Fueling for the long run

I've been asked a lot about my eating habits and nutrition and how it plays into my training and distance running, so I thought I'd post a blog about it for those who are curious.

First of all, I've always been a skinny kid. I had a crazy high metabolism when I was young and I was full of energy. I started running when I was just 14 years old, but back then I didn't think anything about nutrition or training. I ate what I wanted and I ran whatever I felt like running that day. It wasn't really until I began racing back in 2006 that I started thinking about what I was putting in my mouth and how it would affect my running.

My very first race (Turkey Trot 5k)

 

 

Running distances like 5ks and 10ks is pretty much what I stuck to for years. I never pushed myself out of my comfort zone or did any kind of training plans. I just had a natural affinity toward the sport and it made me feel good about myself. I was placing in my age groups and I was content with that. I never was really into eating out at restaurants or eating fast food, but I definitely wasn't eating healthy. My idea back then was "fake healthy"...like Lean Cuisines, basically anything that was low fat, low calorie. I had the attitude that the lighter or thinner I was, the faster I could run. So I skipped breakfast, had a light snack for lunch, then I'd eat a Lean Cuisine for dinner and call it a day. I never got crazy about my weight or anything like obsessing over the scale. I never looked in the mirror and thought, "I need to be thinner, I'm too fat"  I never had issues like that. I think I just had the wrong idea of what fueling my body for performance meant. 

 

 



It wasn't until I suffered a major injury shortly after the race I did pictured above in the fall of 2012 that I starting questioning my nutrition habits. I was at the time, running the best times I had ever run. I had just finished my first half marathon a few months prior and finally considering a full marathon. I ran a 5k PR of 20:39 and was dominating the local short distance races in my area. This injury was devastating to me because I was doing so well and it was making me second guess becoming a distance runner. During my downtime from running, I took advantage of educating myself on running form, nutrition, and training. It was then I realized that my idea of "healthy" eating was SO far off. I was not eating enough calories and was not even close to fueling my body for what I'd need for long distance running. That was when I made a change.

I'm not perfect by any means. I love pizza, cake, candy, ice-cream just like the next person. And even now, I still indulge in those things every now and then. Not often, but I do a couple times a month. For the most part, I try to eat clean. I avoid processed foods, simple sugars, or man-made chemicals. I used to drink diet pop like there was no tomorrow, but I've replaced it now with water or Zevia (an aspartame free soda)

I eat now...A LOT...every few hours, I'm eating something. Some key foods in my everyday diet include, almonds, nuts, Greek yogurt, chicken breast, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, Vega nutrition shakes, peanut butter(typical, right lol) pretzels, fig newton bars, Quest Bars, and of course try to get some fruits and vegetables in there with a lot of water intake. I do not count calories. I do not count fat grams or carbs. I just try and aim for complex carbs, healthy fats, and protein with each meal or snack. When I run, especially after a hard workout, I immediately refuel with either a Core Power protein drink or Vega accelerator shake. I've noticed eating a good blend of carbs and protein after a hard run, improves muscle soreness and energy. Running definitely helps me make better food choices throughout the day. I eat to run. I fuel my body like you'd fuel a car. When I eat like crap, I feel like crap, and I run like crap. I don't care about a number on a scale, I care about how my body feels during mile 9 of a tempo run and how I recover after so that I can get up the next morning and do it again. It's taken many years, but I'm happy with what I've got. I don't have a perfect body and I'm still at times insecure with myself, but I'm proud of what I can do with my legs. We are all human. It's our imperfections that make us beautiful and unique. And I'd like to add, that I get my ass handed to me many times by runners that are "bigger" than me. Strong is beautiful. Strong inside and out, and everyone is strong in their own way. I'm not the greatest or fastest runner, but I'm out there everyday giving it MY personal best.  My ultimate goal when it comes to eating is to stay injury free, full of energy, and able to blast out some intense miles. Happy Running :)