#259 Mailbag! Does Heel Drop Affect Knees? Is Heelstriking Bad? Stability Recs? More on Megablast

It's time for another mailbag round, where we answer your questions! Matt, David, and Nathan get together to discuss shoes, injury risk, running form and more. How stable is the Asics Megablast? Is heel-striking as bad as the influencers make it out to be? How does heel-to-toe drop effect knee pain? Listen in for this and more. Want your question answered in the next mailbag? Email us at [email protected] your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Chapters0:00 - Intro1:06 - In for Testing: Powered by Skratch Labs12:52 - How do brands decide the stack height of shoes?19:18 - Is the Megablast neutral or stable neutral?27:58 - How does heel drop potentially effect the knees?32:54 - Saucony stability recommendations41:22 - Is heel striking really bad?53:34 - Wrap-up

Andrea Myers and Megan Flynn host two very special guests, Selene Yeager and Jennifer O’Donnell-Giles MS RD CSSD. They discuss a broad range of topics surrounding women's health & training–nutrition, hydration, the menstrual cycle, strength training, and more.Jennifer O’Donnell-Giles MS RD CSSD, a registered dietitian/nutritionist, is a board certified specialist in sports dietetics. The mission of her private practice for the past 24 years is to educate, motivate and inspire athletes to use food as a tool to become the fastest, strongest and best athlete they can be. Learn more about Jennifer at her website: ⁠https://www.jenngilesrd.com⁠Selene Yeager is a certified personal trainer, USA Cycling certified coach, pro mountain bike racer, and All-American Ironman triathlete. She's also a top-selling professional health and fitness writer and has authored, co-authored, and contributed to more than two dozen book titles. Check out Selene's website at ⁠www.seleneyeager.com⁠Chapters0:00 - Intro3:14 - General macronutrient needs for endurance athletes6:58 - Specific risks for women while training fasted12:20 - Recommendations for protein supplements16:58 - Nutritional strategies for maintaining bone health22:56 - The connection between the menstrual cycle, health & training28:22 - Hydrating well before, during, and after exercise37:56 - Artificial sweeteners and gut health41:05 - Preworkout hydration drinks43:18 - Strength training for women46:51 - Balancing aerobic & anaerobic training48:44 - Recovering well: nutrition, ice baths, and more1:03:08 - Improving sleep quality1:09:50 - Wrap-up

With a feat as monumental as the marathon, it can be yet another stressor to figure out the "right" shoe for your race. Matt & David are here to try to help you figure out the best shoe for you when it comes to 26.2. Do you need a super shoe? What about "super trainers"? How does stability factor into it? They answer these questions and more as they guide you through the shoe choices for runners of all abilities & paces.Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.comGet 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Chapters0:00 - Intro0:56 - In for Testing: Powered by Skratch Labs8:22 - Fundamentals of marathon shoes22:06 - David's pick for a marathon right now27:26 - Matt's marathon picks32:38 - Picks for the 4+hr marathon49:55 - Picks for a sub-3 marathon1:00:30 - Wrap-up

It's time for the gang to put themselves on the hot seat yet again with a round of "This or That?". ASICS new Megablast or Superblast? What about the Sonicblast vs. the Novablast? They argue about annual shoe updates, durability, treadmill running and much more. Want to have your topic on the next This or That? Email us at [email protected]!Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Race day is the ultimate test of your training, and a solid plan can set you up for success. Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. No more fading late or finishing with regrets—just a race executed to perfection. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ and see how Stryd powers your plan to the finish line.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:42 - In For Testing: Powered by Skratch Labs14:56 - This or That: Racing in a over or under 40mm stack shoe18:32 - Long run workout in a super racing shoe or super trainer?23:02 - Hot & humid run or treadmill run29:10 - A racing shoe that lasts 250mi or the fastest shoe that only lasts 100mi35:00 - Annual or biannual shoe updates44:28 - Megablast or Superblast50:26 - Sonicblast or Novablast56:30 - The next 5 years with Brooks or with Hoka1:07:34 - Wrap-up

Nathan and David team up to talk all things racing! They rank their favorite distances to race and what shoes they'd race them in. Also, with the elite track circuit in full-swing, they talk about their favorite races to watch. Finally, they wrap it up with a couple questions from our mailbag. What are your favorite races to run? Have any questions to add to our mailbag? Email us at [email protected]! Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro 3:36 - In for Testing: Powered by Skratch Labs 13:14 - Third favorite race distance 21:50 - Second favorite distance 30:12 - Favorite race distance 38:18 - Favorite races to watch 43:12 - What even is a supertrainer? 49:42 - Faster shoes for stability needs 52:54 - Wrap-up

On this special episode, Nathan is joined by Paul Lang, ASICS's Senior Manager of Global Performance Footwear, to talk about two brand new models to their "Blast" line of shoes!. Coming September 1 are the Sonicblast, a brand new PEBAX-plated trainer, and the Megablast, both featuring their new FF Turbo Squared foam! These new additions join the team-favorite Novablast and Superblast models to round out the Blast family of shoes. Nathan and Paul discuss how ASICS plans, designs, and tests their shoes, the specific features of the two new shoes, what's next for ASICS in the upcoming months, and more. Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro4:08 - ASICS's design & development philosophy12:43 - The new Sonicblast27:18 - The new Megablast34:33 - The composition & characteristics of FF Turbo Squared40:17 - What's on the horizon for ASICS44:02 - Wrap-up

Time for another round of Buy or Sell, where we force ourselves outside of our "it depends" comfort zone and make things black & white. David, Matt, and Nathan get together for hot takes only. They argue about performance enhancing drugs, max, stack shoes, the state of Nike, and much more. We want to hear your hot takes too! Leave a comment or email us at [email protected] your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:29 - In For Testing, Powered by Skratch Labs12:28 - Buy/Sell: Runners who have used PEDs should get lifetime bans28:09 - The market needs to lower the average stack height of shoes35:42 - 2024 was a better shoe year than 202543:06 - People are not running slow enough54:26 - Nike has lost its edge in running innovation59:00 - The 800m is harder than the mile1:03:04 - Wrap-up

Matt & Andrea are back with another installation of Between Two Feet, where they contrast their different experiences in a shoe. In this edition, they share another polar experience they had with the Hoka Rocket X 3, a super shoe that features a surprisingly good amount of stability. See why these two feet felt differently about this new release. Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:02 - In For Testing10:27 - Hoka Rocket X 3 Overview13:04 - Andrea's experience in the Rocket X 329:15 - How to know why certain shoes work for you37:30 - Comparisons with the Cielo X 1 2.045:06 - How to test super shoes before a marathon53:57 - Wrap-up

Foot pain and knee pain are all too common ailments for runners, but it can be hard to pin down the source or figure out how to treat it. Nathan and Matt team up to take a look at some common sources of forefoot, heel, plantar, and anterior knee pains. They explore different possible causes, strategies for rehab/strengthening, and things to look for in shoes. Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro2:22 - In For Testing11:38 - Diagnosing Nate's foot pain24:32 - Plantar forefoot foot pain27:46 - The impact of shoes on plantar pain32:48 - Heel & plantar fascia pain36:04 - Maintaining a healthy foot42:10 - Anterior knee pain44:43 - Shoes & knee pain49:06 - Preventing & rehabbing knee pain53:27 - What about running form?1:00:16 - Wrap-up

Join Nathan, David, and Matt as they continue answering you the mailbag questions they started on our 250th episode! They explore how different foam compositions can affect injury pathologies, the science behind shoe rotations, adapting to super shoes, and much more. We love hearing your questions, so email us at [email protected]!Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:18 - In For Testing17:54 - Foam composition's effect on injury & pain23:56 - Shoe shelf life29:26 - Finding the right shoe for ultramarathons35:48 - Helping run retail customers understand how to find the right shoe45:02 - Adapting to super shoes without running in them much54:23 - The science behind shoe rotations1:06:56 - Wrap-up