Training Smarter, Not Harder: Hills, Recovery & Running Myths (Women’s Running Collective Ep. 76)

In this episode of the Women’s Running Collective, Hayles and Jussie catch up on the week that was from Jussie’s hill-heavy training as she builds towards UTA 50K, to Hayles sharing how special their International Women’s Day community run was, raising funds for a local oncology unit and women’s shelter.

From there, the conversation shifts into something we see all the time in the running world  the pressure to do more. More kilometres, more sessions, more intensity. Hayles and Jussie chat about why sometimes the smartest thing you can do as a runner is actually train smarter, not harder.

They talk about the influence of social media, the pressure that can come from Strava comparisons, and training apps that sometimes push unrealistic mileage without considering real life things like injuries, work, family life, or even menstrual cycles.

The girls then dive into some of the most common running myths they hear from the community like the idea that more kilometres always equals better performance, that you need to run every day to improve, or that strength training will make you bulky. They also chat about misconceptions around running ruining your joints, needing a certain body type to be a runner, or thinking you need expensive gear to get started.

To wrap it all together, Hayles and Jussie break down what they believe are the four key pillars of training well: consistency, speed and hill work, strength training, and rest. Along the way they chat about adding strides, fartlek sessions, cross training, and making sure you’re fuelling and recovering properly.

The episode also features sponsor mentions for the ASICS Superblast 3, plus their weekly recommendations including recovery sessions, planning for the Gold Coast races, and a lifesaver for busy weeks: The Dinner Ladies.

Timestamps

00:00 Sponsor and cold open