
s5/e18 Mastering the Basics: Run Types + Using Alerts for Better Training
The Running Explained PodcastShow Notes
Let’s get back to basics! In this episode, I’m breaking down the three main types of runs you'll see in your training - easy runs, moderate-intensity workouts like tempo or threshold, and high-intensity speed work - and explaining what each one is actually supposed to do for your fitness. If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I running this right?”, this one’s for you. Once you understand what each run is meant to accomplish, the next step is learning how to execute it correctly, and that’s where simple alerts on your running watch can be a game-changer. I’ll explain how I use pace and heart rate alerts to help build confidence, stay in the right zone, and most importantly, start enhancing our internal understanding of what those different intensities feel like. This is how you move from chasing numbers to actually training smarter. 🎉 I’m also incredibly excited to announce my official partnership with COROS, the running watch I’ve personally used and loved since 2022! COROS makes it so easy to set up the exact alerts I talk about in this episode. You don’t need to pre-program fancy workouts (although I love those too), just a few simple tools can help you train more effectively and confidently. And now, when you use code RUNEXP at coros.com, you’ll get a free second strap with your watch purchase! 👟 In This Episode: What easy, tempo, and speed runs are designed to do
How to use watch alerts to guide effort (not just chase paces)
Why learning what effort feels like makes you a stronger, more confident runner
The tools I use on my COROS Pace 3 watch to keep training dialed in Heart rate & pace alerts to create effort “guardrails”.
RPE as the long-term goal (and how alerts help you build that awareness)
🎁 COROS Discount:
Get a free second strap when you use code RUNEXP at checkout on coros.com ➡️ Add a watch + a strap to your cart ➡️ Enter RUNEXP promo code ➡️ Extra strap = FREE! 📬 Stay Connected: 💬 Weekly coaching tips: FREE newsletter The Weekly Stride
🎙️ Bonus content & early access: Patreon
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.