304. Disney Marathon Training: The Strength Work Most Runners Skip
Release Date: 07/30/2026
309. Tapering 101: How to Taper Before a Half Marathon or Marathon
Healthy Runner Podcast
FREE Marathon Training Guide: Train Smarter & Race Strong → Are you a few weeks away from your half marathon or marathon and suddenly wondering if you’re running too little? Welcome to the taper crazies! After months of long runs, speed workouts, and strength training, reducing your training before race day can feel completely backwards. You may start wondering if you’re losing fitness, whether you should squeeze in one more long run, or why your legs suddenly feel heavy. But here’s the key: You don’t get faster during your taper by squeezing in more fitness. You get faster by...
info_outline
308. Carb Loading Before a Marathon: What Most Runners Get Wrong with Brooke Czarnecki, RDN, LD
Healthy Runner Podcast
Are you carb loading correctly before your marathon, or could your nutrition strategy be setting you up to hit the dreaded wall at mile 20? If you think carb loading means eating a giant bowl of pasta the night before your race, you're not alone! But proper marathon carb loading involves much more than one big meal. In this episode of the Healthy Runner Podcast, Dr. Duane Scotti sits down with registered dietitian and endurance sports nutrition expert from our team to break down exactly how to carb load before a marathon or half marathon. You'll learn when to start carb loading, what foods...
info_outline
307. 3 Common Marathon Injuries: How to Treat Them Without Giving Up Running with Carolyn Coffin
Healthy Runner Podcast
What happens when your hamstring, IT band, or Achilles starts hurting in the middle of marathon training? Do you really need to stop running completely? Not necessarily! In Episode 307 of the Healthy Runner Podcast, I’m sharing an insightful conversation I had with Carolyn Coffin from the Inspired Soles Podcast about 3 of the most common injuries that can derail marathon training and what you can actually do about them without automatically giving up running. We take a deep dive into: 🏃🏻♀️ Proximal hamstring tendinopathy: Why stretching that nagging pain near your sit bone may...
info_outline
306. How to Train for Disney Marathon Weekend: 5 Mistakes Runners Make with Coach Whitney LaCombe
Healthy Runner Podcast
Training for RunDisney? and learn how to train for the entire Disney experience…not just the miles 🏰🔋 Are you training for Disney Marathon Weekend like you would for any other marathon? That could be one of the biggest mistakes you make. Disney Marathon Weekend isn't just about covering 26.2 miles. Between the early wake-ups, standing in corrals, walking through the parks, Florida weather, and for Goofy and Dopey runners… racing on back-to-back days, your body has to handle much more than the mileage on your training plan! In this episode of the Healthy Runner Podcast, I’m...
info_outline
305. What Jon Levitt Learned from 850,000 Runners About Running After 40
Healthy Runner Podcast
Have you ever wondered if you can keep running (not just through this season) but for the rest of your life? If you're over 40 and you've started questioning whether your body can keep up, this episode is for you. Joining me today is Jon Levitt, host of the popular For The Long Run podcast, where he's spent years interviewing some of the world's best runners, coaches, sports scientists, and researchers to answer one big question: What does it actually take to achieve sustainable excellence? Through conversations reaching more than 850,000 runners every month, Jon has uncovered the common...
info_outline
304. Disney Marathon Training: The Strength Work Most Runners Skip
Healthy Runner Podcast
Training for RunDisney? and learn how to train for the entire Disney experience…not just the miles 🏰🔋 Disney Marathon Weekend isn't just a marathon… it's one of the most unique endurance events you'll ever train for. Between miles on unforgiving concrete, long days walking through the parks, early morning wake-ups, and for many runners, back-to-back races like Goofy and Dopey, your body needs more than just a running plan. It needs a strength plan. In this episode, Dr. Duane Scotti, running physical therapist, running coach, and two-time Dopey finisher, shares the exact 20-week...
info_outline
303. Stop Stretching Your IT Band! Do This Instead to Finally Beat IT Band Syndrome
Healthy Runner Podcast
Have you been stretching your IT band every day… yet the pain on the outside of your knee keeps coming back? Here's the truth that surprises most runners: you can't actually stretch your IT band. In this episode, Dr. Duane Scotti, running physical therapist, running coach, and 8x marathoner, explains why the traditional "IT band stretch" isn't solving your problem and why it may even be keeping you stuck in the injury cycle. You'll learn why IT band syndrome isn't caused by a "tight IT band," what's really driving that sharp pain on the outside of your knee, and the three evidence-based...
info_outline
302. Marathon Training Mistakes That Lead to Injury (With Jason Fitzgerald)
Healthy Runner Podcast
If you're training for a marathon, this episode could save you months of frustration and help you reach the starting line healthy and ready to perform your best. Joining me for his fourth appearance on the Healthy Runner Podcast is marathon coach Jason Fitzgerald, founder of Strength Running, USATF-certified coach, and 2:39 marathoner. Together, we answer some of the biggest questions marathon runners have, including: ✅ Why runners hit the wall around mile 20 ✅ The marathon workouts that actually matter (and the ones you can stop stressing about) ✅ How to structure your long runs for...
info_outline
301. My First Ever Marathon DNF: What Every Runner Can Learn From It
Healthy Runner Podcast
Grab your FREE Last week, I did something I never thought I would do. I stepped off the course at mile 13.1 of the Buffalo Marathon and recorded my first ever DNF. After completing seven marathons, I finally had a race that didn't go according to plan. But here's the crazy part... Just six days later, I found myself standing on another marathon starting line. And by the end of that race, I crossed the finish line of marathon number eight. In this episode, I share the full story behind my first DNF, why I made the difficult decision to stop, why I chose to run another marathon less than a week...
info_outline
300. Run Happy AND Get Faster: Why You Don’t Need to Suffer to PR with Carolyn Coffin
Healthy Runner Podcast
Do you feel like every run needs to be hard in order to get faster? If so… that might be exactly why you’re stuck. In this episode, I’m joined by run coach Carolyn Coffin to tackle one of the biggest myths in running: That you need to suffer through every workout to see results. We break down why “party pace” is that conversational, enjoyable effort isn’t just for beginners… it’s actually one of the most powerful tools to help you run faster, stay consistent, and avoid burnout. If your training has been feeling more like a grind than something you enjoy, this episode will shift...
info_outlineTraining for RunDisney? Download my FREE Ultimate RunDisney Training Playbook and learn how to train for the entire Disney experience…not just the miles 🏰🔋
Disney Marathon Weekend isn't just a marathon… it's one of the most unique endurance events you'll ever train for.
Between miles on unforgiving concrete, long days walking through the parks, early morning wake-ups, and for many runners, back-to-back races like Goofy and Dopey, your body needs more than just a running plan.
It needs a strength plan.
In this episode, Dr. Duane Scotti, running physical therapist, running coach, and two-time Dopey finisher, shares the exact 20-week strength training roadmap he uses to help runners prepare for Disney Marathon Weekend without breaking down.
You'll learn:
-Why strength training is the missing piece for most Disney runners
-The 4 phases of a 20-week strength training plan
-The best exercises to build stronger hips, glutes, calves, and core
-How to progress your strength work as marathon mileage increases
-When to reduce strength training during your taper
-The three biggest strength training mistakes Disney runners make
-How to stay healthy, recover faster, and enjoy the parks after your race
Whether you're training for the Walt Disney World Marathon, Half Marathon, Goofy Challenge, or Dopey Challenge, this episode will help you build the strength and resilience you need to cross the finish line feeling strong… not just survive it.
Grab your FREE RunDisney Marathon Training Guide Here!
If you’re ready for structured strength plans, recovery routines, nutrition, and coaching support so you’re not guessing week to week during your rundisney training, join the Healthy Runner Academy!
Episodes and Resources mentioned in this episode:
Listen to my previous episode on 6 Steps to Mastering runDisney Training
Listen to my previous episode on How to Prepare for RunDisney Marathon Weekend: 7 Race Week Essentials for Dopey Challenge Runners
Listen to my previous episode on How I Conquered the 2026 Dopey Challenge Feeling Strong, Durable, and Healthy
Listen to my previous episode on my 2024 Disney Marathon Weekend Recap Conquering the Dopey Challenge
Listen to my previous episode on what to do after you sign up for the Dopey challenge
Watch how Sonya overcame her fears to finish her first marathon in Disney by getting stronger not only physically but mentally here!
Watch how Dipti went from chronic shin splints for over a year to running the Disney Dopey Challenge in 6 months here!
Watch how Stephanie went from IT band pain with every long run to conquering the 48.6 mile Dopey Challenge here!
Want to work with Dr. Duane as your running physical therapist and coach with structured rehab, strength, nutrition, and a run plan with full support and accountability to crush your Disney Marathon Weekend experience? Book a call and learn more about Healthy Runner coaching here
Connect with Dr. Duane:
- Instagram - @sparkhealthyrunner
- Sign up for the Healthy Runner Newsletter
- Join our Healthy Runner Facebook Community
- Subscribe to our YouTube Channel