Week 14: Leaving for Japan!

We leave for Japan tomorrow!! It's getting real. But don't worry, I still have a meal plan + grocery lists + nutrition deep dive for you. :)

Ashley Young

Sep 05, 2025

∙ Paid

Hi friends,

We leave for Japan tomorrow! 10 days till race day!

What’s on Deck for Next Week

Clayton and I will arrive in Tokyo and head straight to the mountains for Team USA’s altitude camp in the Nagano prefecture. We’ll be there for a week before we return to Tokyo for the race.

This race feels really different than anything we’ve done before! No expos, no fun pre-race group shakeouts. Japan feels so unique and exciting. And I’m happy that I get to stay with Clayton instead of being separated, like at the Olympic Village. I’m excited to see how our week plays out!

I won’t get to make next week’s meal plan, so enjoy it for us! I’ll be honest: I’m really looking forward to handing Clayton’s nutrition over to the Team USA chefs for a few days and having a little break. :) I’ll try to update my Instagram stories with what Clayton actually eats while at altitude.

Race Info

Clayton will race on Monday, September 15th at 8 a.m. in Tokyo.

Because of the time zone difference, in the U.S. the race will start on Sunday, September 14th at 5 p.m MDT.

Aaaaand to make it extra fun, it’s actually Clayton’s birthday on September 14th. :) So if you want to celebrate with us, tune in for the marathon!!

The race will start and end in the stadium amidst the other track events that are happening (find the schedule linked here).

You can find more info about the World Championships here, and you can find watch info here. As of today, I don’t see a way to watch the morning session (with the marathon), but hopefully it gets added!

Nutrition Deep Dive

This week, Jackie’s nutrition deep dive is an intentional plan to ground you for your race weekend. There are so many helpful tips on snack ideas for your carb load & how to structure it, as well as thoughts on your pre-race dinner, how to fuel your race morning, and what to pack with you if you’re traveling. I really appreciate having all of this planned out in advance!

As always, thanks for being here and cheering us on! Best of luck with whatever *you* have on your plate this upcoming week.

Take care,

Ashley

Breakfast

I like to batch prep a few breakfast options, and then mix and match them throughout the week with eggs (usually scrambled with bell peppers) and cereal (I can’t keep Clayton from his rice krispies + bananas or his honey bunches of oats; he’s also a big fan of granola). He usually eats both a savory and a sweet option each morning.

Lunch

Clayton usually eats big breakfasts (post morning run) and big dinners (post afternoon run), so we keep lunch time pretty simple. His typical go-to is turkey sandwiches with pretzels or chips. We’ll include a serving of tuna this week for omega-3s as well.