It's The Climb

Happy May! I know May can be a busy month with the school year winding down, spring racing seasons, and getting ready for summer. I hope you’re all able to find time to enjoy some runs in the beautiful spring weather before things heat up!

Speaking of things heating up, I have a very exciting announcement that you’re hearing here first. Like I said in April’s newsletter, something about spring inspires me to go after big goals. Maybe it’s all of the change in the air, but this year’s spring goal is possibly my biggest (and scariest) yet. I haven’t posted this on social media or talked about it in my podcast yet, so you guys are really getting some insider info today.

My big announcement 📢: I’M GOING TO RUN THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON!!

If you’re surprised to hear that, just know that I might be more surprised than you. I never had the marathon bug, and it wasn’t even on my radar until I had a call with a new brand partner (more on that in this week’s podcast episode.) While we were talking, it came up that they were looking for someone to run the NYCM as a charity runner to help fundraise for TrackGirlz, an incredible non-profit organization that works to empower girls and women in the track community.

Despite the fact that I never really had any interest in doing a marathon, I immediately felt this internal pull to do it for so many reasons.

• I said that if I were to ever do a marathon, I would want it to be New York. I’ve run the USA 5k road championships in NYC that weekend a few times and have been at the finish line, and the atmosphere in the city on race day is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Plus, I can’t think of a better way to site see in the Big Apple 🍎.

• It’s to help someone else, and more specifically it’s to help make the sport more accessible to women and girls. Getting to fundraise for a cause I believe in is so special, and it means so much to me to have the race be bigger than myself.

• I’m not doing this with a time goal in mind. I know you might think this is crazy, but for me this is going to be about the experience. I want to enjoy every second of training, and I want to train to enjoy every second of the marathon. My goal is to get fit enough to be able to have fun and soak in every moment on race day, while keeping the training manageable and fun. I have no idea what the clock will say when I finish, and that’s perfectly ok with me.

• I work with runners who do marathons all the time, and while I’ve done a half marathon, it’s not the same and I want to be able to experience it for myself. My weekly volume will be much lower than it was when I was a pro, but my long runs will be my longest ever and I’m excited to talk more about my approach to fueling for long runs and race day.

I’m so excited to be on Team TrackGirlz for the NYCM and to have this incredible opportunity. My goal with Fueling Forward is to work towards bettering the sport, and I couldn’t have imagined a better reason to run my first marathon. I’m running with the goal of raising at least $4500 for them, so if you have any interest in supporting the cause and donating, you can do so here. Any and all help is so greatly appreciated, and I know I wouldn’t have the courage to do this without all of the support I’ve already received from you all, so thank you for being here!

So, with that said, I’m going to be writing about my journey to the New York City Marathon every week in my Sunday Brunch Club newsletter! If you want to follow along on that journey, make sure to upgrade your subscription to get all my insights on training and fueling.

New York, I’m coming for you! 🗽 Let’s do this!!

In today’s newsletter:

• Recipe highlight 🥒 - I love to use in-season produce whenever possible, and May is a great time for so many things, including zucchini. These easy chocolate zucchini muffins are the perfect addition to your breakfast or snack (or honestly even dessert) rotation.

• Quick tip 💡- Do you dread going to the grocery store? Honestly, me too. But, I’ve got some grocery store hacks that have made it a better experience for me over the years, and allow me to get in and out with everything I need in less than 30 minutes. Find out what they are below!

• Rapid fire thoughts 🔥 - Boston Marathon was just over a week ago, and since then people have been sharing their inspiring stories. I’m highlighting a few below to help give you some extra motivation this month!

As a dietitian and runner, I’ve struggled to find protein bars that I like and recommend because so many bars out there use gut irritating ingredients like stevia or sugar alcohols, not to mention I’m never a fan of the flavors or sticky, chewy textures. That’s why I’m so excited to be partnering with SVRY Nutrition to share with you their real food, savory protein bars. Their protein bars contain 22+ grams of protein, have a hearty, biscuit-like texture, and come in subtle flavors like Parmesan & Black Pepper or Cheddar & Chive. I love these for traveling or for a post run recovery snack, especially after a long run where I’m using super sweet gels or drink mixes. Head to their website to grab a sample pack today, and use code fuelingforward to get your first bar free. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I have!

Recipe Highlight

Muffins are some of my favorite things to make. They are portable, so are great for a quick on the go snack or as part of a grab and go breakfast, and the flavor options are endless so you won’t get tired of them.

Here are some ways I incorporate muffins into my own fueling:

1. For a pre-run snack: muffins are a great high carb, low fat/fiber option that will give you energy without sitting in your stomach like a brick. Plus, they’re so much more enjoyable to me than choking down a bowl of oatmeal 😅.

2. As a carb with breakfast - I love a sweet treat in the morning to go with my coffee. I’ll pair these with an egg scramble (usually cheese and spinach) and a side of fruit to balance out my plate!

3. Midday snack - these are super easy to take with you to work or school. I pair these with a source of protein like peanut butter, a cheese stick, or a handful of nuts to give me longer lasting energy between meals.

4. Bedtime snack - these are basically like a dessert, so I’ll pair them with a glass of milk to create a balanced bedtime snack that satisfies my sweet tooth while also serving a functional purpose.

When I was growing up, I remember that my mom would make zucchini bread and I absolutely loved it. Zucchini being in season inspired me to find a take on zucchini bread that used more chocolate. My mom would be proud. In fact, I guarantee that I’ll get a text from her about this before the day is over 😋.

I found this specific recipe when I was searching for chocolate zucchini muffin recipes, and I had everything on hand so I decided to give it a try. They turned out so good that we went through the entire pan in less than 3 days. So, if you’re like me and my husband, I would highly recommend making this a double batch recipe. You can also freeze them to reheat over the course of multiple weeks! Anytime I’m going to the trouble of making something in the kitchen, I try to double it and freeze it to have an emergency stash of nutrient dense options on hand when I find myself in a pinch.

If you like this recipe and want more than one 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!

Quick Tip

The grocery store can be an overwhelming place. There are so many options and it can be easy to spend hours (and lots of $$$) in the store, only to realize you didn’t even remember to buy what you went there for in the first place! Don’t worry, I’ve been there. And through trial and error, I came up with some tips to help you minimize your time in the store while making your trip more efficient.

So many athletes I work with end up struggling to execute their fueling plan because they run out of food and don’t have time to get to the store, or they don’t have the foods they need in the first place. Carving out just 30 minutes (or less) one day per week is all it takes to make sure you have what you need for the entire week and that you aren’t caught in a bind on a busy day. Not only does this make staying fueled easy, but it also cuts back on time and cost.

Get the most out of your grocery run by following these simple steps:

1. Plan out your meals and snacks for the week - this step is key! You have to know what ingredients you need for recipes and how much of each thing to get before you can build a grocery list. Plan out a few meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and find your recipes so you can incorporate ingredients into your grocery list. Then, think of a few snack options including pre/post run snacks and midday/evening snacks.

2. Make a list - seriously, do not go into the store without a plan! It will not end well. Using your planned out meals/snacks and recipes, create your grocery list. I like to use the notes app in my phone or the Google drive app because a lot of weeks I get similar items, so I can leave them there. Some athletes and parents of athletes that I work with even share these lists through apps with the whole family so everyone can add to the list in real time!

3. Organize your list by store section - This sounds crazy, but you will thank me later. Create categories for the different sections in your local grocery store and put them in the order you’ll encounter them once in the store. For me, this looks like:

   • Produce - fruits and veggies.

   • Protein - chicken, fish, beef, etc. for dinners, or things like lunch meat or breakfast sausage.

   • Dairy - milk, eggs, yogurt, and in my store, orange juice. Why do they put orange juice in the dairy section? No idea.

   • Bread/starch - bread, bagels, tortillas, english muffins and I group in starches from the aisles like cereal, granola, rice, etc.

   • Frozen - frozen fruits for smoothies, sometimes frozen veggies or rice for meals, and sometimes just frozen meal items like burritos. Also ice cream…don’t forget your ice cream.

   • Baking - I don’t always have things in this section but this would be spices, flour, maple syrup, etc. and in my store things like oats. For this week’s recipe, maybe chocolate chips?

   • Other - this is my catch all for canned goods, coffee, tea, soups, etc.

4. Include quantities - if you know you want to have an apple every day but you only get 4 apples, you’ll run out by Thursday and have to come up with something else. Although this can make your grocery bill higher up front, it makes it less likely that you’ll end up spending more money later like, grabbing a pastry at a coffee shop because you didn’t have anything to bring for a snack

5. Only go to the store after you’ve had a snack - you’ve probably heard people say “don’t go to the store hungry”, and while most people say this because the implication is that you’ll buy more than you need if you’re hungry, for me it’s that you won’t have the energy to make it through! If I’m too hungry at the store, I don’t have the patience to find things I need or I’ll tell myself I’ll just come back later which never works. I try to only go to the store after I’ve eaten, or at least bring a snack with me that I can eat on my drive to the store. I feel more energized, focused, and calm compared to when I’m hangry, tired and grumpy.

If you go to multiple grocery stores, it can help to make a list for each store. I have another one for Target runs. If you’re using the notes app or a google doc, you can just add to these lists in real time any day of the week as you think of them or run out. This is how we rarely run out of things we need! We’ll add an item to the list if we’re running low. This also solves the issue of your husband drinking all the milk and forgetting to tell you 😬.

If you want to check out my personal grocery list template on Google Docs, you can make a copy and try it yourself HERE. I left in some of the usual items I buy, so you can see an example of how I organize my list and include quantities. Share it with anyone you live with so they can contribute in real time! Just make sure you make them an editor.

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

Watching the Boston Marathon last Monday morning was nothing short of incredible. The marathon is truly an amazing feat, and one that takes so much time, focus, and sacrifice to prepare for. Something I’ve always admired marathoners for is how much mental fortitude it takes not only to get to the race itself, but also to finish the race and do it all again.

With track, I would race multiple races throughout the course of the year. If one race went badly, I had another race in the next couple of weeks to look forward to. The marathon is a totally different beast in that you only have that one day. Of course there will be more opportunities in the future, but the marathon takes so much out of you compared to a 1500 or 5k that you can’t just turn around and try again in a couple of weeks.

Any runner knows that sometimes you can do everything right, and it may just not pan out the way you want it to. With the marathon, this can be much more intense and heartbreaking because so much goes into that one day. I know that doesn’t make it any easier when the day doesn’t go as planned, but in these moments I think it can be so inspiring to look at stories that remind us what running and the marathon is really all about.

Here are a few inspiring stories I have seen that come from the 2025 Boston Marathon:

• Des Linden, the 41 year old American distance runner, shared that Boston would be her last marathon as a pro. Des competed on the 2012 and 2016 US Olympic Marathon teams, has finished in the top 10 in 11 major marathons including a win at Boston in 2018, and holds the American Master’s Marathon record at 2:27:35. Read more about Des Linden’s incredible career and how the American women celebrated her at the Boston finish line in this article.

• Jess McClain, who finished 4th in the 2024 Olympic Marathon trials, was the top American at Boston. In this heartfelt Instagram post, Jess shares that she wouldn’t change a thing about her journey despite the heartbreak she experienced last year.

• Boston Marathon honored Bob Hall, who 50 years ago was the first ever wheelchair athlete to complete Boston. He was a pioneer in opening up the marathon to be more accessible and inclusive, and CBS shares his inspiring story in this interview.

• The Special Olympics shared this video of two of their charity runners, father and daughter duo Isabella and Jaime, crossing the finish line holding hands. When Isabella was 13, she was waiting for her dad at the finish line when the Boston Marathon Bombing happened, and this emotional finish was one they will both cherish forever.

It can be incredibly difficult to finish a race and feel unhappy or unsatisfied with the result. Trust me, I’ve had many races that have kept me up at night over the years. That’s why for me, the New York Marathon has to be about more than the end result. It’s easy to forget all of the hard work you put in, all of the workouts you were proud of, or all of the sacrifices you made in the face of a disappointing race. It’s easy to feel like everything you did was pointless or to question why you even bother. If you’re feeling down about a recent disappointing race, I feel you!

But what stories like these remind me of is that it really is about the journey running brings us on, and the privilege we have to be on that journey. Unfortunately, disappointment and heartbreak can be a part of that journey, but it doesn’t have to end there. YOU will always be the person who is capable of big things, and if you keep showing up it’s absolutely going to pay off. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. Being patient can be the hardest part, but remember, we’re in this for the long run! And as Miley Cyrus once said, it’s all about the climb 🏔️.

Stay fueled,

Maddie

Get More from Fueling Forward

1. Follow me on Instagram 

2. Upgrade your subscription to Sunday Brunch Club so you can receive weekly newsletters on Sunday mornings with a menu plan, recipes, accountability challenges, nutrition myth busters, and more! It’s only $5/month (the price of 1 cup of coffee), and you get 2 weeks free to try it out!

3. Listen to the most recent episode of The Fueling Forward Podcast where you can find interviews with athletes or listen to me answer questions submitted by listeners