THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

The boys are back, and nobody came to talk about running.  

Dominic welcomes Scotty, Danny, and Chris from the Life in Stride podcast for their fourth appearance on TRE, and within minutes the conversation has already covered protein powder side effects, dry needling in uncomfortable places, and Dom's near-date with one of the most famous athletes on the planet.

Before things go completely off the rails, Dom shares the story behind his role as a strategic advisor for Attuned—a bioenergetics company whose health scanning technology helped his sister recover from over a decade of chronic illness. 

From there the group runs through their list of overhyped running products, with Dom going on record as a full Ketone IQ skeptic, and the guys trading takes on cold plunges, Normatec boots, and Firefly devices.

The rapid-fire segment produces some of the episode's best moments, including a spontaneous revelation about his DM history with Olympic snowboarder and cultural phenomenon Eileen Gu, in addition to a detailed accounting of what Dom would actually cook for you if you showed up hungry at his door tonight. 

The episode closes with a lively argument about whether Dom's brother's daily mileage challenge is more impressive than running a 2:34 marathon, the crew announcing plans for a live podcast marathon, and all four sharing genuine closing words about making the most of your days before the summer slips away.

Tap into the Life in Stride Special.  

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

S H O W  N O T E S  

Attuned 20% off: https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ

LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop 

Instagram: @lifeinstridepodcast 
YouTube: Life In Stride

The NCAA isn't broken: it's been bought, and Coach Chris Miltenberg is one of the last ones willing to say so out loud.

Miltenberg returns to the show fresh off an NCAA Championships in Eugene where the women's 5,000 and men's 10,000 runners were swept nearly clean by international athletes funneled in through university-funded recruiting services. 

He called it what it is: a paradigm shift, driven by two forces—an age gap that routinely pits 18-year-old Americans against 26- and 27-year-olds, and a recruiting model that has traded relationship-building for transactional delivery. 

What separates Coach Milt from the noise is that he's not talking about this from the outside—UNC was largely absent from the results in Eugene, too, and he said so plainly. But he's not wringing his hands either. He's choosing to double down: develop elite American talent the long way, backed by institutional alignment and a recruiting pipeline that he and his assistant have quietly rebuilt around the next wave of domestic standouts. 

He also addressed what this moment means for the American high schooler with D1 dreams —the 4:10 miler, who, five years ago would have been a priority recruit and today might not crack a Power Five roster. His advice was blunt: go where you matter. Find the coach who's invested in your development, not your opening time.

Coach Milt also touched on Michaela Page's continued rise, the Penn relay rivalry, Simeon Birnbaum's 1500 in Eugene, and what it feels like every June to watch another senior class walk out the door. 

Tap into the Coach Milt Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

S H O W  N O T E S  

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ

luminarythreads.shop 

Instagram: @chris.miltenberg

Running a 1:57 doesn't happen by accident. And for Hayley Kitching, it almost didn't happen at all.

A year ago, the Penn State senior was in Austin nursing plantar fasciitis while watching the sport move without her. Hayley is here to unpack the full arc: the injury, the comeback, and the NCAA Outdoor final at Hayward Field where she ran the second-fastest 800 meters in collegiate history—and still finished second. 

Hayley and Dominic go deep on what actually drove the jump from 2:20 in high school to 1:57 on the biggest stage. Her answer isn't a secret workout or a revolutionary training block. It's consistency—a Monday steady run and showing up even when the motivation isn't there.

She also opens up about the nutritional wake-up call that changed her freshman year, her three-day-a-week lifting program that includes a leg circuit she calls "leg day on crack," and the afternoon nap that she considers non-negotiable.

The conversation gets equally honest about the mental side: the confidence she's carried since her junior days in Coffs Harbour; how she thinks about the difference between confidence and pride; and why she'd tell her younger self to get off Instagram and stop comparing results. She also reflects on the NCAA Indoor fall in March, what it felt like to sprint the fastest final lap of the day and still not make the final, and why she came out of Eugene happy despite leaving without the win.

Hayley is heading pro. This episode is the perfect send-off.

Tap into the Hayley Kitching Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

S H O W  N O T E S  

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ

luminarythreads.shop

NEW MERCH OUT TODAY 5PM EST: https://luminarythreads.shop

Five NCAA titles. One backwards hat. Zero apologies.

Habtom Samuel is not a guy who talks much—he lets the track do it. The University of New Mexico junior just capped a historic 2025–2026 season by sweeping the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, becoming the most decorated athlete in Lobos history. 

In this episode, Dominic sits down with Habtom the week after the titles to find out what it actually feels like.

The conversation covers the full arc: growing up in Eritrea, the culture shock of arriving in Albuquerque with no family nearby, and the quiet determination that carried him through a sophomore year of four runner-up finishes. 

Habtom opens up about that 2025 NCAA Cross Country final—the one where he lost his shoe midway through the race, kept charging, and still nearly caught Graham Blanks. He talks through the indoor DQ, the decision to work on his kick, and the precise moment in the outdoor 5,000m final where he knew it was time to move on Marco Langan.
There is also real warmth here. 

Habtom talks about what it means to train alongside Josh Kerr, what the Hoka NIL deal has meant for his family back home, and why he refuses to let anything (a lost shoe, a disqualification, a trash-talk headline) pull his focus from what he can control. 

He is not a guy chasing a legacy. He is a guy who shows up, works, and lets the results speak. They have been speaking pretty loudly lately.
Tap into the Habtom Samuel Special. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

S H O W  N O T E S  

MERCH: luminarythreads.shop

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run  

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZL

Instagram: Habtom Samuel (@habtom_samuel_).

🔗 Shop drop one (early-access password: TRE): https://luminarythreads.shop

Dominic goes solo to launch LuminaryThreads — a merch brand three years in the making, built on a simple idea: you pass roughly a thousand people a day, and what you wear is the one way to reach them. 

Every month, one drop. One short statement meant to inspire, challenge, or move whoever reads it. When it's gone, it's gone for good.

Drop one is the motto that started it all: Turn Your What-Ifs Into Realities.

Only 50 shirts exist. Dom breaks down why he waited three years, why he's taking a loss on the first drop, and what "impact over profit" actually means to him.

🔗 Shop drop one (early-access password: TRE): https://luminarythreads.shop

📷 LuminaryThreads on Instagram: @luminarythreadsmerch

The Run Down by The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs
Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run
THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en
Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz
Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZL