The Women's Running Lab

In this episode, Alison discusses the benefits of strength training for runners. Strength training, when done correctly, can enhance running economy and improve the body's ability to manage ground reaction forces. However, it's important to avoid overloading the body with too much intensity or volume too soon, as this can hinder performance. The episode also explores how to balance strength training and running across different training seasons, ensuring that the body can handle the appropriate amount of stress in each phase for optimal results. Alison emphasizes adjusting strength training volume, tempo, and speed according to the runner's current season to prevent injury and promote progress. She highlights the need for strategic planning and consistency, acknowledging that balancing strength training with running and other life stressors requires careful management and patience.

Resources Mentioned:

• Balancing Running and Lifting: Strategies to Improve Performance in the Off-Season and Training Cycles Blog

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses her experience with neck and back pain during long runs and speed work while training for a half marathon. She explains how poor posture, like hunching over and forward head posture, contributes to these pains. Alison shares the strategies she used to address these issues, including breathwork exercises like hooklying breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, along with strength training that focuses on maintaining a proper "stack" posture. She also touches on the differences in posture and breathing between slower-paced runs and speed work, recommending similar post-workout resets for both. Alison also highlights her course, Breathe to Perform, which teaches breathing techniques for better oxygen efficiency and improved fitness. She encourages listeners to check out the course and share the podcast if they found the information helpful.

Resources Mentioned:

• Hooklying Breathing Video
• Sucker Punch Rockback Breathing
• Breath to Perform: Breath to Perform will help you understand the science behind your breath and put some simple breathing exercises into practice that have the potential to take your running performance to the next level.

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses strategies to improve running efficiency by developing a "springy" stride. She highlights research showing how simple exercises like jump roping or pogos can improve running economy by training the lower limbs to act like springs, especially through the Achilles. Alison goes on to explain how to further enhance springiness by incorporating hip extension, dynamic yielding, and propulsion exercises, which are part of her "Strong and Stable" program for female runners. These exercises focus on using reciprocal motion at the hips, improving force absorption during mid-stance, and maximizing power during toe-off for a more powerful stride.

Resources Mentioned:

• Links to Studies Mentioned:
  • https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2023.2200403 
  • https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2019-0529 
• Strong & Stable: The Ultimate Hip Strengthening Program for Female Runners

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses the importance of strength training for runners, focusing on the lower body movements like hinging, squatting, and lunging. She emphasizes that running is a three-dimensional motion, not just a forward movement, and that exercises like squats and deadlifts should train the body in multiple planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse). She explains that movements such as internal and external rotation, adduction, and abduction are crucial for proper hip function during running and should be incorporated into strength training. Alison stresses that while the basic push-pull-squat-lunge framework works, it should be done with intention to address these diverse ranges of motion for maximal efficiency. She explains that in her program, Strong and Stable, the goal is to first help runners access these ranges of motion, then build strength within them, and finally integrate these movements dynamically, mimicking the fast nature of running. The program progresses systematically over eight weeks, ensuring runners improve both their strength and mobility in key areas.


Resources Mentioned:

Strong & Stable: The Ultimate Hip Strengthening Program for Female Runners

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses the importance of glute activation for runners, emphasizing the need for proper glute engagement through lengthening, not just squeezing or external rotation. She critiques common exercises like hip thrusts and clamshells for missing the essential step of finding length in the glutes, which is crucial for effective running mechanics. Alison introduces her free, revamped "Glute Accelerator" course, designed to help female runners build stronger glutes by teaching them how to load through length and efficiently use their glutes during their stride.


Resources Mentioned:

Glute Accelerator: A FREE 7 Day Crash Course on Building Strong Glutes for Female Runners (new and improved beginning January 27th).

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses IT band issues in runners, emphasizing that these problems are often caused by strength and stability imbalances rather than tightness in the IT band itself. She explains that foam rolling and stretching, while helpful in the short term, do not provide long-term relief. The key to addressing IT band issues is learning to load through the glutes and achieving proper internal rotation and alignment during running. Alison also introduces her "Glute Accelerator" course, which teaches runners how to strengthen and better utilize their glutes, integrate the kinetic chain, and improve overall running mechanics.

Resources Mentioned:

• Glute Accelerator: A FREE 7 Day Crash Course on Building Strong Glutes for Female Runners (new and improved beginning January 27th).

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison explains that impatience and under-fueling are two key predictors of injury that she frequently observes in runners. She emphasizes the importance of being patient in the training process and fueling properly for performance and recovery. She shares her own struggles with fueling, particularly as a coach who recognizes the impact of under-fueling, and mentions a recent study linking low energy availability (LEA) to poor race performance, injury, and illness. Alison emphasizes that regular, daily calorie intake supports energy for training, recovery, and daily activities, and how fueling strategies should be adapted based on the intensity of training. Key points include the necessity of carbohydrates before, during, and after runs, as well as the importance of fueling every day, not just on hard training days. Additionally, she discusses the concept of the "athlete plate" and how athletes should progressively increase carbohydrate intake to support their energy needs throughout training and recovery.


Resources Mentioned:

• Strong & Stable: The Ultimate Hip Strengthening Program for Female Runners: https://www.alisonmariephd.com/strong-and-stable 
• Research Study Mentioned: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2024/11/11/bjsports-2024-108181 
• Favorite Instagram Accounts: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/featherstonenutrition/
  • https://www.instagram.com/fueling.young.athletes/
  • https://www.instagram.com/marathon.nutritionist/
  • https://www.instagram.com/alexlarsonnutrition/

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses the importance of addressing muscle tightness not just through stretching or foam rolling, but by improving strength, stability, and position. She explains that tightness, such as in the hip flexors or calves, is often a result of poor body alignment and insufficient strength in certain muscles, like the hamstrings. Alison emphasizes that optimizing pelvic position and strengthening the hip flexors from a fully lengthened position can provide long-term relief, reducing the need for temporary measures like stretching. She also touches on the connection between breathing, core stability, and muscle tension, particularly in the psoas.


Resources Mentioned:

• Exercises mentioned in this episode:
  • All 4s Pelvic Tucks
  • 90-90 Pelvic Tucks
  • Bridge with Hip Flexor Pulls
  • Hip Flexor Sit Up

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, host Alison explores the role of rib mobility in enhancing running performance by improving breathing efficiency, core engagement, and rotation. Proper rib movement optimizes diaphragm use, reduces strain on accessory muscles, and supports better posture and force management. Efficient rib and torso rotation also improve energy transfer and running mechanics. Alison shares practical strategies to enhance rib mobility, including targeted breathing exercises, breath-timing during strength training, and incorporating reciprocal motion under load. She emphasizes the value of personalized approaches, which she offers through her Women’s Running Academy and one-on-one mentorship. Listeners are encouraged to apply these techniques to their training and share the episode if they found it helpful.

Resources Mentioned:

• Breathing exercises mentioned in the episode:
  • Rockback Breathing
  • Crocodile Breathing
  • Hooklying Breathing

• Women’s Running Academy: A 12-week group coaching and education program to help female runners ditch the cycle of injury and burn out and finally make real, consistent progress towards their goals.
• 1-on-1 Full Assessment and Strategy Session: Through my efficient postural and movement assessment, we will identify the specific needs of your body (as they relate to your goals) and create a custom strategy so that you can continue to perform without pain.

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!

In this episode, Alison discusses the importance of rest during strength training for runners, emphasizing that strength training should focus on force production and proper recovery rather than speed. She encourages runners to see strength training as a tool to improve running efficiency, sharing how her own struggles with running led her to appreciate strength training. She introduces essential movement patterns like pushing, pulling, hinging, squatting, and lunging, and explains how these exercises can improve running form by targeting specific muscle groups and movement dynamics. Additionally, Alison highlights key principles such as organizing the center of mass over the stance leg, rotation, and co-contraction, which can enhance running efficiency. She explains how practicing co-contractions during hinge movements like deadlifts helps with hip extension before knee extension, which is essential for efficient running. Alison also emphasizes the importance of plyometrics, including landing and propelling exercises, to improve the body's ability to absorb and rebound from ground forces. She concludes by highlighting the integration of these concepts into strength workouts, offering a program to help runners implement them effectively, with a focus on progressive training and proper rest between exercises.

Resources Mentioned:

• Fast & Free: A FREE plug and play set of run warm ups to help female runners feel strong, efficient, and confident in their stride.
• RunStrong101: A 6-week strength training program for female runners to run stronger, faster, and more efficiently without all the typical aches and pains!

Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your stories!