The Running DPT

Fresh meme crop for Friday, pick your favorite!

Inspired by ‘s consistent Friday memes which always make me laugh😂🫶🏻

If you’ve ever felt like strength training workouts just weren’t designed for your body in this season of life, you might not be wrong. Most programs aren’t designed to meet you where you’re at!

Foundations in 15 is💛

Created by someone who lives it and has worked with spoonie runners as both a physical therapist, and run & strength coach.

Comment FOUNDATIONS below and I’ll send you all the info you need & answer any questions👇🏻

For those ready to sign up, we’d love to have you! Please use the 🔗 in my bio🏋️‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

heds

“Well you don’t *look* sick” ➡️ “I said I was chronically ill, not ugly”🤭😂

A quote that comes into mind when this is said is “sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe sh*t”, and that’s the dynamic nature of chronic illness🤷🏼‍♀️

“Invisible” chronic illness is wild because we can appear to be healthy while in a lot of pain, and look good doing it💅🏼 but there are also times when the “illness” part is more visible and in your face. Which can create a misunderstanding from healthy individuals around us who aren’t in our bodies. Their illnesses come and go, a start and a resolution. Ours are chronic, & symptoms can vary monthly, weekly, daily, even hourly with little to no warning.

Slide 1 & 2: wearing “real clothes” to go to a doctor’s appointment (does anyone else feel like they’re taken more seriously when presenting more ‘put together’ or am I just superstitious?😅)

Slide 3: that same day after the appointment, exhausted from all the autonomic testing (visual, vestibular, proprioception, standing tolerance testing, and a bit more). Triggered more of a headache but that was to be expected.

Flexibility and running economy!🧘🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

Current research shows an inverse relationship between flexibility and running economy- suggesting that less flexible runners (increased stiffness) may have better running economy, therefore better efficiency, due to improved ability to store and return elastic energy.

It’s important to note that these studies have limitations including small sample sizes, and I’d like to see further research that explores different levels of stiffness/flexibility (what is “too stiff” to have benefit? What is “too flexible”?).

However, it appears that runners may not need to emphasize flexibility beyond the normal levels required for running (which can be maintained through other more beneficial modes like strength training instead of static stretching- see Nuzzo article).

You’ve probably heard me say that lifting heavy is beneficial for runners- but if you’ve never really lifted weights, this can sound REALLY intimidating😳

PSA: HEAVY👏🏻IS👏🏻RELATIVE!!!

‼️Lifting “heavy” means lifting heavy with regards to YOUR abilities‼️

For some people, this might mean 6 squats with a 20 lb weight. For others, it might mean the same number of reps with 200 lbs.

Many things affect your abilities- how long you’ve been lifting for, consistency, overall training volume, and so on.

But guess what? The person lifting that 20 lb weight and maxing out at 6 reps is working just as hard, relative to their capability, as the person maxing out at 6 reps with 200 lbs.

We. All. Start. Somewhere.

So no, I’m not saying you should immediately swap out your low load routine, slap a few plates on the bar, and have at it. That would be silly!

But I am saying that working in sets of 3-12 reps at a weight that brings you 1-4 reps shy of failure, and increasing the load as you get stronger, is going to be better for strength gains than lots of reps with a weight that doesn’t really challenge you.

So next time you hear someone suggesting heavy lifting for runners, don’t fear!! It’s more accessible than you might think🏋🏼‍♀️

Life update✨

I was so lucky to be able to attend the wedding of one of my PT school girl friends along with the rest of the crew this past weekend- and the ceremony was even in the gorgeous chapel at our alma mater💜💛

I also had my longest run yet of my return to run process🏃🏼‍♀️ I’m really starting to feel good on my runs and am enjoying the no pressure process!

And finally, last night we made our last drive to Jake’s parents house in PA from WNY in anticipation of our move to NC next month🚗

We’re so excited to be taking the next steps, but it was so hard saying our goodbyes to family- including my old babies who just turned 15 years old a few weeks ago🐶 these guys are so special and have been basically attached to our hips!

When Jake and I decided to end our lease and move back home a year ago while I grew my business, we had no clue what the future, let alone the next few months would look like.

Now, we’re getting married💍, my business is so excitingly busy🏃🏼‍♀️, and we’re about to *officially* become homeowners together next month🏠

So, if you don’t see my on here quite as much in the coming weeks, just know that I’m in the basement buried in bins and boxes😅

Love your morning coffee but wish it did a little *more* for you? ☕️

Check out this electrolyte-infused coffee from ! Long Run Coffee helps you replenish lost electrolytes while simultaneously enjoying your regular morning coffee!

Long Run Coffee is made by runners, for runners🏃🏼‍♀️ (and by coffee lovers, for coffee lovers!!)

I was lucky enough to try out “Junk Miles” medium roast- which made for the perfect treat after my weekend run, AND I made a big batch to keep sealed in the fridge for iced coffee throughout this hot and humid week🧊😍

Check out www.longruncoffee.com and enjoy 10% off your first order when you enter your email!

(***It’s my promise to you that I’d never promote or recommend any product that I wouldn’t use myself***)

STRIDES: what they are, why they help us, and how to do them🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

Another trip around the sun🥳

This past year has by far been the best one yet- growing my business, getting engaged, buying a house, and working with so many funny, passionate, relatable, hard working runners…

…but I have a feeling this year’s gonna be even better😊

Please enjoy this pic of me and Jake looking our very best on set with Brooks🍌

Introducing…..The Chicago Marathon Training Team!🏃🏼‍♀️

Are you a runner who has their eyes set on the CHICAGO MARATHON this fall?

Coach Jenna will be leading this 16-week training program to tackle the Chicago Marathon on October 9th! The program will start MONDAY JUNE 20th and will include:

🏃🏼‍♀️Week-by-week running program tailored to your specific paces

🏋🏼‍♀️Strength training program to accompany your running

📞Bi-weekly group calls via Zoom

🏅Pre-race strategy call

👯‍♀️Access to group chat with team members and Coach Jenna

This will be a training GROUP, providing a great opportunity to connect and share in the rollercoaster that is marathon training with others who are running the SAME RACE!

REQUIREMENTS: this program is for runners currently running ~25-30 miles per week with no active injuries to ensure as much safety and success as possible while participating in this group training program. Runners do not need to be located in any specific area due to the virtual nature of this program.

‼️To sign up: comment “Chicago marathon” or shoot me a DM to hear more‼️

Coach Jenna will start training on Monday June 20th, but will be accepting additional athletes over the following week!

Blue sky morning for a quick easy paced run🏃🏼‍♀️

Run walk update: I’m now up to 2x 10 min running with a 2 min walk recovery! My progress has slowed significantly with all my traveling last month- I think I’ve maybe run and lifted once or twice a week recently.

But tbh, that’s life sometimes!! Looking forward to less busyness and more routine🏃🏼‍♀️🏋🏼‍♀️