REWIND // You're Not Running Wrong: Running Myths Debunked | RICH WILLY, PT, PhD

Send us Fan MailOkay, so this one is a Summer Rewind, and I'll be honest with you, I went back and forth on which episodes to bring back. This one wasn't a hard call.The original aired in September 2022. I re-listened before we re-ran it and quite honestly? I'm still hearing every single one of these myths in clinic. Every one. A couple of years later.Rich Willy has spent 20+ years treating injured runners and publishing the research the rest of us end up citing. And the thing I love about him is that he opens by admitting he used to believe most of these myths himself. That's the whole reason it holds up.So I asked him to name the running myths he most wishes would just disappear. Stretch more. Strengthen your glutes. Land softer. You're running wrong.Here's what we get into:🔹 Why stretching isn't the thing standing between you and an injury, and what to do with that warm-up time instead 🔹 The calf, not the glute. Running is a plantar flexor sport, and Rich tells you exactly where to spend your strength minutes if you only have a few 🔹 The bone force number that flips "just land soft" completely on its head (this one genuinely changed how I talk to runners) 🔹 Why your single biggest injury risk factor is the injury you already had, back in your 20s, in high school, in a body you don't have anymore 🔹 REDs, energy availability, and why a normal body weight tells you almost nothing 🔹 Return to participation, return to sport, return to performance. The three-stage model most of us skip right past 🔹 What actually happens when you tell a runner to change the way she runsAnd I promise you, this is a pelvic health episode. If the calf and the quad and the hip aren't holding up their end of the bargain, the pelvic floor is left holding the ball. You can hyperfocus on the pelvic floor and still completely miss the boat.So if you're a mom who's five or ten years out and still hasn't gotten back to running, this is for you. And if you're a clinician who's been quietly wondering whether the thing you've taught for a decade is actually still true... this one's for you too. No judgment. I've been there.Come find Rich on Instagram: @montanarunninglabThe Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌