Elyse Kopecky, Author, Runner, and mom, spent her college cross country and track careers at UNC with Olympic marathoner Shalane Flanagan. This began their friendship and unanticipated journey toward co-authoring cookbooks; so far they’ve published “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” and “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow,” and their third book “Rise and Run” is set to launch in October 2021. Elyse focuses on a proper diet, after not having a period for several years and having multiple bone injuries due to underfueling. After realizing the connection between diet and running health, Elyse enrolled in the Natural Gourmet Institute; she’s now an opponent of restrictive diets, supporting sustainable nourishment for runners. In this episode, Elyse shares her experience of not getting a natural period until age 30, going on birth control to force a period, getting many stress fractures in her running career and eventually changing her whole food philosophy. Now she’s sharing her knowledge about fueling with the rest of the world with her cookbooks. “Don't stress about the small moments because they'll all add up to big moments.” - Elyse Kopecky