Coach Bennett's Podcast

Episode 157. Goal Setting On The Run With Joan Benoit Samuelson
Today’s a big day: Coach Bennett’s new book, This Is About Running, This Is Not About Running, is officially out in the world. One of the chapters is dedicated to Joan Benoit Samuelson, so celebrating publication day with Joanie on the mic felt like the only way to do it.
Every runner knows the feeling of setting a goal that makes your stomach flip a little. For Joanie, that feeling has never really gone away—not after winning the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon gold medal in 1984, not after 150,000 career miles, and not today. But if you ask her, the numbers aren't the point. The point is the story that happens along the way.
That’s what this conversation is really about. It’s about choosing storytelling over rigid goal-setting, learning to embrace the moments that scare you, and understanding why a runner's journey is rarely a straight line. Joanie opens up about the chaotic weeks leading up to the 1984 Olympic Trials—undergoing knee surgery just days before, trusting her gut on a risky 17-mile test run, and finding the quiet conviction to step up to the starting line anyway.
We get into the critical difference between a workout that feels hard and one where you feel completely flat, why cross-training and balance keep you in the game for decades, and how the sport of running creates a two-way road where every single person has an inspiring story to share. Plus, stick around at the end of the episode for a voicemail from a listener in Seattle on navigating post-marathon burnout and finding your spark again.
CHECK OUT JOANIE
@joanbenoitsamuelson
Send us a message
My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!
USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence. 
FREE POSTER CAMPAIGN for US residential pre-orders 
GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES
If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence. 
__________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to send any and all questions and comments for Coach Bennett to the mailbag:
Coach Bennett’s Podcast 
57 South Main Street #215, Neptune, NJ 07753
Be sure to check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store for t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, pint glasses and more! - https://twocoachbennetts.com/merch...

Episode 156: LIVE From Nike: Finding the Joy in Running With Brett Chody, Deepa Ramprasad and Kaytlin Lam
Recorded live in front of an audience at Philip H. Knight Campus) Coach Chris Bennett and producer Emily Abbate celebrate the After Dark Tour and the power of women’s running communities. Joined by Deepa Ramprasad (Senior Director, Nike Road Running Footwear), Brett Chody (Global Nike Running Creator & Founder of Bites Run Club), and Kaytlin Lam (Global Brand Management Specialist, Nike Running), the squad explores how running builds relationships, breaks down intimidation barriers, and creates spaces where every runner belongs.
HIGHLIGHTS
Running as a Relationship: Coach Bennett highlights how running mirrors an evolving personal relationship—from awkward first steps to finding lifelong joy and routine.
Overcoming Self-Doubt & Building Community: Brett Chody discusses why starting lines can feel intimidating and how inclusive run clubs give new runners the community and confidence to keep showing up.
The Energy of the After Dark Tour: Caitlyn Lam shares her journey from dancer to half-marathoner, reflecting on the electric, supportive atmosphere of her first After Dark race.
Footwear Insights & "Benefits Don’t Discriminate": Deepa Ramprasad breaks down Nike’s core road-running lineup (Pegasus, Vomero, Structure) and emphasizes that premium cushioning and support belong to every runner, regardless of pace or experience level.
CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
@emilyabbate
@brettsbites
@the.lamgram
Send us a message
My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!
USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence. 
FREE POSTER CAMPAIGN for US residential pre-orders 
GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES
If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence. 
__________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to send any and all questions and comments for Coach Bennett to the mailbag:
Coach Bennett’s Podcast 
57 South Main Street #215, Neptune, NJ 07753
Be sure to check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store for t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, pint glasses and more! - https://twocoachbennetts.com/merch...

Episode 155: Own Your Pace With Intisar Abdul-Kader
Every runner has a moment when someone else sees something in them before they see it in themselves. For Intisar Abdul-Kader, that moment came in a school gym, when a PE teacher who also happened to be her science teacher told her the team needed another runner for the mixed 4x400 relay. She trusted him, she ran, and she never looked back.
This episode covers a lot of ground including track in Abu Dhabi and cross country in the woods outside London after her family moved when she was 13. A multiple sclerosis diagnosis three days after her 23rd birthday, and the walk, then the jog, then the 5K, then the marathon that followed. She's now completed all six World Majors, run largely on the strength of ballot entries she didn't even realize were building toward that goal until a stranger told her so in a Chicago hotel lobby.
We talk about what it means to run as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman on the world stage, why doing less is so often the harder and more important choice, and how she measures a good run by nothing more complicated than whether she'd go back and do it again (her answer, every time, is yes).
CHECK OUT INTISAR
@intysar
My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!
USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence. 
USA readers can pre-order an autographed copy of my book here
GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES
If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence. 
Send us a message
My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!
USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence. 
FREE POSTER CAMPAIGN for US residential pre-orders 
GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES
If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence. 
__________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to send any and all questions and comments for Coach Bennett to the mailbag:
Coach Bennett’s Podcast 
57 South Main Street #215, Neptune, NJ 07753
Be sure to check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store for t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, pint glasses and more! - https://twocoachbennetts.com/merch...

Your Running Glossary With Coach Lydia O’Donnell
What do "tempo," "fartlek," and "recovery run" actually mean? Coach Bennett is joined by Nike Running Pacific Head Coach Lydia O'Donnell to break down the running terminology that can feel intimidating to new runners and explain why it doesn't have to be.
Coach Lydia shares how her mom and high school coach sparked a lifelong love of running, why community has shaped every step of her coaching career, and how her own experience with RED-S inspired her to co-found FEMMI, a global women's running community focused on education, confidence, and sustainable training. Together, Coach Bennett and Coach Lydia discuss the importance of understanding your body, building confidence through running, and why easy runs are just as valuable as hard workouts.
They also dive into the purpose behind recovery runs, tempo runs, intervals, fartleks, and long runs, plus Coach Lydia shares the workout she dreads most and the one pair of shoes she never travels without.
CHECK OUT COACH LYDIA
@lydiaodo
@femmi
Cheers and thank you for listening to the episode,
Coach Bennett
Send us a message
My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!
USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence. 
FREE POSTER CAMPAIGN for US residential pre-orders 
GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES
If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence. 
__________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to send any and all questions and comments for Coach Bennett to the mailbag:
Coach Bennett’s Podcast 
57 South Main Street #215, Neptune, NJ 07753
Be sure to check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store for t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, pint glasses and more! - https://twocoachbennetts.com/merch...

Episode 153. Telling the Story of a Run Using 80's Song Titles
What can I say? I love 80's music. I love telling stories. And I love running. Seems like the perfect combination to give myself the excuse to mix them all up together for an episode of Coach Bennett's Podcast. This one was a fun one to make and because I love all of you so much I decided to make a companion playlist that you can listen to on your runs or in traffic or while you cook or party or shower or dance. No need to thank me for creating your new favorite music playlist. Just promise me that you'll share this episode with someone you care about and share this sport of ours with them too. 
Cheers and thank you for listening,
Coach Bennett
Listen to the companion music playlist here on Spotify
Get those PRE-ORDERS in for a signed copy of my book in before August 1st here
Send us a message
My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!
USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence. 
FREE POSTER CAMPAIGN for US residential pre-orders 
GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES
If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence. 
__________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to send any and all questions and comments for Coach Bennett to the mailbag:
Coach Bennett’s Podcast 
57 South Main Street #215, Neptune, NJ 07753
Be sure to check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store for t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, pint glasses and more! - https://twocoachbennetts.com/merch...