The Fueling Forward Podcast
Hosted by Maddie Alm, sports dietitian and elite runner, The Fueling Forward Podcast is the place to go for all things running and sports nutrition. Learn from other runners as they discuss their own experiences with nutrition and performance and learn from Maddie, a registered dietitian and runner. Through these conversations, we will bust common nutrition myths and misconceptions around fueling for performance, so you can find an approach to fueling that will allow you to feel and perform your best without taking short cuts. Here at Fueling Forward, we believe in fueling your body for the long run!
43. Claire Shorenstein (Eat for Endurance)
This episode is an interview with sports dietitian and endurance runner, Claire Shorenstein. Claire grew up not considering herself athletic, mostly focusing on music where she was a high level oboe player. When she decided to join her friend at xc practice one day, she fell in love with running. Claire got her Master's of Music in Oboe Performance at Yale, and after that decided she didn't want to become a professional musician. Her self-described identity crisis led her to do to a year long solo trip in South America, after which she moved to London and rediscovered her...
Q&A With Maddie - 36
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:
My ferritin and iron haven't changed much after supplementing all summer despite taking a supplement. What else can I do to raise my iron levels?Is it normal to lose your sweet tooth during eating disorder and RED-S recovery?What advice do you have for young runners in middle school who are hoping to pursue a career in running?I’m a D3 xc runner and just started my f...42. Ella Donaghu
This episode is an interview with professional runner, Ella Donaghu. Ella grew up in Portland where she was introduced to running through a family of runners. She played soccer as well but ultimately chose to focus on running and ended up becoming a 6x state champion and NXN runner up. She went on to run at Stanford, and struggled initially with her transition after dealing with a stubborn injury, under fueling, and her mental health. After focusing on getting herself to a better place mentally and physically, she was finally able to break her high school PR's and went...
Q&A With Alexa - 5
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’m a high school track athlete, and I’ve found myself struggling with disordered eating. I know I need to fuel my body to support harder training, but anxiety around food, body checking, and nausea/throwing up during workouts have made it really difficult to eat consistently. What advice do you have f...41. Sarah Reiter
This episode is an interview with 2:31 marathoner and 3x Olympic Trials qualifier, Sarah Reiter. Sarah shares her journey from discovering running in high school and becoming a 2A xc state champion in her home state of Washington, to running at the D1 level. She transferred from Montana State after her freshman year to a smaller D1 school, Eastern Washington, where she ran for 4 years. After college, she took a long break from running, then rediscovered her love for the sport when she decided to train for a marathon. Over the course a year, she shaved over 10 minutes off of...
Q&A With Maddie - 35
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 recently increased my mileage and noticed I lost weight. Does this mean I'm under fueling or is this a result of training?Can taking my iron supplement in the evening be impacted by having a snack before bed like ice cream, yogurt or milk?Is it possible to work on improving body composition while going through period recovery? I’m 5 months postpartum and have an aversion to meat...40. Lauren Gregory
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...
Q&A With Alexa - 4
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 di...39. Lyndsay Centrowitz
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...
Q&A With Maddie - 34
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 mana...Q&A With Alexa - 3
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 th...38. Christina Aragon
This episode is an interview with professional runner for Nike, Christina Aragon. Christina is a Montana native where she grew up running and doing gymnastics. She was a 12x state champion between track and cross country, and even competed in the Olympic trials in the 1500 as a high schooler. Christina went on to run at Stanford University, where she was a 9x All-American and the 2016 U20 World Championships bronze medalist in the 1500. After college, Christina signed a professional contract with Nike and moved to Eugene to join the Bowerman Track Club, which has now morphed into the Oregon Track...
Q&A With Alexa - 2
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'm going to be a runner in college next year, and I had a stress fracture this spring and an inconsistent period. My body fat percentage is a little high, and I'd like to lower it for optimal health/fitness. Do you have any tips or suggestions to lower my body fat pe...37. Maryann Gong
This episode is an interview with app developer and marathon OTQ hopeful, Maryann Gong. Maryann is an NYC local and California native. She went to MIT where she got her bachelor's degree in computer sciences and her master's degree in AI. While at MIT, she ran on the track and xc team, becoming an All-American and a D3 champion in the indoor 3k. She struggled on and off with fueling and an injury cycle after her junior year, and her experience with this inspired her to create a training app for runners called Toga. She found her way to...
Q&A with Alexa -1
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'm a high school track and cross-country athlete and definitely have a sweet tooth. My training load is relatively light compared to many other distance runners, and as the postseason approaches, my family has been encouraging me to cut back on sweets. What are your thoughts on this?I'm recovering from an ea...36. Rachel Cliff
This episode is an interview with former elite Canadian runner, Rachel Cliff. Rachel is the former Canadian record holder in the marathon and half marathon, and she also represented Team Canada at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships in the 10k and 5k respectively, the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the 10k, the 2018 NACAC Championships (she was the bronze medalist in the 10k), and the Pan Am Games (she was the bronze medalist in the 10k). She is currently the elite athlete advisor for Hettas and mom of 2.
In this episode, we talk about:
How she discovered running as a...Q&A With Maddie - 33
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
How do you know if you’re eating enough when you’re recovering from RED-S? Is getting your period back the only way to know, or will there be other signs?I’m a marathoner and have a family history of Type 2 diabetes. My A1C has been increasing, and I’m not sure how to balance managing my A1C and weight with fueling for performance. Do you have any advice?I just finis...35. Vanessa Fraser
This episode is an interview with professional runner for Saucony, Vanessa Fraser. Vanessa grew up in Northern California where she discovered and fell in love with running through Girls on the Run. She went on to run at Stanford University where she became a 10x All-American and the PAC-12 champion in the 10k. While at Stanford, she received her bachelor's degree in symbolic systems and her master’s degree management science and engineering. After college, she went on to run professionally, signing a contract with Nike and joining Bowerman Track Club right out of college. Vanessa has competed in mu...
Q&A With Maddie - 32
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
As a pre-med student, I feel like I’ve turned to running and training as a coping mechanism to handle stress. How do you know if a training load is too high and inching towards overtraining? I’m a high school senior who runs track and xc and I’ve been working on getting my period back for over a year. I’ve gotten one cycle, but haven’t had any since. I feel like I’...34. Danae Halliday (Recipe Runner)
This episode is an interview with the food blogger and recipe developer behind Recipe Runner, Danae Halliday. Danae grew up in Arizona, where she discovered running through her older sister. She ran throughout high school, but found herself burnt out and took a break from the sport when she went to Arizona State University. When her sister started training for marathons, Danae found herself inspired to pick it up again and fell in love with the longer distance.
Despite her love of food and recipe developing, Danae found herself struggling with an eating disorder. This led to...
Q&A With Maddie - 31
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
A running influencer that I follow recently got a stress fracture but blamed it on biomechanics. This got me wondering if bone stress injuries are ever not related to fueling and overtraining in some way? Do you have any thoughts on this in the running culture?I’m a collegiate runner running 50-55 miles per week and am trying to put on weight. I’ve been drinking ensure drinks, but do you have any ot...33. Lennie Waite
This episode is an interview with sports psychologist and former professional runner, Lennie Waite.
Lennie grew up abroad, where she primarily played soccer. She was recruited to play D1 soccer at Rice University, but after her sophomore year ended up switching to running and became a 2x All-American. She went on to run post-collegiately and represented Great Britain at 3 Commonwealth Games, the World Championships in 2017, and the 2016 Olympic Games in the steeplechase.
Lennie did all of this while completing her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and becoming a Certified Mental Performance Consultant. She currently works with...
Q&A With Maddie - 30
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
In college I experienced a stress fracture, and since then I’ve been stuck in an injury cycle. Can you talk more about the science behind fueling to help heal injuries?What are your go to meals and snacks for track meets? I don’t have many resources at the meets and I’m someone who often runs 3 distance events.Is there a connection between motivation and energy levels, especially in a race? I notice...32. Ali Feller
Today's episode is an interview with Ali Feller of Ali on the Run. Ali discovered running when she was living in NYC as a way to be social, and ultimately fell in love with the sport. She created her blog, Ali on the Run, that eventually evolved into podcast and ultimately led her to become a race announcer and broadcaster. Ali completed the 2023 Eugene Marathon, after which she discovered a lump in her breast that led to a breast cancer diagnosis. Ali has been navigating life with stage 4 cancer while continuing to be a force in the sport, and...
Q&A With Maddie - 29
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I’ve been struggling to get through an entire year healthy. I always make it through the fall and winter, then struggle with soft tissue injuries in the spring. Do you think this might be nutrition related or are these just things that come with running?What is your take on bicarb? Does it really make a difference and do you recommend it for high school athletes?I’m a high school swimmer and I’...31. Natalie Rizzo (Greenletes)
This episode is an interview with NYC based RD, Natalie Rizzo. Natalie is the owner of Greenletes, a plant-based sports nutrition company, and she works primarily with plant-based athletes to help them learn how to fuel for health and performance on a plant-based diet. She has her Master's in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Columbia University and is the author of the cookbook Planted Performance. Natalie has been a vegetarian herself for over 15 years, and has completed 2 marathons and over 20 half marathons. She's also a mom to 2 boys.
In this episode, we talk about:
How Natalie...Q&A With Maddie - 28
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I prefer not to weigh myself or know my weight, how do I go about telling my doctor I don’t want to be weighed or see my weight?I’m a high school runner and I haven’t PR’d since my freshman year. I still have my period and feel like I’m getting stronger, so I question whether or not it’s fueling related. Do you have any advice?I’m a collegiate h...30. Bailey Kowalczyk
Today’s episode is an interview with Boulder local and professional trail runner for Nike, Bailey Kowalczyk. Bailey grew up in upstate New York where she discovered her love for running. She committed to running for Clemson in college, but right before her arrival the coaching staff underwent a complete change that ultimately ended with her struggling as a collegiate runner. Bailey ended up leaving Clemson and moving to Boulder, where she became a full time student at CU and put running on the back burner. She re-discovered her passion for the sport after some time away, and ultimately we...
Q&A With Maddie - 27
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I’m a collegiate runner and want to know how to fuel for 3k, 5k and 10k races. Do you have any tips, especially when it comes to hydration as I tend to get a sloshy stomach before my races?I’m a collegiate runner and recently learned that I’ve been under fueling. I usually eat when I’m hungry, but now I know I need more fuel than that. Do you have a fue...29. Special Episode with Maddie & Alexa
This week is a special episode of The Fueling Forward Podcast where you get to hear from the Fueling Forward dietitians, Maddie Alm and Alexa Efraimson. After a listener asked to hear our stories, we decided to interview each other so you can learn more about the dietitians behind Fueling Forward.
In today’s episode we talk about:
How Alexa got her start in running, going pro right out of high school and running the American junior record in the 1500How Maddie went from a walk on to an All-American while at the University of ColoradoWhat Al...Q&A With Maddie - 26
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I’ve been struggling with a bone stress injury since June 2025 and have been mostly cross training. I’m struggling with body image and acknowledging that I still need to fuel. Do you have any advice?I know I should fuel with carbs before a run, but should I also be fueling before strength training sessions? If so, what would be a good example?I’m a high school runner trying to dial in my nu...28. Jessica Dorrington
This episode is an interview with runner and pelvic floor PT, Jessica Dorrington. Jess grew up in North Dakota, where she fell in love with running and went on to run at the collegiate level. Through her experience with injuries, she was inspired to pursue a career in physical therapy. She went on to get her Master's in Physical Therapy, and became a Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist and Certified Manual Physical Therapist. Throughout her time as a PT, she discovered that she was passionate about pelvic floor health and became Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certified, a certification that only 150 practitioners...
Q&A With Maddie - 26
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
My husband and I are both former collegiate athletes and have noticed our bodies shifting as we enter our 30's. Is this normal, and if so can you explain the science behind why this might be happening?I recently learned that calcium can block iron as well as other things. How do you recommend splitting it up at meals and with other supplements?My daughter has to take thyroid medication in the morning an...27. Amy Haas
This episode is an interview with runner and coach, Amy Haas. Amy is from Columbus, Ohio and is better known on Instagram as Race Across the States because she has completed a half marathon in every single state. In addition to that accomplishment, she is also a sub 3 hour marathoner as well as a running and strength coach. Amy is expecting her first baby due in a few weeks, and has been able to train and even race throughout her pregnancy.
In today's episode, we talk about:
How Amy discovered her love for running, and how...Q&A With Maddie - 25
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners. Today's episode starts off with a fun personal announcement đź‘€.
Questions for today’s episode include:
Can you talk about how to fuel when you’re sick, and also maybe how to decide if you should train or rest when sick?You mentioned in a previous episode that high hamstring and plantar fasciitis injuries are often related to under fueling. Can you talk more about why that is?I really struggle with hydration in the winter. Do you have any tips or...26. Shannon Rowbury
This episode is an interview with American middle distance running great, Shannon Rowbury. Shannon grew up in San Francisco, where she switched from Irish Dance to running. She found herself on a full ride scholarship to Duke, and was offered a professional contract with Nike out of college. During her professional career, Shannon was an 8 time member of Team USA, including a 3 time Olympian. She was the American record holder in the 1500, running a time of 3:56, and has won 3 bronze medals: one at the 2009 World Championships, one at the 2016 Indoor World Championships, and as of recently was upgraded to...
Q&A With Maddie - 24
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.
Questions for today’s episode include:
I'm in a busy phase of life and am eating more convenience foods. Is there a difference between eating convenience vs. whole foods, and are there convenience foods that are better than others?I took some time off of running and noticed that I was feeling super hungry. Can you explain what might be going on in my body and do you have any advice for what I should do during the rest of...25. Pippa Woolven
This episode is an interview with UK based runner, Pippa Woolven. Pippa grew up in the UK and found her way into the sport of running. She was offered a scholarship to compete at the D1 level with Florida State University, where she found herself struggling with food and body image. After a decline in her health and performance left her unable to train or compete and with no diagnosis from doctors, Pippa did her own research and discovered she was likely suffering from RED-S. She went on to recover through the help of medical professionals, and went on...
Q&A With Maddie - 23
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners. This is the first episode of 2026 and start of season 2 of the podcast!
Questions for today’s episode include:
Can you talk more about collagen and when someone might benefit from using it?I lost weight last track season and ran a PR. I then lost my period and am now underweight, which I know isn’t sustainable, but I can’t help but associate my performance with weight loss. Do you have any advice on how to change my min...Q&A With Maddie - 22
This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners. This is also the season finale for the 2025 season of The Fueling Forward Podcast! Thank you so much to everyone who has been listening and submitting questions, I can't wait to come back in January of 2026 with more episodes for you. At the end of this episode, I give some bonus tips on navigating the holidays.
Today's questions include:
I have been dealing with muscle soreness after doing PT, are there any foods that could help me like anti-inflammatory...