are designed for cold Canadian winters. Do runners wear special gloves? Also, do people wear the same shoes when the snow comes? ReBuild   MK's Would Of Been Email -  39:49   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!  Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK talks about the fall race season, strength, and trail running.    #WeeklyWins -13:39 Runner interrupted Char Gore says “October is my month! I just finished nearly one year of cancer treatment.  Chemo, radiation,  and surgery are all behind me now. The last few weeks of treatment were horrible. I was weak and sick. But I am 2 weeks out from that and stronger every day. I hope to slowly start strength and walking and then running.  I think of October as my new birth month!” Build JJ Jensen participated in the virtual London Marathon ReBuild Alicia Budd has been cleared by her doctor to run again! Maintain Trisha Thorme’s broken toe has finally healed and she is ready to run again Sara Seeburg signed up for a challenge to run 87 miles by Election Day in honor of RBG. Corina Hall Terry has finally reached the point where running for 2 hours does not wipe her out. Emily Sorenson did her first-ever virtual trail race.  She also realized she has been the most consistent with her running that she ever been when not training for something specific.   Questions - 23:02 Build ReBuild - 23:02 Maybe I missed this somewhere, but why the mixture of 150 BPM and 140 BPM heart rate caps in ReBuild? e.g., Avocado Toast is

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK talks about Runner safety, anemia, and canceled races.    #WeeklyWins - 8:16 Build ReBuild Erin White was excited to get in a lunch break walk on a Gorgeous day because of a work cancellation Amanda Bailey got in her 30 min ee in some rain, but actually enjoys dark, warm, rainy runs Christine Lancaster is still getting her lane 1 workouts in even though she is having a flare-up and is in pain! Maintain Sara Seeburg did her first strength class in a LONG time and is feeling the burn! Daniel Faltyn’s move is finally official.  The movers brought his things from NYC Trisha Thorme celebrated her kid's 15th birthday!   Questions - 13:03 Build ReBuild - 13:33 I just found out that I am slightly anemic. I’ve started an iron supplement regimen but was wondering if you had any advice on how to handle my workouts until my levels are back to normal. Thank you!   Maintain - 16:19 Thank you for the feedback last week about running schedules.  I’ve been thinking about it and here is how I think I would best like to structure my week.  Run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and off Friday and Sunday.  With my work schedule, Saturday is the only day I can run longer than 60 minutes in one shot and still meet all of my family obligations.  How do you suggest I organize the workouts for the rest of the days.   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK talks about overstress, SAD, and the cortisol connection.    #WeeklyWins Happy Birthday Nicole Uhle Links-  Fitness Protection QuarantTeam Dr. Bruce Rabin Videos Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, Twitter, and Twitch simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK answers questions about running after an injury, guided DIY coaching, and building running endurance.   #WeeklyWins - 20:08 Runner Interrupted Build JJ Jensen managed a longish run despite the extreme heat ReBuild Kristen Frazier’s knee is improving and she is slowly working back into movement Kim Lachane got some great movement in this week despite some health setbacks Maintain Daniel Faltyn has officially reached the running gear requires its own suitcase level of runner! Corina Terry had a great in-person half marathon  From Erin Nason “I can't even call it a weekly win, but more of a life win! My little guy, who is 10, has low muscle tone and developmental delays. He's the best.  When he was teeny tiny, I was so worried about whether or not he would ever walk, talk, or do anything neurotypical. He is amazing at a balance bike. One of the plusses of this quarantine is that we discovered he loves riding his bike on trails and he's actually pretty good at the easy trails. I have a hard time keeping up with him when I'm walking.  Well, we did our first "run" together.  We went 2.5 miles on the trails and have done it a few times since. I wasn't sure if we would ever be able to actively share this activity together (he's a champ at riding in the stroller!). It wasn't the fastest, and it wasn't the furthest, but it was definitely THE BEST run I've ever done!”   Questions - 22:57 Build - 22:57 How do I know when it’s time to switch programs? I’ve been in Build since May, although I’ve downloaded the Rebuild plan for the last two months. I feel like I’m maybe ready for a little more work, but I’m not sure if I'm quite ready for Maintain.  I’ve gone back to square one (or maybe square -37) fitness-wise over the course of the pandemic.  I’m ready to rebuild but the idea of running for 30 minutes non stop right now is intimidating.  Do you have any suggestions for how to build from a minute or 2 of running and lots of running back to a 30-minute easy effort? ReBuild - 29:54 Coach MK and other coaches, thank you for all you do in the FPP and beyond. You inspire me to also use my voice! Will slow burn be offered again in 2020? I loved it in the winter when I did the strength only as I was recovering from injury and I’d like to do the strength again. Maintain - 31:26 Not a question but more of a thank you/situation update. Made 2 small modifications this week with great success. Switched to a pair of kicks that were less fabric, more summer. The ON's I had were TOTALLY for winter. They were great big sponges of clam chowder (ewe I know but it's accurate.) Also, got a pair of Injinji toe socks. Did a beach run and the toe soup was MUCH less than last week. Irritation/Blisters on the piggies were a lot better too. Thanx!   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches! Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, and The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK answers questions about chafing, foam rolling, and broken toes.    #WeeklyWins - 6:38 Runner Interrupted Char Gore says she feels good when she reads Amy’s posts and watches her videos   Build Barbara Puckett Celebrated her firstborn grandson's 23rd birthday this week. ReBuild Kristen Frazier was able to finally get one of the last plants on her wishlist, the Swiss-cheese plant. Annie Jennings took a couple of days off this week while getting ready for the start of school. She Went back out today for a walk and said: “it felt great to know that taking a break didn't (and won't) mean quitting!”  Maintain Daniel Faltyn Rocked the SSS. He is On one of the marathon plans so He did a few extras. “There is something so satisfying to me seeing the graphs play out as I planned”.   Questions - 10:00 Build ReBuild Maintain - 10:05 Regarding chafing, the advice I've been given is             "But she don't use butter And she don't use cheese She don't use jelly Or any of these, She uses Vaseline I’ve found the right amount of vaseline on any part of my body that moves is statistically a shit metric ton for the long runs. That seems to avoid any unpleasantness post-run. Any reason to switch to something other than vaseline? Hi there. Post long run question. How soon after the run should I consider having my big bertha take my legs on a foam rolling date? Immediately? Within an hour? Wait a bit?  Thanxxxx I was doing too much at once and broke a toe on the stairs the other day. Any exercise tips?  How does aqua jogging work, do you jog on the bottom, or is it more like treading water? ( I am not much of a swimmer.)  How soon do folks typically get back to running after a broken toe? It is the end of the third toe if that matters. Thanks for everything and sorry for the novel!   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!  Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and now on Twitter,  @CoachMKFleming, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK answers questions about heavy legs, IT bands, and heart rate running for teens.   #WeeklyWins - 15:15 Runner Interrupted Happy Birthday Coach Amy!!! Build JJ Jensen has been hitting her strength goals all month in July ReBuild Kristen Frazier has a better idea as to why her running has been feeling off and some good ideas as to how to improve. Annie Jenkins got to try out her new heart rate monitor on my walk today. She’s been able to go a little longer without feeling sore the past couple days and today She went further than She has been able to in a while, so is celebrating that!  Maintain Nikkia Raedawn got to go back to the gym for the first time since February.   Questions - 22:17 Build -  ReBuild - 22:42 I am (happily!) here on a recommendation from my intuitive eating nutritionist since we both decided I was ready to begin movement again. I am not a total beginner with running, but I do worry that a lot of what I "know" comes from a diet/punishment mindset. That said, here is my question: How long after eating should I aim to run? Is it best to run after a balanced snack or would I be better fueled after a meal? In the past I ran first thing in the morning or after a long fast, but for reasons that were strictly weight loss based. Schedule-wise that might be what works best for me, but I want to make sure I am nourishing my body in a way that lets me get the most enjoyment out of my exercise. Thank you! - Annie Hi, I know our plan is supposed to be a guided DIY and it’s ok if I don’t do all the workouts but I’m feeling like I’m failing.  I’m not training for anything in particular and my running has been super hit or miss.  Can you give us some guidance on the minimum necessary to “train for life” (ie not be a total slug) My runs have felt pretty good despite the heat and humidity but towards the end of my runs this week my legs are feeling very heavy. Is it the heat? Should I just slow down more? Maintain - 46:09 Hi there! Last week I mentioned I paused my run b/c my knee was sore. The day after the knee started to click a lot. Since I earned my M.D. by googling oh, damn torn meniscus I diagnosed myself with. Taking your advice, I lined up an Ortho and PT. Fortunately, it turned out to just be some IT band tightness and irritation. Anyways, I'll leave this question as more of a thank you. Thank you for really being a coach and seeing beyond my topical question last week, and recommending I establish a medical support system...real questions coming up :-) Ok, so IT Band tightness. Mine flared up last week after a 20miles/4 hour run. Both the PT and the Ortho said that given my age (44m) it was not surprising. The PT put me on the treadmill and made some minor adjustments to my form and said generally I looked good. To alleviate the immediate tightness, he asked if I wanted to try dry needling, and I took him up on the offer. It worked really well on me; the whole leg really really relaxed after that. Wondering if you had any thoughts on that procedure; dry needling. The long term treatment plan for me was hip exercises, foam rolling, and some form correction. However, for a quick release, this was pretty good. Thoughts? Ok, last question if you have time to sneak this one in; easy one I promise. What is up with swamp ass of the toes? Given the humid climate here (Durham) my shoes are SOAKING wet within an hour. It's like walking around in two bowls of chowder an hour in. I have not tried wicking socks and I'm not sure they would even help. After the run, I'm putting on anti-fungal ointment as I see some brown and wearing flip flops. I've had friends lose toenails. Damn it these piggies are keeping their house. Thoughts? My 14-year-old son is showing an interest in running thanks to PE in virtual schooling.  He's finally understanding pacing rather than sprint, stop, and repeat.  Is heart rate training something that could help him? Is there a different HR cap he would use given his age? Will the monthly strengths demos by Coach MK come back? I miss them a lot. While the daily FB routines are nice, they are not a substitute at all. Plus given how FB works, they are not always in my feed. Comments - 1:11:13   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection, and Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, Coach MK answers questions about Toe Yoga, Dedicated AF, and Ramp Rates.   #WeeklyWins - 11:39 Runner Interrupted Char Gore, I should be done with all chemo and radiation mid-September. I have set my "feel like a normal human" day as OCTOBER 1st. That is the day I hope all side effects are gone (specifically nausea, neuropathy, and fatigue) and I can safely start running again. Living for October 1st!   Build JJ Jensen has been hitting her strength goals all month in July ReBuild Dr. Amanda Bailey completed her 90 min of avocado toast while on call.  She managed to talk to worried parents while still completing her run. Kristen Frazier is really proud of all of the work her family did on their home this month. She said it “Feels like I'm finally comfortable in the house that we've lived in for almost 20 years. Amazing what some paint, junk purging, rearranging, and minor upgrades can do!” Christine Lancaster completed Lane 2, the whole month. This September makes 3 years from when she stopped running due to injury and it has been a long slow road back to hear. She said “The hardest part of Lane 2 was really all mental and the idea that I could run in blocks on time without walking. Anyway, I'm so pleased and proud of how the month has gone”.  Maintain Corina Terry is  Proud that she has stuck to her running & it’s paying off. She posted a picture of a hill she ran on vacation that is a real butt-kicker  & has been her nemesis since I started running almost 20 years ago. She has only been able to run it once before. The altitude up there is about 8,600 feet. She lives in Vegas at about 1,000 feet & runs in her flat neighborhood. (There is a decent hill about a mile away I hit every Saturday.) She went slow & steady & did it!  Brenda Haskill completed her first month in Maintain. To do that it meant she had to take good care of myself amidst all the stuff going on. She completed most runs according to plan. Susan DiLeo feels like she’s finally acclimated to the heat. She still detests it, mind you, but can hack it. Sometimes she doesn't call her run a run, though: She tells herself  “I'm "listening to an audiobook" or "catching up on a podcast".  Nicole Wood celebrated her daughter’s 13th birthday. Emily Sorenson finished her solo half marathon. She opted not to “race” it because of high heat and humidity forecasted but she managed her pace and made it through! She reports that “Running a half in July is HARD, but I did it! This was probably the hardest half I’ve run, but I’m so proud I hung in there and was smart about my expectations” and the very next week she managed to, complete all her runs, walked on Thursday, and not only did I do all her strength this week but actually did it on the scheduled day! And added in some extra loop work to boot! When she left for my run this Saturday her hubs asked how long she would be gone. “I told him for almost 2 hours, and he goes for 2 hours?! What are you training for now?! I said nothing, I’m maintaining”  Alicia Budd is proud of how diligent she’s been with running and strength amid all the craziness of life these days.   Questions - 23:16 Build - 23:32 My question is about breathing. When I'm going about my run and I get a bit distracted, my heart rate seems to be at its lowest. But then I notice I feel like I am shallow breathing. When I start to breath more intentionally, HR goes up. Is this normal?   ReBuild - 25:26 Toe Yoga - I can't do it, I try nothing happens, I look at my legs/toes/feet command the muscles to move, touch the muscles to try and activate them.  I don't know what else to do.I have scrapped, rolled, massaged to no avail (both feet and calves) Anything else you can think of?? I had a hysterectomy on July 28. Had my post-op appointment today and my doc gave me the ok to start walking for exercise. She suggested I hold off on running for 2 more weeks which is fine with me because the thought of bouncing around right now does not sound good. Pre-surgery I had been doing a hybrid of Maintain and rebuild - running with heart rate

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page and The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, a very tired Coach MK lets it fly, telling you what she REALLY thinks about The Olympics, introduces the August workouts, and apologizes for not having the physical strength to demo the strength moves yet.   August Workouts: Maintain - 17:15 ReBuild - 19:13   MK's Deep Thought Of The Week  - 24:35 Coach MK tells a very personal story about letting others lead...to give you running motivation.   Links - Stress Management Tianna Bee Achilles International The Colorado Freedom Fund (CFF)   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   In this bonus episode, Chief Nutrition Officer Dalia Kinsey and Coach Nikkia Young take over the stream in order to continue to give Coach MK some time for a much-needed family vacation!  They answer questions about warm-ups/cool-downs, and also discuss other topics like wearing masks and the Sarahan dust cloud.   Tools needed for stress management - counter damage https://black-joy-summit.heysummit.com/tickets/ ally learning track available; support summit; share free access with POC in need of support 7.31-8.2 Fitness Protection Partnership    Each week we highlighting the amazing work and successes of the runners in each of our programs.  We start with the runners not running in our runner interrupted program and then our participants in the build, rebuild, and maintain programs   Questions - 3:10 Build ReBuild - 3:10 How do we access the plans each month?  Do we buy them through training peaks or is included in our subscription? What are accelerators and what does the (20/40) mean when I see them in my plan? How do I keep track of all of the different intervals?  This is so confusing! When I do the warm-ups and cool-downs am I supposed to keep it under 140?  Like, stop and walk??   Maintain   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week Chief Nutrition Officer Dalia Kinsey, is taking over the stream in order to give Coach MK some time for a much needed family vacation!  We have questions about getting your body to warm, the friendliness of southern runners, as well as nutrition/hydration needs as the humidity starts to climb. What to do in lieu of asking someone if they are ok right now. The pressure to just say yes  The world is on fire  Tools needed for stress management - counter damage https://black-joy-summit.heysummit.com/tickets/ ally learning track available; support summit; share free access with POC in need of support 7.31-8.2 Fitness Protection Partnership    Each week we highlight the amazing work and successes of the runners in each of our programs.  We start with the runners not running in our runner interrupted program and then our participants in the build, rebuild, and maintain programs   #WeeklyWins - 10:55 Runner Interrupted Erin Harkness has found herself back in the runner interrupted crew with a broken foot but is proud of herself for focusing on what she can do, cycling and strength.  Build Barbara Puckett has been tenacious AF managing running and work as she returns to in-person work for the first time since March ReBuild Kristen Frazier was winning last week because she had a plan with her doctor to help her get her back on track and feeling better.  She is still winning this week because her plan is working and she is seeing great effects from her new medication. Karen Sutton’s 12-year-old daughter Danda did her first long run!  She is so proud of herself keeping going for an hour! She has been following rebuild for 2 weeks and is loving it! She has never been a sporty kid, is very worried about her size, and has little confidence in her physical ability  Which is a shame because today we covered 4.2 miles! When she finished she said she felt amazing!! This was a brilliant moment! So I let her wear my FPP T-shirt. And she wanted to wear it all day! Thank you Mary-Katherine Brooks Fleming from the bottom of my heart for the gift of physical confidence for my daughter. Stephanie Hornans daughter was accepted into a dance group that she had to audition for via zoom earlier in the pandemic! Leslie O’Berry has been made an amazing entry into the Rebuild group and is all ready to move to lane 2 after only being part of Rebuild for 2 weeks! Any Sczerbowicz is doing an amazing job of listening to her body and is rebuilding on her terms.  She is in no rush to hurry up and get back to where she was, she just wants to make sure she is healthy and fit. Amanda Bailey is getting back into the consistent running habit and ran 3 days in a row this week. Katie Hansen hasn’t been able to be too active in the Facebook group lately because of how much energy her job as a doctor has been taking,  but she reports that she has been able to keep running 3-4 days per week even with all the craziness. Maintain Nicole Uhl did a 2:15 LR today on the track. She comes to us from Galloway and has never run more than 5 min at any one given time.  She felt pretty good during her run so I was like, "let's see If I can make it around the track". She did and still felt good. So I thought "well maybe I can do a mile nonstop". AND SHE DID! She reports that it was slow but she kept her HR under 140 and felt amazing. She was so proud because she has NEVER run a mile nonstop. Nicole’s win gets better. She finishes out hour one with run/walk intervals, whatever felt good. Hour two she thought, "that mile felt pretty good, wonder how far I could go?" SHE RAN THE WHOLE SECOND HOUR! 60 minutes without stopping. She has never done that before and didn't think it was possible.  She has chronic fatigue from a slew of medical issues and thought she must tire easily and that's why she couldn't sustain a run for longer than a couple of minutes at a time. Well, she learned she WAS WRONG! And just hadn't been slow enough to be considered easy effort. She is so freaking excited to see what I can do now. Thank you! Corina Terry has been having some less than stellar sleep lately but is still managing to get her runs in.  Way to be tenacious AF! Trisha Thorme’s family is excited to be starting a new tradition of summer movie clubs at their house Questions - 19:51 Build ReBuild Maintain - 19:51 Hello, it’s beginning to get very hot and humid where I live.  Can you talk about fueling in the warmer weather? How far in advance of my run should I start drinking at what sort of volume? (assume I properly hydrated overnight.) Related question, on the run, any advice on frequency/volume? Are there signs to look for that I may be drinking too little vs just having a crappy run? Hi Coach, I’m feeling very sluggish on my runs and needing to walk a lot.  Summers here so it’s hot and humid and my guess is they are related.   Is there anything I can do food/drink wise to help perform my best in these conditions. I don’t feel like I’m acclimating as well as I usually do to the summer heat.  Is there anything I can do to help me feel better. I feel constantly thirsty and dehydrated, but I pass the pee test so I know I’m drinking enough (also for reference, I’m not diabetic and have had my sugar checked - no issue there) is there anything that would help me to feel more hydrated. Hey Coach! I’m noticing it’s taking me more like 20-30 min or so into my run to actually warm-up. Is there a safe way to speed up the warm-up process or should I just follow my body’s lead on this? Less of a question but more of a since you have this platform...can we talk about communication on the trail? Here's the deal, I'm an almost ex-New Yorker moving to the South. In New York, we just go about our business. However, in light of what's going on in the world, or perhaps bc this is a new area for me, everyone is getting a hello on the trail. It may be verbal, some times it's the sign language love sign, sometimes the peace sign, sometimes its the 2 fingers "Keep the rubber side down" (as I fatigue that is my order as it gets easier ha.) Again maybe just the hardened New Yorker in me but I've seen a lot of smiles from people when doing this. Can we make this a thing? Hi MK, I am so grateful for your plans right now. As you know my 12-year-old daughter completed her first long run yesterday. She managed over 4 miles and still is keen to go again next week. Following the rebuild plan lane, 1 has been amazing for her in a way that couch 2 5k wasn’t. Your plans don’t make her nervous about achieving the next level. I am so proud. I am hoping you will give her a podcast shout out. She has heard your podcasts for maybe 1/3 of her life whilst I have been chopping veg and making dinner. She knows your voice. I am sure it would mean the world to her to hear you say how well she is doing  Thank you so much. Her name is Danda   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, we take questions about low hemoglobins, comfortable running attire, and & the physiological reason for doing strides. #WeeklyWins 6:10 Runner Interrupted Coach Amy has got her running mojo back and is rebuilding her running habit! Megan Ruyuke bought herself a membership at a SUP/kayak place and has gone every damn weekend. Build Pat Humes managed to her run in early and made 55 min with 6 accelerators. Patricia Luna went for a run on her rest day because she wanted to not because she had to! ReBuild Kristen Frazier had a great appointment with her doctor and had a solid plan to help her feel better. Maintain Karen Sutton is still running 5 times a week even though things have been really challenging. She started couch to 5k to support her 12 year old who was having her own struggles with the situation. But after week 6 the continuous 20 minutes running was too tough for her so they moved over to rebuild which she finds more fun on Monday Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Saturday, Karen is doing Maintain as written Alone. On Saturday she did 9 miles and really enjoyed it. It was her longest run since February. She says thank you for the tether to the tribe. I have not posted in the group much but I felt happy knowing you are all there. #coachedandloved. Corina Terry celebrated her 50th birthday this week, she is also doing a great job moving runs around to make the plan work for her. Helen Foley has had a major mental shift.  Instead of waking up thinking “I can’t believe I have to run again” she wakes up and thinks “why wouldn’t I run today?  It’ll be fun” Nichole Ule has found her shuffle!! And did a 2 hour long run on the treadmill. Cara Gerard is Going to take her PTO!!   Questions - 13:47 Build - 13:47 Hi coach MK! I thought I was more tired than usual due to the stress of the pandemic, but it turns out my hemoglobin is low. I switched a few months ago to a mostly vegetarian diet and this might have something to do with it. I had noticed my runs seemed to be getting harder rather than easier and required more walking, or occasionally skipping altogether. Do you have any ideas or thoughts on how to keep improving my running habit while I sort all this out? ReBuild - 16:20 I may be your lamest client ever, but what I crave is boringness. A plan where I literally don’t have to think about what I’m doing because it’s nearly the same every day. How can I modify so the workouts and strength so it’s more repetition and less thinking? Signed, Task Initiation Challenged. I’ve been feeling pretty crappy lately and I’m certain it’s a combination of stress, not sleeping well, and eating choices that have lots of room for improvement.  I’m slowly working on all of those things, but I’ve noticed I’ve gotten in a vicious cycle of not feeling well thereby skipping my run which makes me feel worse.  Any suggestions on breaking the cycle. I can’t find running attire that I like how they fit, feel comfortable, and look good.  Have you ever thought about designing a line of running gear that fits real people (I.e not overweight, but not super toned athlete’s body)??  I know you have a lot on your plate but I enjoy running a lot more if there were clothes that fit well and I wasn’t constantly tugging on!  For reference, I’ve tried all the major brands and some lady specific ones and nothing seems to fit quite right  During my Avocado Toast run, I could feel my calves aching as I ran up hills. I thought this meant I was not using my glutes appropriately, so I started concentrating on that. But then, it felt like I was sashaying side to side too much. Maybe it's my big "glutes", or maybe I'm not running properly. I came home and foam rolled, front and back of legs, but still feeling a little sore a day later. Any correction tips?   Maintain - 29:20 Hi! Can you explain the physiologic reason for the strides during an otherwise easy effort run or long run? Is it ever ok to just not do them and keeping it all easy, or are there disadvantages to that? What's the easiest way to access the rebuild strength when I'm in maintain (I want to do both) without having two training plans in training peaks? Okay MK, I've been locked up like a tiger in a cage. Not so much a Carol Baskin tiger, more like a Daniel tiger. But still. So I want to start increasing my long runs on Saturday. I feel like I want to do a three to three and a half-hour run. Any specific modifications I should make to the plan? For example, should I take Thursday off? Should I back off 10% on all the runs that week? Thanks.   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, we take questions about transitioning into summer running as well as transitioning back to work.    #WeeklyWins - 6:48   Runner Interrupted Char Gore is still feeling well enough to get her shuffle on!   Build Coach Nikkia celebrated her birthday this week!! Sharla Manglass also celebrated her birthday and got in a birthday run with fellow build teammate Barbara Puckett ReBuild Christine Lancaster has her highest mileage week since her injury Amy Sczerbowicz has been running consistently and feeling good! Jennifer Sutton is making the move to maintain.  After trying out the runs for a couple of weeks she feels ready to make the switch.  We are excited for her, but will miss her in rebuild! Kristen Frazier broke out her spinning wheel this week!  She is a woman of many talents.   Maintain Elyn Macek was excited to get a chance to sing with her favorite quartet at church for the first time since March.   Amy Loukous has a great 10 mile run with BRF’s and got a great breakfast as a finish Trisha Thorne has discovered that throwing in pickups make an amazing way to social distances when needed on the run. Nicole Uhl has run more miles this week than any other week that didnt include a race AND she doesn’t  hate herself physically or mentally. She has found her running family here and is grateful to be here! She notes “ who knew you didnt have to go hard all the time to feel accomplished” Carissa Hatlig finished her quarantine 26.2!!! Erin Nason did a 5k time trial for fun on the track and beat her EAT predicted time by 35 seconds even though it was way hotter now than when she did her EAT.  Also her sister joined rebuild!! Lisa Anderson celebrated her birthday this week with a birthday run with her husband and daughter. Daniel Faltyn moved his run to the morning and was able to keep his heart rate exactly where he needed too.   Questions - 14:48   Build - 14:48 What does it mean to be a sponsored athlete? How do you become one? I’m struggling with transitioning back to work now that my state is opening back up.  Any sage thoughts or encouraging ideas?   ReBuild - 24:34 Can you talk about VO2 max.  My watch calculates it and I was excited about seeing it go up as I’ve been rebuilding consistently, but it’s suddenly dropped like a rock.  Any ideas what happened? I don’t seem to be adapting to the heat as well as I do normally.  Do you have any suggestions on how to help speed the adaptations along?   Maintain - 29:00 Evening MK. Can you touch on fueling in the context of the warmer weather? How far in advance of my run should I start drinking at what sort of volume? (assume I properly hydrated overnight.) Related question, on the run, any advice on frequency/volume? Any signs to look for that I may be drinking too little vs just having a crappy run? The following worked for me on Sats long run: 30 mins prior 16oz caffeine water, during the run had a total of 8oz of gatorade starting 45 mins in, finishing it all up by 100 mins in. Seemed to work for me. Could I do anything better? Evening MK. Can you touch on stretching/warm up/cool down? In the context of Sats long run, what would be a reasonable stretching/warm up routine duration before and after? Is it more important to stretch before or after or are both important. Thanx in advance. Hi MK, I’ve been running regularly since August, it something happened in the past two weeks and my running care to a screaching halt. I’ve been mixing your maintain work outs with peloton app treadmill runs and hit my highest monthly mileage in April. I’ve felt great from a running stand point. Until about two weeks ago. All of a sudden, I just didn’t want to go anymore. Running and meditation are my stress relievers and it certainly has been a stress relief during these hard months. I am so tired. I have t slept well since Jan. I’ve tried melatonin, L-theonine and Magnesium, but still struggle to sleep. I’m sure this is part of it. But now my HR is high during the day, just walking around the house. This morning while I was cooking my HR was 97! My resting HR for reference is low 50s, sometimes ever high 40s. My 140 pace is about 11min/mi. But now it’s waaaay up. Any idea what’s going on? I feel like I’ve been running on adrenaline for months and now have a big crash. But would this cause my HR to be elevated like this? I am hydrated. Any tips to recover from this and find my groove again would be much appreciated. Also, for sleeping, I’ve controlled all of the variable I can, even when I have a perfect sleep set up, I will fall asleep easily, but wake up just a few hours later and then struggle to fall back asleep. Are there any slow burn classes going on this year? 1) I am currently going on the assumption that 3DATF is likely not to happen in October; however, if it is and we have recently completed the 100 mi training cycle, what should the plan be to ramp back up for 3DATF 48hr event?  2) If 3DATF is not going to happen, I still have a code (buried somewhere in email) for Slow Burn from last year's fund raiser. Is there a plan for Slow Burn to run sometime this fall? It seems like a great alternative to Ultra training. After 3 months of working from home in quarantine I’m finding that I don’t like how I look in my clothes and I’m feeling kinda sluggish. I’d like to loose some weight so my clothes fit again do you have any tips of better ways to loose weight. Normally I would do some sort of 30 day super healthy restrictive thing, but from listening to you and Dalia is seems like that may not be the best option. What do you do when you’ve wanted to loose the last few pounds of baby weight?   General Heart Rate Group - 47:12 Is there a way to purchase a monthly plan on Training Peaks without subscribing to Fitness Protection?   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

On June 2nd the internet celebrated blackout day, a social media promoted event focused on posting content from people of color and creating features centered on people of color. Sometimes it just doesn't seem appropriate for the show to just go on as though everything is normal when things are absolutely not normal. #blackout #theshowmustpause  Tuesday was a day promoted by activists to mourn the death of George Floyd and demand policy change to put a stop to state sanctioned murders of BIPOC. Though systemic racism has been an issue in this country since its inception, this is still news to a lot of Americans.  People who have been tacitly benefiting from systemic racism don't often notice that it exists.  On 6/2 we invited Fitness Protection’s Chief Nutrition Officer and black American, Dalia Kinsey to discuss her experience of living in a world that constantly demonstrates what it thinks of black skin while being surrounded by white Americans that claim to be color-blind. People flinch when they hear the term white privilege, because there is a misconception that white privilege implies that white people don't have any problems. Obviously that isn't true.  The entire country has major problems right now. We have economic problems. We have pandemic problems. But if you're Black and American you don't get to just have those problems. Black Americans are coping with that shared national stress plus the stress of systemic racism, including everything from daily microaggressions, unequal access to healthcare regardless of income levels, to fearing attack from police officers.   Being a witness to state-sanctioned violence against people of color while being told that we live in a post-racial society and constantly being shown by the media and in daily interactions that people elevate white as the default is the draining emotional place that black people existed in prior to current events.  Now a lot of well-meaning white people are just accepting the memo that racism exists in the United States. The tendency to suppress black voices and to not believe BIPOC when they report incidences of racism made it difficult for many white Americans to accept the memo prior to now.  Now that acts of blatant racism can be recorded and shared online, white Americans are slowly starting to face the reality that black Americans have been living with for hundred of years. As an anti-racist and an accomplice to the black liberation movement this wasn't news to Coach MK. As a person that has been black since 1981 this was not news to Dalia.  Fighting systemic racism is a marathon not a sprint. We didn't get here in a day.  Things may look bleak right now but progress is being made. In this conversation we look at what it takes to be brave enough to take an honest look at yourself and purge bias and white supremacy from your consciousness. It's an ongoing process since white supremacy is literally in the air that we breathe.  Attacking other white people who are trying to do the right thing but perhaps stumbling, doing it awkwardly and maybe coming off as insincere is not productive. Becoming an anti-racist is a process. The goal is progress not perfection. It's okay to make mistakes. We just have to keep picking ourselves up and trying to be better. Today we discuss dealing with compound levels of stress, feelings of isolation related to living in a racist environment, the overlap between the experience of sexism and racism, learning how to have difficult conversations, understanding how truly pervasive white supremacy is, actively trying to dismantle systems of oppression vs virtue signaling and performing wokeness. Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches! Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection  Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, we take questions about . . .    #WeeklyWins - 3:50 Runner Interrupted    Char Gore was finally able to start back at the acupuncturist, which really helped my chemo-induced neuropathy and allowed her to get in a nice shuffle yesterday!   My win for the week is having given myself permission to take things slowly. Last week my attorney began divorce proceedings on my behalf and I am hopeful of getting to keep the house (and refinancing in my name only) as my ex is showing no interest in it, nor ever really having wanted to live in it. The slowly...there is so much I would like to do to the space, but I am not in a hurry. I don’t want to trade one set of stressors (my ex) for a new set (perfection, speedy changes and renovations). I’m going to enjoy the extra time at home as my job can be done almost completely remotely, the extra time I get with my son and the warmth of the sun... Build       ReBuild Kristen Frazier had a great appointment with her doctor who is happy with her progress. Brenda Haskill has been working hard to manage her stress this week and got in a good visit with her son. Laura Kelly has a breakthrough and realized her pace doesn’t matter she is getting what she needs despite her pace! Jennifer Sutton is seeing the fruits of her rebuild labor and is able to flirt with the runs in maintain. Maintain Sara Seeburg had a great long run with her BRF’s and got some much needed time for her mental/physical health Nicole Uhl got out on her run even though she didn’t feel like it and was glad she did! Erin Harkness did a 4 day backpacking trip this weekend and she was happy that all the running and strength she has been doing was paying off because she carried her toddler and their gear up and down multiple mountains and her legs still felt good at the end! Susan DiLeo’s oldest son finally left the nest! Corina Terry has been all in with the strength this week.  She is feeling the effects (sore) but is excited about progress.  Questions - 10:30 ReBuild - 10:30 Hi, do you have any suggestions for spinal decompression?  I might have carried a load on my back that was quite a bit heavier than I was used to and now my spine feels stuck and I feel shorted, oops and suggestions to help?  Maintain - 12:00 Do you think fall races will happen this year considering covid pandemic? Thank you for doing what you're doing regarding the protests We see it  Nichole Since many of us are running at slower EE paces during the hot, humid months, should we also adjust our 10k pace when we’re doing the workouts in Maintain? Does it matter? Heart Rate question. I've noticed that if I motivate myself and do the prescribed runs at 5:30AM to 6:30AM I can easily control my heart rate relative to pace. However, if I wait until 10AM or later, all bets are off. Some days if I run at noon, I'm practically walking and my Garmin is reading 160. I could read recitate Atlas Shrugged in a steady voice. Is there some physiological difference in running when one first wakes up? Thank you! Hi! I have been paying attention to my feet more lately and focusing on mobility and practicing silly toes (yay!). I noticed I can spread my toes fully on left foot w flexion but not all on my right foot. Is this due a particular issue and is there anything I can do to make it better? No pain. I have chronic low back issues but otherwise have no pain, no injuries, etc. I have noticed when I foam roll my weight shin it's super tender and not so bad on the left if that helps.   Thanks!  Nichole Any advice for those w issues w low back pain? Anything with the foam roller that might help? This is an ongoing issue for me, not caused by running but sometimes affects my running. Build 28:35 I completed my first Island Paradise run this week. How high should you let your heart rate get? Is it okay to walk during the jog intervals if you need more recovery? My max hr got up to 171 near the end and I found i needed to walk more to catch my breath

#AskAway 5/31/20  Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, we take questions about . . .    #WeeklyWins - 6:33 Runner Interrupted Build Robin Monique has had a good month of running and is enjoying the structure of the plan. Pat Humes is feeling awesome for getting back into running. ReBuild Kristen Frazier has been doing some good work with her therapist lately that is carrying over into her life outside of the therapy session. Christine Lancaster is finding moments throughout her day to add in strength - like when she is supervising the kids virtual school.  Maintain Trisha Thome - did a bit over three easy miles this morning, first time she has run two days in a row since May 12, and felt mostly fine.  She is happy that the changes she made to her home office set-up, walking shoes, and listening to her body are bearing good running fruit. Carissa Hatling is making a commitment to herself to foam roll every day! Karen Schulter is recovering well enough from her Yeti Challenge to add some strides into her runs at the beginning of the week. Emily Sorensen ran before work (something she doesn’t do often) and felt proud of herself for getting her run done early   Questions - 11:16 ReBuild - 13:57 Is easy pace the same as keeping HR

  Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, we take questions about ballet, knee tracking, and humidity.     Pride Gear is HERE!!!!! Donate to Cavilyn and get a 1:1 chat with Coach MK! TWO generous folks are matching donations!     #WeeklyWins -9:26    Runner Interrupted Amy Trujillo bought herself a new car!!   Build Barbara runs at a local nature center so has been enjoying seeing lots of wildlife on her runs. This week she got to see a turtle. Pat Kokolus Humes had her best run day in a long time. She went 3.2 miles on her run and got to enjoy and iced coffee treat afterwards. Bea Witzel mommed like a boss. She wasn’t able to get any alone time to run so she got her time in walking with her little one strapped to her back ReBuild Brenda Haskills husband was finally able to have an important medical procedure that can help reduce his pain levels!! Procedure was a success and he is improving. Maintain Happy Birthday Cavilyn!! Cavilyn is raising money to support girls on the run. She is a girl’s on the run coach and has seen this organization have a strong positive impact on her daughter. Karen Schulter completed the Yeti Challenge by finishing 31.2 miles in 24 hours!! She didn’t ever think she would go more than 26.2 and has been excited to tell people who ask how she trained for it that she didn’t train the maintained.   Questions - 15:20   ReBuild -  I’ve started taking online ballet lessons for the first time since taking lessons for a few years as a child. I’m noticing a huge improvement in my glute activation and reduction in my overall pain levels in my back and hips!! Is there anything I need to be cognizant of when doing this to make I don’t cause any negative impacts on my running? Hi Coach, I’ve been noticing that I have difficultly with getting my knees to track straight over my toes when I squat. Is there anything I can to help this? If I’m coming from maintain are there any adaptations I need to make to the rebuild plan for pregnancy? Hello! I’m noticing as I extend my longer run (over an hour or so) that my mid/upper back (around my ribs)and shoulders are fatiguing as I go longer and then everything kinda starts falling apart. Will this get better with time as I get more used to longer times or do I need to do some kind of specific strength to improve it? Maintain My body has only been wanting to do avacado toast lately. What am I sacrificing by not doing the harder efforts? Would I still be able to run a marathon in 10 weeks as long as I don’t have a time goal? I’ve been struggling with motivation to get out on my run. I look forward to my runs, once I’m running i really enjoy it so I don’t know what give. Any thoughts or suggestions to make the process of starting less awful? How do I keep my heart rate down in this awful humidity? It’s like 80-90% here. Build Is it okay to run on an empty stomach? How soon after a run do we meet to eat? Can the time of day that you run affect your heart rate readings? If I do silly toes and warm ups at home, then drive 15 minutes to a park for my run, is my warm up not as effective?     Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!    

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, we take questions about long runs, foam rolling, and the value of walking. Intro My hook is that "we are never talking about the running." And at my level, recreational running, we aren't. We are talking about identity amidst the pressures of Diet Culture and Hustle Culture, trying to claim space for ourselves in a sport that is also a hobby that is also a common attempt to rewrite a personal narrative. Most recreational runners I work with were not competitive athletes. Many don't think they look like runners despite logging 30+ miles each week. Most took up running later in life, after breakups or divorces or kids or transitions that can only be run through. My client base ranges from 19-86 with a mean of 51.   #WeeklyWins - 11:25   Runner Interrupted Carrie Senigen is graduating!! Associates in engineering technology. Jennifer Wolf has discovered that she really likes working from home.   Build Patricia Luna is happy to be seeing some improvements in both her pace and how she feels on the run. Robin Monique finished her very first avocado toast.  Huge with because she never thought she could go for 60 minutes. Jessica McMeyes has been focusing on keeping her heart rate down during her runs.  She is loving the fact that she feels good and not sick exhausted after her runs. Kristen Levithan is rocking the guided diy approach she is truly customizing the program and making it work for her where she is in her fitness and life. ReBuild Christine Lancaster ran a virtual 5k and felt great at a faster than average pace Renee Hahn ran a virtual 19.1 Stephanie Horman ran her fastest mile since joining fitness protection Any Scerbowicz had her first continuous run in months and got a full mile of running in. Amanda Blockinger Bailey did a great job listening to her body during her long run and honored what is was telling her rather than pushing through and risking injury Maintain Happy Birthday Susan.  Susan is running 51 miles for her 51st birthday.  She is also using her run to raise money for a reproductive health organization called all options.  Francine Scheller ran her 50 mile run and finished in under 12 hours. Jo Ambrosi nailed her 10k race!  She came in under her goal time and made negative splits. Nicole Wood YOLOed the NYRR Brooklyn half marathon and felt good enough to take a smiling picture at the end.  Carissa Hatlig completed a 4 hour run it was hard and she felt like quitting but she stuck with it and finished her run. Sarah Seeburg completes a 5k with her kiddos, and they admitted to having fun Questions    ReBuild - 26:57 Just starting back after an entire year away from running. In the last few months, I’ve become very dependent on Pilates, and love it. Right now, I’m doing online classes, 4 days a week. Doing your work in the morning, then pilates in the evening. Can I continue this schedule? I’m going easy in ReBuild, which means very very slow. Working on getting used to time on my feet. Starting to notice there are some pretty high heart rate caps for an old lady like me. I certainly don’t mind them because it allows me to run longer, but should I cap myself lower? I’m now 67. After a few weeks of this, I can run about 5 minutes without stopping to walk. That’s much better than what I was doing before! I'm trying to catch up by listening to ask the coach, and I just found the videos on the ReBuild facebook page! Yay! That answers a bunch of my questions. But, I listened to one a few minutes ago from March about a coach leaving. Did I screw up by emailing her the other day about problems? She was very helpful! Can you show me examples of the Tuesday strength: B stair calf raises, toe fall band walks, and B calf jumps. Are we doing the strength workouts twice through, or just once? Maintain - 36:40 I’d like to have the option to add runs on Thursday and Sunday in addition to the regularly scheduled runs. Should I use a lower heart rate cap on those days i.e 120 or 130 to make sure I’m not overdoing with 7 days per week? Hello Coach! Today's question is "Numb Toes". When I used to live in the tropics my toes would go numb when I ran. I moved to a wider toe box shoe and as I got into better shape and started running more miles in the problem mostly stopped. Living in the UK, I haven't seen this problem since, but recently I have started noticing it again. I am running in a new iteration of the shoe which may have a tighter toe, I also think it may be due to to heat as we have had a few warm days. But, I really wonder, could it be due to extra weight that has been gained in lockdown, or a change in diet, like maybe too much or not enough salt, or could it be to less training as I am basically living on 30 minute slow runs? Thoughts? Thanks as always. Kristy My question is about the rest day. I’m doing 75-95% of the Maintain plan as written every week, only modifying to shorten a run occasionally if I’m not feeling up to it. In these COVID Times I’m finding I need to move everyday. What is generally okay to do on the Sunday rest day? I’m not looking to add a run, but want to check in about long walks, easy bike rides, that sort of thing. Thanks! You have emphasized the importance of the combination of the Friday Stride Sandwich followed by Saturday long run. Why is this pairing important? In following Susan's terrific multi-day even this weekend she talks about putting her legs up the wall. Could you elaborate on how/why this is helpful? I’m new to the group. I just ran a virtual half. If I continue with the Maintain training schedule, can I really run a half marathon by the end of August/September just by following that schedule?   Build - 56:26 Are the daily prompts the best place to ask questions as we go? I follow the Training Peaks running schedule, right? But I don’t run on Sundays, so I swapped the Sunday run with another day. Am I going to be totally off from everyone in Maintain? I’m following the FB posts & what I’m doing isn’t always matching. Thanks! How do I adjust for increases in workout time on feet if I haven’t kept up with what was on the schedule the past two weeks? What are penguin kicks? Right now I’m not spending much time running because my heart rate is so high (above 140). As I continue to follow the program, will I be able to run more because my heart rate will go down a bit? Did my first avocado run this Saturday morning, no accelerators (easy effort by any definition - average heart rate was 105, peaked at 130). By the evening, my knees hurt quite a bit, especially with stairs. What gives? Hi Coach MK, If life gets in the way, and we can only get in four runs for the week, should we be prioritizing certain ones (drop an easy30 or cake walk, because they're easy, or a dog run because there is 2, or an avocado toast because they're not sexy?) What if we can only get three runs in? What are the important factors to keep in mind when buying a pair of running shoes? What should I do if my running partner has a very different heart rate than I do? Mine is always faster than hers. How can we train together? My feet keep cramping while I run/walk. What can I do about it? Hello Coach. I'm attempting to rebuild as I recover from injuries. Right now i'm walking with very little shuffling during mid run if i feel up to it. My question is if I feel a little twinge of injury coming back whats the best thing to do? I have a little knee pain and tendon pain in the left foot. If I feel it while out I always slow down immediately, but if my tendon is sore the next day should I skip or go anyway and keep it very very easy walking? or something else? I've also gained a substantial amount of weight during time off and quarantine. Not helping. So there's that too. thanks!!! During the warm up/cool down, my slowest jog still has a heart rate that hovers between 150-160. (As slow as I can go without starting to look like those crazy speed walkers whose feet never leave the ground), but I could definitely maintain that jog for a long time, maintain a conversation etc. It doesn't feel like a struggle. Should I be walking instead to stay HR

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, we take questions about long runs, foam rolling, and the value of walking.       Intro Before we begin, let me just say, “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!” If this is your favoritest day of the year, AWESOME! Take a minute to use the bathroom while I talk to everyone else.     #WeeklyWins-  6:37 Runner Interrupted Char Gore is enjoying the freedom of waking up without an alarm clock   Build Andrea Yagodich completed her first avocado toast Patricia Luna has had a great perspective shift that has helped her find the workouts more manageable Heidi Staddon is feeling great after her runs and feeling very motivated to make positive changes! ReBuild Jennifer Sutton ran an 80 min avocado toast in a rare May snow squall. Brenda Haskills back is back to feeling 100% and she has been easing back into running Kristen Frazier’s daughter is home from the hospital and recovering. She has still been managing to get runs in this week even with all the craziness. Beth Hobson is finally able to start building back her running endurance since tax season is over. Maintain Amanda Williams completed a virtual marathon!! Francine Scheller decides to do the 24 hour yeti challenge on a whim Amy Wilson celebrated her birthday this week and participated in a quest to complete 49 miles this week! Carissa Hatling completed her longest run ever - 16.69 miles Trisha Thome celebrated her birthday with a run and baking bread     Questions     Maintain - 20:45 Would you remind us of the ‘minimum’ long runs? Is it 90 min? Why? Hi Coach, I know you recommend using a pvc pipe for foam rolling. I will admit that I started with the “pool noodle” foam roller I already had and since it hurt really bad I figured I would keep using it till I acclimated then move to something more firm. I’m really now, do you have recommendations for the length and diameter to get. Also what do I cover it with? Could I glue a yoga mat to it? Thank you! My office gym is not open so running at lunch isn’t really an prion, but I try to walk 20-30 min outside a few days per week. What should I consider or focus on to get the most benefit? Engage core? What else?     Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!    

  Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, we take questions about our newest program, Build, after taking questions about Diet Culture, Hustle Culture, marathon ramps, zero drop shoes, and Coach MK's competence.       #WeeklyWins - 12:26   ReBuild Robin Murphy is back in ReBuild after a break up with running. She has been working on her strength during her time away and is excited to get back to running Sarah Deets has graduated from runner interrupted and is back in rebuild! Katie Hansen is celebrating her 3 year anniversary of running by HRT. She is able to see that progress that she has made Any Rhyno is getting back in the running habit after quarantine life grabbed her by the face. Ann Rich has been doing a great job of listening to her body and doing the level of work that her body and spirit can handle   Maintain Alicia Budd- Just finished my first week of 5 days of running since February. Woo hoo!!! ViMark Askey - celebrated her 2 year running anniversary Emily Sorenson - Ran her longest run since November today. She also has an awesome week, ran 5x and did all her strength! Woo hoo! Nicole Wood - Had a great long run, her longest without taking a walk break in over a year. Nikkia Raedawn - earned her TRX certification Trishia Thorme - was struggling with the emotional demands of her work and was able to ask a colleague for some help and they stepped in to share the load!     Questions     ReBuild - 22:36 I'm recovering from a hamstring injury (beginning of Feb). I've been increasing my running interval times, working on inclines on the treadmill and on the trails without pain. How do we know when it's ok to restart short bursts of speed like in the dog run for Monday? I am wanting to switch from my regular running shoes (brooks glycerin) to a zero drop option. Most of my everyday shoes are zero drop and they feel much better on my feet. What do I need to be cognizant of to lessen the likelihood of injury when making the change. How long should I take to try and transition?   Maintain - 31:01 I'm on the Dedicated AF 10 week marathon ramp. I'm choosing to not do the EAT, so I won't have an A pace to use for the M2 workout. How would I plan that workout based on my EE pace? Thank you!     Questions about Build - 36:17 I have experiences with running; none have been good. Would Build be right for me? Is it okay to not have goals? What’s the #1 thing you tell your runners they need to do if they want to see real improvement? I listened to one of your podcasts, I don’t know what Diet Culture and Hustle Culture is. You’re not gonna tell me that I need to love my body or some inane shit, are you? You lost me at Intuitive Eating. You sound like you’re trying to convince us to settle for not getting faster because you don’t know how to get us there. Why should I have to change my goals because you aren’t a good coach? Ever think about that?   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!        

Fitness Protection: Running Life is available on iTunes, Castbox, and your favorite podcast player.   Of all activities a person can do to improve their fitness, running is one of the simplest. You don’t need expensive equipment, a membership, a per-session fee, or the expertise of a 1:1 coach to get started.   So why doesn't everyone do it?   Starting is easy. Sticking around is more complicated.   Until now, there hasn’t been a place for new runners to receive positive reinforcement and personalized support that doesn’t push you dangerously past your very real limits, the stuff that keeps you going.   That’s why I created Build.   Build will meet you where you are at and support you as you move forward, making running a lifestyle you choose day after day.   In this podcast, we will introduce Build, our newest Fitness Protection Program, and introduce you to our coaches. For even more information, join our free training on April 30: www.fitnessprotection.com/build-training     Intro I’m Coach MK, Founder of The Fitness Protection Program. I’ve been running for 35 years, I’ve been coaching for 7….and I still don’t think of myself as an athlete. Perhaps that’s because I learned to run in my father’s cardio rehab clinic instead of a team sport at school, but I think the truth is much more interesting than that:   Athletes are extraordinary people. Runners are ordinary people with an extraordinary hobby.   Some of us are weekend warriors, hitting the trails the minute work ends. Others squeeze in what we can in hopes that it will be enough that our next half-marathon doesn’t hurt too much. Some of my favorite runners don’t care for training at all, they are here for the party at the finish line, especially when that finish line is in Walt Disney World.   People come to running for all kinds of reasons, but they all enter through the same door: a “couch-to-5k” program or app. They enter alone, and work alone, searching the internet for answers to their questions. If they don’t hate it, maybe they’ll sign up for a race to have a reason to keep going. Alone. Or, they’ll join a running club and take their questions to the most approachable person there….which isn’t much different than searching the internet, and even if the advice doesn’t suck it still isn’t personalized.   One door makes it easy to join the party but won’t make you want to stick around. That’s why I created Build.   In this podcast, you’re going to learn about Build and how our Guided DIY approach will give you the tools to tailor this program to your individual needs as well as all the support we offer.   Whether you think of yourself as an athlete or not, you WILL think of yourself as a runner when you finish this program, and you won’t need a reason to keep going. You’ll already have everything you need.   While the intro music plays, please go to www.fitnessprotection.com/build-training and register for our free training on April 30.   Special thanks to Coach Lovey and Coach Nikkia for participating in this podcast!     Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, Chief Nutrition Officer Dalia Kinsey joins Coach MK to discuss what the "public figure" designation means on Instagram before tackling questions about communicating with children about snacks and money, nutrition for an HCP working 12-hour shifts in the ER with no ability to eat or drink during each shift, and finally strides, long runs and pep talks.   Announcements BUILD Training Session this week (https://www.fitnessprotection.com/build-training) Fitness Protection Support for charity runners Neck Gaiters back in stock! https://www.fitnessprotection.com/online-store   “MK, thank you for mentioning the ‘public figure’ thing last week when you answered the TMI question. I had seen that on your IG and thought you were aggrandizing yourself! I GET IT NOW! Sorry for the things I said about it.”   Food & Justice - 28:50 Dalia, loved your suggestion last week about leaving apples out so the kids can get their own snacks. How do we tell them to stop asking for other things in ways that don’t make them think of apples as ‘good food’? They want cheese sticks and goldfish crackers ALL THE TIME and I don’t want to talk about how much they cost because I don’t want them to know how worried we are about money right now. Coaches, I am really struggling. Things at home are tense, on good days we are still pretty far from our best selves, and it’s hard. At the same time I feel guilty about this because we have stable employment and stable finances while so many are facing much bigger issues that can make home life dangerous as well as tense. You say that privilege isn’t something we can feel guilty about because we can’t share it or give it away, so what do we do? I guess this is a nutrition question because I’m eating my feelings and hate myself for it because so many cannot buy food.     #WeeklyWins - 48:10   ReBuild Kristen Frazier - was consistent with running at least 4 days per week this month up from her usual 2-3. This has doubled her monthly mileage. She also had a great meeting with her supervisor who is pleased with her work and managed to find time to knit a mermaid tail for a sheep!! Amanda K Blockinger Bailey - Ran her furthest/longest run since 2018 today and felt really strong and steady. Feels glad that her feet are feeling well these days and that She got to run 9 lovely miles. Jennifer has had a great month of rebuilding without knee pain and is looking forward to lane 2 next month Kathleen Hardeen has run 48 miles so far this month with 3-4 days of running left in the month. This will be her highest mileage month since November 2013 (53 miles) Melissa Yaccuzo celebrated her birthday on Saturday with a family zoom party   Maintain Francine Reynolds Scheller finished her training for a 48 hour event even though the event was cancelled. She’s been consistently running doubles and 10 hour weekends throughout the quarantine. Nikkia RaeDawn celebrated her nieces birthday by playing the part of a unicorn! Katie Fry celebrated her birthday with an outdoor adventure breaking her areas quarantine Elizabeth Tomlinson ran a virtual half marathon last weekend Becky Horn celebrated her 48th birthday this week and got to see her pt via telehealth which seems to be helping her knee Vi Askey remembered Coach's training to listen to and believe my body as she runs. That engrained muscle memory from runs has bled over to real life and helped her these last two weeks when life grabbed her by the face and hasn't let go yet. She’s trying hard to listen to her body and believe it thru her current storm. Nicole Wood is trying to stick with the Maintain plan as written as much as she can. She’s been struggling on the long runs the past few weeks, but having some great midweek runs, so she’s being kind to my quarantine self and just playing things by ear - She absolutely loves walking outside when the weather is nice, so if the run is miserable, she’ll put in more walk breaks or just bag the run and walk the rest of the time. Sara Seeburg cut both her sons’ and her husband’s hair and there were no bowls involved!     Questions     ReBuild - 1:03:40 Hi! I’m finding that I really enjoy my weekday runs. However, I don’t really enjoy running long on the weekends outside of training for an event. What would the trade off be if I ran Monday - Friday and then did a long hike or bike on the weekend? Is it better to try to do my long run sometime during the week?   Maintain - 1:07:00 Sara S. : I know we’ve had these discussions before…. I’ve been doing some pretty intense strength classes via zoom a couple (3-5) days per week. The doing roughly 30 min easy runs 3 days per week with one longer one (60-90) minutes. Is that enough to maintain running fitness? I ran a PR half-marathon 4 months ago, but a virtual 5K yesterday that was 3 min off my PR…. So I’m worried and am thinking I need to up the running so I don’t lose more…. Hello! I need a little pep talk. I have kept up with training for my cancelled race which is a 50k on May 16th. This was the last heavy load week and my mental health has consumed me which meant missed runs including my last long run. I am making adjustments to my medications (per my doctor) but want to make sure I am going to be okay to do my own race in a few weeks! I know you guys have so much love and encouragement so I hope you can cheer me along as I move forward. Love you both! I’m looking for my first pair of trail runners. Something light and flexible and good for narrow feet. Do you have any suggestions? Nutrition Question: I am struggling with how to eat and hydrate during my 12 hour shift as a nurse. I work 9a-930p. I was floated to the ER which means 12 hours in a mask and face shield and no eating or drinking at the nurses station. Before 'Rona came and ruined everything, I would sneak in dinner around 5 or 6 having taken my lunch break around 12 or 1. Now, I am often getting my break between 2 or 3 and not eating or drinking again until I am off at 930. I am ravenous by that time and often over eat because I am so hungry and thirsty. And then, I have trouble getting to sleep. I have tried just eating a protein bar for dinner, but the lack of calories and fluid during the day end up making the next morning's run tough. Do you have any suggestions? I am good at eating breakfast and lunch and getting fluid in at those times, but I struggle with the late night meal. I had a really really slow warmup for a stride sandwich and it got me thinking- strides at the end are Avocado toast, strides in the middle are a stride sandwich- would we ever put strides at the beginning of a workout? why or why not? (LOVE YOU MK!!!)       Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!   Chief Nutrition Officer Dalia Kinsey is also The School Nutrition Dietitian utilizing a background in public health and school nutrition in preventative health care.  

Lighten UP! Is a recurring special series of the Running Life Podcast. This month we had intended to tackle complicated feelings around spring break, holiday candy and "vacation eating"; instead it felt more apt to discuss "vacation eating" in a different context as "extended Spring Breaks" in metropolitan areas have turned into Shelter-In-Place extensions as late as mid-June. Though many of us are holding hope that we can resume small group gatherings like family dinners book clubs or birthday parties, large gatherings may not happen until we have a vaccine or widespread serology testing. Many of us have turned to distracti-baking and comfort food during this period, and our feelings about elastic waistbands and the consequences of weight gain are valid. Never fear, The Big Guns are HERE to tell us how to LIGHTEN UP! as our Spring Break turns the rest of the year into a big ol' slice of Minnie's special pie.    March 11, 2020 was a turning point in the United States, the day statewide efforts to flatten the COVD curve began in earnest. Up till that point, we had able to keep an eye on the news and hold on to hope that it wouldn’t affect us very much. Doing so was hardly naive, it’s self-care. It wasn’t yet time to panic, and efforts to flatten the curve, if effective, would prevent us from getting there.  Another thing that happened on March 11- the BAA announced the Boston Marathon, the oldest in the country, would be postponed for the first time since inception in 1897. Most of us grieved, then let go of, our Spring plans...or totally distracted ourselves with the immediate challenges of working via Shelter-In-Place orders while monitoring distance learning. “It’s just for a few weeks” we thought and told ourselves we’d do it come fall.  This coming Monday is the third Monday in April. Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts, and Boston Marathon Day to the rest of the country. The economy is expected to open back up with the worst of the curve behind us by late May, but large group gatherings like sporting events, parades, concerts and races are unlikely to resume until we have a vaccine. We need to prepare ourselves for the very real possibility that Boston, or any other thing we’ve been planning for the fall, is unlikely to happen. That’s a scary thought, I know. It feels unfair, like realizing you’re at mile 5 instead of mile 21 of the marathon you’ve been running. The headlines are still scary and depressing, and I for one am still actively avoiding the news for the sake of my mental health. How in the WORLD are we supposed to Lighten Up right now? The same way we always do! By bringing in THE BIG GUNS!!!! All of whom, by the way, are wearing sweatpants AND NOTHING ELSE. Dalia Kinsey is The School Nutrition Dietitian, and Jummy Olawale is a Gottman Method Therapist. I’m Coach mK, Founder of The Fitness Protection Program. We hate Diet Culture ALMOST as much as we hate Hustle Culture and Productivity Culture, and we’re gonna tell you all about it, and give you persepctve in hopes we can all LIGHTEN UP! Just a little bit so we can preserve ourselves for the long haul and serve our best selves up when the people we love need us to do so.   HELLO LADIES! How are you doing?   Jummy, what concerns or themes are dominating your therapy sessions lately?  Dalia, is your district prepared to meet the dietary needs of vulnerable populations through the summer? What’s the current outlook? Jummy- tell us what we need to do or consider in order to prepare for a much longer haul than we originally anticipated. Dalia, many of us have been ‘vacation eating’, telling ourselves this would only be 6-8 weeks of disruption. Now that we realize it could be much longer, should our thinking shift? Both of you- Weight gain is a real source of anxiety and stress for many people, especially since we are moving less on top of our disrupted schedules. Vapid or not, it’s on our minds and weighing heavily on our souls as ‘failure’ or something else we wil have to ‘fix’ later. What do we do?   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches! Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free! Dalia Kinsey is The School Nutrition Dietitian utilizing a background in public health and school nutrition in preventative health care. Jummy Olawale is a Gottman Method Therapist; she helps couples rebuild healthy, shame-free relationships by re-framing difficult conversations.

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   Food & Snacks With Dalia It feels like we’re eating 12 hours per day! It NEVER ENDS. It’s a domino effect- one kid asks for something and the others are like ME TOOOOOOOOO and I’m like, “we had breakfast an HOUR AGO! I believe the 2yo is hungry because nothing got in her mouth, but the rest of ya’all ate PLENTY!” I don’t want to tell them how to feel, but there is no way they all want a peanut butter sandwich one hour after a bowl of cereal. I’m pretty sure it’s a perceived justice/fairness thing, “why does SHE get a sandwich and I don’t?????” How do I work with this in a way that doesn’t come across as shaming to the older kids, who are 5, 7 & 8? Not really a nutrition question, but you are both VERY honest in a way I appreciate because you share things most people don’t. Honest question, what, to you, is TMI? As people who share a LOT of yourselves and are clearly thoughtful about it, what do YOU consider oversharing to be?   Three Days at the Fair Update: #WinningwithSusan - 13:12 Francine Scheller spent 10 hours running over the weekend and covered 75k.  Amanda Williams powered her way through a tough 4-hour run todayBoth of these women are planning to hold their own virtual races from home over the original 3DATF dates.    #WeeklyWins - 59:50   RI My win for the week is reaching out to family memes just to talk. While the extension of the NY state stay at home orders to may 15th hit hard, recognizing the loneliness was feeling and then reaching out was big for me. I’m used to being the one that helps others, so taking care of what I needed was what the doctor ordered. Also, reconciling that things can suck AND recognizing the privilege I have doesn’t negate my feelings. ❤️ Melissa Yacuzzo Keep being you, MK, and showing how to be authentic and not just performing authenticity.   ReBuild Katie Hansen has an amazing 75 minute run, it had been a really long time since she had run over an hour and she was really happy with how good she felt. Jennifer Sutton also did a 75 minute run.  It was her longest run since August 2019 and her longest pain free run since a really long time ago. Kristen Frazier is seeing her pace improve and feel less difficult    Maintain  Nicole Wood was supposed to run the Star Wars 5k with her daughter but instead she surprised her daughter with a virtual race, complete with starting fireworks (video on my phone), finish line photo ops, Star Wars music, and a runner snack box.  Karen Scheulter ran a virtual 10 k Amy Wilson notched another virtual race challenge: 20 miles in 24 hours. She ran 4.1 miles, 13.1 miles, and 3.1 miles.   Questions   ReBuild - 1:05:50 Thank you for being so honest about your anxiety and medication. I didn’t think mine was ‘bad enough’ to warrant drug treatment, but I caved and asked my PCP for help and it has made a HUGE difference. I didn’t realize how I had been feeling for so long wasn’t normal. Please explain the lanes of rebuild and maintain - I’m still confused

We, Sara & Misasha, were honored to be featured on the podcast of a dear friend, Running Life: A Fitness Protection Production run by host Coach MK - and the content was so important and relevant that we are co-launching the show on both of our platforms today. We entered the conversation because as a running coach who isn’t ever really “just” talking about the running, MK’s social media feeds had been covered with call-outs, shaming anyone who violates the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control recommending that everyone cover their faces every time they leave the house. But the truth is, people of color think about safety more than any of us ever will. From running with hoodies to walking into convenience stores with red bandanas serving as make-shift face coverings, people with darker skin will be judged differently - potentially fatally - even if they’re in the same scenarios that white people are in. Enter Dear White Women. We were asked to moderate this incredible roundtable discussion with Fitness Protection Sponsored Athlete Nikkia Young, ReBuild Coach Lovey Roundtree Oliff, and Dalia Kinsey of The School Nutrition Dietitian Podcast and the Body Liberation RD Instagram account - all of whom identify as black women. Nobody has the same experience as someone else, and this is why conversations about different experiences are vital. To be clear, these are three college-educated, skilled women with considerable economic privilege; all three live in predominantly white neighborhoods – so keep in mind, some people of color face even more challenges. We invite you to listen, in spite of any discomfort you may feel because that is where real, lasting change begins. For more on the Running Life, the Fitness Protection Program, and to get on their lists, visit https://www.fitnessprotection.com/ OTHER RESOURCES:  @fitnessprotectionllc @bodyliberationrd

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   Announcements: Buy a Social Distancing Neck Gaiter in our online store! Quantities limited! While you're there, combine with a THIS IS WHAT A RUNNER LOOKS LIKE tee to ensure there are no questions about your mission. Unisex and women's cuts available! Three Days at the Fair is postponed until October, as of now FPP still plans to attend. We still plan to attend in May 2021 as well.    ADHD question: 10:12 Coach MK, thank you for being so open about your ADHD and how you work with it. My child received the diagnosis a few years ago, and we are struggling with distance learning. How would you explain the importance of a schedule to him? Runner, Interrupted - 22:20 My oncologist finally said it was time to slowly reintroduce running (6 weeks post Whipple) and I had 3 very successful 30/30 run walks. They said it should make this next round of chemo easier to tolerate so I'm all over it! My win for the week is ... clean sheets on the bed and sheet masks every other night!   ReBuild - 26:35 Hi MK, I’m slowly getting back at it. Right now I can’t handle any failure, so I’m aiming at just getting out the door more days than not. I’d like to say I’m in lane one of rebuild, but the reality is I’m not yet their. Aside from refocusing I’m just rebuilding my habit what is your recommendation for the most important thing for me to do in regards to running? As always...gratefully coached and loved ❤️Melissa Okay, Coach, I am jumping back in, for at least the next few days:) I have not been able to keep up with daily strength and have been doing more running than strength - I know this isn't good, and I need to do more strength (balance!). My question is, can I do two days of strength at once, to catch up a bit, or is it better just to follow along and do 2 or three reps of the same strength sets each day? Thanks for taking our questions - I appreciate the heck out of you!   Maintain - 35:51 I would like to set more realistic HR Zones for Garmin and Training Peaks which have their own, and very different, zones they have set for me. I found an intriguing calculation that uses resting heart rate as well as max (they used 220-age) to calculate your Heart Rate Reserve, but this gave me an anaerobic zone that tops at 173. Knowing that my max HR is 182 (from several EATS ages ago, as well as the more recent Slow Burn Beta) is there a best way to use that peak HR to set more realistic zones? For reference: My Garmin zones are so high I rarely get out of Zone 1 (up to 152!), with a Zone 5 of >193 (I'll never get there). Training Peaks are super low with Zone 1 145! I'm not sure how either program chose to set these for me, but clearly neither is appropriate. Hello, I have been working to transition for rebuild into maintain and I am struggling with both the extra effort plus the extra distance. Do you have a suggestion for the best way to modify the gap between the 2 plans as I continue to build up my strength and endurance? Should I keep the harder efforts but do shorter runs or stick with the longer runs but just make them easier? Thanks so much! Since my running has been hit and miss lately, I seem to have mis-placed my EE pace. Walking is frustrating and my HR seems to be all over. I know with mediocre at best sleep and the stress of everything it's probably normal, but looking for your two cents and some encouragement....   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week we didn't expect many questions so were planned a Tiger King Netflix party with Dalia Kinsey....but a last-minute question changed the course of the evening.    A listener asked about the safety of running in a mask as per the new CDC guidelines, and Coach MK invited Sponsored Athlete Nikkia Young to join Dalia in explaining why masks may actually be dangerous for some people.      #WeeklyWins Jennifer is prioritizing her mental health Christine Lancaster's birthday was Friday - Happy Birthday Christine Brenda Lancaster - a full-time caretaker of adult family members, she is showing up for herself and taking care of herself, too.  Melissa Yacuzzo is re-establishing her running habit after 6 months of not running regularly. Erin O'Berry Nason's spring race was cancelled but she ran her own 16 mile race anyways.  Her family joined her for her last few miles and her friends made signs and cheered for her. Tricia Mitchell - ran a virtual 5k this week Amy Trujillo took care of herself by heading home to be with her family, she is now getting back in the running groove      QUESTIONS Hi Coach! I've been heart rate training for 3 years and now that races are cancelled, I want to focus on my easy effort pace...which hasn't changed much since I started HRT. Is it safe to run in a mask? Hi MK, I’m slowly getting back at it. Right now I can’t handle any failure, so I’m aiming at just getting out the door more days than not. I’d like to say I’m in lane one of rebuild, but the reality is I’m not yet their. Aside from refocusing I’m just rebuilding my habit what is your recommendation for the most important thing for me to do in regards to running? As always...gratefully coached and loved ❤️Melissa   Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free! Dalia Kinsey is The School Nutrition Dietitian utilizing a background in public health and school nutrition in preventative health care.

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week, we meet Fitness Protection's newest hire- Lovey Roundtree Oliff! Lovey is terrific and we are certain you will adore her! She will be demoing strength each day in ReBuild's Facebook Group.   Then, we get an update from #LockedInLisa before we attack questions about engaging kids in exercise with no teams or games on the horizon, developing new routines, and managing all of the at-home workout chatter on social media.     #LockedInLisa Update - 11:20   Hello! Locked-in Lisa checking back in here. Thank you for taking my question! I wanted to respond to some of the comments from last week, since you all think I am slightly deranged.   All of my friends did tell me to kick him out, so please don’t slander them!! But he is a nice person, and works 150 miles away five days a week, and is likely going to change careers in the next few months and this will take him far away. The rental laws are so weird here that he would have had to sign a lease for 18 months. So I thought I was making, if not a GREAT decision, not the stupidest decision ever. And honestly, I am thrilled to not be paying the entirety of the rent and the winter heating bills right now; I will very likely lose my job in May.   I had a twist in store for you all this week, but then life made other plans and a new twist arose; I started showing COVID-19 symptoms 10 days ago (anosmia, which is the inability to smell). Six days ago, this was identified as a symptom, and I got tested on Thursday. Since being identified as possibly having the virus, I have been completely isolated by law, and me “roommate” has been a huge help; we live in a building were we are the youngest folks by a couple of decades, and I don't want to touch anything in the common areas and put anyone else in danger. I am waiting on the results now.   Our apartment isn’t EXACTLY a one bedroom, we do have a dining room and an office as well, and we’ve spent the last week moving furniture around to make the place more habitable for both of us. We have a large balcony, and the weather seems like it’s thinking about getting warmer, so it’s not so bad.   I wanted to thank you all for the time you put in to talking about this. I know that I am very lucky; I am in no physical danger with my ex, as I know a lot of women are, but I think that this is a REALLY important subject to keep talking about.   Oh, and just in case you were wondering, we are a legit Taylor Swift song. We are never ever everrrrr getting back together. But that doesn’t mean that we cannot be friends and even be partners through this very difficult time. I’ll check back in next week, if you all want me to!     Weekly Wins - 13:30 Daniel Faltyn - i did it!!! Scranton Half was cxld but I did it anyway around NYC!!! Thank you for all the love and support!!! https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4711757287?share_unique_id Alicia Budd - has been getting some really consistent runs in, and has had great support from her husband who is manning the home front and homeschooling while she still goes into work Emily Sorensen got a promotion at work Ann Rich also got a promotion at work Jennifer Sutton is enjoying the balance of having a plan without pressure - it’s giving her the opportunity to do some experimenting with her running to see what feels best Kelly Hoffheins ran a virtual 10k today and PR’d by over a minute! She said “ I felt really strong despite about 150ft more elevation compared to my other 10ks” WAY TO GO, KELLY! Kelly just completed our Slow Burn strength program.   ReBuild - 16:50 first...thank you for being a calm (yep, I said it) and safe place for so many of us. Life is hard, Covid is making life harder, and listening to you is the one place that I feel 100% validated that I am doing the best I can. I mentioned a couple of months ago that I have been living the runner-interrupted life while I mommed and bossed to the best of my ability. Since then, my son was diagnosed as being on the spectrum, in addition to ADHD, and my husband has needed to step out of our lives. This is a good thing (emotional stability is needed right now and he can't deliver that, and then some). I will be working in Lane 1 of Rebuild beginning April, and its going to be slow going - from a building routine and strength back. Its been a solid six months since I've run 3-5x per week. My question is... I have SSSC workouts from long ago heartrate 101, should I do those or whatever the strength series is for April. I'm also back on the bosu for around the worlds and extra stability work. Again...thank you for having the tether to keep me tied to my identity as a runner, validation of my badassery and being a wonderful, thoughtful human being. What tips are there for managing the huge onslaught of exercise videos on social media? I'm doing my best to ignore them, scroll past them, but good grief, every person I know is sharing their online options since they can't go to the gym. "Do my workout! See 10, do 10!" (stupid push up challenge), trainers sharing their meal tips, their at home workouts, etc. etc. It's almost impossible to feel like you aren't doing enough even though I know I am with the ReBuild program. It's that nagging voice in my head saying "but you're at home all day, add more!" How do I put duct tape over that voice's mouth?     Maintain - 28:30 Alex Hutchison just wrote an article stating that warm-ups don’t matter. Do we still need to do Silly Toes? I am planning to use the Tenacious AF plan for my marathon that is tentatively still scheduled for June 7th in Seattle. I may not be reading the plan correctly but what does the heart rate looking line suggest/mean? 60 minutes of _______? I'm reading cardio maximization for Mondays and Wednesdays …. Part of me was on the fence about even starting to ramp up training (I've been doing maintain for a couple of months) due to the charming COVID-19 but my best running buddy, who isn't running as far these days, reminded me that I could do a virtual one around our home town~~~the most brilliant and obvious idea!

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast! This week, we bring in THE BIG GUNS to address a unique question from a runner currently living in a country on lockdown...with the ex who just hadn't gotten around to moving out before the pandemic hit. Then, we start a virtual tour of the US, meeting changemakers working year-round to close accessibility gaps and learning how we can support them before finally, FINALLY talking about running. In a time that is definitely not routine, it's fitting that this week's episode wouldn't be routine either! We will be checking in with #LockedInLisa each week until the ex leaves or the lockdown order lifts.   We interrupt our usual Sunday Night#AskAwaysession to address a viewer request that only The Big Guns can solve! A runner sent in the question below: "Coach MK, I need some advice from the Big Guns...I'm gonna need more than running right now. I broke up with my boyfriend five months ago. It seemed like it would be OK for him to move out when the lease is up in the summer. Yes, this seems crazy in retrospect, but he is not the most proactive person on the planet, and I travel a lot for work and he looks after the cats so it worked for us. Plot twist: COVID-19. You guessed it, we are now in isolation together. I am very lucky; he's a kind person, and I feel safe cohabitating with him. But FFS, the only reason living together worked post breakup (and, honestly, pre) is that he worked 150 miles away during the week. All the things that are annoying about him are NOT getting any less annoying, considering that we are now stuck together nearly 24/7. How do I do this without going losing my f****** ****? Help! Sincerely,#LockedInLisa" Our guests pile on the wisdom, and we learn exactly why you'd rather sit on a couch with them instead of Coach MK! Then, we start our Virtual Tour of the US, meeting the changemakers in different cities doing the hard work to close the accessibility gap year-round. Today's stop: Milwaukee, WI where we meet Tiff McDuffie of Purposeful Play and Emerald Mills of Diverse Dining.   Buy Tiffany's new children's book, Blurry Brown Eyes, HERE and support families who rely on Purposeful Play for childcare in the summer! We finally get to running questions towards the end of the broadcast, but it was a fun ride to get here! #Winning at Life Happy birthday Katie Hansen!!! Amy Wilson passed a wound care certification exam and is now an WCC CHRN She celebrated with totwaffles. WAY TO GO AMY! Erin - managed to avoid surgery with her poor dog’s bowel obstruction earlier this week but he’s not back to normal so they went on a hike before finishing up spring planting. Nikkia made a fancy breakfast!   ReBuild Can you talk a little about form. I know awhile ago you discussed and explained the hing at the hip but I've also heard we're supposed to keep the booty tucked to engage the glutes. Not sure how these can happen at the same time... I’m finding myself being much more sedentary than usual since I’ve been working from home. Do you have any suggestions of ways to incorporate more movement into my day? Can you talk a little about 'flexibility' in HR cap with all the stress etc of what's going on? I would suspect that there are days that a run at 150 is just what our minds/souls/bodies need. Training plan, HR cap etc be damned...especially as most of us don't have races coming up son anymore...     Click here to subscribe to our podcast, Running Life, and get more racing and training tips from the coaches! Coach MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC. Click HERE to download her most popular training plan, Tenacious AF, free! Dalia Kinsey is The School Nutrition Dietitian utilizing a background in public health and school nutrition in preventative health care. Jummy Olawale is a Gottman Method Therapist; she helps couples rebuild healthy, shame-free relationships by re-framing difficult conversations.

Coach MK addresses the current anxiety-inducing climate and draws on the wisdom of Jummy Olawale, a Gottman Method ground us in truth. --- 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/coachmk/message

The BIG GUNS are doing a special bonus podcast, discussing how we manage the (unprecedented) disruption the coronavirus is bringing to the US. Coach MK lived in Hong Kong during SARS and lived to tell us about it; Dalia Kinsey will discuss quarantine nutrition; and Jummy Olawale will tell us how to stay calm when your whole family is at home and there's no toilet paper ANYWHERE. Special guest Allison Cao, an American nurse raising her family in Mainland China, will talk to us about quarantine hygiene.   We can't make things better, but with laughter, perspective and a little coaching&loving, we can LIGHTEN UP and get through this, together. #AskAway, we are HERE for your burning (quarantine) questions! Click HERE to try a free month of Fitness Protection and HERE to join our Quaran-Team! MK Intro: #AskAway is the catchy title for my Sunday night Q&A sessions for Fitness Protection Program clients. I had been wanting to start real conversations about Diet Culture to alleviate some of the anxiety many of us feel around family, fitness and food. Lighten UP! Became a thing after meeting The Big Guns at a conference and totally loving our chemistry. On Thursday, the world changed, and a whole lot of us are feeling all kinds of anxious right now, so it made sense to combine #AskAway and Lighten UP! Into one bonus podcast.   Most Americans haven’t lived through anything like this before. I have; in Hong Kong. It was called SARS, and to this day it’s the scariest coronavirus most epidemiologists have ever seen. This strain of the virus you’re hearing about today is different. It’s not the virus itself that’s scary, we aren’t quarantining to save ourselves, so the constant cries of “SELFISH!” can be downright paralyzing. With stakes so high amidst so many ethical decisions, it can be hard to think clearly, which is exactly why we need to Lighten UP! Right now.    To be perfectly clear: I'm taking all of this seriously. Markets are tanking, people are being furloughed, and for a whole lot of people this crisis is ripping the fabric of their security. Most of all...I realize that for many people, home is not a safe place, so an extended holiday is a living hell. If you need help, or are ready to work on your exit strategy, call 1-800-799-7233.    Vulnerable families are not a new thing, but the cracks in our society are going to be more evident, making it hard to remember that these systemic issues are too big for one person to solve alone much less with one action. You cannot afford to dwell in thoughts of hopelessness or shame. Privilege is something to be aware of, not ashamed of. It’s something to factor in when assessing other people. There is power in privilege, you have more than you think you do. Start where you are, do what you can, use what you have.    Most of the people watching and listening to us right now can work from home. We will still be able to pay our mortgages and take our goldfish to the vet. It is truly a first-world problem to have to stay indoors with little kids for a month, trying to adjust to being a homeschool teacher, WHILE holding onto hopes for a fall race and trying to get something resembling work done in a house with no toilet paper and no food delivery. We need to brace ourselves for a period that can, and likely will, strain our mental health. We gotta get in front of that and take care of ourselves so we can take care of the people around us.   I’m a run coach not a life coach, but I am here to run through this life, together with you. Let’s get ready for The Gun Show, I don’t know about you but I sure do need to Lighten UP! Right now.    It’s time for THE GUN SHOW!! Jummy Olawale is…...and Dalia Kinsey is …..Together, they are THE BIG GUNS   Welcome! Thank you so much for being here! How are you doing?   Tonight we are bringing in a THIRD, very special, gun. Allison is an American nurse who has called Hong Kong and Mainland China home for the past 3 years.    Hello, Allison! How are you doing? Pandemic Living: it's hard to describe how crowded Hong Kong is. You are never more than a foot away from another person. During SARS, we stayed indoors and wore masks outside. In Denver, even indoors I don't face crowds like that, the only people breathing that close to me are my kids. I'm not saying this isn't serious: it is. But I've not even briefly considered the need for a face mask. And I have one made by Louis Vuitton! Key here is to remember: this isn't nuclear fallout. You can, and should, get outside. Take walks, Have extra long morning and afternoon playtimes.    Dalia: I am something of a prepper, and have 100 cans of Spam in my basement. How long can I continue to order pizza? Jummy: Runners are typically planners, so uncertainty is hard on our mental health. How can we anchor ourselves during uncertain times? Allison: How many times per day do I need to make my kids bathe in Clorox? Dalia: How do we support vulnerable families in our community? I’m guessing we don't need to show up at the soup kitchen or food bank. Jummy: What is one exercise I can do to keep my brain from spiraling into depression and anxiety? Allison: It feels like every action we take is meaningless, like nothing we do will DO anything. Can you give us some perspective?   Client Q&A Hygiene My children and I will be home (I am in a high risk group) but my husbands company is continuing to require employees to be on site (he’s an R&D chemist and there isn’t much they can do from home). Should I have him shower/change clothes before he interacts with us or is simple hand washing enough?   Nutrition Will focusing on an anti-inflammatory diet help me keep from getting the virus? I work outside of the home and rarely cook lunch or anything more that quick breakfasts. My communities schools are closed for the foreseeable future. What suggestions do you have for easy breakfasts and lunches to make to keep both kids and adults well fed and happy. Should I start taking any supplements to help my body stay healthy? I heard turmeric and vitamin c might help, Is that true?   Mental Health There are so many changes and I’m not sure where to begin processing my next steps. I feel paralyzed how do I begin to move forward? I generally function best when my time is structured and my schedule is busy. I see a lot of unstructured down time on my hands as I prepare to be home with my children. How do I manage the unstructured time and increase in anxiety that it is prone to bringing.   Fitness Hi MK, I’m training for the Colfax Marathon and hitting those longer runs in the teens. Will these longer runs lower my immunity? Thank you for your thoughts. Hopefully, I can make the best decision about training. I’m following the 100-mile plan for 3 Days at the Fair. My son had major surgery last week, so I’ve missed most of the weekday runs and am not feeling rested enough for the weekend long runs. My plan is to take it easy, maybe go for a few walks, and pick up again on Monday. Does this sound good? Is there anything else I should keep in mind? Hi Coach! Not unexpectedly, my marathon scheduled for next Sunday was cancelled. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to run my own 26.2 or if I just sleep in and try again another day (many months from now). If I do it, what are your race strategy recommendations? I know what you suggest for a half but not a full. My only goal truly is to finish. Thanks for your thoughts and for coaching and loving us all through the latest craziness that has become life. Alicia A bit irrational, I know, but pleeeease convince me I'm not going to lose a ton of fitness. Just tapered my for cancelled half, now I'm in a winter wonderland and I'm trying to set a good example and not go to the gym right now to use the treadmill. I'm trying to get some good strength sessions in daily. And being diligent about foam rolling!!!!

Coach MK refers to her favorite novel, Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel, to remind us that no matter how scary the situation, the beauty of humanity shines right through. --- 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/coachmk/message

One of Coach MK's Runners posted the following comment in one of the Facebook groups: "Got Dumped. Feel like crap." That comment warrants a response, and Coach MK reminds us that the only parts of us that actually break during breakups, are parts that can be fixed. (She then tells us how her last breakup led her directly to her husband; they celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary this coming Wednesday). --- 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/coachmk/message

This week, Coach MK discusses creative ways to get runs in, cutback weeks, the purpose 20-milers serve in marathon training, and tells you what 'womxn' now means to her.    Has the first week of March been fun OR WHAT???? Mercury is in retrograde until March 10, so don’t let your guard down just yet! Full moon coming tomorrow night, bringing new energy. COME ON BIG MOON ENERGY!   Did anyone run the LA Marathon today? Did you stay 6 feet from everyone around you? I do NOT envy the race directors- the cancellation of South by Southwest is a HUGE hit to Austin, roughly 430 million dollars. These events are a big deal, and cancelling them is a bigger deal. I want to be clear: we are not making light of the situation, there are no easy answers.   I would like to say a THANK YOU to all first responders and health care providers, especially the ones who are still doing their jobs even though they cannot get their hands on antibacterial hand gel, face masks, or toilet paper. This is a reminder to everyone that if you are nervous enough to wear an N95 mask, and could afford one for each of your family members before they sold out everywhere, you probably have the ability to stay home and/or work remotely. Please exercise that privilege and leave the masks to the health care providers who have the option to stay home but instead are bravely continuing to show up and provide care.   If you have OCD and your anxiety levels are rising in tandem with the price of hand sanitizer, if all this talk about washing your hands and public shaming of people who may not have done so that one time is wearing on you or triggering you, I want you to know that I see you.   You may have heard that today is a gendered holiday. You may have noticed that it isn’t one we acknowledge on a corporate level. For years, I have used the term womxn out of respect to my transgender friends, thinking the term made space for them in a movement and a world that typically doesn’t. I know all too well how important identity can be, the strain the continual demand for societal and family acceptance can put on a person’s mental health. To me, that x was a reminder that not every person who identifies as female has a vagina, and not everyone with a vagina identifies as female. In this, I failed to consider the experience of GNC and non-binary individuals. Our newest hire shared this Instagram story with me (https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MDU1MDk1NzYwMjA5MTQ2?igshid=72ixo4gzdyn8&story_media_id=2259735121434209058) and it is worth your time. Like race, gender is a construct that has been used to oppress, erase and deny. I’m not sure celebrating it brings us closer to equity. It acknowledges where we are, but not where we want to be in the future. I have no idea how to avoid using gendered language to discuss a gendered holiday, but going forward there will be a post-it on my brain when I see the x in womxn, and remember that x-ing something out is the opposite of inclusion while remembering there are people I am already overlooking.    I don’t need to know anything about you in order to coach you and I don’t need to see your body to love it and know that you’ve been underestimating what it’s capable of. YAY for that super low bar society set! Makes it easy for us to win around here! You are worthy, capable, and enough, and if you are HERE, you will feel it. That’s what it means to be #coachedandloved and #winningatlife.   Accounts to follow on IG: @alokvmenon @thefatsextherapist @mia.mingus @ihartericka @nalgonapositivitypride @racebaitr     BADASSERY - 14:59 Katie- lost 250 pounds OVERNIGHT! Congratulations for getting rid of ALL that dead weight, while simultaneously freeing up ALL KINDS OF space in your calender, and frankly, in your head, too. You are a wonderful person, and frankly, I’m THRILLED to know there is one less person in your life wasting your time. Put on some pretty earrings while you listen to Monday’s mantra, I wrote it just for you! Kaitlin Henry Meilser: “I ran my 10k this morning and despite almost no sleep last night due to an overly excited toddler and mind, I felt really good. My heart rate monitor fell around my waist in the first half mile, but I ran by feel and tried to pace myself so that I could finish strong—last two miles were the fastest. Met my pace goal, and I just ran a tough half last weekend. Plus it was a Wine 10k, so there were mimosas at the finish.” LOOKS LIKE THAT EXTRA DAY IN BED WAS A GOOD CHOICE! YAY YOU! Patricia O'Connell - I ran in a 10K, got second in my age group, and came home to find CDC recommends people my age (61) avoid crowds!?!?! I washed my hands when I got home. Stacy Clark- To be honest, I am sort of freelancing the running thing right now. I would say I'm Maintain-ish for the time being while I focus on finding a good balance of all the things I really want to do in the little time I have to do it. Anyway! I ran my "long" run today of 70 minutes on the treadmill. CONGRATULATIONS FOR DOING EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT YOU TO DOOOOO! Amy Loukus- her kids are in the state playoffs, and STILL took her run clothes on the road Katie - was accepted into a fellowship program at the University of Arizona in Integrative Medicine; its a two year program and at the end, I can get board certified so will be double boarded in Pediatrics and Integrative Medicine. Also, congratulations on the stable SI joint, that is HUGE! Get Well Soon, Suzanne! Brenda, we are all relieved that your husband is doing better. Congratulations to everyone preparing for 3DATF- this was your first week of doubles in the long run sandwich, AND YOU LIVED! Proud of you!   Weekly Wins - 19:04 Katy is done with radiation! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!! Ringing the bell for you over here! I know you think you lack of motivation, and you think that you’re physically able to do more than you are. 28 radiation sessions. You crushed the bejeezus out of cancer. Cancer that was in your body. So yeah, you’re tired. I understand how frustrating ongoing lethargy can be. I really do. For now, listen to your body and REST because pretty soon this will pass and coronavirus will too and YOU NEVER WILL NOT REST ANY MORE BECAUSE THERE ARE RACES AND THINGS AND STUFF AND OMG SO MUCH! A second win from Katy: My work gives everyone their birthday off, but you don't have to use it on your birthday. I'm actually going to take my birthday off this week. I hoard PTO like crazy and considering I have another surgery this year, I can't believe I'm taking the time, but I just really need a day to myself. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATY!!! Kerry - my weekly win is moving my body again, even if it wasn’t that beautiful outdoor run I was imagining on this sunny mid-40s day. Megan O'Brien Ruyle Moving my body more, being outside more, both of which are important to my mental health. 3 PT sessions completed and I'm feeling a bit better. I'm enjoying more time with my kids, going out with friends and reading.       ReBuild - 21:38 Amy Bell - second month in ReBuild, working on her consistency; nailed 3 runs per week last month in Lane 1, and is looking to make it 4-5 this month. WE ARE SO PROUD! Hi Coach, I’ve been doing really well with being more consistent with my runs and getting my strength in, but I’m really struggling with where to fit in longer weekday runs. I am hoping you might have some creative solutions for how to fit the longer sessions in. I leave for work at 7am so I am limited with how much I can do in the before work. The earliest I am able to get home is 5pm with bed at 9pm. I am not allowed to leave my worksite after lunch so that is out and I have a toddler at home. I promise I’m not trying to make excuses, but I’m running out of ways to move the puzzle pieces around to get all of the life things done. Any creative ways to get runs in are appreciated. Thank you so much!! So I know the 150 HR is a cap not a target, but is there a physiological benefit to the higher heart rate or is it mainly a psychological/compliance issue and falls into the category of generally won’t hurt.     Maintain - 33:07 CONGRATULATIONS to Elizabeth, for finishing her first week in Maintain! She says she only feels like she has one speed she can maintain- super slow, and she looks forward to that changing. Finished my 2nd marathon ramp 20 miler. It was hard!!!!! And now I’m in the self doubt phase of how in the world will I be able to do 6 more miles. Trying not to think about that too much and focus on enjoying the taper! Is there a next start date set for slow burn? And is there a way I can preview it? Hi, coach! I am doing a 10-miler in a couple weeks. I've looked at the plan you've posted in Maintain about how to taper for a half, so I think I'm good with race prep. But I'm not sure about a race plan. I've done quite a few half and full marathons, so I have race strategies for those, but I'm just not as familiar with what to do with myself in a 10 mile race. Would I base my pace off my 140 bpm pace? Are there heart rate averages or maximums I should be considering? Any advice for a 10-miler race plan would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! For 3DATF training, if we come to a week and find we are in need of a cutback week, what adjustments do you recommend be made to the weekday and weekend runs in order to come back the next week ready to progress? Sometimes on a long run it takes almost three miles to settle in and have my heartrate around 140. By then I have often given up and decided to cut the run short. Any suggestions? I find constantly stopping to walk very frustrating. Hi, mk,. I have been using the maintain plan relatively consistently since January (I think).…..I am also looking at using your tenacious plan for an early June marathon. I am looking for suggestions on how to keep my CrossFit type workouts in the plan without burning myself out? I'm planning to run 4 days per week but love my gym!(am i over~reacting or worried about nothing?) Any input would be great! Can you help me rearrange the weekly schedule please? I’m going to try putting my LR on Wednesday. So Thursday would be a rest day. I’d like Sunday to be my choose your own adventure day. With these three days set, how do you recommend I plug in the others? Thanks!       Moment of Clarity - 58:45 A listener wrote in, responding to Coach MK's ADHD Video Series:   "Hi MK!!!! I'm on spring break so I finally get to share this with you. I didnt watch all of your ADHD vids or read everything because if I'm reading these days, it's usually a textbook... but! what little I did watch/read from your posts inspired me. After surgery I was diagnosed with it. My support system pushed me to request accommodations for testing (extra time and a distraction free space). I absolutely HATED this idea. If I'm gonna be a nurse, I should be able to do everything without any "accommodations", but I eventually requested them after several pushes. I am thankful I have these, and I know now they will not affect my ability to save lives once I graduate. I'm telling you all of this because a few weeks ago, someone in my cohort said that those who utilize accommodations dont belong in the program. "If they cant handle the rigor of the program, they shouldnt be in it." Naturally, it was right before a quiz that I heard this, I took my quiz in the accommodations center in 1/3 of the time... a totally emotional reaction to her comment. thankfully, I did well on the quiz, but I was angry I let that get to me. Your MK empowering voice popped up afterwards. I decided to confront my classmate. Although I wasnt comfortable confronting her face to face, I sent her a text that I am incredibly proud of. This is the text: "I did not want to make a scene, but I felt really hurt hearing another classmate thinks I and many other of our peers should not be in our program because of testing accommodations. Not that I need to, but I would be happy to sit down with you in person, and explain accommodations, what their purpose is, and educate you on why they are used in this program. We are supposed to bring eachother up, not tear one another down and make an already extremely difficult program even harder. It's also discrimination, and I would be happy to educate you about that in person some time as well, if you would like." I'm not sure what your opinions on accommodations are, I know today they are trying to teach school age kids coping mechanisms so they wont have to request them. I just needed to share how empowered I felt when I sent that text, and to forward some credit to you, a super powerful and empowering woman who often speaks up about things no one wants to speak up about. I dont think I could have confronted that issue without your presence in my world. (Idk how to say that eloquently without coming across as creepy/weird...) thank you. Happy Womans day MK, and thanks for being an amazing role model!! I hope once I finally get out of school to make as much of an impact on people as you are."   Coach MK responds in bullet points below: Even my closest friends like to remind me that I throw around ‘too much’ or ‘unnecessary’ information. Even those who think of themselves as feminists don't always realize the impact the patriarchy has on them- “TMI” is used to shut womxn up. When is the last time you heard a man accused of TMI-ing? It’s a character assassination. What they are attempting to convey is that I’ve said something that makes them uncomfortable. I am not unaware of this. I just don’t care. Especially if what I’m saying reduces the stigma and shame others may feel. You feeling empowered to speak up for yourself in a way that made you feel safe and comfortable is proof that this type of communication is still, unfortunately, very necessary. Let me be clear here: you owe the world nothing. Live your life, take your journey step by step, live your truth and you WILL inspire others. Speak when you are ready, not when you are pressured. I didn’t really start speaking up until I was 37. That’s 4 years ago. Let’s unpack some of the things you said, I care about what YOU think about your condition because your perception informs your reality. ADHD has nothing to do with the ability to handle rigor. Throughout my career, I have done intense, time-pressured, detailed stuff. KNOW that you are capable, and do not ever try to prove it. That’s dangerous. You’ll start volunteering for all kinds of things you don’t want to do and don’t serve you if you live your life combating the perception that you don’t belong or treating your ADHD like the bottom half of a fraction you can cancel out with action. That’s not how it works, but that’s the bar many of us think we have to set for ourselves. Showing up, doing good work, being a good person and being self-aware enough to know what will and will not work for you will get you everywhere in life. ADHD is REAL. It’s typically presented in the media as a hyperactive child who doesn’t listen and runs around in circles, but that portrayal is reductive and incomplete. That SHOULD go without saying, BUT we live in a world where the wealthy and privileged have abused our condition as well as our medication, decreasing everyone else’s access to the vital support systems many non-neuronotmative individuals like us need in order to function in normative environments. Now I’m not a nurse but I”m pretty sure you won’t have to take tests in your day job, meaning you will in fact be able to do your job without accommodations, so that logic is flawed. Those accommodations are there for a REASON. The mechanisms you referenced take YEARS to learn, you shouldn’t have to pay a penalty for a late in life diagnosis. You are not lesser, and you are NOT cheating. The accommodations you are given are NOT tantamount to an unfair advantage to normative individuals who are capable of functioning unassisted in these environments. If they think they need accommodations too, they can go get tested just like you did. Their reality is not your problem, all you gotta take care of is you. ADHD is not your limiting factor. Your beliefs about ADHD absolutely ARE. If you are not in therapy, get in there and take it seriously. Find a therapist you connect with, and use them for more than medication management. It’s an opportunity, it’s a gift. Use it. So many people need therapy but will never have a reason to go or the impetus to start. But YOU are #coachednadloved and #winningatlife.      

A listener write in, asking for coaching advice for her 7 year old son, who is entering his first mile race. He is afraid of looking dumb, so Coach MK tells him what dumb looks like. James, don’t forget to send us race photos! --- 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/coachmk/message

Sometimes we think the things we want most are just out of reach, and Coach MK reminds us that usually means we have no idea what we are reaching for. --- 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/coachmk/message

Coach MK livestreams question and answer sessions each week on the Fitness Protection Program Facebook Page, The Fitness Protection Program YouTube Channel, and Twitch, simultaneously. Join us! They are a lot of fun, super informative, and anyone may ask follow-up questions during the live broadcast!   This week Coach MK celebrates her runners' accomplishments and reminds everyone that ultra training for Three Days at the Fair starts MONDAY before tackling questions about periods, hormones and heart rate training, hamstrings, heart rate guidelines for half marathon success, and mouth-breathing vs nose breathing.     February sucked! Wasn’t just me, it was hard for a number of my friends and clients, too. I don't know what was in the air, but I'm happy to put it behind me. Mercury is in retrograde until March 10, so don’t let your guard down just yet!   THIS WEEK - 06:17  If you are doing a distance 50k or longer, to be clear I mean “From 50k to multi-day”, then it’s time to get cracking! Ultra plans kick off this week, our runners have their first homework assignment, it’s due Friday.   I want to emphasize, the coaching isn’t just for ultrarunners. Anyone planning to go to Three Days at the Fair and expects to run for 5 hours or longer can and will get their money’s worth out of this coaching program, it is not too late to join us. We spend March getting to know your body, then all of April tailoring that knowledge to the demands of the event as well as your strategy and approach. Link HERE to check out the plans.     What You Didn’t Miss - 08:32 The segment where we highlight a runner who isn’t running and talk about why (and what they did not miss). Listen why I tell you why this segment matters: you ARE what you do, not what you don’t do. Yet I have the worst time convincing my runners of this.   People frequently ask how long they need to be not running before moving into Runner, Interrupted. I don’t understand that question, because I look at it this way: when you are staring down a prolonged period of not having time or space to run (one month or indefinitely longer, say after a major surgical procedure, during cancer treatment, or for some special needs parents this is IEP season), and you don’t want to have a calendar of runs reminding you of what you are not doing because it stresses you out too much, then Runner, Interrupted is for you. It’s a support program, more of me in your ears eyes and inbox telling you that you are what you do and YES I DO see the work you are doing right now, not a specific run plan that can push you into that abusive way of thinking that beats you up for what you aren’t doing. This program meets you where you are at, and you get to decide that. I just follow your lead and support.   As for the rest of us, we need to remember to focus on what we do without worrying about what we don’t. You will never be defined by what you miss around here, we celebrate the work. You are what you do, not what you don’t do. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to break you down, ask them what they get out of that.   This week, I’d like to introduce you to a #runnernotrunning, a runner who is a great big badass, a mom of 4, an entrepreneur, and someone who is incredibly dedicated to the sport as well as the fitness habit, but also to her family and the needs of her clients.   It’s MEEEEEE!!!!! If you follow me on Strava (click here: https://www.strava.com/athletes/3392100) you can see I only ran 53 miles in February! That’s better than 0 but a far cry from my usual. Let’s recap: at the beginning of the month I was recovering from sinus surgery. I had one good week and a half, then the baby had surgery and her recovery was difficult. All she wanted was for Mommy to hold her, so I did that. All day, and every 90 minutes all night long For 8 days straight in one spot on my couch. Now, I have help so ARGUABLY I probably could have run, but 1. I was TIRED and 2. It was WINDY AF. If ya’ll read the blog over at coachedandloved.com you KNOW how much I hate wind #fuckspring. I hate it more than rain or humidity. Wind picks up pollen and crams it down your nose and throat, it makes cold weather colder and humid weather unbearable. To be clear: I don’t always stay inside when I see wind, I got big girl britches and can put ‘em on when I need to, but when I do it’s because there’s something I need to get NOT something I need to prove. There was nothing I needed outside this week, so I stayed in, snuggled a hurting baby, and did not miss a darned thing.   Do you think less of me? Damn right you don’t. That would be stupid. Be sure you’re using that same measuring stick to judge yourself, celebrating what you do. That’s all that matters. Effort always deserves an A in the Fitness Protection Program. we’ll never ask you to work harder than you have to, but we’ll give you all kinds of excuses to get out the door when you need ‘em.   I tell you that to tell you THIS: I don't expect anything good to happen until June. You shouldn't either. Till then, do the best you can. Moving forward is still moving towards the finish line, even if it's slower than you want to go.   #Winning at Life - 16:13 Stacy Clark is #WINNINGATLIFE this week! Stacy lives in Connecticut, works for a sports media company and has two kids, aged 8 and 5. One time while out on a marathon training run, Stacy found a LARGE painting that someone had left out for the trash collector, and she decided she liked it and didn’t want to risk the trash collectors arriving before she could get back with the car to pick it up, so...you know what she did next. “Good thing I can’t run with bulky furniture because I probably would have come home with some cool chairs if I could have managed.” That is why we love Stacy - she has been running in the Maintain program since last summer, and she brings that GO FOR IT energy to everything she does, and after a bruising half-marathon and then full marathon in the fall she’s been Slow Burning for the past two months. WE LOVE YOU STACY! You are strong AF! Kaitlin Henry Meisler is WINNING AT LIFE this week, too! Preparing to run the Atlanta Half-Marathon this weekend, Kaitlin lives in Alabama with her husband and 3-year-old daughter. This is her 11th year teaching middle school English - currently 7th grade - and she has been running for almost exactly 10 years. After two times running the Boston marathon, she had to pull back and treat an overuse injury, after which she became pregnant and started a whole new chapter of her life. Kaitlin started running with FPP in ReBuild several months ago and then moved over into Maintain, and she is exceptionally good at making time and space for running AND recovering even when her busy schedule works against her. She says, “I’m so glad to have you guys help me find a place where I can just enjoy running and not worry about trying to “get back” to my previous speed or fitness level—because my life looks very different now.” We are so glad to have you with us, TOOOOO!!!!   Weekly Wins from Runner, Interrupted - 18:07 Happy Birthday Amy Szcerbowitz! "I'm ending the month on a high note celebrating my birthday. As a leap year baby it's a day that only comes once every 4 years. I'm solidly in my 50's now, but in leap years it is #13." "My surgery was successful. The tumor peeled off my artery which was the best possible outcome. I am home now and on the road to recovery. Every second from here out is a win!" "I got the BEST hug from an old friend this week! His wife is a fellow cancer survivor and she recommended the practice where I get treatment (which is amazing)! I get hugs from my family all the time, but I didn't know how much I needed a big old bear hug from a friend until I got one, total win!" "I am home from the hospital and plan to watch the Murder She Baked marathon on Hallmark Mystery Channel." "I had not exercised for 18 days...until today when I did a treadmill-based walking/Bootcamp class online. I will be sore tomorrow but my weekly win is moving my body again, even if it wasn’t that beautiful outdoor run I was imagining on this sunny mid-40s day."   ReBuild - 21:06 CONGRATULATIONS to SarahScott Dietz who, after a rough month of not running as much as she realized, ran a half marathon today and came within ten minutes of her half marathon PR she set ten years ago before kids….AND she felt really GOOD. “I’m believing that I can run FASTER, that I can be STRONGER, that it isn’t that unreasonable to think I can improve, and I can’t tell you how much of that is because I feel supported and confident because I am coached and loved, and I don’t know how to thank you, I don’t know how to convey how much this means to me.” I’ve been assuming that the warmups and cooldowns are done walking. Is that right? And so if you’re in lane 2, you extend the workouts with more walking? I am struggling with exercise timing and eating- I am a morning exerciser. I wake early, have espresso ( sometimes a few!!), and foam roll, silly toes, stretch a bit and head out ( or onto the ‘mill). Some days I am awake for a few hours before I run. I am usually not hungry before running, and sometimes not afterwards for a couple of hours either. Am I doing myself harm by not eating before or shortly after exercising? I am trying to listen to my body and eat when I am hungry.....   Maintain - 30:51 Big congratulations to our sponsored athlete, Nikkia Raedawn Young, who ran a half-marathon today, concerned she was neither ready nor prepared, because February has sucked for her, too. “I’ve never felt so control in a race. I felt strong throughout, never walked, and kept my HR under 170, which is HUGE!!!” I am looking at the new training plan for 3DATF for the 50 mile option. Does it matter what days during the week we complete the stacked runs? 3 days a week I work 12 hour shifts as a nurse and it will be difficult to get the second run in after my shift at 1030 at night. Or, would it be helpful to complete that run that late on tired legs to get the experience? I could move the stacked days to the days I am off and making the second run easier to fit in. I have a treadmill at home so running at night isn't dangerous just tiring. I was doing Slow Burn in January, but haven’t really run since February 1st because I was so tired. I found out it’s because my vitamin D is super low. I’m on a high dose of vitamin D now, but still get tired easy. For March, should I got back to Maintain, knowing that I may need to dial back some of the harder effort stuff, or would I be better off spending a month (or more if needed) in rebuild? I am training for a 50k at 3DATF and I am YOLOing a half with my BRF March 28th. What modifications should I make to do the half and maintain my 50k training? So, let’s say that someone was kind of dumb and signed up for a 10k race a week after a pretty hard half. What should the week in between look like (I’m kinda hoping that you won’t say no running, even though I know that might be the answer). Can u talk a little about menstrual cycles and training? I have an IUD but still ovulate and cycle and “feel” hormonal shifts. How does this affect training? Are there certain times in The cycle that are harder/easier? Better times to push vs ease up? Are there times in cycle when Baseline HR is more elevated? My guess is that any changes would be reflected in HR effort and can go from that, but just curious. (https://www.fitrwoman.com/) Questions... I’m posting my splits. I was tired at the end and working, but for the majority of the race my perceived effort seemed to be less than those around me. In terms of general race strategy, is it better to start a little faster and Not have such a swing in pace times? Or is that drop about appropriate? How much of a 1/2 should feel hard and pushing? What are the general HR guidelines for a half? I haven’t run more than 20 minutes a couple times a week for the last month. I don’t feel guilty at all cause sometimes life is all we can do at the time. But I want to get back to it. Should I drop back to rebuild for a month to ease back into longer runs- or just dial back in Maintain and build back up the time? Thanks coaches...Kristy What is your advice for right hamstrings - right more than left but both are tight. My right glute isn’t too happy either but I think foam rolling will help that. Not sure about the hamstrings. Thanks! Hi! What are your thoughts about nose vs mouth breathing while running? I'm pretty good about nose breathing when not running. I've always been a mouth breather while running. I've had a chronic cough while running for at least this past year, not fixed by inhaler, decongestants, acid reduction, and I've had a normal pulmonary function test. A fellow Slow Burner mentioned a book called Close Your Mouth, and it sounds like nose breathing techniques can solve a few different breathing issues. Of course, they note that in extreme exertion, mouth breathing is necessary. But overall, on easy runs, what do you think? I did an easy run today, tried to nose breathe as much as I could, but needed to slow way down. What do you do, Coach?

We can't control everything....but we don't have to respond to ANYTHING. Coach MK has a mantra for those mornings when it feels like everything is out of control. --- 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/coachmk/message

Subscribe to Running Life, the official podcast of The Fitness Protection Program on Apple Podcasts, Castbox, or your favorite podcast player and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   Coach MK likes to say that "if you goal cannot exist without numbers, then it's bullsh*t". She really hates the SMART framework and tells us exactly why before we sit down with a mental strength specialist, Dr. Justin Ross, to learn how to make sure our goals lead to work that works for us rather than crushes us. If you're interested in mental strength, check out Dr. Ross's new course on Insight Timer! Dr Justin Ross is a clinical psychologist in Denver, CO specializing in mindfulness, health psychology and sports performance psychology. He loves helping people live in alignment with values and breaking through perceived limits. He is passionate about peak performance, endurance sports, and helping athletes of all ability levels realize their goals.   MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC and Sarah Axelrod leads Fitness Protection's #CoachedandLoved Community. Try our accessible, affordable monthly running plans at www.fitnessprotection.com!

Today's Episode was brought to you by Lexapro! With Mercury in Retrograde and a sick toddler, Coach MK is having more encounters with strangers than usual, and a mantra that makes those encounters easier to navigate. --- 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/coachmk/message

The word "Support" has multiple definitions....which could explain why we don't get it when we need it. Coach MK has a mantra and kind suggestion for those moments when we aren't getting the support we think we asked for. --- 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/coachmk/message

Subscribe to Running Life, the official podcast of The Fitness Protection Program on Apple Podcasts, Castbox, or your favorite podcast player and get more racing and training tips from the coaches!   This week, the coaches speak with Brenda Haskill, a runner with a LOT of life happening at the moment! She tells us what we aren't missing if we aren't running this month and how Fitness Protection has helped her get through it all before we tackle questions about weight loss, strength training, and chasing BIG GOALS while managing big responsibilities.   First, Coach MK laments the number of times she's watched Frozen II since 4baby had her tonsils out, and tells us what Apple TV suggested she watch next! Coach Sarah tells us how she spent a surprise date night, then tells us which movies she is excited about in the coming weeks!   Brenda starts at the 10:36 mark Runner, Interrupted win 1 25:05: Coach MK’s Meyer lemon text inspired me to get some and treat myself to some delicious water. I also started doing some strength work again! I am a SELF! Full disclosure: I also took a nap today. Taking care of sick grumpy people all week is A LOT. win 2 27:55: This is my last day with the cancer tumor in my body! So I feel like I am winning! My surgery is tomorrow from 12-6 Pacific Time  - so if you feel like sending good vibes my way during that time I wouldn't turn them away. I will be in the hospital for a week so I have stacked up the best movies of the 80s to pass the time. This weekend I am binge watching Hallmark Mystery Channel,  which is always a win.   ReBuild q1 31:54- Is it a good idea to do both Rebuild and Maintain strength? Rebuild is mostly about recruiting muscles - will I be able to perform the maintain work? Three Days at the Fair Promo 36:30 Maintain  q1 44:00- What if I really DO want to lose weight? I’ve thought long and hard about it, and I believe that, for me, losing some of the extra weight I’m carrying IS an act of self love. My body feels better and moves better when I weigh about 20 lbs less than what I weigh right now. I got here because of stress and lack of taking care of myself. Right now, to me, taking care of myself feels like it should be about carefully and intentionally getting some of this weight off. But... it feels like everyone around me is saying that self care would be not worrying about my weight. What does it look like to want to lose weight not out of self abuse but out of self care? q2 49:28- Hi coaches. I am coming to the end of Slow Burn. I have enjoyed it but am glad it’s nearly over. It feels like the pre taper of a training cycle right now. It was good to hear from the Zoom that everyone else feels like this too. But I do feel really strong. Anyway my question is about my next best step. I am doing my first Ultra in early July. It’s a trail 50k. I am now increasing my trail ‘runs’ although it’s so hilly here that there’s much less running. Where I will do my 50k is much flatter. I have booked a trail running course for early April so I can upskill in the practicalities ( I am really looking forward to this even though it’s RIGHT out of my comfort zone, so much imposter syndrome about being a runner) I don’t know what I should do about a plan. Should I jump back into Maintain taking it easy for the first week or so? Then follow the Tenacious plan ? Or will there be a 50k specific plan for TDATF that I could use? When should I start to ramp up the miles? Thank you so much. It’s great to be #coachedandloved. Oh yes, andI want me some MOAARR Bosu x Karen S q3 53:15- Coach MK, I am frustrated. My baby is now a toddler and I really want to train for a marathon this year, or a fast half. I discussed this with my spouse, who promised to be supportive. It’s almost March and I don’t feel supported at all. I’m still doing everything for the kids, and when I ask for help I get heavy sighs and passive-aggressive pushback. Last week she told me that she still has goals and it’s not fair to ask her to forget them. I don’t know what to do, Should I give up on a race this year? Follow-Up Questions, Live q1 59:04 q2 59:20   MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC and Sarah Axelrod leads Fitness Protection's #CoachedandLoved Community. Try our accessible, affordable monthly running plans at www.fitnessprotection.com!