Episode 156: Megan Roche on Finding Your Why, Female Athlete Considerations, and So Much More!

Megan is a five-time national trail running champion, a North American Mountain Running Champion, and a six-time member of Team USA. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in Neuroscience and received her MD from Stanford Medical School. At Stanford, she is currently doing a PhD in epidemiology, focusing on RED-S and sports injury. Megan is also a coach for the Some Work, All Play running team. We bring Megan Roche on this episode to chat all about female athlete considerations, energy deficiency/availability, psychological and physiological aspects of training, and much more. Questions and topics we dive into with Megan include: Her collegiate athletic and running background, intro into the trails, coaching, etc. What led her into pursuing her MD and studies in epidemiology Running as a female- understanding our menstrual cycle, hormones, and any other things to note, with our training Within-day-energy deficiency -- article by you and David; research study findings (study referenced here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29205517/) Writing The Happy Runner: “love the process, get faster, and run farther”... what are some keys to doing all three of these? Other major takeaways and cliff notes? Mileage of runs (weekly and in a long run) to build up to one's first ultra How to break through periods where you seem to plateau How neuromuscular fatigue and recovery play a role in our training (the basics, as I know this is a complex topic :) What are some best practices when starting to coach athletes as a running coach? What does being a Strong Runner Chick mean to you? Connect with Megan: @meg_runs_happy (IG) The Happy Runner (Megan's book, co-authored with David Roche) SWAP: Some Work, All Play (website, coaching, and podcast with Megan & David Roche!) Shoutout to FEM Protein Powder for sponsoring this episode! Use code "STRONGRUNNERCHICKS" for 15% off your order! In addition, join us for our first-ever VIRTUAL Trail Running Women Summit on February 27th-28th with CHASKI Endurance! Register HERE and save 30% off with code "antisana".