Apr. 18—Lottie Bildirici learned the hard way that it's not enough to train and have goals to become a better runner. What you eat before and after workouts also has a dramatic impact on your body's health and endurance.
After taking up running in her senior year of high school, following a bout with cancer, the Brooklyn native entered a string of races. She got serious about the sport almost immediately and, in an effort to boost performance, became obsessed with eating only "healthy" foods. Yet rather than propel her new heights, the restrictive diet ended up backfiring.
The more pure her diet became, the more her young body broke down with multiple stress fractures.
