Excerpt from
Clinical Running Essentials
How I Think About Training Zones Using Lactate, RPE, and Heart Rate
Runners love talking zones but often lack a clear sense of what’s happening physiologically or why it matters.
In this clip from the Demystifying Programming module, I discuss how I think about training intensity using lactate behavior, RPE, and heart rate, especially when working with distance runners.
This clip is from the Run Programming & Testing module inside Clinical Running Essentials, where I unpack:
📈 The curvilinear nature of RPE
🧪 What’s really going on with lactate in Zones 1, 2, and 3
🧠 Why Zone 1 isn’t “junk mileage,” but rather mentally liberating and metabolically gold
🎧 What I mean by “podcast pace” (and when I use it)
❤️🔥 Why chest straps > wrist sensors for heart rate accuracy
🏃♂️ How I anchor intensities and use autoregulation to simplify programming that gets results
If you work with endurance athletes, especially runners who tend to overdo it, this framework will help you keep things clear, grounded, and practical.
To truly help runners, you need to understand sound training principles. That means knowing how to audit a runner’s program… something that’s often overlooked and a major reason injuries keep returning.
Don’t assume every coach is programming with care. You need to be the second set of eyes. That’s precisely why I made sure to include this module as a cornerstone of the course. Enjoy!
▶️ Watch the excerpt below:
Watch more samples from Clinical Running Essentials:
Want to go deeper?
Clinical Running Essentials is my brand-new, 20-hour, CEU-approved online course designed for clinicians who work with runners — and it’s officially live.
Inside, you’ll gain the tools, structure, and confidence to guide runners from injury back to peak performance, with content covering:
📏 Run-Centric Orthopedic & Clinical Examination
Apply evidence-based assessments tailored to running. As a direct access provider, assess joint integrity, soft tissue health, and functional movement while knowing when to refer or collaborate with other medical and allied health professionals.
🦴 Bone Stress Injuries
Spot red flags early, develop a refined understanding of imaging, and apply risk models to support clinical decision-making, especially for high-risk injury sites.
🔹 Lower Limb Tendinopathies
Confidently assess and treat Achilles, patellar, glute med, and proximal hamstring tendinopathies using education, progressive loading, and sound return-to-run strategies.
💪 Strength & Control Drills
Rebuild capacity with progressive loading and plyometrics emphasizing smooth, fluid movement for running performance.
📈 Return-to-Run Programming
Learn and apply clear, criteria-based progressions and objective benchmarks to return runners to consistent, confident training.
Clinical Running Essentials is the culmination of everything I've studied, practiced, and refined over the years — a course built to equip you with the skills, insight, and clinical reasoning to help any runner who walks through your door.
This is more than CEUs. It's a roadmap to guide runners out of the medical system and back to the sport they love — stronger, smarter, and with a renewed sense of possibility.
I created this for you and the runners counting on you.
LET'S GO!!!
