For Real, Though

Chris Koehn has completed 17 marathons, but for many years he viewed running purely as a warm up exercise. Today it's a part of his life, connected to what he calls his "hobbies" of architecture and music. We normally think of the things we like to do as our hobbies, but, he says, "Those are our true passions. And the more we connect with what we most love to do, the more it can lift up our spirit."

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode315.

Thank you to Athletic Greens, Tracksmith, and the Running for Real training plans for sponsoring this episode.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

Tracksmith is a Boston-based company that truly cares about the quality of their running clothes. Running can be demanding on our clothes; they definitely go through wear and tear to where we may be purchasing new clothes constantly. Tracksmith designers work with the finest materials and keep you in mind as a runner, with spots for your keys, phone, and fuel.

Go here and use the code TINA15. You'll get free shipping and Tracksmith will donate 5% of your purchase to Runners for Public Lands!

If you've decided it's time to accomplish a new running goal, check out our 100% effort-based training plans. You'll run entirely by feel and if you've never done that before, don't worry; this plan is going to teach you how to trust your body to tell you what it's ready for. It will leave you confident, prepared, and in the best shape of your life. There's a 5k/10k plan, a half marathon plan, a marathon plan, and a one mile/speed segment plan.

You can find them all here on our website.

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Chris. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

What kinds of gym /strength training workouts should I do to support my running?

I wish there was a simple answer to this one, but there is not. This is just too complicated to be able to give you any answer at all, and you probably aren't gonna like what I have to say here:

Get a strength coach to find out.

I know, I know, that's the last thing you wanted me to say, and as much as a certain running publication might try to tell you that there are eight exercises that will support your running and keep you healthy, the reality is, that is just not the case.

But wait! Hear me out before you exit out of this page.

I know that finding a strength coach can be more of a financial investment than you are able or willing to spend, let alone how overwhelming it can be to find someone who will be good at it. It also potentially requires a gym membership and finding time to go to the gym.

I get it, and here is the thing, I struggle with finding the time for it too, or making the time for it. I am gonna be brutally honest here, and this could get me in trouble with the running community, but I will share anyway.

Before I do though, if you are someone who has been struggling with injuries, if you are a masters runner, or if you have a goal that is really really important to you, then there is no way around it. You do need a strength coach, someone who is going to show you how to do the exercises correctly and watch you to make sure your technique is correct. With strength training, your form is everything.

However, if you are like me right now and running is important to you, but you are willing to take the risk of injury over making time for strength training, you might be okay. But I want you to make sure you have weighed your options there. By not doing strength training correctly, you are at risk of injury. Okay with that? Doing exercises incorrectly may not injure you, but it probably won't help you either. We don't want to develop bad movement habits when our goal is to become better movers (runners).

If time is in short supply, doing a longer dynamic warmup is one way to focus on technique in a controlled manner. We are going to be putting out some videos very soon about what that could look like, but for the time being, here are some from maybe 2014. No laughing! It's absolute amateur video quality, but it will help you with that technique side of things.

And then for those who are in the stage of needing someone - if you've had recent injuries, if you are a masters runner who knows you need it, or if you have that big goal, here are a few things that will help you find a strength coach.

Talking with other runners in your city can be helpful to find a qualified trainer. Additionally, searching for trainers close to where you live and contacting them for a conversation or a free consultation, if they offer that, may be helpful. Lastly, reach out to your chiropractor or physical therapist for a referral.

I also like to ask trainers their thoughts on "core" exercises. If they start to talk to you about sit ups or crunches, that is a HUGE red flag to stay away from them. Your core actually includes the full trunk of your body, multiple groups working together as one. A plank is an example of an exercise that brings all those muscles together, as are the other four primary exercises my coach, Drew Watts, recommended as a starting point: split squats, glute bridges, pushups, and rows.

While this answer is a little complicated, it really is best to start with adding to your warmup or to your post-run exercises. From there you can find a coach for a few sessions to find out where your weaknesses are or add in more strength training. Makd sure you are not increasing it during your peak running buildups.

If you have a question that you'd like answered, you can email [email protected] and she'll pass it along to Tina!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we're honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

Thank you for listening; we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Together Run Monday, but today I am not running, after falling in the trails a week ago, I have had to rest. I thought about doing a Together Walk, but on this day, it just didn't feel right. Taking us through our check in with nature and body scan, followed by some sharing of inner thoughts. Answering how are you, really, with brutal honesty.

Together Runs should be back next week, but hopefully this helps you the next time you feel like you are alone.

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Gil Winch decided that he wanted to run a half marathon and make the biggest social impact that he could. That was over 20 years ago. Today he equates running with "beating cancer and staying alive" and is the founder of CY, a for-profit business that employs people with disabilities and other marginalized populations. He wrote his forthcoming book, "Winning with Underdogs," to share what he's learned about building a more inclusive workplace.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode314.

Thank you to Allbirds, Marathon Training Academy, and the Running for Real training plans for sponsoring this episode.

Allbirds' products are made from natural and recycled materials, and best of all, they know who they are. They are confident in what they do, and are changing the entire running industry before our eyes. You can see their entire collection on their website.

Runners' World says this about Marathon Training Academy:

"If you're training for 26.2, running coach Angie Spencer and her husband, Trevor, have everything you need to reach the finish line. The duo provides plenty of training tips, interviews, and reviews of marathons from around the world. (Angie has run one in every state!) While they don't always bring on guests, runners like Sara Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, and even actor Sean Astin have all stopped by."

To find the podcast just type "marathon training" into Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and you will find them.

If you've decided it's time to accomplish a new running goal, check out our 100% effort-based training plans. You'll run entirely by feel and if you've never done that before, don't worry, this plan is going to teach you how to trust your body to tell you what it's ready for. It will leave you confident, prepared, and in the best shape of your life. There's a 5k/10k plan, a half marathon plan, a marathon plan, and a one mile/speed segment plan.

You can find them all here on our website.

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Gil. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

I know this is a frustrating one. I struggle with this one often. Here is the way I look at it though. If you are asking this question, like me, you likely go out of your way in most situations to avoid waste. You put a lot of effort into daily life that most people do not think (or to be honest, care) about, taking those steps to do that.

When it comes to racing or to running in general, this is something that helps you to be the best version of you, and if there were an option, you would take it. If there were a way to carry fuel some other way, you would do that (but the problem is, the alternative is ziplock bags, and those are probably worse than our gel packets!). Give yourself a bit of compassion with this one as it is such a small dent in the grand scheme of things. I am confident some of the major brands are working on a solution, but we have to give them a chance to figure it out; it's gotta be a tough thing to do.

Remind yourself that 71% of global emissions come from 100 companies, and the teeniest percentage of the population is the super rich and they do the most damage. It's one thing to care and to encourage others to do the same, but we can't drive ourselves insane when it's not really going to make a huge difference. Letting go of some things is the best way to work through this at this point.

The second part of the question is what to do about the companies themselves. As I have said often with climate change, the biggest thing we can do is to keep talking about it. So reach out to the brands whose products you use, tag them on social media, ask them what they are doing to change their global emissions and maybe even ask them for their carbon number. If we show them that sustainability is important enough to us to take time out of our day to reach out to them, they will listen. Write them a letter, an email, or call them up, or at minimum, use a platform like Twitter (although that's far less effective, unless you have friends who will retweet or respond). Talking about it is our biggest tool, and it works to make change.

If you have a question that you'd like answered, you can email [email protected] and she'll pass it along to Tina!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we're honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

Thank you for listening; we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Together Run 60 and today we are running in the dark with Tina in St Louis. As always, we check in with nature, with our bodies, with our minds, and update one another with what we have been up to. This is a combination of meditating and grounding, connection and community, and it is one way to feel like you are on a social run without actually doing it.

Weekly Strides Episode 4

Sign up for 100 days of sustainability

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Ashton Swinford is well known to - and well loved by - the #Running4Real Superstars. She has three-year-old twins (whom she runs with in a double stroller!), is a physical therapist, and describes herself as a "really avid runner" with a marathon PR of 2:46. She earned that PR when she won the Cleveland Marathon this year, not only coming in first female, but fifth place overall. She's found her running community with the Superstars, as well as her running philosophy.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode313.

Thank you to Athletic Greens, Tracksmith, and Mile 20 Mental Training for sponsoring this episode.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

Tracksmith is a Boston-based company that truly cares about the quality of their running clothes. Running can be demanding on our clothes; they definitely go through wear and tear to where we may be purchasing new clothes constantly. Tracksmith designers work with the finest materials and keep you in mind as a runner, with spots for your keys, phone, and fuel.

Go here and use the code TINA15. You'll get free shipping and Tracksmith will donate 5% of your purchase to Runners for Public Lands!

Win your mental battle and you'll win your race! Runners often prepare for the physical challenge of the race, but leave the mental challenge to chance. Mile 20 Mental Training will teach you the strategies and techniques to believe in yourself and achieve your goals on and off the course.

Registration for this season is open now through August 21st. Go here to learn more.

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Ashton. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Ooof, that is a very hard question to answer! I wish it were that simple, but I will do my best. I also want to add that while this question was "top 3 things you do," I have to be honest, I am not the best at following my own advice. This is what I would suggest, but I also recognize that I am risking injury myself by not doing these things all the time.

Number one is strength training correctly. This does not mean throwing weights around in the gym, like you see these big gym dudes doing. It also does not mean following the "ten best exercises" you might see in an article and doing them every single day. Ideally, it means working with a strength coach to figure out where the weak links are in your body, and making sure you have your technique down to do them correctly to fix that weakness.

Number two would be listening to your body when you know it's too much. I know that's an easy thing to say that is harder to put into practice, but the reality is that most of the time we know when we are doing something that's a bit risky. Maybe we had to travel midweek and we pushed our workout back to Friday and then did our long run Saturday, and got invited to a group run on Sunday where the group typically runs faster than we are capable of. While we might hope for the best, it's always better to go into a race or go through training underprepared than over and risk injury.

Finally, I would say do a good warm up before you run. Some static (no movement) and dynamic (movement-based) warmup exercises. These don't take that long, but give your body a big helping hand in prepping for the run ahead. We're going to be creating some new videos for you, but in the meantime, these are still helpful!

If you have a question that you'd like answered, you can email [email protected] and she'll pass it along to Tina!

Our sponsor this week is… Running for Real!

The Mile 20: Mental Training to Win Your Race course will give you the mental training techniques to not only become more confident as a runner, but as a person. We begin with that foundation in building you up as a human being first because we can't be confident as runners until we take care of our confidence in ourselves. You're also going to learn techniques to handle every race day situation that could be thrown at you. You're going to have specific tactics and tools that will help you handle race day panic, race day stress, things that could go wrong. You're going to learn to understand the signals that your body is giving you during the race and how to handle them and also how to protect yourself from feelings of failure.

We runners can be quite hard on ourselves and this is going to help you to have a healthy perspective. This is a 12-week course. Each week we'll have a video for you, and pdf worksheets that you can download and fill in to help really bring home those messages.

Registration for this season is only open through August 21st, so be sure to go here and sign up now!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we're honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

Thank you for listening; we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Together Run means we run together, as a community, as a group. While we run separate, this will feel like you are running alongside friends. Checking in with nature, with your body, with your surroundings through our meditative start to the run, and then going into a conversational part of the run, to catch up and get to know one another more. If you haven't tried a Together Run yet, and especially if you are feeling lonely, this run is worth a try.

Mile 20 Mental Training Program

Weekly Strides Episode 3

Sign up for 100 days of sustainability

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Philip King isn't concerned with PRs - which is surprising, considering how fast he is, with times around 1:15 for the half marathon and 2:48 for the full. He runs for the challenge, to connect with others, and to motivate members of his community. He's active in Black Men Run, serves on the Black Unicorn Marathoners committee, and has run in races around the world, all while working a full-time job and raising a family.

For complete show notes and links, visit our website at runningforreal.com/episode312.

Thank you to Allbirds, Mile 20 Mental Training, and Athletic Greens for sponsoring this episode.

Allbirds' products are made from natural and recycled materials, and best of all, they know who they are. They are confident in what they do, and are changing the entire running industry before our eyes. You can see their entire collection on their website.

Win your mental battle and you'll win your race! Runners often prepare for the physical challenge of the race, but leave the mental challenge to chance. Mile 20 Mental Training will teach you the strategies and techniques to believe in yourself and achieve your goals on and off the course.

Registration for this season is open now through August 21st. Go here to learn more.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
• Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Philip. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.