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The first two weeks of your season set the culture for everything that follows. If nutrition is introduced as a team value from day one — alongside training plans and team rules — it becomes part of "how we do things here" rather than something you scramble to address when an athlete gets hurt.
This is the single most important email you send all year. It establishes three things: (1) nutrition matters on this team, (2) you take it seriously, and (3) there are specific actions parents should take.
Subject: [TEAM NAME] — Nutrition: Fueling Performance This Season
Dear [Team] Parents,
Welcome to the [Year] [Season] season! As we begin training, I want to share some evidence-based nutrition information that will help your athlete perform their best and stay healthy.
Three Things to Know:
Athletes need significantly more calories than non-athletes. Your runner may need 2,500–4,000+ calories per day during peak training. This is NOT overeating — it's fueling for the work we're asking their bodies to do.
Pre-season lab testing is recommended. We encourage all distance runners to get a ferritin (iron) blood test before the season. Iron deficiency affects up to 52% of female distance runners and is the #1 cause of unexplained fatigue and performance plateaus. A simple $35 test at Quest or LabCorp can identify this.
Recovery nutrition starts at practice. We will have a post-practice recovery station (chocolate milk, granola bars, fruit) available after every hard session. Research shows that eating within 30 minutes of exercise improves recovery by up to 50%.
Attached: The Athlete's Plate guide and our team's Healthy Snack List.
If your athlete has any dietary restrictions, allergies, or nutritional concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Looking forward to a great season, Coach [Name]
If your program holds a pre-season parent meeting, dedicate 10 minutes to nutrition. Here's the agenda:
Why this matters (2 min)
The lunch-to-practice gap (3 min)
Iron testing (3 min)
Recovery station + snack rotation (2 min)
Post this in your team handbook and team folder:
Our commitment: On this team, we fuel for performance. We support athletes in eating enough to train, recover, and grow.
What we provide:
Our standards:
Our role: Coaches provide access to fuel and education. We are not dietitians. For clinical nutrition needs, we refer to qualified Sports RDNs and physicians.
Use SignUpGenius or a shared Google Sheet:
| Week | Family | Items Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | [Family Name] | 1 case chocolate milk boxes, 2 bunches bananas |
| Week 2 | [Family Name] | 1 box granola bars (64ct), 1 bag pretzels |
| Week 3 | [Family Name] | 1 case applesauce pouches, 2 bunches bananas |
| Week 4 | [Family Name] | 1 box fruit snacks, 1 case chocolate milk |
Estimated cost per family: $15-20 per rotation (every 6-8 weeks)
Pro tip: Frame this as "recovery fuel" not "snacks." Parents invest more readily in performance infrastructure than they do in "snack duty."
Before Module 2: Send the Season Start Nutrition Email to your team parents. Customize the template above with your team name, season, and contact information. This single email establishes nutrition as a team value and drives parent engagement from day one.
Subscribe to unlock all 5 modules, plus 18 coach toolkit items and 300 nutrition guides.
View plans & pricing0 of 5 modules complete
The first two weeks of your season set the culture for everything that follows. If nutrition is introduced as a team value from day one — alongside training plans and team rules — it becomes part of "how we do things here" rather than something you scramble to address when an athlete gets hurt.
This is the single most important email you send all year. It establishes three things: (1) nutrition matters on this team, (2) you take it seriously, and (3) there are specific actions parents should take.
Subject: [TEAM NAME] — Nutrition: Fueling Performance This Season
Dear [Team] Parents,
Welcome to the [Year] [Season] season! As we begin training, I want to share some evidence-based nutrition information that will help your athlete perform their best and stay healthy.
Three Things to Know:
Athletes need significantly more calories than non-athletes. Your runner may need 2,500–4,000+ calories per day during peak training. This is NOT overeating — it's fueling for the work we're asking their bodies to do.
Pre-season lab testing is recommended. We encourage all distance runners to get a ferritin (iron) blood test before the season. Iron deficiency affects up to 52% of female distance runners and is the #1 cause of unexplained fatigue and performance plateaus. A simple $35 test at Quest or LabCorp can identify this.
Recovery nutrition starts at practice. We will have a post-practice recovery station (chocolate milk, granola bars, fruit) available after every hard session. Research shows that eating within 30 minutes of exercise improves recovery by up to 50%.
Attached: The Athlete's Plate guide and our team's Healthy Snack List.
If your athlete has any dietary restrictions, allergies, or nutritional concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Looking forward to a great season, Coach [Name]
If your program holds a pre-season parent meeting, dedicate 10 minutes to nutrition. Here's the agenda:
Why this matters (2 min)
The lunch-to-practice gap (3 min)
Iron testing (3 min)
Recovery station + snack rotation (2 min)
Post this in your team handbook and team folder:
Our commitment: On this team, we fuel for performance. We support athletes in eating enough to train, recover, and grow.
What we provide:
Our standards:
Our role: Coaches provide access to fuel and education. We are not dietitians. For clinical nutrition needs, we refer to qualified Sports RDNs and physicians.
Use SignUpGenius or a shared Google Sheet:
| Week | Family | Items Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | [Family Name] | 1 case chocolate milk boxes, 2 bunches bananas |
| Week 2 | [Family Name] | 1 box granola bars (64ct), 1 bag pretzels |
| Week 3 | [Family Name] | 1 case applesauce pouches, 2 bunches bananas |
| Week 4 | [Family Name] | 1 box fruit snacks, 1 case chocolate milk |
Estimated cost per family: $15-20 per rotation (every 6-8 weeks)
Pro tip: Frame this as "recovery fuel" not "snacks." Parents invest more readily in performance infrastructure than they do in "snack duty."
Before Module 2: Send the Season Start Nutrition Email to your team parents. Customize the template above with your team name, season, and contact information. This single email establishes nutrition as a team value and drives parent engagement from day one.
Subscribe to unlock all 5 modules, plus 18 coach toolkit items and 300 nutrition guides.
View plans & pricing