This week I have a bit of a different blog post for you in the form of an interview!
Recently one of my client’s Jennifer graduated from my care after an amazing 6 months working together and instead of writing about her experience over the past 6 months I decided it would be best she tell you herself!
Jennifer came to me about 9-10 months postpartum and was looking to get back into running ½ marathons. Her goal was to break her previous PR of 2 hours 15 minutes at the Austin ½ marathon in February of 2022. I am happy to report she did just that! However she accomplished so much more and overcame many more obstacles completely unrelated to her ½ marathon goals along the way.
In the interview we of course cover details about her diet and training (including how she transitioned to eating more carbohydrates), but more importantly we cover the mental battles she went through breaking long held beliefs about these topics. In addition we talk extensively about the challenges of being a new mom and also being an athlete. There is something for everyone in this interview.
Here is what Jennifer had to say about our experience working together:
“I worked with Ryan for 6 months and our short time working together was transformational for me. I came to him about 10 months postpartum with my first child wanting help with training for a half marathon. I ran a couple half marathons before my daughter was born and I wanted to get back into it but I knew that it would be more difficult this time navigating the stresses of being a new mom and breastfeeding. I also believed low carb/keto was the only healthy way to eat and demonized carbs as being unessential and what makes people sick. However, I didn’t feel good eating a keto diet anymore (fatigued, not sleeping well, poor performance gains) and didn’t know how to reconcile that to myself. I also thought the only way to train for a half marathon was to run high mileage 5-6 days a week, strength training is not important. Over our time together, Ryan completely changed my perception on pretty much everything. He taught me:
- Carbs are not the enemy but a tool. Increasing carbs improved my energy levels, sleep, and performance.
- Strength training is an essential component of training and yields tremendous benefits, you don’t need to run everyday. Strength training is what got me up all those steep hills in Austin!
- Give yourself some grace and trust your training! Progress is not always linear and don’t get stuck on your perception of the numbers.
All three of these things helped me reach my goals. I was able to achieve a PR in Austin, by far the hardest course I’ve ever ran. I’ve had a perceptible change in body composition. I’ve never felt or looked so strong before. Most of all, I have a much healthier relationship with food. There is no macro that I demonize but understand each is important in helping me achieve my athletic pursuits and feel my best. The most exciting part is that I was able to achieve all this while being a mom of a super sweet baby girl. Ryan is an awesome coach and I couldn’t have achieved these things without his knowledge and guidance.“
If you would like to get in contact with Jennifer you can reach out to her on Facebook or Instagram.
Of course if you are interested in working with me and seeing how you can achieve your goals and overcome your greatest challenges just like Jennifer you can schedule a discovery call with me so we can chat some more!