The Knighton Runs Podcast

Increasing your mileage is the best thing you can do to improve your running speed and endurance. But too many runners, coaches, and training plans do not go about it in the right way.

In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris teaches you the right way to increase your mileage, and answers questions like: "How quickly should you increase your mileage? How much mileage is enough? How much is too much? Why is increasing your mileage so important? How should recovery weeks be factored into your training schedule?" and much more!

This episode contains a sample chapter from the new audio book edition of Run Faster Marathons: The Proven Path to PR, read by Coach Chris Knighton.

Get the Run Faster Marathons Audiobook from Audible:

Do you run with good form? What is “good” running form anyway?

In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris dives into some of the most frequent questions he gets asked as a running coach about improving your running form and dispels some of the myths out there about it.

This episode contains a sample chapter from the new audio book edition of Run Faster Marathons: The Proven Path to PR, read by Coach Chris Knighton.

Get the Run Faster Marathons Audiobook on Amazon!

When was the last time you challenged yourself in a new way?

On Sunday, I tried something I never did before.

I ran in my first ever 3000m race at the USATF Masters East Region Championships!

On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I teach about the importance of not getting stuck in your ways and continuously challenging yourself season after season.

Knighton Runs Marathon Coaching High-Touch 1:1 Run Coaching | Training Programs | Book | Podcast

The Half Marathon is a special distance.

It's unique from any other road race in that it requires the perfect blend of both speed and endurance to get it right.

There are many runners who can run a strong 5K or 10K, but struggle in the half. They simply lack the endurance to carry their speed for so long.

Like wise, I know plenty of athletes who have run impressive marathons, but their half marathon pace is barely any faster than what they have run for 26.2 miles.

I love the half marathon, because it requires you to be such a well-rounded athlete to run one well.
Do you want to run a great half marathon in the coming year?

Knighton Runs Marathon Coaching High-Touch 1:1 Run Coaching | Training Programs | Book | Podcast

In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris shares four ways he's broken through a plateau in the last few months and gotten faster than ever before.

Topics covered include:

1. Setting Clear Goals and Challenging Yourself in New Ways

2. Focusing on Quality over Quantity

3. The Importance of Drills and Plyometrics

4. How to Choose Competitive Races

Knighton Runs Marathon Coaching High-Touch 1:1 Run Coaching | Training Programs | Book | Podcast

In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris answers listener questions that were submitted in The Knighton Runs Training Group.

Questions covered include:

1. What to Do Between Marathons?

2. How to Best Modify Pre-Written Training Plans?

3. Advice for Winter Running?

Knighton Runs Marathon Coaching High-Touch 1:1 Run Coaching | Training Programs | Book | Podcast

Putting more variety into your training is one of the most important things you to do to become a better runner.

You can't just run the same pace every day.

Give every run a clear purpose and learn when to run fast and when to run slow.

In this episode, Coach Chris Knighton explains The Knighton Runs Pace and Intensity Chart from "The Complete Marathon Training Program."

These are the paces you need to run when marathon training.

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On Today's Episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I have a wide ranging conversation with my athlete, Shelley Aniciete!

Shelley Aniciete has been running for over 20 years, starting in high school, just for fun and fitness. She's run hundreds of road races, but is just now starting to focus on improving her time and compete with herself. She loves all things fitness & nutrition related, being outside, hiking around the globe with her husband, rescuing pitbulls, coaching other runners & has spent 17 years as a Public Defender in Chicago, the city she very proudly calls home.

The two of us have been working together since Late-2022. Shelley just completed the Chicago Half Marathon on an exceptionally hot day and is now embarking on her training for the 2023 Detroit Free Press Marathon this October.

We get into these topics and more during today's episode. Enjoy!

Why do athletes train the way they do?

On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I interview Elisabeth Scott of Running Explained.

Elisabeth Scott is the host of the popular show, The Running Explained Podcast. Whether you are a new or experienced runner, there is always something new to learn about training, racing, nutrition, recovery, gear, and more. Elisabeth provides evidence-based answers in Q&A episodes plus special guest interviews with subject-matter experts.

In our conversation, Elisabeth Scott tells us about the work she does educating runners, what's stuck out to her after interviewing so many experts, and how her viewpoints have changed as she learns more about different running topics.

Just getting to the starting line of a marathon is often the hardest part.

Josh Berube recently completed his first marathon, but his journey to the finish was anything but easy.

After a bad ankle-roll during peak training for the 2023 Eugene Marathon, Josh was forced to take a month off running and was faced with uncertainty about whether running 26.2 miles was even going to be possible.

Josh and I worked together to modify his training, keep him active and optimistic throughout the process and got him to the starting line with a solid plan, ready to execute on it.

Josh ran a phenomenal race, outdoing both of our expectations. He ran 2:59 with a big negative split and earned his Boston Qualifier in his first marathon.

On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I talk with Josh Berube, Boston Qualifier and Knighton Lion about the triumphs and tribulations of training for and racing his first marathon.

You need to take time off!

As competitive runners seeking personal bests, we are constantly looking for ways to improve.

One easy way to get better in running that athletes often overlook is to take a significant break after their season’s goal race.

Taking time off will allow your body to fully heal and benefit long-term from all your hard work.

You need to schedule time off into your training calendar, just like you do for your base building phase, workout phases, taper, and race dates.

Rushing too quickly back into running after a peak performance will likely result in performance stagnation, mental burnout, or injury.

On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I share why taking time off after a race is as essential as running itself.

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Here are three ways to become a better runner today:

Do your everyday experiences make you a better racer?

A few weeks ago, my wife Erica ran 20:03 for 5000m and placed 3rd place at the Brown University Runner Club's "Bruno's Backyard Classic."

This was her second race since giving birth to Cady and ran 24 seconds faster than her last 5K three weeks ago.

Erica ran a super smart negative split 5000 meter race, starting in the back, trusting her fitness and strategy while passing fading competitors with each lap. She made a big move with 300 to go, closing her final 200 in 38 seconds to move up from 4th to 3rd.

Erica is a very experienced runner and competitor. She had experienced all there is to feel in training before, she had a plan, she trusted herself, her fitness, and her plan, and she executed to the best of her ability.

Most beginner runners do not race well. They doubt themselves, they don't stick to their plans, and they make dumb decisions mid-race.

Do you trust your experience, believe in yourself, and have faith in your strategies? On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I teach how to do just that.

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Here are three ways to become a better runner today:

Does Running Get Better with Age?

On today's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I interview Barry Karch, host of the new podcast, Running For Your Life: The Podcast for Mature Runners with Barry Karch.

Barry discovered running in his late thirties and trained hard for several years with a local group in San Antonio, Texas, before getting burnt out on it all. He spent the next 20 years simply jogging and slowly noticed his health slipping away year after year. Now in his sixties, Barry has gotten back into training seriously again for races with the purpose of living a long and healthy life. He most recently completed his first half marathon in 20 years, and has since signed up to run his first full marathon in decades this December.

His podcast, Running for Your Life, gives me weekly boosts to my motivation and mindset. I hope you'll enjoy it too!

Check out Running for Your Life: The Podcast for Mature Runners with Barry Karch

Everything you want in life exists outside your comfort zone.

You can achieve anything you want in life and become any person you want to become, but you need to put in the work, and "no", it won't be easy at first.

However, what if I said that in just thirty days, you can radically transform your life in any way (physically, mentally, or emotionally) for the better?

Establishing new routines and habits can be unbearably difficult at first. You might want nothing more than to avoid doing the thing you know you need to do.

But once you get over the hump of it being uncomfortable, you reach the other side. It starts to feel good. You see the benefits. When you continue to be consistent, over time you start to enjoy it.

And eventually, you become unstoppable.

In today's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I share how I radically transformed my daily routine and approach to running over the last 30 days, and teach how you too can become EXACTLY the person you want to become in just 30 days.

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Here are three ways to become a better runner today:

The Boston Marathon is the best marathon in the world, but it's also one of the hardest.

That said, with the right mindset and strategy, you can run incredibly fast in Boston.

I set my PR there in 2022 and I coach many athletes to do the same there every April.

I know you can run your best race on Patriots' Day too!

You need to run smart to run well in Boston. The course is unforgiving. Having a well-thought-out plan and sticking to it is essential for doing your best.

In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris teaches how to break down the race into three distinct segments, explains how you should feel in each town, and describes what you should be thinking as the race progresses from Hopkinton to Newton to Copley Square.

One of the craziest things about running is...

Running race pace in training always feels 10x harder than it actually will during your race.

If you've got a big goal race coming up and you feel like you are barely hanging on right now, then take a sigh of relief, trust the process, and know that you can do it.

Believe in yourself.

This week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast is all about cumulative fatigue and why, "YES," you can run your race pace for the entire race if you've been following a good training program.

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Here are three ways to become a better runner today:

Do you have big running goals?

Staying consistent long-term is the key to becoming your best. You've got to progressively challenge yourself month after month while being adamant about avoiding injury while training and racing.

How do you find the perfect balance between working hard and recovering enough so that you consistently move towards your goals?

On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I chat with Alex Burke, PT about how to stay injury free while chasing big goals!

Alex Burke is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and works as a Body Coach at TB12 Sports Performance and Recover Center in Boston, MA. Alex has seen massive improvements in his own running since joining The Knighton Lions six months ago. He is currently training to run sub 3 hours at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. In his professional life as a PT and TB12 Body Coach, Alex loves helping runners overcome and prevent injury so they can perform pain-free and reach their full potential.

Connect with Alex Burke:

Not every day is going to be sunshine and rainbows. 

Some days you will wake up in the dark, it will be cold and snowing outside, and your training plan says "go do a track workout." 

What do you do?

If you want to get better, you've got to embrace the challenge.

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Are you thinking of running your first marathon?

I firmly believe that every able-bodied person can run a marathon. But I don't want you to "just finish" a marathon... I want you to enjoy it and do your best!

Marathon training isn't as intuitive as you might think.

There are so many factors that are going to affect how to best prepare for your first marathon. Who you are, your experience level, your ability, your age, your goals, and your timeline are just some of the things you need to take into account when planning out your training.

When you continually challenge yourself and do the work that you love, the person you are today is vastly wiser and more experienced than the person you were just a few years ago.

I certainly feel this way when it comes to how I coach my athletes.

On this week's episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I chat with my friend and fellow running coach Jessie Gruca about the biggest lessons we've learned over the years as coaches and how those lessons have shaped us into the coaches and people we are today.

Have you ever wondered if champions are born or made?

This week, my wife Erica and I led our high school track and field team to an undefeated dual meet season and the title of Division Champions.

This is actually the second year in a row we have won this title, something our school has not achieved in 30 years.

What makes a champion?

From day one of practice, we worked hard to establish a winning culture on our team.

We instilled the Habits of Champions into our athletes.

How can you embody the habits of champions and become one too?

In Episode 56 of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I share with you exactly what we taught our high school athletes to lead them to success and share how you can adopt these lessons to become a champion in your own running.

In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris outlines how you can learn from what worked and what didn't this past year, and build upon it in 2023. It's time to plan out your perfect spring marathon season and get started training!

Links mentioned in the show:

In this Q&A, Coach Chris answers your questions on...

1. The Best Pacing Method for the Half Marathon (and Marathon)

2. Sequencing of Workouts during Marathon Training (Speed vs Endurance)

3. Optimizing Workout Lengths when NOT Following a Training Plan Precisely

In this Q&A, Coach Chris answers your questions on...

1. Warming Up for Your Marathon, 

2. Taper Week Diet Choices + Proper Carbohydrate Loading

3. Focusing Your Winter Training

While there are many different ways to train, there are a bunch of "running rules" that are widely held as gospel. Concepts like following strict-polarized training (i.e., take your easy days easy and your hard days hard) and the utmost importance of the long run for marathoners are widely promoted as "the right way to train" to train.  Are these dogmas 100% true? Or is the best way to train actually more grey than it is black and white? In today's episode, coaches Chris Knighton and Sara Manderscheid debate these running dogmas and set the message straight.

Some of the "best ways to train" concepts we discuss:

1. Running all your runs super hard help you get PR's?

2. Consistency will yield results?

3. I'm not a "real runner" unless...?

4. Running to target paces is better than running by feel?

5. You have to run a 20 miler before doing a marathon?


About Our Guest

Sara is an endurance athlete, a run coach, podcast host, and a Boston Qualifying runner from Boulder, Colorado. She’s been running for 15 years and ran her first marathon in a Boston Qualifying time in 2019.

What rules have you put in place to support your running? In this episode, Coach Chris shares the 10 Running Rules to Live By from his book Run Faster Marathons: The Proven Path to PR.

** Start Training like an Athlete! **

What can adult marathon runners learn from the experiences of high school cross country and track & field team training? 

Good high school training programs put a large focus on learning the skills of efficient running movement patterns, performing supplemental exercises to support your running, competing as a team sport vs running as an individual sport, progressing from short to long events, and much more. These are all aspects of training that high schoolers develop to become better athletes, but adults usually don't prioritize these components of running.

Join Coach Chris Knighton and Tucker Grose, cross country and track coach at Stargate High School in Thorton Colorado, and coach of adult distance runners at "Training with Tucker" for a conversation on "What can adult marathoners learn from high school runners?"

Follow Tucker Grose | Training with Tucker

When was the last time you ran a mile? Have you ever trained to race a mile? If there's one thing I think that marathoners don't do enough of, it's actually running FAST. If you want to get faster at the marathon, listen to this.

** Start Training like an Athlete! **

It took me three years of hard work, but earlier this year I released my first book - Run Faster Marathons: The Proven Path to PR. In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, I read to you the introduction of the book and let you know how you can enter to win a copy of the paperback edition while learning how to become a faster runner along the way!

** Start Training like an Athlete! ** 

The month of June and throughout the summer is the perfect time for marathoners to focus on getting faster in preparation for their fall marathon. In this episode, Coach Chris talks about The Six Phases of Marathon Training and why you should be doing speed work NOW while you are still three to five months away from your next big marathon.

Some days we thrive, while other days we just survive!

In today's episode, I interview Ciara Carter, host of the Run Thrive Survive Podcast. Ciara is a behavioral coach who works with runners and other athletes to overcome mental roadblocks while also helping them excel in their lives and careers.

What we get into:

* Ciara's story and why she started Run Thrive Survive
* Finding your unique balance between hard work and rest
* Setting big goals and keeping them in perspective
* Staying motivated to run as the years go on
* Building confidence throughout training

Follow Ciara Carter | Run Thrive Survive Podcast

One of the biggest mistakes runners make is running at the same pace every single day. Athletes know that every run has a purpose and you need to shift through different gears throughout the week and even within the same run to improve. In this episode of The Knighton Runs Podcast, Coach Chris teaches about the runner's gearbox and how running at-top end speeds, tempo speeds, marathon pace, easy pace, and recovery pace with the right balance throughout the week is essential to become your best.

This is the third episode in a series on the essential concepts of marathon training.

You trained hard for months in preparation to run your Fall Marathon. What should you do after it's over? And when should you start training for your next big race?


Coach Chris Knighton | Marathon Coach