s5/e27 (RE-RUN) Your Hybrid Training Crash Course with Dr. Alyssa Olenick, PhD
The Running Explained PodcastShow Notes
We’re back with another fantastic re-run featuring the powerhouse herself, exercise physiologist and hybrid athlete Dr. Alyssa Olenick (@doclyssfitness)! Hybrid training isn't just about picking between strength or endurance – it's about embracing BOTH for both health and performance goals. Dr. Olenick breaks down the interference effect, explains the shifting application of training intensity, and goes through hybrid training in the off-season all the way through your pre-race taper PLUS many more insights and educational tidbits along the way!
What You'll Learn: What hybrid (or concurrent) training is and how it blends strength and endurance for optimal fitness. How to manage the "interference effect" and fatigue when training for multiple goals. Why strength training is essential for runners for both performance and injury prevention. How to approach fitness with curiosity, NOT perfection. The importance of seasonal training and post-race recovery for long-term health and performance. Why group fitness classes can support your goals but shouldn’t replace focused strength or endurance work. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction to Hybrid Training (03:48) Defining Hybrid Training (11:35) Understanding the Interference Effect (20:30) Training Tolerance and Goal Setting (23:54) Benefits of Hybrid Training (29:59) The Importance of Strength Training for Runners (35:42) Overcoming the Fear of Lifting (44:23) Building Confidence in Strength Training (45:14) Embracing Imperfection in Training (46:47) The Role of Group Fitness Classes (51:30) Understanding Hybrid Training (55:25) Balancing Running and Lifting (01:00:06) The Importance of Recovery (01:04:58) Long-Term Fitness Perspectives (01:09:42) The Process Over Perfection (01:16:11) Finding Joy in the Journey -- Meet Alyssa Dr. Alyssa Olenick is an Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. She is known for her high energy and sassy approach to bringing science to your training in a no-nonsense way. Alyssa has helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, or even do both. www.doclyssfitness.com -- 🚨 1:1 COACHING SPOTS OPEN NOW 🚨 Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU? ㅤ If you're chasing a big goal, whether it's your first marathon or a shiny new PR, our incredible coaches are accepting new 1:1 coaching clients! ㅤ ✅ Personalized training ✅ Weekly support + adjustments ✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability ✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals
Head to https://www.runningexplained.com/runcoaching to learn more!
Research & production assistance by Sophie van Leeuwen
More from The Running Explained Podcast
Pro marathoner Sara Hall joins Coach Nick and Coach Amanda one week after the Chicago Marathon to talk marathon recovery, motherhood, and her memoir, For the Love of the Grind.
Olympian Carrie Tollefson joins Coach Amanda and Coach Nick days after broadcasting the 2026 Chicago Marathon. Carrie made the 2004 Olympic team in the 1500m, won five NCAA titles at Villanova, and now runs her mouth more than her legs (her words) as a marathon broadcaster and host of the C Tolle Run podcast. In this episode, we cover: • What the Chicago Marathon looks like from the finish line broadcast position • Why Carrie ran three marathons just to commentate them better • The human stories behind Hawi Feysa, Clayton Young, and Vinny Mauri • How to handle negativity and why running needs a “positive thread” • What everyday runners can learn from pros (you deal with the same mile 21) • Running identity after competition, plus balancing career, kids, and 20-minute runs • Prize money, the running boom, and celebrity run clubs • Why success comes from finding your joy, not your finish time • The Secret Interview Questions (and a story her mom will not love)
How long should you rest after a marathon? Coach Amanda (fresh off her fall marathon) and Coach Nick cover marathon recovery from taper week to your first run back.
We did an old fashioned listener Q&A, and because you all sent in a stack of nutrition questions, we called in the big guns: sports dietitian Stevie Lyn Smith, RD, CSSD, back for round two. Coach Amanda and I cover the coaching side while Stevie brings the fueling science. We get into how many carbs per hour you actually need on long runs (and why the answer is a range, not a flex), how to juggle fast 5Ks, marathons, and heavy lifting by building training seasons, and how to keep burnout from wrecking your year. Amanda goes on a legendary rant about lottery FOMO. I explain resiliency data points and why belief beats hard work at your absolute peak. Then we help a first time Philly marathoner avoid the mile 20 wall, dig into the new ASH ferritin guidelines (and why ferritin alone does not tell the whole iron story), and answer the big one: can you safely cut weight before a marathon? Spoiler: Stevie said yes to cutting a bagel. That is it.
Coach Amanda and Coach Nick talk masters running with coach Kim Nedeau (Training Inclined) about how mileage, recovery, and strength work should change after 40, plus what the research really says about bone density, menopause, and weighted vests.