A Repeated Drop in Pace, Power, Strength, or Training Tolerance Can Be Part of the Observable Pattern
- Compare the athlete with their own recent pattern
- Do not answer unexplained decline by automatically adding training.
Core XC · Module 7
Low Energy Availability Can Affect Every Runner
Female and male runners can develop health and performance problems when intake repeatedly does not cover training and normal body function.
No body type, sex, finish time, or food identity rules low energy availability in or out; look for a cluster of changes and respond privately.
Bottom line
Low energy availability can affect distance runners, sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and athletes of every sex; coaches observe, document, communicate, refer, and support the school plan.
Your body needs fuel for more than running
- Food powers your heart, bones, brain, and growth, not just your legs.
- Eat less than you burn for a long time and your body starts turning things off.
- That shows up as getting sick a lot, feeling cold, sore bones, or slower races.
Do this:
- Eat every meal, plus a snack around practice.
- Tell an adult if you feel tired all the time.
- Never trade food for a faster time.
Try this week: Notice one day this week you almost skipped a meal, and eat it anyway.
Not true: lighter always means faster. Under-fueled runners break down and slow down.
Fatigue, injury, illness, food restriction, mood, or performance changes begin clustering in any runner.
Do these three things this week:
- Describe the observable pattern without guessing the cause.
- Tell a parent or guardian privately and involve the appropriate school health professional.
- Let a physician-led team diagnose and set the treatment or participation plan.
Familiar products to recognize
Start with the food category. Tap a package for one recognizable brand example, then swap within the category for access, tolerance, culture, budget, and allergens.
Put it into practice
Repeated Illness, Bone Pain, Dizziness, Hormonal Change, or Other Health Concerns Belong in a Private Referral Pattern
- Menstrual function is one health indicator for athletes who menstruate
- Athletes who do not menstruate can still have bone, metabolic, endocrine
Food Restriction, Rigid Rules, Mood Change, Poor Recovery, and Repeat Soreness Matter When They Cluster
- Ask about access, schedule, pain, illness, stress
- Describe what changed and how often
Adolescents Must Cover Training, School, Daily Life, and Ongoing Growth—not Sport Alone
- A meaningful change in growth, development
- The coach observes, documents, communicates, refers
Coach-Led Safety
Low Energy Availability Can
Affect Every Runner
A Repeated Drop in Pace, Power, Strength
- Compare the athlete with their own recent pattern
- Do not answer unexplained decline by automatically adding training.
Repeated Illness, Bone Pain, Dizziness, Hormonal Change
- Menstrual function is one health indicator for athletes who menstruate
- Athletes who do not menstruate can still have bone, metabolic, endocrine
Food Restriction, Rigid Rules, Mood Change, Poor Recovery
- Ask about access, schedule, pain, illness, stress
- Describe what changed and how often
Adolescents Must Cover Training, School, Daily Life
- A meaningful change in growth, development
- The coach observes, documents, communicates, refers
*Low energy availability can affect distance runners, sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and athletes of every sex; coaches observe
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Low Energy Availability Can Affect Every Runner
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No body type, sex, finish time, or food identity rules low energy availability in or out; look for a cluster of changes and respond privately. Low energy availability can affect distance runners, sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and athletes of every sex
Real product examples
Familiar packages, easier choices
Start with the food category. Brands are recognizable examples, not required choices; swap within the category for access, tolerance, culture, budget, and allergens.
Ready-to-serve rice
Canned black beans
Fortified breakfast cereal
Packages are examples, not endorsements. Image sources and rights notice.
Use this when
1
Do not send it as a team self-diagnosis checklist or body-comparison exercise.
2
Use examples that include male, female, and nonbinary athletes without requiring disclosure.
3
Move from observation to a private family and physician-led pathway.
Ready-to-serve rice: Minute Rice Jasmine Rice Cups
Canned black beans: Goya Organic Black Beans
Fortified breakfast cereal: Original Cheerios cereal
String cheese: Sargento Light String Cheese
Peanut butter: Jif Natural Creamy peanut butter
Drinkable Greek yogurt: Chobani Greek Yogurt Drink
Higher-protein pasta: Barilla Protein+ Penne
Plain bagel: Thomas' plain bagels
Every Sex
Who
Notice Patterns
Coach's Job
Physician-Led
Diagnosis
Coach Prompt
What observable cluster requires a private family and medical handoff now?
Start Here
Low energy availability can affect distance runners, sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and athletes of every sex; coaches observe, document, communicate, refer
QUICK START PLAN
Performance
A Repeated Drop in Pace, Power, Strength, or Training Tolerance Can Be Part of the Observable Pattern
Compare the athlete with their own recent pattern · Do not answer unexplained decline by automatically adding training
Health
Repeated Illness, Bone Pain, Dizziness, Hormonal Change, or Other Health Concerns Belong in a Private Referral Pattern
Menstrual function is one health indicator for athletes who menstruate · Athletes who do not menstruate can still have bone, metabolic
Behavior + Recovery
Food Restriction, Rigid Rules, Mood Change, Poor Recovery, and Repeat Soreness Matter When They Cluster
Ask about access, schedule, pain, illness, stress · Describe what changed and how often
Growth / Development
Adolescents Must Cover Training, School, Daily Life, and Ongoing Growth—not Sport Alone
A meaningful change in growth, development · The coach observes, documents, communicates, refers
COACH REFERENCE
All-Athlete Scenarios: Observe, Then Refer
| Athlete Scenario | Observable Pattern | Safe Next Move |
|---|---|---|
| Distance runner | Pace falls while fatigue, illness | Document the pattern |
| Sprinter | Power, strength, recovery | Check access; do not add work to solve it |
| Jumper | Bone pain, recurrent soreness | Stop guessing and use the injury/referral pathway |
| Thrower | Food restriction, rigid rules | Use neutral observations and qualified care |
Required Next Steps
Name the Pattern
What changed: ______________ · When it started: _____________
Tell Privately
Parent or guardian: __________ · School health contact: ________
Follow the Plan
Clinician owns diagnosis · Emergency symptoms use the EAP
QUICK RULES
Observe
Name what changed, when it started, and how often it is happening.Document
Record observable facts, timing, frequency, and relevant training changes without labels.Communicate
Use a private conversation with the athlete, parent or guardian, and approved school contact.Built by an RD who coaches · Luke Rodriguez, MS, RDN · Palmer Ridge HS XC
The lesson · one sheet, three readers
Low Energy Availability Can Affect Every Runner
Page 3 of 3Runner, family, and coach read the same idea at their own level. Reviewed · Luke Rodriguez, MS, RDN
For the runner
Your body needs fuel for more than running
- Food powers your heart, bones, brain, and growth, not just your legs.
- Eat less than you burn for a long time and your body starts turning things off.
- That shows up as getting sick a lot, feeling cold, sore bones, or slower races.
- 1Eat every meal, plus a snack around practice.
- 2Tell an adult if you feel tired all the time.
- 3Never trade food for a faster time.
Try this week: Notice one day this week you almost skipped a meal, and eat it anyway.
Not true: lighter always means faster. Under-fueled runners break down and slow down.
Coach: say this
- Food powers everything, not just the run. If you are always tired, sick, or hurting, that is information, not weakness.
- Boys get this too. It is not a girls-only problem and it is not about how you look.
- If a teammate seems to be eating less and less, tell me privately. That is looking out for them, not tattling.
- I do not weigh runners and I do not comment on bodies. We talk about fuel and readiness.
Why it works
Relative energy deficiency in sport describes what happens when intake repeatedly falls short of training plus normal body function: the body turns down hormones, bone building, immunity, and recovery.
Coaches see the pattern first because they see the athlete daily, but the pattern is not a diagnosis; a clinician determines cause and treatment.
Naming it as a whole-team topic removes the shame that keeps athletes quiet and makes early reporting normal.
Don't say
- “You look lean, it is working.” Praise for a smaller body is the strongest push toward restriction a coach can give.
- “Are you eating enough?” in front of the team. Concern goes private, always.
- “Your iron is probably low.” Guessing a cause is diagnosing; observe, then refer.
Refer whenA cluster of signs across weeks, any bone stress injury, a missed or changed period, or restricted eating you have observed: tell the family privately the same week and route to the pediatrician or athletic trainer. Fainting, chest pain, or confusion is an emergency call, not a conversation.
Ask themWhat would you want a teammate to do if they noticed you were always tired?
For families
Low energy availability is a pattern, not a diagnosis
- It affects boys and girls: intake that repeatedly does not cover training and normal growth pushes the body to save energy.
- Watch for a cluster, not one sign: frequent illness, bone pain, a missed or changed period, constant fatigue, mood changes, or falling times despite hard work.
- Support looks like regular meals, food in the bag, and calm language. It does not look like tracking, counting, or comments about bodies.
- The family, the pediatrician, and a sports dietitian decide what is going on. The coach's job is to notice and hand off.
Watch for · Two or more of those signs over a few weeks, or any sign paired with restricted eating, is the moment to call the pediatrician and tell the coach you are handling it.
Built by an RD who coaches · Luke Rodriguez, MS, RDN · Palmer Ridge HS XCBuilt forCoachParentAthleteCoach-led discussion
XC core module 7 of 8
Use this when
Fatigue, injury, illness, food restriction, mood, or performance changes begin clustering in any runner.
Coach script
“Low energy availability can affect runners of every sex. Coaches notice patterns and protect access; clinicians diagnose and treat.”
Three actions for this week
- 1
Describe the observable pattern without guessing the cause.
- 2
Tell a parent or guardian privately and involve the appropriate school health professional.
- 3
Let a physician-led team diagnose and set the treatment or participation plan.
Ask the team
Which repeated change would make you ask for help instead of trying to push through?
Message for parents
A cluster of fatigue, recurrent injury, illness, food restriction, mood change, or declining training tolerance deserves a private medical conversation—not more pressure.
Safety boundary: This is a coach-led safety resource, not a general team self-diagnosis exercise. Urgent symptoms follow the school's emergency pathway.
Paired coach action guide
The handout teaches the athlete. The protocol tells the coach what to do next.
Open the matching five-part guide for observable signs, a conversation script, green-yellow-red decisions, implementation steps, follow-up, and referral boundaries.
Finish before you close this page
Turn the sheet into one physical commitment.
Identify the observable concern, the adult receiving it, and the private handoff channel.
Done looks like: The concern is documented without diagnosis, scoring, or a public team conversation.
For adults supporting the athlete
The all-athlete REDs frame
The 2023 IOC consensus defines REDs as a multifactorial clinical syndrome that can affect female and male athletes exposed to problematic low energy availability. One symptom does not prove a diagnosis.
- Male runners
- Research and clinical consensus identify bone, metabolic, immune, performance, and reproductive consequences in male athletes as well as female athletes.
- No visual test
- Body appearance and a single performance result cannot establish or rule out low energy availability or REDs.
- Clinical boundary
- The physician-led team evaluates alternative causes, severity, treatment, and sport-participation decisions; coaches should not use public body measurements or universal thresholds.
Urgent symptoms, acute medical instability, or immediate safety concerns follow the school's emergency plan. This resource does not diagnose REDs or an eating disorder.
Where to go next
TopicUse the school referral chainMove the observation to the right adult without public disclosure.
ToolPrepare the private handoffUse observable language and the reviewed family or emergency pathway.
TopicKeep body talk out of the responseProtect the athlete from shame, comparison, and amateur diagnosis.
Related athlete-health paths
Keep the observation, food-access, and referral work connected.
From one handout to a repeatable team system
You can use this handout today. Program Access installs it into your season.
Free
- Print this handout
- Share it with athletes or families
- Use the coach prompt and written commitment
Program Access adds
- The exact week to use it
- A parent email already written
- A two-minute team talk
- A staff-owner checklist
- The matching planning tool
- Family portal access
Coach: Open the matching week, deliver the team talk, assign the staff owner, and verify the written action.
Family: Send the editable family message, share the handout, and keep the same next action visible in the family portal.
Content version: 2026.08.26Content pass: August 26, 2026Next source review due: February 26, 2027Emergency links checked: August 26, 2026
Immediate danger or a medical emergency: call 911. Mental-health crisis support: call or text 988. Eating-disorder screening, treatment search, and support options: current NEDA Get Help center.