The Distance Dr: In Practice

“Just do a short recovery run today.”
Most runners have heard it. Most runners have done it. But easy running is still load, and calling it “recovery” can quietly sabotage adaptation, durability, and long-term performance.
In this 15-minute episode, I break down:
what recovery actually is (and when it happens)
why easy runs still stress tendons and bone
how tissue adapts on a delay
why “flushing lactate” misses the bigger picture
and what to do instead if you want to train consistently and stay injury-resilient
This episode is evidence-based, runner-focused, and practical physiology explained clearly.
If you want to train smarter, recover better, and stop confusing easy with free, this one’s for you.

Can you actually predict if you’re going to hit the wall in a marathon? 🧠💛
In this episode, Nick and Kate unpack a new study that analysed wearable biomechanics data from over 1,400 marathon runners to see whether early-race running form patterns were linked to severe late-race pace collapse.
We break down what this study actually shows, what it doesn’t, and how runners and coaches should (and shouldn’t) interpret it.
If you’ve ever wondered why the wall feels like it comes out of nowhere, then this one’s for you.

📚 Study name: Early marathon running metrics from inertial measurement units predict significant pace reduction
📚 Study link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12575221/
⏱️ Episode timestamps
 0:00 Intro
 3:38 Study aim
 5:20 Methods
 9:06 Defining “hitting the wall”
 15:39 Results
 20:13 Key biomechanical variables
 29:00 Summary
 32:50 Limitations
 38:30 Practical use for athletes & coaches
 42:00 Correction
 50:40 Quick rundown