The Runner’s Paradox Podcast

Mile 18: The Lower Body

Most runners think their legs are the stars of the show, but when something breaks down, it’s usually not the legs themselves that are the problem. In this episode, we unpack Chapter 18 of The Runner’s Paradox and look at the lower body through a smarter lens: the pelvis, hips, knees, and feet as a connected system, not isolated parts.

We explore how subtle issues like anterior pelvic tilt, glutes underactivation, or stiff ankles can quietly erode running efficiency. We also look at why knee pain is often a symptom of problems elsewhere, and how foot mechanics play a bigger role than most people think.

With practical insights from the clinic, current biomechanical research, and real runner stories, we break down what it really means to “run from the hips”, and how to tell if your lower body is helping you run better, or just holding things together until something gives out.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. Find out more at therunnersparadox.com. Listen during your next run and pay attention to what’s really doing the work.

Mile 17: The Upper Body 

Everyone talks about cadence, footstrike, stride length. No one talks about your shoulders. Or your jaw. Or the way your chest collapses when you’re tired, dragging your breath and form down with it. 

This episode is about what happens above the waist. 

We’re unpacking Chapter 17 of The Runner’s Paradox: a conversation about structure, not style. Because posture isn’t just about how you look when you run. 

It’s about how force travels through you. 

We’re asking: Is your upper body holding you up, or holding you back?

Get the book at therunnersparadox.com. Remember to run upright, aware, and let your posture do the listening.

Mile 16: On The Road

Most runners think strength is built in the gym. But what if true strength has less to do with lifting heavy, and more to do with how well your body holds itself together when everything else starts falling apart?

In this episode, we unpack Chapter 16 of The Runner’s Paradox and challenge the conventional wisdom around strength. This isn’t about the quads or glutes. It’s about systems: how your nervous system fires under fatigue, how your tendons absorb and release force, how your body re-organises under load, and how rest, ironically, can sometimes make you weaker.

We explore the difference between pushing hard and holding form, between building tissue and building trust in your body. Drawing on new perspectives in biomechanics, injury science, and coordination theory, this episode reframes strength as a relationship — not just between muscle and motion, but between you and your own durability.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. Learn more at therunnersparadox.com. Best experienced mid-run, right when you’re questioning what your body can still hold.

Mile 15: Off The Road

We often think injuries come from mileage, poor form, or bad shoes—but what if they begin before the run even starts?

In this episode, we explore Chapter 15 of The Runner’s Paradox, where the real culprit behind dysfunctional gait might be your “Off The Road” habits. From how you sit at your desk, to how you carry your bag, to how your body compensates after a sprain ten years ago—this chapter reframes running pain as the product of unconscious choreography rehearsed daily, when you are not running.

We unpack how the body doesn’t just respond to training: it also self-organises around everything you do. 

With the latest insights on habitual movement patterns, postural adaptation, and pain as a late-stage signal, we ask: can you truly change your stride if you don’t change your life?

Whether you’re chasing PRs or chasing insight, this episode pulls you off the road to look at where your running really begins.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. Learn more at therunnersparadox.com. Best listened to in motion - probably not at your desk.

Mile 14: Calibrating a Smooth Running Experience

In this episode, we unpack Chapter 14 of The Runner’s Paradox, where comfort isn’t always your friend and familiar doesn’t always mean functional. We explore how running that feels right can quietly carry the seeds of injury, fatigue, and plateau.

Drawing from new research in biomechanics and wearable tech, we examine the hidden costs of gait patterns that go unchallenged—and the power of calibration to realign comfort with actual efficiency.

This is an episode for anyone who’s ever said “that run felt good”—and still ended up limping two days later.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. More at therunnersparadox.com. Best experienced mid-run, especially if you’re starting to wonder whether your ease is coming from mastery… or just muscle memory.

Mile 13: Relearning to Run

This episode opens Part 4 of The Runner’s Paradox with a quiet provocation: maybe you’re not running wrong, but maybe you’re not running as well as you could.

Mile 12: Hitting the Wall — and Breaking Through It

This episode explores the paradox of pushing limits: when striving makes us stronger, and when it quietly breaks us.

With new research on biomechanics, fatigue thresholds, injury risk, and physiological resilience, we explore the thin line between adaptation and overreach:

This chapter isn’t just a conversation about running. It’s about knowing the difference between pushing through and pushing past. Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. Find out more at therunnersparadox.com. For anyone who’s ever hit the wall and wondered if it was telling you something—this one’s for you.

Mile 11: The Pursuit of Excellence

What does excellence mean when your best days are behind you—or just beginning?

In this episode, we unpack chapter 11 of The Runner’s Paradox, where excellence is less about crossing a finish line, and more about learning how to keep showing up. 

This episode discusses how long-distance running shapes, challenges, and ultimately matures our idea of what it means to pursue something deeply, year after year.

We explore how excellence evolves with age, injury, and identity. Backed by new research on brain endurance, athlete cognition, and high-performance psychology, we ask: What if excellence isn’t about doing more, but knowing more? What if it’s not about reaching a standard, but learning to redefine it?

From mental fatigue training to the ethics of “enoughness,” this episode is about ambition that grows up—and still runs.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. Get your copy of the book at therunnersparadox.com. Listen mid-run, especially when you’re questioning why you still care this much. You’re not chasing perfection. You’re practicing presence.

New references discussed (2023-2025)

​ Zentgraf, K., & Raab, M. (2023). Excellence and expert performance in sports: What do we know and where are we going? [Preprint]. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372039098_Excellence_and_expert_performance_in_sports_what_do_we_know_and_where_are_we_going

​ Roelands, B., Hettinga, F., & Meeusen, R. (2024). Optimizing athletic performance through brain endurance training. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 19(10), 973–981. Retrieved from https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/19/10/article-p973.xml

​ André, Q., Smith, J., & Dupont, A. (2025). Resistance to mental fatigue in endurance athletes: Cognitive effort and self‑regulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1616171. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1616171/full

​ Wang, T., Zhong, Y., & Wei, X. (2024). Early excellence and future performance advantage in endurance athletes. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6, Article 11198806. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11198806

​ Galily, Y., Bar‑Eli, M., & Wininger, S. (2024). Psychological complexity beneath high performance: Reframing athlete success. Current Opinion in Psychology, 66, 102344. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667239124000224

​ Schindler, M. (2023, July 7). The pursuit of enoughness in endurance: Reclaiming performance boundaries. Trail Runner Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/mental-training-training/enoughness

Mile 10: Running As Empowerment

Not all power is loud. Sometimes, it shows up mid-run—somewhere between fatigue and clarity.

In this episode, we explore the kind of empowerment that doesn’t come from pace or podiums. Chapter 10 of The Runner’s Paradox looks at how running can quietly rebuild a person—from the inside out. 

We reflect on how long-distance running teaches emotional regulation, sharpens identity, and offers something rare in modern life: the ability to choose discomfort, and grow from it.

We bring in recent research on self-efficacy, resilience, and neuroplasticity to unpack how effort changes the brain, not just the body. 

Whether it’s returning from injury or navigating life transitions, this is a conversation about agency: the kind you earn when no one’s clapping, and you keep going anyway.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Ying. More at therunnersparadox.com. Listen on your next run. This one is for anyone who’s ever grown stronger in the quiet.

Mile 9: The Need to Run

What if your most disciplined habit was also your quietest dependency?

In this episode, we unpack Chapter 9 of The Runner’s Paradox: an exploration of addiction not as drama, but as routine. We ask what happens when running becomes your only method of emotional regulation, your only story of success, your only form of control. 

Drawing beyond the book’s research, exploring newer developments from 2023–2025, we examine the neurobiology of compulsive endurance behavior, the psychological scaffolding of identity collapse, and how the digitalization of running (through wearables and Strava) may be accelerating distress.

Addiction here isn’t a substance. It’s a structure.

Through the lens of phenomenology, affect theory, and sport psychology, we reflect on the moment when freedom becomes a form of exile and when high performance hides deep fragility. We look at the gendered dimensions of overtraining, the anxiety of rest, and the existential threat of injury when your only self is the runner-self.

But this isn’t just a critique. It’s an invitation. To recover not only balance, but plurality. To rebuild identity from multiplicity, not metrics.

Based on The Runner’s Paradox by Mok Ying Rong. Learn more and purchase the book at therunnersparadox.com. Subscribe to this podcast series and listen mid-run. Especially when the silence feels loud.