UPDATE: October 6, 2019 – After nearly 2 years of working with Sarah then continuing to follow her advice, I just ran a new PR in the marathon of 4:16 – that’s a new PR by 14 minutes!!! I’m so pumped. Plus I just finished the North Face trail marathon 22 days ago. Not bad for my 4th marathon this year along 🙂
—
Working with Sarah has changed my life. Her coaching is not just about nutrition – it’s about mind, body and soul – and thanks to this approach, I have implemented what I believe are now life-long habits. These new habits I’ve developed with Sarah’s help are not only focused on the proper nutrition to fuel my body personally, but also to ensure I get enough sleep, hydrate properly and utilize stress management strategies. All of which have definitely helped with both my running performance and how I feel on a daily basis.
Before starting Eat 2 Run, I used marathon training and running in general to manage my weight. Yet my weight was the same no matter what I did, no matter how many miles I ran. And I always seemed to be hungry! I would routinely wake up in the middle of the night hungry. I constantly thought about food, what I was eating and how it would impact my weight. Tracking my calories versus my activity didn’t help. So my biggest hesitation in hiring Sarah was that getting a nutrition plan would amplify these issues and I would be hungry and even more consumed with thinking about food and eating.
Also, as the primary grocery shopper and meal planner, I also wanted to make sure that any nutrition program I took on would also benefit my husband and teenage son. It was important to me that they were happy eating the same food as me.
I need not have worried. Because of Sarah’s help with figuring out which foods are most appropriate for me and how to implement nutrient timing properly, I am no longer slave to the vicious cycle of under-consuming and then over-consuming. My hunger levels are constantly stable and thus, so are my energy levels. I feel lighter and leaner. The routine that she’s helped me to develop has taken the worry and thought out of food prep and eating – it’s simply automatic now. And I have expanded the variety of foods I eat.
In what was initially a surprising turn for me, I realized that my carb-heavy diet wasn’t doing me any favors, so Sarah taught me how to successfully transition to eating more foods rich in healthy fats. I’ve learned since then that I don’t need to eat as much food to be satisfied – it is all about what I eat and when I eat it.
I now feel that I have a good grasp on what foods to eat and when to eat them. And whereas I used to reach for processed snacks, I now make all of the food I eat. Sarah helped make that easy with her great recipe book! The recipes are amazing. My husband, who is also a runner, has secondarily benefited because just about every meal he eats includes part or all of her recipes. As has my teenager – who knew he would love the miso nut bowl? Or that he would eat mashed cauliflower (psst… he still thinks they are mashed potatoes).
The changes I made with Sarah’s help are numerous. I used to never be able to run without eating something prior to heading out – yet I now do fasted runs. I no longer have to consume large quantities of gels during long runs. Most days, I feel like I can go out and run and just keep running. After 11 months of working with Sarah, I can confidently say that am happily and successfully healthier and more metabolically efficient! And it feels good.
Working with Sarah was even more than I’d thought it was going to be thanks to her holistic approach. It really is so much more than just what you eat. She actually got me hooked on heart rate training – at times very frustrating, but I must say, it has been very beneficial. Since working with her, I shaved 7 minutes off of my ½ marathon PR.
As I enter the winter season this year, I do so with confidence. In the past winter has been synonymous with weight gain because the number of miles I run typically declines. This winter, however, is a different story. I feel confident that I won’t regain the weight I have lost since starting to work with her. My new habits are engrained. I don’t stress out about food and weight anymore. I feel confident in fueling going forward into next years training season.
Sarah’s coaching is priceless. My husband and I both feel like we will live longer because of her nutrition service. She was available and helpful any time I had a question. I am thrilled with my results so far and look forward to continuing to expand on what she’s taught me. I am also planning on running an ultra in 2019! Sarah has truly inspired me.
Megan Newport, Milwaukee WI
(winter to fall 2018 – nutrition coaching client)
UPDATE: May 12, 2019 – After using Sarah’s run coaching services for the past 4 months, I just ran my first ultra marathon!! I completed the Ice Age Trail 50k ultra in 6 hours and 28 minutes, and it felt good. And I’m so happy – I really feel that I did great out there, almost like I could have kept going 🙂
