These incredible women have not only shattered records and won championships but have also shared their personal stories and insights into their training routines, diets, and mindset. From Olympic gold medalists to world record holders, these runners inspire us not just with their athletic prowess but with their dedication, resilience, and unique approaches to the sport. In this article, we delve into the lives of these remarkable athletes, exploring their training methods, daily routines, and even their favorite foods. Join us on a journey to discover what makes these female runners truly amazing, both on and off the track.
Elaine Thompson-Herah talked about how she approaches running and the Olympics to Pulse Sports. "If it doesn't go how as I want it to, you know next year is Olympics season, I would definitely work towards that. Sometimes your body needs time to heal and if it's telling me what it needs to do, I would have to take a break, take a season, and to work on myself."
After winning the 2023 London Marathon, Sifan Hassan talked about how she did it and approached the race in an interview. "I learned to be patient and just to run your own race…Just keep going as much as possible and maybe you will surprise yourself."
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce talked about some of her favorite foods for training with Forbes. "I am not a yam girl at all. I don't really like yam. I will eat it but I am more about dumplings and rice… and porridge. I drink a lot of porridge."
Faith Kipyegon talked about how she approached having her first child with her career to Runner's World. "I was so afraid, [thinking]: 'Maybe I will not come back, I will just disappear,'" she said. "Every lady, their mind goes like that. But I was very strong-minded. I said: 'Let me do this.' It's the joy of every human being to start a family."
Courtney Frerichs broke down her training routine to Women Fitness. "Three times a week, I will do about an hour of core work after my run. This consists of various activation, core, and lifting exercises. I also incorporate hurdle drills into my training routine in the morning once a week."
Beatrice Chepkoech is known for breaking two records for the 3000 meter and 2000 meter steeplechase. She opened up about this in an interview. "I had one world record and now I have two, so I am lucky," she said. "It is all about staying focused and positive, and I thank God I was able to run well during the season."
Helen Obiri talked about her training routine in an interview with Women Fitness. "I am a long distance runner, so we have to be very disciplined and dedicated," she explains. "I do my first training session at 6am then another in the afternoon. Between times I have to rest, get massage, eat well. I train 6 days per week and rest on Sundays. I try to go to bed around 9pm…I run twice every day anything from 40 to 90 mins. 2-3 times per week I do hard session of intervals – this can be laps and laps on the track, running up and down hills, or timed runs on the trails. My favourite workout is 6 x 600m with 90 seconds recovery. I also do exercises in the gym twice per week."
Ahead of the 2021 Olympics, Dalilah Muhammed talked about her wellness and preparation process with Vogue. She says that she makes sure to stay focus. "I've been sticking to what I'm familiar with and [focusing on] not having too many outside distractions. Just kind of getting into my little cocoon, I would call it. It's what I do to block out the outside world just for that small period of time because when you're in such a nerve-wracking or a heightened state, the littlest things can take away your focus. So for me, I've been doing my best to stay off social media, stick to talking to the people that I speak to on a daily basis, and just follow my normal routine. It's important because there are so many distractions, so many things in the media. There are so many races that are hyped, my race is definitely one that's been hyped up going into Tokyo, so I definitely want to ignore all of that and focus on me, and being physically and mentally ready."
Nia Ali has three children, and she tells Run Blog Run that she wants to encourage other mothers. "Being a mother is my life! It's a lifestyle issue. I don't think about it like, 'I'm doing this as a mother,' but I like being an inspiration. And many mothers come to me and ask me about my journey, and I really enjoy talking to them. I majored in psychology at college, so I'm all about mindset and mental strength. I really love uplifting mothers and parents in general."
Emma Coburn broke down her approach to eating with EatingWell. "Eating enough calories is really important for staying healthy. I think a lot of endurance athletes are chronically underfueled. One easy thing I do to make sure that I am properly fueled is to always bring my protein shake with me to every run (even after an easy run). I also always finish my plate of food, always. It is my job to eat enough food, so I commit to it."
Laura Muir shared her training process with Runner's World. "I train six days a week all-year round, Friday is a rest day," she said. "We have three track sessions a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and they tend to be pretty tough. We do quite a lot of stuff at fast pace with short recoveries, with the intervals ranging from 200m to 600m. I might do 20 x 200m, or 10 x 600m. The faster you run the reps, the fewer you do. The other three days I'll go for steady runs. But because I'm a middle-distance runner my mileage is fairly modest – I tend to only run 50 or 60 miles a week."
Kendra Harrison talked about her coach, Edrick Floreal, to Athletics Weekly. "Coach Flo is amazing," she said. "Overall he's a really caring person. He cares about his athletes on and off the track, that's what sets him apart. He's also very knowledgeable about the hurdles. He always wants to figure out new drills and new ways to make us faster. He really enjoys it and I think I definitely wouldn't be where I am without him. Because of him I've been able to move forward from times in my career when I messed up. He was there every single time and I think that says a lot about him. He cares about my performance on the track but also about me as a person."
Dina Asher-Smith talked about her daily routine to The Independent. She says that what she eats for breakfast depends on if she has to train or not. "Some days I have double sessions, which is both gym and track in the same day," she said. "So then I would have something a bit more substantial like porridge, or yoghurt with granola and fruit. But some mornings, I'll just have quite a lot of fruit for breakfast and then have more of a full lunch and dinner. Before a competition, I try to stay consistent with maybe an omelette or some eggs with fruit in the morning."
Shelby Houlihan broke down her go-to meals with Runner's World, including what she eats before a race. "Two nights before, I'll have a steak dinner or some other type of red meat. With my steak, I'll have Brussels sprouts or asparagus, and sweet potato fries. The night before, I'll usually have pizza, but not greasy pizza—a thin-crust pizza. I usually top it with chicken and veggies like onion, mushrooms, and spinach."
Sydney McLaughlin is very driven, and she talked about this with Tonal. "To me, strength means perseverance," she said. "It's about facing that threshold of being so uncomfortable that sometimes you just don't want to push through. But so much joy can lie on the other side of that."
Laura Weightman opened up about her training process in an interview with FitnessFirst. "Strength and conditioning (S&C) is a huge part of my training program," she says. "It is important to remember that S&C isn't just about throwing big weights around the gym and searching for that bikini body in time for summer. For me, S&C is a range of exercises that are not limited to the gym. My programme includes drills, plyometrics, rehab/prehab exercises and a weights programme which all develop my overall performance. In a typical week I do weight twice a week, 2 drills sessions and an addition gym rehab-based programme."
Katarina Johnson-Thompson broke down her daily diet to Women's Health. She says that dairy is something she eats a lot of. "I try to incorporate lots of dairy into my diet to make sure I get my RDA of calcium, as this helps me to avoid injuries." She also says that when she goes out to eat, she opts for a specific cuisine. "If I'm eating out with friends I'll stick to Asian food. I find it doesn't leave me feeling so bloated the next day."
Ajee Wilson makes sure to take care of her skin. "I've just gotten into the skin game," she said to Byrdie. "My best friend Kori Carter is like a skin and hair guru. She's got me on a little routine. I use a CeraVe facewash. One thing that I've recently added is sunscreen. As Black women, we've always felt like we have natural sunscreen to protect us. But, I use Black Girl Sunscreen ($19). That's been my go-to."
Natasha Hastings opened up about her diet to Sports Illustrated. "I fall into the everything in moderation," she says. "In the season I'm very mindful of the things I eat, but when I am to hard or too strict, I am setting up for failure. If I want a scoop of ice cream at the end of the week and I feel I had a good week of training, then I'm going to have a scoop. But not 10 scoops. Everything has to be done in moderation and you have to know your body."
Michelle Jenneke makes sure to train and workout on a regular basis. She talked about what she does in an interview with Body & Soul. "I do three track sessions a week, and they can be from 2-3 hours each, which can be full on. You do some warm up, a hurdle session, and then a sprint session after that. I start with heavy weights, and then I'll do some lighter functional circuit, towards the end. All up, that takes an hour and a half to two hours… and sometimes when I finish a session I just lie on the ground."
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