Welcome to the Running Explain podcast. I'm Elizabeth, a marathoner, running coach, and answer seeker.

When I became a new runner at the age of 29, I had so many questions, but it felt like I was on my

own to figure all of the answers. So now I'm here to answer all your running questions to help make

you a better, smarter,

faster, runner. There's no question too simple and no topic too complex. So let's get started.

My guest this week is sports dietitian Megan Featherston of Featherstone Nutrition. She's been

working for the last 13 years to help her clients find their happy place with nutrition, exercise, body composition, and life.

But her recent client history has been working with endurance athletes, specifically runners, to help them fuel their biggest and baddest goals.

In our discussion today, we are talking specifically about gastric issues GI issues gastrointestinal

distress whether it's nausea or pooping what you don't want to or just the general discomfort

that can come with having a GI tract that is unhappy. So if you've ever had an unplanned

bathroom break during a run or a race or you are experiencing recurring

issues that are actually interfering with your training, this episode is definitely for you.

Megan, welcome to the show. I'm excited to have you here. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here,

Elizabeth. So go ahead, tell us your origin story. Tell us how you became a runner and how you ended up as a

sports dietitian. Oh, man. Well, my first road race ever was a marathon. And that's kind of how we

have to lead here, right? So I grew up playing sports, but I always said that I only ran if I was

chasing a ball. So I played field hockey, which is ridiculous because I'm 5-11. So then I played

lacrosse, and that was a little better match for my stature. But I was always the runner.

I was always the midfielder. I was the one who did all the running. So I think it was probably

a natural segue to then starting to run when, you know, we're done with school and we don't have our organized sports, but we want to stay fit. So I, one of the girls that I played field hockey with actually ran the New York City Marathon. And she was always the one that took the group and hid in the woods and didn't actually run. And I was always the one who only had like two people with them because they were like, no, Megan really is going to run. And I was like, oh, man, if she can do it, I can do it. So, you know, there we go. And I signed up for the Cleveland Marathon that was 2009 and went through Hal Higden's free training plan and hopped out there and ran a 357 for my first marathon.

Congratulations, that four-hour barrier.

...