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Fueling the Cohutta 100 MTB Race The Cohutta 100 is a bit of a misnomer. It’s marketed as a 100-mile mountain bike race, but in reality, it rides more like a ~25-mile singletrack race followed by ~70 miles of gravel. That’s part of what makes it unique—and challenging. You get fast, punchy trail efforts early, then settle into a long day of climbing, with ~13,000 feet of elevation gain. Last year was my first attempt at Cohutta and my first ultra-endurance MTB race. It didn’t

This may sound like blasphemy to some and clickbait to others, but it’s a captivating title — and the focus of a recent 2024 paper. If that question has you thinking, “Of course it exists — what the heck is this paper talking about?” Let's hear the authors out. The premise of the article is this: are we overfocused on energy, and are there other causes behind what many athletes experience under the umbrella of RED-S? My answer? Sometimes — and absolutely. So What Overlap Doe

From my post on PEZ Cycling News Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) is, simply put, a mismatch between energy intake and energy output. When the gap between energy needs and actual intake persists, the body is left short of what it needs to support normal biological processes after exercise. Over time, the body begins to make “budget cuts.” This phenomenon was originally described as the Female Athlete Triad , after clinicians noticed a recurring pattern in female

Out of sight, out of mind... In many professional teams and sports medicine settings, it’s commonplace for healthcare practitioners—such as physicians, dietitians, and exercise physiologists—to conduct regular assessments to monitor athlete health and wellbeing. Outside of professional sport and collegiate athletics, however, health and wellness testing can run the gamut from non-existent to tracking the wrong metrics, or simply overlooking key risk factors altogether. Athle

The Nine Hungers: What Are You Really Hungry For? Why are you hungry? And what are you really hungry for? At first glance, that might sound obvious. “Food, obviously. Maybe a BLT. Or pizza.” But hunger isn’t always that simple. In reality, there are nine types of hunger — and understanding them can completely change how you relate to food. As athletes, we’re good at tracking data — heart rate, wattage, macros, training volume. But most of us lose touch with the subjective s

As race season winds down and the days start getting shorter, many athletes begin to shift gears — recovering, rebuilding, and refocusing. But this is also the time of year when supplement habits tend to ramp up.Iron. Vitamin D. Omega-3s. Magnesium. The list goes on. A lot of athletes start taking new products as an “insurance policy,” assuming more is better or that a little extra can’t hurt. The problem is, that’s not always true. Some supplements can be contraindicated wit