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- The Run Smarter Book 📖
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Chronic plantar fasciitis can quietly strip away your confidence, your identity as a runner, and eventually your belief that running is even possible again.

In today’s episode, John shares his seven-year battle with stubborn plantar fasciitis—and how he went from barely being able to walk in the morning to completing trail marathons at age 59.

This is not a story about a magic treatment or a quick fix. It’s about patience, progressive strength, smarter recovery, and changing the way you think about pain. If you’ve tried everything and feel like you’re running out of options, this conversation will resonate deeply.

What We Cover in This Episode

John’s long road with plantar fasciitis

• How his symptoms started, disappeared, then returned worse than ever
• Why years of rest, stretching, and passive treatments didn’t solve the problem
• What “first-step pain” taught him about whether he was improving or regressing

Why many plantar fasciitis treatments fail

• Over-stretching and aggressive rehab that actually delayed healing
• Why ticking “strength training” off the list too early is a common mistake
• The difference between doing exercises and loading tissue correctly

The turning point

• The mindset shift that stopped the injury from controlling his life
• How slow, progressive calf strengthening rebuilt tissue capacity
• Why learning not to catastrophize flare-ups changed everything

Strength training that actually worked

• The calf exercises that gave the biggest return on investment
• How he progressed from double-leg to single-leg loading safely
• Rep ranges, frequency, and why patience mattered more than intensity

Recovery beyond rehab

• How improving sleep quality accelerated his progress
• Nutrition changes that supported training and recovery
• Why recovery became non-negotiable as he got older

Where John is now

• Running pain-free most days after years of struggle
• Completing half marathons, mountain runs, and a self-supported trail marathon
• How he’s approaching goals differently to stay healthy long-term

Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍

For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚
- Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓
- The Run Smarter Book 📖
- Access to Research Papers 📄🔍
- & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟
👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨

Matt is a repeat guest from the Doctors of running and a running shoe fanatic!

Our discussion on today's episode starts with shoe expiry dates. Matt gives his opinion on when it is time to buy new running shoes and what variables play a role in running shoe wear and tear.

Next, we explore the different features of a shoe that you need to consider when buying a new pair. Matt discusses comfort, flexibility, stability, upper, drop, weight and many other features.

Matt also shares his recommendations on shoe brands for beginner runners, performance-minded runners and his take on maximalist versus minimalist.

Follow Matt's work by visiting the doctors of running website, youtube, podcast and insta.

Learn more about Brodie's Research Database & AI Assistant 📄🔍

For MORE Run Smarter Resources 🏃‍♂️📚
- Including Free Injury Prevention Courses 🩹🎓
- The Run Smarter Book 📖
- Access to Research Papers 📄🔍
- & Ways to Work with Brodie 🤝👟
👉 CLICK HERE! 🎉✨

In this month’s Latest Running Research episode, Brodie breaks down three high-impact studies that every runner should know about—covering sleep quality and injury risk, what actually gets injured during marathon running, and how strength training can improve running economy. If your goals are to run faster, stay injury-free, and train smarter in 2025, this episode delivers clear, evidence-based insights without the fluff.

We start with a standout prospective study tracking runners over six months, showing that poor sleep quality—not sleep quantity—significantly increases injury risk. Each one-point drop in perceived sleep quality increased injury risk by 36%, while rising fatigue and muscle soreness emerged as early warning signs in the 1–2 weeks before injury. The takeaway is clear: sleep quality, recovery monitoring, and subjective signals like soreness and fatigue deserve far more attention than most runners give them.

Next, we zoom out and examine a comprehensive review of marathon-related injuries, separating race-day injuries from training injuries and identifying the most commonly affected areas (thigh, knee, calf, foot, and ankle). The paper highlights both modifiable risk factors (training load, recovery, alcohol use, footwear transitions) and non-modifiable risks (age, sex, prior injury), offering valuable context for runners preparing for longer events or returning from injury.

Finally, the episode explores new research on strength training and running economy, focusing on how combining heavy resistance work with plyometrics (“complex training”) can meaningfully improve efficiency. The findings reinforce that strength training isn’t just for injury prevention—it directly improves how much energy you burn at a given pace, making it a powerful performance tool when programmed correctly.