The Run4It Podcast

In this episode, Finlay chats to professional runner for Nike and the NN Running Team, Jake Smith, about his rise in running and his challenges with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). Jake talks openly about his history with disordered eating and obsessive-compulsive-esque training, and the toll underfuelling and overtraining eventually took on his body - causing severe injury, illness and mental distress.

Speaking to Finlay fresh off a standout stage win at the Welsh Castles Relay, Jake talks about what it’s taken to step back from the sport – recover, reset, re-evaluate – and come back stronger in pursuit of sustainable performance. 

Key takeaways:

• RED-S can affect anyone – female, male, elite or amateur regardless of age, gender, and ability – if their physical activity exceeds their caloric intake.
• High training load with inadequate fuelling or lack of recovery can contribute to RED-S.
• Aside from missing periods (female athletes), there are several other signs that you might be suffering from RED-S. Such as fatigue, frequent illness, poor bone health, low/altered mood,  disrupted sleep, hunger pangs and more. In men, a telltale sign is low testosterone levels (checked via a blood test).
• With the support of his team, coach, family and friends, Jake is returning to full fitness by following a more sustainable training programme (higher quality and less) and fuelling properly.
• 38 minutes into the episode, Jake describes his typical training week then vs now, noting his change from a hard, all-out, “more more” approach to a more rounded, balanced approach, which sees hard running replaced with low aerobic cross-training.

What’s next for Jake? Paris 5K in July and Berlin Marathon in September, where he and his sister hope to secure the Guinness World Record for the fastest cumulative marathon time run by a pair of siblings.

Follow Jake Smith on Instagram @jakeliamsmith98

For more information on RED-S follow @project_reds_

📸 @globalsportscommunication via @jakeliamsmith98.

To get in touch, email: [email protected]. 

In this episode, Finlay sits down with Matt Fox, the Founder and Content Director of Sweat Elite, a sports media company that shares incredible insight into how the world’s best athletes train and prepare for competition, in order to inspire and motivate runners at every level.

Matt has vast experience in middle distance and long distance running, having competed at an international level in the 800m and 1500m, and ran 9 marathons in times of 2:20 - 2:24.

In this episode, Matt talks through the purpose and history of Sweat Elite. He shares some of the secrets of high performance he’s observed over the years and he talks through his pursuit of a sub-2:20 marathon in 2024.

We hope you will be inspired!

Subscribe to Sweat Elite on YouTube @sweatelite and follow them on Instagram @sweatelite.

Find Matt Fox on Instagram @mattinglisfox.

📸 @missionrun_darksky via @mattinglisfox

To get in touch, email: [email protected]. 

In this episode, Finlay is joined by Harry Bolton, the product designer behind Ronhill's first range of trail footwear.

Based near Keswick in the Lake District, Harry lives and breathes off-road running with several major race wins to his name, including being crowned both English and British U23 Fell Running Champion in 2022. Combine his fell running prowess with his Sports Engineering credentials and it's easy to see why Harry is perfectly placed to design and test trail running footwear for renowned brand Ronhill.

Harry explains how he got into running, where his passion for product design stemmed from, and talks us through the making of Ronhill's two new trail shoes: the Freedom and the Reverence.

We dig into the technical features and differences between each of these shoes - the Freedom being the more versatile option for harder packed trails and dry terrain; the Reverence being the more aggressive option for steep, technical trails and soft, wet terrain.

If you like what you hear, try the shoes for yourself today: https://www.run4it.com/collections/ronhill-running-shoes

Keep up with Harry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harry__bolton/

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

What is pronation? Are you an "overpronator" or an "underpronator"? How does it affect shoe choice?

In this episode, Finlay and James try to answer common questions and dispel common misconceptions about foot pronation and biomechanics – looking at the importance of the gait analysis process in finding the right running shoes.

Episode info starts at 09:56

Key takeaways:

• Pronation is simply the rolling inwards movement of your foot when it strikes the ground, and your body's natural shock absorption mechanism. 
• Pronation is a normal movement for runners and not something to be feared or demonised.
• The degree to which you pronate should not be considered as "good", "bad", "normal", or "abnormal". Everyone’s feet pronate to a different degree and it's about finding running shoes that provide the right level of cushioning and support for you, and the type of runs you'll be using them for. (16:14)
• Having the right level of support should improve comfort and lower the chances of overuse injuries.
• While all neutral running shoes offer some degree of support, stability running shoes feature additional supportive structures that actively reduce greater ranges of pronation and leg rotation. 
• Stability running shoes are not all the same. They are made with different types of added support (typically classic medial post style support, or more holistic guide rail style support) and the type of stability shoes you'll benefit from depends on where in the body/kinetic chain you experience instability - be that in the lower leg/ankles or knees/hips. (26:30).
• Understanding your natural gait cycle is one factor in shoe selection. Other important factors include the shape of your foot, the type of cushioning experience you want, and the type of runs the shoes are intended for. To provide an example, soft cushioned shoes will feel great at slow to steady paces, but will likely lack the energy return needed to help you run faster. Having different shoes in your rotation to serve the different purposes of your runs is extremely beneficial.
• Carbon-plated super shoes typically don't feature additional supportive structures (39:05), so if you usually wear stability running shoes, we'd recommend:
  • trying different models to find one that complements your foot shape;
  • going for a training-oriented plated model (such as the Nike Zoom Fly or Saucony Endorphin Speed) before opting for a flat-out racing shoe;
  • and introducing super shoes gradually into your running routine.
• The level you pronate is unlikely to be the root cause of injury, and nor is the "wrong" shoe. Ensuring you're gradually increasing your training volume/intensity to avoid overloading is a primary factor in injury prevention. 

For further information, check out our Journal article on choosing between neutral and stability shoes.

Book an in-store appointment for +runlab analysis and shoe fitting at run4it.com/book. Or check out the shoe advice page on our website.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

With autumn marathons fast approaching, Finlay and James talk through some key marathon training sessions to help build speed and endurance for the marathon, and prepare your body to be in prime shape come race day.

Recent happenings covered first. Session info starts at 21:20. 

James’ favourite sessions:

• Marathon-pace intervals with moderate recovery. 5K-4K-3K-2K-1K with 5-3 min recoveries. 15K total work.
• 4 x 2 mile-1 mile workout, alternating between 2 miles at 105% of marathon pace and 1 mile at 90%-95% of marathon pace. 12 miles total work.
• Renato Canova’s “Special Block”: 20K in the morning at 95%-98% of marathon pace, followed by 15K in the evening consisting of 10K at marathon pace, 3-5mins recovery, then 5K at just above marathon pace. 35K total work.

Finlay’s favourite sessions:

• Roller session. 3 x 6K blocks. Each 6K block is broken into 3 parts: 2K-2K-2K working from half marathon pace, to marathon pace, to 15-20 secs slower than marathon pace. 18K total work.
• 5 x 5K at just above marathon pace with 1K recovery or ‘float’. 25K total work.
• Build session. 3 x 40 min builds. 40 mins at 20 secs per km slower than marathon pace. 40 mins at marathon pace. Final 40 mins 10-15 secs faster per km than marathon pace.

All sessions should be bookended with a warm-up and cool-down. You can tweak and adapt them as needed to suit your needs.  For example, on Finlay's 'build session', you could begin with 3 x 20 min builds at the same efforts - gradually building up to the 3 x 40 min builds over the course of several weeks. Always remember, it’s really important to practise your fuelling and hydration during these key sessions!

Explore our distance-ready Marathon Running Gear collections here: https://www.run4it.com/collections/marathon-running-gear

If you find this week's episode helpful, you may also enjoy our episode on Heart Rate Training. To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode Finlay is joined by former Podcast guest and Maybury Shop Manager, James Dunn, to shed light on training with heart rate, and help you decide whether it is right for you.

Donning their sports scientist hats, they explain how heart rate can be used as a useful tool and measure in defining and differentiating runs by level of intensity (from easy to moderate to hard), to create a varied and well rounded training routine - conducive to better overall fitness and endurance.

Key takeaways:

•  In general, the lower zones are best for building your aerobic base and facilitating recovery from more strenuous sessions. Higher zones target different energy systems and bring about a specific set of adaptations. It's worth noting that the adaptations that occur in lower zone training, don't happen during harder workouts. Hence why it's beneficial to distribute your workload across the zones appropriately. 
• You may find that monitoring heart rate is most useful for zone 1 and zone 2 work; those easy to aerobic miles, when it’s important to ensure you’re not overexerting and creeping up to too hard an intensity. Thus entering the ‘grey’ zone and inhibiting your recovery and ability to perform on harder days. 
• For harder anaerobic training, such as interval sessions, you may find going by rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to be more effective than going by heart rate. Because of the fact that nuances in session construction and external factors such as stress and sleep, often mean HR and perceived effort don't always match up.
• The ‘MAF 180 Formula’ coined by Dr. Phil Maffetone is the recommended method for calculating your ideal maximum aerobic heart rate in which to base all aerobic training. Subtract your age from 180, then modify this number based on your current health profile.
• The two main ways to monitor heart rate are using a wrist-based monitor or chest strap. Learn about each and tips to maximise the accuracy of wrist-based HR at 00:56:54 onwards.

If you find this week's episode helpful, you may also enjoy our episode on zone 2 training.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode, Finlay and Jack talk through four key components of running training:

1. Frequency
2. Consistency
3. Duration
4. Intensity

Explaining how constructing your running training plan around these four pillars – week-to-week and month-to-month – will lend to aerobic development and improvement. 

In covering frequency and consistency, they touch on the importance of creating habits and routine by sticking to designated 'run days' as far as possible. In covering duration and intensity, they warn against the potential risks of a 'feast or famine' type approach, where massive weeks are followed by weeks of very little activity and the 'catch-up' mentality kicks in.

You'll hear why incorporating different types of runs into your training, from interval runs to long runs and recovery runs, is key to getting the right balance of duration vs intensity, producing adaptions (your body's physiological response to training), and avoiding plateau and injury.  

For anyone seeking to get the most out of their summer running and/or starting to think about how to build towards autumn marathons – the content of this episode should be very helpful.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode, Finlay and Jack talk super shoes and imposter syndrome – exploring the sense or perception runners often have that so-called "super shoes" are just for elite or fast runners, and putting forward reasons why that's not the case and how they can help everyone improve their running.

Finlay runs through the features we expect with super shoes and exactly how they work to improve performance. Whilst Jack shares his experience of a recent 5k run in the Saucony Endorphin Elites.

Whether you're after running shoes to make faster and harder running more sustainable, or running shoes to reduce fatigue levels after key sessions and ease recovery – by the end of this episode, it should be clear how every runner can benefit from a super shoe, no matter their pace.

If you find this week's episode helpful, you may also enjoy reading our Journal article on carbon plate running shoes.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

We’re back! In this episode, Finlay and new co-host Jack discuss the science behind tapering: what tapering is and why tapering is so important before race day. 

While (as you’ll hear) every taper is highly individual, it typically involves the gradual reduction in training load (both distance and intensity) in the final two to three weeks ahead of an event, such as a marathon.

Finlay and Jack delve into why running and tapering are equally essential parts of a complete training cycle – covering the dos and don’ts of how to taper effectively, why rest and recovery leads to improved performance, and how trusting in the taper gets easier with experience!

00:19:40 - Optimal weekly decreases in training load of approximately 25 percent.
00:25:57 - Top tips to make the most of your taper - kit, sleep, nutrition and more.

If you find this week's episode helpful, you may also enjoy our episode on zone 2 training.

To get in touch, email: [email protected].

In this episode Chris and Finlay run through the fundamentals of putting together your winter running wardrobe. 

Whether this is your first winter as a runner, or it's always a season that blights your progress, this episode will run through how to build you running wardrobe to withstand the wind, rain, and cold. 

To get in touch, email: the [email protected].