Summary:

In Ep. 7 the coaches explain what running economy means, what the benefits are to improving your efficiency and some key takeaways on how to train to get more out of your running.

Key Discussion Points:

Addressing Common Misconceptions:

1. Running economy only matters for long-distance runners
2. Better economy just means shorter steps or higher cadence

Deep Dive:

1. How Your Muscles and Nervous System Affect Economy
2. What You Feel When Economy Improves
3. What’s Happening When You Sprint, Jump, or Change Direction
4. Why Running Fast Can Actually Improve Economy
5. Which Body Areas Matter Most for Efficiency
6. Training Takeaways for Athletes

Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

1. Final Thoughts
2. Webinar Plug
3. Next Episode Preview

Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:

1. 0:40 - Coach Donald recaps his cruise vacation with Coach Leslie and talks about some of their adventures
2. 12:53 - The coaches share their respective Coaching Moments
3. 18:00 - Coach Donald & Coach Tim discuss some common myths related to running economy and running efficiency
4. 27:40 - The coaches talk about the factors that actually make running more efficient
5. 46:35 - How an athlete can train and develop their running economy
6. 51:49 - Coach Donald expands on the neuromuscular component of up-tempo running
7. 59:58 - Wrap up & key takeaways

Resources Mentioned:

1. Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
2. Website: https://ghperformance.com/

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Efficient athletes turn on muscles quickly, turn off what they don’t need and don’t fight themselves with extra tension.
2. When your running economy improves, strides feel lighter, you don’t feel like you’re forcing speed and you recover faster between efforts.
3. Faster movement teaches your nervous system to recruit muscles more effectively, reduce unnecessary tension and use elastic energy better.
4. Pay attention to how long your speed holds up, whether your form falls apart under effort and how quickly you recover between reps.
5. If you’re always exhausted but not faster, economy is probably the limiting factor.
6. Support the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!

Next Episode Teaser:

1. Season 2: Episode 8 - The coaches talk about aerobic power, VO2 max and vVo2max, and what that means for athletes and their training and performance.