Show Notes
In this episode, Amanda Katz and Nick Klastava introduce themselves as the new hosts of the Running Explained podcast, taking over from Elisabeth. They discuss their excitement for the upcoming season, their vision for the podcast, and their commitment to making running more accessible and enjoyable for all listeners. The hosts emphasize the importance of community and invite feedback from listeners as they transition into this new chapter.
Amanda - @amanda_katzz Nick - @nklastava Email - [email protected] 🚨 1:1 COACHING SPOTS OPEN NOW 🚨 Ready to finally train with a plan that’s built around YOU? ✅ Personalized training ✅ Weekly support + adjustments ✅ Strategy, structure, and accountability ✅ Expert coaching to help you actually hit your goals Go to https://www.runningexplained.com/runcoaching to learn more!
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.