The RunRX Podcast

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie dig into a powerful idea for runners and exercisers: your mindset changes the workout itself. Caroline opens with a study involving rats on a treadmill where the same exercise produced very different cortisol responses depending on the environment. In the lab, the rats were stressed; when the treadmill was moved into a field, they felt safer and freer, and cortisol dropped even though the exercise was the same. That sets up the big question of this episode: if the workout is identical, how much does your environment and your attitude affect the result?
Valerie connects that idea to real life in RunRx, where she coaches people in a parking lot, a garage-style space, outdoors, on treadmills, and in all kinds of different settings. Some people love outside workouts and feel energized there. Others prefer inside spaces or a treadmill and feel better when the environment is controlled. The episode explains why “I get to work out” is a better mindset than “I have to work out,” how stress can make a workout worse, and why flexibility matters when weather, rain, travel, or life disrupt your ideal plan.
The conversation also covers how to keep training productive when your normal setup is not available. Valerie recommends adapting instead of forcing the same workout in the same way every time: move inside, do strength, stretching, or drills, or simply reframe the session so you still get something done without turning exercise into another source of stress. The episode closes with a reminder that even short drill sessions can still count, and that your body often responds better when you treat movement as a gift instead of a chore.
▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re
▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong
Website: https://runrx.fit App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: support@runrx.fit

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie delve into one of the biggest summer training challenges for runners: staying hydrated when the heat and humidity intensify. The conversation starts with a real-world Texas problem, where even gardening can leave you feeling overworked, discombobulated, and dealing with gut issues hours later. Valerie explains why it is important to test yourself, because everybody sweats differently and you cannot assume your hydration needs are the same as someone else’s.
This episode breaks down practical ways to figure out what your body actually needs. Valerie walks through a simple weight test, explains how much fluid she personally drinks during a morning of workouts, and talks through why hydration is not just about water alone. The episode also covers the difference between carbohydrates and electrolytes, why salt alone is not enough, how to look for a product that includes magnesium and potassium, and why the best strategy is to pre-hydrate instead of waiting until you feel bad.
Valerie also explains that hydration gets more important as you get older, just like warm-up and recovery do. The episode closes with practical planning tips such as stashing bottles, finding fountains, and using a “hydrate prep” mindset before long runs or hot days outdoors. If you want to ask a question, the team invites listeners to leave it on YouTube, where they will answer it in a deep dive, a shorter video, or on the podcast.
Where to find us
▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re
▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong
Website: https://runrx.fit
App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: support@runrx.fit

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie talk about what makes running and rehab advice actually useful when you are overwhelmed by influencers, conflicting opinions, and constant “do this, do that” content. Valerie shares why she started creating videos back in 2011: after clinics, runners often could not remember the drills and tips she taught, so she began filming the movement work so people could go back and review it later. That simple, repeatable teaching style became part of RunRx, where the focus is on clear cues, practical drills, and helping runners understand the same movement from different angles until it clicks.
The episode also covers how to evaluate online coaching advice without getting lost in the noise. Valerie explains why the longevity of a coach matters, why it is worth asking whether a video actually shows you something useful, and why simple teaching often works better than flashy content. She shares how she used the same injury-prevention ideas from RunRx for her own rehab, why some stretches look impressive but are not realistic for most people, and why the real goal is to help runners hold the running pose with better alignment, mobility, and confidence. The conversation ends with a strong reminder that real coaching is about honesty, clarity, and results, not hype.
Where to find us
▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re
▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong
Website: https://runrx.fit
App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie talk about why the RunRx Zooms feel so different from a traditional running group. Instead of side conversations, pace matching, and getting pulled off focus by group chatter, these Zooms are built around one thing: your running. Valerie explains how small-group coaching creates space for technique work, injury questions, gait analysis, and real-time feedback without the noise that often comes with larger social run groups.
The episode also covers what it means to be coachable, why new runners sometimes feel defensive when their movement is corrected, and how video analysis helped normalize learning from your own form. Valerie shares how the smaller Zoom format lets her spend extra time with new members, answer questions directly, and help runners feel the difference between simply moving and truly running better. You will also hear how military runners, recreational runners, and longtime members all benefit from the same fundamentals: better mechanics, clearer feedback, and a coach who is paying attention to your form instead of your outfit or your pace ego.
Where to find us
▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot — Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re
▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong
Website: https://runrx.fit
App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play

Coach Caroline and Coach Valerie unpack why sugar and carbs are “making a comeback” in endurance running and why the answer is more nuanced than simply eating more. The conversation walks through the evolution from early-90s carb loading, to spaghetti dinners the night before a race, to the rise of gels and goo, and then into keto, paleo, and the newer high-carb trends you see today. They also explain why a lot of runners have copied elite fueling strategies without matching the volume, intensity, or gut training those athletes actually do.
This episode also covers the practical side of fueling: why elite athletes running 100+ miles a week may need a very different approach than recreational runners, why bicarbonate-based products and “gut training” are part of the current conversation, and why race-day fueling should be practiced during training instead of discovered on race morning. Valerie emphasizes that what works for one runner may not work for another, and that the smartest approach is to test, refine, and stay consistent with the strategy that supports your own running and recovery.
Where to find us ▶️ Free 30-Day RunRX Reboot - Skill, Strength & Self-Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N-GZ0AosI&list=PLDPcF8ZrDdILC8bYyn2zR-4xvqKRzp2re
▶️ Join the RunRX Membership https://runrx.fit/join-runrxstrong
Website: https://runrx.fit
App: RunRx Academy — search “RunRx Academy” on Apple App Store or Google Play Support email: support@runrx.fit