When it comes to running, more isn't always better. At some point, adding more miles, intensity, or strength training can stop helping and start working against you.

In this episode, Kevin and I discuss the law of diminishing returns and how it affects running performance, recovery, and race preparation. We share lessons from our daughter's intensive PSAT prep and explain why, just like studying for a big test, there comes a point when you need to trust the work you've already done instead of trying to squeeze in more.

We also discuss professional marathoner Vinny Nauti's high-volume training, why copying another runner's approach doesn't always work, and how to recognize when you're accumulating fatigue instead of making progress. I share why building an easy running base, balancing training intensity, prioritizing recovery, and adjusting your plan to fit your life are essential for long-term improvement.

We also break down race tapering, including how to adjust your running and strength training so you can arrive at race day ready to perform.

00:00 – When More Stops Helping: The Law of Diminishing Returns
01:07 – PSAT Prep and Knowing When to Stop
02:16 – Trusting Your Training During a Race Taper
02:59 – Mileage, Training Stress, and Recovery
04:50 – Breaking Through Plateaus: Push, Pull Back, or Wait?
06:06 – The Salt Analogy: Finding the Right Amount
08:05 – Vinny Natti and the Outlier in Marathon Training
11:17 – High Mileage and Fast Treadmill Running
15:40 – Is It Overtraining, or Just Part of Racing?
19:59 – Finding Your Individual Training Limit
21:37 – The Gray Zone: When Every Run Feels Moderately Hard
23:19 – Balancing Running Volume and Intensity
24:26 – Build Your Easy Running Base First
26:20 – Making Training Enjoyable and Sustainable
28:13 – Age, Running History, and Recovery Needs
30:46 – Lifestyle, Sleep, Nutrition, and Performance
35:01 – Creative Training Cycles and Adjusting Your Schedule
36:18 – Race Tapering: Trust the Work You've Done
38:03 – How to Adjust Strength Training During a Taper
40:02 – Running Taper Variations and Individual Needs
42:15 – Balancing Training Stress and Life Stress

Gain access to my new secret podcast, Unbreakable: The Runner's Guide To Injury-Proofing Your Body After 40. Click here: https://www.realliferunners.com/secret

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Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

Pain and injury can be incredibly frustrating as a runner, especially when it feels like the pain came out of nowhere. In this episode, I’m sharing the three-part framework I’ve used throughout my 20 years as a physical therapist to understand pain and determine what to do next: Evaluate, Assess, and Treat.

We’ll look beyond the painful body part and consider the bigger picture, including training load, mobility, strength, sleep, stress, fueling, hormones, and previous injuries. I’ll also walk you through how I decide when to modify running, how much pain may be okay during recovery, and why complete rest usually isn’t the answer. The goal is not just to get you out of pain, but to help your body become stronger and better able to handle the demands of running long term.

00:00 Understanding Running Pain and Injury

03:00 The EAT Framework: Evaluate, Assess, and Treat

06:00 Understanding Your Pain Story

08:00 Running Injuries and Your Training Load11:00 Sleep, Stress, Fueling, and Recovery

00:16:00 Pain and Injury Red Flags

18:00 Screening for Bone Stress Injuries

22:00 Testing Mobility, Stability, and Strength

26:00 Assessing What Needs to Be Addressed First

29:00 Making Your Nervous System Feel Safe

32:00 How Much Pain Is Okay?

33:00 The 24-Hour Rule

35:00 Mobility, Stability, and Strength

40:00 Modifying Your Running During Recovery

43:00 When to Return to Running

45:00 Fixing the Root Cause

47:00 Building Your Body’s Capacity to Handle More Load

49:00 What’s Next in the Injury Series

Gain access to my new secret podcast, Unbreakable: The Runner's Guide To Injury-Proofing Your Body After 40. Click here: https://www.realliferunners.com/secret

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

What do you think would happen if you completely ruptured your Achilles tendon with two kilometers left in a marathon? Most of us would probably assume the race was over. But Tigst Assefa’s 2026 Berlin Marathon story forces us to ask a much more interesting question: how could someone experience a significant injury and still keep running at an incredibly fast pace? Assefa developed pain around 31K, eventually completely ruptured her Achilles around 40K, and still finished the race, won, and set a course record. That doesn’t mean she somehow didn’t have an injury or that pain is “all in her head.” It gives us a fascinating look at how the brain processes pain and how much context can influence what we actually feel.

In this episode, Angie and Kevin break down the idea that pain is an output created by the brain based on much more than tissue damage alone. Your brain is constantly taking in information about what is happening in your body, along with your stress level, sleep, emotions, attention, past experiences, expectations, social environment, and how important the current situation is to you. They talk through examples ranging from phantom limb pain and the famous construction-worker nail story to elite athletes, childbirth, war injuries, and their own experiences with running and pain. The bigger takeaway is that pain isn't simply an on/off switch. It's more like a volume dial that can move up or down depending on the context.

And this is where the conversation gets really practical for everyday runners. You can learn to change some of the inputs that influence your pain experience. Better sleep, reducing chronic stress, having a meaningful goal, shifting your attention outward, social connection, gentle movement, and slow breathing can all help turn the volume down. But Angie and Kevin also emphasize an important warning: becoming really good at ignoring pain isn't the goal. Pain is still a protective signal, and turning that signal down too far can allow you to continue running through an injury that needs attention. The goal isn't to become someone who never feels pain. It's to develop more nuance around what you're feeling, understand the context, and learn when to listen, when to adjust, and when you can safely keep going.

00:00 – Berlin Marathon Shock

01:44 – Achilles Rupture Details

03:34 – Pain Comes From Brain

04:34 – Phantom Pain Stories

05:54 – Pain Inputs Explained

08:48 – Turning Pain Down

09:43 – Achilles Anatomy Q&A

12:29 – Descending Modulation

16:23 – Stress and Pain Effects

20:40 – Elite Athletes and Pain

23:51 – Research on Pain Tolerance

27:01 – Training Builds Nuance

29:42 – Trauma And Ultra Running

31:54 – Stress Kills Pain Edge

33:43 – War And Survival Analgesia

39:03 – Childbirth Expectations Shift

41:28 – Everyday Pain Amplifiers

47:59 – How Pain Spirals In Races

48:49 – Tools To Turn Pain Down

54:30 – When Tuning Out Backfires

Gain access to my new secret podcast, Unbreakable: The Runner's Guide To Injury-Proofing Your Body After 40. Click here: https://www.realliferunners.com/secret

Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

Thanks for Listening!!

Be sure to hit FOLLOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one!

Come find us on Instagram and say hi!

Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.