The Run Smarter Podcast

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In this episode, Brodie chats with Dr. Phil Hayes — senior lecturer at Northumbria University, sports scientist, and highly experienced running coach — about his role as co-editor of The Science and Practice of Middle and Long-Distance Running. Phil’s academic expertise in exercise physiology and decades of coaching experience give him a unique perspective on bridging cutting-edge research with practical training wisdom.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Behind the Book: How the project came about, Phil’s collaboration with Rich Blagrove, and why they felt a science-based resource for runners was missing from the market.
• Physiology Insights: The limitations of purely metabolic models of performance and why neuromuscular factors and fatigue resistance are vital for understanding endurance.
• Critical Speed Testing: How to use field-based protocols to estimate your maximum sustainable speed, set training zones, and guide performance predictions without a lab test.
• Training Load Monitoring: Why mileage alone can be misleading, and how tools like session RPE, TRIMP scores, and workload ratios help prevent injury and manage progression.
• Consistency Over Intensity: Why avoiding training spikes and maintaining a sustainable workload is key to long-term performance gains.
• Strength & Conditioning: How targeted, year-round S&C work prevents injury, improves resilience, and supports running efficiency.
• Structured Programming: Building both macro- and micro-level training structure to balance hard and easy sessions, and why logging your training is crucial.
• Race Preparation: Adopting a “own the start line” mindset, using checklists, and practicing tapers before key events to refine your approach.
• Tapering Principles: Reducing volume while maintaining intensity in the final weeks before a race, and why individual experimentation is essential.
• Fundamentals First: How focusing on the basics—training structure, S&C, recovery, and balanced intensity—outperforms chasing “magic workouts.”