228. Broken to Healthy: How Ultrarunner Connor Meakin Overcame Years of Injury
Release Date: 12/30/2021
Ultrarunning + Strength Training: How to Get Strong and Gain Endurance with Coach Holly Martin
The Strength Running Podcast
Runners ask all the time: How should I fit strength training into my endurance goals, and how can I get as strong as possible with limited time? Holly Martin is a personal fitness trainer and run coach based in Nashville, TN who specializes in time-efficient circuit training and individually tailored run programs. Holly comes from a diverse background of professional ballet, ultramarathon running, and 10 years of experience in CrossFit. She’s finished many ultra marathons, including two 100 milers. In this episode, Holly and I talk about: Strength training for ultra runners to prevent...
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How 50mi World Record Holder Charlie Lawrence Treats Serious Injuries, Fuels his Ultras, and More
The Strength Running Podcast
The running world gets to watch in awe as elites set new records and perform incredible feats. But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns for these athletes. World record holders face injuries and challenges, too. Charlie Lawrence set the record in the 50-mile distance in 2023, clocking in at 4:48:21. That’s an unbelievable average of 5:46 per mile. Charlie also ran his marathon personal record of 2:16 while qualifying for the US Olympic Trials Marathon for the second time. In this episode, Charlie and I talk about: The glute injury and hip labral tear that led Charlie to pull out of the 2024...
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How to Stay Healthy By Strengthening Your Midstance, with Coach Chris Johnson, DPT
The Strength Running Podcast
The midstance phase of a running stride is a crucial element of running form, but many runners are ignoring it. If you have weaknesses, imbalances, or poor movement patterns, this is the part of the gait cycle that will show it. Chris Johnson, DPT is a Seattle-based physical therapist, performance coach, entrepreneur, and multiple time Kona IRONMAN qualifier who shares how midstance affects your running performance and how you can improve it. In this episode, Chris and I talk about: Midstance importance in running mechanics and injury prevention The impact midstance has on muscles and...
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Running Form Tests, Technique Cues, and Footstrike Patterns with Physical Therapist Matthew Silver
The Strength Running Podcast
If you're starting to wonder whether your running form is helping or hurting your performance, we’re sharing two important tests that can help you better conceptualize how your body moves through space. Dr. Matthew Silver is a doctor of physical therapy, coach, cross country athlete, founder of Alpha Project Phyzio and Performance in Maryland, and author of the book "Built to Run." We spend a lot of time on foot strike, the problems associated with over-striding, and the many solutions for resolving this form error. In this episode, Matthew and I talk about: Testing running form through the...
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Recovery’s Big 5 Strategies with Dr. Peter Tierney
The Strength Running Podcast
What makes the biggest impact when it comes to recovery strategies and tools for runners? Dr. Peter Tierney is a health and performance researcher, consultant, and coach who’s worked with many professional sports organizations to help athletes recover effectively from exercise. Peter’s “Big 5” recovery strategies are science-backed and possible for runners to add to their training and lifestyle. In this episode, Peter and I talk about: Recovery as part of a lifestyle, not just a post-exercise tool. The Big 5 recovery strategies for runners and endurance athletes, and how to use...
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Believe in the Run Founder Thomas Neuberger on the Evolution of Running Shoes, New Shoe Trends, and Fad Features
The Strength Running Podcast
Thomas Neuberger has probably worn more pairs of shoes than anybody else over the last 15 years (with maybe the exception of Runner’s World Director of Product Testing and Runner-in-Chief, Jeff Dengate). Thomas’ deep experience in the running shoe industry gives him an unparalleled perspective on the evolution of shoes, why some features are no longer available, and the future of running shoes. In this episode, Thomas and I talk about: The 2009 origin story of Believe in the Run, a top shoe review company in the United States What it's like to test around 100 pairs of running shoes a...
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Andy Wacker: Exploring Longevity, Seasonal Training, and Supporting Trail Runners
The Strength Running Podcast
Trail running doesn't always mean running an ultramarathon. From trail 5ks to marathons, there's a growing interest in middle distance trail events. Andy Wacker is making this space a more vibrant and welcoming community for runners. Andy Wacker is a professional runner who excels on the track, road, and trail. He is the 2019 world Mountain Running Champ, 2016 US Trail Half Marathon Champ, 2015 US Trail 50k Champion, and a two-time NCAA XC All-American. Andy seeks longevity in the sport and embraces a seasonal training approach to keep him running strong across different distances and...
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Boston Marathon Preview 2024 with 18x Finisher & Author Marc Pollina
The Strength Running Podcast
The Boston Marathon is quickly approaching! Whether you’re racing Boston this spring or have it in your sights as a long term goal, this episode will help you learn all the ins and outs of this iconic event. Today’s guest on the podcast will be headed to Boston for the 19th time! Marc Pollina has run 26 marathons and has been a fixture at Boston as both a charity runner and a sub-3 hour qualifier. Marc’s new book, , offers an incredibly thorough look at the Boston Marathon, whether you’re trying to qualify for the first time or want to be better prepared to navigate race logistics. His...
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Unfiltered with Jon Levitt: Injuries, Business Updates, New Sauna Science, and More
The Strength Running Podcast
This week I decided to take you along on my conversation with my friend and fellow podcaster, Jon Levitt. Jon is a sub-3 marathoner and a Senior Sales Executive at . He also hosts the popular podcast, , where I was a guest on . We usually have long meandering conversations on trail runs throughout Boulder, but this time we recorded it. While we start by discussing our current running troubles (and our efforts towards solving them), we ultimately focus a lot of our conversation on the professionalization of the running industry. As the sport continues to grow, all players in the industry...
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Is Everything We Know About Pain Wrong? Ryan Whited on a Better Way to Treat Pain
The Strength Running Podcast
Ryan Whited is an elite climber, personal trainer and strength & conditioning coach who owns Paragon Athletics in Flagstaff, Arizona. Together with author and coach Matt Fitzgerald he has written . His approach to pain is a novel one and requires you to think about it in a much different way than most of us currently do. Learning to use “training as treatment” and recognize the positive aspects of pain are just a few of the concepts we discuss today. Before pain starts, ! We also cover: Why pain can be a tool that is used to your advantage Understanding pain as a...
info_outlineRecovering from injuries is challenging when they keep you away from running for days or weeks. But injuries that linger for years require a special type of perspective and perseverance.
This week’s podcast guest received the kind of news you hope never to receive from a doctor - that you might never run again.
Connor Meakin had been an elite athlete long before he took up ultrarunning. He was a member of the Canadian Men’s National Field Hockey Team for four years before completing a road marathon. He quickly discovered his love for the mountains and trails and seemed to have found his calling, winning multiple races in 2014.
What began as a bad ankle sprain in 2014 quickly devolved into a much more serious injury. Connor tried to continue running and racing but the injury worsened and created new issues with his foot.
Soon, a radiologist told Connor he had one of the worst injuries he had ever seen. The doctor recommended he take up cycling and told him that he might never run again, especially in any sort of competitive fashion.
In the face of this grim news, most athletes would give up hope. But 5 years later, he's back to winning races!
Connor discusses a number of the strategies that did contribute to his recovery, including
- Facing the reality of the severity of his injury
- Finally resting
- Cross-training
- Gait retraining
- Digging into scientific research on rehabilitating injuries
- Physical therapy
Whether you’re struggling physically or mentally with an injury, or just trying to avoid them altogether, you’ll find something in Connor’s journey that you can relate to.
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Connect with Connor on Linked In
- Visit Connor’s business online
- Follow Connor on Instagram and on Facebook
- Prevent injuries that keep you sidelined from running
- Discover strategies for recovery and injury prevention from 9 elite athletes
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