This is the first ever live recorded episode of The Fueling Forward Podcast! In partnership with Hettas, I had the opportunity to travel to Geneva, OH to be a part of the Women's Decathlon World Championships weekend. I got to talk with the event founder, Lauren Kuntz, who was a D3 All-American in the pole vault while at MIT. After coaching while in grad school at Harvard, Kuntz became frustrated that she wasn't allowed to compete in the 10 event decathlon that included the pole vault because it was reserved for the men. Lauren became an advocate for allowing women into events such as the decathlon and double decathlon, which led her to create the World Championship event. Lauren is working to show that women are just as capable as men at competing in the 10 event decathlon, and belong in all spaces of the sport. You can learn more about the event HERE.

In addition to hearing Lauren's amazing story, you'll hear some track side interviews from some of the athletes competing in the event. Special thanks to the following athletes (in order that they appear):

• Amanda Pasko
• Katie Straus
• Delaney Straus
• Caitlin Fertig
• Rebecca de la Torre
• Kendra Leger
• Kiara Harrod**
• Raphaelle Rolnin**
• Anaik Precision**

** these athletes completed interviews but due to audio issues were not able to be included in the final episode.

Today's episode is a Q&A where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners. The questions I answer in this episode include:

• I'm a college coach and my athletes just started double threshold days. What should fueling and refueling look like around these sessions, and should they be taking in carbs/electrolytes during?
• I'm a high school runner with a big appetite, and I find myself comparing how much I'm eating to friends and family and feeling bad about eating more than them. Do you have any tips on how to deal with food comparison?
• Do you have any advice on how to take gels? I've never eaten anything while running before and I'm not sure where to start.
• I have dealt with chronically low ferritin for years despite supplementation. My ferritin recently increased from 20 to 23 after 3 months, and I was hoping it would increase faster than that. Is this typical? Should I try to get an iron infusion?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted a question! If you would like to submit a question for the next Q&A episode, so you can do so on my website HERE.

This episode is an interview with professional runner for Saucony, Grayson Murphy. Grayson grew up playing soccer, and even went on to play soccer in college. When she decided college soccer wasn't for her, she walked on to her college's track/xc team. Grayson went from having no experience with running and running 1 mile at a time to becoming a 5x D1 All-American at the University of Utah. Grayson signed a professional contract soon after college, and has competed in a wide variety of events. She finished 6th in the steeplechase at the 2021 Olympic Trials, is a 5x US mountain running champ, and 2x World mountain running champ. Grayson is also the owner and founder of Wild Strides Paper Co., which sells training logs and stationary for runners and recently started offering coaching.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it was like to switch sports while in college and walk on to a team to compete in a sport she had never done before
• Her transition from collegiate to professional running, and how Grayson has found to love trail and mountain running
• How the process of learning how to fuel during runs has been a crucial to her success as a trail and mountain runner
• Grayson's struggle with health issues and having to advocate for herself to ultimately get her recent diagnosis of Crohn's Disease
• Why it's important to Grayson to have life outside of running, and how founding her business Wild Strides Paper Co. allows her to have balance

If you're interested in keeping up with Grayson, you can find her on Instagram @racin_grayson or on her blog HERE. Don't forget to check out Wild Strides Paper Co. for some super cute training logs and stationary!

This episode is an interview with professional runner for Saucony, Grayson Murphy. Grayson grew up playing soccer, and even went on to play soccer in college. When she decided college soccer wasn't for her, she walked on to her college's track/xc team. Grayson went from having no experience with running and running 1 mile at a time to becoming a 5x D1 All-American at the University of Utah. Grayson signed a professional contract soon after college, and has competed in a wide variety of events. She finished 6th in the steeplechase at the 2021 Olympic Trials, is a 5x US mountain running champ, and 2x World mountain running champ. Grayson is also the owner and founder of Wild Strides Paper Co., which sells training logs and stationary for runners and recently started offering coaching.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it was like to switch sports while in college and walk on to a team to compete in a sport she had never done before
• Her transition from collegiate to professional running, and how Grayson has found to love trail and mountain running
• How the process of learning how to fuel during runs has been a crucial to her success as a trail and mountain runner
• Grayson's struggle with health issues and having to advocate for herself to ultimately get her recent diagnosis of Crohn's Disease
• Why it's important to Grayson to have life outside of running, and how founding her business Wild Strides Paper Co. allows her to have balance

If you're interested in keeping up with Grayson, you can find her on Instagram @racin_grayson or on her blog HERE. Don't forget to check out Wild Strides Paper Co. for some super cute training logs and stationary!

In today's Q&A episode, we cover some really great questions including:

• Do you have any advice on how to navigate fueling in the off season? I have a fear of gaining weight and losing fitness, and it's making me really anxious.
• I was just diagnosed with a bone stress injury in my femur, and I heard that caffeine can lead to bone loss through blocking absorption of calcium and other minerals. I've upped my intake over the last year, do you think this could have contributed to the bone injury?
• I always find myself bingeing on something at night, even after a delicious dinner. Do you have any tips for how to avoid bingeing every night?
• Is race weight an important thing? If so, how can you figure out your race weight and get there in a healthy way?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for the next Q&A episode, you can do so on my website HERE or you can email me at [email protected].

This episode is an interview with strength and conditioning specialist, Chris Lee. Chris was a D3 collegiate swimmer while at Montclair State, and after college he moved to Boulder, Colorado to pursue competitive triathlon. After getting his CSCS certification, Chris founded Kinesis Integrated. Kinesis Integrated provides personalized, science-backed strength training for endurance athletes, and they offer both in-person and app-based support. He recently created the Kinesis app, which integrates data from your watch to create a personalized and dynamic strength training program for you and your personal goals!

In this episode, we talk about:

• How growing up with health issues that prevented him from being as active as he wanted made Chris interested in human movement
• Getting into swimming as a way to strengthen his lungs and body, and how that led him to the sport of triathlon
• What is means to be a certified strength and conditioning specialist and how he applies his knowledge to meet the unique needs of endurance athletes
• Why strength training is so critical for endurance athletes, and why being strong is an asset rather than something to avoid
• How Chris has seen fueling impact performance in endurance athletes and why it's something he encourages all athletes to focus on

Links from the episode:

• Kinesis Integrated
• Kinesis App

Today's episode is a Q&A where I answer questions that were submitted to me by listeners.

Questions answered in this episode include:

• I'm a high school xc athlete who had a disappointing track season, I found of my ferritin was a 3 and I'm a plant based athlete. What can I do to help improve my iron?
• What are your thoughts on syncing your fueling to your menstrual cycle, specifically to help with PMS symptoms?
• I'm a high school xc coach struggling to get athletes and parents to buy into the importance of nutrition. What can I do to help these athlete, specifically the girls, with their fueling?
• What can you to do help prevent urgent bathroom stops on runs?

The links mentioned in today's episode include:

• Free monthly newsletter: subscribe HERE
• Weekly newsletter, Sunday Brunch Club, subscribe HERE and get a free 2 week trial!
• Donate to help Katie Rainsberger with her research efforts HERE
• Project RED-S resources: https://red-s.com/

If you would like to submit a question to be answered on air during the next Q&A episode, you can do so on my website HERE or you can email me at [email protected].

This episode is an interview with professional runner for Nike, Sinclaire Johnson. Sinclaire is a Florida native who switched from lacrosse to running in high school. She earned a full ride scholarship to Oklahoma State University, where she was a 2 time All-American and the 2019 NCAA champion in the 1500, setting the NCAA championship meet record that still stands today. Sinclaire signed a professional contract with Nike right after college and has been with them for 6 years, during which she has been a 3 time World Championship qualifier. Sinclaire found herself not happy in her training environments and struggling with injuries, so this past year made the transition to being coached by her fiance, Craig Nowak.

In today's episode, we talk about:

• How Sinclaire grew up with a healthy relationship with food and how she appreciates the environment her parents created for her and her brother
• Her first experience with fueling and performance, during which she found herself restricting food intake and struggling with injury and burnout
• How concern from her coach inspired Sinclaire to make some fueling changes, and once she made these changes she found herself happier, healthier, and an NCAA champion
• A rocky transition into professional running, including frustrating injuries. She shares some insights for navigating injury
• Why she's loving being coached by her fiance, and how important it is to her to have a coach that allows for collaboration
• How cooking has helped her improve her relationship with food, and how it's helped her to see food not just as fuel but also as a way to connect with people

You can keep up with Sinclaire on Instagram at @sinclairejohnson.

In this Q&A episode, I'm answering questions submitted to me by listeners. Today's questions include:

• How should I fuel before and after an evening training session if I'm running at night around 7-9pm?
• I've heard you mention that artificial sweeteners can impact gut health, can you expand on this and does that mean I should stop putting stevia in my coffee?
• I've been working on adding more carbs and have been feeling better with my energy levels and on runs, but I've also noticed some bloating and that I feel heavier. Is this normal?
• I'm a high school upperclassman and have never gotten my period, is this amenorrhea? And if so, what can I do that would help me get my period and still be a successful runner?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions! If you would like to submit a question to be answered during the next Q&A, you can go to my website www.fuelingforward.com under the podcast tab or email me at [email protected].

Links from today's episode:

• Apply for the Fall Marathon Group Coaching Program HERE
• Donate to help me raise money for Trackgirlz as a NYCM charity runner HERE!

This episode is an interview with mom of 3 and professional runner, Steph Bruce. Steph grew up in Arizona, where finding running in high school led her to a successful D1 career at USCB, including achieving All-American honors. Steph went on to run professionally, and has 3 US titles and over 30 US championship showings between the track and the roads. Steph ultimately transition to the marathon, and has an average time of 2:31 over 20 marathons. Aside from running, Steph is a mom of 3, a co-founder of Picky Bars, and the founder of Grit Running.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How losing her dad at a young age reminded Steph that life is short and it's important to focus on the things that you love
• What her transition into collegiate athletics was like and what she learned that looks don't tell the whole story
• Why having a regular menstrual cycle is so important and what that means for health and performance
• Struggling with injury going pro and co-founding Picky Bars with another injured runner
• The ups and downs of marathon fueling, and how perfecting her in race fueling plan is still a journey that she's on
• What her transition to Tracksmith has looked like and how she's giving back to the sport

You can find Steph on Instagram or X at @stephrothstein and you can learn more about her adult summer camp and coaching business at www.stephbruce.com