In October of 2013 I ran my first half marathon. I’ve only been running for a few years and
running 13.1 miles was something I ever in my life imagined I would do. In training for that half marathon I learned a
lot about fueling my body for athletic performance. You can’t just toss back some White Castles
and Pinot Noir and expect to have a great run the next day.
Prior to the race, its important to “carb up”, aka, eat carbs
to provide energy for your run.
Pre-paleo that meant brown rice, pasta and pizza. Not all at the same
time of course. But none of that will
work for a Cavegirl.
Cavegirl’s favorite pre-race fuel is now sweet
potatoes! Again, not something I ever in
my life I imagined I would eat for “fuel” but they are one of the best carb choices
on the paleo diet. I love sweet potato
fries and sweet potato “mash” - shredded
sweet potatoes baked with ham or chopped up bacon. Delicious!
Equally important to training is the post-workout recovery
fuel. The experts will tell you that the
quality of your recovery fuel directly affects your next performance. Pre-paleo my post-run fuel of choice was
chocolate milk. Yum! Nothing like a cold chocolaty milk after a
long hot run. Just writing that makes
me want some chocolate milk RIGHT NOW. But NO!
Paleo is dairy free – No chocolate milk for you Cavegirl!
I found this recipe for recovery fuel in a book called Paleo
Diet for Athletes by Rockridge Press. Honestly,
I’ve not tried it yet (I’m not in training at this time) but I think it sounds
pretty tasty and it seems to provide a good balance of carbs and protein.
Tropical Post-Workout Paleo Potion (Paleo Diet for Athletes
– Rockridge Press)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup frozen or 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 pinches unprocessed sea salt
• 2 scoops egg-white protein powder
Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend
Let me know if you like it!
Do you like running?
What do you eat before/after you exercise?
