Derek Holland

In Fall 2023 as I started to prepare for the 2024 NYC Marathon, I scheduled my first metabolic testing session with Kaitlyn Baird to understand my fitness baseline. Heading into the test, my training had been largely about increasing mileage to build a base, but otherwise was unguided. Beyond impersonal online calculators, I didn't understand my training zones, my metabolic profile, how my body consumed energy (i.e., fat as fuel source vs. sugar), what my personal strengths & weakness were in my fitness, etc.

Following my first test, I knew precisely how my body sourced fuel, what my target zones, paces and heart rates were and most importantly where I could improve most as a runner. For example, I finally understood that my body predominantly used sugar as fuel source, rather than fat. Since the event that I'm training for is the marathon, I knew how important it would be to train my body to use fat to ensure I have enough energy to cover the distance.

Using the report provided by Kate, I structured my winter training around where I could improve and saw my training transition from uneducated to very informed and felt my body transform. By following the recommendations provided by Kate, I saw my Half Marathon PR decrease from 1:39 in Fall 2023 to 1:29 in Spring 2024. The metabolic testing and the recommendations have been the most influential pieces to my improvement as a runner.