Posts Tagged by running
My Go-To Pre Race Breakfast
| February 6, 2015 |
One question I always get from new runners is “what should I eat for breakfast on race day?” So I wanted to share my go-to pre-race breakfast with you: PB&J toast + banana + hydration
Technically speaking, I eat an AB&J (almond butter and jelly). And I guess if you want to get even more technical. I don’t own a toaster oven so I don’t actually eat toast unless I want to turn on the oven.
On average, one slice of whole wheat bread is around 12 grams of carbs. You can choose whatever bread you like but my favorites are the earthy nutty breads like Ezekiel bread. Adding the almond butter and jelly aid in flavor as well as providing a little bit of protein for muscle repair and extra sugar for additional carbs.
A banana is a good fruit option pre and post race because it’s a good source of potassium, B6, and magnesium. Potassium for me is very important. I am very prone to muscle cramps, especially in my toes due to my flat feet. With proper shoes, socks, and stretching I’ve been able to alleviate most of the problems I’ve come across during races, but I still struggle with the cramps from time to time and potassium is known to help prevent cramping. B6 is involved in transporting oxygen to the cells. This is vital for any athlete. Finally, magnesium helps to maintain healthy bones. With the prolonged pounding on your joints from running, magnesium is important if you plan to continue running through your 60s.
Last but not least, hydrate. If it’s race morning and you didn’t hydrate enough the past 2 weeks, this is not the time to make up for slacking off on your hydration routine. You don’t want a tidal wave swooshing in your stomach as you run. I like to drink about 1 bottle of water before the race depending on how much time I have from the moment I get up to the race start. I also like to add Nuun to my water. I’m a sucker for any flavored drink since I gave up soda and Nuun has added electrolytes – great for an athlete! Then I rely on the aid stations to provide my water along the course.
One big mistake you don’t want to make is trying something new on race day. What I shared with you above is what I personally do. But everyone is different and I am not a nutritionist. You’re training plan should have some long runs scheduled in. Plan to do your long runs at the same time of day that your race will start, that way you can get to know your own body and what it craves early in the morning.
… But let’s be honest. My race breakfast does NOT look like the photos above. It looks more like this. Packed the night before in a ziplock bag and a banana on the side.
It was freezing outside so I ate in my car with the heater at full blast until it was time to head to the start. This was before the Citrus Heritage Half Marathon. I did it last year for the inaugural event and had to come back for the 2nd annual race. It’s a beautiful run through the historic orange groves in Riverside and the sunrise was breathtaking! As I ran, I could smell the sweet citrus growing along the course.
Happy Motivational Monday
| January 27, 2014 |
Our goals are often shaped by where we are now and what we want to change about ourselves. But the driving force that keeps you on track are the goals you make. Focus on where you want to be, not where you’re at.
Happy Monday everyone!
My Carbo Loading Recipe and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon
| April 7, 2013 |
There are so many different ways and techniques people use their diet to boost their running performance. Having not really thought about a special diet for the Disneyland Half back in September, for RunDisney’s Tinker Bell Half Marathon I wanted to be more prepared. (If you read my post about the Disney Half, you know I wasn’t prepared in any way, shape, or form).
Besides preparing for the run by running, because we all know that’s a must, I was doing my regular healthy low-carb diet with very minimal cheat meals. The month of, I didn’t cheat at all (with the exception of a celebratory glass of champagne for my work’s 25th anniversary).
Here’s where the diet change starts to come in… Like I mentioned, I follow a low-carb diet. I rarely eat breads and pastas and when I do have carbs, it’s usually some quinoa or oatmeal, and this usually only happens once a week. The week leading up to the run, I added carbs into my daily diet routine. I would have a piece of whole wheat bread for breakfast with some almond butter and a banana or a sandwich for lunch.
The night before my run, I had pasta. YUM! A lot of people say you should carbo-load the night before. There’s even a Pasta in the Park party at Disneyland the night before for an additional fee. For me personally, the acidity in traditional marinara doesn’t sit well with any cardio sessions, so I made a pesto!
Note that it’s nut free for all my nutty EpiPen people out there (some of my best friends included). Not to mention that I discovered pine nuts are way out of my budget. Yikes! Sunflower seeds just seemed so much more practical.
{Nut Free} Spinach Basil Pesto
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Directions
Put the basil, 2 cups fresh spinach, garlic cloves and half of the extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. Allow the processor to run until the pesto reaches a thick sauce-like consistency. I had to do half the spinach first, then added the other half due to the size of my food processor. Add extra olive oil if needed.
Add your pesto to your pasta or pack for later use. This also tastes great on sandwiches, used as a salad dressing, or even baked on chicken.
Be sure that if you don’t use all of it, you store it with a layer of olive oil on top. Air is pesto’s worst enemy. Think wilted salad, only it’s your pesto that now has a funky wilted flavor. You can store it in a jar but I didn’t do anything fancy – just my tupperware. See how I put about a quarter inch layer of olive oil on top? The next time you use it you can just mix in the olive oil you topped it off with.
Pre-race dieting can really affect your run. The best thing to do is look at your diet. Increase your carb intake based on your current intake. Don’t eat a ton of pasta because another runner said that’s what they do. Eating more than your body is ready to handle can put your digestive system in a funk.
Another thing to look out for is to watch your fiber intake. I generally eat a TON of fruits and veggies loaded with fiber. Pre-race, loading up on fiber can be just as bad as eating too much pasta … maybe worse! Registered Dietitian Tara Gidus recommends you “cut back on those foods three days before a major race.” This doesn’t mean you cut everything out those three days – just reduce the amount of fiber based on your regular daily intake. For me, I eat about 2 cups of veggies a meal so I chose veggies with less fiber and cut it to one cup a meal those 3 days.
The final and biggest mistake new runners make is trying something new. That’s why I recommend you base your fiber and carb intake off your current diet and I don’t just straight out tell you how much you should have. New diets, new products, even new running shorts should all have a trial period before the big day. Don’t decide the morning of that you want to try some new protein shake made for runners. It’s the unwritten law – stick to what you know.
My run itself went great!!! My goal was to keep running or jogging the whole time, no stopping. Last time I didn’t train and wasn’t ready at all, so when walked for a bit I couldn’t get back up and running. That was not going to happen this time. I also made sure I had good shoes, my KTTape and everything else I mentioned in my last RunDisney blog post. When I was running, I just kept telling myself “mind over matter” and thought about how I just spent around $200 for this race so I better not disappoint myself. HA! I shed 30 minutes off my last time and finished with 3:03:26. I call that a win!
PS – Seeing that it was the Tinkerbell Half Marathon, I thought I’d be original and dress like Tiger Lily. You like? (and you can barely tell but that IS a feather in my hair)
UPDATE(4/9): Just found out that the runner wearing the Fireside Girl costume next to me has a blog too! It’s a small world! I shared my post on one of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Runner’s Facebook groups and Patty from Margaritas, Miles & The Mouse commented that it was her.
Sunday Runday: The 5k
| September 20, 2012 |
Running has never been my thing. When I was in middle school, I used to fail every mile we ran (if you took more than 13 minutes to run the mile, you got an F). When my gym decided to get together to run in a 5k, I was skeptical. I hate running. But then again I did, for whatever reason, sign up for the Disneyland Half Marathon. So I joined in on this 5k. Mentally preparing myself, I decided that my goal was to not stop. If I stopped, I was worried it would be that much harder to start back up again. My only stop was for a sip of water because at the 1.5 mile mark, I failed at drinking water because I was running and ended up pouring it all over my face. But I had so much fun running with everyone, I am now addicted.
I’m not going to lie and say that I miraculously now like running. I still hate it. But I loved the feeling I had after the race, the natural high and feeling of accomplishment. AND it is so much easier to run when you are running with a bunch of people that do like running. If you haven’t tried a 5k yet, I suggest you do so. You might just surprise yourself. I’ll post about my Disneyland Half Marathon weekend as soon as I get my photos in the mail, so sit tight.
My First 5k Time: 39:28
My Second 5k Time: 39:10
My Third 5k Time: 36:38
