Shows
The Women's Running LabE37 - Run Like a Woman: Physiology, Power, and the Patriarchy in Women's RunningIn this episode, host Alison introduces the Women's Running Lab and the mission of the Women's Running Academy, explaining why her coaching is tailored specifically for women. She emphasizes that effective training must consider not only female-specific biomechanics—such as pelvic shape, muscle mass, and connective tissue laxity—but also physiological factors like the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, PCOS, and the importance of proper fueling. Alison advocates for cycle awareness rather than rigid syncing, and stresses strength training to support performance and prevent injury. Beyond the physical, she explores the broader social context women navigate, including body image pressures, emotional labo...2025-05-0626 minThe Women's Running LabE36 - How Strength Training for Runners Powers Performance at Every Training Phase In this episode of the Women's Running Lab podcast, host Alison Marie dives deep into the role of strength training for runners across different race distances. She explains why strength training is essential not just for performance, but also for long-term health, especially for female athletes. Alison shares how to adjust your strength training strategy based on your race goals and training season, and introduces her Women's Running Academy program designed to help women build and maintain strength consistently alongside their running. Enrollment for the Academy opens May 21st! Resources Mentioned:2025-04-2921 minThe Women's Running LabE35 - 6 Strength Training Mistakes Runners Make—and How to Fix ThemIn this episode, Alison discusses the benefits of strength training for runners, including improved running economy, injury resilience, and long-term bone and connective tissue health. She outlines six common mistakes runners make with strength training, such as prioritizing volume over intensity, doing too much too soon, chasing soreness and sweat, lacking consistency, constantly changing exercises, and missing opportunities to incorporate run-supportive skills. Alison emphasizes a strategic, progressive approach tailored to the female body and running demands. She also introduces her Women's Running Academy program, designed to help female runners build strength in a way that supports their goals year-round...2025-04-2219 minThe Women's Running LabE34 - Optimize Your Runs and Prevent Injury with Strength and ConsistencyIn this episode, Alison introduces the concept of understanding running from both a physiological and practical perspective, using her own recent personal experiences as a foundation. She shares a story about a painful injury she sustained while commemorating her late daughter’s birthday, which kept her from running and pushed her back into therapy. This experience led her to reflect on how runners often respond to stress or setbacks by overdoing it—leaning into productivity rather than rest. She emphasizes the importance of balance and introduces the concept of training “dials” rather than “switches,” where variables like volume, sleep, nutrition, a...2025-04-1525 minThe Women's Running LabE33 - Biomechanics of Running: Understanding Your Unique GaitIn this episode, Alison explores the biomechanics of running, focusing on gait analysis and form cues. She emphasizes that runners shouldn't try to consciously alter their running mechanics mid-run, as the body cannot process adjustments quickly enough and doing so can create more issues. Instead, she uses gait analysis to inform strength training and warm-up drills that help improve stride efficiency over time. Alison highlights useful running cues like a forward lean from the ankles ("tits over toes"), gaze direction, and "push from the tush," but stresses that these are meant to be felt rather than actively executed during...2025-04-0835 minThe Women's Running LabE32 - She Was Compatible with Life: A Mother’s Journey Through Trisomy 13In this episode, host Alison focuses on a personal story rather than running. She shares the story of her daughter, Charlotte Grace, who was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a rare genetic condition often labeled "incompatible with life." Despite grim medical expectations, Charlotte was born full-term, lived for six days, and defied many statistics. Alison discusses the lack of support and outdated information she received from medical professionals, as well as the hope she found through online communities. She also explains Trisomy 13 and 18, their prevalence, and the evolving medical understanding of these conditions, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness and providing...2025-04-0133 minThe Women's Running LabE31 - Breaking Limits: Aging and Running Performance Strategies This episode begins with host Alison introducing the Women's Running Lab, emphasizing the importance of understanding running science and applying it effectively. She challenges the misconception that aging limits achievement, sharing stories from runners in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who continue to set personal records. She highlights how aging presents opportunities to train more strategically, emphasizing the importance of warm-ups, strength training, strategic pacing, and proper nutrition and fueling. Additionally, Alison discusses the "threat bucket" concept, explaining how physical and life stressors accumulate over time, making proactive training and recovery crucial for continued success. By being more purposeful a...2025-03-2532 minThe Women's Running LabE30 - Prevent Running Injuries with PatienceIn this episode, Alison focuses on the importance of patience and consistency in running to prevent injuries and improve performance. She explains that impatience, rather than biomechanics or strength training alone, is the primary predictor of injuries, as rushing progress often leads to overuse injuries. She discusses how factors such as athletic identity, perfectionism, life stress, and poor coaching relationships contribute to this issue. Alison emphasizes the need for intentional progression, proper recovery, and adaptable training plans, especially as life responsibilities increase. The episode concludes by highlighting the role of good coaching in mitigating these risks and encouraging sustainable...2025-03-1819 minThe Women's Running LabE29 - The Journey of Maturing as a Runner: Lessons Learned Over TimeIn this episode, Alison reflects on her personal growth as a runner over the years. She compares her early running experiences to her current approach, focusing on aspects like pacing, breathing, fueling, and strength training. Alison discusses how she used to run with little variety in pace and now intentionally varies her speeds for improved performance, along with using nasal breathing for better oxygen efficiency. She also highlights the importance of tuning into her body, fueling properly during training, and adopting strength training routines to support her running and overall health. Alison also covers the importance of strategy, self-compassion...2025-03-1121 minThe Women's Running LabE28 - How to Build Effective Training Timelines for Endurance RacesIn this episode, Alison shares her recent experience racing a half marathon and discusses the importance of setting realistic training goals. She reflects on how she trained for this race, including overcoming challenges like a sprained ankle and illness during the final weeks of training. Alison emphasizes the value of building a strong base over time and encourages listeners to consider longer training timelines when preparing for races, highlighting that the best results often come from a more gradual, personalized approach to training. She also touches on how understanding the process of training can help prevent injury and improve...2025-03-0417 minThe Women's Running LabE27 - Strength and Endurance Combined: Balancing Running and Lifting for Optimal ResultsIn this episode, Alison discusses the benefits of strength training for runners. Strength training, when done correctly, can enhance running economy and improve the body's ability to manage ground reaction forces. However, it's important to avoid overloading the body with too much intensity or volume too soon, as this can hinder performance. The episode also explores how to balance strength training and running across different training seasons, ensuring that the body can handle the appropriate amount of stress in each phase for optimal results. Alison emphasizes adjusting strength training volume, tempo, and speed according to the runner's current season...2025-02-2526 minThe Women's Running LabE26 - Why Runners Get Upper Back Pain – and the Best Ways to Prevent ItIn this episode, Alison discusses her experience with neck and back pain during long runs and speed work while training for a half marathon. She explains how poor posture, like hunching over and forward head posture, contributes to these pains. Alison shares the strategies she used to address these issues, including breathwork exercises like hooklying breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, along with strength training that focuses on maintaining a proper "stack" posture. She also touches on the differences in posture and breathing between slower-paced runs and speed work, recommending similar post-workout resets for both. Alison also highlights her course, Breathe...2025-02-1821 minThe Women's Running LabE25 - How to Improve Running Economy: Springy Strides and Effective TechniquesIn this episode, Alison discusses strategies to improve running efficiency by developing a "springy" stride. She highlights research showing how simple exercises like jump roping or pogos can improve running economy by training the lower limbs to act like springs, especially through the Achilles. Alison goes on to explain how to further enhance springiness by incorporating hip extension, dynamic yielding, and propulsion exercises, which are part of her "Strong and Stable" program for female runners. These exercises focus on using reciprocal motion at the hips, improving force absorption during mid-stance, and maximizing power during toe-off for a more powerful...2025-02-0421 min
Sleep is My Waking PassionFrom Dreams to Destinations" Travel Tips from Dr. Anne Marie MorseDr. Anne Marie Morse is a TikTok superstar, phenomenal public speaker, and one of the OG social media Sleep Medicine physician advocates promoting sleep health. She is a Pediatric Sleep Medicine specialist and Neurologist, Director, Child Neurology, Director, Pediatric Sleep Medicine, and Program Director, Child Neurology Residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. She is both a researcher and a clinician with a host of publications under her belt. She has a new podcast out called "Mapping Success" where she shares her journey and her advice for making your dreams a reality, and a future book release pl...2025-01-2934 minThe Women's Running LabE24 - The Best Leg Workouts for Runners: Targeting Strength and Range of MotionIn this episode, Alison discusses the importance of strength training for runners, focusing on the lower body movements like hinging, squatting, and lunging. She emphasizes that running is a three-dimensional motion, not just a forward movement, and that exercises like squats and deadlifts should train the body in multiple planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse). She explains that movements such as internal and external rotation, adduction, and abduction are crucial for proper hip function during running and should be incorporated into strength training. Alison stresses that while the basic push-pull-squat-lunge framework works, it should be done with intention...2025-01-2820 minThe Women's Running LabE23 - How to Activate Glutes for Runners: Master Lengthening and Strengthen Your StrideIn this episode, Alison discusses the importance of glute activation for runners, emphasizing the need for proper glute engagement through lengthening, not just squeezing or external rotation. She critiques common exercises like hip thrusts and clamshells for missing the essential step of finding length in the glutes, which is crucial for effective running mechanics. Alison introduces her free, revamped "Glute Accelerator" course, designed to help female runners build stronger glutes by teaching them how to load through length and efficiently use their glutes during their stride.Resources Mentioned:Glute Accelerator2025-01-2117 minThe Women's Running LabE22 - Solving IT Band Pain: The Role of Glute Strength and Efficient Loading in RunningIn this episode, Alison discusses IT band issues in runners, emphasizing that these problems are often caused by strength and stability imbalances rather than tightness in the IT band itself. She explains that foam rolling and stretching, while helpful in the short term, do not provide long-term relief. The key to addressing IT band issues is learning to load through the glutes and achieving proper internal rotation and alignment during running. Alison also introduces her "Glute Accelerator" course, which teaches runners how to strengthen and better utilize their glutes, integrate the kinetic chain, and improve overall running mechanics.2025-01-1418 min
Twisted PassagesEP 44 - Alison GaylinUSA Today bestselling author, Alison Gaylin, discusses her new release, WE ARE WATCHING. A recent widow tries to brush off some online threats only to find there is something far more ominous behind them. She must uncover the truth about her husband’s death or risk losing everything and everyone she loves. “A harrowing nail-biter.”―Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author2025-01-0722 minThe Women's Running LabE21 - Fueling for Success: The Best Fuel for Running and How It Impacts PerformanceIn this episode, Alison explains that impatience and under-fueling are two key predictors of injury that she frequently observes in runners. She emphasizes the importance of being patient in the training process and fueling properly for performance and recovery. She shares her own struggles with fueling, particularly as a coach who recognizes the impact of under-fueling, and mentions a recent study linking low energy availability (LEA) to poor race performance, injury, and illness. Alison emphasizes that regular, daily calorie intake supports energy for training, recovery, and daily activities, and how fueling strategies should be adapted based on the intensity...2025-01-0731 minThe Women's Running LabE20 - The Power of Strength and Proper Alignment to Release Chronically Tight MusclesIn this episode, Alison discusses the importance of addressing muscle tightness not just through stretching or foam rolling, but by improving strength, stability, and position. She explains that tightness, such as in the hip flexors or calves, is often a result of poor body alignment and insufficient strength in certain muscles, like the hamstrings. Alison emphasizes that optimizing pelvic position and strengthening the hip flexors from a fully lengthened position can provide long-term relief, reducing the need for temporary measures like stretching. She also touches on the connection between breathing, core stability, and muscle tension, particularly in the psoas.2024-12-3117 minThe Women's Running LabE19 - Rib Mobility Exercises: The Key to Improved Core Strength, Breathing, and Running EfficiencyIn this episode, host Alison explores the role of rib mobility in enhancing running performance by improving breathing efficiency, core engagement, and rotation. Proper rib movement optimizes diaphragm use, reduces strain on accessory muscles, and supports better posture and force management. Efficient rib and torso rotation also improve energy transfer and running mechanics. Alison shares practical strategies to enhance rib mobility, including targeted breathing exercises, breath-timing during strength training, and incorporating reciprocal motion under load. She emphasizes the value of personalized approaches, which she offers through her Women’s Running Academy and one-on-one mentorship. Listeners are encouraged to apply th...2024-12-2423 minThe Women's Running LabE18 - Strength Training and Running: Unlocking the Secrets to Faster, Stronger RunsIn this episode, Alison discusses the importance of rest during strength training for runners, emphasizing that strength training should focus on force production and proper recovery rather than speed. She encourages runners to see strength training as a tool to improve running efficiency, sharing how her own struggles with running led her to appreciate strength training. She introduces essential movement patterns like pushing, pulling, hinging, squatting, and lunging, and explains how these exercises can improve running form by targeting specific muscle groups and movement dynamics. Additionally, Alison highlights key principles such as organizing the center of mass over the...2024-12-1728 minThe Women's Running LabE17 - Strength Training for Hill Running: Building Power and ConfidenceIn this episode, host Alison Marie discusses the biomechanics of uphill and downhill running. She highlights the physical challenges of uphill running, such as increased demand on the hip flexors and Achilles, and emphasizes the importance of strength training, particularly for hip flexors, pelvis position, and Achilles tolerance. On the other hand, she outlines the difficulties of downhill running, including eccentric muscle demands on the quads, potential issues with posture, and increased landing forces. Alison also shares strategies for training both uphill and downhill running, including hill repeats, plyometrics, and eccentric strength exercises. Additionally, she addresses how strengthening the...2024-12-1028 minThe Women's Running LabE16 - Beyond Running: Advocating for Women's Autonomy and Rejecting Societal PressuresIn this episode, Alison discusses the importance of body autonomy and how it relates to both running and broader societal issues. She shares her perspective on coaching, emphasizing the value of understanding the "why" behind training and how it empowers women to become caretakers of their own bodies. Drawing on personal anecdotes and quotes from her Women's Running Academy, Alison highlights the significance of women living fully for themselves, breaking free from societal pressures, and advocating for their own well-being. The episode also touches on the emotional impact of recent political events and the ongoing fight for women's rights...2024-12-0313 minThe Women's Running LabE15 - Master the Best Running Warm-ups: Beyond Dynamic StretchingIn this episode, Alison discusses the importance of an effective warm-up, emphasizing dynamic movements that increase blood flow, improve neuromuscular coordination, and enhance joint range of motion. She explains how her Fast and Free warm-up program, a downloadable resource of plug-and-play warm-ups, integrates five key running skills, such as stack alignment and rotation, to help runners improve efficiency and avoid injury. These exercises focus on building muscle coordination, joint stiffness, and energy storage, essential for efficient running, and incorporate springy movements to activate the nervous system. Alison emphasizes how these warm-ups help female runners improve strength, efficiency, and power...2024-11-2621 min
Moon to Moon159. Sag Season through the Lens of Human Design with Alison Marie DaleI’m excited to share this unique look at Sagittarius season through the lenses of astrology, Human Design, and multiple other modalities. Enjoy! My guest is Alison Marie Dale, who I met inside Heretic Haven. Heretic Haven is an exploration of the 5th Line experience, hosted by Kelsey Rose Tortorice and Allyson Forseth. Alison is a 5/1 profile and I am a 3/5, which is how we both ended up in the same space. I got to really be a student in this episode. Alison activated my HUGE INNER NERD, which is one of my most favorite par...2024-11-211h 13The Women's Running LabE14 - How to Strengthen Hips for Running: Dynamic Drills for Better PerformanceIn this episode Alison dives into the critical role of hip strength in running, challenging the common belief that tight hips need more stretching rather than strengthening. She explains how efficient biomechanics, particularly during the stance phase of running, are essential for minimizing energy loss and preventing pain or injury. By focusing on the phases of loading, stabilizing, and propelling, she demonstrates how targeted strength training and dynamic drills can improve running economy and stride efficiency. Traditional exercises like clamshells and band walks are critiqued for their limitations, with an emphasis on drills that develop dynamic hip strength and...2024-11-1918 minThe Women's Running LabE13 - Finding a Good Cadence for Running: Breaking Down the Numbers and MythsIn this episode, host Alison Marie discusses the concept of cadence in running and its impact on performance and injury risk. She explains that while the commonly recommended 180 steps per minute works for elite athletes, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution for all runners. Cadence should vary based on pace and individual characteristics, and a lower cadence can lead to overstriding and increased load, while a higher cadence distributes load over more steps. Alison emphasizes addressing biomechanics, such as stride length and body alignment, before focusing on cadence adjustments and recommends strides, strength training, and specific warmups to optimize running...2024-11-1218 minThe Women's Running LabE12 - How to Strengthen Pelvic Floor for Running: 7 Fundamentals for a Responsive Pelvic FloorIn this episode Alison explores the importance of pelvic floor function for runners and outlines seven core principles from her Pelvic Floor Fundamentals course. She begins by sharing a personal story that underscores the emotional and physical demands on mothers, linking it to her own journey of rediscovery through running. She then explains how a "responsive" pelvic floor can prevent common issues like leakage, improve running efficiency, and reduce stress on the body. Alison’s approach includes understanding the pelvic floor’s interconnected role with core and hip stability, developing a full range of motion through key muscle groups, and...2024-11-0528 minThe Women's Running LabE11 - Systematically Build Up Your Zone 2 Without Feeling Like You are Banging Your Head Against a WallIn this episode, Alison explores the concept of Zone 2 training, emphasizing its physiological benefits for runners, such as improved cardiovascular efficiency and metabolic flexibility. She provides a systematic approach for integrating Zone 2 into training. The reality is, Zone 2 running is supposed to be easy but at first it can feel anything but. The main advice you get when you feel like you are about to pull out your hair or just throw in the towel is “just run slower.” For me it’s more of a yes… AND…These steps will help you ease your way into zone 2 in a way that...2024-10-2924 minThe Women's Running LabE10 - Purposefully Pacing Your Runs for Improved FitnessIn this episode, Alison explains the importance of incorporating three key running paces into a training plan: easy, tempo, and track. The easy pace, making up the majority of training, helps build cardiovascular efficiency. Tempo runs, around 10K pace, improve muscle efficiency, while track workouts at mile pace or VO2 max pace improve power. She emphasizes the need for intentional pacing and using benchmarks, such as a time trial or race results, to determine appropriate training paces. Strategic dosing of all three key paces is the most efficient way to improve your fitness over time.Follow Along...2024-10-2220 minThe Women's Running LabE9 - Strength Training as the Fountain of Youth for RunnersIn this episode Alison explores the role of strength training in enhancing both running performance and longevity. She emphasizes the importance of lifting heavy weights with fewer reps to build muscle and bone density, which running alone cannot achieve, especially as we age. For runners balancing strength and running, she advises focusing on quality over quantity, prioritizing strength in the off-season, and integrating plyometrics over time. Resources Mentioned:How to Set Your Running and Strength Training Weekly Schedule Blog Post: Gets into more details of how to schedule out...2024-10-1522 minThe Women's Running LabE8 - How My Running Journey Continues to Shape the Way I CoachIn this episode, Alison shares some of her running journey and how it continues to shape the way she coaches. From starting at an early age with her mom, to becoming obsessed in her 20s after, to struggling to find her way back postpartum, and running through grief after the loss of her daughter, each experience shaped the way she coaches. That last part is a big reason why she now integrates both mental and physical well-being into her coaching, emphasizing breathwork, nervous system regulation, and progressive training that respects the body's unique needs.Resources Mentioned:2024-10-0138 minThe Women's Running LabE7 - Is heel striking bad? What’s missing from this conversation?In this episode, Alison Marie challenges the common belief that midfoot striking is superior to heel striking. She explains that switching to a midfoot strike isn't always beneficial, as every runner's body functions differently, and forcing such a change can reduce stride efficiency. Instead, she stresses the importance of proper whole body mechanics, focusing on stacking, mid-stance loading, and powering through hip extension for more efficient running. Resources Mentioned:The Runner’s Lab: The Runner’s Lab is a 2 hour virtual masterclass, part powerpoint style education and part practice to m...2024-09-2424 minThe Women's Running LabE6 - Getting to the Root Cause of Your Foot PainIn this episode, Alison shares the importance of going beyond simply trying to manage your symptoms on the surface level with the rolling, stretching and icing and identifying the root cause so that you can fix them once and for all. She walks you through the 4 main contributors to true strength and mobility at the foot: Range of Motion at the ankle and big toe, Managing your Center of Mass above the foot, strengthening through a full and dynamic Tripod, and moving through pronation and supination through Rotation. She introduces her...2024-09-1726 minThe Women's Running LabE5: Spreading Awareness and Advocacy for Trisomy 13 & 18Yesterday, Sept. 14th we hosted the Third Annual Compatible with Life 5k to benefit families of children with trisomy 13 and 18 through the celebration, advocacy, and community offered by The Stella Effect.This is such a special event and near and dear to my heart. Our daughter, Charlotte Grace, was diagnosed with trisomy 13 (an extra copy of the 13th chromosome) at 16 weeks gestation. We were hit with all the grim stats, myriad potential birth defects, and the term “incompatible with life.”We made the difficult and emotional choice to carry her pregnancy to term and i...2024-09-151h 08The Women's Running LabE4 - Real Glute Strength Happens Through LengthIn this episode Alison delves into the importance of glute strength and proper foot mechanics for runners, particularly focusing on the concepts of lengthening muscles to optimize performance. She shares her personal experience with weak glutes, which led to hip pain and pelvic floor issues, and discusses how traditional exercises like clamshells and hip thrusts may not fully address these problems. Instead, she emphasizes the need for finding muscle length through internal rotation, particularly during mid-stance in the running stride, and explains how proper foot pronation plays a critical role in this process. Alison provides practical strategies for improving...2024-09-1026 minThe Women's Running LabE2 - 5 Things I wish Runners Knew About Their FeetIn this episode, coinciding with the launch of the new program Foot and Ankle Fundamentals for Runners (now called The Foot Fix), the focus is on understanding the critical role your feet play in your running mechanics. If you've been struggling with persistent foot issues like plantar fasciitis, numbness, burning, tight calves, or even unresolved hip and pelvic floor pain, this episode is for you. The host explains how addressing the underlying causes of these symptoms through proper foot and ankle movement can lead to lasting relief and improved running performance.Throughout the episode, you'll learn the...2024-09-0321 minThe Women's Running LabE3 - Fixing Plantar Fasciitis Requires Looking Above the FootIn this episode Alison discusses the intricacies of foot mechanics, particularly focusing on plantar fasciitis and how whole-body movement patterns affect foot health in runners. She introduces her new program, The Foot Fix for Runners, designed to address common foot issues by retraining natural foot mechanics. Alison emphasizes the importance of moving through pronation and supination during running, explaining how body posture, hip rotation, and proper foot positioning are all interconnected. She provides actionable advice on improving foot strength and mobility, encouraging listeners to explore how their feet and body work together during running.Resources Mentioned:2024-09-0328 minThe Women's Running LabE1 - 5 Skills for an Efficient Running Stride - The Women’s Running Lab FrameworkIn this episode of the Women’s Running Lab Podcast, we dive deep into the biomechanics of running and how understanding these principles can enhance your performance and reduce injury risk. As a self-proclaimed running nerd with a passion for simplifying complex concepts, our host explores how pain and performance in running are influenced by a multifactorial mix of social, emotional, mechanical, neurological, and physiological factors. The discussion emphasizes that running is a uniquely human experience and highlights the importance of addressing both visible and invisible aspects of running, including psychological and physiological factors.The episode introduces th...2024-09-0326 minThe Women's Running LabWelcome to the Women’s Running Lab PodcastWelcome to the Women’s Running Lab Podcast. I’m your host, Alison Marie teacher, coach and self proclaimed running nerd. Here you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the physics and physiology of running and what that means for your body and your training. We are going to get nerdy, but we are also going to break it down into the simplest form of what actually works AND in a way that you can consistently do it.Follow Along Between Episodes on Instagram and if you enjoyed this episode please give a share and tag me in your...2024-09-0302 min