Endurance Eats

Welcome to the Endurance Eats podcast! This is your go-to safe space to learn about all things nutrition and endurance performance. Get ready for a journey packed with science-backed strategies, practical tips, and inspiring guests to revolutionize the way you think about fueling your body. Whether you're a seasoned triathlete, a newbie runner, or a veteran cyclist, this podcast is for you.

Endurance Eats is a health podcast hosted by Alex Larson, with 73 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Alex Larson hosts Endurance Eats, a health show with 73 episodes published.

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  Episode #73

  73: The Racing Mistakes We’d Never Make

  Sep 30, 202639 minS4

  You can know exactly what you’re supposed to do as an endurance athlete… and still get it wrong. I’m a dietitian, but I’m also human first. And after years of triathlon, running, gravel racing, and now mountain biking, I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. So have Hanna and Mary. In this episode of the Endurance Eats Podcast, Team HAM is back! Hanna, Alex, and Mary are looking back at years of training and racing to answer one question: If we could do it all over again, what would we do differently? We’re talking about everything from running a first marathon on basically no fuel (yes, really) to underfueling Ironman training, learning how to fuel a finicky gut, and realizing that sometimes the biggest thing holding you back has nothing to do with fitness. Because endurance sports teach you a lot. Fueling matters. Recovery matters. Mental preparation matters. But so does knowing when to push, when to back off, and how to keep the sport you love actually enjoyable. What You’ll Learn What I would completely change about how I trained and fueled for Ironman Wisconsin Why knowing how to fuel and actually practicing your fueling are two very different things How endurance fueling has changed since our early racing days Why Hanna once felt like taking fuel during training was almost “cheating” The fueling mistake that can happen when you’re feeling too good during a race Why your recovery nutrition can determine what you get out of your next workout How Mary learned what works for her finicky gut through years of trial and error Why Hanna says her biggest do-over might actually be mental preparation—not nutrition How we think about training during busy, stressful, or ridiculously hot seasons of life Why “maintenance is a win” can be one of the smartest approaches to long-term training The importance of focusing on what you can control on race day Why preserving the joy of your sport might matter more than forcing yourself through another training block And yes, somehow we also get into mountain biking, slow walkers, candy corn, and whether mellowcreme pumpkins count as endurance fuel. It’s Team HAM. What did you expect? Want to fuel your training and racing with more confidence? Explore Alex Larson Nutrition programs and one-on-one support: https://alexlarsonnutrition.com Connect with Me: Follow along for more practical sports nutrition and fueling support: Instagram: @alexlarsonnutrition Website: alexlarsonnutrition.com Work with Alex Larson Nutrition: https://alexlarsonnutrition.com/ Check out our endurance nutrition tools and resources Don’t Forget to Subscribe! Click that follow button to stay updated on future episodes packed with actionable insights and expert advice for endurance athletes. Leave a quick review to help more endurance athletes find the show Have Questions or Suggestions? Send me a message , and I might cover it in a future episode! This episode of Endurance Eats is brought to you by Alex Larson’s 1:1 Nutrition Coaching. If you’ve ever wondered, Am I eating enough? Am I fueling this right? Why do I still feel tired? you’re not alone. Alex Larson Nutrition helps endurance athletes cut through the confusion and build a fueling plan that actually works for their training, lifestyle, and goals. You can learn more at alexlarsonnutrition.com . This Episode is Brought to You By Carb Culture Shop Grab your merch from the shop with saying that endurance athletes just get! This episode is brought to you by Thorne. Shop Thorne Supplements and get 15% off https://www.thorne.com/u/alexlarsonnutrition

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  Episode #72

  72: Is Stress Wrecking Your Training? What the Data Says and What to Do About It

  Sep 23, 202644 minS4

  Stress is higher. Life feels heavier. And if your training, recovery, nutrition, or patience feels different lately…you’re probably not imagining it. In this episode of the Endurance Eats Podcast, I’m sitting down in person with returning guest Erin Ayala of Skadi Sport Psychology to talk about what increased stress actually does to us as athletes and why trying to simply “push through” isn’t always the answer. Erin and I recorded this one during a mini work-and-riding retreat in Cuyuna, Minnesota, after putting in plenty of miles on the bike (and after I got a very unexpected new max heart rate on some beginner singletrack ). But the real reason I wanted to have this conversation is something I’ve been noticing in my own work: this year feels different. I’ve seen more athletes dealing with stress, uncertainty, disrupted routines, and situations that make nutrition and training harder than usual. Erin has been seeing it too. So we’re digging into what happens when life stress piles on top of training stress and, more importantly, what you can actually do about it. We talk about adjusting expectations during high-stress seasons, why self-compassion isn’t the same as “going soft,” and how social connection can play a major role in resilience. Then we nerd out on heart rate variability (HRV) : what it actually measures, why you shouldn’t compare your HRV to someone else’s, and how Erin is using HRV biofeedback and breathing techniques to help athletes train their nervous systems. If you love data, endurance training, recovery, or understanding why your body is doing what it’s doing , you’re going to love this conversation. What You'll Learn Why increased life stress can change how you show up in training, nutrition, work, and relationships The connection between stress, loneliness, and recovery Why your usual training load might suddenly feel harder even when the workouts haven’t changed How to recalibrate your expectations instead of assuming you need more discipline or willpower The three pieces of self-compassion Erin wants athletes to understand Why social support can be a powerful tool for managing stress How coaches and providers can better support athletes during high-stress seasons What heart rate variability (HRV) actually tells you about your nervous system Why your personal HRV trends matter more than comparing your number to someone else’s How sleep, alcohol, training, illness, nutrition, and life stress can influence HRV RESOURCES: Skadi Sport Psychology: https://skadisportpsychology.com American Psychological Association Stress in America survey Follow Skadi Sport Psychology on Instagram Connect with Me: Follow along for more practical sports nutrition and fueling support: Instagram: @alexlarsonnutrition Website: alexlarsonnutrition.com Work with Alex Larson Nutrition: https://alexlarsonnutrition.com/ Check out our endurance nutrition tools and resources Don’t Forget to Subscribe! Click that follow button to stay updated on future episodes packed with actionable insights and expert advice for endurance athletes. Leave a quick review to help more endurance athletes find the show Have Questions or Suggestions? Send me a message , and I might cover it in a future episode! This episode of Endurance Eats is brought to you by Alex Larson’s 1:1 Nutrition Coaching. If you’ve ever wondered, Am I eating enough? Am I fueling this right? Why do I still feel tired? you’re not alone. Alex Larson Nutrition helps endurance athletes cut through the confusion and build a fueling plan that actually works for their training, lifestyle, and goals. You can learn more at alexlarsonnutrition.com . This Episode is Brought to You By Carb Culture Shop Grab your merch from the shop with saying that endurance athletes just get! This episode is brought to you by Thorne. Shop Thorne Supplements and get 15% off https://www.thorne.com/u/alexlarsonnutrition

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  Endurance Eats

  70: What’s Not Being Said About Women’s Sports (ft. pro athletes Dakotah Popehn, Chelsea Sodero, Cécile Lejune)

  Sep 9, 202616 min

  What does it actually mean to be a woman in endurance sports right now? I’ve been thinking about this episode for more than a year, and I knew I didn’t want it to be another conversation focused only on the challenges women face. So I asked three incredible professional female endurance athletes the same four questions and their answers went in directions I think we all need to hear. Because what our bodies can do is a whole lot more interesting than what they look like. In this special episode of the Endurance Eats podcast, I’m bringing together three professional athletes from three different corners of endurance sport: Olympic marathoner Dakota Popane, 2022 IRONMAN World Champion Chelsea Sodaro, and professional gravel cyclist Cecile Lejeune. We talk about what they love about being women in sport, how they wish we talked about female athletes differently, the conversations our sports still aren’t having enough, and what they want the next generation of girls and women to know about performance and body image. We also get into the media’s fixation on female athletes’ bodies, the need for more women-specific sports research, motherhood and professional sport, athletic longevity, and why preserving the joy of sport matters. These are three very different perspectives and that’s exactly what makes this conversation so good. What You’ll Learn Why getting beaten by a woman should never be treated as an insult and what that attitude says about the way we still view women’s performance What Dakota, Chelsea, and Cecile genuinely love about being women in endurance sports Why the conversation around female athletes needs to move beyond weight and appearance and toward performance, preparation, tactics, and mindset What the coverage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes revealed about the way we talk about women’s bodies in elite sport Why women-specific research still has a long way to go and why better research matters for athletes at every level How pregnancy, motherhood, sponsorships, and professional sport collide in ways we still aren’t talking about enough Why longevity shouldn’t mean only staying physically healthy, it should include protecting your mental health and your joy in sport What some of the best women in endurance sports want younger female athletes to understand about their bodies Why helping the next generation develop a healthier relationship with food and body image starts with what we model for them The reminder I hope every athlete takes from this episode: being strong, powerful, and capable matters so much more than chasing a certain appearance Resources Mentioned Dakota Popane — Endurance Eats Episode 47 Chelsea Sodaro — Endurance Eats Episode 56 Cecile Lejeune — Endurance Eats Episode 33 Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan — Endurance Eats Episodes 25 & 26 : Follow Dakota Popane Follow Chelsea Sodaro Follow Cecile Lejeune Connect with Me: Follow along for more practical sports nutrition and fueling support: Instagram: @alexlarsonnutrition Website: alexlarsonnutrition.com Work with Alex Larson Nutrition: https://alexlarsonnutrition.com/ Check out our endurance nutrition tools and resources Don’t Forget to Subscribe! Click that follow button to stay updated on future episodes packed with actionable insights and expert advice for endurance athletes. Have Questions or Suggestions? Send me a message This episode of Endurance Eats is brought to you by Alex Larson’s 1:1 Nutrition Coaching. If you’ve ever wondered, Am I eating enough? Am I fueling this right? Why do I still feel tired? you’re not alone. Alex Larson Nutrition helps endurance athletes cut through the confusion and build a fueling plan that actually works for their training, lifestyle, and goals. You can learn more at alexlarsonnutrition.com . This Episode is Brought to You By Carb Culture Shop Grab your merch from the shop with sayings that endurance athletes just get! This episode is brought to you by Thorne. Get 15% off Thorne Supplements

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  Episode #69

  69: The Food and Sleep Connection: What the Science Says

  Sep 2, 202644 minS4

  What if eating better could actually help you sleep better and sleeping better could make it easier to fuel your body well? It turns out these two things are way more connected than most athletes realize. And if you’ve ever noticed that you’re absolutely ravenous after a terrible night of sleep…there’s a reason for that. In this episode, I’m joined by nutrition and sleep researcher Marie-Pierre St-Onge to dig into the fascinating, bi-directional relationship between sleep and nutrition. Marie-Pierre’s background is in nutrition, and her research explores how sleep duration, diet quality, meal timing, and other lifestyle factors influence energy balance and cardiometabolic health. She’s also the co-author of Eat Better, Sleep Better . And I loved this conversation because it confirms something my team and I see with our endurance athletes all the time: when we improve how an athlete fuels during the day, sleep often improves right along with it. We talk about what happens to hunger when you’re sleep deprived, why eating more earlier in the day may benefit both sleep and metabolic health, and what athletes with evening workouts can do when training and bedtime are uncomfortably close together. We also get into magnesium, tart cherry juice, melatonin, sleep trackers, women’s hormonal changes, and why your watch’s sleep score shouldn’t necessarily dictate how you feel about your day. What You’ll Learn Why sleep and nutrition have a bi-directional relationship , meaning poor sleep can change how you eat, while what you eat may also affect how well you sleep What happens to hunger and satiety hormones when you’re sleep deprived and why you may legitimately feel hungrier after a rough night Why overeating after several nights of poor sleep isn’t necessarily a willpower problem and what I want you to get curious about instead What researchers found when people restricted their sleep by about 90 minutes for six weeks Why a higher-quality diet with more fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains, nuts, and seeds is associated with better sleep The fascinating connection between eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and less fragmented sleep Why I’m such a fan of front-loading nutrition How eating later in the day may affect your body’s ability to wind down for sleep What the research actually says about magnesium, tart cherry juice, melatonin, and GABA for sleep Why consistent bedtimes and wake times matter and how “social jet lag” can affect your health and eating patterns How hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle and the menopause transition may influence women’s sleep Why your Garmin, Apple Watch, Oura Ring, or other sleep tracker can be useful data but shouldn’t override how you actually feel Resources Mentioned Marie-Pierre St-Onge’s website Marie-Pierre St-Onge on LinkedIn Eat Better, Sleep Better by Marie-Pierre St-Onge and Kat Craddock Marie-Pierre St-Onge’s interview on the Huberman Lab podcast Connect with Me: Instagram: @alexlarsonnutrition Website: alexlarsonnutrition.com Don’t Forget to Subscribe! Click that follow button to stay updated on future episodes packed with actionable insights and expert advice for endurance athletes. Have Questions or Suggestions? Send me a message , and I might cover it in a future episode! This episode of Endurance Eats is brought to you by Alex Larson’s 1:1 Nutrition Coaching. If you’ve ever wondered, Am I eating enough? Am I fueling this right? Why do I still feel tired? you’re not alone. Alex Larson Nutrition helps endurance athletes cut through the confusion and build a fueling plan that actually works for their training, lifestyle, and goals. You can learn more at alexlarsonnutrition.com . This Episode is Brought to You By Carb Culture Shop Grab your merch from the shop with saying that endurance athletes just get! This episode is brought to you by Thorne. Shop Thorne Supplements and get 15% off https://www.thorne.com/u/alexlarsonnutrition

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  Episode #68

  68: Losing Weight During Race Season? What These Sports Dietitians Think

  Aug 26, 202641 minS4

  If your stomach always seems to betray you on race day, your gel might not actually be the problem. GI issues can come from how hard you're racing, what you ate the day before, dehydration, caffeine, nerves, travel, hormones, or even how you're carrying your fuel. In this episode, we’re breaking down the surprisingly long list of things that can send your gut sideways—and what you can do before race day to lower the odds of an emergency porta-potty stop. In this episode, Hanna, Mary, and I dig into why athletes experience nausea, reflux, cramping, loose stools, and other GI problems during endurance events and how we troubleshoot them with our athletes. We talk about everything from pre-race nerves and racing harder than you train to carb loading, fiber, caffeine, hydration, travel, hormones, and underlying physiological issues. Most importantly, we explain why there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Your best defense is practicing your strategy, paying attention to patterns, and creating a race-day plan that works for your gut. What You'll Learn Why your race pace—not your sports nutrition—might be behind your GI issues How nerves and adrenaline can completely change your appetite and ability to tolerate food Why B and C races—or full race-day simulations—can expose fueling problems before your A race How to practice fueling during hard efforts instead of always taking nutrition during recovery periods Why carb loading can backfire when fiber, fat, or fructose gets too high The surprisingly important connection between coffee, caffeine, and your pre-race bathroom schedule Why dehydration can wreak havoc on your gut during longer endurance events How travel, time zones, late race starts, and disrupted routines can change your digestion Why blindly copying a pro athlete’s caffeine or electrolyte strategy can be a recipe for trouble When persistent GI problems may have nothing to do with nutrition—and when it’s time to involve your healthcare team Resources Mentioned Precision Hydration sweat testing Previous carb-loading episode FREE Carb Loading 101 Guide https://alexlarsonnutrition.myflodesk.com/carb-loading If you’re experiencing chronic GI issues and can’t figure out what’s causing them, consider working with our team or another sports dietitian experienced in endurance nutrition: https://alexlarsonnutrition.com Connect with Me: Instagram: @alexlarsonnutrition Website: alexlarsonnutrition.com Don’t Forget to Subscribe! Click that follow button to stay updated on future episodes packed with actionable insights and expert advice for endurance athletes. Have Questions or Suggestions? Send me a message , and I might cover it in a future episode! This episode of Endurance Eats is brought to you by Alex Larson’s 1:1 Nutrition Coaching. If you’ve ever wondered, Am I eating enough? Am I fueling this right? Why do I still feel tired? you’re not alone. Alex Larson Nutrition helps endurance athletes cut through the confusion and build a fueling plan that actually works for their training, lifestyle, and goals. You can learn more at alexlarsonnutrition.com . This Episode is Brought to You By Carb Culture Shop Grab your merch from the shop with saying that endurance athletes just get! This episode is brought to you by Thorne. Shop Thorne Supplements and get 15% off https://www.thorne.com/u/alexlarsonnutrition

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