RunnersConnect Run to the Top Podcast

For today’s show, I have no guest because I am getting married in a few days! So I decided to share my story for anyone who is interested in learning more about me. I was interviewed on Marathon Training Academy a few months ago by Angie and Trevor, and you can listen to that episode here. For those of you who weren’t aware, I am originally from England, and moved to the States in 2007 to pursue my running career. I finished off a great collegiate career by finishing 3rd in the 10k at the 2012 Great Britain Olympic Trials.

Today on the show I am excited to welcome Michele Gonzalez of the blog NYC Running Mama. First and foremost, Michele is an amazing person who puts her kids first, but also makes the time to run. She is a mother of two, Ironman finisher, ultra, and marathon runner. To top that, she has also completed 3 tours in Iraq as a military intelligence officer, later became a captain. Michele writes for Women’s Running magazine. First marathon was 3:54

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is an accomplished marathon runner. He is also an Associate Professor at West Virginia University, a family physician, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves, the Chief Medical Consultant for the Air Force Marathon, and the owner of Two Rivers Treads, the nation’s first minimalist shoe store which is located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. We cover a lot of ground with Mark as he discusses:

I have been thinking for a while that it is time to change it up. I loved the idea of having panel of experts on at the same time, I just needed a topic that would allow it. Recently on my personal blog, I wrote about why runners need to cross train, even if they are not injured, and it got me thinking about cross training more and more. Until recently I was scared to cross train, I thought I was too good to cross train, and I associated injury with cross training. We hea [...]

With the running boom that has been going on for a few years now, we have learned more and more about running, and added so many things that we need to pay attention to in order to get the best out of our running, but are we making things too complicated? My guest today has so much research and knowledge behind him, but is encouraging runners to go back to basics, keep things simple and focus on the things that really matter, the things that do not keep changing as new research comes out. As runners this can be tough for us, as we tend to go overboard when we learn something that might help us, but hopefully this interview today shows you what [...]

We all have to run on our own sometimes. Those moments where you can be alone with your thoughts, and your mind runs wild. It is always fascinating to reflect on the places your mind goes, and what you end up thinking about. Do you ever find that you come up with a crazy idea, something you would like to challenge yourself to do, but then you swat it away, nah, I could do that. What a silly idea you think to yourself. But what if you didn’t swat that idea away, what if you added that to a list, a list that you work your way through and push yourself in new ways as often as you can.

The Chicago marathon: one of the 6 marathon majors that almost every marathon runner wants to complete during their running career. One of the fastest, and most recognized marathon races in the world, it is one to watch every year. Last year, I was given the opportunity to race in it as an elite, and while in the elevator a few days before the race, I met the driving force behind it; race director Carey Pinkowski. Someone who had so much to do, and has so much responsibility, took the time to talk to a nervous, overwhelmed British woman, to reassure her that she did belong to be there. Carey has been the race director for the Chicago marathon [...]

I have always been fascinated with the minds of runners. At one point in my life I even looked into becoming a sports psychologist. Today, I had the opportunity to ask those questions I have always wondered with a well known sports psychologist, who has studied distance runners in detail, and has come to some fascinating conclusions on why we act the way we do. You are going to learn so much in this interview, and it will make you change your whole outlook on life, especially if you want to be successful, and get the most out of your running goals. My guest today is Dr. Stan Beecham

There are many topics that are covered over and over again, and some that you can ask someone about, or type into a search engine, and almost hear the crickets as you realize there is nothing on that topic. Runners are dedicated, determined, and love to research what they can do to run faster, so why is there absolutely nothing on women’s issues and running. If you are a guy, you may want to switch off now, but it would also be a great idea for you to listen in to this interview, to learn more about it. And to the female listeners, this may be a first ever for how deep and detailed we go into these topics, but it will be informative, and I a [...]

One of my favorite quotes is by Neal Donald Walsh; life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Even though this quote is very well known, and we often tell ourselves that we are great at taking those leaps of faith, I often wonder, are we really? One person who has embraced this to the fullest is my guest today. She is one of the figureheads of womens running, and a photo of her in the Boston Marathon was voted one of the 100 photos that changed the world. Not only did she change it that day in boston in 1967, but she has kept that momentum going and is still encouraging it, breaking those barriers, pushing those boundaries, and making sure the women of the future have as much opportunity as men.

We know you love the science. We know you love diving deep into topics within running where other podcasts and running blogs wont go. We even know most of you are very skeptical of the big companies.  That’s why today we are talking to a professor who completed a research study on a pair of shoes that can increase your running economy, and actually make you run faster.  No. This podcast has not been sponsored by anyone, nor was anyone paid to complete the study, this [...]

Inspiration. We can find it almost anywhere. The running world is surrounded by it. However, there are some people that just give off so much energy and passion that they inspire you just by being around them. My guest today is one of those people. From not knowing what a marathon was at age 35, to qualifying for the Olympic trials within a matter of years, my guest today is the textbook example of chasing your dreams, at any age. My guest today is Susan Loken. Too [...]

If you are listening to this podcast, unless you are my mum or dad, you have probably been bitten by the running bug. It can be hard to describe, and maybe you did not see it coming, like my guest today, but running is addictive, and it will change your life in ways you never imagined. Sure it gives you toned muscles and the ability to get out of the pouring rain quicker than you would have otherwise, but running gives you so much more than that. My guest today went from [...]

My guest today is honest. Not interested in telling you what you want to hear, but instead using his knowledge as a doctor to teach you how to make yourself more healthy, rather than giving you something to treat the symptoms, but never really addressing the true source of the problem. Today I am talking to Steve Gangemi, also known as the Sock Doc. Dr Gangemi is doctor who focuses on holisitic health care, focusing on the entire body rather than just the areas that [...]

Before we reintroduced the podcast, Jeff and I created a survey for our subscribers to give their feedback on how we could improve the podcast, and what you would like to see in the future of the podcast. I was a little confused by one guest request that came up over and over; Matt Fitzgerald. Matt had already been on the show twice, would listeners not want someone different? It was only once I listened to his two epiosdes that I could see why. He was absolutely fascinating, and such a pioneer within our running world. I loved his approach, and he is the kind of person you could go to a lecture from, and actually enjoy listening to what they [...]