85: The Fear Of Overfueling

In this episode of the Female Athlete Podcast, I talk with professional runner for Altra and scientist Keely Henninger. Keely shares our mission of empowering female athletes through her own Trail Society podcast, worth a listen for everyone, not just trail runners. We explore Keely’s introduction to trail running, attracted to the sport because of the incredibly supportive community. Now a professional runner for Altra, we discuss Keely’s recent race, the Western States 100 miler, and the difficult decision to drop out she was forced to make at mile 40.  Keely shares how she used previous mistakes and challenging races as learning experiences in the lead up to Western States. This included having a fuelling and hydration plan dialed in and controlling for what she could. Preparation is key to success, but even with the best plans, unexpected obstacles still come along. Keely’s rolled ankle during Western States is one such example, and we talk about dealing with running heartbreak and not finishing races. But even in the midst of disappointment, Keely and I emphasize the importance of recognizing wins along the way: successfully executing race day cooling strategies and nutrition plans were big wins for Keely.  We talk about fueling training and racing, and how the default recommendations and tendency to “get by” on the least amount of food and fluid during workouts is performance limiting. Keely and I discuss the difference between pushing through challenges and unnecessary suffering, factors that apply to both training and nutrition: sport is hard enough as it is, and fueling and recovering appropriately can help you avoid unnecessary suffering and reach your potential. We debunk the fear of overfueling and laugh about the fun with food that trail runners embrace! This includes incorporating real and “junk” food as well as typical gels and sports nutrition products. Transitioning to Keely’s career in science and research, she shares her interest in medicine and female athlete physiology. She talks about some of the studies she's been involved in around neuroscience, exercise and biomechanics, as well as her previous work at Nike researching and designing women-specific footwear and apparel.  As an independent researcher, Keely is currently looking into the nutrition and training practices of male and female athletes of all ages. She is exploring the link between underfueling, exercise dependence and performance, and we briefly touch on this. Keely and I talk about the need for more research into female athletes, especially studies correlating fueling adequately and maintaining a menstrual cycle with optimum performance and reduced injuries. Follow Keely on Instagram and Twitter @runwidkeel  Tune into the Trail Society podcast  Keely’s Official Bio: Keely Henninger is a professional runner and scientist fighting for athletes to treat their bodies with respect in order to train and race their best.  She has competed in the trail-running circuit for over 8 years and has represented team USA, been the National 50 mile champion, and has won and competed at many prestigious national and international races.  Currently she is co-leading research with Dr. Kelly Pritchett in the ultra/trail running space around fueling habits, exercise dependence, and health while training for national and international races. She resides in Portland, OR (most of the time) with her partner, JT and pup Jade, where they live as close to trails as possible.  Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds