The RunRX Podcast

Are curved manual treadmills worth it for runners? In this episode of the RunRX Podcast, Coach Caroline shares her experience getting started with a curved, non-motorized treadmill, and Coach Valerie explains what makes these treadmills different from traditional motorized treadmills. Because the belt moves only when you move, you're responsible for controlling your own pace. The curved design also places you on a challenging incline, creating a workout that can feel much more demanding than walking or running on a standard treadmill. Learn why your pace may initially be slower, why your heart rate may climb quickly, and how this type of treadmill can help build cardiovascular conditioning and reinforce better running mechanics.

Coach Valerie explains that curved treadmills are designed to provide a challenging incline while allowing you to maintain your natural postural alignment. She discusses why some manual treadmills with adjustable inclines can take you beyond the point where you can comfortably stay upright without holding onto the rails. You'll also learn why your pace on a curved treadmill may be 20–30% slower than your typical pace, why faster running and sprinting can produce times closer to your normal pace, and why the numbers on your watch aren't necessarily the most important measure of your progress. Even experienced runners may feel winded on a curved treadmill because it creates a consistent hill-like challenge.

The conversation also explores how to gradually build cardiovascular fitness without doing too much too soon. Caroline shares her approach of starting with just 10 minutes and gradually increasing her time as her conditioning improves. Coach Valerie discusses the approximate six-week conditioning curve for someone coming back from a sedentary period and emphasizes balancing cardio with strength training and self-care. Just as important, they discuss listening to your body as your fitness improves. If something hurts or doesn't feel right, stop, reset, and reassess rather than forcing yourself to finish a scheduled workout. The RunRX start-stop method encourages runners to stop completely, use a drill or stretch to see how the body responds, and only resume running when it feels appropriate. Protecting your ability to run again on your next training day is more important than completing every minute of today's workout.

Finally, Coach Valerie shares a practical tip for using a curved treadmill with the RunRX Method: instead of trying to move the belt by pushing harder with your feet, focus on lifting your torso and allowing the belt to move naturally beneath you. This helps reinforce the concept of running with the fall and using your whole body rather than relying only on your feet to drive movement. Whether you're returning to exercise, building your cardio fitness, improving your running form, or looking for a different way to train indoors, this episode explains what to expect from a curved manual treadmill and how to approach it safely and progressively.

Learn more about the RunRX Method, running drills, strength training, and coaching designed to help you run with better mechanics and avoid recurring injuries at https://runrx.fit.

Should runners spend more time strength training and stretching? In this episode of the RunRX Podcast, Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie explain how combining strength training with stretching can help runners improve mobility, build strength, increase range of motion, and support a more efficient running stride. Instead of feeling like you need to spend an hour lifting weights or take a long yoga class, learn how to make strength and flexibility work together in a practical training routine that supports your running goals.

Coach Valerie explains why running should remain the primary focus of a runner's training, while strength exercises, stretching, and running drills serve as valuable supplements. She shares how RunRX strength combinations pair a strength exercise with a stretch or running drill during recovery between sets. This approach helps runners challenge their bodies without adding unnecessary training volume or continually fatiguing the same muscles. By balancing strength work with recovery, runners can work on flexibility and elasticity while preparing their bodies for their next run. You'll also learn why you don't need to complete every exercise in every workout to make progress and why exercise quality and a balanced routine matter more than simply doing more.

The conversation also explores why runners need to train their entire bodies, not just their legs. While lunges, squats, step-ups, and deadlifts can help develop lower-body strength, running mechanics also involve your upper body, shoulders, neck, arms, and posture. Coach Valerie discusses how strengthening the upper body and the muscles that help support the head and neck can be especially important for older runners and people who spend much of their day sitting or standing at work. You'll hear why repeatedly exhausting the legs during strength workouts may not be the best strategy for runners, and how incorporating upper-body exercises and stretching can create a more balanced approach to training.

Discover how combining strength training and stretching may help you feel more mobile, develop greater elasticity, improve your arm swing, open your chest for breathing, and move through a more comfortable running stride. Whether you're an experienced runner, a mature runner returning after an injury, or someone who wants to keep running without constantly fighting aches and pains, this episode offers a fresh perspective on making strength and mobility part of your running routine. Learn more about the RunRX Method, access coaching and guided workouts, participate in live Zoom sessions, and explore gait analysis and personalized support through the RunRX membership.

Visit https://runrx.fit to learn how RunRX can help you understand your running mechanics, build a stronger foundation, and work toward running pain-free.

Can you split your long run into two shorter runs and still prepare for a marathon? In this episode of the RunRx Podcast, Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie discuss how breaking up long runs can change the way you train, recover, and prepare for race day. Instead of following the traditional approach of building mileage until you reach a 20-mile long run, Valerie explains why RunRx focuses on cumulative mileage, time on your feet, running consistency, and developing efficient running form. Whether you're training for your first marathon, preparing for a 30K, or trying to improve your performance at longer distances, this conversation challenges the idea that you must complete every long run in one session to become a stronger runner.

Coach Valerie shares how her approach to marathon training evolved through her work with Dr. Nicholas Romanov and the Pose Method of Running. Rather than asking recreational runners to complete increasingly long, exhausting runs, she encourages them to build a strong running foundation and distribute their training throughout the week. That might mean running for an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening, completing a longer run one day and another run the following day, or accumulating quality running sessions over several days. The goal is to help runners train consistently without unnecessarily exhausting their bodies or increasing their risk of overuse injuries. Valerie also explains why recreational runners should be cautious about copying elite athletes' training plans without understanding the context behind their mileage, recovery periods, and running pace.

The conversation explores why running by time instead of focusing exclusively on distance can be especially helpful for recreational and age-group runners. RunRx uses a training approach that combines running sessions, intervals, skill drills, strength training, and recovery to help runners improve their movement and build endurance. Breaking up training does not mean avoiding longer runs altogether. Instead, it allows runners to accumulate quality work while paying attention to how their bodies respond. Caroline and Valerie discuss the importance of mental fatigue, recovery between sessions, and learning to recognize whether you need fuel, fluids, a short reset, or a change in your running form. They also explain why the goal is to reach race day feeling prepared, confident, and capable of continuing to run rather than feeling worn down by training.

If you're tired of feeling pressured to complete a traditional 20-mile long run, struggling to recover between workouts, or worried that missing a scheduled distance will ruin your marathon preparation, this episode offers a different way to think about endurance training. Learn why consistency matters, how to make your training fit your schedule, and how the RunRx method helps runners develop better movement while preparing for longer distances. Your marathon training doesn't have to leave you exhausted or injured to be effective. The goal is to build a foundation that helps you run more consistently, feel stronger, and enjoy the journey to race day.

Discover the RunRx approach to running form, injury prevention, strength training, and personalized coaching through the RunRx Academy app or at RunRx.fit.

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie break down one of the most common running problems: shin splints. Valerie explains why she calls them a “slap injury,” how reaching the foot out in front of the body acts like hitting the brakes, and why that repeated impact can travel through the foot, shin, knee, and hip. She also explains how thick, cushioned shoes can hide the impact and make runners more likely to actively reach for the ground instead of pulling the foot up and moving correctly. 10.16.2026 Shin Splints

The episode also covers what shin splints can turn into if they are ignored, why they can develop into a stress fracture, and why ice, rest, and stretching alone are not enough if the movement pattern is still wrong. Valerie shares her own history with shin splints, how she realized she should not have to ice her shins every night, and why learning the Pose Method changed her running by helping her reduce impact and move more efficiently. 10.16.2026 Shin Splints

Most importantly, this episode makes it clear that you do not have to wait until you are pain-free to get help. Valerie encourages runners to come in while they are injured so they can work on the movements they can do while they recover. The goal is not just to calm the pain for today, but to change the way you move so the injury does not keep coming back.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie talk about why RunRx has stayed consistent since 2018 while so many other running voices keep changing their message. Valerie explains that physiology has not changed, gravity has not changed, and the basics of human movement are still the same even as shoes, gadgets, AI, and new trends keep evolving. The episode looks at why runners are often pulled toward quick fixes, why so much online running advice focuses on shoes, stretches, or isolated “weaknesses,” and why that approach can leave people with more confusion than real answers. 10.9.2026 We do not change 10.9.2026 We do not change

The conversation also explains why RunRx teaches a standard of running while many others still avoid defining what proper running movement actually is. Valerie talks about her background in personal training, aerobics, and kinesiology, and why those fields all require movement standards, certifications, and correct form before progress. She contrasts that with the common advice runners receive to “just run,” and explains why that mindset leads many people into injury rather than progress. The episode shows how Pose Method, gravity, and correct movement patterns give runners a repeatable way to improve instead of chasing the newest trend. 10.9.2026 We do not change 10.9.2026 We do not change

Caroline and Valerie also discuss how AI and other modern tools can provide a lot of data but still fail to tell runners what to actually do with it. The episode points out that speed and endurance are byproducts of good movement, not the starting point, and that runners improve most when they learn how to move correctly first. Valerie closes by reminding listeners that the work is not easy, but it is effective, and that the RunRx method has produced consistent results because it is built on the same principles that have been working for decades.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie dig into one of the most common questions runners ask: why do my legs get tired before my cardio does? Valerie explains that leg fatigue often comes down to two big things: whether you are using muscle elasticity or relying on active muscle contraction, and whether your head and upper body are lined up correctly while you run. She breaks down why muscles fatigue more quickly when they are trying to control movement the whole time, and why running efficiently means allowing the body to work with gravity and elasticity instead of fighting against it.

The episode also focuses on posture, balance, and why the head matters more than most runners realize. Valerie explains that your body is always trying to keep your head in balance, and if your head is forward or back, the rest of your body has to work harder just to hold you upright. That extra effort can show up as tired legs, lower-body fatigue, and a run that feels harder than it should. Through gait analysis, daily practice, and weekly check-ins, RunRx helps runners learn how to hold their line, improve alignment, and build a better running pattern over time.

If you have ever felt like your legs burn out too fast, this episode explains why that happens and what to work on first. Instead of just trying to run more, Valerie shows why the answer is usually better alignment, stronger posture, and more efficient movement. With the RunRx immersion, gait analysis, and daily practice, runners learn how to reduce fatigue, improve their form, and run in a way that feels more natural, more controlled, and less tiring.

This episode is grounded in the transcript’s focus on leg fatigue, muscle elasticity versus active contraction, head alignment, gait analysis, and the 30-day immersion.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie dig into one of the biggest mindset shifts in running: stop judging success only by distance and start learning what running actually feels like. In this episode, Valerie explains why a run coach is not the same as a running partner, why she needs to watch your movement instead of running beside you, and why the real goal is to build confidence in your own form before chasing bigger mileage. The conversation focuses on running for time, starting and stopping when needed, and using the run itself as a skill-building practice rather than a pass/fail test.

The episode also breaks down why so many runners pressure themselves too early by signing up for a race or assigning a distance before they truly know what their body can do. Valerie explains that when runners learn to run for 10 minutes, reset when needed, and then build gradually, they often progress much faster and with less frustration. That same approach helped one runner move from never having run before to completing a 10K, 20K, and eventually training for a 30K, all while learning how to stop, restart, and trust the process.

At the heart of the episode is a powerful message about removing mental pressure from running. Valerie emphasizes that running should still be challenging, but it does not have to feel like gasping, wheezing, or “trudging through it.” When runners learn to hold their line, find a fall point, pull their feet, and reset when needed, they often discover that running becomes more fun, more efficient, and much less intimidating. This is the kind of coaching that helps runners move from surviving their runs to actually enjoying them.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie dig into one of the biggest pieces of the RunRx method: strength training for runners. Valerie explains that she has been a strength coach longer than she has been a running coach, and that her approach has always been about balance, not bodybuilding. She talks about how she learned strength training in the 1980s, how the old model for runners was often light weights and high reps, and why that does not always make sense when running itself is already thousands of repeated steps. The goal is not to get bulky or build a big neck; the goal is to build useful strength that supports running, movement, and longevity.

The episode also explains why RunRx strength work starts with bodyweight first and then progresses to dumbbells, barbells, and more load only after the movement is correct. Valerie walks through the kinds of exercises runners really need, including planks, glute bridges, hip hinges, squats, and pushups, and she emphasizes that the exercise itself matters less than how you perform it. She also talks about how strength training has changed over time, from old fears about getting “too big” to the modern acceptance of lifting for running performance, including CrossFit and Hyrox-style training.

Caroline and Valerie also discuss a common mistake: going too heavy too soon. Valerie explains that if strength work starts showing up in the neck and shoulders, the load is probably too much and the body is compensating instead of building the right support. She reminds runners that the hardest job the body does all day is holding the head up, which is why upper-body strength, posture, and core support matter so much as we age. The episode closes with the RunRx message that strength, self-care, and running all work together, and that one coach can help you improve all three in a way that supports better movement for running, walking, and daily life.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie talk about the upcoming September clinic in Texas and what makes a RunRx clinic different from a typical running event. Valerie explains that this is a learning clinic, not a mileage-heavy run, and that the focus is on drills, learning the gait cycle, understanding running position, and practicing short segments of running so each runner can feel the movement clearly. The clinic is set up in a park with shade, bathrooms, water fountains, trees, and a splash pad nearby, so runners can learn in a supportive environment without worrying about running long distances in the heat.

The episode also explains why people often feel nervous before a clinic but are glad they came once they arrive. Valerie says the clinic is designed for a wide range of people, including injured runners, newer runners, older runners, kids, and anyone who wants to become a more efficient runner or prevent injuries before they happen. She also shares that the first day focuses on movement, gait, strength, and self-care, while the second day gives runners more practice applying what they learned, including a little more running in the morning session.

Caroline and Valerie also talk about how RunRx clinics and private lessons work for people who cannot attend the full weekend event. They explain that Valerie offers private lessons, small groups, and custom clinics for friends, church groups, or travel groups, and that she works with runners of all ages and abilities. The goal is always the same: help each person improve their own running journey, build confidence, reduce the chance of injury, and learn the movement of running in a way that actually sticks.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie kick off marathon season with a clear RunRx message: the best way to train for a marathon is to first build running efficiency, then train for time and form, not just miles. Valerie explains that the RunRx process starts with the immersion, where runners focus on running form, efficiency, and staying out of injury before moving into the marathon plan. From there, training includes two interval days, one longer day, bodyweight strength work, exact self-care, and skill drills so the body stays ready to race.

The big difference in this episode is that RunRx does not rely on the traditional “build to 20 miles, then taper” approach. Instead, runners are trained to hold form for one hour, then two hours, and to test that ability over time. Valerie explains that she does not use 20 miles as the goal, because time on feet and repeated quality work matter more than chasing mileage. She also shares how her own marathon coaching with Dr. Romanov included a 10-mile run the Monday before race day, because the body was recovered and ready by Sunday.

The episode also touches on ultras and trail races, where the training changes a bit because walking, hiking, terrain, and repeated back-to-back efforts come into play. Even then, the core of the program stays the same: build the movement first, stay efficient, and train in a way that protects the body while preparing it to perform. If you are heading into marathon season and want a simpler, smarter approach, this episode lays out exactly how RunRx coaches runners to get there.

▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re

▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong

Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: [email protected]