From College Runners to Perimenopause: Training, Fueling & Performance Across Every Stage | Sonja Friend-Uhl

What's in this episode

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Maximum Mileage Running Podcast, I’m joined by world-class athlete and coach Sonja Friend-Uhl, Assistant Coach for the men’s and women’s cross country and track teams at Florida Atlantic University and a lifelong competitor who continues to perform at a high level as a Masters athlete. We dive into what it really looks like to pursue high performance across every stage of a female runner’s life, from the pressures collegiate athletes face today to the realities of training through perimenopause. Sonja shares her journey from the corporate world into coaching, how she’s balanced an incredibly full schedule while continuing to train and compete, and what she’s learned working with athletes at every level. We also get into some of the most important and often overlooked topics in women’s running right now, including body image, underfueling, RED-S, and the role of strength training and proper nutrition as hormones begin to shift. If you’re a busy runner trying to perform at a high level, whether you’re in college, post-college, or navigating hormonal changes, this episode will give you practical insight and a much-needed perspective shift. In th