Running News Daily

Podcasts for the long run: time will fly by while you listen to one of our faves

Whether you are looking for something entertaining to pass the time on your weekly long runs, or want some running and wellness-related content to turn on while you’re driving or cooking, we’ve got the line-up for you.

Legacy of Speed

Hosted by Malcolm Gladwell (also of the Revisionist History podcast), this podcast tells the story behind the 1968 Olympic Games, when two Black sprinters raised their fists in protest, shaking the world. More than 50 years later, the ripple effects of their activism are still felt. Legacy of Speed tells the story of a small university track team who unexpectedly took the world’s stage, the runners who took a stand, and the coaches who helped make them both fast enough and courageous enough to rise up. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop listening.

The Shakeout Podcast

Canadian Running‘s own podcast is hosted and produced by the multi-talented Olympian Kate Van Buskirk and celebrates running and its transformative power. Van Buskirk connects with sport leaders, coaches, advocates and visionary athletes to dig deep on important topics. Van Buskirk is joined by fellow Olympian and CR staff writer Maddy Kelly for a weekly recap of events in the running world called The Rundown. Whether you’re a regular runner or simply interested in intelligent and meaningful conversations within sport, The Shakeout is a must-listen.

The Singletrack Podcast

Whether you run in the woods on the daily, or you’re just learning what singletrack is, you’ll love Finn Melanson‘s exploration of the world of trail and ultrarunning. Melanson talks to all the big names in the sport to find out what makes them tick, and does an excellent job of explaining, previewing and recapping trail and ultra and trail races across the world. From obsessive ultratrail fan to newbie, The Singletrack Podcast is the place to go.

The Rich Roll Podcast

Endurance athlete and plant-based nutrition advocate Rich Roll also hosts one of the world’s most popular wellness podcasts. On each episode, Rich dives deep into diverse topics, discussing everything from track and field to the science of longevity; from mental strength to enlightenment. “Rich delves deep into all things wellness with some of the brightest and most forward-thinking, paradigm-busting minds in health, fitness, nutrition, art, entertainment, entrepreneurship & spirituality,” touts the podcast website, and it’s true: the vast range of past guests include Boston Marathon champ Des Linden, boxer Laila Ali, ultrarunner Harvey Lewis and neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.

Running for Real with Tina Muir

Tina Muir is a former pro-marathoner from the UK, now US-based. Her show deals with the darker, less glamorous side of professional sport. Muir is not afraid to bring up tough topics and is a staunch advocate for mental health and women in sport, and her belief that “running has the power to change the world” is evident in every conversation. Muir endeavors to make this clear in her podcast, which opens up with a quote that describes this perfectly: “The podcast for runners who know that for every runner’s high, there are just as many lows.”

Radiolab

While not running-focused, Radiolab has some episodes about running that are fascinating–as is every single other podcast in their history. Hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser, Radiolab digs into deep questions and uses investigative journalism to get the answers. On any episode, you may find yourself immersed in science, legal history and incredible stories about humans around the world.

Women Run Canada

This podcast, hosted by Kirsten Parker, celebrates Canadian women runners from all walks of life. It tackles a wide variety of topics–and while listening, you’ll feel even more connected to the Canadian running community. Perfect when you’re needing some motivation to get moving, you’ll learn, laugh and be inspired by this pod.

Had a tough training season? Here’s how to reset like an Olympian

Whether your season resulted in podium finishes or you faced some serious challenges, taking some time to reflect and reframe can make you a better athlete.If your season didn’t go as planned, you aren’t alone–even Olympians face similar setbacks and doubts.

Canadian Olympic middle distance runner Maddy Kelly had what for her felt like disappointing races at both the world championships and the Commonwealth games.  Rather than fixate on those results, she reframed her experience, reminding herself that in 2022 she made three national teams, regained her national title and ran sub-2:00 (800m) twice.

Whether your season resulted in podium finishes or you faced some serious challenges, taking some time to reflect and reframe can make you a better athlete.

If your season didn’t go as planned, you aren’t alone–even Olympians face similar setbacks and doubts. Canadian Olympic middle distance runner Maddy Kelly had what for her felt like disappointing races at both the world championships and the Commonwealth games.  Rather than fixate on those results, she reframed her experience, reminding herself that in 2022 she made three national teams, regained her national title and ran sub-2:00 (800m) twice.

Here’s how to find the positive takeaways from your running season, reframe setbacks, and move forward regardless of what your season outcome was.

Recover and reflect

Your body and mind need some time to recover, even if you feel like you didn’t run your best. While opinions (and your training schedule) will differ on how much time to take off, experts agree off-season recovery is vital to staying healthy and injury-free. Take a few days or weeks to focus on lower-impact movement for your body (cycling or swimming), or take some full extra rest days. Focus on getting adequate (even extra) sleep and nutrition.

Pinpoint both successes and challenges

Give yourself credit for things you did well, particularly process-based goals, like getting up early twice a week to run, or learning more about nutrition. If you didn’t have any process goals it’s still worth noting what parts of your training you excelled at and what was a struggle. If time–management was an issue, make a note if it without berating yourself. You’re doing this to improve, not to make yourself feel bad.

Don’t be afraid to tackle your weaknesses

Once you’ve taken a good look at your season and given your body some time to recover, explore ways you can improve your weaknesses. We often do the most work on the aspects of running that we excel at–if you love hill sprints, you’re less likely to find an excuse not to do them, and you end up becoming very strong at running quickly up ascents.

Look at your weaknesses as future strengths. Really dislike speedwork? Know that if you stop avoiding it, it will get easier and you will become a better athlete. Embracing a weak area can be fun once you get past the initial avoidance–you’ll be rewarded as you improve.

Remember why you run

If you’re struggling to reset after a tough race or season, come back to the basics. Remind yourself why you started, and take some time to run for fun. If you started running because you felt good moving your body, find ways to bring training back to that focus.

That could mean short, easy runs with friends for a few weeks. If that doesn’t get you out the door, maybe you need to do some feel-good activities that aren’t running-related until you feel that itch to lace up again. Know that it will come back, and sometimes a break and some time to reflect is exactly what your body is asking for.

There are no hard and fast rules that will work for everyone, but easing the pressure you place on yourself during racing season, focusing on sleep, drinking plenty of water and dialing in nutrition, and bringing your running game back to fun and simple movement are great ways to begin rebuilding.

Remind yourself that you want to be running for years to come, and putting in the recovery time (even when it’s hard to do so) is vital to years of healthy training and racing.