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Dr. Marie Whitt / Strength Coach and Physical Therapist for Runners

Hey runner, I'm Marie, @drwhittfit. Never feel like all your hard work was all for nothing ever again. I coach strength training for runners, helping YOU identify your weaknesses and fix them with strength exercises designed for runners to help you build the exact strength you need to run your best, strongest, fastest, most injury-resilient race yet. Subscribe and come join the Running Fit Fam!

Featured Post

Running more miles? Your core might be the weak link

NOPE. Not telling you to do more planks. Although, I'll be honest. I'm the weirdo who thinks a plank challenge is fun. But I guess that's why I'm a physical therapist. But I totally get it when runners come to me and beg for "NO MORE planks!" Because that's (sort of?) all the internet tells you to do. They're basic. Not bad for you. No equipment. And, like I said, I like the endurance challenge version. But I 100% agree, they're not the entire picture. You DO need more, especially if you're...

This is why "just do squats" really grinds my gears. Let me back this up a minute. If you've ever struggled with achey knees on the back half of your long, or cringed with every other step running down hill... then you know how annoying, but also how stabby and painful runner's knee can be. Even just running on different terrain like trails or a grassy meadow can leave you questioning your life choices for a week after. (ask me how I know from experience...) That's why whenever I see other...

Plantar fascia pain can be a butt. Especially if it's something that's been lingering for 3, 6...maybe even 12 months! And really, this applies to any running injury. But pain, especially foot pain, can become a major STOP sign for us runners. Do not pass go; do not collect $200. And it's understandable. The next morning after a speed workout or a couple hills and your feet are screaming at you again. Right after you felt you got to a good place. Your confidence can take a major hit. Not to...

If you’ve been hanging out with me on Instagram this week, you know I’m in Salt Lake City for our annual ski week ...which, yes, absolutely still relates to running. This is also my annual "get my butt handed to me by the mountain" week. Usually, I'm cool with this. Skiing is excellent cross training; a different, fun sport that gets me out of my comfort zone. So in preparation for this, I will literally train the entire year to not only become a better, stronger, (faster?) runner, but also...

Can I tell you a really dumb mistake I made that resulted in spicy-running feet? The worse part, I keep doing it. Almost every summer. We have home that was built in 2020. And it's relatively close to the house next to us. Between the two houses is this itty-bitty strip of grass that's on an audacious, DRAMATIC incline. So, not wanting to walk on the neighbors property, I end up walking practically perpendicular to the earth. And I wear the worse chunky, but comfy, slides known to man. And...

If this is you... You're not crazy It's entirely preventable. Yep. You read that correctly. You are NOT doomed to chronic Achilles flares every marathon training cycle regardless of how slowly you build up your mileage. You're also NOT sentenced to repeat next-morning soreness and stab-y-ness after speed or hills. BUT... the answer IS NOT "just do more calf raises". And look I get it. It can be really confusing. Because "But marie, you said don't do more calf raises. But your exercises are...

If your achilles and ankles could be made injury-proof by the sheer volume of calf raises you're doing... Then you'd have ankles of steel. But instead, I always find months of January - March to be repeat Achilles offenders. Mostly because we're ramping up and sprinkling back in speed, hills,...general intensity. But it comes with a cost. I've taken MULTIPLE different physical therapy ankle/achilles courses within the last year because I'm always amazed how much of the detailed nuance the...

This may be a crime... but I think I love New Year's even more than Christmas. Christmas is nostalgic and cozy, like your favorite running route that hits the right spot after a long work day. But New Year's is charged with a different kind of energy and potential, like a new, challenging, but stunning route you discover is only 5 minutes from your house. It just hits differently. So tell me, what are your 2026 running goals? What's on your calendar already and what do you have your eye on?...

I know we love the finish line photo. Medal Monday. Putting our race bib somewhere on display. And we should 1000% celebrate those moments, culminating all of our hard work. But winter running... running in the dark. alone. in the cold. makes our runs feel even more "solo". And harder. That's why on Christmas, I wanted to say, I see all your quiet wins of this year. And I'm so freaking proud of you. All the early mornings OR the after-work miles. The strength sessions when motivation wasn't...

I dont know if you’re seeing this all over your socials feed… But the running form police seem to be OUT IN FORCE. And I can’t avoid it. But most importantly, I can’t ignore it. It’s that BAD and WRONG. So yes, we’re dipping our toes into running form (again) but it’s because I’ve been hearing so much…RELIEF…from you all. I’ve seen recent comments on my Instagram videos thanking me for debunking the “perfect running form hype” ...because it would literally leave some runners SCARED to run. So...