This episode is an interview with professional runner, Ella Donaghu. Ella grew up in Portland where she was introduced to running through a family of runners. She played soccer as well but ultimately chose to focus on running and ended up becoming a 6x state champion and NXN runner up. She went on to run at Stanford, and struggled initially with her transition after dealing with a stubborn injury, under fueling, and her mental health. After focusing on getting herself to a better place mentally and physically, she was finally able to break her high school PR's and went on to become a 7x All-American. She signed a pro contract with Nike right out of college, and has since become a sub 15 minute 5k runner and 2x US Olympic Trials qualifier.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it was like growing up in Portland surrounded by track, and how she ultimately chose to pursue running
• Her struggles with body image and fueling as she transitioned into her freshman year of college
• How mental health played a role in her struggles with fueling and why seeking help was instrumental to getting back on track
• Her journey from not running a PR since high school to finally having a break through her junior year of college, and what shifts in mindset and fueling allowed her to get back on track and have an incredible collegiate career
• What it was like signing a pro contract with Nike right out of college and why she initially found that transition challenging
• Why it’s important to her to have things outside of running and how that has helped take the pressure off of her pro career
• How fueling during workouts has helped reinforce the idea that food is fuel and essential to performance

While Maddie is on maternity leave, Alexa Gusman, the newest dietitian at Fueling Forward, is taking over to answer your questions! This episode is a Q&A episode where Alexa answers questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Questions for today’s episode include:

• I’m a high school track athlete, and I’ve found myself struggling with disordered eating. I know I need to fuel my body to support harder training, but anxiety around food, body checking, and nausea/throwing up during workouts have made it really difficult to eat consistently. What advice do you have for getting out of this cycle?
• When trying to establish my typical energy and carbohydrate intake, should I include the calories and carbohydrates from alcohol?
• I’m marathon training and know I need plenty of carbohydrates, but I often feel sleepy after heavier carb-based lunches like pasta and then struggle with my energy in the afternoon. What should a balanced lunch look like to support training while also helping me maintain steady energy throughout the workday?
• Are some protein powders or brands better than others for runners, and what should we look for when choosing one? Is there any meaningful recovery benefit to making your own shake versus chocolate milk or a protein smoothie?
• To Alexa: When in your professional career did you realize it was time to move on from running? And did you always recognize that you might struggle with your relationship with food, or did that become more apparent once you were in school to become a dietitian?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is an interview with 2:31 marathoner and 3x Olympic Trials qualifier, Sarah Reiter. Sarah shares her journey from discovering running in high school and becoming a 2A xc state champion in her home state of Washington, to running at the D1 level. She transferred from Montana State after her freshman year to a smaller D1 school, Eastern Washington, where she ran for 4 years. After college, she took a long break from running, then rediscovered her love for the sport when she decided to train for a marathon. Over the course a year, she shaved over 10 minutes off of her marathon PR and qualified for her first Olympic Trials in 2020. She has continued to train and compete in the marathon taking another 10 minutes off of her PR, and is currently a member of Tracksmith's Stamata team. Sarah also works full time as an account manager at a software company.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How she got into running and specifically marathoning, and what she learned from her first marathon
• How a healthy relationship with food growing up was protective for her as she was exposed to more struggles with and comments around food in college
• Why she ended up transferring after her first year of college to a smaller school, and her thoughts on the importance of finding a good fit
• How stepping away from running for a bit after college allowed her to find her way back to the sport and take it to the next level
• Why it’s important to her to be flexible with her training and to prioritize life experiences over executing the perfect training plan
• How she has continued to tweak her training, including lowering her mileage, to allow herself to continue to grow in the sport
• Her tips for balancing high level running with working full time, including navigating things like sleep and fueling
• What she has learned about the importance of fueling during training runs and during the marathon itself
• Her advice for longevity in sport as someone who has qualified for 3 Olympic Trials over the course of 12 years
• What it has been like being a member of Tracksmith’s Stamata team and the extra support and community it provides

If you would like to keep up with Sarah, you can find her on Instagram @sarahlreiter

I'm back from maternity leave! This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Questions for today’s episode include:

• I recently increased my mileage and noticed I lost weight. Does this mean I'm under fueling or is this a result of training?
• Can taking my iron supplement in the evening be impacted by having a snack before bed like ice cream, yogurt or milk?
• Is it possible to work on improving body composition while going through period recovery?
• I’m 5 months postpartum and have an aversion to meat. Can I still hit my nutrition needs for training for a half marathon while breastfeeding, and do you have any suggestions on how to do that?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is an interview with professional runner for Nike, Lauren Gregory. Lauren is a Colorado native, where she fell in love with running while out on the trails with her high school xc team. She immediately excelled and after becoming a 7x Colorado state champion and NXN runner up, Lauren committed to the University of Arkansas to pursue D1 collegiate running. Struggles with fueling led to a frustrating injury cycle and she nearly medically retired, but after finding her way back to a healthier version of herself, Lauren had a very successful collegiate career as a 7 time All-American and signed a professional contract with Nike right out of college.

Lauren is now an accomplished track, road and trail athlete having won a US title in the vertical mountain running championships and the 10k trail championships, and making it to the final in the 5k at the 2024 US Olympic Trials. Lauren is also fresh off of her historic win at OCC UTMB as the first American woman to win the title.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How growing up near so many trails allowed her to discover her love for running and what her progression to being one of the best runners in the state looked like
• How trying to eat “clean” and “healthy” in high school led to unintentional under fueling that resulted in two big stress fractures, and her advice for high schoolers struggling with injuries
• Why she doesn’t use a ton of metrics to track her performance and fitness
• How cutting corners with fueling in college led to an injury cycle that nearly caused her to quit running, but instead focused on correcting her fueling and was able to have a successful collegiate career
• Why changing her environment during her transition from college to pro opened her eyes to the importance of fueling, and what she has implemented since
• How the trail running world has changed her view on fueling, and why she thinks fueling is what won her the OCC title
• What trail races are like and why it’s a great options for runners who are feeling burnt out or need something new
• Her breakdown of her win at OCC and how it ended up coming down to a kick in the last 800m
• Why her motto for her training block and race was “don’t wait until you’re hungry”

While Maddie is on maternity leave, Alexa Gusman, the newest dietitian at Fueling Forward, is taking over to answer your questions! This episode is a Q&A episode where Alexa answers questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Questions for today’s episode include:

• I have some abnormal iron and liver panel labs and am cross-training as I recover from an injury. How can I improve my labs to help improve my performance?
• As a healthcare worker, it's not always realistic to fuel every 2-4 hours. How can I navigate fueling when my schedule makes it difficult to do so?
• I'm a college athlete transitioning from living on campus to living on my own and starting to cook for myself. I have roommates who tend to eat a lot less than I do. How can I maintain adequate fueling while avoiding these restrictive thoughts and balancing cooking for myself?
• How can athletes with a history of an eating disorder or disordered eating manage anxiety and difficult thoughts that come back up around food?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is an interview with physical therapist, Lyndsay Centrowitz. Lyndsay is from Colorado, where she grew up running cross country and track. Her experience with injuries inspired her to pursue a career in physical therapy, and she received her doctorate in physical therapy then went on to practice in a prestigious clinic in Portland that specialized in treating runners. Lyndsay quickly realized there was a gap in women's pelvic health, especially within the context of female athletes, so she became certified as a pelvic floor health specialist. She started her own practice, StrongHER, to help fill that gap in women's health care. She currently lives in Chicago with her two kids and Olympic gold medalist husband, Matt Centrowitz.

We talk about:

• How running injuries in high school led her to working with a physical therapist, which inspired her to pursue a career in the field
• Why she chose sports PT over pediatrics, and how she ended up in one of the most prestigious PT clinics for runners in Portland
• What it was like expanding her practice to include pelvic health, and how that led to her starting her own practice, StrongHER
• How she determined pelvic floor health was a major gap in the PT field, and what the process was like for her to get certified to fill that gap
• Common pelvic floor symptoms in runners that are not normal and might indicate a need to see a pelvic floor specialist
• What a pelvic floor PT does and what an appointment with one might look like
• The role she has seen nutrition play when it comes to physical therapy, especially injury rehab and recovery

If you are interested in working with Lyndsay, you can learn more about her services on her website HERE.

I'm back from maternity leave! This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Questions for today’s episode include:

• I have always struggled with needing to go to the bathroom on runs. I have tried eliminating certain foods and even the FODMAP diet which I found to be restrictive. Do you have any reccomendations?
• I’m transitioning from high school to college training and I seem to be always hungry. We also don't practice until 5pm which has made fueling hard. Do you have any tips for managing hunger and fueling for later runs?
• I was diagnosed with osteopenia 2 years ago and even after going through eating disorder recovery and period restoration my follow up scan showed no improvements. Do you have any nutrition tips for building bone?
• I’m going to be walking on to my university's xc team this fall. Do you have any tips on how to navigate this transition to varsity running?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.