A blog to help you optimize your full-body and life performance

At InsideTracker we believe that eating is training. Eating is not only critical for workout fueling, but also for post endurance training recovery. Beyond what our biomarkers tell us, we recognize that it is important to eat to support training sessions and the recovery process in between.

This brings us to one of the most frequently asked questions sports dietitians hear, especially from those in the endurance sports world: "What should I be eating before and after my workouts?"

Weekend warriors of the endurance sports world: those who take on epic mental and physical challenges while holding down demanding jobs, raising families, and crushing all other aspects of daily life. Scrolling through social media it's not unusual to wonder how they do it but more importantly, how they do it while maintaining a healthy balance of family, work, and play. We caught up with some of these all-around rockstars to get some tips, tricks, and other pieces of advice for those looking to take on big goals and challenges in their free time.

Known to be one of the most grueling tests of endurance and the oldest 100-mile trail race in the world, the historical Western States 100 is set on technical trails and terrain from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California. As the countdown to race day continues, we had the opportunity to chat with a few athletes about how they’ve used InsideTracker to help get them to the start line prepared to tackle 18,000 feet of ascent and 23,000 feet of descent over 100.2 miles... all in (mostly) one day.

Growing older is often met with acceptance, however, what if we took aging as an opportunity to continue to create our best self? In a fast-paced world, we tend to overlook the small things that will have a significant impact on our future self, especially when it comes to our health and wellness.

I sat down with someone who not only always seems to juggle what life throws at her, but surpasses her expectations. Meet my mom, Lisa Beaser, who has been using InsideTracker to help improve her training and to optimize her overall health.

You spend countless hours over many months working on your fitness for your "A" race. Then, after all of the hard work is done, you cross the finish line feeling accomplished. For many, that's where the training journey comes to an end, but it shouldn't be. There's one more critical component to consider – recovery.

We sat down with an elite runner and coach, Mario Fraioli a week after this years wet, windy, and wild Boston Marathon. We spoke about the race and how he utilizes InsideTracker for all aspects of his training, including his recovery.

Perform. Recover. Repeat. At InsideTracker, we know that training and optimized performance is more of a journey than a destination, and even then, it’s more of a cycle than a straight line. As we reach short-term goals, new, longer-term goals come into focus, and the journey begins again.

A new study shows that these training cycles have more to tell us than meets the eye: with calculated, purposeful, and timely blood testing, we can maximize an athlete's performance throughout their season to minimize the likelihood of overtraining and injury.

Sonya Looney is an outdoor adventure athlete from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She's the 2015 24-Hour Racing World Champion, a 4-time US National Champion, a USA Marathon World Championships Team member, a 2-time Breck Epic Stage Race Winner... the list goes on. She's also a plant-based eater. How does she manage to snag these titles (and more) while fueling only with plants? We wanted to know – so we asked!

Over the past few weeks, our blog has been chock full of food tips and biomarker-friendly recipes for National Nutrition Month. This week, I thought it was important to shift our focus to a nutrition-related topic that probably doesn't get the attention it should, especially in the world of endurance sports: eating disorders – specifically, the challenges to performance they present, and of course, recovery from them.

In this video interview, I'm joined by the amazing Sarah Canney. She's a marathoner, coach, mom, InsideTracker power user, and advocate for eating disorder recovery. Sarah opened up about her own nine-year-long struggle with anorexia and bulimia, how it affected her performance and quality of life, and how she used InsideTracker to get a better handle on what her body was really trying to tell her. She now eats healthy fats like avocados, and consumes 2-3 times the amount of calories than while she was struggling with bulimia – yet she weighs less, performs better, and is happy and healthy. 

Meet Chris McNamara, a total badass. With more than 15 years of active duty, being a Master Sergeant and member of the Army Special Operations Command qualifies him for the superlative alone. Add to that, his Joint Service Commendation Medal, 5 Bronze Stars, and USOC Medic of the Year awards along with the fact that he’s a CrossFit Regionals athlete, and a testicular cancer survivor, and you’ve got a deadly combination on your hands. 

So how does he stay on top of all it, and continue to operate at peak performance like his life depends on it (oh wait, it does!)? Simple, he takes the time to ensure his motor is running like a finely tuned sports car. Just like checking the oil, he tests with InsideTracker, and encourages the athletes he coaches and his fellow unit members to test as well.

In anticipation of Veteran's Day, I had the pleasure of sitting down with him to talk about his experience…

With fall marathon season in full swing, I've been getting a lot of questions lately as folks begin planning for their race weekends. This year, I've set my sight on a new PR of 3:07 at the Philadelphia Marathon in a few weeks.

Being that I've asked these same questions myself, I decided to share 10 big tips I've picked up on my own journey to help you reach new records.

Whether or not you’ve optimized all of your endurance-related biomarkers (hello ferritin!), and whether or not you've tested with InsideTracker during a peak week or in the taper to measure the efficacy and volume of your training and nutrition, the following last-minute tips can make all the difference come race day!