Meteor Rockstar, Steph K.
“I made the decision a while ago to invest in a running coach, however, I always thought that I could handle my own nutrition. After years of trying to navigate all of the information overload from online and having very limited success in both my running performance and feeling uncomfortable with my body, I decided to hire a professional! I was starting a new job (I am a fellow physician in the field of neonatology), studying to take my peds boards, trying to continue distance running, and getting married all within like 4 months of each other and all of that combined made me feel like I finally wanted to ask for help with my nutrition so I could stop trying to figure it out myself. I really felt like I needed help staying accountable to my nutrition for when work gets really busy. I also really wanted to work with someone that understands runners/athletes. Kelsey is an amazing athlete so I felt like I could tell her about how I was feeling with running and nutrition and she would really get it. I had been following Kelsey on Instagram for a while and really felt like I would click with her so I reached out.
Prior to working with Kelsey, I felt completely lost. I didn’t know how much I should be eating or what I should be eating to properly fuel for long-distance running. I also was TERRIFIED of eating carbohydrates.
My biggest frustration with my nutrition was I felt like I could be successful for a week or a few weeks but what I was doing was not sustainable. My weight also fluctuated so much which was pretty frustrating. I also had a lot of issues with GI upset while running and I didn’t know how to properly navigate that.
One of the biggest breakthroughs was learning that my body needed carbohydrates – but that I needed to pay attention to the portion size. We need all the food groups! I feel like I know now how to pair different food groups together for my specific needs. Kelsey also has helped me figure out WHY I was having certain cravings and how I could fuel my body properly, so I didn’t get those cravings. It was such a relief to be able to get through the day at work on high milage weeks and not feel like I was hungry and depleted. I started to feel stronger and more comfortable while running. More than once I tried to discredit how I was feeling poorly during a run the weekend prior as a fluke and Kelsey had me go over how I was feeling and came up with nutritional strategies for me to try (which worked) to improve my energy and how my stomach was feeling during my run. I was able to knock > 3 minutes off my half marathon PR by the end of the season while feeling strong throughout my race.
I am taking a break from the program this season since last season with Kelsey was a half marathon season and this season is another half marathon – but since the season started I have gotten back into my nutritional habits from last season. Kelsey helped me work on how to handle nutrition between seasons in December but now the last couple of weeks I have been getting back into performance plates and have been feeling pretty good. I have 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day. She gives ideas for when you’re busy and need something quick and also ideas for when you are feeling fancy and want to make full recipes. I am planning my next full in Spring 2022 and hope to work with Kelsey again for that!!
If you are considering working with Kelsey, I say do it! Nutrition is such a personal and important thing and everyone’s body has different needs. It is worth it to talk to a professional about your specific needs rather than google!”