The Fueling Forward Podcast

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

This week's episode is a Q&A! I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners, and today's questions include:

• What can I expect physically and mentally when returning from a period of underfueling or RED-S? How long will it take to feel normal?
• I have big goals in the sport but am not really a stand out runner. I know you were a walk on, so do you have any advice for a runner that wants to get better?
• I've heard that using sugar based gels during runs can cause gut issues and damage. How should I add fuel during my runs without increasing my risk for these things?
• I've been really struggling with a low appetite the last few weeks. What could be causing this and do you have any suggestions on how to continue to fuel even if I don't feel like eating?

This episode is an interview with former professional runner and soon to be registered dietitian, Alexa Efraimson! Alexa grew up in Washington, where she found running through soccer. She excelled quickly in the sport, and ended up signing a professional contract with Nike right out of high school at age 17. Alexa was a 2x member of Junior Team USA and is still the junior American record holder in the 1500. She was a member of Team USA in 2019 at the PanAm games, where she earned a bronze medal in the 1500. All throughout her time as a professional runner, Alexa struggled with her relationship with food and body image which she feels may have negatively impacted the length of her career. She ultimately stepped away from competitive running in 2022 after a traumatic family event, and ended up pursuing a career in nutrition. Alexa earned her Master's in Nutritional Sciences and Nutrigenomics, completed her dietetic internship, and will be sitting for her RD licensure exam this July.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it was like going pro at a young age, and how she quickly found her relationship with food and weight suffering
• Navigating thoughts of needing to be smaller and to eat less in order to be faster, and advice she would give young athletes who want to see immediate success
• The mental load that comes with food and body image struggles, and how it can take away from your relationships, love of the sport, and quality of life
• What led Alexa to her decision to retire from professional running, and how she is navigating body and identity changes after sport
• How Alexa has worked towards healing her relationship with food and body image, and advice for athletes struggling with body changes
• What a career in nutrition means to her, and what her journey has looked like in pursuing the RD credential

If you would like to keep up with Alexa, you can find her on Instagram at @alexaefraimson.

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

• I've always had a regular cycle so assumed I was fueling properly, but after struggling with fatigue and realizing I needed to eat more I was wondering if there are other ways I can tell if I'm under fueling?
• I'm a high school coach and I saw other teams having their athletes use sodium bicarbonate before races. Can you talk about if this is appropriate for high school athletes or what else they should focus on?
• As a postpartum runner, do you have any advice on what labs I should be getting tested or how to go about doing so when my doctor isn't very open to ordering labs for me?
• Most of your podcast talks about the dangers of under fueling, so does this mean it's always a bad idea to try to lose weight as a female runner? Is it every appropriate and if so how would I go about doing that?

Thank you so much to everyone who has submitted questions! If you would like to submit a question for the next Q&A episode, you can do so on my website www.fuelingforward.com under the podcast tab or email me at [email protected]. If you are interested in checking out either group program I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, you can find those on my website under the group coaching programs tab. Lastly, if you are interested in donating to help me fundraise as a New York City Marathon charity runner for TrackGirlz, you can do so HERE.

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]