The Running Explained Podcast

Pro marathoner Sara Hall joins Coach Nick and Coach Amanda one week after the Chicago Marathon to talk marathon recovery, motherhood, and her memoir, For the Love of the Grind.

After 21 years as a pro and 23 marathons, Sara's recovery plan is refreshingly unsexy: eat a lot, sleep a lot, and spend time with the people who showed up for you. She explains why how you fuel the whole build matters more than any post-race gadget, how she plans to bounce back at CIM in December, and what racing without ego looks like in her 40s.

We also dig into life alongside American record holder Ryan Hall (who now meditates three hours a day, because of course he does), the magic mushrooms chapter, adopting four daughters from Ethiopia, and why becoming a mom made running feel lighter instead of over.

Topics: marathon recovery, back-to-back marathons, masters running, running parents, the pro running industry, and the best piece of training advice Sara has ever received.

Today's episode is sponsored by CEP and Running Explained listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Runningand enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.

Offer ends November 16, 2026, at 3:00AM EST. Limit one use per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Timestamps

0:00 Welcome to the Running Explained Podcast

0:51 Who is Sara Hall? 21 years as a pro

1:27 For the Love of the Grind and learning to love the process

3:06 Why your dreams can look totally different than you planned

4:07 Chicago Marathon recap: undercooked vs overcooked and the heat

6:35 How an elite recovers after a marathon (hint: eat and sleep)

9:39 Your recovery starts before the race: fueling the whole build

10:43 Why sharing the journey is where the joy lives

13:42 Writing the memoir: self-doubt and the 2024 Olympic Trials

17:01 Life in Ryan Hall's shadow and the stages of ego in sport

20:36 The magic mushrooms chapter and the faith pushback

23:26 Ryan Hall goes all in (again): three hours of meditation a day

25:02 How motherhood changed success, pressure, and running

29:31 Adopting four daughters from Ethiopia

31:58 Sending a daughter off to run at Rutgers

33:24 Sara and Ryan: 21 years of alternating highs and lows

36:56 The plan for CIM: bouncing back with a December marathon

39:45 Running camps and the Hall Steps Foundation

41:49 Rapid fire: best advice, biggest surprise, the pro running industry

46:43 Where to follow Sara

Links

Sara Hall on Instagram: @sarahall3

Running Explained on IG: @runningexplained

Training plans and coaching: https://runningexplained.com

The Weekly Stride newsletter: https://www.runningexplained.com/theweeklystride

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Olympian Carrie Tollefson joins Coach Amanda and Coach Nick days after broadcasting the 2026 Chicago Marathon. Carrie made the 2004 Olympic team in the 1500m, won five NCAA titles at Villanova, and now runs her mouth more than her legs (her words) as a marathon broadcaster and host of the C Tolle Run podcast.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the Chicago Marathon looks like from the finish line broadcast position

• Why Carrie ran three marathons just to commentate them better

• The human stories behind Hawi Feysa, Clayton Young, and Vinny Mauri

• How to handle negativity and why running needs a “positive thread”

• What everyday runners can learn from pros (you deal with the same mile 21)

• Running identity after competition, plus balancing career, kids, and 20-minute runs

• Prize money, the running boom, and celebrity run clubs

• Why success comes from finding your joy, not your finish time

• The Secret Interview Questions (and a story her mom will not love)

Come Join Amanda and I for the NYC Marathon Webinar and Live Q&A on 21 October from 6-730 EST. We will answer all your questions and walk you through EVERYTHING you need to know about the NYCM from the second you arrive to when you leave. Learn more and sign up here

Today's episode is sponsored by CEP and Running Explained listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Running or enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.

Offer ends November 16, 2026, at 3:00AM EST. Limit one use per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Key timestamps

06:58 Chicago Marathon 2026 from the booth

19:17 What everyday runners can learn from pros

23:16 Running identity after competition

33:28 What the running community gets right

40:33 Redefining success

42:01 Secret Interview Questions

Find Carrie:

• C Tolle Run podcast, the RunDot Podcast, ctollerun.com, Instagram @carrie_tollefson

Training plans and coaching: https://runningexplained.com

The Weekly Stride newsletter: https://www.runningexplained.com/theweeklystride

Enjoyed this one? Rate and review Running Explained and share it with your running friend (or someone you do not like, maybe they will like it).

How long should you rest after a marathon? Coach Amanda (fresh off her fall marathon) and Coach Nick cover marathon recovery from taper week to your first run back.

Pre-race recovery: why sleep across your whole training block matters more than the night before, packing a carb-load cooler for race travel, compression socks vs. calf sleeves on flights, protecting your social battery, and how long a shakeout run should be.

Post-race recovery: why you should eat within an hour of finishing (even when you are not hungry), how to plan food at big-city marathons, how many days off to take (10 days to 2 weeks for Amanda, 7 days minimum for Nick), why workouts can take up to 8 weeks to feel normal, the recovery tools coaches actually use, and how to handle the post-marathon blues.

Today's episode is sponsored by CEP and Running Explained listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Running or enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.

Offer ends November 16, 2026, at 3:00AM EST. Limit one use per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

2:44 Pre-race recovery and taper

7:14 Sleep before a marathon

11:00 Compression socks vs. sleeves for travel

16:13 Shakeout runs

26:08 Post-race recovery starts at the finish line

29:03 What to eat after a marathon

38:50 How long to rest after a marathon

45:59 Favorite recovery tools

50:34 Post-marathon blues

Training plans and coaching: https://runningexplained.com

The Weekly Stride newsletter: https://www.runningexplained.com/theweeklystride

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We did an old fashioned listener Q&A, and because you all sent in a stack of nutrition questions, we called in the big guns: sports dietitian Stevie Lyn Smith, RD, CSSD, back for round two.

Coach Amanda and I cover the coaching side while Stevie brings the fueling science. We get into how many carbs per hour you actually need on long runs (and why the answer is a range, not a flex), how to juggle fast 5Ks, marathons, and heavy lifting by building training seasons, and how to keep burnout from wrecking your year. Amanda goes on a legendary rant about lottery FOMO. I explain resiliency data points and why belief beats hard work at your absolute peak.

Then we help a first time Philly marathoner avoid the mile 20 wall, dig into the new ASH ferritin guidelines (and why ferritin alone does not tell the whole iron story), and answer the big one: can you safely cut weight before a marathon? Spoiler: Stevie said yes to cutting a bagel. That is it.

Today's episode is sponsored by CEP and Running Explained listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Running or enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.

Offer ends November 16, 2026, at 3:00AM EST. Limit one use per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Listener questions answered:

1. How many carbs should I take on long runs for my December half marathon?

2. I love fast 5Ks, long distance, and lifting heavy. How do I prioritize?

3. How do you keep from burning out?

4. How can I help my brain catch up to my running and believe in myself more?

5. I'm running my first full at Philly. How do I push without hitting the wall at mile 20?

6. Why do runners need higher ferritin levels than non runners?

7. Can I safely cut weight before a marathon for performance?

Resources and links

• Ferritin, Iron, and Anemia with Callie Roseland:

• Back to Back Marathons with Coach Corky

• Stevie on Instagram: @stevielynlyn | Website:stevielynrd.com

• Running Explained coaching and training plans: runningexplained.com

• Send us your questions: hello@runningexplained.com

Check out our new Kickstart Program

Enjoyed this format? Rate and review the show and tell us. If you want more Q&A episodes, we will make it happen.

Coach Amanda and Coach Nick talk masters running with coach Kim Nedeau (Training Inclined) about how mileage, recovery, and strength work should change after 40, plus what the research really says about bone density, menopause, and weighted vests.

Kim built her coaching practice, Training Inclined, and her women's community, Train Like a Master, after her own injury-prone running years. In this episode: deload weeks and recovery science, the strength work masters runners can't skip, telling normal age-related slowdown from an actual training gap, bone density and perimenopause, training through osteopenia and arthritis, whether weighted vests actually build bone, and navigating body image and weight gain through menopause.

Today's episode is sponsored by CEP and Running Explained listeners get 15% off their entire order when shopping CEP Running online through November 15! Shop CEP Running or enter code LRL-NYC-15 at checkout.

Offer ends November 16, 2026, at 3:00AM EST. Limit one use per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Our Guest

Kim Nedeau is a running coach, educator, and the founder of Train Like a Master, a training and education community for women 40 and over who want to keep running, get stronger, and perform well as they age.

Kim has spent more than a decade coaching runners and exploring the intersection of running, strength training, injury prevention, and healthy aging. Her work focuses on helping women understand how their training needs to evolve as they get older, which can mean setting new personal records or sometimes slowing down. Kim is also a masters runner herself, so she knows the highs and lows firsthand, sometimes finding herself running surprisingly fast for a master, and other days wondering how she got so slow.

Through her coaching, writing, and educational work, Kim brings an evidence-informed but practical perspective to topics like muscle loss, bone health, menopause, injury, recovery, and performance in the masters years.

Find Kim Nedeau:

• kimnedeau.com / https://traininginclined.com/

• Instagram: kimnedeau_traininginclined

Reach out via email at hello@runningexplained.com

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A single ferritin test isn't the whole story. Coach Nick and Coach Amanda talk with sports dietitian Callie Roseland about the difference between low ferritin, iron deficiency, and anemia, why runners are especially prone to running low, and the ferritin number that actually supports performance versus the number that just clears a lab's "normal" range.

We also cover when to (and definitely not to) get iron labs drawn, how hard training affects iron absorption through a hormone called hepcidin, and why more iron isn't always better.

Guest

Callie Roseland, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD, IFNCP, EP-C is a Sports Dietitian who specializes in helping endurance and mountain athletes fuel for performance, recovery, and long-term health. She has 9+ years of experience in high-level performance nutrition, including more than 7 years as a Tactical Performance Dietitian supporting U.S. Special Operations Forces within a multidisciplinary human performance team.

Through her private practice, Fueling Upward, Callie works with adult athletes who lift, run, and climb mountains while balancing serious training with full-time work, family, and real life. Her background in exercise physiology, sports nutrition, and integrative and functional nutrition allows her to take a comprehensive approach to performance, with particular interests in endurance fueling, performance labwork, gut health, hormone health, injury recovery, and optimizing nutrition to support high-level training and performance.

Fueling Upward offers 1v1 virtual nutrition coaching, group education, and on-demand resources to help athletes have more energy, ditch gut issues, and fuel the training it takes to cross finish lines and climb mountains.

Email: callie@fuelingupward.com

IG: @fueling.upward.rd

Website: www.fuelingupward.com

Reach out via email at hello@runningexplained.com

More from Running Explained

@runningexplained on IG

www.runningexplained.com

Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen. It helps more runners find the show.

Strength training gets thrown around as a cure-all for runners: fix your injury, run faster, never break down. Coach Nick and Coach Amanda sit down with Natalie LaMendola, DPT, a running-specific physical therapist and Running Explained coach, to separate what strength training actually does for runners from what the internet claims it does.

We cover the exact framework Natalie uses with runners (squat, hinge, push, pull, carry), how to know if your program is even working, the real reasons runners skip strength work, and what changes once you hit master's age. We also get into why strength training is not a quick fix for an injury, no matter what your Instagram feed says.

In this episode

• What actually counts as strength training (and what doesn't)

• Why strength training improves running economy and tissue durability

• The squat, hinge, push, pull, carry framework for building a session

• How many heavy compound lifts, single leg exercises, and plyometrics you actually need

• The weekly benchmarks that tell you your program is working

• The real barriers keeping runners out of the weight room, and how to work around them

• Strength training for master's runners: consistency, calf work, and tendon health

• Do men and women need different strength programs? (Mostly no, with one hormonal exception)

• Why strength training won't fix an active injury, and what it actually does instead

About our guest Natalie is a running-specific Doctor of Physical Therapy and certified run coach based in Kansas City. When she's not working with runners in the clinic, you can find her chasing her own goals on the run alongside her husband, twin toddlers, and hound dog. Her passion lies in helping runners of all abilities achieve their goals and get back to the miles they love.

Find Natalie: lamendolapt.com or on Instagram @runwithnat_dpt

More from Running Explained

runningexplained.com

Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen. It helps more runners find the show.

The 60g-an-hour carb ceiling isn't real, it was just the limit of one transporter. Sports dietitians Emma Harvie and Jaclyn Sklaver, CNS, LDN, join Coach Nick and Coach Amanda to explain the glucose plus fructose fueling strategy pushing runners past 90 to 120 grams of carbs an hour, why underfueling wrecks your hormones (yours included, men), and how to build a fueling plan months before race day instead of the week of.

Topics covered

• The real science behind the 90 to 120g/hour carb range

• Glucose vs. fructose absorption pathways, explained simply

• Gut training for race day fueling

• Low energy availability and the "low T diet"

• Hormones, iron, and fat intake in endurance athletes

• Refueling after long runs even without an appetite

Guests: Jaclyn Sklaver, CNS, LDN (Athletes Nutrition / Athleats) and Emma Harvie (board certified nutrition specialist).

Jaclyn Sklaver, MS, CNS, LDN, is a board-certified integrative sports nutritionist and founder of Athleats Nutrition, where she works with active gym-goers, competitive athletes, and everyday clients seeking sustainable performance and body composition results. Drawing on a functional medicine approach, Jaclyn goes beyond calories and macros to address the root causes behind plateaus, fatigue, and stalled progress, from gut health and hormone balance to inflammation and recovery. Her personalized nutrition programming has supported some of the world's top athletes, including professionals in the NBA and NFL, alongside a wide range of committed gym-goers looking to train harder, recover faster, and feel better in their bodies. With over a decade of clinical experience, Jaclyn pioneered the private-practice model in sports dietetics and continues to bridge performance nutrition with whole-body, functional care.

Emma Harvie, MS, CNS, LN, is a Licensed Nutritionist and Board Certified Nutrition Specialist specializing in functional medicine and sports performance nutrition. She brings a lifelong history of athletics to her clinical work, including as a former professional bodybuilder and current avid CrossFit athlete. Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Emma has run Grandma's Half Marathon every year since she was 15 years old, now an 18 time finisher and one of her favorite hometown traditions. Drawing on her firsthand understanding of what the body demands under training and competition, she works with clients using a practical, realistic, and root cause approach, building highly personalized nutrition strategies that recognize the unique needs and lifestyle of each individual patient. Emma has had the privilege of working with NBA players, celebrities, and elite, collegiate, and Olympic athletes to reach their health and performance goals. She loves helping clients overcome barriers to health to achieve meaningful, sustainable, and lifelong improvements in well-being.

Hosted by Coach Nick and Coach Amanda for Running Explained.

CONNECT WITH RUNNING EXPLAINED

● Website: runningexplained.com

● Instagram: @running.explained @amanda.katzz

Runners are great at ignoring pain. That is exactly the problem. In this episode, physical therapist Dr. Lisbeth Hoyt joins Coach Nick and Coach Amanda to break down bone health, the injury continuum, and how to actually catch a bone stress injury before it becomes a 12-week stress fracture.We get into why women are not small men, how hormonal shifts across your life (adolescence, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause) change your risk, and why the least exciting habits (strength, fuel, sleep) are the ones that keep you running. If you have ever pushed through a nagging shin or told your doctor you "jog occasionally," this one is for you.

IN THIS EPISODE

● Why bone is a living, dynamic tissue, and how running builds it stronger

● The number one warning sign that shows up BEFORE the aches and pains

● How to tell a normal bad run from an early bone stress injury

● Why running-specific PT matters, and how to advocate for yourself

● The life stages when women need to train and fuel differently

● The three "boring" basics that prevent most injuries: strength, nutrition, sleep

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome and introductions

00:26 Meet Dr. Lisbeth Hoyt, PT (and the fitness enthusiast title)

04:18 Today's topic: starting with bone health

05:09 Bone as living tissue: how it breaks down and rebuilds

07:00 Why male-centric research fails female runners

07:56 Nutrition habits that build bone early in life

11:52 The injury continuum: early warning signs runners dismiss

15:07 Why runners swing between panic and pushing through

17:51 Running-specific PT vs. generic PT, and advocating for yourself

21:56 Why we keep you running instead of shutting you down

25:07 The comprehensive intake: sleep, stress, nutrition, life load

30:32 The biggest red flags: sleep and nutrition

32:34 Life stages that demand more intention around bone health

37:00 Perimenopause, misdiagnosis, and the research gap

39:48 Training through pregnancy and the postpartum rush back

42:00 Why postpartum needs strength, pelvic floor PT, and honest expectations

45:10 The three things to start today: strength, nutrition, sleep

49:27 Rapid-fire questions with Dr. Hoyt

52:30 Where to find Dr. Hoyt and work with her

CONNECT WITH DR. LISBETH HOYT

Lisbeth is a running specialized physical therapist at Custom Performance, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, RRCA-certified running coach, and certified mat Pilates instructor. She's been working exclusively in the running world at Custom Performance for the past 10 years. Lisbeth has been a lifelong athlete who found her way to distance running following the end of organized team sports (aka college graduation).As a physical therapist Lisbeth believes running should be fun and part of a balanced, active lifestyle, and meets each client where they are in their running journey. Her goal is to help runners build the strength, movement skills, and confidence they need to keep doing what they love.Lisbeth is a 4 time marathoner, many times half marathoner and a mom of 2 toddlers which requires more energy than any race she's run before.

● Custom Performance, Midtown Manhattan (41st and Madison)

● Email: lisbeth@nycustompt.com | Front desk: info@nycustompt.com

● Free phone consults available

● Instagram: @lisbethh.jennings

CONNECT WITH RUNNING EXPLAINED

● Website: runningexplained.com

● Instagram: @runningexplained @amanda.katzz

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Running one marathon used to be the whole goal. Now it’s normal to stack two or three in a single fall, chase every world major, and call the easy one “party pace.” This week Coach Nick and Coach Amanda sit down with New York marathon coach Corky (@CoachCorkyRuns) to ask how many marathons is actually too many. We get into what the research says about performance and mental health, why party pacing rarely works the way runners think, the REDs and rhabdo reality behind the highlight reel, and what real recovery looks like. It’s a love letter to the marathon and to your long-term relationship with it.

WHAT WE COVER

• How marathon culture changed, and why stacking races got normal
• How many marathons a year is actually too many
• The “Berlin goal, NYC party pace” trap and who it really works for
• What party pace actually costs your body
• REDs, rhabdo, and the toll behind the highlight reel
• What real marathon recovery looks like, day by day
• Fueling your race to protect your recovery
• The questions to ask if you’re chasing likes instead of the goal
• Building a running life that lasts decades, not seasons

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome and meet Coach Corky

01:11 Who is Coach Corky

04:45 How marathon culture changed over the last decade

06:34 Why the marathon became “the event”

08:32 Social media, algorithms, and FOMO

10:15 What the research says: 2 to 3 marathons a year

11:01 The “Berlin goal, NYC party pace” trap

15:04 Intention vs impact

16:46 Love of running vs external validation

18:44 Why pros can stack races and most runners can’t

21:04 What “party pace” really means (and fueling for it)

23:03 The influencer highlight reel: REDs, rhabdo, and what you don’t see

25:26 The hidden mental toll of chasing marathons

28:17 Mental recovery and the marathon hamster wheel

31:45 What good marathon recovery actually looks like

34:30 Reintroducing running and the reverse taper

35:04 Muscle memory, a 31-mile run, and fueling for recovery

37:33 Training your gut and fueling for longevity

38:45 Staying flexible: adjust your calendar, respect the big picture

40:30 Questions to check your real motivation

43:30 Why DNS and DNF should always be options

44:03 Racing for yourself vs racing for the feed

46:31 Building a lifelong relationship with running

48:25 Super secret guest interview questions

51:03 Where to find Coach Corky

51:54 Wrap-up

Corky has been coaching and supporting runners since 2014, when she launched Coach Corky Runs. Her favorite distance to coach and race is the marathon, though she has extensive experience on the roads from the 5K through Ultra distances. While Corky coaches clients virtually anywhere in the USA, in person she's made a name for herself in the treadmill group fitness world. She was a full time coach at Mile High Run Club from 2015-2019, and joined Precision Run at Equinox in 2019, and is still currently coaching in person in NYC. She's also one of the Precision Run coaches on the Equinox+ app, guiding members through treadmill and outdoor programs. Corky is still competing, and while she loves to race, her favorite part of being a runner is truly the training. coachcorkyruns.com, @CoachCorkyRuns on Instagram and Threads, and teaching at Equinox NYC.

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Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

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Run clubs get called dating apps with cadence, influencer marketing for the warm-up, and content farms in matching kits. Some of that is fair. Most of it misses what these groups actually do every week.

Coach Nick sits down with two founders running clubs on the ground: Sydney Hara of Slow Girls Run Club in Vancouver, BC, and Will Walker of A Tribe Called Run in Baltimore, MD. They get honest about the criticisms and the parts nobody talks about.

In this episode:

• Whether the "dating app" reputation is fair, and why intention is the whole game
• Brand partnerships and content: building a community vs. farming your runners for a free commercial
• The pace problem, and what "all paces welcome" actually requires (caboose crews, walking trails, wolfpack long runs)
• The runners who never would have started without a club to show up to
• What run clubs do for mental health that has nothing to do with fitness
• Giving back: diaper drives, beach cleanups, back-to-school drives, and rallying around members in hard moments
• Starting your own club: two things to do, one thing to never do
• The question to ask any club before you join

Find the guests:
Slow Girls Run Club (Vancouver, BC): @slowgirlsrunclub. Runs Wednesdays at 6 PM.

Sydney Hara is the founder of Slow Girls Run Club, a women's running community in Vancouver built around one idea: movement should feel good, not intimidating.
What started as her own search for a space without pressure or pace expectations has grown into an active community of women who show up every week to run, connect, and have a genuinely good time. Events sell out. Friendships form. People come back.

A Tribe Called Run (Baltimore, MD): @atribecalledrun. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Will Walker is the founder of A Tribe Called Run, a BIPOC lead running group based in Baltimore, MD. Will is an engineer by day, but in his free time, he loves spending time with his family, connecting with friends through food and building communities focused in wellness! Will found the sport of endurance running during one of the most challenging times of his life and recognizing how much it helped with his mental health, wanted to share that gift with others. This lead will to only create an amazing Run community, but also to become an RRCA certified coach!

More from Running Explained: runningexplained.com and @runningexplained on Instagram. Rate, review, and subscribe if this one hit.

You can run well on too little fuel for a long time. Right up until you can't.

This week, Coach Amanda and Coach Nick sit down with Dr. Melissa Lodge (PhD in exercise science and sports nutrition, RD-in-progress, and the mind behind @fed_collaborative) to unpack REDs: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. It's one of the most misunderstood, under-screened issues in endurance running, and it does not have a look.

We get into why low energy availability sneaks up on runners (intentional and inadvertent), why weight is a terrible way to diagnose it, and the hidden biomarkers worth advocating for on your next blood panel (hi, T3). Melissa breaks down what's actually happening beneath the surface when you underfuel: bone loss, suppressed hormones, disrupted cholesterol, and a body quietly triaging which systems it can afford to keep running.

We also cover:

• Why a "withdrawal bleed" on hormonal birth control isn't a period, and what you lose as a vital sign
• The adolescent window for bone development that you genuinely cannot get back (essential listening for parents and coaches)
• Within-day energy deficits, backloading calories, and why "I fueled my long run" isn't the finish line
• How to raise concerns with a teammate or friend without pointing fingers
• The carbohydrate revolution in endurance sport, and the trap of nailing one thing while ignoring the other 22 hours of your day

The throughline, in true Running Explained fashion: nail the basics first. Eat enough, eat often, and stop making fueling harder than it needs to be.

Bio: Melissa Lodge, PhD, is an exercise physiologist and soon-to-be RD. Her research focuses on the physiological and psychological impacts of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), particularly in female athletes. As a former elite runner, Melissa is especially interested in REDs prevention to improve the health and performance of athletes across the lifespan. Melissa also runs the social media platform @fed_collaborative, where she translates complex research on exercise physiology, REDs, and sports nutrition.

Find Melissa on Instagram at @fed_collaborative.

This episode touches on disordered eating and bone health. If any of it hits close to home, please reach out to a sports-medicine-informed physician or dietitian.

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Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App to find the right training plan for you!

It's getting hot out there, and your fueling and hydration plan needs to keep up. Registered dietitian and board-certified sports nutritionist Stevie Lyn Smith (fresh off running 460-ish miles from Buffalo to Brooklyn, as one does) joins Coach Nick and Coach Amanda to break down what actually changes when the temperature climbs.

We get into why more electrolytes isn't automatically better, the real reason carb-based sports drinks help you absorb water faster, and how to run a simple sweat test at home so you can stop guessing. Stevie walks through her own half Ironman fueling strategy (carbs, caffeine timing, and cooling tricks included), what to grab on course when your gut says no to one more gel, and how to think about caffeine dosing without ending up with heart palpitations on the treadmill.

Then we go down a couple of rabbit holes you asked for: iron and ferritin (when to supplement versus when to dig into the why), and peptides (spoiler: the human research is thin, and we aren't rats). Evidence-based, occasionally unhinged, zero filler. Exactly how you like it.

Find Stevie on Instagram, stevielynrd.com, and on her podcast Real Fuel with SLS. Grab her book Power Up: A Young Woman's Guide to Winning with Sports Nutrition wherever books are sold.

Amanda IG

Nick IG

Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

to find the right training plan for you!

What's it actually like to finish a marathon after the crowds have gone home, the aid stations are packed up, and you're getting moved to the sidewalk at mile 22?

This week Coach Amanda and Coach Nick sit down with Avelyn, a proud back-of-the-pack runner who went from zero to three marathons in two years. She takes us inside the Walt Disney World Marathon and the famous balloon ladies, running New York as the crowds thin, and a brutally honest account of Boston: the unspoken bond she formed with two strangers on course, the ugly cry at mile 24, and why she chose gratitude over rage in a race that wasn't built for runners like her.

We get into why run-walking is real running, why "faster" and "better" aren't the same thing, how to define success beyond a finish time, and why what's happening in your body is nobody else's business. If you've ever felt too slow for this sport, this one's for you.

Avelyn is a Latina, born and raised New Yorker currently living in Atlanta, GA with her rescue pup, Georgia. She started running in February of 2024 with the goal of running her very first marathon. Since then Avelyn has completed three marathons and has built an online community by showing ordinary people that they can do extraordinary things.

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Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

Not sure talk our Training Plan Quiz to find the right training plan for you!

Coach Amanda and Coach Nick are joined by Justin Andreas a trail and ultra running coach, active duty Air Force member, beekeeper, girl dad, and host of the Golden Hour Adventures podcast for a deep dive into the world of trail and ultra running.

Justin shares his journey from competitive bodybuilder to 19-time ultra finisher (including six 100-milers), why he hated his first road marathon, and how the ultra community's culture of celebration especially for back-of-the-pack runners sets it apart. Plus: how he balances 100-mile training with fatherhood, what road runners get wrong about ultrarunners, and why your finish time genuinely doesn't matter out there.

In this episode:

• How Justin went from a once-a-year PT test to falling in love with distance running in Guam
• Why he hated his first marathon (and what that taught him about community)
• Making room for ultra running as a parent: 4 AM runs, stroller miles, and one 100-miler a year
• What road runners get wrong about ultrarunners ("we're not just walkers eating PB&Js... mostly")
• How to choose your first 50K — and why "hilly" means something very different on trails
• What road runners can steal from trail culture: efficient walking, gut training (~60g carbs/hour), and letting go of pace obsession
• The "golden hour": why ultra finish lines save the biggest celebrations for the final finishers
• Justin's best advice ever received, courtesy of his wife's mid-race text messages

Justin Andreas is a proud trail and ultra runner who has completed many races all over the country, including six 100 milers. His love for the outdoors and running started at a very young age, but once he discovered trail running in 2019, there was no looking back. “There is something special with being in nature, cruising on the trails, and crushing some vert”!

After completing multiple races, he decided he wanted to help other adventurers crush their goals as well. Beyond his coaching and hobby life, Justin is an active duty Air Force Firefighter, husband of 18 years, dad, and certified nerd. He is stationed in Alaska and resides in the North Pole. Justin’s also a co-host of the popular The Golden Hour Adventure podcast.

Find Justin:

• Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: @running_in_stache
• Podcast: Golden Hour Adventures — available on all platforms

Enjoyed the episode? Leave us a rating and review (you know the minimum — five stars) on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, and reach out anytime @runningexplained.

Amanda IG

Nick IG

Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

Not sure talk our Training Plan Quiz to find the right training plan for you!

Training Plans

Is the running world losing the plot? Amanda and Nick break down race time manipulation, the rise of unregulated supplements, and a certain influencer controversy that's got everyone talking. More than just drama this episode is about character, honesty, and what kind of sport we want running to be.

Road to Race Day: Fall Marathon Program now open. Sign up before 7/31 to be a part of our group program that is built on flexibility. You choose the Marathon and you pick the start date and how long you want coaching support for and we will bring the team. You will get multi-week check-in's from your coach, strength training built into your running plan on Final Surge, monthly calls with the team and a WhatsApp community of people chasing their goals. Don't miss this group and sign up today

Amanda IGNick IG

Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

Not sure talk our Training Plan Quiz to find the right training plan for you!

https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/688249e4b0197d00157fba4c

Learn more about all of this at www.runningexplained.com

You crossed the finish line… now what?

In this episode of the The Running Explained Podcast, Coach Amanda and Coach Nick break down what runners should do after a big race, whether your race went exactly as planned or completely fell apart.

They talk about post-race recovery, the mental side of transitioning out of a training block, post-race blues, how to reflect on your season honestly, and why the off-season is one of the most important parts of becoming a stronger runner.

You’ll learn:

• How long recovery should actually last
• Why jumping immediately into another training block can backfire
• How to identify weaknesses from your last cycle
• What “base building” really means
• Why runners need seasons, not constant grinding
• How to avoid burnout while still improving
• The difference between maintaining fitness and building long-term fitness
• Why your easy pace and workout paces don’t define your potential

This episode is for runners training for marathons, half marathons, 10Ks, or anyone trying to build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with running and performance.

If you’ve ever felt anxious taking time off after a race, struggled with post-race motivation, or wondered how to plan your next season, this conversation is for you.

Amanda IGNick IGEmail - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

Not sure talk our Training Plan Quiz to find the right training plan for you!

https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/688249e4b0197d00157fba4c

Learn more about all of this at www.runningexplained.com

Fresh off completing her first 50-mile ultramarathon on Mother’s Day weekend, running coach and mom of three Francesca Barbetta joins the podcast to talk about the realities of ultra marathon training, balancing motherhood and running, and learning how to let go of perfection in the process.

In this episode, Francesca shares how she transitioned from chasing marathon goals into the ultra running world, why the ultra community completely changed her relationship with racing, and what training for 50 miles actually looked like while working full time, raising three kids, and coaching runners.

We also dive into:

• Why marathon culture can sometimes steal the joy from running
• Managing mom guilt while prioritizing training
• Burnout, recovery, and the pressure to constantly “do more”
• The importance of fueling, sleep, and realistic training
• Why progress in running is never linear
• Learning to adapt training around real life
• The emotional lessons Francesca learned during this training cycle
• How running helped her reconnect with faith, peace, and perspective

This conversation is honest, relatable, and deeply human. Whether you're training for your first marathon, thinking about ultras, navigating parenthood, or simply trying to balance running with real life, this episode will remind you that you do not need perfect training to accomplish big goals.

Francesca Barbetta is a certified run coach, marathoner and full-time working mom of three. Since 2012, she has completed 12 marathons — including one entirely on a treadmill — along with 21 half marathons and 3 ultramarathons.
She shares her passion for running, training and balancing motherhood with endurance sports through her social media community where she provides approachable and valuable running tips drawn from her experience as both a longtime runner and coach. Francesca is happily married to her husband whom she met when she was a single mom to her oldest son.Follow Francesca:Francesca Instagram:

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If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, rate, and review the podcast to help more runners find us.

What does ADHD actually look like in runners and athletes, especially women? In this deeply honest conversation, Coach Amanda and Coach Nick sit down with running coach Mary Johnson to talk about the realities of living, training, parenting, and working with ADHD.

Mary shares her experience being diagnosed young, masking symptoms through achievement and structure, and eventually reaching a point where anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm forced her to stop pretending everything was fine. Together, they explore how ADHD often shows up differently in women, the connection between dopamine and endurance sports, why so many athletes are drawn to running, and the shame that can come with struggling silently as an adult.

This episode covers perfectionism, emotional regulation, burnout, executive functioning, coaching, mental health support, and the role running can play in helping people feel grounded and regulated. It is also a conversation about community, vulnerability, and learning to ask for help.

Whether you have ADHD yourself, suspect you might, coach athletes who do, or simply want a better understanding of the intersection between mental health and endurance sports, this episode offers a thoughtful and compassionate perspective.

Topics include:
• ADHD in women and athletes
• Anxiety, burnout, and masking
• Running and dopamine regulation
• Executive functioning and perfectionism
• Parenting with ADHD
• Why structure and coaching can help
• Mental health support for runners
• The connection between endurance sports and neurodivergence

Mary Johnson of Lift Run Perform (@itsamarython)

Mary Johnson is the owner of Lift.Run.Perform and a full-time running and strength coach. She lives in New Haven, CT with her husband, two kids, and golden retriever puppy, Sally. After rowing for four years in college, she ran her first marathon in 2010 and now considers herself a loyal student of the sport of running. Her mission is to empower people to realize how strong they are, inside and out, and to build a relationship with running and athletics that's focused on longevity.

Website

Amanda IG

Nick IG

Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

Not sure talk our Training Plan Quiz to find the right training plan for you!

https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/688249e4b0197d00157fba4c

Learn more about all of this at www.runningexplained.com

Mental health conversations in running are growing, but when it comes to men, there is still a long way to go.

In this episode of the Running Explained Podcast, we sit down with endurance athlete, community builder, and founder of RunTriMag, Jason Bahamundi, to talk about what men’s mental health really looks like behind the scenes.

We unpack the pressure many men feel to “man up,” how that mindset shows up in training, and why vulnerability still feels so difficult in the running and endurance space. Jason shares his personal journey with sobriety, disordered eating, and the shift from chasing performance metrics to building a more sustainable, honest relationship with sport.

We also dive into:

• How endurance sports can both support and mask mental health struggles
• The hidden signs of burnout, overtraining, and disordered behaviors
• Why community and honest conversations matter more than ever
• What men can do to better support each other and create safer spaces in running

This is a real, authentic conversation about identity, growth, and what it actually means to take care of your mental health as an athlete.

If you have ever felt pressure to push through, stay tough, or ignore what you are feeling, this episode will challenge that mindset and give you a different way forward.

Jason Bahamundi, founder of Run Tri Bike, is a passionate and accomplished endurance athlete dedicated to proving that there is a spot at the starting line for everybody and every body. With a background deeply rooted in the world of triathlon, running, and cycling, Jason has not only excelled in his personal athletic endeavors but is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive world of endurance sports. This led him to establish Run Tri Bike, a platform that serves as a hub for everyday athletes to connect, share experiences, and access valuable resources. Jason's genuine enthusiasm for endurance sports continues to inspire individuals to pursue their goals and embrace the transformative power of an endurance sports lifestyle.

RunTriMag Website

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⁠Nick -IG⁠

Email - Hello@runningexplained.com

🚨 1:1 COACHING SPOTS OPEN NOW 🚨

Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU?

✅ Personalized training

✅ Weekly support + adjustments

✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability

✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals

Not ready for a 1:1 Coach

📝PDF Training Plan Templates available

🤝Group Coaching, Strength Training and Unlimited access to

all Training Plans available in The Run Club App

Not sure talk our Training Plan Quiz to find the right training plan for you!

https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/688249e4b0197d00157fba4c

Learn more about all of this at www.runningexplained.com