Today, I had the distinct pleasure of engaging with the insightful John Davis on the Run Culture Podcast. We ventured into his coaching techniques, influenced by the greats like; Arthur Lydiard, John Kellogg, and Renate Canova. Our dialogue then largely focused on the groundbreaking concept of 'full spectrum training'—a vital approach for runners looking to enhance their training methods and understand the nuances of periodization. I specifically reached out to John to discuss this topic, as I believe it holds the potential to empower many runners in their training journeys. A huge thank you to John for generously imparting his wealth of knowledge! John is a runner, coach, scientist and author of the book: "Modern Training and Physiology for Middle and Long Distance Runners" He also has an amazing website called; www.runningwritings.com

Be sure to explore his outstanding book and blog for more invaluable insights (links below): Newsletter: https://runningwritings.com/news Website: https://runningwritings.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Training-Physiology-Long-Distance-Runners/dp/0615790291/ X: https://x.com/JDruns Here’s a link to the percentage-based training article we discussed: https://runningwritings.com/2023/12/percentage-based-training.html

Peter Dutton is one of the Run Culture Owl athletes I coach, we have worked together for the past 5 years!

The hidden advantage of doing a podcast with an athlete you have coached for that long is that you have an incredible audio time capsule to re-visit!

In fact, as I write this blurb I am re-listening to the very first podcast we did together (S1-Ep. 30 Feb 2020), it's quite an interesting process as a coach; he's definitely the same person but a little bit different...as am I!

It has been a year to the day since the last time Pete was on the podcast! So, please do yourself a favor and listen in to hear;

-How Pete's 3 month US trip went (he trained at Altitude in Boulder and Flagstaff!).

-Or how he salvaged, in his words; 'the track season from hell!' ....

-and how I have finally given him the green light to try to make the 2024 Melbourne Marathon start line!

I just had an incredible conversation on the Run Culture podcast with Jae Gruenke, a certified Feldenkrais practitioner, former professional dancer, and running form coach of over 20yrs. We discussed the fascinating concept of Feldenkrais and how it can benefit runners. Jae shared how her dance background has influenced her coaching approach and how it can help runners move more authentically and efficiently. We also explored the idea that humans are naturally evolved to run, but our modern habits and beliefs can hinder our movement. Jae explained the difference between running drills and running lessons, emphasizing the importance of a more explorative and sensory approach to motor learning. She also shared a few of her six main principles for balanced running. Such valuable insights! Check it out! And, if you want to find out more about Jae's offerings be it blogs, videos or courses be sure to go to: https://www.balancedrunner.com/ #RunCulture #RunningForm #InjuryPrevention

Welcome back to another episode of the Run Culture Podcast, today I'm incredibly fortunate to be chatting to Canadian Sports Physiotherapist, author, biomechanist and researcher with a special interest in running; Chris Napier. Known as @runnerphysio on twitter, Chris is a 2:33 marathoner, he finished his Masters in Physiotherapy in 2003 in Perth, Australia and his PhD in running biomechanics and injury prevention in 2018. He co-owns Restore Physiotherapy clinic in Vancouver. He is currently a physiotherapist with Athletics Canada.  He is also the author of a fantastic book called; 'The Science of Running'; which I might add is just such a comprehensive resource for educating the runner about the latest running research, myths and the multiple reasons why we get injured  Chris's list of research publications continues to grow as a postdoctoral fellow at Simon Fraser University; he now has a particular interest in the use of 'wearable technology' to monitor training load and injury risk in runners. Chris's approach is to fuse biomechanical data capture from the field with subjective and objective training data. He is particularly passionate about education and translating his research into practical/translatable solutions for the runner.  In this chat we really focus on how runners could 'optimise training load monitoring' now and in the future. I ask Chris;  what is  'wearable tech'? We delve into the range of possibilities that 'wearable tech' could allow in regards to better monitoring the runners training load. Where he envisions 'wearable tech' to be at in 10yrs? Is there such thing as too much data? What data is valid/relevant? We also chat about the value in monitoring daily life stress (ie. sleep, stress, happiness, wellness/health/illness, pain, fatigue) and how being more cognizant of this can help with avoiding injury and maximizing performance. Will Artificial Intelligence start doing more and more, processing of our training data and start making some training decisions for us? We discuss the ins/out of this idea. We also discuss that; 'AI' will likely never be able to replace the often under appreciated value of coach-athlete rapport and the effect this relationship can have on motivation and compliance.

What an enlightening chat I had with Jono Hall, I was utterly transfixed to his every word and I have to admit I’ve re-listened to this chat several times since! “Jono” is a renowned Coach in the world of Triathlon. He is the head coach of Triathlon Canada's National Performance Center. He coaches top Canadian athletes such as Tyler Mislawchuk, plus a handful of international world class athletes on the ITU circuit. In this training talk we discuss Jono's coaching philosophy, what makes a ‘good coach’? Why him not being a fan of triathlon, possibly helps his coaching? What can ‘runners’ learn from triathlon training? His experiences coaching the likes of; Alan Webb, Craig Mottram, Drew Ginn and Morgan Pearson. Jono has been a professional coach for the past 15 yrs; initially with the VIS, Triathlon Australia and then was a lead coach for Triathlon USA for several years too. His private Triathlon coaching business is called the @Multi sport Brain. Prior to his coaching, as an athlete Jono Hall won the 1997 Australian Road Cycling Championships and 1997 ITU World Duathlon Championships! Keen runners and coaches, this one’s for you, I encourage you to all listen in, I’m sure you will learn/refine/consolidate a thought or two. Thanks again Jono Hall, loved it, so thankful for your time!

Today, on the podcast I had such a fun, relaxed and genuine chat with former Aussie 1500m record holder, three time Olympian and 2006 Comm Games silver medallist; Sarah Jamieson. This interview is an incredible insight into Sarah’s career, the persistence she showed to get through 7 surgeries in her early 20’s, the lessons she learnt throughout her running career, how she tailored training to suit her body, what life was like on the ‘European Athletics circuit’, the importance of a good support team and the sacrifices she made to make it all happen. It’s an inspiring chat on so many fronts, so please forward/share this with any keen runner that has big dreams. Sarah, is now a mum of 4, resides in Perth and runs the Perth Running Club (a recreational coaching service for runners) https://www.perthrunningclub.com.au/ So, for those that remember Sarah Jamieson, enjoy the trip down memory lane and for those that don’t, well, here she is, what a down to earth legend!

Today, I really enjoyed getting deep into the nerdy running details of how US elite Hoka one one sponsored marathoner/ultra runner Tyler Andrews prepares for a 50km race! Tyler is a 2:15 marathoner, was the 2016 Doha 50km World Championship Silver medalist, is the current US 50 mile National champ and has the fastest known time for 50km on the treadmill (2:42:51 June 2020). He is also a coach at Chaski Endurance Collective and has a fantastic running blog at www.strivetrips.org. We open the chat discussing how he has used goal setting to continually challenge himself and stay excited about his running and what he’s building for! How he has relished the COVID19 pandemic period to ‘re-set’ and get healthy. Tyler also details the 3 ‘free’ worldwide Chaski challenge virtual running events he has set up during this pandemic period for the running world. In this chat I loved listening to how Tyler steals his mind to run 50kms on the treadmill and what strategies he uses to cope with pre-race nerves. If you are interested to check out more about the Chaski Challenge virtual runs or online coaching be sure to go to; https://www.chaski.run/challenge

In this weeks episode I had a ball chatting to former Australian distance running superstar; Susie Power. In this chat, Susie details her incredible running journey, the many ups and downs and some major learnings. Some key takeaways I took from this chat included: ‘the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.’ Or that, for most runners; ‘good life balance often parallels optimal performance.’ Susie still holds multiple U/20 Australian records, was a pen pal and close friend to Paula Radcliffe growing up, was a silver medalist to Gabriella Szabo in the 3000m at the 1994 World Junior Track & Field Championships. Was the Bronze medallist in the 10,000m behind only the Kenyans at the 2001 Goodwill Games and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. Is still the Sydney City2Surf woman’s race record holder (45:01) from 2001. Ran an incredible 31:25 in the rain at the 2001 Zatopek 10,000m in an incredible display of front running. Susie also ran a quick 67:56 at the 2002 Great North Half marathon. Outside of running, Susie’s life is all but boring and she sure still hasn’t slowed down, she is now a single mum to 6 kids!

A few weeks ago I was incredibly fortunate to have a good chat to highly regarded Australian Walks coach; Brent Vallance. Brent was a fantastic walker himself representing Australia in the 20km road race at the Kuala Lumpar Commonwealth Games in 1998. Unfortunately, a chronic Hamstring injury ended his career prematurely but fortunately for the walking world he turned his attention to coaching! After completing a graduate coaching position at the AIS and majoring in coaching at university, Brent soon helped guide Nathan Deeks to his bronze in the 20km at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Brent was the official Olympics Team Coach for racewalking on that trip and has been at every Olympics since! Other walkers he took on around this time included; a young, Jared Tallent and Adam Rutter, amongst others. In this chat, I really enjoyed quizzing Brent on his and Jared’s journey together as coach and athlete to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We open the chat discussing how Brent monitored Jared’s training load. From 2006 to 2012, Brent was the AIS Chief Coach for Racewalking and took the Australian walks program to new heights. He took teams overseas each year, organized training camps and helped foster the development of the Australian walking program. He is highly sought after, both locally and overseas, as a presenter. And of course, today he continues to currently coach a number of world class race walkers, including; - 2018 20km race walk Commonwealth Games Gold medalist Jemima Montag. - 2019 IAAF World Championships Bronze medalist 20km race walk, 2019 European Champion; Perseus Kalstrom – Sweden. - 2x Olympian/Lithuania national record holder 20km walk (Brigita Virbalyte – Lithuania. - 2x Olympian and New Zealand record holder (3000m, 10,000m, 20km and 50km race walk) Quentin Rew – NZ - Olympian and 5x World Cup representative (Rhydian Cowley – Australia) - 2019 World University Games bronze medallist (Anežka Drahotová – Czech Republic

Hi guys, something a bit different today! A few weeks ago Damien Clark (a vital member of the Run Culture Owls, the squad of athletes I coach), asked if he could kindly take over as host of the podcast and interview me! So, I was suddenly thrust into the hot seat while he relished the opportunity to throw me a few curly ones! Here it is, it was a bit of fun. A good insight into my life as a marathoner and running physiotherapist! Hope you enjoy it!

Today, I was fortunate enough to chat with Kiwi Lorraine Moller; she shares her journey, stories from her amazing career and an abundance of sage learnings and wisdom along the way! Lorraine Moller is a 4-time Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist (in the marathon, Barcelona 1992), a world track and field finalist, multiple Commonwealth Games track medalist and winner of 16 major international marathons! Alongside her running achievements, Lorraine was a forerunner for equality in women's athletics and an activist for professionalism in distance running. Her career started out in New Zealand as an exceptional 14-year-old middle distance runner, coached by Lydiard protégé and 1964 Olympic 1500m bronze medalist, John Davies. Always adhering to the methods of Arthur Lydiard, Lorraine wound up a 28-year stellar career as an undefeated master’s runner at her 4th Olympic Games at the age of 41. In 2006 she cofounded the Lydiard Foundation, a foundation dedicated to educating coaches and athletes in the art of endurance training and peaking. Please follow this link to find about more about Lorraine’s Lydiard coaching courses: https://lydiardfoundation.org or contact Lorraine on email at: lorraine@lydiardfoundation.org. Lorraine’s autobiography "On the Wings of Mercury," published in 2008, was launched by New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Helen Clark, and became #2 on the New Zealand Best Seller List. Lorraine lives in Boulder, Colorado.

"Champions are everywhere....they just need to be trained correctly." -Arthur Lydiard If you want to hear a fantastic insight into the history, training and coaching philosophies of Arthur Lydiard and his pupils, then there is no better man to chat to than Keith Livingstone and that's who we have on the show today. This is a lengthy one, Keith's a fantastic story teller, I was spell bound, ideal for your next long run! Dr. Keith Livingstone not only was a high level distance runner himself in his day running; 14:04 for 5000m and 29:19 for 10,000m but was also a highly sought after chiropractor, running coach and now author of three books!  These include;  1.) Healthy Intelligent Training- the proven principles of Arthur Lydiard,  2.) Champions are Everywhere-The Schedules (A practical user friendly summary of Healthy Intelligent Training)  and  3.) Staring down the Beast- A book recounting Keith's survival journey after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor (glioblastoma multiforme) in 2007.  Keith also has a fantastic blog at; www.drkeith.com.au, where he has a number of fantastic interviews, blogs and If you are interested you can also purchase his books.

Today in episode 60 of the Run Culture Podcast I chat to Thomas Do Canto, who not only is a distinguished runner (a 2:14 marathoner & 2016 Melbourne Marathon winner) but also a highly sort after Sports Podiatrist and is one of the Directors at Walkers Street Sports Podiatry in North Sydney. In the podcast, Tom talks about how his own running is currently going, how he’s coping with COVID-19 and how his aims have changed as a result. The crux of the podcast is then spent discussing and debunking several common misconceptions/beliefs relevant to running podiatry. Tom has not only 10 years of clinical experience but a fantastic grasp of what the current evidence-based literature suggests in regards to concepts such as; minimalism, orthotics, running technique and foot strengthening. Thanks for a great chat Tom, so many runners will learn a thing or two from this, we may even ‘change/begin to change’ some conceptual beliefs!

🎙️ Just had a really refreshing conversation on the Run Culture Podcast with Australian Paralympic triathlete, Jack Howell! 🏊‍♂️🚴🏃‍♂️ Ranked 7th globally in his category, he's chasing his childhood dream of making it to the Paris Paralympics. 🌟 At just 19, Jack is wise beyond his years, well spoken, confident and has an awesome perspective on how to cope with adversity and maintaining balance in life. To paraphrase jack; “..be good with the people, love life, get put down and still race hard!” I hope you enjoy jacks story and you get behind this superstar! 🎧 #Paralympics #Inspiration #RunCulturePodcast. If you want to support Jack on his journey please check out this link here: https://asf.org.au/projects/jack-to-race-para-triathlon?fbclid=IwAR2sHpJxrvxVUIvkSbKycTgq8-0Y-aqYpYqHkd8mG7wnvkgn3ZjGdY52bY0_aem_AVulLSqdM3xW5VDn6VRrIyVa4B6VTuLZSYREpspTEydCEzf3N-JIyHir6950IJV5J2o

Today I chew the fat with Chris Pilone. I’ve got to thanks Chris for this chat again, it was one of the most; fun, wise, enlightening, gripping and honest chats I’ve had on the podcast. Chris is a New Zealand based athletics and triathlon coach, who has had tremendous success at the international level. Chris has been a professional coach since 1997 and has guided many national champions in a range of events (including 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist Hamish Carter in the triathlon, as well as Nikki Hamblin one of NZ’s best middle-distance athletes). Pilone competed at a high level for New Zealand himself, running 2:16 in the marathon, 29:32 for 10k and 14:07 for 5k. He also finished a respectable 74th place at the 1988 World Cross Country Championships in Auckland. During the mid-1980’s he trained with the likes of John Walker, Dick Quax and Peter Pfitzinger. Chris generously shares just so much incredible knowledge and insight from his running and coaching career, everyone will learn something from this one!

Rehab and Conditioning Specialist from the UK; Claire Minshull. Claire has been apart of 30 plus research papers (including a PHD), most of which were in Strength and Conditioning. Her website; www.getbacktosport.com has many great blogs and courses about strength and conditioning. Claire also has personal experience not just as a researcher and clinician but on the other side of the fence as a successful sportsperson/power lifter and a patient(having had to under go two back surgical procedures herself). Today we go over the definition of strength training, scheduling, periodisation, the neuro-physiological effect of strengthening and common mistakes and misconceptions when it comes to strength training.

Today in the Run Culture Podcast I chat to Tom Goom the Running-Physio, from Brighton the UK! His website; www.running-physio.org has so many fantastic resources, blogs and videos for sore/injured runners! Tom, as you will hear is fully abreast all the latest running research! Today we focused on a wholistic look of running injury and pain. We talked about the importance of training structure, plans, the importance of easy days, knowing your body, the complexity of pain, fluid versus rigid expectations, harmonious versus obsessive passion, that running training is a behaviour and the complexities involved with behavioural change. We also touched on practical strength training and how Tom views running biomechanics.

This week I chat with US physio; Chris Johnson. Chris is a highly acclaimed physical therapist from Seattle, that specialises in treating endurance athletes. He has a background in research, is well abreast the latest evidence based literature and has been a physical therapist for 19yrs. He is the owner of Zeren PT, has completed 2 Kona Ironman triathlons, 1 in under 10 hrs! He is a triathlon coach and has an incredible You Tube channel with over 600 free exercise videos for runners! He also made a RunCadence app! I really enjoyed this chat, thanks Chris for sharing your wealth of experience and being such a genuine, approachable and nice guy! Legend!

With COVID-19 restrictions easing slightly in recent weeks, it was great to catch up with Pete Dutton and Damien Clark two of the Run Culture Owl athletes I coach! We debrief the last 6 weeks, how good it is to be back out there as a group and we discuss how everyone is chugging along!

This is a great book/podcast for any runner out there that is intrigued to hear how an elite professional distance running group trains! Or any runner out there that has or still does dream about taking running all the way! In this interview I talk to renown endurance sport writer, Matt Fitzgerald about his latest book; 'Running the Dream'. In this book he details the 13 weeks he spent training and racing  'faking to be a pro' with the Hoka Northern Arizona Elite professional running team in Flagstaff, Northern Arizona, America.  At 46 years of age, with 40 marathons under his belt and no marathon PB for 9 yrs, it's amazing to hear what Matt was able to achieve with just 13 weeks training with the team. Matt Fitzgerald is an author of more than 20 books, including; 'How bad do you want it?' , '80/20 Running', 'Ironwar' and 'The Endurance Diet'. He's also a running coach and handy runner himself. In the interview I quiz Matt about concepts like; What makes a successful running group? How important are groups? What was the training structure like? What epic workouts did he complete? How did he manage injury? What was their nutrition like? Was their a common thread in regards to mindset amongst the professional runners in the Hoka NAZ elite team? Thanks once again Matt for not only your time but a fascinating insight into life with a Professional Distance running group! If you are interested to read more about Matt's experience or his other titles go to; www.mattfitzgerald.org

On episode 53 of the Run Culture Podcast I interviewed Jay Dicharry. Jay Dicharry is a US Physical Therapist and world renown researcher specialising in running biomechanics.  He was the Director of the Speed Clinic at the University of Virginia and now is the Director of the Rep Biomechanics Lab in Bent, Oregon. Jay consults for a variety of footwear companies and many US Olympic track and field athletes. Jay has a passion for solving injury problems and optimising performance. Today, I hammer Jay with many questions about running biomechanics; what’s important, what’s not. Jay is a big advocate for ‘preparing our bodies to run’ he talks about this in the podcast and in great detail in his two books; Running Rewired and Anatomy for Runners. If you want to find out more information on Jay Dicharry then go to his website: www.anathletesbody.com or @mobo.board

In this weeks episode of the Run Culture Podcast I have the pleasure to talk to renown Running Physio and Director of Physio@CentralPark; Kevin Lieberthal. Today, we talk everything and anything running biomechanics! We quash more myths! Kevin has been a physio for 19 yrs, he has run 16 marathons; including the Berlin marathon and 2 Comrade marathons! In 2015 he also finished a masters in research in exercises science on Achilles Tendinopathy and lower limb function. Around this time, I remember attending and really enjoying a presentation he did for the Australian Physiotherapy Association on; running biomechanics. This episode is jam packed with just so much insight, it’s another must listen for any keen runner out there! I must thank Kevin again for how generous he was with his time and in sharing his clinical expertise! Find Kevin at: http://www.physiocentralpark.com.au/ or @physio_@_central_park

Today I had the pleasure to talk to Caleb McInnes a renown Podiatrist of 10 years and Director of Thrive Sports Medicine, Croydon. Caleb is also a competitive triathlete/duathlete and runner himself. In this podcast we talk about: - How important is load management in runners, when it comes to injury? - The 7 negatives of shoes that most can’t go without? - How do you answer: ‘what shoe is best for me? - Runners are generally doing more strength training these days but no one takes their shoes off and strengthens their feet. As runners should we? -What’s Barefoot training vs barefoot running? - The Importance of a wide distal foot splay for stability and strength in push off? -How do we reverse the deconditioning that footwear has had on our feet? - How important are the sensory nerves of the foot? - Running Biomechanics.

Episode 50 of the Run Culture Podcast: One of the most informative yet, for any keen runner trying to master the balance between optimal running performance and minimizing the risk of injury, this is another must listen! Last week I had a great yarn with good friend Kevin Craigie; an APA titled Sports Physiotherapist. Kevin has been part of the physiotherapy team for Athletics Australia since 2011 and is the current Lead Physiotherapist with the Pathways Program, physiotherapist for the Victorian Institute of Sport Athletics Program and a touring physio for Athletics Australia. Kevin has worked alongside some of the countries best athletes, coaches and clinicians to develop strategies for injury prevention, training, recovery and rehabilitation. He has also worked with St. Kilda Football Club on their running mechanics. Kevin was also a very distinguished runner himself over the past 20 plus years and has some very handy track 1500-5000m times to boot. His ongoing battles with a likely genetic predisposition for navicular bone stress injuries makes his running achievements all the more admirable and certainly has assisted his development into a well experienced/educated running physio! Have a listen, perfect for a long run or car trips; lots of takeaways from this one, almost split it into two episodes! Many thanks Kevin Craigie!

🎙️🏃‍♀️ A few weeks ago I had so much fun chatting to Helen Hall, we talked for a mind boggling 2 hours! I’m so grateful for her time! Be sure to have a pen and pad ready, as this episode is jam packed with incredible insights! 🌟 Helen is a ‘running movement’ coach, who helps runners discover more joint-friendly, joyful movement for sustainable running. 📚 Her book, "Even with Your Shoes On," offers a non-dogmatic approach to help runners connect and become more aware of their bodies and improve their movement. 💫 Helen's unique expertise combines scientific biomechanical analysis with experiential knowledge, creating a holistic approach to better running. 🌟 Tune in for some valuable insights! #RunCulturePodcast #SustainableRunning #MovementMatters

Here's a link to 'the Lego Story' referenced in the chat:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6q5k9h1efdsg7w2/Pilot%20The%20LEGO%20STORY.mp4?dl=0

Andy Walling is not just the lead Endurance physiotherapist at British Athletics, he also has been a running coach since 1994 and was a respectable runner himself winning a couple of Wales National titles on the track and running a highly respectable 3:47 for 1500m. Since 2007 Andy has been a Physiotherapist for UK Athletics. He has been a physiotherapist at many Major Championships over this time. I first bumped into Andy in Iten, Kenya 2014 where he was the physiotherapist for the UK distance team ( a camp that included the likes of; Mo Farah, Laura Weightman, Charlie Grice, Michael Rimmer, Eilish McColgan, Alyson Dixon, Paula Radcliff etc) that was preparing for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. In this interview, Andy shares a wonderful insight into how he got into athletics as a youngster, his role models, his own running career, how he got into coaching and physiotherapy, his experience as a physiotherapist at major competitions/training camps and in the British Olympic Association's Intensive Rehabilitation Unit. I quiz him about, why Mo Farah and Laura Muir are so successful? Andy finishes the interview with a barb about Autralian rugby and he reluctantly answer my question about who he is most excited about in his running squad going forward. I’d personally like to thank Andy for how generous he was with his time in this interview, his detailed answers and how incredibly easy going he was!

A couple of weeks ago I caught up with Nick Cross; Aths Aus Physio and Director of MelbourneCBD Physio again and I was rapt with our chat! ‘The topic was; ‘Rehab versus Performance’ It’s certainly a topic that is close to my heart. So often I see runners while they are in pain and we rehabilitate together back out of pain. Once the pain goes away however, time and time again I see runners stop their exercise regime. I get it, it’s human nature. ....but if I was to say sadly more often than not I see this runner down the track with an exacerbation of that same injury again, is this really the right approach? Is an injury ever fixed? Or is it just well maintained? Should runners transition more to a performance/goal orientated mindset? What are some advantages in thinking this way? Is there a certain time and place when the whole idea of rehab and focusing on pain can be self limiting?

Wow, solo training can be hard, especially with no clear race in sight! It was great to catch up and chat to Damien Clark and Pete Dutton (a couple of guys I normally see face to face 3-4 times a week, they are key members of the group I coach, the Run Culture Owls!). It was great to chat about the challenges of this time but also the positives that can come out of it. We go over how/why we have changed the training we do over this COVID-19 period. Always fun catching up with these two!

Last week I got interviewed with Tyson Popplestone on the Relaxed Running Podcast. Here's the Brief. Dane Verwey is an Australian Running Physiotherapist. His mission is to help distance runners prevent common running-related injuries. In this episode, Dane talks about the common running injuries he deals with daily and his best advice when it comes to preventing running injuries . This is a great conversation that has the potential to save you many years of trial and error when it comes to navigating your way through the often injury-riddled world of distance running. 

Today I had a great chat with David Costello better known as TheRightFitPT! Dave is a Strength Coach and avid runner. As you will soon hear he knows his stuff! In today’s episode we discuss topics such as; How important is plyometric training for the distance runner? We talk about the concept of core stability? How important are biomechanics when it comes to running? We talk about the anabolic effect strength training can have on our hormonal system. The importance of strength training for the older runner. As well as how to periodise and structure strength training into your running week. So much great stuff in this one, thanks again David for your time! David’s qualifications include; a Bachelor of Education in Human Movement. Certificate 3 & 4 in Personal Training and his Level I with the Australian Strength Coaching Association. He is based in Sydney Australia.

Today we are joined by Nick Cross, the director of Melbourne CBD Physiotherapy. Nick's experience professionally is extensive. He trained originally as a sports scientist, completing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Exercise Physiology. He then went on to complete a Doctorate of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne. Upon graduating Nick has worked in Sports Medicine clinics for many years whilst remaining involved in professional sport. He is about to graduate from a Masters in Sports Physiotherapy and has recently embarked on the world of sports physiotherapy Research. Those who love running often run themselves, and it is no surprise that Nick is no different. Nick has won two Stawell 400m races himself, one of them a backbarkers. Nick still continues to train and compete, but has now found he receives just as much enjoyment from helping other runners succeed! Over the past month or so, Nick and I have collaborated together and worked out several podcast topics we as keen running physiotherapists, really want to talk about. Today we talk about the strong relationship between those runners that surround themselves with ‘Supportive/cohesive ‘Teams’ of people and Running success’. We detail: - The recommended ‘team’ for running on all levels: be it professional, semi-elite to the recreational athlete. - The team members involved and their roles in that space. - And we touch on our professional experience in “successful Running teams” across all levels.

It was an absolute honour/thrill this week to interview a man I’ve looked up to my whole running career! Chris Wardlaw/‘Rab’ is a runner and coach who’s impact/influence on the Australian distance running scene over the past 40 years is near on unparalleled. Chris came 12th in the 1976 Montreal Olympic 10,000m and competed in the marathon at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was the career coach/mentor to many, including Steve Monaghetti, Kerryn McCann and Craig Mottram(for the last few years of his career). He was the head coach of the Australian Track and Field team at the 2000 Olympics. In this interview Rab shares so much wisdom and great stories about his career and those that he has coached or been involved with. He talks about the the origins of ‘the pack’, ‘quaters’, ‘Mona fartlek’, the ‘Wardlaw System’ and some of his greatest inspirations! For any keen runner, it’s a must listen!

Today, I had a ball chatting to Dr Richard Hansen, head coach of Boulder Colorado’s @roots_running project! In this episode we talk about how the Roots running group formed, how they are going now, his coaching/training methodology (his learnings from Joe Vigil), sponsorship chat and how he tries to avoid injury and maximise performance with his athletes! Richard is a prominent Sports chiropractor, who specialises in treating distance runners. He certainly knows his stuff! So, like I said I absolutely loved everything about this chat, so be sure to tune in.

This weeks episode of the podcast is with renown Sydney physiotherapist, director of the Central Performance Physiotherapy clinic, head coach of the Central Performance Track group (an elite running squad in Sydney) and high level runner himself; Ben Liddy! I’ve known of Ben for a long while now and respected what he was doing from afar, so it was great to finally catch up and have a chat! Ben talks about his experiences as a runner, what he’s doing to prevent injury in the runners he is coaching, his ‘adaptable’ coaching philosophy, how his athletes are currently going and much more! It’s a great chat and follows on really nicely in a practical sense with Ben discussing many of the principles Michael Nitschke discussed last week when it comes to performance and injury!

For those runners struggling to get their heads around injury and poor performance this one is for you! This is ever green content. Being the running physio nerd I am this podcast is exactly the podcast I envisioned delivering to educate the running public on a concept I want more runners to understand. It’s absolute gold, some runners should listen to it three times over... it’s all about injury prevention and optimizing performance! So, listeners/fellow runners/coaches, forward this to any runner you know that is injury prone/ or has a tendency not to listen to training advice. Michael nitschke, is a sports podiatrist by trade but runner by blood. He completed his Bachelor of Podiatry in 2006 at University of South Australia. He’s now a Partner at the Sports & Arthritis Clinic (SPARC) in Adelaide, with some of the nation’s leading Sports & Exercise Physicians. He’s a Level II advanced running coach in middle and long distance running at the Adelaide Harriers Athletic Club. ‘It’s all about the wings!’ He’s also currently undertaking his Masters by Research at Adelaide University-his research is focused around the training characteristics of recreational runners and the relationship between performance and injury. Michael started his personal running career as more a high jumper and sprinter and over the years has gradually moved up in distance and volume! He currently has swift PBs of 15:05 for 5k, 31:23 for 10k, 71 for the ½ marathon and 2:33 for the marathon. He’s a man of so many hats!!!!!!! So, go to whatever platform you listen to your podcasts on and tune in!!!!! Reference: Wilt, F. (1972). Conditioning of runners for championship competition. JAMA, 221(9), 1017-1021.

What can the running world learn from a coach heavily involved in equestrian and adventure sports? Tune in to the latest Run Culture podcast to find out! In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Marianne Davies, a senior coach developer with UK coaching and a PhD candidate in skill acquisition and ecological dynamics in equestrian and adventure sports. Marianne's expertise in these disciplines brings a fresh perspective to the running world. During our conversation, we delved into the difference between perfect technique and adaptive technique in running. Marianne explained how a rigid focus on perfect technique might hinder runners from adapting to different environments and challenges. Instead, she emphasized the importance of developing an adaptive technique that allows runners to adjust and respond to the ever-changing dynamics of their surroundings. We also explored the significance of the athletic skills model in running. Marianne highlighted the value of variability in training, explaining how exposing runners to a range of different conditions and demands can enhance their overall athletic skills. By incorporating diverse training stimuli, runners can become more versatile and better equipped to handle various race scenarios. If you're intrigued by Marianne's insights and passionate approach to coaching, I highly recommend checking out her beautifully written blog at 'dynamics-coaching' and her 'river tiger' podcast. Her work is truly inspiring and offers valuable perspectives for athletes in any sport. Don't miss out on this enlightening episode of the Run Culture podcast, where we delve into the world of equestrian and adventure sports with Marianne Davies. Tune in now to gain valuable knowledge and get inspired by her expertise! 🎧✨ Thanks again for an amazing chat Marianne, I am so grateful! #RunCulturePodcast #Equestrian #AdventureSports

Today, I chewed the fat with two of my closest running mates over the past 20 years, Zacca Newman and Matt Davy. We chat about some of the ‘key moments’ in their running journey, some of their biggest ‘learnings’, their most memorable running moments and at the end of the chat delve into their highly successful online run coaching business; Run2Pb (www.run2pb.co). Just like it always is with these two, I loved the free flowing convo in this episode, it felt like a ‘Sunday long run’! Some great yarns, plenty of laughs, stacks of lessons!

This weeks episode is with Tim O’shaughnessy. Tim’s life has been just so intertwined with running and athletics! He is currently a running coach at Wesley College and outside of this his running group works very closely with Nick Bideau’s guys at the Melbourne Track Club. In this episode I quiz him on the inner workings of MTC and why he believes they have been just so successful. We hark back to his own running career under Pat Clohessy, his City to Surf wins, what training was like with ‘the Pack’ with Chris Wardlaw, Ron Clark, Rob DeCastella and many others...We then also go over his roles in the football world; as a fitness advisor and coach and then his experience as the Athletics Australia distance running Co-ordination from 2007-2014. I loved how this episode flowed more alike a chat/conversation rather than an interview, as you will see Tim is a great story teller. I really enjoyed chatting to Tim, I’m sure many of you will enjoy listening in too!

With everyone’s lives in a degree of limbo and uncertainty at the moment. Today, I caught up with a couple of the Run Culture Owl athlete’s I coach; Peter Dutton and Damien Clarke. We discuss how their running has gone over the last few months, how the rest of the squad went and how we currently plan to tackle the uncertainty of the future. It’s the first time I’ve had 3 people on the podcast, we had some fun with this one. We certainly enjoyed it, I hope some of you do too!

Wow, it has been an indifferent week! I encourage everyone to stay safe, look out for each other. It’s a perfect time to focus on things outside of running or areas in your running that you wouldn’t normally! In this episode, I have the privilege to chat to coach of the Brisbane Athletics Academy: Jayden Russ. We go into his experiences as a talented distance runner, how he struggled with the transition from star junior to seniors, his view on the importance of running ‘teams’ and much more! This is a great episode for the juniors out there keen to make it into the senior ranks! Anyway I hope you all enjoy the listen!

Richard Huggins was recommended by 3 of the previous coaches I have interviewed on the podcast as a coaching mentor! Richard has an outstanding coaching record with an uncanny ability to harvest an amazing club culture down at Knox athletics track which has seen many Australian junior star distance runners stay in the sport to become senior superstars! Richard has coached amazing athletes such as: Jeff Risely, James Hanson, Zac Patterson, Tom Fawthorpe, Mellissa Duncan, Kaila McNight, Zoe Buckman and Vicki Mitchell. In this interview we go over how he got into coaching, his own marathon career, his coaching philosophies and some of his favourite sessions. It was an absolute pleasure having coffee and breakfast with Richard earlier this week; I loved how calm, easy going and approachable he was and he just had so many stories and experiences to share!

In this episode I firstly detail my last 2.5 weeks of my Canberra 50km preparation, as race day gets closer. Then I had the privilege to interview Lisa Verstraten, not only a lovely person but a highly credentialed distance running coach from Geelong of the past 20yrs. She was the formative coach of Isaac Hockey and Lachlan Barber! She has been the team coach on numerous Australian athletic and cross country teams! She also currently works in a coaching development role with Athletics Victoria. Lisa has so many pearls of wisdom when it comes to knowing how to coach the athlete in front of you. This one is a must listen for all running coaches out there! Thanks once again Lisa!

On this week’s episode of the Run Culture Podcast, I had the pleasure to chat to Dr Philo Saunders. Philo is a senior sports physiologist at the AIS (he has worked at the AIS for 19yrs). His research has largely looked at; running economy, altitude training, heat training, plyometric/strength training, iron supplementation and the minimalist footwear movement. Philo is also an incredibly distinguished 1500m runner himself (he has broken 3:50 some 130 times!), made numerous national open 1500m finals and at the ripe old age of 43 he is still going!! We delve into how he feels he has managed to keep his body so robust and strong. Philo has also been the Australian able bodied and/or Paralympic distance running coach on several of the more recent major World and Olympic championships. We start out the episode focusing on where some of the athletes he coaches are at going into this pivotal period for Tokyo Olympic Qualification!

This is the first Run Therapy episode where I delve into some of the common myths/misconceptions or frustrations I see runners face as a ‘physiotherapist that specialises in treating runners. In this episode I chat with Brodie Sharpe fellow ‘running physiotherapist’, host of the Run Smarter Podcast and owner of the Breakthrough Running clinic about one of the most frustrating topics a runner has to deal with! This is a topic that so many runners find ever so frustrating…. 1) Knowing the difference between an acceptable discomfort and a bad pain. 2) Determining when it’s OK to run? When do we need to rest? Or modify training? I hope this podcast helps us ‘crazy’ runners make more sound/educated decisions.

Today I interview highly distinguished US marathoner Nate Jenkins! Nate is a 2:14:56 marathoner, and famously came 7th in the 2007 US Olympic marathon trials after a relatively modest high school and college career. He represented the USA at the 2009 World athletic Championships in the marathon! He noticed an incredible spike in his own performance off a ‘Renate Canova’ inspired program! We will chat a lot about this today! He hails from massachusetts, has a growing young family, he is a secondary school mathematics teacher, he is still running and is slowly doing more and more coaching with Lowell running. As you will hear he is incredibly well read in all things marathon training! I hope you enjoy this chat with Nate Jenkins!

In this episode I firstly go over the last 10 days of my training as I build up to the 50km ultra at Canberra marathon and have an enjoyable chat to new Run Culture owl athlete; Pete Dutton. We introduce him to the listeners, go over how he is finding training in the group, his recent race results, short term/ long term aims and what we are working on in training so far!

Today on the run Culture Podcast, I chat to Paul McKinnon, ‘The Balanced Runner’. We chat about his recent trip to the US where he has helped the Nike Bowerman track club with their running technique. We then talk about his experiences over the years as a Running Technique coach. We cover many things, including: -His wholistic top-down approach to running mechanics. -The importance of comparing ‘old versus new way’, - ‘Upper leg versus lower leg’ patterned mechanics, - Why he dislikes the phrase ‘lazy gluts’, - His thoughts on ‘cadence’, - Why working on your technique can help your running potential. - the typical process of changing your technique with the ‘top down approach.’ Thanks for this unreal chat Paul, I’m sure many runners are going to find it super useful!!! Find Paul on Instagram at @thebalancedrunner

Today’s interview is with Justin Rinaldi a man who has lived and breathed the 800m event for the past 30yrs! He is currently the coach of the Fast 8 Track club, a squad based in Melbourne that specialises in the 800. He has been the coach of the past two Australian 800m record holders; Alex Rowe and Joseph Deng. In his own athletic career he was the 1997 Australian 800m champion, won a Victorian 800m title at 25 and then another 10yrs later at the age of 35 won another! In this interview we learn a lot about the group he coaches, his training methods, as well as many stories from his athletics and coaching career! So many pearls in this one, so jump in and have a listen!

Episode 28 is with a coach that needs no introduction, Adam Didyk! However for those that don’t know, Adam Didyk is a highly distinguished Australian distance running coach hailing from South Australia! He is the founder of the highly successful elite running group ‘Asics Team Tempo’. The personal coach of star athletes such as; Jess Trengove, Jared Tallent, Max Stephens, the Cocks brothers, Caitlin Adams, the Eckel sisters, Matt Clarke, Jack Colreavy and streams of others. He was nominated by Athletics Australia for coach of the year in 2015/16, 2016/17 and has been the Australian distance running coach on numerous World championship, Commonwealth Games and Olympic teams. On this episode Adam gives us a great update on how ‘Team Tempo’ formed, he opens up about the teams athletes/characters, their training, their prospects for 2020, the 4 pillars that ensure optimal performance, his coaching philosophy and much more!

Rod Griffen is a prominent Australian distance running coach hailing from Ballarat. He has coached for 30 plus years, having coached 2 of the past 3 Australian men 10,000m record holders- Collis Birmingham and Stewart McSweyn amongst many other amazing athletes. In this episode Rod portrays the friendly, approachable and relaxed nature that I feel has made him such a successful coach. He generously shares some great insight into what he believes makes for a good coach, some of his favourite 1500m sessions, some great yarns about his coaching experiences and much more! Thanks Rod for a ripper of an interview! Apologies for the occasional drop outs in audio- Skype was playing up.