Welcome to Episode 259 of the Better With Running podcast! Hosts Chris Armstrong and Zac Newman are joined by 2 guests, run2pb athlete Charles Jacobson and run2pb coach and physio James Telford.

Firstly, Hosts Chris Armstrong and Zac Newman kick off the episode with personal updates. Chris shares a difficult week, logging only 30km as he battles an illness. After attempting a few easy runs over the weekend, he's taking a day-by-day approach to his potential race at Ballarat this Sunday. Zac provides a positive update on his continuous progress with his return to running, having a nice run at the tan with Kiwi Steve, and he's now building consistency and looking forward to the rest of his running year. The hosts also touch on some inspiring results from the run2pb community at Sunshine Coast, Madeline Heiner's 2:52 marathon, and Andy Buchanan's course record over the half. The conversation highlights a new study from Latrobe University and Zoe Delaney on sports nutrition and disordered eating for runners, more details here https://redcap.latrobe.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=DA7Y3JF3RX3EEKKC

Run2PB athlete Charles Jacobson returns, who last joined us in June 2023. Since then, Charles has achieved a significant personal bests and of late running a 2:52:07 at the Gold Coast Marathon. He discusses his build and the race recap, and we hear what Charles attributes his success to and what he has learnt from his coach Andy Buchanan. He also shares that his future plans include another marathon at Melbourne and continuing to race the XCR series because he loves the atmosphere.

Next, we up is James Telford, a physiotherapist and owner of PhysioLife Australia. James brings his expertise on a variety of topics. He discusses his coaching philosophy, emphasizing honesty and realistic expectations with athletes, particularly those attempting ambitious back-to-back marathons. He offers his perspective on the rise of "Instagram physios" and AI advice, stressing that while people are more informed, nothing replaces hands-on, professional guidance. The episode also features an exciting announcement about PhysioLife's title sponsorship of the Willinda Classic 10,000m track race in September, which serves as a Zatopek qualifier, with entries now open, you can enter here: 
https://www.valleyaths.org/events/register/293078

With thanks to Oat Running Socks our partner, visit ⁠www.oatrunning.com.au⁠