Emily Sisson is a prominent figure in women's distance running, holding American records in both the marathon and half marathon, achieved in 2022. Her achievements include competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she was the top American finisher in 10th place. She also made the fastest half marathon debut by an American woman (1:08:21) in 2017, and in 2019 ran the fastest American marathon debut ever on a record-eligible course (2:23:08). This article delves into the training diet and fueling strategies that support her intense training regimen and contribute to her success.
Addressing Digestive Challenges
Sisson has openly discussed her struggles with fueling during marathon training, particularly the difficulty in finding products that her sensitive stomach could tolerate. "When I was training for my first marathon, I just couldn't stomach the fuel I was taking," she admitted. "It really upset my stomach and I'd get cramps and GI distress, so that was my main issue that I had for the longest time." This led her to seek out specific types of fuel that wouldn't cause digestive issues.
UCAN as a Preferred Fuel Source
One of Sisson’s preferred fueling strategies involves UCAN products. She favors UCAN energy bars or the Protein + Energy blend after workouts and long runs. She finds these options convenient for maintaining steady energy levels, especially when transitioning from track workouts to gym sessions. Before UCAN, by the time she'd sit down to eat after a long workout, she'd be starving and want a lot of sugary food. She also utilizes UCAN Edge before tempo runs or during long runs. A key advantage of UCAN gels, according to Sisson, is that they don't require water for consumption, unlike many sugary gels that can cause cramping if not taken with water.
Emphasis on High-Quality, Whole Foods
Sisson prioritizes a diet based on high-quality, whole foods, avoiding items with excessive preservatives or processing. "I can't handle things with lots of preservatives or that are very processed," she explained. "I notice that I don't feel good when I eat those types of foods." She estimates that 90% of her diet consists of whole and unprocessed foods. She and her husband cook most of their meals, focusing on balance. However, she doesn't restrict herself from any particular foods.
Sample Daily Diet
Breakfast
Most days, Sisson has oatmeal with milk for breakfast, as she tends to be low in vitamin D. She typically does her first run or workout at 9 or 10, and she likes to wake up two hours beforehand. She’ll get up and make coffee, which is a must for me every day. She uses a Nespresso machine and an AeroPress coffee maker.
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Lunch
After her workouts, Sisson focuses on a simple mix of carbs, veggies, and protein. She likes to cook big batches of quinoa, farro, and rice to and use them in grain bowls throughout the week. Along with the grains, she’ll toss in whatever veggies are in her fridge-such as red pepper, zucchini, and spinach-plus some protein like scrambled eggs or grilled chicken. If she’s craving something more carb-heavy, she’ll make pancakes (she loves the Kodiak Cakes mix) and have those with a salad. She likes to switch up what she eats, depending on how hungry she is that day. Popcorn (the plain kind, not the super-buttery movie theater stuff), toast with peanut butter, veggies like baby carrots and snap peas, smoothies, and pancakes are on her regular rotation.
Dinner
Sisson loves cooking protein-based delicious dinners. Her and her husband usually plan their dinners ahead of time, and they make it the most filling meal of the day. They love cooking veggie stir-fry with rice, spaghetti bolognese with beef and a bunch of vegetables, chili, or some sort of vegetable dish with wild-caught salmon. She doesn’t always have meat or fish at lunchtime, but she often eats them for dinner, because she knows she needs the protein and nutrients. Her favorite meats are pork tenderloin, chicken, and grass-fed beef.
Pre-Run Fuel
Sisson runs in the evenings and mixes up her prerun fuel. She likes to switch up what she eat, depending on how hungry she is that day. Popcorn (the plain kind, not the super-buttery movie theater stuff), toast with peanut butter, veggies like baby carrots and snap peas, smoothies, and pancakes are on her regular rotation.
Dinner Planning and Protein Intake
Sisson and her husband plan their dinners in advance, making it the most substantial meal of the day. These dinners often include veggie stir-fry with rice, spaghetti bolognese with beef and a variety of vegetables, chili, or vegetable dishes with wild-caught salmon. Protein is a key component, with Sisson often including meat or fish in her dinners to ensure adequate nutrient intake.
Fueling During Races
During races, Sisson emphasizes the importance of continuing to sip on her UCAN as the steady stream of complex carbohydrates keeps her stomach from getting upset. She also consumes three to four sugar-based gels about every 10 to 15 kilometers throughout the race although she relies more on feel than a predetermined distance.
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Pre-Race Meal
Sisson eats breakfast three hours before the race, always either toast or oatmeal with almond butter and a banana. She’ll also have a bit of coffee, some water and sip on some UCAN Energy Powder drink mix until an hour before the race starts. Depending on how she’s feeling, she’ll down a UCAN Edge gel before heading to the start line.
Post-Race Celebration
After downing a UCAN Protein shake with almond milk, Sisson loves to celebrate with a burger (medium-well) topped with the works-cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion and pickles. Don’t forget the side of fries! While she doesn’t discriminate between french fry types, she prefers thin, crispy fries.
Mindful Eating and Avoiding Restrictions
Sisson follows a philosophy of moderation, avoiding strict dietary rules. She allows herself treats like doughnuts and dark chocolate when she craves them. She believes that restricting foods can be unhealthy and prefers to listen to her body's cravings. She doesn’t have a huge sweet tooth, but when she does want something sweeter after dinner, she goes for it. When she lived in Providence, Rhode Island, she had amazing doughnut stores, and since then she’s treated herself with a doughnut when her sweet tooth strikes. She also likes dark chocolate and red wine-she’ll usually have a glass once a week or so. Her mindset has always been to practice everything in moderation. She knows a lot of runners completely swear themselves off certain things-such as dessert or not-so-healthy foods-when they’re training for a race, and it makes them feel tough to stick to those restrictions. But she doesn’t think that’s a really healthy way to live. She’s never fantasized about a “postrace celebration meal,” because she doesn’t really restrict herself during training. If she’s craving something, she’ll have it.
Emphasis on Recovery
Sisson understands that fueling properly is key for recovery and injury prevention. She knows that when she’s hungrier on certain days more than others, it’s her body’s way of telling her it needs more fuel.
The Importance of Mental Strength
Just as important as her fueling strategy is her mental game plan. When things get tough, she finds it really helpful to break the race down. Right before her first marathon, her teammate Molly Huddle told her to just focus on getting to the next bottle station, which is about every 5K.
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Consistency in Training
Sisson’s coach, Ray Treacy, stresses the importance of steady consistency, which builds the fitness that allows you to better handle increased workload and workouts. Treacy says she works hard when she works out, so he wants her fully recovered before the next one.
Avoiding the Comparison Trap
As elite runners, especially in college, it can be hard to not fall into the trap of thinking skinnier=faster, but Sisson manages to stay away from that. There have definitely been times she has felt insecure for not having the typical “runner” body. She does have to watch what she eats to an extent. However, when she is taking care of herself and fueling with nutritious food, she doesn’t worry about a certain weight. She feels confident in how strong she feels. Everyone is unique. It is human nature to compare, but she has come to realize she waste so much energy when she compares herself to others. It is all negative energy and it is very exhausting! When she is taking proper care of herself, she loves how strong she feels on her tempos and long runs. Every now and then she will fall into the comparison trap (especially when she is tired), but most of the time she loves how strong she feels!