🎙️ Episode Focus

The episode centers on a study titled: “NutritionEducation Curriculum Promotes Adolescent Runners’ Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, andIntake of Nutrient-Rich Carbohydrate Foods.”

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07315724.2021.2019139

👩‍⚕️ Guest: Dr.Michelle Barrack

• • Assistant Professor at Cal State Long Beach and a sports dietitian.• Passionate about working with high school endurance runners.• Her research focuses on nutrition’s role in energy availability, bone health, and injury prevention.

🧑‍🏫 Guest:Coach Brian Jefferson

• • Head boys track and field coach at Monona Grove High School, Wisconsin.• Emphasizes the importance of “little things” like nutrition in athlete development.• Interested in applying research findings to improve team performance.

🧪 Study Overview

• • Purpose: Evaluate a 4-week nutrition education program for adolescent runners.• Focus: Quality, quantity, and timing of nutrient-rich carbohydrate intake.• Participants: Male and female high school distance runners from two Southern California schools.• Sessions Included:1. Role of carbohydrates in training.2. How much carbohydrate runners need.3. Building performance plates.4. Nutrient timing for performance and recovery.

📊 Key Findings

• • Increased Knowledge: Significant gains in nutrition knowledge after the first two sessions.• Improved Self-Efficacy: Confidence in applying nutrition strategies increased across all four sessions.• Behavioral Changes: Athletes reported real-life changes like enhancing meals with more carbs (e.g., adding bananas to yogurt).• Engagement: High schoolers responded well to interactive, hands-on learning with food models and take-home activities.

🧠 Concept Highlight:Energy Availability

• • Defined as the energy left for normal body functions after accounting for exercise.• Critical for bone health, hormonal balance, and injury prevention.• Carbohydrates were identified as the most commonly lacking macronutrient in adolescent runners.

🏃‍♂️ Coach’sPerspective

• • Coach Jefferson found the term “energy availability” more relatable than “nutrition.”• Plans to integrate findings into team meetings and weekly updates.• Sees value in simple, actionable changes like post-practice snacks during cool-downs.

🚧 Barriers toImplementation

• • Time constraints for athletes (school, jobs, family responsibilities).• Coaches’ varying comfort levels with nutrition education.• Limited access to sports dietitians in some regions.

💡 Recommendations

• • Coaches can start small: provide snacks post-practice, reinforce nutrition messages.• Include parents in education efforts to support athletes at home.• Use resources from:• American Sports and Performance Dietitian Association• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Sports Nutrition Practice Group)

🧾 Final Takeaways

• • Nutrition education can be impactful even in short interventions.• Building self-efficacy is key to long-term behavior change.• Coaches play a vital role in reinforcing healthy habits.• Collaboration between researchers, coaches, and parents enhances success.

Hungria Hip Hop - Meu Carona (Wilde Beats Remix) By Dj Wilde Beats is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

🎙️ Podcast Overview

Host: Evan Nelson, Associate Professor at theUniversity of Wisconsin
Guests:

• Dr. Micah Garcia, Assistant Professor at Thomas More University, expert in youth running

• Coach Charlie Burnham, Girls' Cross Country Coach at Burnsville High School, Burnsville, MN

🏃‍♂️ Topic: MeasuringTraining Load in High School Cross Country Runners

The episode explores how to best track training loads inhigh school runners, comparing GPS watches and electronictraining journals.

📊 Key Concepts

• External Load: Objective measures like distance and time.

  Internal Load: Subjective or physiological responses like perceived exertion or heart rate.

📄 Study Summary

Title: “Global Positioning System Watches and Electronic Journals: Are Training Load Measures Similar in High School Cross Country Runners?”
Published: 2022, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
Authors: Dr. Micah Garcia & David Bazzett-Jones

🔍 Purpose:

To compare data from GPS watches and electronic journals toassess consistency in tracking training loads.

📈 Findings:

• GPS watches provided more consistent and complete data for external loads.

  Journals often had missing entries (about 1/3 of GPS-recorded runs were not journaled).

  When both sources were available, journal entries tended to overreport distance and time by ~10%.

  Internal load (perceived exertion vs. heart rate) showed poor agreement—heart rate data from wrist-based GPS watches was often inaccurate.

🧠 Insights from Dr. Garcia

• GPS watches are more reliable for external load tracking.

  Subjective perceived exertion may be more accurate than wrist-based heart rate for internal load.

  Coaches should choose tools based on their goals and available resources.

🏫 Coaching Perspectivefrom Coach Burnham

• Prioritizes external load (time and distance), especially time-based training for inclusivity.

  Uses a Google spreadsheet for summer training logs; less structured during the season.

  Emphasizes fun, consistency, and long-term love for the sport over strict data tracking.

  Notes challenges with technology access, motivation, and accuracy among high school athletes.

🧩 Practical Takeaways

• GPS watches are effective for capturing external load but may not reflect perceived effort.

  Self-reported intensity is valuable but requires routine and motivation.

  Coaching context matters: team size, athlete experience, and program goals influence the best tracking method.

Hungria Hip Hop - Meu Carona (Wilde BeatsRemix) By Dj WildeBeats is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

🎙️ Podcast Summary:Science on Track – Week-to-Week Changes in Running Volume

Host: Evan O. Nelson
Guests:

• • Dr. Mikel Joachim – Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin

• • Coach Jane Wheeler – Head Girls Cross Country Coach, Pleasant Valley High School, Bettendorf, Iowa

🧪 Study Overview

The episode centers on a research study titled:
“Week-to-week changes in training were not prospectively associated with injuries among Wisconsin High School cross-country runners” (published in Injury Prevention, 2024).

https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2024/07/31/ip-2024-045233

🔍 Study Purpose

To investigate whether week-to-week changes in trainingvolume (distance, duration, intensity) are associated with injury risk in high school cross-country runners.

📊 Key Findings

• • No significant association was found between week-to-week changes in training volume and injury risk.

• • Most runners in the study averaged 20–30 miles per week, with few exceeding 50 miles.

• • Preseason training had a strong protective effect:

• • Every additional 5K (~3 miles) run per week in the preseason reduced injury risk by 17%.

• • Coaches’ day-to-day training modifications likely play a major role in injury prevention, even if not captured in weekly data.

🧠 Insights from theGuests

🧑‍🔬 Dr. MikelJoachim:

• • Null results suggest that current coaching practices in Wisconsin high school programs are effective in managing injury risk.

• • The study relied on daily text surveys during COVID, with athletes self-reporting training and injuries.

• • Emphasized the importance of holistic athlete monitoring, including stress, sleep, and other sports participation.

🏃‍♀️ Coach Jane Wheeler:

• • Reinforced the importance of individualized coaching and preseason preparation.

• • Noted that injury risk is multifactorial, often influenced by training history, biomechanics, and external stressors.

• • Advocated for flexibility in coaching and communication with athletes to adapt training in real time.

🧩 PracticalTakeaways for Coaches

• • Preseason training matters: Encourage consistent summer/winter running to reduce injury risk.

• • Small weekly increases (up to 30%) in training volume appear safe.

• • The 10% rule is not strongly supported by evidence—coaches can be more flexible.

• • Monitor athletes holistically: Consider stress, sleep, and other commitments.

• • Build strong coach-athlete relationships to better detect and respond to early signs of injury.

Hungria Hip Hop - Meu Carona (Wilde Beats Remix) By Dj WildeBeats is licensed under a Creative Commons License.