To be clear, Allison’s story is not about weight loss or chasing thinness, perse, but more so about being a regimented, disciplined athlete who wanted to see what she was capable of as a runner—and who wanted to leverage her nutrition to support that pursuit.  

In addition, Allison was coming into running as a young adult in this time of thriving influencer culture, so this is also a story about negotiating popular narratives around nutrition and athletic performance. Narratives that often fail to clarify who they truly benefit, if anyone, and the fact that what they’re proposing can actually be harmful for some populations, like women endurance athletes. 

And then, there are just the garden variety persistent narratives like thinner is better: it isn’t. And, that menstrual cycle disruptions are normal: they are not. 

Not getting a regular period is a big red flag that something is seriously wrong. And yes, it’s very common with women athletes, but that doesn’t mean it’s normal. That sort of thinking—that losing one’s period is a normal part of being a woman athlete—just emphasizes how much we’ve normalized under-fueling for women athletes. And, we know very well now, and have for a long, long time, that under-fueling has both short-term and long-term consequences. Left unattended, under-fueling can have serious and lasting, sometimes permanent health issues, like poor bone health and fertility issues, including infertility. 

And in the short-term, under-fueling impacts training, recovery, and mood. You’ll hear Allison talk about these issues in her story. As she learned, you cannot fire on all cylinders when you aren’t eating enough, often enough. 

Through her time experiencing and then recovering from reds, Allison learned a lot. But it wasn’t easy; it never is. The whole journey had such an impact on her that she’s now focused her career on coaching and sports nutrition. Her aim is to help provide the comprehensive support she didn’t have during her recovery from reds. She has also come to a place in her running journey that is both, as she says, flexible and sustainable. 

Allison’s story is both cautionary and inspirational. 

Mentioned in this Episode

Allison Yamamoto Instagram: @allisonyamamoto

WRS Substack newsletter: womensrunningstories.substack.com

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Music Credits

Cormac O'Regan, of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Playtoh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coma-Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PaulYudin⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠chillmore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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