Paleo fuel for running

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?