In this episode, Alison explores the concept of Zone 2 training, emphasizing its physiological benefits for runners, such as improved cardiovascular efficiency and metabolic flexibility. She provides a systematic approach for integrating Zone 2 into training. The reality is, Zone 2 running is supposed to be easy but at first it can feel anything but. The main advice you get when you feel like you are about to pull out your hair or just throw in the towel is “just run slower.” For me it’s more of a yes… AND…These steps will help you ease your way into zone 2 in a way that accessible and enjoyable for runners, allowing them to build endurance without feeling overwhelmed.


Resources Mentioned:

• The Karvonen Formula: This heart rate zone calculator takes into account your max and resting heart rate.
• Breathing Gear System: This system from Shift helps integrate respiratory system training with your running.

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In this episode, Alison explains the importance of incorporating three key running paces into a training plan: easy, tempo, and track. The easy pace, making up the majority of training, helps build cardiovascular efficiency. Tempo runs, around 10K pace, improve muscle efficiency, while track workouts at mile pace or VO2 max pace improve power. She emphasizes the need for intentional pacing and using benchmarks, such as a time trial or race results, to determine appropriate training paces. Strategic dosing of all three key paces is the most efficient way to improve your fitness over time.

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In this episode Alison explores the role of strength training in enhancing both running performance and longevity. She emphasizes the importance of lifting heavy weights with fewer reps to build muscle and bone density, which running alone cannot achieve, especially as we age. For runners balancing strength and running, she advises focusing on quality over quantity, prioritizing strength in the off-season, and integrating plyometrics over time.


Resources Mentioned:

• How to Set Your Running and Strength Training Weekly Schedule Blog Post: Gets into more details of how to schedule out your week including a few sample schedules.
• RunStrong101: A 6-week strength training program for female runners.
• Women’s Running Academy: A 12-week group coaching and education program to help female runners ditch the cycle of injury and burn out and finally make real, consistent progress towards their goals. (returning Fall 2025)

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In this episode, Alison shares some of her running journey and how it continues to shape the way she coaches. From starting at an early age with her mom, to becoming obsessed in her 20s after, to struggling to find her way back postpartum, and running through grief after the loss of her daughter, each experience shaped the way she coaches. That last part is a big reason why she now integrates both mental and physical well-being into her coaching, emphasizing breathwork, nervous system regulation, and progressive training that respects the body's unique needs.

Resources Mentioned:

You can find all of the coaching and resources mentioned HERE.

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In this episode, Alison Marie challenges the common belief that midfoot striking is superior to heel striking. She explains that switching to a midfoot strike isn't always beneficial, as every runner's body functions differently, and forcing such a change can reduce stride efficiency. Instead, she stresses the importance of proper whole body mechanics, focusing on stacking, mid-stance loading, and powering through hip extension for more efficient running.


Resources Mentioned:

• The Runner’s Lab: The Runner’s Lab is a 2 hour virtual masterclass, part powerpoint style education and part practice to move, feel, and experiment with your physiology, stress resilience, running biomechanics and my 5 essential skills for an efficient stride in your body.
• The Foot Fix: The premiere rehab program designed specifically for female runners struggling with plantar fasciitis, numbness and burning, Achilles issues, and chronically tight ankles and calves.
• Pelvic Floor Fundamentals for Runners: Support your pelvic floor through a whole-body approach so that you can run freely in just 30 minutes a week!

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In this episode, Alison shares the importance of going beyond simply trying to manage your symptoms on the surface level with the rolling, stretching and icing and identifying the root cause so that you can fix them once and for all. She walks you through the 4 main contributors to true strength and mobility at the foot: Range of Motion at the ankle and big toe, Managing your Center of Mass above the foot, strengthening through a full and dynamic Tripod, and moving through pronation and supination through Rotation. She introduces her FREE virtual workshop “The Foot Audit” to help you determine the main contributors of YOUR foot symptoms.

Resources Mentioned:

The Foot Audit: A FREE virtual workshop to help you determine the main contributing factors to your:

• plantar fasciitis
• numbness and burning
• Achilles issues
• chronically tight ankles and calves

…so that you can stop randomly treating your symptom flare ups and finally address the root cause so that you can run pain free longer and faster for good!

Click here to learn more.

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Yesterday, Sept. 14th we hosted the Third Annual Compatible with Life 5k to benefit families of children with trisomy 13 and 18 through the celebration, advocacy, and community offered by The Stella Effect.

This is such a special event and near and dear to my heart.

Our daughter, Charlotte Grace, was diagnosed with trisomy 13 (an extra copy of the 13th chromosome) at 16 weeks gestation. We were hit with all the grim stats, myriad potential birth defects, and the term “incompatible with life.”

We made the difficult and emotional choice to carry her pregnancy to term and invested in finding the best medical care possible. She was born full term at 39 weeks, breathing and fully alive, and began to defy every statistic we were given.

She lived for 6 days. We were discussing ways to improve her quality of life. Her QUALITY of LIFE, after being told she was “incompatible with life.” I have trouble not believing that, had the infection not happened, there is a good chance she would have still been with us here today.

During the live event yesterday as people ran and walked to honor and celebrate our families, I shared a bit more of Charlotte’s story, a few other mothers shared their child’s stories, we learned how The Stella Effect is continuing to support these families, and we heard a bit of the history behind and what the future might hold for the medical treatment of children with trisomy 13 and 18 from one of the doctors who pioneered

The following episode is the recording of our live stream. It is out of the norm for a typical Women’s Running Lab podcast but I would be truly honored if you would give it a listen and maybe even share to help us continue to build awareness.

If you feel so included as to donate to our cause. Donations to the race specifically will stay open through Friday Sept. 19th but you can always donate directly to The Stella Effect at any time.

Click here to donate to the race through Friday Sept. 19th.

Click here to donate directly to The Stella Effect any time.

But it’s about so much more than money!

The more we spread awareness, the more opportunities for hope we create.

• Hope that families given this diagnosis in the future will see this and have a community to turn to.
• Hope that medical professionals who are quick to offer the grim stats and “incompatible with life” wording will see this and open their minds and hearts to possibility.
• Hope that this awareness and advocacy leads to more support, more medical options, and more hope in the future!

In addition to the live stream during the event, we had a group chat where participants shared their stories and photos. If you want to check out that full experience, you can do so here.

Thank you to the Run the Day Platform for making this all possible!

As always, please share this episode with others so we can continue to grow.

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In this episode Alison delves into the importance of glute strength and proper foot mechanics for runners, particularly focusing on the concepts of lengthening muscles to optimize performance. She shares her personal experience with weak glutes, which led to hip pain and pelvic floor issues, and discusses how traditional exercises like clamshells and hip thrusts may not fully address these problems. Instead, she emphasizes the need for finding muscle length through internal rotation, particularly during mid-stance in the running stride, and explains how proper foot pronation plays a critical role in this process. Alison provides practical strategies for improving these mechanics, including specific cues for deadlifts that integrate the action at the hips/glute with those of the foot.


Resources Mentioned:

• Glute Accelerator: A FREE 7 Day Crash Course on Building Strong Glutes for Female Runners
• The Foot Fix: Ditch those frustrating foot symptom flare ups for good by addressing the underlying cause!

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