I am not exaggerating when I say my pre-race nerves were almost debilitating. Not quite a panic attack, but close. Heart pounding, stomach turning, shallow breathing and the gun hadn't even gone off. I was determined to solve this mystery of why this kept happening to me. So I fell into a rabbit hole of breathing techniques, visualization, and cognitive conditioning. I began to practice consistently, not just on race morning but throughout training. That combination changed how I raced. And...
16 days ago • 4 min read
"But it's a dry heat," my father always says about the brutally hot climate in his hometown of Pheonix, Arizona. And I know what you are thinking: when it's 114F (45C) it doesn't matter if it's dry or not, it's just HOT! But besides the humidity, there's something else that affects how you feel (and run) in the heat. And it doesn't have anything to do with the weather or even how much you've adapted to it. It's how well you tolerate uncertainty. (I know, you weren't expecting me to say that,...
22 days ago • 4 min read
"I can tell there's something different about you since the last time we talked, Claire. You have this new, calm energy." That's what Matt Chittim, host of the Rambling Runner podcast told me as we were recording his show. I told him that was just about the highest compliment I could receive. Because I wasn't always like that. I would get so nervous before my local half marathon that I would almost get sick. My nerves seemed to only escalate no matter how hard I tried to calm them down. Once...
30 days ago • 3 min read
Let me ask you a question. I have spent the last 10 years writing this newsletter every single week. The vast majority of the runners I send it to open it and tell me they look forward to it every Thursday. I share strategies on running, nutrition, mental strength, and more, and I love being a resource you can trust. As you might be able to guess by the refreshed look of this page today (how do you like the new colors? 😍), the Planted Runner is going through some much-needed changes and...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Most of us have been taught practice is perfect. If you want to learn to play the flute, you practice your scales and your finger placement over and over again until you can do it without thinking. If you're a singer, you practice your songs over and over again until they are perfect for the performance. And when you have a presentation to give, you go over your notes and your Power Point until you are confident you've got the material nailed. So it's not a surprise that most runners want to...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
There are two types of runners: runners who hate hills and runners who are liars. 😉 Of course, I'm kidding, there are runners who actually like hills. But I'm convinced even the happiest hill runner hated them at some point. Hills an acquired taste. Kind of like running in general. But once you learn how to run them right, and discover how hills can make you faster and stronger, you might just learn to embrace them. Here's how: happy hill help from the team "I just wanted to get back in...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
I don't like telling people what to eat. Okay, that's not exactly true. I love telling runners how they should fuel before, during, and after their runs. But the rest of the time? There are a lot of ways to eat for health, longevity, flavor and fun (don't forget the last two!) and who am I to tell you what to do with your free will? And the other part is a well-known secret in the fitness industry. But it doesn't get clicks, so you might miss it. Most fit people are really boring when it...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
There's no shortage of advice out there on how to get good at running. From the overly simple ("just run more"), to the overly complicated ("train on a treadmill just below lactate threshold while getting your blood drawn and your VO2 Max measured"), it can feel a bit overwhelming if you are stuck in your running progress. The truth is there are some basic truths about how to train to improve at endurance running. Nail the basics consistently and you'll improve more than the vast majority of...
2 months ago • 4 min read
We are conditioned to think fatigue is a bad thing. When you are bone-tired after a hard workout, or you are dragging yourself straight to the couch after yet another stressful day of work, you're bound to wonder if it's all worth it. Fatigue isn't fun. Of course, fatigue isn't fun because it's an indicator of all sorts situations we want to avoid (too much stress, overtraining, illness, and more). It's there to tell us to slow down. But, when used wisely in your training, fatigue can be your...
2 months ago • 3 min read