Strong Runner Chick Radio – Megan Flanagan

SRC Radio by Strong Runner Chicks

Latest Episodes:

Episode 153: Keely Henninger, Nike Trail Athlete, on Prioritizing Health, Fueling Up, and Tackling the Trails Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Keely Henninger is a trail and ultra runner who loves to explore the mountains and seeks to educate, coach, and empower female athletes to be the best they can be. She has raced around the world, been on Team USA, named to the top 10 Ultra Runner of the Year, and holds multiple wins and national championship titles at prestigious races including Lake Sonoma and Chuckanut. However, at the end of the day, she still will never be faster or fitter than her pup, Jade.

Social: @runwidkeel

Topics & Questions we discuss include:

Keely's running background

Transition into trail running, first trail race, etc.

Body image and RED-S

Keely's personal journey with these topics
The role body image plays in our sport and larger society
What inspired Keely to write the post on TS and advocate for it on social media
What Keely has found helpful for helping to treat/prevent RED-S and help support positive body image in sport
How energy availability plays into this equation

Working full-time at Nike - both on and off the trails

What does being a biomechanics researcher involve?
Do you apply any of your research to your own running and vice versa?
How do you balance pro running with a full-time job?

Fun questions, etc.

Favorite trails in and around Portland? All-time?
Running with your dog... any tips on how to start, etc.?
Advice on a trail newbie just starting out on the trails?
Upcoming races on your calendar for this year? Any big lifetime running goals?
Favorite pre, post workout fuel and/or during the run?

Closing:

Advice you would give to your younger self?
What does being a Strong Runner Chick mean to you?

Additional resources (provided by Keely):

Fueling in ultras:

Tiller, N.B., Roberts, J.D., Beasley, L. et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 16, 50 (2019). https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-019-0312-9 i

Nutrition and Energy Deficiency:

Manore, Melinda. (2002). Dietary Recommendations and Athletic Menstrual Dysfunction. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 32. 887-901. 10.2165/00007256-200232140-00002. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8107410_Dietary_Recommendations_and_Athletic_Menstrual_Dysfunction

RED-S: https://www.verywellmind.com/eating-disorders-in-athletes-4777794

This episode's sponsor:

Shoutout to plant-based protein powder, FEM Protein for supporting this episode! Use code "STRONGRUNNERCHICKS" for 15% off your order. Visit FEMProteinPowder.com or @femproteinpowder on IG to learn more!

Episode 152: Research on Eating Disorders in Sport and Athletes with Dr. Paula Quatromoni Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Paula Quatromoni is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Boston University and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences. She is a Registered Dietitian, a senior consultant for Walden Behavioral Care, and one of the leading experts on eating disorders in athletes. Dr. Quatromoni's research includes a focus on eating disorder prevention and treatment. She has published several papers featuring both clinical care and qualitative research on recovery experiences of athletes. In 2004, she pioneered the sports nutrition consult service for student-athletes at Boston University. In 2016, she led the creation of the Walden GOALS program, an intensive outpatient program treating competitive athletes with eating disorders. Dr. Quatromoni earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Nutrition from the University of Maine and her Doctorate in Epidemiology from the Boston University School of Public Health.

Questions we ask Paul include:

How did you get into the field of nutrition? What inspired your research with student athletes?

How has COVID impacted your work and nutrition for individuals, communities, and/or athletes specifically?

Where do you see gaps in sports nutrition education, research, and/or dissemination?

In 2017, you were the PI on a research publication titled, “A Tale of Two Runners: A Case Report of Athletes’ Experiences with Eating Disorders in College.” This publication shared the story of two elite athletes, recruited to the same Division I institution track and field program. However, one athlete was a male and the other was a female.

Can you share with us some of the differences that the student-athletes experienced in their experiences with their eating disorders due to gender differences?

When it comes to RED-S and/or eating disorders in sport, what are some red flags you encourage coaches, parents, and/or athletes to look for?

You contributed to a post titled, “3 Ways Coaches Can Help Prevent Eating Disorders in Athletes” on Running in Silence, a platform created by Rachael Steil. What are a few ways you see coaches and/or parents play a key role in preventing and addressing eating disorders?

References:

What Made Maddy Run - Book by Kate Fagan

Nancy Clark Sports Nutrition Guidebook

RED-S - IOC Consensus Statement: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/7/491

Episode 151: Year-End Recap, Including 2020 Highlights, Lessons, and Intentions for the 2021 New Year! Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

Happy New Year, SRC! We made it to 2021, and wow, has this past year been a doozy! While it's certainly brought its challenges, it's also taught us a lot of lessons that we can bring into the New Year. Join Megan, Kelsey, and Elena as they recap some of their favorite standout episodes from SRC Radio (guests, we love you ALL!) and share some of the lessons and intentions they are bringing into the New Year. You'll also hear a bit about what to expect from SRC and how you can join in!

First SRC event of the year:

Join us this Sunday, January 3rd at 4pm PST, 7pm EST for a Vision Boarding & Intention-Setting Workshop.

Episode 150: Hilary Spires of Trail Running Women Podcast on Athletics, Mental Toughness, and More Dec 28, 2020

Show notes

Hilary is an all around sports junkie. Her perfect day would include running 50 miles, watching golf, talking baseball, and coaching hockey. Before she found endurance sports she played NCAA hockey, high level fast pitch and fought in kickboxing and BJJ. She married her ski bum husband in the beer garden in between games at a slo-pitch tournament in their dirty uniforms, and they now have a 1 year old toddler named Baker - after the mountain. She's run multiple ultras, has a handful of FKT's and is the host of The Trail Running Women podcast.

Episode 149: Jessica Rodarte on Mental Health Advocacy, Marathoning, and Running for a Reason Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

Jessica Rodarte was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her running journey started at the age of 5 when her parents signed her up for track and field. Running has always been a big part of her life. Her love for running has grown throughout the years and has led her to become a marathoner. Jessica signed up for her first marathon in 2015 which was the 30th Los Angeles Marathon. Since then she has run 5 marathons and 8 half marathons, and she has only just begun. In 2016, Jessica was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety. During those very dark days, running saved her life. Jessica has become a mental health advocate. She has been able to share her battle with depression and anxiety, as well as her love for running with people all over the world. She hopes that by sharing her story with people, it will inspire others to do the same.

Episode 148: Kristin LaFontaine on RED-S, Diet Culture, & Nutrition Education For Runners Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, we dive into RED-S and nutrition for runners, including the rundown on RED-S and how fueling properly can help prevent and/or address it. We also discuss Kristin's running background, as well as her business and how she helps educate runners on fueling to perform well and empower their bodies for sport.

Kristin LaFontaine is a health educator, nutrition coach, mama to a 15 month old son, and former collegiate distance runner turned marathoner. When Kristin looks back at the years she spent competing in both cross country and track in high school and college, she realizes that her relationship with food wasn't always healthy. Food was something to be earned, something to be burned off. She was limiting intake of certain foods or food groups was a misguided attempt to improve performance and achieve a certain body type. She often wonders why/how she developed such a disordered, unhealthy relationship with food. She realizes now that part of it was real or imagined external pressure to look a certain way, but part of it was that she just didn’t know better. When she was a teenager, no one taught her about nutrition. No one taught her how to properly fuel her body. Frankly, she didn’t know what she was doing. That gap in nutrition education still exists and Kristin is determined to fill that gap. In 2018, she quit her corporate marketing job, went back to school, and earned her Master of Science in Nutrition Education degree from American University.

From there, the Nourished Performance Program was born. Nourished Performance is a 100% online, video based nutrition education program designed to give young female athletes access to basic sports nutrition information. She hopes this program will find its way into the hands of as many young athletes as possible so that they are empowered to take control of their health and performance and understand how to properly fuel their bodies for sport. As a now 30-something, 20-time marathoner including one year of running one marathon every month, Kristin has seen first hand how vital proper fueling is to success.

Questions we cover with Kristin include:

How did you get started in running/athletics?
Journey into collegiate running - overall experience, burned out, under-fueled?
20-time marathoner -- including a whole year with a marathon each month! Tell us more about that!
RED-S -- big topic of discussion.
You write that “Food was something to be earned, something to be burned off. She was limiting intake of certain foods or food groups was a misguided attempt to improve performance and achieve a certain body type.” What do you think contributed to this?
How do social media and societal norms play a role in fueling decisions, food restrictions… and how is "diet culture" particularly detrimental for runners?
Nutrition education -- what is lacking in schools, what can be done?
The role you play in nutrition education and working with athletes;
“Education can make all the difference.”

Learn more about Kristin and her business below:

https://lafontainenutrition.com

Episode 147: Therese Haiss on Navigating Transitions, LGBTQ+ Athletes, and Coaching Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

More about Therese Haiss:

Pronouns: she/her
Ohio native (Cleveland area)
LGBTQ+ community member
OUTrun ambassador - platform helping with running inclusivity (focus on LGBTQ+ support)
Mental health and LGBTQ+ advocate
Collegiate and professional runner (University of Arkansas, Golden Coast Track Club)

Topics we discuss with Therese include:

Recent life updates and 2020 as a whole
How she got started in running
Her experience transferring in college to Arkansas in a big team environment versus a smaller school
Realities of professional running
1. Challenges with injury, finding identity outside of sport
Big life transitions, including a move from San Diego to Ohio, leaving professional running, and starting a new coaching career
Out Run and LGBTQ+ advocacy
Challenges with comparison and body image
What being a Strong Runner Chick means to her

Connect with Therese on social media (instagram):

@therese_haiss

@coach_haiss

Out Run:

Outrunning.com

Follow Addie + Cory

Episode 146: Katie Arnold, Author of "Running Home," on The Power of the Mind, Body, and Spirit Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Katie Arnold is an elite ultra runner and the 2018 women's champion of Leadville Trail 100 Run. She's also a contributing editor and former managing editor at Outside Magazine, where she worked on staff for 12 years and created and the popular Raising Rippers column about bringing up adventurous kids outdoors. She won the 2018 Jemez Mountains 50 Mile, 2014 TransRockies 3-Day Trail Run, Jemez Mountains 50K, the Mount Taylor 50K. She is two-time overall champion and course record holder at the Angel Fire 100K. Katie is a sponsored athlete for GU Energy Labs and Balega Socks. As part of her ongoing effort to encourage young athletes, she founded a children’s trail running club, gives motivational talks, and coaches girls’ lacrosse in Santa Fe.

In 2019, she published her first memoir, Running Home (Random House), chronicling her "accidental" discovery of ultra running as a way to process grief during her father's terminal diagnosis and death, while also navigating new motherhood, a health anxiety diagnosis, and working as a writer and editor at one of the outdoor industry's most well-respected magazines, Outside.

Questions we ask Katie include:

How did you get your start in running -- and how did this end up leading you to trail/ultra running, including becoming the 2018 Leadville Champion?
"Running Home" - discuss how and why she wrote the book -- from father’s terminal illness and death to motherhood, anxiety, and more. For listeners who have not yet read it, what makes this unique from the normal running novel?
In your book, you use running as a metaphor, muse, and path for many things, including: family, parenting, grief, losing yourself, finding yourself, and so much more. What has been one of the most prominent correlations you've seen between running and/or your own life?
What lessons did you learn throughout the process of writing a book and more specifically, a memoir? Any advice for an aspiring author?
What are a few of your all-time favorite places to run?
What advice would you give your younger self?
What does being a Strong Runner Chick mean to you?
How can listeners connect with you and what is next on your radar -- retreats, events, writing, races, etc.?

Connect with Katie:

— Follow Katie on Instagram and Twitter.

— Check out her website and learn more about her new book, Running Home.

Episode 145: Mireille Siné on Running with Lupus, Prioritizing her Health + Self-Care, Public Health, & The Power of Community Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

About Mireille:

I am a long distance runner based in Los Angeles. My runner's journey began after I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2013. This led me to gain control of my life and health while showing others that unfortunate circumstances don't have to stop you from achieving your goals. Since then, I've completed several marathons, half-marathons & a handful of ultra-trail marathons. I use my platform to advocate for running diversity, the empowerment of women and girls, and to raise awareness about our housing/homeless crisis + community health as I am also an MPH candidate. Over time, I've enjoyed sharing goals, ideas, personal stories, & insights with my followers!
Questions we ask her include:
• How and when did you get your start in distance/trail running?
• Having been diagnosed with Lupus, how has this experience affected you in gaining control of your life and health?
• How has this also informed and/or influenced your perspective on your health and achieving your goals?
• You currently are juggling running and school as well as other responsibilities. How do you find time to take care of yourself and be present in the work you are doing?
• What inspired you to pursue your MPH and become involved in the community work you do outside of running? What do you hope to use your MPH for in the future?
• How do you see social determinants of health (race, income, gender, etc.) tie into running?
• Tell us more about your running clubs in Los Angeles.
• You recently got a tattoo with the words, “Still I Rise” inspired by Maya Angelou’s Poem. What encourages you and empowers you through her words?
• What has been bringing you joy lately?
• Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self?
• What does being a Strong Runner Chick mean to you?

Connect with Mireille:

Instagram: @mireille.sine

Mentioned in the Episode:
Running Groups in LA: Blacklist + Lista

Episode 144: Bri Sullivan on Tackling Life's Mountains and Creating Community Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Bri Sullivan was born in a fly-over state and meant for the mountains!

Bri is a Storyteller | Trail Runner | Mountain Lover | Founder @_wildwomenrunning

Questions we ask Bri include:

We know that you haven’t always been a runner and even avoided running at all costs as you were a gymnast growing up. How did running help you to find your “why” and teach you to trust your body again?
Here at SRC, we talk a lot about embracing our strength, body image, and mental well-being. Is this something you have ever been challenged with, and if so, how have you found ways to help?
Tell us a little bit about your path into trail and/or ultra running.
You’ve started a pretty awesome community, Wild Women Running! Can you speak more on this, your group runs, and the role that community plays in running?
How have you adapted and/or stayed connected during COVID? How are you and the other women you train with staying motivated without many races on the calendar?
What does your life look like outside of running?
Any favorite trails in Arizona and/or races that you’ve done?
Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self?
What does being “Strong” mean / look like to you?

Books she recommends: