All your training works together to produce desired results. Runners respect this and do their homework on training plans, nutrition, and the nuances of running shoes, to name a few.

Yet, when was the last time somebody asked you about your sleeping habits? Maybe it's because that’s considered too personal. However, it’s something we should inquire about because it’s vitally important for maximizing the value of all the other inputs.

#1. Establish Your Baseline

Only you know how many hours of sleep you really need. This may not be possible on weekends before early morning long runs, but a late morning or afternoon nap should come close to making up the difference.

#2. Respect Your Limitations

Getting in bed by a specific time sets the routine and conditions your sleep system. Later than that compromises the quality of your sleep, thereby resulting in some fatigue the next day.

Find what works for you and refine your practice as necessary.

#3. Back Away from Media

The goal is to tune into your body and mind before bedtime. Light stretching or yoga are ways to encourage this. For non-practitioners, the primary purpose of yoga and meditation is bringing your attention inward.

For more details on body awareness, check out this podcast’s Episode 11.

#4. Consider Natural Supplements

Magnesium Threonate and L-Theanine are two supplements commonly recommended for improving sleep.

Magnesium Threonate has the unique quality of crossing the blood-brain barrier, which provides additional benefits – one of them is improving sleep quality. L-Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in tea leaves, particularly green tea.

Please do your research and/or consult with a physician familiar with your medical history before taking these or any other supplements.

5. Avoid Time Awareness

Time awareness creates anxiety. Just changing your environment may be enough to reset, but doing some stretching or yoga will help to reconnect the mind with the body.

My view is that struggling to sleep means the mind and body are disconnected. Your mind is somewhere else, it’s distracted. So recenter it.

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It’s important to set realistic running goals and follow a race strategy to achieve them.

Strategy is often confused with planning. Strategy is determining in advance what must be true to achieve your goals. In addition to training, you may need to make lifestyle changes, such as getting more sleep and being intentional with nutrition.

Planning is simply scheduling the implementation of your strategy. As you train, you should track and evaluate your progress. To get started with your plan, have an open mind and be honest with yourself.

#1. Mentally Prepare Before The Race

Every runner has doubts when a race approaches. Remind yourself that doubts and fears indicate this is important to you. After all, you’ve trained for months and want to translate that into your best performance.

#2. Practice Your Race And Backup Plans

Develop and mentally rehearse a plan a, b, c, and so on for every race. This offers multiple, ready-to-go paths to a favorable result. Failing this preparation forces a decision with a mind that is busy managing running mechanics and tactics.

#3 Use A Race Day Checklist And Timeline

One of the keys to easing your mind on race day is having a routine you’ll follow from the moment you wake up. This should include how you’ll fuel and hydrate, specific types of stretching, applying sunscreen and anti-chafing lubrication, and so on.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe by going to runninglongevitylab.com and clicking on the Follow tab. If you have another minute, please consider leaving a review on Apple to help new listeners find the show. Just click the Rate Podcast tab.

I have enjoyed the benefits of these tools for years, but have no affiliation with the companies that provide them. See below for links to the respective providers.

The two handiest tools for traveling are the Naboso ball and the mini-roller. Those and a stretch band for muscle flossing take care of just about anything.

#1. Naboso Neuro Ball - This is a massage ball that resembles a standard lacrosse ball, except that it is slightly softer and more pliable, and that it is surrounded with flexible nubs that are useful for soft tissue massage.

#2. Yoga block - Most yoga blocks are made of foam. The one I use is solid and heavier with a pliable cork outer surface, making it much more durable and useful for support. I use them daily for supported split squats and similar exercises, such as Cossack squats.

#3. Half-round foam roller - The half-round foam roller is exactly what the name suggests, an odd duck. It looks like a normal foam roller that has been cut in half lengthwise. So, obviously it doesn’t roll, and that’s its advantage.

#4. Mini roller – If I had to choose one tool to travel with, it would be either this tool or the Naboso ball. I purchased this compact, mini-roller years ago for massaging the plantar tissues on the bottom of my feet. It has nubs like the Naboso ball that break up tissue restrictions and encourage blood flow.

#5. Pso-rite – The original Pso-rite product is a rigid plastic device that you lay on in the prone position. Two vertical fins shaped like an open hand with fingers pointing upward apply pressure deep inside the groin area to reach the psoas, just as a massage therapist would do with his or her hands.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe by going to runninglongevitylab.com and clicking on the Follow tab. If you have another minute, please consider leaving a review on Apple to help new listeners find the show. Just click the Rate Podcast tab.

Legendary marathoner Eliud Kipchoge has this to say about a frequently asked question: Do you always feel motivated to run? “I struggle with motivation sometimes, but I always try to have a positive thought, that I will enjoy the run.”

That’s great advice because we all face the same challenge. We get tired of the running routine. The challenge isn’t so much about boredom, but that our minds are drifting.

Keep Your Head In The Game

If it’s hot or humid, we recall perfectly cool days and compare them with this one. Resisting those outside thoughts is often referred to as keeping your head in the game.

It's easy to fall into the habit of running junk miles. When you run mostly junk miles, your running lacks purpose. We rationalize that we are getting the job done, even if we are not enjoying the process.

The problem is that having fun is one of the best ways to maximize your running potential.

Unless you answer to a coach, then you are the boss of your running. To stay motivated, commit to a structured training plan with tempo runs, intervals, and easy, regular, and long runs.

Use Deliberate Play

Adam Grant explores deliberate play in his book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. Deliberate play injects fun into skill-building activities. This transforms working out into a source of joy, and that maximizes productive outcomes.

NBA superstar Steph Curry uses deliberate play. He’ll invent games like scoring 21 points in a minute to help him practice his footwork speed and agility. Every time he works that drill, he improvises to find different ways to score the points, and that makes every day different, fresh and productive.

That’s the difference between play and practice.

Listen to the episode to learn how structured training builds physical and mental strength. You'll also discover ways to add variety to easy runs with deliberate play.

Running Drills

Here's a short video on A-skips and other running drills.

Here are skipping drills with emphasis on technique.

Mick Jagger skipping during concerts. It's subtle, so you have to look for it. At 81 years, he's a great example of running longevity.

Personal Best Running, by Mark Coogan

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe by going to runninglongevitylab.com and clicking on the Follow tab. If you have another minute, please consider leaving a review on Apple to help new listeners find the show. Just click the Rate Podcast tab.

Thanks so much for joining me today.

Be safe out there and enjoy your next run!

Today we will address what to do after running to fix your pain points and put the brakes on what’s causing your injuries.

If you missed parts 1 and 2, please check them out for context and continuity. They include practices that will help you reduce pain before and during your run.

Post Workout Nutrition

The first thing you should do after every workout is hydrate and refuel.

Refueling within 2 hours after a run with high-quality carbohydrates and proteins is crucial for optimal recovery. This practice helps replenish glycogen stores, supports muscle repair, and enhances overall recovery.

Post Workout Rehabilitation

This may be the most important practice for avoiding injuries. We’ve touched on it in previous episodes, but let’s break it down so that you understand not just what to do, but why.

When you have injuries that lead to chronic muscle or joint problems, it’s because the tissues have not fully returned to their original state. What used to be perfectly aligned muscle fibers are now a tangled mess. This is further complicated by the surrounding fascia tissues, which are in a similar state.

The tissues have healed, but not as they once were. They need to be “remodeled” to return them to as close to their original state as possible. This is a time-consuming process of stretching to the point of plasticity, slightly beyond the tissue breaking point.

Maintaining A Running Journal

The final post-running recommendation is keeping a running journal. The act of recording your workouts is a time-honored practice. It’s a ritual that will ensure your running longevity.

I recommend using an app such as Evernote or Notion that you can access anywhere. You’ll discover what matters to you over time and your entries will evolve to accommodate your needs.

The essentials I record are mileage, overall pace, and weather conditions. Over the years I’ve added average heart-rate to get a sense of my fitness. More recently I’ve added the percentage of time in Zone 2, another fitness indicator you can learn more about in Episode 8.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe by going to runninglongevitylab.com and clicking on the Follow tab. If you have another minute, please consider leaving a review on Apple to help new listeners find the show. Just click the Rate Podcast tab for that.

Thanks so much for joining me today.

Be safe out there and enjoy your next run!

Everyone wants to run, but many resist the work it takes to run safely. As we age, we must be intentional about movement to keep our bodies in a state of readiness for activity.

Warming Up

Let’s start with warming up. In the previous episode, we discussed a pre-bedtime routine that moves the body before sleeping. This makes the next day’s pre-running routine go that much smoother and faster.

The routine is the same for warming up, but with greater intensity.

Here are the exercises I usually perform. Try them out to find what works best for you.

1. Child's Yoga Pose
2. Supine back twist (lying on back w/knees to chest)
3. Tibialis raise - Video example for #3, #4, #9
4. Calf raise
5. Foam rolling
6. Reverse Table Yoga Pose
7. Sitting in deep squat
8. Sitting on legs (supported as necessary)
9. ATG split squat
10. Cossack squat

Another version of the cossack squat

Naboso Neuro ball for massaging and loosening foot plantar tissues.

Hindu Squat for elevating heart rate and activating muscles for running.

Suported ATG split squat (with yoga block)

Running Drills

Here's a short video on A-skips and other running drills.

Here are skipping drills with emphasis on technique.

Mick Jagger skipping during concerts. It's subtle, so you have to look for it.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe by going to runninglongevitylab.com and clicking on the Follow tab. If you have another minute, please consider leaving a review on Apple to help new listeners find the show. Just click the Rate Podcast tab for that.

Thanks so much for joining me today.

Be safe out there and enjoy your next run!

Since recommitting to road running and racing at age 59, I’ve extensively researched and tested methods for avoiding pain and injuries. As the audience for Running Longevity Lab has grown, I’m often asked for my routine for avoiding injuries. You will get that in this 1st of a 3-part series.

My routine keeps evolving and will likely continue to do so. When I discover something new, I give it a try. I recommend you do the same. Your training is a laboratory of sorts. Use it to find what works best for you.

Pre-Bedtime Routine

Running for most of us is a day-to-day experience. So our preparation is fluid. I’ve discovered dynamic stretching before bedtime produces significant benefits for the next day’s run.

When sleeping our metabolic systems slow down. This allows our body to respond to the day’s training so we can make productive gains.

You want to get fresh blood circulating through your body and activate the systems that flush out debris from the day’s workout. This also reduces inflammation and relaxes the body for sleep.

Here’s a sample of the exercises I usually perform, and typically in this order.

1. Child's Yoga Pose
2. Supine back twist (lying on back w/knees to chest)
3. Tibialis raise - Video example for #3, #4, #9
4. Calf raise
5. Foam rolling
6. Reverse Table Yoga Pose
7. Sitting in deep squat
8. Sitting on legs (supported as necessary)
9. ATG split squat
10. Cossack squat

Suported ATG split squat (with yoga block)

Another version of the cossack squat

If you are enjoying this podcast, I'd appreciate a review on iTunes or Spotify. Just go to runninglongevitylab.com and navigate to the "Rate Show" tab.

If you are enjoying this podcast, I'd appreciate a review on iTunes or Spotify. Just go to runninglongevitylab.com and navigate to the "Rate Show" tab.