305. What Jon Levitt Learned from 850,000 Runners About Running After 40

About

Dr. Duane Scotti shares running tips, tools and more to help you get stronger, run faster, and enjoy lifelong injury free running! If you're a dedicated runner, often injured runner, or beginner runner who is interested in staying healthy so you can get in those mental clearing miles subscribe for helpful training episodes to optimize the 6 steps to growing as a runner (mindset, strength training, run plan, nutrition, recovery, and race day strategy) so you can grow in your running journey. Dr. Duane Scotti, DPT, PhD, OCS is a running physical therapist, run coach, host of the Healthy Runner podcast, and founder of Spark Healthy Runner and has been a leader in the rehab and running community for 20+ years. He is truly living his passion educating the running community that they don't need to stop running to get over a running injury. After 19 years teaching in higher education, Duane decided to step away as a Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy to pursue his passion educating the running community. Through his signature 1:1 coaching program, Healthy Runner Academy membership, weekly videos, and podcast episodes, he empowers runners to get stronger, run faster, and enjoy lifelong injury free running. Through strength and run specific training you can build your body to have a strong mind, strong body, and just keep running! New podcast episodes uploaded every other week. Thanks for listening, welcome to Healthy Runner!

Have you ever wondered if you can keep running (not just through this season) but for the rest of your life?

If you're over 40 and you've started questioning whether your body can keep up, this episode is for you.

Joining me today is Jon Levitt, host of the popular For The Long Run podcast, where he's spent years interviewing some of the world's best runners, coaches, sports scientists, and researchers to answer one big question:

What does it actually take to achieve sustainable excellence?

Through conversations reaching more than 850,000 runners every month, Jon has uncovered the common habits, mindset shifts, and training principles that help runners stay healthy, continue improving, and enjoy running for decades.

In this episode, we discuss:

✅ What "sustainable excellence" really means for everyday runners

✅ The biggest mistakes runners over 40 make that lead to injury and burnout

✅ How your training should evolve as you get older

✅ Why recovery becomes one of your greatest performance tools

✅ The mindset shift that separates runners who keep improving from those who quit

✅ Practical lessons from elite athletes, coaches, and researchers that every masters runner can apply today

Whether you're chasing a marathon PR, training for your next runDisney race, or simply want to keep enjoying the sport you love for years to come, this conversation will help you train smarter, stay healthier, and run stronger for life.

Resources Mentioned

🎧 Healthy Runner Podcast Episode 278: The 5-Step Injury Prevention System here

Want to Run Healthy for Life?

If you're tired of constantly battling injuries or wondering if you're training the right way, our Healthy Runner coaching team can help.

We'll personally match you with the coach who's the best fit for your goals, experience, personality, and running journey so you can train consistently, build strength, and keep running for years to come.

Learn more here.

🎁 FREE RESOURCE: Marathon Training Guide

Want a clear, proven roadmap to train smarter and feel strong on race day?

Download your Ultimate Marathon Training Guide to Master Your Marathon Feeling Strong

This free guide is designed for both beginner and advanced runners who want to achieve their marathon goals while staying healthy and injury-free.

Claim your free copy here!

A big thanks to Kila for your support for this episode!

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If you're ready for structured strength plans, progressive return-to-run programming, and coaching support so you're not guessing week to week, join the Healthy Runner Academy waitlist

Looking for 1-on-1 guidance, structure, support, and accountability? Check out our signature Spark Healthy Runner Coaching here!

👋🏼 New here?

I'm Dr. Duane Scotti, former physical therapy professor turned full-time running coach, running physical therapist, and 8x marathoner 🏅

I help everyday runners stop nagging injuries, get stronger, and finally feel confident in their training by blending rehab-level expertise with performance training.

If you found this helpful, make sure to follow the Healthy Runner Podcast and share this episode with a runner who needs to hear it.

Connect with Jon Levitt

- Learn more about Jon and For the Long Run

- Follow Jon on Instagram

- Watch For the Long Run videos on YouTube

- Listen to the For the Long Run podcast

- Listen to the Long Run Labs podcast

Connect with Dr. Duane:

- Instagram - @sparkhealthyrunner

- Sign up for the Healthy Runner Newsletter

- Join our Healthy Runner Facebook Community

- Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

- duane@sparkhealthyrunner.com

- www.sparkhealthyrunner.com