This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners. This is also the season finale for the 2025 season of The Fueling Forward Podcast! Thank you so much to everyone who has been listening and submitting questions, I can't wait to come back in January of 2026 with more episodes for you. At the end of this episode, I give some bonus tips on navigating the holidays.

Today's questions include:

• I have been dealing with muscle soreness after doing PT, are there any foods that could help me like anti-inflammatory or high protein foods?
• I have a hard time knowing when I'm full. I think I serve myself enough food then feel hungry 2 hours later, but I'm not sure if I actually am. How do I know when I've eaten enough, and how should I portion my meals?
• Do you have any tips for someone who feels like they look different or bigger than teammates and feels like that's why they are slower?
• I'm a high school xc and track runner and I'm gearing up for my indoor track season. Do you have any tips on fueling for evening races, as most of my races are between 5:30-9pm?

Links mentioned in the podcast:

• Apply for 1:1 coaching
• Sign up for the waitlist for the high school boot camp series
• Sign up for the waitlist for the spring marathon group nutrition coaching program

This episode is an interview with professional runner for ASICS and 2:22 marathoner, Emma Bates. Emma grew up in Minnesota where she discovered a love for distance running that led her to receiving a full ride scholarship to run at Boise State University. While at Boise, Emma was a 12x All-American and a NCAA champion in the 10k. After college, she went on to run professionally for B.A.A., but decided that environment wasn't a good fit for her. She moved off the grid into the wilderness of Idaho, working full time and training alone while living in the mountains without running water. She ultimately decided she missed the team atmosphere and moved to Boulder, CO to join Team Boss and pursue a career on the roads. Emma was the runner up finisher at the 2021 Chicago Marathon, has been a 5x top 10 finisher at a World Major Marathon, and has been a 3x Team USA member including a 7th place finish at the 2022 World Championships in the marathon.

We talk about:

• How growing up in a small town in the midwest allowed her to find running, and how being involved in the sport inspired her whole family to create healthier habits
• What it was like transitioning to college and navigating the dining hall, while also being diagnosed with celiac disease and having to eliminate gluten
• How internal and external pressure got to her as a senior, leading to a disappointing NCAA finish, and what she learned from that experience
• Her transition to running professionally in an environment that encouraged some not so great eating habits, and why she ultimately decided she needed a change
• What is was like moving to a house in the mountains without running water, and how that experience helped her reconnect with herself and with running
• Why she ended up moving to Boulder to join Team Boss and focusing on the roads, and what inspires her to compete

This episode is a Q&A where I answer questions that have been submitted to me by listeners. Today's questions include:

• I had a running coach tell me I shouldn't combine gels and electrolyte drinks with carbs or it will cause GI distress. Is this true, or is there a way to use both without having GI issues?
• I'm 5 months postpartum and have been dealing with night sweats. They may not just be postpartum related, as I've noticed they also occur during the second half of my cycle. Is there anything I can do nutrition wise to help with night sweats?
• I'm a high school swimmer training 7x per week and lifting 2-3 times per week. I'm trying to follow the performance place models but I'm not sure what qualifies as a hard or moderate training day. How should I be using the performance plate models to fuel the training I'm doing?
• I'm a D1 collegiate runner and I think I've been struggling with low iron, but I can't swallow pills. Do you have any advice on how I can support my iron or alternatives to iron pills?

If you would like to submit a question for a future Q&A episode, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.