Just Say Yes

Happy Sunday! As of today, we are 5 weeks out from the New York City Marathon 😱. For the next 3 weeks, my Sundays will be 2+ hours of running, which means I’m really trying to buckle down and focus on creating time for recovery. This weekend, my goal was to get all of the grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and meal prep done on Friday and Saturday so that after today’s long run I would be able to just sit on the couch and rest. It’s nice to be able to relax the rest of today and still feel prepared for the week. Plus, a big bonus is that the grocery store was the least crowded I’ve ever seen it on a Friday night. Shocking, I know.

This week of training was a great one for Nick and I. We did a big workout on Thursday, 3×2 mile around race pace. It was definitely the hardest I’ve pushed myself in a while, but it felt good to work hard. Today, I did my longest long run ever in terms of time on my feet. Joe Bosshard, my former coach, has been helping us out a bit with marathon training and he recommended we switch to measuring long runs by time rather than miles. So today, we ran for 2 hours. We’re using these long runs to dial in our nutrition so we’re ready for race day, and today we got down around 60g of carbs, 500mL of fluids, and 500mg of sodium per hour which is about where we want to be for the race.

Speaking of the New York City Marathon, I’m running 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 get 1 entry to win a Race Day Package, which includes 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!

Also, if you’re going to be in NYC for marathon weekend, come join me for a pre-race shakeout on Saturday November 1st! We’ll head out from a coffee shop near Central Park at 9:30am for an easy 5k shakeout run. Chris Lee, a strength and condition coach with Kinesis Integrated who was on The Fueling Forward Podcast, has generously offered to buy coffees for anyone who attends. Register for free HERE! I’d love to see you there 🤗!

In Today’s newsletter:

• What’s for dinner? I’ve planned out your week in meals and snacks so you don’t have to! Check out my menu plan for the week, and some simple recipes to go with it.

• Weekly accountability challenge: For the month of September, we’re talking about ways to sneak more micronutrients into your daily routine. Did you know that just 2 brazil nuts daily give you tons of essential vitamins and minerals? This week, I’m challenging you to add 2 brazil nuts daily to boost your nutrient intake!

• Science corner: Today I wanted to highlight an amazing study that was published this year looking at energy availability in marathon runners and its impact on marathon training, finish time, and likelihood of ending up in the med tent on race day. If you’re training for a marathon, or want to do one someday, this study is so important!

• Food for thought:  Lately I’ve been finding an old but familiar mix of nerves and excitement the night before my long runs. I wanted to talk about what it has been like to push myself again, and why this has reminded me that it’s so important to say yes to things that scare you.

Do you have topics, recipes, or thoughts that you’d like to see in the next Sunday Brunch Club? Reply to this email and let me know!

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.