STOP Running with Poor Form!

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Your run performance is only as good as your technique, and you need to practice it even when you are tired or too hot or fill in the blank with your favorite excuse.

Every stride, every mile, and every minute you run with poor form, you wire your body to run that way. But don't despair; the inverse is true.

With Coach Amy, learn to approach running form by region: head/neck/shoulders/arms, spine /diaphragm, pelvis/hips, and foot/ankle.

There are two options to work with Coach Amy on your form: 1:1 run development sessions at the CoachAmyPT clinic or in a group setting with CoachAmyPT Seasonal Run Clinics. The Fall 2025 run clinic begins in September.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to improve your running technique. Register now, as spots are limited.

Best Post-workout Smoothie for Endurance Athletes!

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Protein is crucial for endurance athletes.

Protein is crucial in endurance sports training, providing the necessary elements for building, repairing, and recovering. Insufficient protein intake can lead to decreased performance, hitting a plateau, and even injury. Understanding the significance of protein in your training regime is key to your success.

There are numerous ways to incorporate protein into your diet, with various foods high in essential amino acids being the best source. However, consuming four protein-rich meals a day can be challenging, especially when balancing workouts and a busy schedule. One practical solution is a post-workout smoothie made with whey protein and collagen. Below is the recipe for my favorite post-workout smoothie.

Coach Amy’s Favorite Post-workout Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • Collagen/gelatin

  • Liquid base

  • Protein powder

  • Fiber

  • Ice

  • *Fruit optional

Collagen

30g gelatin powder (hydrolyzed collagen). There are many on the market. I recommend unsweetened or naturally sweetened. Sugar intake breaks down collagen, making it brittle.

Liquid Base

1 cup of fluid: water, unsweetened oat, coconut or almond milk. I like to mix 1/2 cup of unsweetened oat milk with 1/2 cup of iced coffee. Sometimes, I use unsweetened Kiefer to get in some probiotics.

Protein Powder

1 scoop of your favorite whey protein powder.

If you are vegan, you can use pea protein powder, but ensure it has added methionine and cysteine.

Always read the protein powders' labels to ensure they don't have added fillers, sugars, or contaminants.

Check out the Clean Label Project's recommended whey powders. Clean Label Project.

Fiber

1 Tbs of flaxseed meal

1 Tbs of chia seeds

Other

Handful of ice

Fruit

1/4 cup of frozen or fresh fruit of choice. This is a great way to add flavor and naturally sweeten your smoothie.

Throw it all into a blender and blend!

Learn more about Protein for Endurance Athletes.

It is challenging to get the required amount of protein to support training. Learn more about optimizing your protein intake to improve your endurance performance. Listen to The Coach Amy and Coach Liz Show for a two-part episode on protein. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the landing page. The first episode airs on July 3, 2024, and the second on July 10!

How to Cope with Fatigue and Discomfort when Running Long or Hard

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I definitely used Distraction Methods to get through Portions of my first Triathlon

Coping with Fatigue and Discomfort

Running long distances, racing, and speed work is hard! When you feel tired or uncomfortable, your emotions and negative thoughts can take over your body. In my post, Run Faster by Training your Brain: Association, I referred to this takeover as a mind puppet and shared a mental strategy for coping. But that may only be effective for some.  

In this post, I will introduce another strategy: Disassociation. As the name suggests, it's quite the opposite of Association. 

Disassociation

Instead of focusing on your breath, form, and body, as with Association, distract yourself by shifting your focus from the physical when you feel tired, fatigued, or uncomfortable during strenuous efforts like speed work, a race, or a long run. 

You may distract yourself by focusing on a mantra, sounds, and sights around you. While this may help you overcome discomfort and allow you to continue, it can interfere with your performance because it shifts your focus from your body, especially if your form is falling apart. 

Suppose you are on top of your form, running efficiently, and checking in with your breath and body. In that case, Disassociation may boost your performance by drowning out self-doubts or negative thoughts.

I like to use a combination of both Association and Disassociation and bounce between the two. If my form is intact, I may shift to Disassociation until I get "over the hump." 

Ways to Distract Your Mind

There are several ways to distract your mind. Try these out, but I encourage you to find your own!

Chant a mantra.

I like to count my steps up to 10 repeatedly. I've also sung little songs in my head, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," in sync with my cadence. I like this because there is still an element of attention to form. Learn more about mantras and distraction in this episode of The Coach Amy and Coach Liz Show: Handling Dark Thoughts in Endurance Sport. 

Listen to music.

Music, especially with a beat set to your cadence/pace, can help. Some races will not allow you to wear ear pods. If this is the case, select a different distraction for training because it won't be available on race day.  Learn more about listening to music when training in this episode of The Coach Amy and Coach Liz Show: Listening to Music on Your Run, Bike, Swim?

Focus on a spot in the distance.

It could be a tree, building, or sign. Select a new focus point as you approach each one to keep your eyes ahead! 

Listen to a book or a podcast.

Be careful if your goal is to achieve a particular time or pace, as it may distract you too much from the physical. If your goal is to finish with no time goal, this may work great for you! 

Tips for Using Mental Coping Strategies

Practice throughout your training. Don't expect it to work on race day unless you've trained your brain and body! Experiment with different approaches, identify the ones that are effective for you and put them into practice.

Run Faster by Training your Brain: Association

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Train your brain to run faster, and while fatigued

Just like your body, your mind is trainable. Several highly effective strategies exist to train the brain. In this post, I will introduce the Association Strategy.

Have you ever had that training season where you demonstrated through the whole season that you could achieve a given race outcome, but on the day, you fell short? And not because of the course conditions, weather, or anything else, but because you didn't trust yourself and let negative thoughts take over?

When you are fatigued or feel discomfort from a hard effort like running at race pace or faster, your emotions and negative thoughts can take over your body like a puppeteer. This mind puppet will manipulate your nervous system and control your muscles, breathing, and heart rate.

You can train your brain puppet using various strategies. But here is the catch: you have to practice during training.

The Association Strategy

One effective strategy is called Association. Drown out the negative voices and other distractions by paying full attention to every aspect of your body while running. Pay attention to your breathing, form, hands, cadence, jaw, foot strike, etc.

Experienced athletes may find this strategy effective in improving performance, whereas inexperienced athletes may not. It may be easier for elite and experienced runners to do so because they are more likely to know how to breathe and run efficiently. If you are new to running, don't worry; you can learn how to run and breathe effectively, and I will address some other strategies in an upcoming post.

Besides shifting your focus from discomfort and negative thoughts, this attention to your form, breath, and body is also helpful because it can alert you if your form is falling apart, and you can make corrections to improve your efficiency and minimize fatigue. Win-win.

To practice Association effectively, you should know how to run correctly and efficiently. Elite and experienced runners should constantly fine-tune form.

How to use the Association Strategy.

Pay attention to your body, breath, and form.

Body Check

Move from one part of the body to the next. Start with your jaw. Is it clenched? Relax it. What about your shoulders? Are they hunched up to your ears? Let them go. What are your hands doing? Are they clinched? Shake them out and relax them. Where are your hands and arms? Are they all over the place? Reign them in but keep them relatively relaxed.

Breath Check

Move onto your breath. Are you breathing 360 degrees? Are you employing diaphragmatic breathing? Learn how to breathe while running. A recent study shows that 50% of elite athletes are not breathing properly. My co-host, Liz, and I will address this topic in an upcoming podcast episode of The Coach Amy and Coach Liz Show. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss it!

Form Check

Check-in with your spine—are you rotating in the midback? Is it in sync with your legs? Speaking of your legs, what is your stride doing? Is it sloppy? Is it crossing over? What about your feet? Pay attention to the foot strike. How is your forward lean? Are you preacting or reacting? What is that? Listen to this episode of The Coach Amy and Coach Liz Show: How to Get More Power Out of Your Run Before Your Foot Hits the Ground.

Practice makes Better

At first, your rate of perceived exertion may be high since you are doing something new.

Practice this technique at the beginning of a run, a warm-up, or an easy run. Then, you can transition to using it when you are tired and running faster and further.

Use the strategy throughout all your longer and more challenging training runs. Even if you are not experiencing negative thoughts now, practice it!

More than one strategy

Regardless of your experience, the Association may not work for you. That's OK. There are many other strategies. Stay tuned for more!

Learn to Run Faster

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Learn to run faster at Coach Amy’s Run Clinic.

We can’t rely solely on interval repeats at threshold or tempo runs to improve speed. Running your best or fastest requires quality and precision of movement, power, and economy; we can achieve this with run-specific drills and skill development. Coach Amy’s run clinic combines the best of both speed workouts and form development.

Run Clinic Details

Coach Amy creates and leads runners through dynamic warm-ups, form instruction, run drills, and various workouts such as hill training, strength circuits, and activities such as fartleks, intervals, and supersets. She watches your form and provides feedback throughout the session.

Beginners and Advanced Runners

Workouts are personalized to each participant's goals and experience level, whether a beginner wanting to learn how to run or an advanced runner who needs refinement of form for performance enhancement. Many athletes return session after session to continue to improve their form.

Session Dates and Location

Tuesday evenings 6:00 - 7:00 PM at Roe Park. In inclement weather, the workout may move indoors at the CoachAmyPT clinic if space is available. Once registered, you will receive a welcome letter with links to a participation waiver and a run clinic intake form. The intake form allows Coach Amy to tailor the workout to you.

Spring Session Part I: March 12 - April 16, 2024

Spring Session Supplemental: April 30 - May 21, 2024

“Coach Amy’s run clinic is invaluable. She works with each participant on running form in a fun way, ensuring each participant gets great value out of their work. By improving my form and running economy, I improved my 10K time and genuinely feel better after running. I wish I had found Coach Amy years ago. This is the best investment I have made in my running, hands down. ”
— Kristi

Indoor Running Options for Inclement Weather

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Park University Underground Parking Garage

What is a runner to do with a long run on the schedule if the course conditions are icy or the effective temperature is below zero degrees (considering windchill)? 

Running on ice is dangerous. But running for longer than 30 minutes when it feels like the temperature is below zero, while possible, has less obvious risks such as irritation of the airways, frostbite to exposed skin, and hypothermia, not to mention impacts on performance. 

When weather conditions or other factors make it unsafe to run outside, it's best to modify your training plan and run indoors, incorporating a variety of surfaces, such as a treadmill, elliptical, or indoor track. Be careful not to overdo it with these alternatives to avoid injury. Get back outside as soon as possible to maintain your adaptation to running on the road. Read on for details on how to approach each option. 

Modify your long-run training plan temporarily. 

When the weather prevents us from training as planned, I modify my athletes' training plans to incorporate a variety of surfaces and sometimes break out a long run over two days instead of one. For instance, instead of running 20 miles, we might run two back-to-back days of 10 miles each or two back-to-back days of running 1:30 to 2 hours. The adjustments depend on the athlete's goals and where they are in the training cycle. Effective training plans incorporate flexibility to adjust for interruptions like weather. Consider breaking up your long run as well. 

Try underground cave running.

Check out your local community centers and fitness centers. Many of them offer day passes for a reasonable rate. Park University has an underground parking lot with a .75-mile loop open to runners for free. It's a hike from the KC area, but if you've got a long run on the schedule, it is worth it! 

Buy a temporary day pass at a local fitness or community center.

Most gyms and community centers offer temporary day passes for a reasonable price. Try one close to home or your workplace and visit their website or call before you go for the details. Pick a location that provides various indoor running options, including treadmills, an indoor track, and elliptical/arc trainers. 

Log a few miles on the treadmill.

The treadmill is the obvious choice for indoor running, but that comes with some risks. Check out my article to learn how to run on a treadmill safely. If you are already used to running on a treadmill, you can get some miles in, but if you plan to increase your distance, avoid exceeding more than 10% of your usual treadmill distance. And if you don't usually run on a treadmill, keep the distance to 3-4 miles. Refrain from making running on a treadmill a habit if your race is on the road. 

Spend some time on the elliptical/arc trainer.

While the arc trainer is not exactly like running, it is a valuable tool for athletes returning to running after an injury as it is easier on the joints and simulates running; it is also effective in cardiovascular training. Just like the treadmill, if you are not a regular user or this is your first time, limit your workout on it to 30 min. 

Take some laps on the indoor track. 

Some fitness centers have indoor tracks with ten laps to a mile. These tracks have tight turns with a significant cant, and runners must run in one direction. These factors can cause strain on the hips and knees as you take these corners repeatedly. Avoid running over 30 minutes or 3 miles on these small tracks.  

If you are looking for an indoor track in the KC area that is less stressful on the body, then you should visit the Lenexa Community Center. Their track has only six laps to a mile and has no cant. It also features a section with a 5% grade, which causes less stress on the body. So, you can safely log a few more miles on this one!

Combine treadmill, arc trainer, and indoor track for a complete workout.

I suggest combining the arc trainer, indoor track, and treadmill for a 90-minute workout. If your body responds favorably to this, you can repeat the cycle if it meets your training plan requirements regarding time/distance.

Avoid injury

If you are not used to running on these alternative devices/surfaces, limit the time spent on each until you assess how your body responds to them. You don't want to become injured!

Get back outside as soon as possible.

Thankfully, in KC, arctic spells don't last too long. Get those outdoor runs in on the good days when there is no ice and the effective temperature is at least zero degrees or higher. Need tips on running in the cold? Check out my blog post: How to Dress for Cold Weather Running.

By being flexible with your training plan and incorporating different indoor running options, you can stay healthy and injury-free, ready to hit the road when the weather improves.

Need a running coach? Amy has a few spots left on her roster!