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What if the key to getting faster isn't running harder — it's running smarter at the right effort? In this episode, we sit down with esteemed running coach Laura Norris of Laura Norris Running and co-host of the popular Tread Lightly Podcast, to dig into one of the most misunderstood tools in a runner's toolbox: threshold training.

We cover:

🌀The science behind why threshold work improves your body's ability to clear and buffer lactate — and why that matters for every distance, not just the 5K

🌀How threshold training builds a bigger aerobic engine without the wear and tear of constant hard efforts

🌀Why so many runners run their threshold sessions too fast (or too slow) — and how to actually find the right effort

🌀Different ways to structure threshold work: steady tempo runs, cruise intervals, and progression runs

🌀How often to include threshold sessions in a training week without overloading your system

🌀Common mistakes runners make when they first start training at threshold

🌀How to know threshold work is actually making you fitter and faster over time

Whether you're new to structured training or looking to fine-tune your approach, this episode breaks down the "why" and the "how" of threshold training so you can train with purpose — and see the results in your next race.

RESOURCES:

Website: Laura Norris Running

Podcast: Tread Lightly Podcast

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Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

• www.themotherrunners.com
• Instagram: @themotherrunners
• YouTube: The Mother Runners
• whitney@themotherrunners.com

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Most runners think pacing is either instinct or grit — but running coach Laura Norris of the Tread Lightly Podcast joins me to make the case that negative splitting is a skill you have to train, just like speed or endurance. In this episode, we dig into:

🌀The physiology behind a negative split — how a controlled start protects glycogen, delays muscle fatigue, and keeps your thermoregulation and cardiovascular system from breaking down late in the race

🌀Why fitness alone won't get you there — the specific workouts (split-pace long runs, cutdowns, fast-finish tempos) that train your body and brain to run faster on tired legs

🌀How to actually execute it on race day — from how much slower to start, to a surprising cue from a sport psychologist for how not to talk yourself out of going out too hot

🌀What to do when it doesn't go to plan — how to tell a normal rough patch from the start of hitting the wall, and the most common mistake runners make when trying to pace a negative split

Whether you're chasing a PR or just tired of blowing up in the last 10K, this conversation will change how you think about your first five miles.

& be sure to check out last week's episode with Laura on the power behind threshold workouts.

RESOURCES:

Website: Laura Norris Running

Substack

Podcast: Tread Lightly Podcast

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Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

• www.themotherrunners.com
• Instagram: @themotherrunners
• YouTube: The Mother Runners
• whitney@themotherrunners.com

Send us Fan Mail

THANK YOU 💗 GOODR for sponsoring this episode. Functional, fashionable, fun, and affordable eyewear. Save $10 off at the link!

Turning 40 doesn't mean your best running years are behind you — it means the way you train has to change. In this episode, we sit down with MY running coach Nick Klastava (USATF & RRCA certified, head coach of Running Explained and co-host of the name sake podcast) to break down what the science actually says about masters running, and how to build a smarter training block after 40.

We cover:

🌀Why aerobic fitness decline after 40 is real, but mostly optional if you keep training

🌀How training should change for runners over 40

🌀Appropriate goals for runners over 50

🌀His approach to my training as a 45-year-old mom going for her fastest marathon time (low 2:50s)

🌀Why your ceiling — VO2max, lactate threshold, even PRs — stays highly

Whether you're chasing a running PR over 40 or just trying to keep showing up strong, this episode gives you the science-backed playbook for training smarter, not less.

RESOURCES:

IG: @runningexplained & @nklastava

Website & podcast: runningexplained.com

Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

• www.themotherrunners.com
• Instagram: @themotherrunners
• YouTube: The Mother Runners
• whitney@themotherrunners.com