I was watching my 4 year old run around at the beach the other day with so much energy, curiosity, and playfulness. It reminded me that I love to coach and teach how to fuel for long-term health and performance because I want you to explore, have fun adventures, and do all the other activities that you need and want to do for as long as possible.
You may not have the energy of an excited toddler, but you shouldn't be settling for a life filled with chronic fatigue, GI issues, insomnia, injury, prolonged muscle soreness, mood disturbances, and a host of other common nutrition-related symptoms that I see among many of my active clients.
And just a gentle reminder that just because something is common, that does not make it normal.
Figuring this all out is a work in progress for everyone, myself included. You of course need to set realistic expectations and timelines for what your body can do depending on your unique situation. Nutrition is such a powerful piece of this puzzle and can be transformative, especially when combined with mindset work.
My Nutrition Journey as an Athlete
I first fell in love with running as a member of my high school’s cross-country running team. As someone who mostly focused on academics and music, I never considered myself much of an athlete but found joy in movement and competition.
Ten years later, I discovered distance running while living in London, and the sport literally changed my life. I was working in a corporate job that I hated, and running gave me a sense of purpose.
As a new endurance athlete, I had NO clue how to fuel myself. My mindset wasn't where it needed to be either. I was way more concerned about my body size and running speed than my health, and I believed the BS that "lighter = faster."
My eating disorder (which I had on and off from high school through my early 20s) was behind me, but disordered eating thoughts and behaviors were still there. When I wasn’t trying to lose weight, I was trying to eat “enough” but didn’t really understand what that meant. The result was chronic underfueling in my everyday eating and surrounding exercise.
I continued to chase marathon and half marathon PRs to the point that it became an unhealthy obsession. This led to me feeling and performing like crap, and sucked the enjoyment out of my sport. My initial “success” as a recreational athlete (PRs, BQs) soon faded into the not-so-fun world of burnout, GI issues, fatigue, and injury.
It took moving countries, going back to school to become a dietitian, and lots of work on my own nutrition and mindset to drag me out of that miserable hole. But I put the work in, and it paid off big time.
My running mojo came back, I started to fuel the work I was doing, and I even hit a few PRs. Then I let go of time goals, embraced beautiful trail running adventures, found new challenges in the ultra world, and focused on staying healthy and strong.
Happy place unlocked. Energy, curiosity, and playfulness achieved.
If I’m being REALLY honest, it took me becoming a mother to stop believing that my body needed to be a certain size. Not for performance, but for myself.
Body image work is an ongoing process, but I was finally able to prioritize nourishing and caring for my body rather than trying to control and shrink it. I didn't always like it, but I had to accept that my body would continue to change for the rest of my life.
How I Went from Underfueled to Thriving
Changing your nutrition and other lifestyle behaviors can take time. Here's how I went from barely fueling my runs and being terrified of GI issues to crushing my everyday and performance nutrition:
I started to eat enough (esp carbs) and focus on consistent meals and snacks each and every day, even on rest days, with the help of performance plates
I identified and slowly chipped away at the food rules, fears and beliefs that were holding me back
I learned that underfueling, too much fiber pre-run, and lack of a hydration plan, among other things, were causing my GI issues, not my "sensitive stomach”
I found out that I needed sodium not just plain water during endurance exercise, especially since I’m a salty sweater
I learned flexibility in fueling, and no longer felt the need to travel with my specific brand of spaghetti to eat the night before a race
I learned to fuel the sh*t out of my long runs, even though I knew I could get away with less
I trained my gut and discovered I could tolerate a variety of sports products and even solid foods while running
I stopped feeling exhausted after long runs, in part because I started to fuel my body for recovery after I was done
I learned how to carb load and put together a kick-ass fueling plan, so that I could start my races confidently
I got regular bloodwork done, and only supplemented when there was evidence to do so and food alone wouldn't cut it
I focused on the root causes of nutrient deficiencies rather than slapping on a supplement bandaid
I started to trust rather than fear my body, because I was finally nourishing it
Obviously, everyone's specific journey is different. But many of my clients have struggled with similar things as outlined above.
Peak Performance for Endurance Athletes
I am so excited to share with you my new 7-part self-paced course, Peak Performance for Endurance Athletes: Your Ultimate Guide to Strategic Fueling. I wanted to teach you everything I wish I had known when I started my athletic journey.
Peak Performance is the culmination of my 10 years of experience as a Sports Dietitian, as well as my 30+ years as an athlete. Let me help you, as I've helped countless others, feel and perform your best!
By the end of the course, you'll know how to:
Nail your everyday nutrition while living your busy life
Navigate struggles with food and body image
Fuel and hydrate yourself before, during and after training and racing
Create a personalized fueling and hydration plan that is specific to your sport
Train the gut and troubleshoot common fueling issues
Navigate the confusing world of supplements
Visit my Teachable school to view the entire course curriculum (including 8 hours of video content), watch a preview of Module 1, and read detailed FAQs.
Don't want to be tied to a screen? No stress - I include audio-only files so you can listen to the entire course podcast style. Don't worry about taking notes - you get 17 downloads (mini guides and worksheets) that capture the most important parts of each module.
Don't want a full course? You can purchase the course downloads, individually or bundled at a discount. Some of them are even free!
If you're not ready to purchase anything but you'd like to bring more awareness to your everyday nutrition, check out my FREE Food Journal download. It will instruct you on how to keep a descriptive food log, what to look for, and what questions to ask yourself so you can identify gaps in your fueling and where you should focus your attention to reach your exercise and health goals.
I'd love to support you in your nutrition journey, wherever you're at.
Questions? Email me at claire@eatforendurance.com.
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