Not to be melodramatic, but so many of my long runs live or die depending on what I ate the night before. I'll admit that my body is very sensitive to changes in diet and I'm also hyper-aware of these changes depending on what I choose to eat. That said, we're all different. Some of you lucky ones out there can eat whatever your heart desires and your stomach will be fine the next day. Others will be cursing and running in to fertilize the woods every mile if they eat the wrong thing. I'd suggest using your long runs for trial and error to figure out what works for you.
My perfect pre-race meal was something my friend Mana cooked for a casual lunch get-together one day. I modified it a bit, but I think it's pretty close to what she made. I've had this meal for dinner before a big race going all the way back to the first 13.7 mile trail race I did back in 2017 and so far, so good. Gluten is always a bad idea for me, but a worse idea the night before running long. It just seems to gum up the works. This meal is perfect because it's full of flavor, but not spicy and it's super nutrient-dense. I don't even know what to call it- it's kind of a warm salad.
Dinner the night before: Sweet potato thingy with sautéed greens and quinoa
The sweet potatoes are the key to this dish. They have a smoky, savory flavor that's super yummy.
Preheat oven to 450F. You'll need 2-3 large sweet potatoes: peel these and cut into thick wedges. In a large ziplock bag, mix together:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 crushed cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Add the sweet potato wedges to the spice mixture and move them around to evenly coat the wedges. Arrange the wedges onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake for about 25 minutes.
Separately, rinse 1 cup of quinoa with cold water in a fine strainer. It's important to rinse off the saponins on the surface of quinoa. If you don't, you can actually develop an allergy. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock + 1/2 cup of water to a sauce pan with the drained quinoa and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 mins with the lid on.
Separately, slice up a red onion and sautée in a wok with olive oil. Use whatever greens you like- I like flat lacinato kale with Swiss chard. Gut (remove the hard stalks) and chop up about 4 cups of raw greens and sautée those with garlic and the onions.
Combine all elements to create this tasty warm sweet potato salad. I love this meal because I never feel bloated after eating it, but it makes me feel full. It's got a great balance of carbs and protein from the quinoa without the heaviness from bread or pasta.
Breakfast on race morning
Most races start pretty early in the morning. I usually try to get a meal in about an hour before running but the timing doesn't always work out. I've figured out for me, as long as I wait at least 30 mins between breakfast and running, it's usually fine on my stomach. Pre-race breakfast is the same as what I have pretty much before all long runs. I love bananas. They're nature's perfectly packaged food. So I usually just have a banana with a scoop of peanut or almond butter on the side. I might also add in a one of those mini Clif bars if I'm feeling extra hungry. I try to drink kombucha or a hot tea with Four Sigmatic Cordyceps before the race. I'm not actually sure if the cordyceps work or not, but they are supposed to increase the body's ability to use oxygen during endurance efforts. Placebo effect or not, I add in the cordyceps.
Post Race
Apparently, there's a window of 30-90 minutes after long efforts, where you should be replenishing the calories you just burned. It's important to get a balanced amount of electrolytes, carbohydrates, protein and fat right after you run long. My favorite post race food is some sort of recovery drink. I'm never super hungry right after running, because I'm fueling during the race. However, I know I should try to eat something, so a recovery beverage is much easier to get down than solid food. First off, I down a lot of coconut water. Next up, the recovery beverage. I have a race tomorrow, so I just made a smoothie and put it in a thermos for tomorrow after the race. Here's what I made:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake
- 1 can coconut milk
- 4 pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
- about 1.5 cups of ice
Blend in Vitamix or other blender until smooth (at 6 setting for about 1 minute in the Vitamix)
댓글