The Fueling Forward Podcast

This episode is an interview with professional runner for Nike, Lauren Gregory. Lauren is a Colorado native, where she fell in love with running while out on the trails with her high school xc team. She immediately excelled and after becoming a 7x Colorado state champion and NXN runner up, Lauren committed to the University of Arkansas to pursue D1 collegiate running. Struggles with fueling led to a frustrating injury cycle and she nearly medically retired, but after finding her way back to a healthier version of herself, Lauren had a very successful collegiate career as a 7 time All-American and signed a professional contract with Nike right out of college.
Lauren is now an accomplished track, road and trail athlete having won a US title in the vertical mountain running championships and the 10k trail championships, and making it to the final in the 5k at the 2024 US Olympic Trials. Lauren is also fresh off of her historic win at OCC UTMB as the first American woman to win the title.
In this episode, we talk about:
How growing up near so many trails allowed her to discover her love for running and what her progression to being one of the best runners in the state looked like
How trying to eat “clean” and “healthy” in high school led to unintentional under fueling that resulted in two big stress fractures, and her advice for high schoolers struggling with injuries
Why she doesn’t use a ton of metrics to track her performance and fitness
How cutting corners with fueling in college led to an injury cycle that nearly caused her to quit running, but instead focused on correcting her fueling and was able to have a successful collegiate career
Why changing her environment during her transition from college to pro opened her eyes to the importance of fueling, and what she has implemented since
How the trail running world has changed her view on fueling, and why she thinks fueling is what won her the OCC title
What trail races are like and why it’s a great options for runners who are feeling burnt out or need something new
Her breakdown of her win at OCC and how it ended up coming down to a kick in the last 800m
Why her motto for her training block and race was “don’t wait until you’re hungry”

While Maddie is on maternity leave, Alexa Gusman, the newest dietitian at Fueling Forward, is taking over to answer your questions! This episode is a Q&A episode where Alexa answers questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I have some abnormal iron and liver panel labs and am cross-training as I recover from an injury. How can I improve my labs to help improve my performance?
As a healthcare worker, it's not always realistic to fuel every 2-4 hours. How can I navigate fueling when my schedule makes it difficult to do so?
I'm a college athlete transitioning from living on campus to living on my own and starting to cook for myself. I have roommates who tend to eat a lot less than I do. How can I maintain adequate fueling while avoiding these restrictive thoughts and balancing cooking for myself?
How can athletes with a history of an eating disorder or disordered eating manage anxiety and difficult thoughts that come back up around food?
Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is an interview with physical therapist, Lyndsay Centrowitz. Lyndsay is from Colorado, where she grew up running cross country and track. Her experience with injuries inspired her to pursue a career in physical therapy, and she received her doctorate in physical therapy then went on to practice in a prestigious clinic in Portland that specialized in treating runners. Lyndsay quickly realized there was a gap in women's pelvic health, especially within the context of female athletes, so she became certified as a pelvic floor health specialist. She started her own practice, StrongHER, to help fill that gap in women's health care. She currently lives in Chicago with her two kids and Olympic gold medalist husband, Matt Centrowitz.
We talk about:
How running injuries in high school led her to working with a physical therapist, which inspired her to pursue a career in the field
Why she chose sports PT over pediatrics, and how she ended up in one of the most prestigious PT clinics for runners in Portland
What it was like expanding her practice to include pelvic health, and how that led to her starting her own practice, StrongHER
How she determined pelvic floor health was a major gap in the PT field, and what the process was like for her to get certified to fill that gap
Common pelvic floor symptoms in runners that are not normal and might indicate a need to see a pelvic floor specialist
What a pelvic floor PT does and what an appointment with one might look like
The role she has seen nutrition play when it comes to physical therapy, especially injury rehab and recovery
If you are interested in working with Lyndsay, you can learn more about her services on her website HERE.

I'm back from maternity leave! This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I have always struggled with needing to go to the bathroom on runs. I have tried eliminating certain foods and even the FODMAP diet which I found to be restrictive. Do you have any reccomendations?
I’m transitioning from high school to college training and I seem to be always hungry. We also don't practice until 5pm which has made fueling hard. Do you have any tips for managing hunger and fueling for later runs?
I was diagnosed with osteopenia 2 years ago and even after going through eating disorder recovery and period restoration my follow up scan showed no improvements. Do you have any nutrition tips for building bone?
I’m going to be walking on to my university's xc team this fall. Do you have any tips on how to navigate this transition to varsity running?
Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

While Maddie is on maternity leave, Alexa Gusman, the newest dietitian at Fueling Forward, is taking over to answer your questions! This episode is a Q&A episode where Alexa answers questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
How can I catch underfueling before it starts affecting my menstrual cycle? What are other signs of underfueling beyond normal workout fatigue or lack of sleep?
I often find myself bingeing at night and initially thought it was from underfueling earlier in the day. However, even after increasing my intake earlier in the day, I’m still overeating at night. How can I prevent these evening binges?
When is the best time to take iron, and what can I do to improve my ferritin?
How can I respond to friends who share harmful food beliefs? And what’s the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?
Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.