107: Strategies for Sustained Success + Peak Performance from a National Champion

Female Athlete Nutrition

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with former professional runner and NCAA D1 head coach, author and mom of two, Sara Slattery. This is a wide ranging conversation about cultivating lifelong athletes and the importance of optimizing health for performance at all ages. We discuss youth sports specialization and collegiate athletics, sharing tips for athletes and parents on how to create healthy habits and environments, as well as the importance of avoiding pitfalls like underfueling and RED-S. Sara and I talk about her own running career, from a successful junior athlete to NCAA champion, succeeding as a professional athlete and her postpartum comeback, and the challenges she faced along the way.

We discuss the incredible book Sara wrote with fellow professional runner Molly Huddle, “How She Did It”, and hear how we can all learn and benefit from the experiences of successful female athletes and experts. Sara and I emphasize the importance of creating healthy habits early on for peak performance and longevity in sports, the power of role models and a strong support system.

Follow Sara on Instagram @saraslattery and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition

Find more about Sara’s book “How She Did It” at https://howshediditbook.com/

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?

Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

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In this episode we talk about:

6:30 Sara's sporting childhood, starting with competitive swimming before falling in love with running

10:00 Early sport specialization and the importance of doing different activities

15:10 Learning how to fuel enough in high school, and different nutrition strategies as a swimmer and runner

17:35 Underfueling, amenorrhea and the birth control pill

22:20 Adjusting to college

24:40 Athletes come in different shapes and sizes, and there is more to peak performance than how you look

29:45 Men struggle with RED-S and underfueling too! Differences between the challenges male and female athletes face

30:30 Coaching male and female runners at the NCAA D1 level

35:15 Balancing family with athletics, pregnant and postpartum running, and Sara's comeback to professional running as a mom

41:25 Longevity in female runners and how motherhood changes your perspective

46:55 "How She Did It" book by Sara Slattery and Molly Huddle: sharing stories of female athletes and experts to help others succeed.

53:15 End of the podcast questions