This episode is an interview with Kara Goucher. Kara lives in Boulder where she is a wife and mom, and a Track and Field analyst for NBC Sports. Kara grew up in Minnesota, finding the sport of running through her grandpa, then went on to run for the University of Colorado where she was a 3x NCAA champion. After college, Kara went on to run professionally for Nike Oregon Project, and was a 5x member of Team USA including a 2x Olympian and World Silver Medalist. While at NOP, she suffered years of abuse at the hands of coach Alberto Salazar and went on to co-author the book, The Longest Race, about her experience. She gave birth to her son, and competed at the Boston Marathon just 4.5 months after he was born due to pressure from her sponsor. Kara ultimately left Nike and continued to run professionally for Oiselle, finishing a heartbreaking 4th at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. Kara was recently diagnosed with repetitive exercise dystonia, and has gone back to her roots of running for the love of the sport.

Kara shares her inspiring story, and topics we discuss include:

• How her relationship with food that formed from an early age growing up in the midwest helped her throughout her running career
• Her period of under fueling due to the misconception that lighter would be faster, and the impact that had on her body long term
• How finding cooking during an injury and time away from sport helped her improve her relationship with food and find purpose outside of running
• Kara's experience in a toxic team environment with coach Alberto Salazar, including her experience with body shaming and controlled food intake
• What is was like being forced back into running 1 week after giving birth and the pressure she experienced from her sponsor to come back on an unrealistic timeline that was ultimately detrimental to her health
• What it's like raising a son who also loves to run, and how she's allowing him to make the decisions
• Navigating a neurological condition that impacts running, and what running means to her now

A special thank you to Hettas for sponsoring today's episode! You can learn more about the shoe designed specifically for women on their website HERE.

This week's episode is a Q&A with me, your host, Maddie Alm. I start the episode by giving a quick update on how I'm preparing to train for NYCM (spoiler alert, it's not much). Then, I'm answering questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Today's questions I answer include:

• As a busy student athlete, I know some days I'm not getting enough in because of my busy schedule. Should I be worried about within day deficits, and what can I do about it? Also, do I need to be buying organic produce on the budget of a student athlete?
• What are your thoughts on using pure maple syrup during training or racing as a source of fuel?
• I'm training for a marathon and I noticed I gained about 5lb, is this normal or does this mean that I'm over fueling?
• Is there any research behind creatine use for endurance athletes, and is it something I should incorporate or is it just another social media fad?

Thank you to everyone who has submitted questions! If you have a question that you'd like to submit for future Q&A episodes, you can do so on my website at www.fuelingforward.com under the podcast tab or email me at [email protected].

If you're interested in either group coaching program mentioned in today's episode, you can learn more about those on my website HERE.

This episode is an interview with professional runner representing Puma and mom of 4, Sara Vaughn. Sara was born and raise in a small town in Nebraska, and after finding running in high school she went on to become an All-American for CU. While at CU, she unexpectedly became pregnant her junior year and had her first daughter, Kiki, as a collegiate athlete. Sara went on to compete in everything from the 800 to the marathon, representing Team USA at 2 world championships in the 1500. In 2021, Sara transitioned to the marathon and won her debut at CIM in 2:26:53, one of the fastest debuts by an American. She has placed top 10 at both Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon, finishing as the top American woman at NYCM in 2024.

Sara shares her inspiring journey balancing life as a mom, professional runner, and real estate agent. We talk about:

• How Sara formed a healthy relationship around food and body image growing up in the midwest, and how that carried over into college and beyond
• What is was like navigating unexpected pregnancy as a collegiate athlete, and how she and her husband used that experience to help others by creating the Vaughn Childcare Fund
• How she has navigated running and fueling through pregnancy and postpartum, including words of wisdom for other moms
• What her transition to the marathon was like and how her fueling approach has shifted
• How she creates a healthy environment around food for her kids and a safe space for them to explore all foods without guilt or shame

If you want to donate to the Vaughn Childcare Fund you can do so on their website. You can keep up with Sara and her family on Instagram at @smevaughn.

Today's episode is a Q&A with me, Maddie Alm, registered dietitian and former professional runner. I'm starting off today's episode with an exciting announcement, then I'm answering questions that have been submitted to me by listeners.

Questions answered in this episode include:

1. What are your thoughts on incomplete vs. complete proteins and leucine content of plant based proteins?
2. As a plant-based, high mileage runner I'm worried this could be affecting my training or increasing my risk of injury, do you have any advice or suggestions?
3. I am newer to running and run slower paces, so I struggle with accepting the fact that I need to eat more, especially when it comes to carbs, because I don't consider myself a real runner. Do you have any advice or guidance on how to make sure I'm still getting enough for overall energy?
4. I'm currently in my first trimester of pregnancy and was wondering how nutritional needs change as the pregnancy progresses and are there any special considerations for active women?
5. My husband and I area trying to conceive, and I've heard you're supposed to limit refined carbs to prevent gestational diabetes. Is this true and how would I go about doing that?

If you would like to submit a question for the next Q&A episode, you can do so on my website at www.fuelingforward.com under the podcast tab or you can email me at [email protected]

If you are interested in donating to TrackGirlz for the New York City Marathon, you can donate HERE. Thank you so much!

This week's episode is the first of my May series, Mother Runners, where runners who are also moms share their experiences navigating this time in their life. Today's guest is Reilly Beatty, a registered dietitian, owner of Reilly Beatty Sports Nutrition, and new mom to her first daughter who was born just over a year ago. Reilly played D1 soccer at NC State, and found her way to running after college. She has recently gotten into longer distances like the half marathon, and will be racing the 2025 New York City Marathon this fall!

In today's episode, we talk about:

• How sports can create a toxic culture around health and body image, making athletes feel like they need to look a certain way to be successful
• Reilly's experience struggling with food and body image as it related to sport, leading her to lose her period and experience a major injury her senior season
• How Reilly was able to get her period back and find a healthy relationship with running
• What her journey has looked like postpartum and how she has learned to appreciate her body

If you want to keep up with Reilly, you can find her on Instagram at @easy.sports.nutrition or head to her website (https://reillybeatty.com/) to learn more about RBSN and their period recovery program!

Today's episode is a Q&A with me, your host, Maddie Alm, registered dietitian and former professional runner. I start of the episode with some brief thoughts on Monday's Boston Marathon, then I'm answering questions submitted by listeners. Today's questions include:

• I went through a period of time where I was under fueling, and have worked on healing my relationship with food and eating more. However since I've made these changes, I've dealt with 2 bone injuries. Is this due to my history of under-fueling? And if so, how long will this last and what can I do to help my body recover faster?
• Is all chocolate milk created equal for post-run recovery? What is the different between adding chocolate syrup to whole or 2% milk vs. store bought chocolate milk vs. something like Fairlife chocolate milk?
• As an 18 year old high school track athlete who likes to life weights, I understand that I need to fuel my body in order to train and live life but I’m struggling mentally with how much food I need to eat because I’m scared how it will change my body composition. What do you recommend?
• If I am averaging 20-30 miles a week how much carbs should I aim to get?

If you would like to submit a question for the next Q&A episode, you can do so on my website at www.fuelingforward.com under the podcast tab or you can email me at [email protected]

This week's episode is an interview with Bailey Ness. Bailey is a Minnesota native and alumni of the University of Minnesota Track/XC team. She moved to Colorado for grad school, finishing up her eligibility at CSU before moving to Denver and starting 2 different businesses. Bailey is the founder of Nessecity, a social media marketing agency, and the co-founder of Cooldown Running, the largest run club in the US with an apparel line and run clubs in 12 different US cities. Bailey has also finished 5 marathons and has a PR of 2:46, and will be running the Marathon Boston this coming Monday 4/21!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Growing up as a picky eater and how her family fostered a healthy relationship with food and created a safe space to try new things on her own terms
• Transitioning to collegiate athletics and working with a dietitian who helped her learn how to add color to her plate and fuel for health and performance
• What running means to her and how it has shaped her career path
• Inspiring stories from Cooldown members who have found a love for the sport within the all-inclusive run club
• Bailey's experience transitioning to marathoning and learning how important it is to fuel during her runs and races
• Inspiring advice for any busy runners trying to balance work, training, and social life

Today's episode is brought to you by SVRY Nutrition! Head to svrynutrition.com to grab a sample pack of their real food, savory protein bars today. Use code fuelingforward and the first bar in your order is on the house!

Today's episode is a Q&A with me, your host, Maddie Alm, registered dietitian and former professional runner. I answer questions that have been submitted to me by listeners, and today's questions include:

1. I was told my cholesterol levels are high as a young high level runner and my doctor told me to remove several foods, what does this mean and what should I do?
2. How do I fuel when returning from injury and manage the stress I feel about body changes?
3. How long after waking up should I eat breakfast, and is it ok to have coffee first on an empty stomach?
4. I'm a healthcare worker and sometimes my schedule doesn't allow for eating every 2-4 hours, do you have any suggestions on how to navigate this?
5. I work long hours and am training for a marathon and struggle to find enough options to bring to work that don't require tons of prep, do you have any ideas?

If you want to submit a question to be answered on air, you can do so at my website, www.fuelingforward.com under the podcast tab, or you can email me at [email protected]

Today's episode is an interview with steeplechase legend, Emma Coburn. Emma grew up in Crested Butte, Colorado where she was an 8x Colorado State champion. She went on to run for the University of Colorado, earning 6x All-American honors and 3x NCAA titles. Emma has been a professional runner for New Balance ever since, and has been one of the greatest US runners of all time. She is a 10x US champion, a 9x member of Team USA including a 3x Olympian. Emma is also a 3x medalist in the 3k steeple, earning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, and a gold medal in the 2017 World Championships in London. Emma is coached by her husband, Joe Bosshard, and together they founded the pro group based in Boulder, Team Boss, which has been home to many Olympians and high level runners.

In today's episode we talk about:

• How Emma started out as a multi-sport athlete, initially hesitant about running, to finding success as a collegiate runner
• Emma's love for cooking instilled in her by her mom, which ultimately led her to publish her first cookbook, A Runner's Kitchen
• Her positive relationship with food, and how she finds a place for all foods she loves in her diet regardless of where she in her season
• Emma's experience with race day nerves and how she's learned to overcome them on some of the biggest world stages
• Advice for fueling in the off season and fueling while injured
• What it's like to eat at the Olympic Village

You can find Emma's cookbook HERE on Amazon and you can follow Emma's journey on Instagram.

Today's episode is a Q&A with me, your host Maddie Alm, registered dietitian and former professional runner.

I answer 5 great questions submitted by listeners, including:

1. What are some nutrition considerations for the aging athletes?
2. Should I be getting regular blood work, and should I be looking for different numbers as an athlete?
3. What should I do from a fueling standpoint if I'm struggling with irregular cycles due to PCOS?
4. Do fruits and veggies count as carbs for athletes?
5. I recently ran a half marathon and it seemed like I was the only one with fuel, was I doing something wrong or were the other runners around me missing out on an opportunity?

If you're interested in subscribing to either of the newsletters I mentioned in today's podcast head HERE to check those out.

If you would like to submit a question, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at [email protected]