Most runners understand the idea of consistency and how small consistent steps can pay off with a huge reward.  Major milestones are not reached overnight, and meteoric rises are usually followed by similar falls.  Runners, especially long distance runners, understand the idea of grinding out for rewards.  We search for the appropriate inspiration and motivation to keep training.  Motivation wanes, but a deeper understanding is unflappable.

 

Highlights of the Episode

 

The 3 steps more important than motivation

Motivation will get you to start a run and may help finish a run

What it means to become a runner and living a healthy lifestyle

Running as one aspect of your overall health

The balance of pushing hard and recovery

How commitment leads to action that creates consistency and enjoyment

Building a more positive attitude towards running

 

Challenge of the Week: Tell us one thing you will decide to do this week to move you forward in your running journey

We all know there are countless amounts of steps we can take to improve ourselves, both in our running, our health, and our lives. What is one decision you need to make to move you forward?  How can you commit to that through action? As always, share it wherever you follow us or tag us on your own page, with #rlrchallengeoftheweek.

 

Thanks for Listening!!

To join the RLR Training Team, click here. 

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If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]   

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Leave an honest review on 

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Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

In this week's episode, we answer some of the questions posed to us by our listeners. Tune in to hear the answers!

 

Highlights of the Episode

 

What’s the best way to keep running as I age? How do I maintain speed/pace as I age with less injuries? 

How to go from walking to running

How to stop blisters

How to introduce strength training without decreasing running miles per week and not getting injuries

 

Challenge of the Week: Send us a question that you would like answered on the podcast!

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

Everyone wants the secret to proper fueling during a race and the exact nutrition plan following a workout or race.  While there are certain guidelines and general methods that work better than others, a major part of the picture is overall nutrition.  In this episode we will highlight some details that you can take away as tips, but focus on the big picture.  We also cover how nutrition, like most things in life, comes down to your mind.  You are a runner, an athlete, a healthy person. 

 

Highlights of the Episode

 

What does proper nutrition look like for athletes?

Foods that can help you feel better from your previous or next workout

How to balance food groups

What should you eat before, during, and after a run?

Simple carbs that can become rapid fuel

What’s the ideal macro combination?

Many runners like the slogan “I run for the....”

 

Challenge of the Week: Post a photo of your post-run meal

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

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Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

You have decided to run a race and are aiming for a new personal best.  So you ask your friends what they have done for training.  Then, you check out google and see what that suggests.  You do the best you can to combine both pieces of information and plan out your next few months.  You end up missing some days, skipping some workouts, and adding in a few different things.  When you show up at the race, you are not entirely confident and as the gun fires, you take off questioning your preparation.  Why do generic plans not get the results you want? 

Highlights of the Episode

The importance of having a plan

What is a generic plan?  

Why generic plans fail a lot of runners

What about workouts

The details of how and when is tricky and varies by the athlete

What about your running body

What about your mind

 

Challenge of the week:

Tell us your goal that you want to achieve before the end of the year!

 

Thanks for Listening!!

To join the RLR Training Team, click here. 

To download our FREE strength guide for runners, click here.  

To join the RLR Tribe, click here.

If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]   

Come find us on Facebook and Instagram and say hi!

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Subscribe on iTunes, St

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

We've got a special bonus episode with one of our real life runners, Shelly Bernot!  Shelly shares her running journey with us, and we talk more about the idea of growth mindset.  

Shelly realized that she was operating from more of a fixed mindset throughout her life, so when she shifted to a growth mindset, it opened up new possibilities and identities for her.  

Today we talk more about: 

What is growth mindset

How growth mindset can help us in our running journey

How it can help us in the rest of our lives

 

Did you hear?  

The doors of our Real Life Runners Training Team are currently open this week!  We are welcoming in our new teammates that are ready to run faster, longer, and stronger, set a goal, get a customized plan and coaching to support them along their journey.  

If you're ready to take your running to the next level, we invite you to join the team.  Sign up soon because spots are going fast!  Learn more about our coaching program by clicking here.  

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

I need to run faster so I will run faster.  I will run farther.  I will sleep less so I can fit in more.  I will squeeze in the workout because that is what the calendar says.  Without the workouts, the rest of my training is pointless, because this is everything or nothing.  This training style sounds dedicated and powerful, but actually misses a major component of any quality plan.

Today we are talking about the often neglected aspect of our training plan: recovery.  How important is recovery in our running?  

Highlights of the Episode

Training requires pushing limits to break down so you can rebuild stronger

How does recovery affect you as a runner?

Sometimes doing the hard things isn't what you think

What are the benefits of proper recovery?

How much recovery do we really need? 

What are the different methods of recovery?

Challenge of the week: Recovery Brag

Tell us what you did for recovery this week!

 

Thanks for Listening!!

To download our FREE strength guide for runners, click here.  

To join the RLR Tribe, click here.

If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]   

Come find us on Facebook and Instagram and say hi!

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Google Play

Interested in Training plans and Coaching? Check that out here!

 

Don't forget: The information in this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is i

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

You want to run fast.  You want to run far.  You also want to look amazing as you run along the trail or down the street.  Maybe you have heard that you are born with your running form.  Maybe you have heard that running more will naturally fix your running form.  This is only somewhat true and somewhat misguided.  The truth is you can improve your form.  Running is a skill that you can train.  Today we are going to discuss the concept of cadence and how it is important, but that one size does not fit all. 

 

Highlights of the Episode

Running is a skill that comes naturally at first 

Living on hard surfaces and in shoes has adjusted our natural form

Just because you can run, does not mean you are maximizing your ability

The importance of cadence

The pitfalls of overstriding and shuffling

The “magic” cadence number of 180

Why it is difficult to think your way to better form

A simple method for increasing your cadence

Challenge of the Week:  Cadence challenge

 

🔢 Count how many steps you take per minute. 

 

You can either count left, right, left, right as 1, 2, 3, 4 or you can count only one foot and multiply by 2. 

 

📌 For example: If you count the number of times the right foot hits the ground and you get 80, multiply by 2 to get 160.  That is your cadence, or steps per minute. 

 

What's your number❓

 

Thanks for Listening!!

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE 5 DAY RUNNING CHALLENGE, STARTING SEPT 21!

To download our FREE strength guide for runners, click here.  

To join the RLR Tribe, click here.

If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]   

Come find us on Facebook and Instagram and say hi!

Leave an honest review on 

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

Runners tend to have strong legs muscles built from miles on the roads or trails.  We often tout the importance of maintaining strong core muscles, which is very important.  However, today we are going to focus on a pair of muscles and their neighbors, who propel every step while also cushioning every landing.  In this episode, we put the calves on center stage and discuss why this dynamic duo is so important to your running success.  

  Highlights of the Episode

Running is actually a more complicated process than it first appears

The 4 phases of running gait and muscle action during each 

How running form maximizes the efficiency of using our forces

The running body is a passive spring (the importance or our tendons)

The running body is an active engine (the importance of our muscles)

The running body is beautifully intertwined - how the active machine and passive spring work together

When the body changes, problems can occur

How we can counteract the effects of aging and protect ourselves from injury

How we can get stronger and faster as we get older

  Challenge of the week:  Calf Raise Challenge - check out our show notes or social media for more details!     Thanks for Listening!!

To download our FREE strength guide for runners, click here.  

To join the RLR Tribe, click here.

If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]   

Come find us on Facebook and Instagram and say hi!

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

Gratitude is a very positive character trait, but a gratitude practice or an “attitude of gratitude” is both more simple and more complex than it first seems.  Beginning the day or ending the day with a journal practice of gratitude for one or three items has become very popular in the personal development world.  This is great, but might not be the whole picture.  While there is a clear benefit to focusing on the positive aspects of your day rather than the negative, when you can detach your judgment and be grateful for your difficulties, stumbles, and misses during the day, gratitude is world changing. 

 

Highlights of the Episode

How people usually practice gratitude 

Gratitude for the struggles 

The ease of being grateful for the positives

How gratitude for the positives can actually be a negative thing

How to reframe your life and your running through gratitude

What to do if you’re having a hard time shifting to gratitude

 

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Our other gratitude episode - Episode 67
• The Real Life Runners Tribe

  Thanks for Listening!!

To download our FREE strength guide for runners, click here.  

To join the RLR Tribe, click here.

If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, please send us an email at [email protected]   

Come find us on Facebook and Instagram and say hi!

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Google Play

Interested in Training plans and Coaching? 

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

You want to run faster, so you practice running faster. 

You want to run faster, so you push every run just that little bit extra. 

You want to run faster, so you live by the motto “no pain, no gain.” 

You want to run faster, but now you are exhausted, sick, burnt out, or injured. 

When you are ready to start back up and bring more joy to your running, consider that most improvement coming during the easy days.  If you do not have easy days, when do you plan on improving? 

 

Highlights of the Episode

Background to running - where did you start?  

What experiences have shaped your beliefs about what running should be? 

Coming from other sports

Pushing harder is always better

Coming to lose weight

The trap of the comparison mindset

Why do you keep running?  What do you want to get out of it?

Most runners we know are looking to be able to run longer or faster regardless of why

Conveniently, the answer to both options lives in the easy run

The biological and scientific changes that occur in the body when running slower

How running slower can help us to run faster

The oxymoron of “easy running”

The need for acceptance and letting go of judgment 

How much of your running should be easy?

 

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• 80/20 by Matt Fitzgerald
• The Real Life Runners Tribe

  Thanks for Listening!!

To download our FREE strength guide for runners, click here.  

To join the RLR Tribe, click here.

Are you making one of these training mistakes?  Check out our free resource, 12 Mistakes that Runners Make, to find out what you could be doing wrong and what you need

Join the Real Life Runners Team today! 

https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.