200. Starla Garcia, Olympic Trials Qualifier & Registered Dietitian

"I dropped so many F-bombs the last 10K! I just kept saying, 'It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen!' I was just so hyped up."

This past weekend, Starla Garcia ran the Chevron Houston Marathon in 2 hours and 43 minutes — officially qualifying to run the 2020 Olympic Trials. On this episode — the 200th episode of the Ali on the Run Show! — Starla talks about her road to the OTQ, including missing the cutoff by just two minutes at last year's Grandma's Marathon, and a DNF at CIM. She talks about developing an eating disorder in high school, and finding recovery as a division-1 athlete in college. Today, Starla is a registered dietitian living in Houston, TX.

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What you'll get on this episode:

• Where Starla's OTQ dream came from (3:10)
• On bouncing back from disappointment (8:45)
• What Starla's pre-Houston training was like (14:45)
• What it felt like to cross the finish line with an Olympic Trials qualifying time (27:00)
• Starla reflects on her relationship with running when she was growing up, and the pressure she felt as a D-1 collegiate runner (31:00)
• Starla talks about her past with an eating disorder (36:20)
• On becoming a registered dietitian (49:40)

What we mention on this episode:

Carly Gill on Episode 182 of the Ali on the Run Show

Neely Spence Gracey on Episode 42 of the Ali on the Run Show

"Elated Runners Are Headed to Trials After Grabbing an #OTQinHOU," by Emilia Benton for Runner's World

Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison

Follow Starla:

• Instagram @starla_shines
• Twitter @starla_shines

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