In honor of our inaugural Team LUNA Chix Portland Run season, I’ll be introducing my teammates via this interview series throughout the next few months…get to know these impressive ladies, and come join us for a run Monday nights from 6:30-7:30 pm in Portland (click here for details)! 

Have you ever met someone and immediately just hit it off? That was Megan Fuetterer and me over coffee a few months back.

We were introduced by a mutual friend and quickly bonded over a shared love for food and an active lifestyle. Fast-forward to the present, and I’m not only taking weekly spin classes from her at Revocycle, but we’re also running together Monday nights with other LUNA Chix gals.

What I love about Megan, though, is that her awesomeness is outweighed only by her humbleness. Not only has she recently launched a successful company (Zest Nutrition), but she has also made a professional home at OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital where she enjoys working with kiddos and their families as a pediatric dietitian.

Oh, and did I mention she’s also a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a certified spin instructor and an Ironman triathlete whose healthy pumpkin pie recipe was featured on the TODAY Show? There’s nothing this lady can’t do, and I’m excited to learn more about smart fueling as we tackle our first LUNA Chix run team season together.

1. What’s your favorite route? Forest Park, but when it’s sunny out, there’s nothing quite like running on the PDX waterfront. My morning loop along the waterfront was featured in Runner’s World last year as the Rave Run!

2. What shoes do you wear? I am currently running in Nike Fly Knit Lunar 3s. Prior to these, I wore Newtons for years and loved them! They have lugs under the ball of your foot, which prevents heel striking and ultimately leads to a more efficient stride. They definitely helped improve my form.

3. What other run gear can’t you live without? My iPod shuffle. It clips onto my shorts and is weightless. Good tunes can energize me even on my most unmotivated days.

4. What’s your best time-saver or “runhack?” In high school I got in the habit of wearing my running clothes to bed for early morning practices. That way I could literally set my alarm three minutes before I needed to leave the house. I still do this on nights I want to squeeze in as many minutes of sleep as possible.

5. What running-related thing are you better at than anyone else? Listening to my body. If I’m pushing and my body is pushing back, I ease up and honor that. Our body gives us signs for a reason. I think yoga has been the biggest help in teaching me self-awareness.

6. What do you listen to while running? Anything with a good beat and an uplifting message. The key for me is constantly finding new music to keep it fresh.

7. What are you currently training for? For the first time in eight years I can happily say I am not training for anything! Wow! I am getting married in September, and I want to fully embrace the months leading up to the wedding. My fiancé and I still run for fun together in the mornings before work. It actually is a great time to talk about wedding plans.

8. What are your recovery & sleep routines like? Sleep, sleep, sleep! I aim for eight hours per night. If waking up early to run means less than seven hours of sleep, I skip the early workout and get the Z’s instead. Recovery, for me, comes in the form of food. I always eat an adequate meal of carbs, protein and fat within 30 minutes of a run, then continue to stay properly fueled and hydrated throughout the day.

9. What’s the best running advice you’ve ever received? Smile. Even if it hurts, smiling tricks your brain into having a good time. If you aren’t having fun, what’s the point?

10. What’s your favorite running-related memory? My senior year of high school Track & Field, my 4×4 team made it to the finals at the state meet. Right before the starting gun went off, someone started shooting fireworks off nearby. My last ever lap around the track in an organized meet was with fireworks lighting up the night sky overhead. I ran my fastest split time and my team took 3rd in state. It was unforgettable.

11. Fill in the blank: I’d love to go on a run with ________.  Chrissie Wellington.

12. Anything else you want to add? For tips on fueling for fitness and everyday life, visit ZestfulNutrition.com 🙂

Thanks, Megan! I’m hungry (see what I did there?!) for making more memories during our adventures together this season. 

Runner friends, shoot me a note — info (at) kineticfix.com — so I can feature you, too!