Solosode with Amanda - Performance Running Podcast

Nutrition discussion revolves around what you can ADD to your diet to improve you running performance as opposed to what you need to cut out.  We go over popular topics in social media like your microbiome, the gut-brain connection and how that is tied to sweet and sugary food cravings, how to best take care of your microbiome and lastly some great mindful eating strategist to better absorb and use the food you consume so you can perform your best!

Dr. Emily Splichal – human movement specialist and podiatrist – takes a close look at foot health and barefoot training for longevity and performance.  The controversy comes in when discussing the risk-reward of wearing shoes and orthotics.   Some research suggests that, over time, shoes will block sensory information from getting to our feet, making them weaker over time – hence the anti-shoe argument.  It has also been suggested that orthotics will do the same – and therefore a foot strengthening program is crucial to get feet strong and out of the added support.  In certain cases, strength training will not fix the issue and orthotics are inevitable long term. In many cases, orthotics could be just a temporary fix – if a proper strength program is followed and maintained. 

On this episode I have Dr. Gavin McClean, Sport Scientist, Researcher and running coach from London, England.  Here we dissect the top 10 running myths such as whether or not you should be doing weekly tempo workouts, the overuse of carbs in endurance sport and how endurance strength training is NOT appropriate for endurance athletes.  We hope you enjoy these, along with 7 more myths that need to STOP SPREADING in the endurance world.

On this episode have returning guest Dr. Dale Macdonald from Elite Sport Performance here in Calgary.  Here we discuss running injuries related to the knee – why you should NOT accept a diagnosis of "runner's knee", and how this diagnosis could be delaying your recovery, myths regarding orthotics and why they might not be as bad as you may think and this different between "taking time off" to heal an injury v.s. actually healing that injury.  If you are interested in learning more about the optimizing the long term health of your knees – this episode is for you!

In this episode I chat with Jules Mitchell who is an expert in the field of biomechanics and authored the book "Yoga Biomechanics:  Stretching Redefined".  Here we cover some major topics in the area of yoga for runners – what yoga is and what it is NOT, the lack of evidence to support stretching for performance and lastly dive into concept of pain science – where we bring to light new research around how tissue pain (i.e ligaments and tendons) does not necessarily lead to decreases in function.

This episode I chat with physiotherapist Evan Baldwin, who is the co-owner of Versa Movement Collective here in Calgary. A big part of our chat here is stiffness in runners. I hear it all the time from runners about how they need to stretch more, however – is being tight such a bad thing? And is maybe being tight just part of being a runner?  Now this isn't exactly true, and Evan explains the difference between good and bad types of stiffness and when that stiffness might need a check-in with a physio.  We also chat about why just going for massages over and over likely isn't fixing the root of the problem, stretch therapy, foam rolling and finally some key at-home exercises to release some of the most common "tight" spots in runners

In this episode I give you a bit of an idea of how I first got into running and coaching.  Here I open up about some of the challenges I faced as a "non-athlete" and how I eventually transitioned to training for and competing in triathlons.  This eventually lead me to begin coaching and starting my own business. 

In this episode we discuss the culture of running in Kenya compared to North America, benefits of having desk jobs if you are a marathon runner, why the conventional interval training might not be effective for marathons, the controversy with the new Nike Vaporfly and exactly what it is about this shoe that is turning so many heads.

This episode is all about running injuries! Here I chat with clinical director Dr. Dale Macdonald of Elite Sport Performance here in Calgary.  We discuss why injuries are so prevalent in running and how this relates to muscular imbalances, why stretching isn't a great use of your time and how weak feet contribute to injury.