Ultra-endurance athlete Jenny Capel dives into her journey of fat-adaptation and how it completely changed her races. Jenny recounts her struggles with constant nausea and vomiting during ultramarathons, especially during her runs at the Western States 100 until she adopted OFM and using VESPA. Jenny recounts the moment she was introduced to Vespa and the OFM (Optimized Fat Metabolism) protocol, detailing how she initially dismissed Vespa’s subtle effects before fully understanding how profound they really are. The conversation touches on the dietary adjustments Jenny made to leverage Vespa, such as cutting back on carbs and increasing her intake of protein and fats.
Key Highlights:
- First Encounter with Vespa: Jenny describes her skepticism when introduced to Vespa by Jon Olsen and how she initially felt it wasn’t providing the expected "kick" like typical race gels.
- Battling Nausea and Fatigue in Races: Jenny recalls intense bouts of vomiting and fatigue during the Western States 100 and how they were impacting her performance and health.
- Dietary Changes for Performance: After years of traditional high-carb fueling, Jenny began reducing carbs, increasing protein and fats, and using VESPA. Immediately she saw a notable improvement in her endurance and recovery while completely eliminating the nausea and vomiting..
- The Effects of Reintroducing Carbs: After adapting to a lower-carb lifestyle, Jenny found that consuming high-carb foods, like bread and pizza, led to inflammation and a reduction in performance, affirming her commitment to the OFM approach.
- Strategic Use of Carbs During Races: OFM is not no/low carb. . . Once adapted, Peter advised Jenny on how to use carbs strategically—taking gels before hills or challenging sections rather than relying on them constantly, allowing her to perform better with fewer calories and avoid gastrointestinal distress.
- Improved Performance and Energy Levels: With the OFM protocol, Jenny consistently ran her ultramarathons competitively on a fraction of the fuel she previously needed, while maintaining stable energy levels and with NO GI issues! This allowed her to WIN several ultramarathons and gave her a competitive edge, especially in the heat.
Topics Discussed:
- Introduction to Vespa and OFM: How Jenny learned about Vespa while on a trail run and her initial experiences with it.
- Race Strategy Adjustments: How Jenny implemented a targeted approach to using carbs during races, which helped give her that boost in energy when it was needed rather than being dependent upon external calories to prevent a bonk..
- Health and Performance Benefits: The long-term advantages of OFM for endurance sports and Life! These include reduced inflammation, fewer gastrointestinal issues and hormonal balance.
Conclusion:
With GI issues being one of the biggest challenges in endurance sports, Peter and Jenny’s conversation provides an insightful look at the transformative power of OFM for endurance athletes. Jenny's experiences emphasize the importance of aligning diet and fueling with performance goals as well as health.
This shows that, with the right guidance and adjustments tailored to the individual and their sport, endurance athletes can fuel smarter and perform better on a LOT less yet completely avoid the pitfalls the GI issues created by high carb/calorie fueling. Jenny’s journey demonstrates peak performance is not only achievable without compromising health . . . actually it enhances it!
