127: Fueling For Athletic Longevity + Postpartum Performance

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with Olympian and one of America’s top distance runners ever Molly Huddle. Molly is also a new mom to daughter Jojo and passionate advocate of women's sports. Having competed consistently at the elite level for over 20 years, Molly’s career is one of longevity and sustained success: we begin this episode talking all about longevity in sports, debunking myths about aging and postpartum performance. Molly and I talk about nutrition and injury prevention strategies for sustained success, and Molly shares some of the nutrition lessons she’s learned along the way. We discuss the topics of “race weight” and body standards in sports, reminding listeners that your “ideal body” is the result of optimal fueling, training, and recovery: performance is not determined by how you look. We talk about “How She Did It”, the incredible book Molly wrote with fellow professional runner Sara Slattery, guest on Female Athlete Podcast episode 107: Strategies for Sustained Success + Peak Performance from a National Champion. Molly speaks to the power of role models demonstrating longevity in professional athletics, and we highly recommend you check out the book yourself! Find more about Molly’s book “How She Did It” at https://howshediditbook.com/  Follow Molly on Instagram @mollyhuddle and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition  We have a huge announcement! We are launching patreon! Female Athlete Nutrition podcast patreon is now LIVE and we are excited to offer our community unique perks. Join today and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to Patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition  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! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com/riseup for 20% off the entire store for a limited time only! THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp  Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order In this episode we talk about: 3:00 Longevity and consistency in running  7:15 Rethinking aging and postpartum performance 11:30 Postpartum nutrition  18:45 Fuelling lessons learned from Molly’s younger years: protein, iron, snacks vs proper meals 27:00 Injury prevention and recovery 29:30 Debunking race weight and “looking fit” 35:00 Different body shapes and sizes in sports: peak performance has no look  39:00 "How She Did It" book by Molly Huddle and  Sara Slattery: sharing stories of female athletes and experts to help others succeed 45:00 End of the podcast questions