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Running Issues with Elizabeth Carey

Published by
DyeStat.com   Jan 13th 2020, 3:52pm
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Meet Elizabeth Carey, who will cover hot-button topics like mental health, racing weight, eating disorders, and even puberty — essential information especially for young cross country and track and field athletes

By Elizabeth Carey for DyeStat

Since I started running two decades ago, a lot has changed. And a lot hasn’t.

Most notably, cross country and track and field athletes (especially girls and women) still face undue pressures about puberty and weight. Persistent taboos leave athletes in the dark on their periods, eating disorders, and mental health.

Luckily, new waves of research and athletes — including Mary Cain — are pushing these issues to the forefront. As scientific studies and outspoken advocates emerge, there’s good news: A new paradigm promotes both performance and health.

That’s why DyeStat is introducing a new column, Running Issues, focused on a host of factors that athletes face at every level of training and competition, but especially in their developmental years. The column is scheduled to appear every other week.

We’ll bust myths and share info that high school cross country/track and field athletes need to know to progress. We’ll cover hormones, disordered eating, racing weight, depression and anxiety, supplements and other factors that can make or break a career.

These are issues I’ve been focused on as a writer and running coach. My work has been published in The New York Times, Runner’s World, PodiumRunner, Outside, Trail Runner Magazine, and RunnerSpace.

An endurance coach since 2002, I have coached youth, high school, collegiate, recreational, and master’s athletes — including at Oregon State University, Syracuse University, Franklin High School, Girls On The Run, Steens Mountain Running Camp, and online through Team RunRun. I lead writing practice and camp sessions at Melody Fairchild’s Girls Running Camp, and have co-authored a forthcoming book with Fairchild (Girls Running, VeloPress, 2020).

I was an avid high school cross country and track runner, winning six Portland Interscholastic League titles and leading the Cleveland High School girls cross country team to qualify for its first state championship meet. At Columbia University, I was a four-year Division 1 cross country/track athlete, member of the four-time Ivy League Cross Country championship team and voted captain by my teammates. Post-collegiately, I continued to train and set PRs on the track and roads. I now explore trail and ultra running around the Pacific Northwest, and have multiple trail 50k finishes.

As a coach and athlete, I have made a lot of mistakes — including buying into our sport’s myths. To kick off the column, I’m sharing my top three mistakes:

1. Not resting: “No pain, no gain,” right? Nope, not always! Days off and sleep are imperative to the health and well-being of athletes — plus essential for improving fitness and performance.

2. Believing lighter is faster: Don’t confuse physics and metabolism. Weight is one complicated and arbitrary factor among many that affect performance.

3. Ignoring periods (or lack thereof): A period is one indicator of well-being for female athletes, including a functioning endocrine system. While menstrual cycles might not feel convenient or comfortable to talk about at first, tracking them (whether through a training log or an app like FitrWoman) empowers athletes.

What questions do you have about training and competing, especially through adolescence? What obstacles do you or your athletes face? What do you want to know about nutrition, periods, puberty, weight, abusive coaches, lifestyle or otherwise tricky or confusing topics?

Comment below or connect with us on social:

DyeStat

Twitter: @DyeStat | Instagram: @dyestat

Elizabeth Carey

Twitter: @elizabethwcarey | Instagram: @elizabethwcarey

Elizabeth Carey is a freelance writer and running coach based in Seattle, Washington.



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