Training

It sounds like strange advice until you spend a few hours in a self-defense class designed specifically for female runners. Recently my clinic, Precision Performance & Physical Therapy hosted a women's self-defense class, taught by my friend and black belt in Karate, Heather Wright. I hate that we even had to have this class, but it is the reality of the world we live in and its important for women to support women. While we did practice some punching and escapes, the biggest

Can you keep running as you get older? Absolutely. Research consistently shows that runners can maintain high levels of fitness, performance, and health well into their 60s, 70s, and beyond. AND you are never too old to go out and walk or even run. While aging affects muscle mass, recovery, running economy, and aerobic capacity, many of the changes we associate with "getting old" are actually related to inactivity, loss of strength, inadequate recovery, and poor training habi

Caffeine is a favorite among runners at Fast Bananas RUNsource. Many of us rely on it to jumpstart our days and fuel our workouts, but what is caffeine really doing to our performance and recovery? Let’s dig into the science to understand how to maximize the benefits of coffee for both performance gains and optimal recovery. Caffeine’s Effect on Performance Caffeine can boost endurance and reduce perceived effort during exercise by stimulating the central nervous system and i

Menopause isn’t the end of your running career—it’s the start of a new chapter. Your body is changing, but that doesn’t mean you have to struggle through exercise and life. With the right training, nutrition, and recovery strategies, you can continue to thrive as a runner. The menopause transition (or perimenopause) is the period leading up to menopause, usually starting in your 40s and lasting several years until you've gone 12 months without a period​. This hormonal rollerc

Rotational stability might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about running performance, but it’s one of the most important—and most overlooked—elements of staying fast, efficient, and injury-free. Simply put, rotational stability is your core’s ability to control and resist twisting forces while you’re running. Without it, energy leaks happen, mechanics break down, and your risk of injury shoots up. When you run, your upper and lower body naturally rotat

As runners, we spend a lot of time thinking about muscles, shoes, and pace. But if there’s one part of your body that quietly takes a beating with every step, it’s your tendons—and they deserve more attention, especially as we get older. Tendons are the tough connective tissues that link muscle to bone. They store and release energy with every stride, acting like springs. But with age, they become less forgiving. They stiffen, heal more slowly, and lose some of their bounce.

With the Boston Marathon just around the corner on April 21, it’s time to talk about the hills — and more importantly, the downhills. Everyone knows Boston has “Heartbreak Hill,” but what really wrecks runners on race day? It’s the long, pounding descents that show up early and often. If you’re not specifically trained for the eccentric load of downhill running, your quads will be screaming by mile 16 — and your form might fall apart by the Newton hills. Here’s what makes dow

Many runners are doing a better job at integrating strength training into their weekly routine. That’s a win. But even the strongest runner can fall short if their training doesn’t also include power and coordination work. Plyometrics: explosive, controlled movements like hops, bounds, and jumps can bridge that gap. These aren’t just for sprinters or athletes in court sports and they don't have to be complicated or huge box jumps! Plyometrics, when done correctly, improve how

Thirty-five might still feel young, but in the world of running, it marks an important milestone—you’ve officially become a masters runner! While it sounds like a fancy title, it simply reflects that your body is beginning to change in ways that affect how you train, recover, and stay injury-free. But don’t worry—this isn’t about slowing down. With smarter strategies, you can stay fast, fit, and injury-free for decades. Whether you’re male or female, understanding the nuances

Life isn’t always predictable. Whether you're balancing parenting, deadlines, or recovering from poor sleep, maintaining a running routine can feel overwhelming. But running doesn't have to be all or nothing. Building a lasting habit comes down to setting realistic expectations and anchoring your training to the rhythms of your current life not an ideal version of it. Habit Stacking Works When time is short and stress is high, the best approach is to attach your run to a task

The Fast Bananas RUNsource 2024 photo by Alan Lam If you're looking to get stronger, faster, and more efficient — without stacking on a ton of extra miles — hills are your shortcut. They’re simple, effective, and backed by science. Whether you’re prepping for a trail race, marathon training, or just want to run with more confidence and power, adding hill workouts to your week is one of the smartest things you can do. Why Hills Work: The Research Uphill running fundamentally c

Maybe you have a fall marathon planned or you are going to do a local 5k or 10k. Race week can be exciting and nerve wracking so let us help you get through it! Think of race week as a celebration, it is where all your training, planning, and consistency finally get to show off. And yet, this is also where many runners make avoidable mistakes, trying to cram in extra miles, changing routines, or obsessing over last-minute variables. So let’s get clear: the work is done. Your

When we think about running form, we often focus on cadence, foot strike, or how our arms move, and these are all important. But there’s another key piece that plays a major role in performance, efficiency, and injury risk: the push-off phase. The push-off is when your back foot generates force to propel you into your next stride. You might not think about it much, but this moment plays a critical role in how well you run. What Is the Push-Off Phase? The push-off marks the en

Not every run feels great. In fact, some running feels terrible. You might be dragging your feet, watching your pace fall apart, or questioning why you’re even doing this in the first place. But, the truth is bad runs are part of the process. Every runner, no matter their experience level, has days like this. A bad run doesn’t mean your training is off-track. It means you’re human. Running is a sport of stress and adaptation. Without hard days, there’s no stimulus for growth.

(Because your body doesn’t care if you’re in a hotel room or on vacation) The holidays are wild. You're sleeping in someone else's guest room, eating on a weird schedule, your shoes are buried under someone else's luggage, and you’re trying to keep it together while managing family dynamics and logistics that should qualify as endurance events. Here’s the thing: You don't need to “crush” every workout when you're on the road. But movement helps your body feel better, your ner

Runners hear a lot of advice. I get to hear all about it in clinic every week. Some of it is helpful. A lot of it sounds right. And some of it sticks around long after it should. Most of the time the advice is meant to help and not hurt from training partners, friends, people who have been in your shoes (okay their shoes, but you know what I mean) BUT general advice doesn’t usually address what you have going on. It might feel like a good idea, but it might also make things

Right now we are in the height of marathon season and sometimes for those runners that don't run a marathon, run fast or walk a little they feel less than. Let’s get this out of the way early: If you run, even a little, even with walk breaks, even slowly, you are a runner. You don’t need to qualify it. You don’t need to wait until your first 5K. You don’t need a sub-whatever pace. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. We have a culture problem in running. Somewhere alon

You’ve followed your plan. Your mileage looks right. Your strength sessions are dialed in. So why does your body still feel off, or worse, why are you getting injured? Here’s the honest answer: it might not be your running. As runners, we love control. We obsess over pace, cadence, and shoe stack height. But the biggest threat to your training isn’t always in your programming, it’s in everything outside of it. Life stress, sleep, nutrition, and recovery all shape how your bod

If you’ve ever seen a dog bolting down a trail with ears flying, legs stretching, total bliss on four paws, it’s easy to think, this is the perfect running partner. And for a lot of runners, it is. Your dog doesn’t care about your pace, has endless enthusiasm, and keeps you honest on the days motivation is nowhere to be found. But if you're working toward a performance goal or coming back from injury, logging miles with your pup might feel... different. Not bad. Just differen

If you’ve been around competitive runners, you’ve probably heard about “doubles”—running twice a day. For elite athletes, double runs are almost a badge of honor. But for the recreational runner who has a job, family, and training plan already packed, the obvious question is: Do I need to do this? Probably not, but maybe. Let’s talk about why doubles exist, who actually benefits, and who should leave them off the calendar. Why Double Runs Exist The main goal of a double run i