As we continue into our marathon madness, we’re also continuing to keep close tabs on our nutrition! Fueling for long runs, hills, tempo runs, and sprints require a delicate balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. So, scroll down for an energizing full day of meals!
As we talked about in our last post, there are a couple of foods that we’re avoiding during this training season. These include processed foods, refined flours, processed sugars, and oil. Once you learn to keep those draining foods out of your diet, we can assure you that you’ll feel more energized, happy, and ready to tackle your training routine!
Pre-Breakfast Snack for Marathon Runners
Dates
This meal plan perfectly reflects what we’re eating on our long run days. So, before heading out the door ,we make sure to get in some easily digestible carbohydrates to fuel our bodies. This is why I always keep a box of dates in the fridge. Not only are they a great source of energy, but dates are also high in antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory. We personally love them because of the lack of digestive distress they cause when we eat them before a run!
Post-Run Breakfast for Marathon Runners
Strawberry-Peach Overnight Oats
For breakfast, we focus on refueling. As glycogen is the primary source of energy for endurance athletes, it’s important to replenish glycogen stores after exercise. For those of you who are unaware, glycogen exists in carbohydrates. Because of this, we opt for a carbohydrate-rich post-run breakfast of Strawberry-Peach Overnight Oats.
Fruit in Overnight Oats
Strawberries: They are a good source of anti-oxidants, vitamin C, and may even help reduce cardiovascular disease!
Peaches: This fruit has a ton of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin C!
Snack for Marathon Training
Once the amazing effects of the overnight oats start wearing off, it’s time to head to the kitchen once again and grab a snack. In between breakfast and lunch we’re taking the opportunity to devour some delicious beet juice!
Beets are incredibly good for you. They're one of the few foods that contain a significant amount of betalains. Betalains contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detox support for your body.
Beets are high in both folate and B-9 which can assist in maintaining emotional and mental well-being! While the endorphins we get from running are great for elevating emotional and mental health, it’s always a good idea to double down and find happiness in our food.
One thing to note about beets is that the longer you cook them, the more you'll destroy the health benefits of this powerhouse root vegetable. That's why we love to eat them raw in a smoothie. Click this link to read all about the health benefits of beets.
Lunch for Marathon Runners
Protein-Packed Spinach Burgers
Protein-Packed Spinach Burgers are the perfect lunch for a long run day! Not only are these burgers filled with protein-filled ingredients like chickpeas and spinach, but they’re also a wonderful source of healthy fats when you top them with avocado. So, yeah the nutritional profile for these burgers is spot on, but the flavor is also out of this world! They’re so delicious and satiating that you can even skip sides and just chow down on the burger by itself.
*Tip: prep these burgers a couple days before and freeze them! Then all you have to do is reheat while chillin’ in your recovery socks and sandals ; )
Snack #2 for Marathon Runners
Cucumber Chips with Cannellini Bean Dip
Just keep relaxing after that long-run and chow down on some cucumber chips with cannellini bean dip while you catch up on your favorite television shows. This dip is so easy to make and will hold up the flavor even if you make it a couple days before and refrigerate it.
Cannellini beans are a great source of fiber, protein, healthy fat and leucine. Leucine is an amino acid that is good for exercise recovery. It's also known to help with weight loss.
Using cucumbers as the vessel for that creamy delicious dip makes this snack even healthier. Cucumbers are extremely hydrating which is wonderful after a long-run.
Dinner for Marathon Runners
Half the reason I chose this recipe for the dinner portion of our meal plan is because of how easy it is to make! Seriously, it's probably the simplest meal on the planet, and also one of the tastiest.
Aside from being quite satisfying, it's also a healthy way to end the day. It's filled with hydrating vegetable broth, potatoes and corn.
Potatoes are given a bad rap that's completely undeserved. They're only bad for you if you pile on sour cream and butter, or if they're turned into fries or chips. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin B6, which is important for building cells, protecting brain cell and nervous system activity, and cardiovascular health.
They're also great for athletes because B6 breaks down glycogen (a form of sugar), which is stored in muscles and the liver. If you want to perform well as an athlete, eat potatoes often.
Corn is another food that has recently come under scrutiny because of GMOs. While we are not fans of GMO foods, it is possible to find non-GMO corn, and when you do, you should buy it and eat it.
Corn is also a great source of B vitamins, fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants.
We like to serve this soup with a fresh green salad for added nutritional benefits, and because green leafy vegetables are a great source of calcium.
If you're still in the mood for dessert after dinner, we recommend eating a piece of fresh fruit or our PIÑA COLADA SORBET.
As always, you want to stay hydrated all day, every day. So make sure that you drink water from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. We like to keep a tall glass of water next to our beds at night so we can take a sip if we wake up thirsty in the middle of the night.
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Great meal plan and tips, thanks! Long run days can be killers!
Linda Meyer says
Long run days are so hard if your body isn't fueled well. Trust us, we know! 🙂