If you’ve ever spent time resting from an injury, only to find that it appears again within weeks of restarting activity this article is for you. Our interview with tendinonpathy expert Dr Alex Nelson, is an important discussion of running with tendonitis and dispels common misconceptions.

Here you’ll find a summary of the Tread Lightly episode interviewing Dr Nelson. We recommend listening to the full episode, which is embedded at the end of the article, for additional details.

What is Tendonitis vs Tendinopathy?

Amongst athletes you’ll hear the term tendinitis tossed around. And if not, you probably have heard things like jumper’s knee or runner’s heel.

Terminology is really important and we’ll talk about that here in a second because tendinitis is often the diagnosis given to people who are battling tendon pain. And the suffix on the end with itis kind of leads people to believe that inflammation is kind of the hallmark sign of this injury and that the inflammation is the primary driver of their symptoms.

Which leads us down a path of trying to reduce inflammation through NSAIDS or ice or rest.

But that isn’t actually going to resolve the issue.

And now, the better term is actually tendionpathy. That way we aren’t confusing  maybe an acute injury…

It’s hard to stay on top of the massive variety of running shoes being released to help us with speed, but today we’ve got a fun one without a carbon plate. This Brooks Hyperion 2 review will help you see if this training shoe should hit your rotation.

Brooks, as most of you probably know, is a popular running shoe brand known particularly for its Ghost, Glycerin, and Adrenaline models. Go to just about any race and you’re bound to see countless runners in one of those shoes. They’re longtime runner favorites.

But today, we’re going to dig into the speedier side of Brooks’ running shoe line and take a look at their Hyperion 2.

Run to the Finish Coach Lindsey took a pair of these for a test drive over a variety of speed sessions and a longer run. Lindsey is a 3:17 marathoner, so she knows what she likes when it comes to a shoe made for speed.

So let’s find out if the Brooks Hyperion 2 lives up to the hype or if another lightweight running shoe might be a better option.

Brooks Hyperion 2 Review

To be clear this is the Hyperion 2, not the Hyperion 2 Max. I know, these names are getting confusing, but basically at $40 more the Hyperion Max 2 is a…

Unless you’ve dealt with an injury in your upper leg or you’re spending more time in the gym strength training you might not have used these terms much. Which is why adductors vs abductors can leave us a bit confused, so we’re going to clear it up and understand what they do for your runs, plus how to strengthen them.

As a running coach, I’m interested in them because they occasionally relate to an injury and we want to resolve it. But also because understanding how to work your lower body is massively important for our goals.

Yes, there’s literally only a one-letter difference between the words but the muscle groups do opposite things.

The abductor and adductor muscles in your hips and thighs work together to allow side-to-side leg movements. Your abductor muscles move your leg away from the midline of your body, while your adductor muscles bring it back towards the midline.

Yes, training these muscles specifically is beneficial to you as an athlete, not just for bodybuilding.

So let’s dive a little deeper here into these important running muscles, what they do, common issues runners may have, and how to resolve them.

What are the Adductors?

The adductors are made up of the adductor longus, brevis, magnus, and minimus, as well as the pectineus, gracilis, and…

While many people spend the summer tackling long mileage on hot days in preparation for one of the popular fall marathons, there’s something to be said about using the cool of winter to rock one of these Spring marathons in the US.

Picking a spring marathon can keep you motivated through the dark and cold days of November through March. It’s also a chance to really give it your all in speed workouts in temperatures our bodies can tolerate better.

And many of the marathons on the list below offer beautiful scenery and moderate temperatures, meaning runners have plenty of opportunities to run personal bests.

Beyond the coveted Boston Marathon, there are tons of spring marathons on the calendar all over the country. Big, small, urban, rural, local, or destination, there are options for everyone. Check out our top picks below. From east coast to west coast and flat lands to rolling hills, there’s bound to be a great option for you.

12 Best Spring Marathons for 2025

If you’ve decided to run a spring marathon, there’s a few things to remember so you can make sure you’re well prepared.

First, you need to plan to train for 16-24 weeks depending on your experience and training…

Have you ever wondered when you might use Zone 5 training? Is Zone 5 cardio valuable? Let’s find out what it means and why you should indeed include it in training at every age.

Heart rate training zones are ranges of heart rate between our resting and maximum heart rate. There are five of them. In order to determine our zones, we have to know both of those other numbers first.

These zones then correspond to different intensities.

Here I’m going to focus entirely on Zone 5, but we have talked extensively about these numbers in a variety of articles. You can learn how to train by heart rate, how to calculate your maximum heart rate and what is a good resting heart rate.

But where does Zone 5 fit in to everything? As you can see by the percentages below, this is going to be a small range of 90-100% of our MHR. This correlates to a maximum, all-out effort or what you might be hitting late in a 5K and 10K.

You’re probably wondering when we would use this? Should we ever be in Zone 5? Is it even possible for us mere mortals to get there? Are there any benefits to hitting Zone 5?

Keep reading to learn more!

What is Zone 5 Heart Rate Training?

Zone 5 is 90-100% of our maximum heart rate. That sounds intense, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is.

As I said, there are five…

Runners often talk a lot about Zone 2 training, but Zone 1 cardio is also a valuable piece of increasing your endurance and aerobic capacity. Let’s look more at how it works and where to incorporate it.

Using heart rate to guide training has become an increasingly popular and common way to monitor and guide your training effort. Over the last 12+ years as a coach, it’s a tool that I’ve helped many runners learn how to use because it allows them to break out of ego and worry about pace!

It’s also become easier thanks to nearly every smart watch, GPS watch and fitness tracker having heart rate built in to the wrist. I’ve often talked about how this may not be terribly accurate, but that’s seems to apply only as we start to move out of Zone 1.

You’ve probably heard that you should mainly workout in Zone 2. Often called the fast burning zone or the primary focus when we talk about applying the 80/20 rule of endurance training.

But what about the other zones? Specifically, what about Zone 1? How do you stay in Zone 1? What are the benefits to Zone 1? How does it fit into the bigger picture?

Stick with me and keep reading to learn all about Zone 1 because it’s absolutely an important piece of your training.

What is Zone 1 Heart Rate?

Zone 1 should be 50 to 60% of…

Are you trying to lose weight or boost your energy levels? One key factor could be your metabolism, and learning how to raise metabolism can make a big difference. 

Metabolism refers to how quickly your body burns calories, and a faster metabolism can help with weight loss and energy levels.

There are several ways to naturally increase your metabolism, which include better nutrition habits, physical activity from strength training, and getting a good night’s sleep.

In this article, I’ll go through all the methods to help raise your metabolism, including tips and advice that are simple to incorporate into your daily routine. 

What Factors Play a Role in Metabolism?

Several factors play a role in your metabolism, affecting how your body burns calories and how quickly you can lose or gain weight. Let’s look at some of the main ones:

BMR: Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plays a big role. This is the number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing and digestion. A higher BMR means your body burns more calories at rest, which can help in weight loss.

Level of Physical Activity: Regular workouts, especially strength training, can increase muscle mass, which in turn boosts your metabolism. Plus, high-intensity interval…

There are so many different types of running shoes out there–zero-drop, trail shoes, stability, neutral–it can be daunting to know which is the right shoe to choose for your style of running.  We’re going to break it all down, so you can make the best choice for your budget.

The great thing about all of that variety is it actually serves your body really well.

Utilizing different shoes through a running shoe rotation, helps to prevent injuries and let’s bet honest just provides a better reason for buying another pair when we want to.

The right type of running shoe based on the running surface, your personal preferences, and body mechanics can prevent injuries, but also simply feels better.

For example, did you know that as we get older we lose the fat pads in our feet? So yes, you may suddenly enjoy running in a cushioned shoe a great deal more than before.

That’s ok!

Your feet will change. Your running will change. Allow your running shoes to change.

This guide to running shoes will help you understand the different types of running shoes available and help you understand how to go about selecting the right one for you.

What to Look for When Picking a Type of Running…

What if Hoka were to combine the Mach and the Bondi?? It turns out that the brand new Hoka Skyflow model is the shoe I didn’t realize I’d been missing from Hoka. Read on to compare it to other shoes and find out more!

I first started running in HOKA with the Clifton 1 and I loved it almost right away. I was skeptical at the time because no one else was doing such a large stack height, but it was fantastic.

Over the years, other brands have caught up and now the Clifton feelslike a firm cushion compared to the soft bounce that you find in so many others. In fact, I started to fall out of love with the Clifton in recent years after finding the Hoka Mach to feel so great…and deciding that the Bondi was so plush I prefer recommending it for walking.

When I first heard about the Skyflow, I thought, why?

Well the why is obvious now! It takes me back to that original Clifton love, but with all the updated foam and technology that’s now available to us. I spent a few weeks putting my easy miles in on this shoe to help get a feel for it and what it has to offer.

As always, I note that I am super honest in my reviews about what works, doesn’t work and of course I have preferences…

Have you ever heard of training in the grey zone? This is another reference to Heart Rate Zone 3, but it’s not always bad to do zone 3 cardio. We need to understand the nuances of this moderate level of effort.

Most newer runners struggle with the idea of slowing down to get faster and therefore spend a lot of easy runs in Zone 3, instead of Zone 2. The result of this as an athlete is feeling slightly overtrained, never having enough energy to go really hard on speed days, struggling to increase total mileage and eventually injury.

The overall concept is exactly the same for the bike and cyclists, but we’ve seen data that cycling may run roughly 10 beats lower for the same effort. It’s all about intensity levels and the specific goal of the workout adaptations we’re trying to achieve.

Zone 3 can feel confusing because we’re always harping on staying in Zone 2.

However, when used correctly it’s a valuable part of the 20% of hard workouts you do.

Today we’re going to talk more about what this means and how to use the HR Zones to help you figure out what type of training you should be doing.

What are Heart Rate Zones?

There are 5 Heart Rate Training Zones which are designed to correlate to different training intensities. The bottom end of this range is your resting…