From GI Issues to Global Racing: How Kathleen Fuels with Confidence

18 years ago, Kathleen dipped her toe into the world of triathlon, then life, winter training and family demands got in the way. When she finally returned, she knew she needed to do it differently.

She didn’t want to spend another season second-guessing her nutrition or dealing with stomach issues mid-race. So, before even toeing the start line again, Kathleen signed up for the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.

💬 “I joined before I did my first sprint triathlon because I knew I couldn’t figure this out on my own.”

No More Gut Issues. No More Guesswork.

Before joining TNA, Kathleen thought she was doing the right thing (like eating a big salad before a long run 🙈). But every time she went past 8 miles, her gut disagreed.

💬 “I believed a big, healthy salad was the best thing to eat before a half marathon. It wasn’t.”

Working with Taryn and applying what she learned in the Academy, Kathleen identified exactly what was going wrong and made simple changes that made a massive difference.

✅ No more GI issues
✅ Fuelled every race since joining
✅ Feels confident in her plan, day to day and on race day

From Idaho, USA to the Sunshine Coast, Australia

With her nutrition dialled in and her confidence rising, Kathleen did something big. She signed up for her first international 70.3, travelling from Idaho to Mooloolaba, Australia. And she’s doing it solo, without her husband aka her bike mechanic.

💬 “The fact that I want to do this, and feel ready, speaks volumes. I feel excited, not anxious.”

What Else Has Changed?

Since joining the TNA program, Kathleen has…

✅ Transformed her everyday eating to support training and recovery
✅ Maintained her muscle mass and improved body composition
✅ Learned to troubleshoot her nutrition when things don’t go to plan
✅ Gained a supportive community of like-minded triathletes around the world

💬 “I feel better. I don’t have to nap after long sessions. I’m fuelling better and recovering better.”

Favourite Tools from the TNA Program

💻 Re-watchable masterclasses
📊 Race nutrition and carb loading spreadsheets
📚 Practical recipes and menu plans from the Triathlete’s Kitchen™
🧠 Weekly Power Hour support with Taryn (and plenty of laughs)

💬 “The spreadsheets help quiet my mind. Power Hours give me exactly what I need to move forward.”

Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Racing with Confidence?

Kathleen was just like many triathletes...doing her best, but stuck in trial and error. Now she’s travelling across the world for her dream race, with a plan she knows works.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start fuelling with purpose, it’s time to join the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. ➡️ Click here to join now

Transcript

Taryn Richardson (00:00)
Kathleen, thank you so much for jumping on and talking all things triathlon and nutrition with me!

Kathleen (00:08)
My pleasure, my pleasure.

Taryn Richardson (00:11)
So to kick us off, can you give us a little bit of a brief snapshot of what type of triathlete you are?

Kathleen (00:18)
Sure. I am a relatively newbie to triathlon. ⁓ This is my third summer and today I counted up. I've done seven triathlon races in the past two years, heading into my third, and they've run the gamut of sprint to 70.3 with the bulk of them sort of in the sprint Olympic distance range.

Taryn Richardson (00:44)
And you did triathlon before, before. Also, this is something that you've kind of come back to.

Kathleen (00:49)
I did triathlon 18 years ago for summer and really enjoyed it, but ran into sort of the logistics of training in the winter here in Idaho, being a busy mom, ⁓ traveling husband, all that stuff. So it just was not in the cards at that time. I did really enjoy it. And I think I did three races that summer.

Taryn Richardson (01:02)
Yeah, you caught the bug and knew that you wanted to do it again. As someone that got out of the pool this morning, like regretting my life's choices for having to swim through the winter, I fully understand what it's like. You have to really want it sometimes.

Kathleen (01:16)
Yes. Exactly! And 18 years ago, they didn't have things like Zwift. They didn't have all the smart trainers. You know, if you wanted to ride a bike, you had to be on an old school trainer in the garage or at the gym. And yes, yes. And that just wasn't going to happen.

Taryn Richardson (01:37)
God, no. And where do you want to go with triathlon? You know, kind of, you kind of knew again into the sport. Where do you see yourself in five years, 10 years time?

Kathleen (01:58)
Well, my goal really is to have some longevity in the sport. I have an athlete who is an 80 year old, who's a Hall of Famer. Her name is Cherie Gruenfeld. She's my idol. She's amazing. And so I would love to be amazing like that when I'm 80 years old.
For the short term, I'm trying to figure out what my distance is. Is it Olympic? Am I better suited to that? Am I better suited to 70.3s? I feel like I need to keep getting my feet wet in the 70.3 arena before I consider going up to a full Ironman. And I will say I never even thought I would say that phrase before I even consider a full Ironman.

Taryn Richardson (02:41)
Yeah, I think that's smart. There you go. It's, it's the push, right? Everyone's like, you're a triathlete. When are you doing your next or your first Ironman.

Kathleen (02:52)
Yes. Well, and hanging out with the crew in the TNA group, they're very supportive and really, really try to just encourage you. It's not about you have to do it because that's the only way you can be considered a real triathlete. It's just, you know what, we all have journeys and I've seen people, sometimes they hit it on their first time. Sometimes it takes a couple of times to get it done. And that is actually very reassuring that it's dedication to pull that off. And I just need to make sure that that's what I want to do in my life at that time.

Taryn Richardson (03:30)
It is a lot of training. don't, I don't think anybody really knows their first one, to be honest. The first one's a bit of an eye opener, like, okay, I get it now. Now I know what to do for the next one.

Kathleen (03:45)
That's how I felt about my 70.3.

Taryn Richardson (03:48)
Yeah, everything is new game, right?
You learn something every time you race, whether it's good or bad.

Kathleen (03:53)
Yes, for sure.

Taryn Richardson (03:55)
So you came to join me in the Triathlon Nutrition Academy a little while now. How long ago was it? 18 months ago, maybe? We're heading towards two years.

Kathleen (04:05)
So I actually signed up for the Academy after hearing your podcast and you got me super excited about coming back to triathlon and I joined before I actually had to do my first sprint triathlon because I knew I was not going to be able to figure this out on my own. I had been following so many people on Instagram. I had been reading like blips out of books. I just couldn't really put it together and I knew at this point in my life I don't want to mess around anymore. Teach me what I need to know, help me be successful and that's exactly what the Academy has been for me.

Taryn Richardson (04:37)
Really? Amazing! So can I claim that I brought you back to the sport or not quite? Yeah!

Kathleen (04:53)
You can.

Taryn Richardson (04:57)
I'm not sure that's a good thing, but we'll claim that. So you've done a lot of learning in the last, I don't know, 18 months or so. was it April, 2024. Is that right? April, 2023.

Kathleen (04:58)
Well, you'll decide later. 
Yes. April 2023.

Taryn Richardson (05:14)
Yeah. So you've been around for a little while, and it is a long, it is a long game learning curve. think it's not something that you can suddenly change your whole perspective on nutrition and change behaviours and habits that you've had your whole life in six weeks. That's why our program is nine months long because it is, you know, a long term thing. I always talk about, you know, having good lifespan, but we need to have good health span for that lifespan. Otherwise it's to be horrible at the end.

And we are endurance athletes, right? So we need to play the long game and trudge along in zone two for a long period of time and build that nutrition engine. What have been some of the biggest like highlights or personal highlights for you since joining the triathlon nutrition academy program and working on nutrition?

Kathleen (06:02)
Biggest highlights have been completing seven races and having no GI issues. Completing seven races and actually fueling my way through them. Some a little better than others. But, you know, I came to the Academy partly because I knew I didn't know how to eat on a daily basis, even though I thought I did. But I struggled with anything longer than eight miles. And I thought it was my gels. I thought it was the gels that were doing it. And one of the very first sessions that you and I had where we were talking about my upcoming Olympic and I was very nervous about it. And you said, well, let's back up. Maybe it's not the gels. What else are you doing? And as we talked, you really nailed it. And you said, it's not the gel that you're eating five minutes before you're having the issue. It's what you ate last night. And I believe that a big healthy salad was the best thing to eat before a half marathon, before a marathon. All that goodness, that was going to surely help carry me for 13 miles, 24 miles, whatever it was. And no, that was not the case. So that has been my biggest aha moment is that my stomach wasn't just a genetic gift from my family that it was what I was choosing to put on in it and not realizing that even though to me they were healthy foods they were just healthy foods eaten at the wrong time.

Taryn Richardson (07:44)
Yeah. It is a delicate balance, isn't it? Cause we do want to do really well with nutrition as triathletes. tend to be high achievers as you know, personally, I am one of those. I fully understand what that's like, but we want to put all the right building blocks in, but timing is so important when it comes to eating for our sport, which is so different to any other way of eating really. can't adapt your previous life's nutrition and then suddenly throw three sports in a week into that and hope that it's going to work. There's so many levers we can pull and different components we can manipulate to get the most out of our nutrition. And eating all that stuff's great, but there's definitely a better time to do it so it's not affecting us when we are racing hard.

Kathleen (08:24)
Yes, and the second piece for me that has been really awesome, other than the fact that I'm actually able to train day in, day out. I don't worry about my stomach anymore, but it's really been the people who I've met. this group of people, one in particular is Kelly, who lives close by in Idaho. I know I was so surprised when...

Taryn Richardson (08:50)
I can't believe you guys live so close.

Kathleen (08:54)
I saw a Facebook post that he was racing and I said, are you in Idaho? And he said, yes. But with his support, your support and the group support, I've decided to take the leap to try my first international 70.3. So not only am I like doing a challenging distance, but I'm adding the whole layer of international travel and doing it without my husband. So there's a whole lot of people are gonna help me with that bike.

Taryn Richardson (09:19)
bike mechanic. Husband / bike mechanic.

Kathleen (09:23)
Fair warning. Yes, fair warning everybody. But you know that that speaks volumes to the fact that I want to do this. I'm excited to do this and I'm, you know, working on, you know, all the steps to get there so that on race day I have a good race. Whatever the time is, is less important. But having a good race and a great experience with people, it's just going to be really a highlight for me of my year.

Taryn Richardson (09:52)
I'm very excited to see you in the flesh at our annual TNA event. So like other than the big salads at the wrong times, what was some of Kathleen's nutrition before joining the Triathlon Nutrition Academy versus what's changed now after going through that?

Kathleen (09:54)
Well, the biggest changes are really my daily eating and it still is very much a work in progress. But I recently had a DEXA scan, as you know, and although I was a little vague in my numbers, as I like to be, you know, I did it because I really needed a firm starting point for where I'm at right now, because I know I would like to have a different body composition and at 60, it's hard to change things. I feel like I'm putting pieces in play and things aren't changing. So doing the DEXA scan, what was really, really helpful was the conversation that we had in Power Hour after that, where you walked me through, or actually you asked some very good questions. What are your goals? What did it say? What are your goals? And how do we set reasonable goals for you so that you continue to maintain your muscle mass and preferably increase it and also drop a little body fat and you just really spelled out some very simple steps for me to keep in mind and since then I've been far more conscientious about what I'm eating and measuring it and without having had that conversation with you I would not be on the path that I'm on because I probably would have just continued eating the same thing. And my favorite food groups are carbs and fats.

And that was something I learned when you encouraged everyone at different times, spend three days and just track what you eat. Don't worry about it, but track what you eat. And doing that for three days made me realize, even though I have fruits and vegetables, my carbs and my fats were just gobbling up huge percentage of my calories for the day. And then on top of it, I simply did not have enough protein. And so I've changed the proportions of what I'm eating and I will say I feel better. I am, I had my, you know, long ride and run this weekend. I didn't have to take a nap because I did my recovery meal. I fueled reasonably well on the ride. That's always a challenge with me. Get a little distracted by stop signs, cars, all that kind of stuff and sometimes miss the alarm. But I think the

Taryn Richardson (12:21)
That's good.

Kathleen (12:43)
The guidance that you give is always clear, supportive, straightforward, and just sort of almost like baby steps to help people get to the next phase. And that's how we can learn and that's how we improve.

Taryn Richardson (12:58)
Yeah, I think everyone's really different. And when you actually, when I understand about you and I learn about you and we get to meet each other every week, then my little tiny tidbits of advice go a long way because it is what you need, like specifically for you in that moment to progress forwards, rather than being like, go and do this generic vanilla plan and like, see you later. Good luck.

Kathleen (13:21)
Correct. Correct. Correct.

Taryn Richardson (13:24)
So what's been some of the most valuable lessons for you? We have 36 masterclasses in the TNA program, plus you have access to me every week in power hour. We learn a lot, I'm not gonna lie. We leave no stone left unturned and it's really applying that knowledge into the practice of eating. What are some of the most valuable lessons that you've had over the last couple of years?

Kathleen (13:48)
I think that the number one lesson I've learned, which should be obvious, but it wasn't for me. That big lesson was the most important piece of equipment that I have on every day and on race day is my body. And you have to fuel your properly. You have to fuel your body properly for the goals and the expectations that you have, whether it's for a rest day, a training day or a race day. And

I knew that, but it's taken me a long time to start to really absorb what that means and how much better you feel as a result of eating properly.

Taryn Richardson (14:26)
Yeah. It is your temple. We forget that it's the one thing that's going to get you to the finish line the fastest, but we do everything else first, like drop thousands of dollars on a new bike because that's going to help. Right. And yeah, it might help a little, but it's the long-term thing that we need.

Kathleen (14:35)
Yes. Right. mean, my bike is just a bike sitting there until I'm on it and I'm riding. And if I run out of fuel, I'm sitting on the side of the road. yep. So the other, the lesson that was also very helpful for me was the hydration lesson. I learned how to, you know, test how much I need to be drinking during sessions and discovered that I run probably chronically dehydrated..

Taryn Richardson (14:55)
Yep. True that.

Taryn Richardson (15:17)
Yep, you're sweatier than you thought you were.

Kathleen (15:20)
That's right. So that was huge. I didn't know anything about carb loading. I didn't know anything about recovery. I used to do long runs and I would come home and have a cup of coffee and spend two hours and talk with my friend. And then when she left, maybe I'd go get some cereal. So now I know that was not good. Yes. Exactly.

Taryn Richardson (15:43)
Sounds like great fun, but yeah, not ideal for nutrition.

So in the program you get masterclasses for all the topics that you need to understand to be a triathlete and to eat like a triathlete. So we cover all of your race nutrition plans for sprint Olympics, 70.3 and 140.6 distances and beyond if you want to go there. Plus all of the things that go with it, like hydration, like carb loading, like dialing in your caffeine, your pre-race meal and making sure you know what to eat on a daily basis to support that training program.

And how to adapt it over time, which I think is really valuable. Plus you have access to me in our power hour sessions. So you do get like advanced sports, citation input on your nutrition plan so that you're not stuck and you're not spinning your wheels on decisions or, you know, fatigue, trying to figure stuff out for yourself. There's no more guesswork because there's a clear plan forwards. Plus you get access to my triathletes kitchen and all the tools and resources that are included in there. So like the recipe so that you can apply that.

Knowledge and science to the practicalities of what the heck do you actually eat now to support that. And menu plans for 52 weeks or an entire year of here's a plan, here's your shopping list and lots of other tools and resources that I know are going to help save you time and money in the kitchen when you're already time poor and it's already overwhelming to try and figure this stuff out. Like my whole goal is to hand everything to you on a silver platter and say, here, I've done all that hard work for you.

Plus we have an amazing community of triathletes. What are some of your favourite, maybe there's one, maybe there's a couple, but some of your favourite features of the TNA program?

Kathleen (17:26)
So many, so many. Some of my top five maybe. I love that I can watch a class and I have homework and then I can re-watch the class and I can watch the class six months later. I can watch a class nine months later. The information is easily presented and clear. It's science-based, which is so important and having access to that to look at as I need is really helpful. I love all of the spreadsheets, you know, for me going, I do, I love the carb loading and the race day ones in particular. I have a tendency to overthink. So what I have really appreciated is having this spreadsheet, I take a stab at it using everything that we've learned.

Taryn Richardson (18:07)
I wouldn't have expected you to say that.

Kathleen (18:25)
I bring it to power hour. You look at it and you always find things to make ways to make it better. You ask questions and you really help me dial it in. And then you do the same thing for the race plan. And then on race day or two days before, all I need to do is execute. And so long as I can remember and stick to it, execute the plan that we've come up with, you are going to be golden.

Taryn Richardson (18:53)
Do as you're told.

Kathleen (18:56)
But you give us the tools along the way that help me problem solve too. So I do know that if that was the plan, but you know what, it's going to be 10 degrees hotter, you might need to adjust something. So the problem solving for me has been huge. So the master classes, I do love the spreadsheets. They kind of quiet my mind a little bit. And I do love the carb loading smoothie out of the database.

Taryn Richardson (19:09)
Mm.

Kathleen (19:25)
Recipe database, that is a fave. You have a great salmon recipe that I really love. So I use that. And although I have not used the menu planning per se, I have used it to inform the way I plan my week's Looking at how, you know, it's just simple things, looking at how you bring, you know, the dinners become lunches and...all the way through, make sure I'm eating healthy at every meal. But I think that, you know, to me, I come from having worked in a school for the last 10 years of my career. And what I see happening in the TNA is information is presented clearly. Then we have the support from you to answer the questions. And then on top of it, we have the tools like the recipe database and the menu planning, and they come together.

And enable me to put into play the lessons that we've been learned. And then when you layer in the community of like-minded triathletes who are all at different places in their journeys and all very supportive, it just puts all of that good, nutrition learning into a context that makes it easy and fun to learn.

Taryn Richardson (20:47)
love that there's five. So good.

Kathleen (20:49)
Did I get five? Probably.

Taryn Richardson (20:51)
I think he had more than five there in the end.

There are some really good recipes in the Triathletes Kitchen Hub. Like I think people tend to not find that either until later. And then like, man, where was, like, where was this the whole time? Same as the menu plan. Some people use them and some people don't. It's there if you need it. It's not something to add to your stress and overwhelm. It's really there as a tool to help save you time when you're ready for it. And I think that is something I've been really cognisant of in building the program is that don't want to overwhelm you even further. actually want to make things so much easier for you.

Is there any, is there anything that in particular that's helped you build more confidence in your training and racing? if listening to Kathleen, you might, you might hear the hesitation in her voice. Like she's always uncertain about something. She wants to do everything perfectly because she's a high achieving triathlete, just like me. But is there anything in particular that's helped you just relax a bit more or be more confident in your training and racing and knowing that you're on the right path?

Kathleen (22:30)
When you see that something's working, it makes it easier the next time to put it into play. The challenge becomes when you have sort of old habits and old thoughts that creep into your thought process and you have to remind yourself, no, we're not doing that. We're going to stick with what the plan is. And then at the end, you're like, yay, why did I even doubt myself in the midst of all this?


Taryn Richardson (24:27)
Thank you so much Kathleen for sharing a bit about your journey of who you are and what you've been working on with your nutrition over the last couple of years. If somebody's been watching along all week and they're thinking about joining the TNA program but they're still not sure, they're sitting on the fence and their butt's getting sore, what advice would you have for them?

Kathleen (24:48)
Get off the fence and join the program. You are going to love. Do it now. There is no sense in waiting. Just no sense. Just get in there, start tackling how to fuel yourself properly, how to eat properly. You will feel better every day and you will enjoy the experience of triathlon so much more when you feel well and you know you're as healthy as you can be.

Taryn Richardson (24:52)
Do it, do it now. Excellent advice. I think everyone that joins is like, why didn't I do this earlier? Like I often talk to people that have waited quite a few cycles because they, you know, it is a big investment in time and finances, but everybody that every single person has said, I wish I had have done this earlier. There's nobody that said, nah, I joined at the right time for me. Everyone is like, should, what, where was this 10 years ago? Like I wish I had had done this when I very first started Triathlon. So thank you so much, Kathleen, for joining me. I look forward to seeing you in Power Hour soon.

Kathleen (25:49)
Alrighty, thanks for having me.

What are you waiting for? Join the Triathlon Nutrition Academy now! ➡️ dietitianapproved.com/academy