The Distance Dr: In Practice

Training plans look neat on paper. Real life does not always behave that politely.In this episode of Distance Dr Daily, I talk through what to do when you are following a marathon, half marathon, triathlon or running plan and suddenly things change: you feel run down, you get sick, or an injury starts to niggle.The big question is usually: do you catch up on missed sessions, swap things around, take a break, or just jump back into the plan?I break this down into three common scenarios: fatigue or feeling run down, illness, and injury. We talk about when it may make sense to swap a session, when to reduce intensity, when to rest, and when symptoms mean you should stop and seek medical advice. I also cover why suspected bone stress injury is different, why altered gait matters, and why jumping straight back into hard sessions after a flare-up can backfire.The goal is not to follow the plan perfectly. The goal is to make smart decisions so your body can actually adapt to the training.In this episode:What to do if you wake up exhausted on interval dayWhen to swap, reduce or skip a sessionWhy you usually should not “catch up” missed runsHow to modify training when you are sickHow to return after time off or altered trainingHow to think about pain during runningWhen injury symptoms need medical adviceWhy your plan needs to bend before your body breaksThis is a practical episode for runners and triathletes who want to keep training moving without forcing the plan at all costs.

Podcast episode titleEasy Runs Are Not Junk MilesPodcast descriptionEasy runs are one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of a running program.They are meant to be easy, yes, but that does not mean they are throwaway runs. In this episode of Distance Dr Daily, I explain why easy runs matter, what adaptations they help support, and why letting them creep too hard can interfere with the rest of your training.We cover how easy runs contribute to aerobic development, running load tolerance, fat oxidation, plasma volume, capillary and mitochondrial adaptations, and why doing them too fast can leave you carrying fatigue into the sessions that are actually meant to be hard.I also explain how to use the Talk Test to check whether your easy runs are actually easy, plus a few simple signs that your easy days may be drifting too hard.If your intervals, long runs, or key sessions are starting to suffer, your easy runs might be the first place to look.In this episode:Why easy runs are not junk milesWhat adaptations easy running supportsHow to use the Talk TestWhy easy runs creep too hardHow “too fast” can affect fatigue, injury risk, and key sessionsSigns your easy runs are no longer easyEasy means easy, but easy still has a purpose.

On today's episode of The Distance Dr Daily with Dr Kate, she discusses how long runs are the cornerstone of marathon training, but most of the questions runners actually have, how far, how often, how hard, when to peak, and what to practise, don't always get answered clearly in a generic training plan.I walk through five evidence-based considerations for getting your long run right, drawing on recent research and applying it practically for runners building toward a half marathon, marathon, or longer.I cover:How often to do your long run, and why every 7 to 10 days can work better for some athletes, particularly those who are injury-prone, postpartum, or new to marathon training.How long your long run should actually be, based on what research shows works across different weekly training volumes, and why staying under 25 km may cost you on race day.Where to place your peak long run in the training block, and how far out from race day it should sit.How to progress your long run distance safely using the 10% rule, which applies specifically to your long run rather than your overall weekly volume.How hard your long run should be, where marathon pace work fits in, and why it shouldn't be every week.What to practise during the long run, including fuelling, hydration, cadence, and biomechanics under fatigue.This is for runners who want to train smarter, not just harder, and who want to understand the why behind the long run rather than just ticking off the kilometres.Study references: Fokkema T, van Damme AADN, Fornerod MWJ, de Vos RJ, Bierma-Zeinstra SMA, van Middelkoop M. Training for a (half-)marathon: Training volume and longest endurance run related to performance and running injuries. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2020 Sep;30(9):1692-1704. doi: 10.1111/sms.13725. Epub 2020 Jun 3. PMID: 32421886; PMCID: PMC7496388.Knopp, M., Appelhans, D., Schönfelder, M., Seiler, S., & Wackerhage, H. (2024). Quantitative Analysis of 92 12-Week Sub-elite Marathon Training Plans. Sports medicine - open, 10(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-024-00717-5

Generic running plans are not automatically bad. In fact, for many runners, they are affordable, accessible, and much better than making things up week by week. But the problem is that a generic plan does not know your injury history, your sleep, your training load tolerance, your work schedule, or how your body is responding.In this episode of Distance Dr Daily, I explain how to make a generic running plan work better for you.We talk about why individualised coaching is usually the gold standard, but also why generic programs can still be useful when you adjust them properly. I cover the two biggest things runners need to modify: their expectations and the program itself.I also explain how I would think about adjusting a plan if you have a history of bone stress injury, Achilles tendinopathy, recent injury, poor sleep, or limited training time.The goal is not to throw away your generic plan. It is to stop following it blindly and start making it fit the runner in front of it.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why individualised programs often outperform generic onesWhy generic running plans can still be usefulHow to adjust your expectations when using a pre-set planWhat to change if you have a history of bone stress injuryHow to modify speed, hills, and sprint sessions with Achilles tendinopathyWhy strength and rehab work need to be prioritisedHow to choose the most important sessions when time is limited

You have downloaded a marathon, half marathon, or triathlon training plan. It tells you to run in Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, or maybe gives you interval intensities… but how do you actually know what those paces are for you?In this episode, I explain how to take a generic training plan and make it more specific by applying your own training paces. We go through two practical methods you can use without a lab: the talk test and a simple 1-mile / 2-mile critical speed test.DOWNLOAD THE FREE CRITICAL SPEED CALCULATOR HERE:https://www.thedistancedr.com/criticalspeedcalculatorI explain how the talk test can help you identify easy running, moderate or threshold-type work, and harder efforts, and why critical speed can be a useful anchor for setting more objective training intensities. I also cover why generic heart-rate formulas and old race PBs can sometimes lead you astray.This is a practical episode for runners and triathletes who want to stop guessing, train with more confidence, and make their plan actually fit the athlete in front of it.In this episode, you’ll learn:How to apply your own paces to a generic training planHow to use the talk test to guide training intensityWhat critical speed is and why it can be usefulHow to test using a 1-mile and 2-mile effortWhy “220 minus age” is not a great way to set heart-rate zonesWhy your current fitness matters more than your old PBs

If you are a runner, triathlete, or endurance athlete who has ever walked into the gym and thought, how much weight am I actually supposed to lift? this episode is for you.In endurance sport, we usually have clear intensity markers like pace, power, heart rate and cadence. In the gym, it often feels much less obvious. In this episode, I break down the 3 main ways to measure strength training intensity: percentage of repetition maximum, RPE, and reps in reserve.I explain what each method means, where each one can be useful, and why I generally prefer reps in reserve for endurance athletes. We also cover how to apply these methods to heavy strength work versus muscular endurance work, why gym intensity often gets confused with cardio effort, and the common mistakes that can leave endurance athletes underloading their strength training.If you want your gym work to actually transfer to performance, durability and meaningful adaptation, this episode will help you stop guessing your loads and start training with more intent.

If you’ve been told to stop running because of injury, illness, travel, surgery, or just life being life, your first instinct is usually, “I don’t want to lose my fitness.”That makes sense. But fitness is only one part of what makes you feel good when you run.In this episode, I unpack the four key ingredients that help you still feel like a runner when you return:aerobic fitnessstrengthtendon stiffness and elastic energy returntissue tolerance to running loadsWe cover why cross-training can maintain fitness but still leave you feeling flat, clunky, and heavy when you get back to running, and what to focus on instead so your return feels smoother, stronger, and more springy.If you’re in a phase where you can’t run right now, this episode will help you think differently about what to train and why.

A lot of endurance athletes have heard the same message for years: lighter is better, leaner is faster, and body fat is the thing standing between them and better performance.But is it really that simple?In this episode, I am joined by Dr Grant Landers, Senior Lecturer in Sport Science at The University of Western Australia, to unpack one of the most deeply ingrained beliefs in endurance sport: that lower body weight automatically means better performance.Together, we discuss what body composition actually means, why endurance sport has historically become so focused on fat mass and adipose tissue, and why that conversation is often far more simplistic than the science supports. We also explore the roles of lean mass, bone mineral density, fuelling, robustness, recovery, and athlete health, plus what tools like DEXA, skinfolds, ultrasound, body fat scales, and standard scales can and cannot actually tell you.This is a thoughtful and practical conversation about moving away from “race weight” as the goal, and towards something much more useful: performance readines

Zone 2 is everywhere right now, but the more people talk about it, the more confusing it seems to become.In this episode, I am joined by Rob Merrells and Nick Baldwin to unpack what zone 2 training actually is, why there is so much disagreement around it, and how endurance athletes can apply it in a way that is practical, realistic, and evidence-informed.We discuss thresholds, heart rate, pace, power, RPE, and the talk test, as well as what to do if “easy” running sends your heart rate through the roof. The conversation also digs into whether zone 2 is really as magical as social media makes it sound, how much of it time-poor athletes actually need, and why lower intensity does not automatically mean lower injury risk.This is a thoughtful, practical episode for runners and triathletes who want to understand zone 2 beyond the hype.

Most runners know they “should” strength train. Far fewer know how to do it in a way that actually helps performance.In this episode, I break down the 5 most common mistakes runners make with strength training and show you exactly how to fix them. We talk heavy strength vs high reps, calves vs glutes, single-leg work, progressive overload, rest periods, and what a smart runner strength session should actually look like.I also give you a practical anti-mistake strength session to help you put the ideas into action.If you want your gym work to improve your running rather than just make you tired, this one’s for you.

Part 2 is all about what to do after a bone stress injury diagnosis and how to reduce the chance of it happening again. I’m joined again by sports dietitian Lauren Nash (Updietitian) to give a holistic, evidence-based approach that covers both sides of the equation: training load + fuelling.We discuss how management changes depending on pain, location, and injury grade, why some sites are treated much more conservatively (and may require repeat imaging), and why “non-impact” doesn’t automatically mean “safe” early on. We also unpack a common endurance athlete trap: replacing running with huge amounts of cycling, swimming, and gym work — and accidentally digging an energy deficit while the body is trying to heal.From the nutrition side, Lauren breaks down how to adjust intake during recovery without falling into under-fuelling, how to periodise nutrition to match training, and why blood tests and DEXA scans can be valuable tools in the bigger picture. We finish with practical, prevention-focused strategies: returning to running by building volume before speed, adding a bone-specific stimulus (short plyometric doses), addressing strength deficits (especially calves and hips), and sanity-checking the advice you absorb online.

Bone stress injuries are common in endurance athletes, and one of the most frustrating parts is that they often feel like they “came out of nowhere.” In Part 1 of this two-part series, I’m joined by sports dietitian Lauren Nash (Up Dietitian) to unpack what a bone stress injury actually is, why the terminology is confusing (even among experts), and why two athletes can run the “same program” yet have totally different outcomes.We cover the load side (quiet training changes, session density, too few true low-load days, and why it can feel Link to the Delphi Consensus Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39638438/sudden), and the physiology side (low energy availability, REDs, menstrual dysfunction, and why you can be under-fuelling without losing weight). We also dig into overlooked contributors like diet culture, calcium intake, and gut conditions that can reduce nutrient absorption.In Part 2, we go practical: management, return-to-run, and how to reduce recurrence risk.

In this episode, I break down a study in competitive cyclists that tested whether adding 8 weeks of maximal strength training can improve cycling performance-relevant outcomes. The intervention was deliberately simple: half-squats, 4 sets of 4RM, three times per week, alongside normal endurance training. We cover the effects on cycling economy and work efficiency at 70% of VO₂max, and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic power, as well as changes in maximal strength and rate of force development. I also discuss the mechanisms proposed by the authors, key limitations, and how to translate the protocol into a time-efficient strength session for real-world cyclists.Study link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19855311/

This episode breaks down a study investigating whether 8 weeks of maximal strength training (half-squats, 4×4RM, 3 sessions/week) can improve performance-relevant outcomes in well-trained distance runners. We cover the effects on running economy at 70% VO₂max and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed, alongside changes in maximal strength and rate of force development, and the fact that VO₂max and body weight did not change. I also unpack the mechanisms proposed by the authors, and what those results mean in practice for endurance runners.Link to the paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18460997/

In this episode of the Distance Dr podcast, Nick and I sit down and properly dissect a recent large cohort paper examining training load changes and injury risk in endurance athletes.We walk through the study design, what the researchers actually measured, and why the results challenge some long-held assumptions about weekly mileage progression and the so-called “10% rule.” In particular, we dig into the role of single-session spikes, especially long runs, and why these may matter more than gradual changes in weekly volume alone.We also spend time on what this paper can tell us, what it can’t, and the important limitations that need to be understood before anyone rushes to change how they train. From there, we translate the findings into practical, real-world coaching decisions, including how to think about long run progression, tapering, and load management without oversimplifying complex physiology.Study link: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/17/1203

This podcast episode explores the intersection of female athletes' training and their menstrual cycles, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual physiological differences. Host Kate Baldwin and Associate Professor Claire Badenhorst discuss the Menstrual Health Manager, a tool designed to help athletes and coaches communicate effectively about menstrual health. They highlight the variability of menstrual cycles, the impact of hormonal contraception, and the need for athletes to collect personal health data to inform their training and health decisions.Link to Claire's Publication:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38904920/

Injury risk in runners is rarely about one single factor. It’s usually the result of how load, recovery, stress, and strength interact over time.In this episode, I break down six evidence-informed factors that consistently show up in the research on running injuries, and more importantly, how they can be applied in the real world.We cover:How to use pain as a guide without fearWhy strength training matters for injury risk, not just performanceHow diversifying load can reduce repeated tissue stressThe role of sleep in recovery and injury riskWhy psychological stress matters, and what actually helpsHow to prioritise what matters when time and energy are limitedThis is not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about understanding what actually influences injury risk, and making small, sustainable decisions that support long-term training.A short, practical episode for runners who want clarity, not noise.

“Just do a short recovery run today.”Most runners have heard it. Most runners have done it. But easy running is still load, and calling it “recovery” can quietly sabotage adaptation, durability, and long-term performance.In this 15-minute episode, I break down:what recovery actually is (and when it happens)why easy runs still stress tendons and bonehow tissue adapts on a delaywhy “flushing lactate” misses the bigger pictureand what to do instead if you want to train consistently and stay injury-resilientThis episode is evidence-based, runner-focused, and practical physiology explained clearly.If you want to train smarter, recover better, and stop confusing easy with free, this one’s for you.

Can you actually predict if you’re going to hit the wall in a marathon? 🧠💛In this episode, Nick and Kate unpack a new study that analysed wearable biomechanics data from over 1,400 marathon runners to see whether early-race running form patterns were linked to severe late-race pace collapse.We break down what this study actually shows, what it doesn’t, and how runners and coaches should (and shouldn’t) interpret it.If you’ve ever wondered why the wall feels like it comes out of nowhere, then this one’s for you.📚 Study name: Early marathon running metrics from inertial measurement units predict significant pace reduction📚 Study link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12575221/⏱️ Episode timestamps 0:00 Intro 3:38 Study aim 5:20 Methods 9:06 Defining “hitting the wall” 15:39 Results 20:13 Key biomechanical variables 29:00 Summary 32:50 Limitations 38:30 Practical use for athletes & coaches 42:00 Correction 50:40 Quick rundown