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 fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

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

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 fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com. 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 fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

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