Long runs, weekly mileage, and faster workouts are all important - but they won't help you improve if you don't prioritize a healthy lifestyle.

Without proper nutrition, you won't have as much energy to tackle your training.

Without enough sleep, recovery will be sub-par and some of your hard work will be wasted.

Without reducing stress, the risk of over-training and injury increases (and you'll rarely feel good).

So it makes sense to give yourself every advantage and set yourself up for success, especially if you're gearing up for a big race or attempt at a personal best.

When you get these "little things" (which are not so little) right, it makes training much easier to accomplish.

After all, success in running depends on the lifestyle that surrounds the training.

So I invited No Meat Athlete founder Matt Frazier on the podcast. In just the last few years, Matt has implemented  a staggering number of changes to his life:

• He adopted a vegetarian diet - and then vegan
• No Meat Athlete was born and quickly became a world-wide movement
• He improved his marathon from 4:53 to 3:09 to qualify for Boston
• Not wanting to settle, he started running ultras - including a 100-miler
• He's given up oil and experimented with other habits like journaling, meditation, and fruitarianism

If you've ever tried to start a new healthy habit, you know how difficult this can be on top of your other obligations like work and family.

And I wanted to know how to make all of these "little things" easier to implement in your life.

Because if you're not sleeping well, eating right, and eliminating stress the other 23 hours of the day, then running a longer distance or racing a Personal Best is going to be that much more difficult to achieve.

Dr. Mike Young is the Director of Research and Performance at North Carolina-based Athletic Lab. A Lead Instructor for both USA Track & Field and USA Weightlifting, he also works with elite athletes and has consulted with the MLS, MLB, NFL, PGA, and NHL.

He has degrees in exercise physiology, coaching science, and biomechanics – not to mention his prowess publishing multiple peer-reviewed journal articles.

Mike has coached seven national champions in Track & Field and at four Division I NCAA programs.

He’s on the Strength Running Podcast today to talk about how distance runners can benefit from speed development – from specific workouts to other ways of getting faster (it’s not all sprint work).

Claire Shorenstein is no stranger to running long: she's a Boston Marathon-qualifying runner, frequent triathlete, and multiple ultra marathon finisher.

Perhaps more importantly, she's a Registered Dietitian and New York State Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist with a Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. A certified Road Runner's Club of America running coach, she works at several private practices to counsel athletes and non-athletes on their nutrition goals.

Her specialties include weight loss, sports nutrition, chronic disease prevention and management, and pre- and post-natal nutrition. Read more about Claire on her website, Eat for Endurance.

She is also very pregnant as of now!

In this episode of the Strength Running Podcast, we discuss how pregnancy will change your approach to running, nutrition, and exercise in general. Please enjoy!

Current research shows that strengthening the small stabilizing muscles around the arch and plantar fascia can improve ankle stability and balance - but it's often neglected.

So I invited Matt Ferguson, the founder of AFX, on the Strength Running podcast to discuss several topics around foot strength:

• How to build strength in these oft-neglected muscles
• Mistakes to avoid and myths that can derail your progress
• The value of being a "cautious minimalist"
• How to choose shoes that are right for you personally

We also dive into the history of running shoes and why they look very different today than they did 40 years ago.

Enjoy!