Fuel to Train, Don't Train to Fuel

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Happy September! September always feels like the start of fall, even though it’s actually the hottest month out here in LA 😅. It especially feels that way this year because the start of September means I’m 8 weeks out from the New York City Marathon!

Training has been on the back burner for me this past week, as I’ve dealt with some unforeseen health issues. I’ve been doing my best to find the balance between moving when I feel good and not pushing my body too far. This is something that doesn’t come naturally to me because I tend to try to push through things. My athlete mentality tries to convince me that backing off or taking a break makes me lazy, but the dietitian in me is trying to remind myself that putting my health first is always most important. I’ve also learned from many years in the sport that forcing your body to come back on a certain timeline never works and only prolongs healing.

During this time, I’m continuing to do everything else I can to take care of my body. Eating enough, getting plenty of sleep, staying hydrated and prioritizing nutrient dense foods have been a daily focus for me. I’ve still continued to stay on top of my electrolytes, eat consistently throughout the day, and balance my meals and snacks. Even though I’m not able to train much right now, I know that when I am able to get back to it my body will be so much more prepared. Not to mention, when your body is healing from an injury or illness, it needs those nutrients to do the rebuilding! Otherwise, it takes a lot longer to recover and get back to doing what you want to do.

It can be easy to get caught up in the idea that you have to “burn it to earn it”, thinking that your body only deserves fuel if you’re active. Eating is not a badge of honor, it’s something your body needs and deserves regardless of what your activity looked like today. It’s also something your body needs and deserves regardless of how you feel about it today. Bad body image days happen, and they tend to happen more often if you’re not able to train the way you want to, but your body still deserves to be taken care of.

Just remember that there is a season for everything, and all stressors in life will eventually pass, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Give yourself kindness and grace, continue to take care of yourself, and remember that what you bring to people in your life has nothing to do with how you look or train. Sometimes we have to put training and movement on the back burner in order to take care of something more important. That’s not being lazy, that’s life!

So, as we head into fall, give yourself permission to show up in the way that makes the most sense for you right now. Take care of your body no matter what your movement looks like, because it’s the only one you’ve got. Fuel your body so that it has the ability to train or do whatever you ask of it, don’t train just to earn your fuel!

In today’s newsletter:

• Recipe highlight 🎃 - Since it’s September, it feels right to kick off the month with a pumpkin recipe. This month, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite recipes - pumpkin cottage cheese pancakes. These are so simple, and loaded with nutrients and flavor.

• Quick tip 💡- Do you struggle with breakfast in the morning? Maybe you’re not hungry, or you’re always rushing to get out the door and don’t know what to grab. Today, I wanted to give you some tips to help make sure you’re starting the day with a balanced breakfast!

• Rapid fire thoughts 🔥 - This year is unique in that the World Championships don’t take place until mid-September. Combine that with the upcoming World Major Marathons and the NCAA fall xc season, and there are lots of exciting stories to keep up with.

New York City Marathon Fundraiser - 🚨 Giveaway alert!! 🚨

I’m going to be running the New York City Marathon as a charity runner for Trackgirlz, an incredible non-profit organization that works to provide girls access to mentorship and sport through track and field empowerment programs. To help meet my fundraising goal of $4500, I’m partnering with Hettas, a shoe designed for women. For every $50 you donate, you receive 1 entry to a giveaway where you can win a free pair of Hettas shoes, a t-shirt, a race day fueling strategy session with me, and more fun items from brands who support women in sport. If you’re interested in donating to enter the giveaway, can do so HERE. Even if you’re not able to donate $50, I so appreciate donations of any amount!

Recipe Highlight - Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Pumpkin season is back and while I’m not one to go for pumpkin spice everything, pumpkin pancakes are maybe one of my favorite foods. Fun fact, back in Boulder we used to go to a brunch spot called The Walnut Cafe after long runs, and I became known as “the pumpkin pancake lady” because I ordered them every time 😂.

This recipe is so simple and packed with nutrients, and it’s one that the whole family will love. My favorite features of this recipe include:

1. Cottage cheese - I know cottage cheese is everywhere right now and I promise I’m not someone who puts it in everything, but what I love about the cottage cheese in this recipe is that is makes the pancakes extra fluffy and gives them a little bit of a tangy/salty flavor that goes so well with the sweetness of the pumpkin and spices.

2. Canned pumpkin - for about $1 per can, pumpkin puree is one of the lowest cost, most nutrient dense canned options out there. Pumpkin is loaded with vitamin A, antioxidants, and fiber, making it great for starting the day with a nutrient packed punch.

3. Made in a blender or food processor - the best part about this recipe is that you just throw all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, blend it up, and you can pour it straight onto the griddle without having to dirty any spatulas or bowls.

I love to make a double batch of these pancakes and freeze the leftovers to pop in the toaster on a busy week day morning. Top them with vanilla Greek yogurt or even just some plain old whipped cream (my personal go to) to add some creamy flavor. You can also add chocolate chips or nuts if you want some different flavors or textures. I also wanted to mention that I make mine with regular all-purpose flour.

If you make this recipe, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag @fueling_forward or respond to this email and let me know what you think!

Want more than one recipe per month? Upgrade today to the Sunday Brunch Club to get recipes like this every Sunday morning. You can sign up for free today and get a 2 week free trial!

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Elevate Your Performance

Quick Tip

You’ve probably heard someone tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, turns out they’re right! Getting something with carbs, protein, fiber and fats within an hour of waking up will help optimize energy, hormones, mood, and overall health. I know it can be challenging to execute, so if you’re not sure how to get breakfast in, I’ve got some suggestions for you below ⬇️!

One of the main reasons I hear from people who don’t eat breakfast in the morning is that they just aren’t hungry when they wake up. Not feeling hungry in the morning is actually a sign that your body is running on stress hormones, and not eating can worsen the issue. Cortisol, a stress hormone produce by our adrenal glands, spikes in the morning. To some extent, this is a good thing because it helps us wake up. However, if it spikes too high or stays elevated for too long, it can suppress your appetite, affect blood sugar control, alter hormonal balance, and negatively impact your ability to focus. If you tend to just grab a cup of coffee first thing or run straight out the door to exercise without eating (or maybe both), these behaviors can further contribute to this cortisol rise.

Eating something balanced within an hour of waking up and ensuring you don’t train fasted can help lower cortisol and prevent an excessive spike. Additionally, it’s best to make sure you’re not having your coffee on an empty stomach. I know it can be hard to do this if you don’t normally feel hungry, so there are a few ways you can work on improving this:

1. Try a morning snack - If you don’t have an appetite in the morning, you can start with something small within an hour of waking up and have a bigger meal later in the morning. Some good examples would be a serving of chia seed pudding with berries, a superhero muffin, or a small yogurt and fruit parfait. These also pair really well with coffee.

2. Use a liquid option - Again, if you don’t normally feel hungry in the morning it can be easier to drink rather than eat something. Smoothies are great ways to pack in carbs, protein, and some color. I recommend using a Greek yogurt base (around ½ cup), 1 cup of frozen fruit of choice (feel free to toss in a handful of greens too), 1-2 tbsp of nut butter or ½ avocado, and milk or juice.

3. Make something ahead of time - If your struggle with breakfast is that you don’t have time in the mornings, making something ahead allows you to grab and go in the morning. Things like overnight oats or meal prep breakfast sandwiches are great examples.

4. Pre-packaged options - Making something ahead of time doesn’t always happen, so if you know yourself and know that won’t work for you, you can always buy pre-packaged options. There are tons of pre-made overnight oats options (Trader Joe’s brand, Mush, Brekkie, and Oats Overnight to name a few). You can also pair a breakfast bar with something like a drinkable Chobani Greek yogurt or Fairlife shake and grab a piece of fruit to balance it out. A few other great ones are egg bites, Evol frozen breakfast burritos or sandwiches, or Kodiak cakes oatmeal or pancake cups.

It can take some time for your body adjust, but remember not feeling hungry in the morning doesn’t mean you don’t need to eat. Start small and work your way up. Most people notice their appetite return within 1-2 weeks, so stick with it and it will get easier!

If this was helpful and you’re looking for more ideas on meals and recipes, I post my own weekly menu plan for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks, and include any recipes I’m using. Upgrade today to the Sunday Brunch Club to get my weekly meal plan every Sunday morning. You can sign up for free today and get a 2 week free trial!

Rapid Fire Thoughts

This year, the outdoor track season went especially late because the World Championships held in Tokyo don’t take place until September 13th. For reference, the 2023 World Championships took place August 18th. I’m not complaining, because I’ve really enjoyed watching all of the Diamond League races, and love that we still have the World Championships to look forward to, only to then transition into the fall marathon season. On top of that, we have the NCAA cross country season coming up, and nothing says fall like cross country.

I wanted to highlight some of the biggest stories from in the world of track and field in today’s newsletter ⬇️.

• The Diamond League final was last weekend in Zurich, and there were some truly incredible performances on the track. This is one of the rare occasions where the final took place before the World Championships, so this year the winner of each race got an automatic trip to Tokyo, creating some exciting drama and intrigue before the big show!

• I really enjoy following events that are outside of my wheelhouse, like the UTMB 100 mile trail race in France that took place this past weekend. Ultra races are such incredible feats of human endurance that I’m mostly just in awe of the people who compete in them, and the sense of community that these races cultivate seem so incredible to be a part of. The crowds are huge and the fans really get into it, creating an almost Tour de France atmosphere that you don’t see anywhere else in running. This particular year also had some crazy weather that made things all the more impressive.

• The Sydney Marathon kicked off its first year as the seventh of the World Marathon Majors, which means you now another race to cross off your bucket list! The Majors now include New York City (which I’ll be running in November) Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London, Tokyo, and now Sydney, and are such an exciting way to bring the marathon distance around the world. Not to mention, they continue to get harder and harder to get into from a qualifying standpoint.

• The trouble only seems to be mounting for Grand Slam Track after they cancelled their final meet of the season and failed to pay athletes. When I hear this news the main thing I feel is just sad. For the athletes, for the hard working and well meaning people behind the scenes of Grand Slam, and for the fans. Anything that tries to get more money for the athletes and create a better product for the fans is a good thing, so it’s disappointing when it doesn’t work out. Hopefully it doesn’t deter people from trying new things in the future and athletes from participating in those ventures.

• 35 year old Emily Infeld won her first every US title in the 10k at the USATF Championships. She has been an absolute force to reckon with and arguably one of the most consistently great distance runners in the US. A big reason why she has been able to be successful for so long is her approach to fueling. Emily shared in an interview after her 10k win that she uses ChatGPT to track her carbs to make sure she’s eating enough. I had Emily as a guest on today’s episode of The Fueling Forward Podcast to talk about that, so be sure to listen to Emily’s episode if you’re interesting in learning more.

• Gabby Thomas had to pull out of the World Championships with an injury. It’s never fun to hear that an athlete has to miss a championship and it’s particularly hard to hear about Gabby because she’s such a force on team USA. I love watching her run the 200 and she’s always a threat for a gold medal. She had one of my favorite races at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the same time it’s always heartening to see an athlete prioritizing their own health, something that is shockingly hard to do at the highest level. I think we can all take note when she said “I’ve finally come to the realization that it’s ok to be human and take care of myself.”

Take notes from Gabby, and don’t forget to prioritize your health and well-being this fall!

Stay fueled,

Maddie

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