Olympic Runner Emily Sisson In Workout Gear Shares Training Routine

American long-distance runner Emily Sisson is giving fans and followers a glimpse at what her typical day of training looks like—spoiler alert, it’s intense! Sisson, 32, shared a video of herself wearing black shorts and a sports bra, running beside the road in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. “Should I keep doing GRWM? Anyway here’s my 7 mile tempo from Sunday 🏃🏼‍♀️,” she captioned the post. At one point she also shares her hip mobility routine. Here’s what Sisson’s training, diet, and wellness routine looks like.

1. Coffee and Oatmeal

Sisson has oatmeal with milk for breakfast most days, as she tends to be low in vitamin D. “I typically do my first run or workout at 9 or 10, and I like to wake up two hours beforehand,” she told Runner’s World. “I’ll get up and make coffee, which is a must for me every day. I have a Nespresso machine and an AeroPress coffee maker to play with. On race days or really hot days, I tend to drink a little less coffee to not upset my stomach; I’ll get my caffeine fix with RunGum or a shot of espresso instead.”

2. No Restrictive Diets

Sisson focuses on nutritious, high-quality whole foods for the most part. “I can't handle things with lots of preservatives or that are very processed,” she told Ucan. I notice that I don't feel good when I eat those types of foods. We try to cook most of our meals and eat a pretty balanced diet, with lots of whole foods - 90% of the time we’re eating whole and unprocessed foods. At the same time, there’s nothing that I say is off limits. If I want a donut or a glass of wine, I’ll have it.”

3. Home Cooked Meals

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Sisson loves cooking protein-based delicious dinners. “My husband, Shane, and I usually plan our dinners ahead of time, and we make it the most filling meal of the day,” she told Runner’s World. “We love cooking veggie stir-fry with rice, spaghetti bolognese with beef and a bunch of vegetables, chili, or some sort of vegetable dish with wild-caught salmon. I don’t always have meat or fish at lunchtime, but I often eat them for dinner, because I know I need the protein and nutrients. My favorite meats are pork tenderloin, chicken, and grass-fed beef.”

4. Evening Runs

Sisson runs in the evenings and mixes up her prerun fuel. “I usually do my second run around 5 or 5:30 p.m., and I’ll have a prerun snack about an hour beforehand. I like to switch up what I eat, depending on how hungry I am that day,” she told Runner’s World. “Popcorn (the plain kind, not the super-buttery movie theater stuff), toast with peanut butter, veggies like baby carrots and snap peas, smoothies, and pancakes are on my regular rotation. I’ll listen to my body to see what I’m craving.”

5. Marathon Training

Sisson has developed a love for marathon training. “I really enjoyed my first marathon in London [2019], I found it to be so fun and I found that I really liked the training, I liked doing longer stuff and more tempo work,” she told Ucan. “I also feel like there's so much room for improvement there, whereas on the track, I know there's room for improvement there too, but I think it's a smaller window. If I commit to the marathon, I'm curious what I can do. I think that’s what has intrigued me. I feel like I haven't really tapped into that yet and the training's hard. but I find it fun. Like a new kind of challenge.”

Anna Ryzhykova is an accomplished track and field athlete with a career full of accolades, including a bronze medal in the 4x400 meter relay at the 2012 Olympics and multiple medals at the European Championships. Despite challenging conditions, Ryzhykova stays disciplined in her training. She recently shared an inspiring workout video on Instagram, captioned: “Every time I ask myself: why am I doing this? Cold, wind and understanding how hard it will be - suggest to stay home on the couch. And I remember what an awesome feeling after a workout, when discipline overcame desire!” From her intense workouts to healthy habits, here’s how she maintains her fitness and focus.

1. She Runs

In her Instagram video, Ryzhykova is seen running on the track. FloTrack states that running has a lot of health benefits. “Running and jogging is an aerobic exercise, and you’re working out both your heart and lungs while doing so. This will also lead to a lower resting heart rate, lower bad cholesterol in your blood and lower blood pressure. You don’t need to run an obscene amount of miles every day to get these benefits, either.”

2. She Strength Trains

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Ryzhykova is seen using a weight in her Instagram video. ACE Fitness states that weights have a lot of benefits. “Using maximal loads for compound (multi-joint) movements like the deadlift, squat-to-shoulder press, bent-over row or chest press can improve intermuscular coordination, which is the ability of many muscles to work together to generate and control high levels of force through multiple joints.”

3. She Does Squats

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Ryzhykova is seen doing squats with a weight in her Instagram video. Squats are a great exercise to do. The Cleveland Clinic states, “Squats target and strengthen your thighs, hips and butt. Why does that matter? A strong lower body is important for athletes, yes, but not just for athletes. Your lower body fuels your ability to walk, run, jump … everything, really. It also generates power for upper-body movements and all kinds of other activities.”

4. She Uses A Foam Roller

Ryzhykova likes to use a foam roller to help her muscles recover. She shared this video on Instagram of herself using one. Ryzhykova captioned the post,“One simple habit that helps reduce the risk of injury! I can't imagine my warm-up without a massage roller — it's something that's always with me! I have been convinced for a long time that it really helps to prepare muscles for loads, relieve tension, and, by the way, research also confirms its effectiveness. A couple of minutes before and after training — and the body feels much lighter. Now there is a huge selection, so choose according to your taste and wallet. But I would advise smooth and light in weight. I have exactly one from @physiokit_ukraine. The main thing is not to be lazy, use it regularly, then it will definitely become a habit!”

5. She Loves Natural Juice

Ryzhykova makes sure to eat a healthy diet. One thing she likes is natural juices. Ryzhykova talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “When I want something tasty, I choose juice. Natural juices are a great alternative to sweets: they are not only tasty, but also useful. And on gloomy days, this liquid sun in a jar lifts the mood ☀️ Special thanks to Radishka 🍎🍏 for inspiring young people to a healthy lifestyle! This juice is real energy and pleasure 😋”

Track and field athlete Allyson Felix is ready to have a baby at any moment, but that isn’t stopping her from keeping up with her fitness routine. Felix, 38, shared a reel of herself wearing leggings and a tank top, doing a variety of exercises like tennis, running, and hiking. “Whew lemme tell you! Life looks so different this pregnancy! Keeping up with a 5 year old, running a business, traveling for work, being a wife and trying to keep up with all of the things🙃 But, moving my body makes me feel like me…so I’m doing my best to make it a priority. 🥾hiking 🏃🏽‍♀️running 🎾tennis🙆🏾‍♀️ pilates🧘‍♀️lots of stretching. Anything I should add? Drop your go to⤵️,” she captioned the post. Here’s how the athlete stays so fit, strong, and full of energy.

1. Staying Focused

Felix uses visualization techniques to keep herself focused. “My typical training schedule is about six days a week, five hours a day,” she told Vogue. “I approach it very seriously and also do some visualization, where I am really putting in mind [the results] I want to see. I ask myself, ‘What is the perfect race? How did things come together?’ Every four years I have this opportunity—for only about 21 seconds—to get it right.

2. Food To Fuel Her Training

Felix overhauled her diet after getting tested for deficiencies. “So now I have a kind of very planned-out system: I wake up. I usually start my day with Chobani yogurt [which is one of her sponsors]. … For lunch I’ll have a salad with some type of protein in it. … And then my dinner is a bit bigger. I eat a lot of fish, some red meat, a lot of vegetables, brown rice. I try to keep everything pretty balanced. It’s important to make sure I have enough nutritious food to fuel me through the intense days.”

3. Beauty Regimen

Felix protects her skin from the sun and enjoys hot baths. “I'm in the sun every day, I'm training...so I'm very basic with my skin-care routine,” she told Vogue. “I typically use Honest Beauty products. I’m always making sure that I'm cleansing, using a moisturizer with some SPF, like Cetaphil’s combination formula, and doing self-care rituals. Anytime that I can take some time just for myself, I love a bubble bath and just soaking.”

4. Sprinting Workouts

Felix loves sprinting as a way to train and also get a high-energy workout in. “I love a very ballistic workout where you run [aka sprint at top speed] 6 x 150 meters [a little less than half a track lap],” she told Women’s Running. “You run a 150 and walk around the track back to the start. When I do that workout, I feel like I know I’m ready to go.”

5. Recovery Is Key

Taking time for recovery is key to Felix’s performance. “We’re always saying go harder, no days off. But for me, my approach is that recovery is just as important as the work I'm putting in,” she told Vogue. “I dedicate a day to active recovery, definitely wearing my Saysh sneakers to make sure my feet are able to do their best. It usually looks like a 20 minute, getting in my Normatech boots, and using my foam roller; doing all the little things and then seeing my massage therapist and chiropractor.”

Eilish McColgan is a record-breaking track and field athlete who has competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics, from 2012 to 2024. Known for her endurance and consistency, she holds the European record for the 10-kilometer road race and the European best for 10 miles. Recently, McColgan shared a glimpse into her training routine on Instagram, posting a video of herself running at varying speeds on a treadmill. “Putting my headphones to the ultimate treadmill test.. 🏃🏼‍♀️💨🎧,” she captioned the post. From smart training strategies to her favorite pre-workout meal, here’s how McColgan stays at the top of her game.

1. She Runs

Running is the main way McColgan keeps herself in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself on a treadmill. McColgan captioned the post, “Such is life... 🫠Exactly 2️⃣ weeks since my last race! Took to the treadmill for an easy run, with some short tempo efforts to get my legs moving again. 🦵Didn't feel too bad, considering the amount of time we spent walking around Vietnam and Cambodia!”

2. She’s Consistent

McColgan shared her training secrets in an interview with Runner’s World. “Being consistent. In the past, I used to always think I needed to train harder in order to run fast but now I realise that it's more important to train smart. Since reducing my mileage and focussing on the quality in my sessions rather than quantity - I've gone from strength to strength.”

3. She Doesn’t Restrict Herself

McColgan talked about her diet in her Runner’s World interview. “There's nothing that I restrict in my diet - everything is in moderation and if I want something sweet - I'll do so. I'm training so hard, I need to make sure I'm getting in enough calories in order for my body to recover rather than restricting it. With the volume of training that I do throughout the week, it's more important that I eat as much as I possible can and fuel correctly to try and prevent any injuries from breaking down. On race day, I stick to what I normally eat throughout the week - nothing changes.”

4. She Does Lower Body Workouts

McColgan tells Your Healthy Living that she does a lot of lower body workouts in the gym. “I have two hard interval sessions a week on the track and then afterwards I’ll do a session in the gym for an hour. I do things like squats, lunges and glute exercises using Thera Bands. It’s about keeping everything activated without tiring myself too much. I don’t lift a huge amount of weights. The focus is on my core, hips and glutes as those are the areas that are really important for a good, strong, running stride.”

5. She Loves Porridge

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McColgan shared her favorite pre-workout meal with Your Healthy Living. “It’s pretty simple. I eat porridge every single day. I have it with milk, a banana and some berries, and sometimes I’ll add a scoop of protein. That’s the perfect fuel for me. I enjoy eating it and I don’t have any stomach issues afterwards when I go for a run.”