Are you or a loved one a distance runner, triathlete, adventure racer, ultra hiker, rower, swimmer or just into exercising hard and a LOT?
If so I highly recommended you get your hands onto the recipe book “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” by American Olympic marathon runner, Shalane Flanagan, and chef and nutrition coach Elyse Kopecky.
I was lucky enough to be given this recipe book for my birthday from my best friend and I love it! I really love the recipes in this book because they focus on eating real, nourishing & delicious foods, perfect for endurance athletes. The recipes are focused on what are good food combinations and meal ideas to have before and after training and races, as well as good main meals and snacks to have throughout the day to provide optimal fuel and re-hydration for your next work out. Each recipe has a brief explanation of why/how the foods in it will help with your performances and or recovery. There are a range of recipes in the book ranging from meat based recipes, vegetarian recipes and quite a few recipes that are gluten free and/or dairy free, handy for those athletes with food sensitivities.
This book is a great guide for any endurance athlete, amature or elite, to get hold of and have a go at these wonderful recipes. Check out the book and website here.
They are also releasing a new cook book in mid August called “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.” This would be a great recipe book option for those who are not a big fan of cooking as these recipes and meal ideas are targeted at those athletes who want real food, but don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen.
If you want to learn more about this book and the authors before paying for it check out this video where Shalane and Elyse explain more about their recipe book and their personal food philosophies.
In the meantime to get you started see below for one of my favourite quick simple smoothie recipes from their book that is ideal for race week or high load training weeks because it contains beetroot which is high in nitrates. Nitrates are beneficial to endurance athletes because once the nitrates from beetroot are consumed they turn into nitric oxide which has been found to increase blood flow to working muscles, improve muscle contraction. Exciting new research is showing positive signs that nitric oxide may also assist with glycogen uptake in the muscles which means sugars (your fuel/energy) is absorbed by the working muscles quicker and more efficiently meaning you can go harder and faster for longer. So if you have a big race or big training week coming up get some beets in to you!
Can’t Beat Me Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cooked beetroot, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup of frozen blueberries
- 1 small banana, frozen
- 1 cup of raw, unsweetened almond milk (Nutty Bruce is a good brand)
- 1 cup of pure, plain coconut water
- 1 inch knob of fresh ginger
- 1 tblsp of raw almond butter (100% almonds, nothing else!)
Method
- Place all ingredients in the blender and blend on high for a few minutes
- If you are a busy person, you can make this the night before and then have it the next day
- Good for before or after any training session, or as a nutrient-dense snack on a training day
Enjoy your beetroot and happy reading and cooking 🙂