The Women's Running Lab

In this episode, host Alison Marie discusses the biomechanics of uphill and downhill running. She highlights the physical challenges of uphill running, such as increased demand on the hip flexors and Achilles, and emphasizes the importance of strength training, particularly for hip flexors, pelvis position, and Achilles tolerance. On the other hand, she outlines the difficulties of downhill running, including eccentric muscle demands on the quads, potential issues with posture, and increased landing forces. Alison also shares strategies for training both uphill and downhill running, including hill repeats, plyometrics, and eccentric strength exercises. Additionally, she addresses how strengthening the pelvic floor can help improve downhill running for those experiencing pelvic floor symptoms. She discusses a key technique for downhill running: widening the arm swing to slow down without losing posture, a method often used by trail runners. Alison then shares three specific hill workouts and emphasizes the importance of training eccentric strength and pelvic floor responsiveness to handle the demands of both uphill and downhill running effectively.


Resources Mentioned:

• Stretch or Strengthen! What Hip Flexor Exercises Should You Do?
• Is Running Bad for the Pelvic Floor? Discover How Strength and Yielding Exercises Can Help

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In this episode, Alison discusses the importance of body autonomy and how it relates to both running and broader societal issues. She shares her perspective on coaching, emphasizing the value of understanding the "why" behind training and how it empowers women to become caretakers of their own bodies. Drawing on personal anecdotes and quotes from her Women's Running Academy, Alison highlights the significance of women living fully for themselves, breaking free from societal pressures, and advocating for their own well-being. The episode also touches on the emotional impact of recent political events and the ongoing fight for women's rights and equality.

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In this episode, Alison discusses the importance of an effective warm-up, emphasizing dynamic movements that increase blood flow, improve neuromuscular coordination, and enhance joint range of motion. She explains how her Fast and Free warm-up program, a downloadable resource of plug-and-play warm-ups, integrates five key running skills, such as stack alignment and rotation, to help runners improve efficiency and avoid injury. These exercises focus on building muscle coordination, joint stiffness, and energy storage, essential for efficient running, and incorporate springy movements to activate the nervous system. Alison emphasizes how these warm-ups help female runners improve strength, efficiency, and power in their stride. She encourages listeners to download the warm-ups and join her email list for upcoming Black Friday deals on her Strong and Stable course, designed to strengthen hips for female runners. The course will guide participants through a six-to-eight-week program aimed at improving hip strength and range of motion.

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.
• Here’s the link to join my weekly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss the Black Friday Presale of my new hip strengthening course for runners - Strong and Stable.

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In this episode Alison dives into the critical role of hip strength in running, challenging the common belief that tight hips need more stretching rather than strengthening. She explains how efficient biomechanics, particularly during the stance phase of running, are essential for minimizing energy loss and preventing pain or injury. By focusing on the phases of loading, stabilizing, and propelling, she demonstrates how targeted strength training and dynamic drills can improve running economy and stride efficiency. Traditional exercises like clamshells and band walks are critiqued for their limitations, with an emphasis on drills that develop dynamic hip strength and center-of-gravity organization. The episode also introduces her upcoming new program, Strong and Stable, designed to help runners build strong, stable hips for a more powerful and efficient stride, with special discounts available through her newsletter.


Resources Mentioned:

Here the links to each exercise mentioned in the episode:

• ADDUCTOR TAP DOWN WITH HIP LOCK
• HINGE TO HIP LOCK DRILL
• SHIFT LATERAL BOX JUMP

Here’s the link to join my weekly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss the Black Friday Presale of my new hip strengthening course for runners - Strong and Stable.

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In this episode, host Alison Marie discusses the concept of cadence in running and its impact on performance and injury risk. She explains that while the commonly recommended 180 steps per minute works for elite athletes, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution for all runners. Cadence should vary based on pace and individual characteristics, and a lower cadence can lead to overstriding and increased load, while a higher cadence distributes load over more steps. Alison emphasizes addressing biomechanics, such as stride length and body alignment, before focusing on cadence adjustments and recommends strides, strength training, and specific warmups to optimize running efficiency.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Runner’s Lab: The Runner’s Lab is a 2 hour virtual masterclass, part powerpoint style education and part practice to move, feel, and experiment with your physiology, stress resilience, running biomechanics and my 5 essential skills for an efficient stride in your body.

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In this episode Alison explores the importance of pelvic floor function for runners and outlines seven core principles from her Pelvic Floor Fundamentals course. She begins by sharing a personal story that underscores the emotional and physical demands on mothers, linking it to her own journey of rediscovery through running. She then explains how a "responsive" pelvic floor can prevent common issues like leakage, improve running efficiency, and reduce stress on the body. Alison’s approach includes understanding the pelvic floor’s interconnected role with core and hip stability, developing a full range of motion through key muscle groups, and incorporating dynamic, functional movement. She emphasizes that a resilient pelvic floor should work automatically and efficiently, allowing runners to stay focused on their stride rather than on managing symptoms.


Resources Mentioned:

Pelvic Floor Fundamentals for Runners: Support your pelvic floor through a whole-body approach so that you can run freely in just 30 minutes a week!

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In this episode, Alison explores the concept of Zone 2 training, emphasizing its physiological benefits for runners, such as improved cardiovascular efficiency and metabolic flexibility. She provides a systematic approach for integrating Zone 2 into training. The reality is, Zone 2 running is supposed to be easy but at first it can feel anything but. The main advice you get when you feel like you are about to pull out your hair or just throw in the towel is “just run slower.” For me it’s more of a yes… AND…These steps will help you ease your way into zone 2 in a way that accessible and enjoyable for runners, allowing them to build endurance without feeling overwhelmed.


Resources Mentioned:

• The Karvonen Formula: This heart rate zone calculator takes into account your max and resting heart rate.
• Breathing Gear System: This system from Shift helps integrate respiratory system training with your running.

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In this episode, Alison explains the importance of incorporating three key running paces into a training plan: easy, tempo, and track. The easy pace, making up the majority of training, helps build cardiovascular efficiency. Tempo runs, around 10K pace, improve muscle efficiency, while track workouts at mile pace or VO2 max pace improve power. She emphasizes the need for intentional pacing and using benchmarks, such as a time trial or race results, to determine appropriate training paces. Strategic dosing of all three key paces is the most efficient way to improve your fitness over time.

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In this episode Alison explores the role of strength training in enhancing both running performance and longevity. She emphasizes the importance of lifting heavy weights with fewer reps to build muscle and bone density, which running alone cannot achieve, especially as we age. For runners balancing strength and running, she advises focusing on quality over quantity, prioritizing strength in the off-season, and integrating plyometrics over time.


Resources Mentioned:

• How to Set Your Running and Strength Training Weekly Schedule Blog Post: Gets into more details of how to schedule out your week including a few sample schedules.
• RunStrong101: A 6-week strength training program for female runners. 
• 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. (returning Fall 2025)

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In this episode, Alison shares some of her running journey and how it continues to shape the way she coaches. From starting at an early age with her mom, to becoming obsessed in her 20s after, to struggling to find her way back postpartum, and running through grief after the loss of her daughter, each experience shaped the way she coaches. That last part is a big reason why she now integrates both mental and physical well-being into her coaching, emphasizing breathwork, nervous system regulation, and progressive training that respects the body's unique needs.

Resources Mentioned:

You can find all of the coaching and resources mentioned HERE.

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