In today’s episode, we’re going to drill down on one critical micronutrient that is essential to humans in the right dose, highly toxic in the wrong dose, and one that many runners are chronically deficient in and that is iron.
To help explain the unique role of iron in runners, I invited Dr Mike Zourdos and Dr Sara Mahoney on the Run to the Top. Mike and Sara have studied the role of iron in marathon runners for both health and performance, and fun fact, Sara is Mike’s endurance coach.
Mike is a Full Professor and the Associate Chair in the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. Mike’s research lab, the Muscle Physiology Laboratory, focuses on resistance and strength training, but more recently, he has begun to come over to the endurance side of sport with a little help from Sara.
Dr Sara Mahoney is the Chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Associate Professor at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. Her research has been focused in the use of nutraceuticals and the use of nutrition in athletic performance, specifically endurance and ultra-endurance events.
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This week’s show is brought to you by LMNT:
When coaching endurance runners of all levels to be their best, I always emphasize the need for proper hydration with the right balance of electrolytes. Most athletes I’ve coached are surprised to learn that their sodium needs are actually much higher than they expected and it’s been hurting their performance.
Part of the reason athletes need much more sodium than they think is not just because they lose electrolytes through their sweat, but also because athletes tend to eat very healthy diets. They’ve been told that salt is a bad thing in food and frequently don’t get enough for their lifestyle.
Much of the science of sodium is based on people who eat highly processed diets which also are very low in potassium. It could actually be the low potassium levels causing the issues that sodium has been blamed for!
What is clear is that both sodium and potassium at the proper levels are essential for high performance (and for life in general!).
When I race, I don’t crave sweet, I crave salt and LMNT is the perfect way to hydrate and replenish the electrolytes I need to perform and feel my best.
Head over to DrinkLMNT.com/RUNNERSCONNECT for your salty samples.
