You may have wondered, what is it really like to be an Olympic athlete? Could us regular people even relate? Well, we got a chance to catch up with three-time Olympic track athleteEmma Coburn. Not only is she an Olympic bronze medalist in the steeplechase (the track event that involves hurdles and water jumps), world champion and more, she also wrote a fantastic cookbook:The Runner’s Kitchen.

Can you tell me a bit about your morning routine? What is a typical morning like for you?

What does a typical day of eating look like for you? What are some of your go-to meals?

“I love breakfast food, I could eat it for three meals a day. After practice, I usually go out to a big brunch or I make it myself. French toast, two eggs and breakfast sausage is my go-to. I usually run twice a day, so between my brunch and my P.M. run, I just have a light snack—something like yogurt, fruit or a plate of veggies and lunch meat. After my run, I make sure to get more protein in. I try to get 100 to 120 grams per day, so at every meal, protein is a priority. I might have yogurt after the run while cooking dinner. Then for dinner, I might have pasta with Bolognese sauce, or a big salad with chicken, depending on my training that day and how hungry I am.”

Sounds like Coburn would love ourBlackened Chicken Chopped SaladandCaesar Salad with Grilled Steak.

Talk me through a typical training day for you. What is your schedule like?

“Practice is at 9 a.m. most days. In a usual week, I’ll have three “workouts,” which are more-intense sessions. Sometimes those workouts are on the track, sometimes they are just a long 15-mile run with a faster finish. So, every day is a little bit different. On non-workout days, I run 8 to 12 miles. Sometimes 8 miles easy in the morning, then 4 miles easy in the evening. If it is a workout day, we meet for practice, then conduct our workout. The workout usually adds up to 12 miles. Then, we head to our gym and lift weights for an hour. Then off to brunch.

What are some ways you make sure you are fueled and recovered from your training?

“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.”

I saw that you wrote a cookbook,The Runner’s Kitchen. What inspired you on this venture? Also, what is your favorite recipe from the book?

“I love cooking and baking. My mom is a great cook and once I went to college and had to cook for myself, I started to get more into making up recipes and trying to improve. When I graduated and became a professional runner, I had a lot more time on my hands than I was used to, so I cooked a lot more. I would share some of my cooking on Instagram and would receive so many requests for the recipes that I was creating. When the publisher reached out with the offer to write a cookbook, it was a no-brainer for me. It was a really fun way to share what I like to cook and what I like to eat. Two of my favorite things in the book are the Best Friend Bolognese and the Baked Fried Chicken Sammy.”

What is one kitchen tool you can’t live without?

“Knives. Is that too obvious? Beyond that, I use my KitchenAid stand mixer almost daily. My mom bought this KitchenAid in a garage sale from an elderly neighbor back in the 1980s. Now it’s mine, and it still works great!”

Here are thebest chef’s knives, according to our Test Kitchen.

What is one food that is always in your fridge?

“Yogurt.”

What is one food that we will never find in your kitchen/that you can’t stand?

“I hate fish. I always have. Maybe once a year, I’ll cook a piece of salmon for my husband, but really, you will never find fish in my fridge.”

Favorite meal/drink/dessert for celebrating?

“I love a good margarita. I also love chocolate ice cream, cheesecake or chocolate mousse.”

Last but certainly not least, here atEatingWell, we ask everyone we interview: what does “eating well” mean to you?

“EatingWellto me means giving my body the fuel it needs to be healthy and do its job. Eating food that fuels me, makes me happy and makes me feel good.”

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