This is the fifty-sixth edition of The Duluth Runner Interview Series, where I get in touch with (mainly) local runners and athletes to share a bit of their story while inspiring others to pursue an active lifestyle.
Intro
“Hi! I’m Alex Larson and here’s my story as a very average runner, an okay-triathlete and and a one-woman-show business owner as a dietitian nutrition coach for endurance athletes.
My athlete journey started in college. I broke my foot in a horse riding accident and had an external fixator put into my foot (the thing where pins are screwed into the bone and then stick OUT OF THE FOOT!). I called myself frankenfoot. Once I got the ex fix taken out, I decided to start swimming lap at the college pool. I got pretty good at swimming and after graduation decided to train for the Brewhouse Triathlon back when it was at Pike Lake. Two years later and I was living in Winona, Minnesota where they have a very active community and I got further hooked on triathlons.
I love challenging myself, so every year I’d race longer distances and eventually in 2014 I did Ironman Wisconsin. It was crossing the finish line of that race that was my inspiration to eventually launch Alex Larson Nutrition LLC and work with endurance athletes to help them improve their performance and body composition with a flexible eating strategy.
In current day, I now live in Esko with my husband, two young boys and our furry 4-legged animals, and after a 5-year hiatus of infertility treatment and raising babies I finally got back out on the race course in 2021 with the Garry Bjorklund half marathon. It wasn’t a pretty race for me, but it felt good to do something for myself after becoming a mom.”
Today’s guest is…Alex Larson!
Interview
Why is endurance training important to you?
Running was important to me to keep myself and those around I’m generally a happier person when I’m active. It’s a stress reliever for me, and I love a good challenge. It’s also a social thing for me to do. It feels less like work if I can chat with a friend during a run.
What are the top two or three things that you do to prevent injury? Have you been susceptible to certain injuries in the past?
When I trained for Ironman Wisconsin I dealt with a variety of minor issues. I tried to get a sports massage every 6 weeks which helped a lot (I’m not great about foam rolling), but I had a terribly sore IT band in the month leading up the race so I probably should have gotten massages more frequently when I was peaking at 18-hours of week of training. Now that I’m older and wiser I do have some injury prevention tips:
- Strength training. Even just 15 minutes of resistance training 2-3x/week can make a big difference in helping prevent muscle strains for runners.
- Hydration. The general recommendation is to drink at least half your weight in ounces in a day. During workouts a good starting point is to consume 4-8 oz of fluids every 15-20 minutes.
- Eating enough! I see athletes under fueling all the time and when you’re not fueling properly it puts a lot of stress on the body. For those that are training daily or even two-a-days, under fueling makes it difficult for your muscles to recover and rebuild quickly enough and puts them at risk for strains and damage. Especially for women who are over training and under eating and then lose their period, that’s not a good sign and puts you at risk for stress fractures.
- Collagen. There is some really promising research on collagen for athletes and supporting muscle and other connective tissues. Especially when in the early stages of training (when you’re most prone for injury) it’s not a bad idea to take a collagen supplement. With any sport supplements I like them to have 3rd party testing such as NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Choice for Sport. The research recommends 15-20 g of collagen consumed about 40-60 minutes prior to exercise (the length of time it takes to get to the bloodstream), and combined with vitamin C will help with absorption.
You are a performance nutrition coach, please describe your general philosophy when it comes to nutrition, and what lead you to that type of coaching?
This may sound weird, but restrictive diets just hurt my soul. I love food and I never want to tell someone they can’t eat something. So my general philosophy is that all foods can fit into a healthy, balanced diet. There’s no quick fixes or silver bullets when it comes to nutrition, and it’s highly individualized. Everyone has different factors that can play into how they eat, and I love working with that.
And with endurance athletes I enjoy helping them discover a flexible eating style that they can sustainably maintain and see results. My favorite results is hearing them talk about having more energy, better workouts, PRs in their races and feeling confident in their body composition.
To find that flexible eating style, it takes time which is why I offer on-going nutrition coaching. My clients are with me for anywhere from 4-12 months as it’s a journey of self-discovery and creating habits that they feel really really confident in maintaining long term when they graduate from my program.
You recently transitioned to nutrition coaching full-time (CONGRATULATIONS!!), describe some of the thoughts/feelings you experienced leading up to, and now since making that transition.
Thank you! This has been my dream! I had been doing this as a side job since 2018, but in February this year I sat down with my husband and said I’m gonna double down my efforts and make it happen. By August I reached a point where it was time to take the leap to full time! I realized I would never feel 100% ready to make the jump, so it is definitely a leap of faith in myself.
So I’m currently a mixed bag of feeling over-the-moon with excitement to absolutely terrified!
Who is in your workout support group (training partners, people to bounce ideas off of, etc.)?
I usually have my golden retriever, Ellie, with me, but she broke her foot this spring so she’s just started to get strong enough again to go longer distances again with me.
I’ve slowly been building myself an awesome support group of other women runners around Esko. It starts with Alissa Anderson (Interview #32) and Nichole Schmidt who work at the school and we all send our kids to the same daycare. During the school year we usually run a couple times a week after school and then swing by daycare to pick up kids by 4:30.
This past winter I joined my cousin’s wife, Stef Biebl and her group throughout the winter months on the trail. Trail running is very humbling. While I’ll likely never be a great trail runner I love having access to so many amazing trails in the area.
And just this summer I got connected with my neighbor, Amanda Sutherland, who runs and has kids the same age as mine! I always love meeting new people that enjoy running.
Any future races on your calendar?
I am signed up for the Grand Traverse 10 miler, and I’m open to trying out the Garry Bjorklund half marathon again in 2022 to beat my 2021 finish time!
Do you prefer running, biking, or swimming, and why?
Oh man, good question. When I did triathlons, swimming was probably my favorite as that was my best of the three sports. I always feel really good after a swim and it’s what got me started into this active lifestyle from the get-go. When my kids are older I definitely want to get back in triathlons, and possibly do another Ironman. For the time being, I’m hoping to learn to be a stronger runner since that’s the easiest to fit into a busy schedule with young kids.
What do you think about while you train?
If I’m training alone. Everything. This year it’s been ideas for nutrition content ideas for my email list or Instagram, or working through issues my clients are dealing with and how I can best support them.
But I try to train with a friend so usually just chatting it up about life. Though with Alissa and Nichole it’s a lot of conversations about psychology and kids, so that has become a new fascinating topic for me to think about.
Name one racing experience you would like to forget (please describe).
The only race I had a DNF (Did Not FInish) was the Duluth Triathlon in 2014, a 70.3 distance race, I was dumb and scheduled the race the same day as my sister’s bridal shower in Cloquet. So I had to call it quits half way through the run so that I had enough time to wash up (in the lake) and get changed to head to the shower. It was stressful. I chalked it up to a good training workout and an opportunity to practice some race nutrition for Ironman Wisconsin.
What is something non-running related you would like to share with readers?
Bah! What to write! Here is some randomness facts about me:
- I’m left handed.
- I can’t stand the taste of kale. I’m prepared it many different ways and it’s just not gonna happen. Food should first and foremost always taste good. If you don’t like it, then don’t eat it.
- I love pancakes. I tried for years to recreate The Family Tradition’s famous pancakes until my husband eventually told me to “stop f@cking with the pancakes” because he really liked the recipe I had created. My recipe tastes pretty darn similar, just not quite as thin in texture. And, I’m pretty sure mine are a little healthier so I’m at peace with it.
- I met a 16 year old boy when I was 14 and knew pretty quickly that I was gonna marry him someday. Turns out I was right! We started dating a few years after we met, dated 10 years and have been married for 7 and have two kids.
- And lastly, when it comes to nutrition: don’t strive for perfection as the perfect diet does not exist. Focus on making progress. Continuing to learn more and learning more about your body and not to fuel it best. There is no one-sized-fits-all diet for athletes.
Closing
Many thanks to Alex for agreeing to stop by Duluth Runner and share some of her knowledge/experiences with everyone. I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Interview Series – stick around for more to come!