When you’re pushing through those final meters of a race, many runners picture themselves looking like this: Tall posture. Clean stride. Driving from the hips.

But the reality, for most of us, is a bit more like this: Hunched shoulders. Shuffling feet. Stride falling apart.

And it’s not because your form is bad. It’s because your focus breaks down before your body does.

Here’s what’s really happening, and how to stop it from ruining your race.

Timestamps

• [00:17] What You'll Learn
• [00:45] What's the Mistake?
• [01:57] Five Steps to Fix Tired Form
• [04:35] Learn to Have Higher Cadence
• [05:31] Use This to Increase Your Cadence
• [06:00] Film Your Fatigued Form
• [06:42] Strengthen the Weak Links
• [07:28] Mental Reset Cues
• [08:14] Why It Matters
• [08:51] Use This to Fix Your Form

Your running form doesn't break down because your body is weak—it breaks because your focus shatters first.

Key Takeaways

1. Fatigue ruins your running form by making your stride shorter and less efficient, but this happens because your mental focus breaks down before your muscles truly give out.

2. You can train your body to hold its form under fatigue by doing fast finishes to your runs, practicing a higher cadence, and strengthening your glutes and core.

3. Your brain is your most powerful tool; using simple mental cues to reset your posture and focus can stop the panic that makes your form fall apart.

Links & Learnings

• 📈 Get your free 6-month increase your cadence training plan here https://dlakecreates.com/cadencefree
• 🎧 Listen, read and learn more here https://dlakecreates.com/formfatigue
• Find out how to stop overstriding here - https://dlakecreates.com/overstriding
• 7 Magical tips to better run form here - https://dlakecreates.com/runform
• Study on running form fatigue here - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.646042/full
• Instagram – https://instagram.com/dlakecreates
• Strava – https://www.strava.com/athletes/120507

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What’s the one thing most runners get wrong about “easy training”?

Is your “easy run” truly setting the stage for your success—or quietly sabotaging your training? In this episode, we uncover how to correctly define easy training, why heart rate zones need to be personalized, and how to avoid the pitfalls of the gray zone.

You’ll learn practical tests to determine your effort levels and discover why even the pros treat “easy” differently. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced runner, these insights will help you train smarter and perform better.

• [00:00] Are your easy runs setting you up for success or sabotaging your progress?
• [01:15] What makes a run truly "easy"? Mental arithmetic and breathing tests explained.
• [02:41] Using the breathing countdown test to check heart rate accuracy.
• [04:09] Can a run ever be "too easy"? Understanding objectives and recovery.
• [07:57] Why Maffetone's principles work differently for advanced and beginner runners.
• [09:43] The gap between easy and race paces for elites versus everyday runners.
• [10:01] Resting heart rates and the importance of heart rate reserve in training.
• [12:20] Debunking myths about maximum and Maffetone heart rates.
• [13:18] Customizing heart rate zones for higher resting and maximum heart rates.
• [15:00] How base training builds longevity and aerobic fitness.

1. Understand what "easy" really means: Learn why your easy runs should feel effortless and how the nasal breathing or chatting tests can help define them.
2. Heart rate zones are personal: Discover how factors like your fitness level and resting heart rate impact the effectiveness of heart rate training.
3. Balance is the key to progress: Understand how alternating between truly easy runs and challenging efforts prevents overtraining and maximizes results.

• 📈 Get your free 30-day 1% better base training & habits guide - https://dlakecreates.com/basefree
• 🎧 Listen, read and learn more here https://dlakecreates.com/easyrunning
• Follow me on Instagram - https://instagram.com/dlakecreates
• Follow Mike Trees on Instagram - https://instagram.com/run.nrg
• Follow me on Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/120507
• IMAT Heart Rate https://dlakecreates.com/imat
• Maffetone 180 Formula https://dlakecreates.com/maf

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Most people think they need to lose weight before becoming a runner. The truth is, that belief is stopping more runners than their body ever will.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t look like a “typical runner” or believed you needed to lose weight before taking running seriously, this episode will challenge everything you’ve been told. I break down what bigger runners need to understand about training smarter, why running isn’t always the answer people think it is for weight loss, and how consistency, recovery, and sustainable effort will take you much further than pushing yourself into exhaustion. If you want to build fitness in a way that actually lasts, this conversation will completely change how you think about running and long-term progress.

1. Running doesn't require a certain body type: You don't need to lose weight before you start running. The idea that only lean, light people can be "real runners" is false.
2. Running alone won't help you lose body fat: If weight loss is your main goal, running isn't the most effective path. You're better off combining it with resistance training and fixing your nutrition.
3. Run so you can do it again tomorrow: Don't overdo it on day one. Walk when you need to, go by time instead of distance, and focus on consistency over intensity.

• [00:21] What You’ll Learn
• [01:34] Tip #1 – Don’t Try to Lose Weight By Running
• [05:52] Use This to Start Running (Again) Now
• [06:21] Tip #2 – Everything in Moderation
• [10:18] Tip #3 – Walking Is Ok
• [12:40] Why You Shouldn’t Kill Yourself Every Run
• [15:04] Daren’s Hot Take, Healthy and Wise
• [15:29] Why Amateur Runners Can’t Carb Load Their Way to a Fast Marathon Alone
• [18:38] How Daren Is Getting Wiser in Life & Training
• [19:42] Remy’s Hot Take, Healthy & Wise
• [24:02] Why You Should Have Dessert With Your Dinner
• [26:57] Use This to Start (Or Get Back to Running)

• 📈 Get your free start running (again) and base training plan here - https://dlakecreates.com/basefree
• 🎧 Listen, read and learn more here - https://dlakecreates.com/heavyrunners
• How to start running (again) full deep dive - https://dlakecreates.com/startrunning
• More this or that episodes with Remy B Reel - https://dlakecreates.com/thisorthat
• Remy B Reel on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@RemyBReel/videos
• Instagram – https://instagram.com/dlakecreates
• Strava – https://www.strava.com/athletes/120507

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.