What Do You Eat Before a Long Run

The TiaRT question this week is asked by Jill of (Jill Will Run).

“It's the morning of your weekly long run... what do you eat and why?”

I used to take in a far amount of food before my runs. This included: bananas, soy milk, toast, peanut butter and COFFEE. (I don’t drink coffee before I run anymore…)
But I found that stuffing myself before a long run had absolutely no benefit. All it made me feel was sluggish and even nauseated.
(You can live without food for awhile – but must have water!)
I now eat big after I run.

My reduced intake:

• Handful of Puffin cereal - dry. I munch on these while I catch up on e-mails.
• ¼ cup of almonds - dry not salted.
• Cup of Black tea (It’s not really a food item, but has caffeine.)
• Glass of Water as soon as I wake up and then a couple of gulps before I leave.

What does your recent pre-run menu include?

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Runners Love Chili

BECAUSE

• it has lots of protein.
• includes plenty of minerals like Iron.
• has plenty of fiber!
• goes well with cornbread, corn chips or garlic bread.
• and (if you make enough) you can have seconds

DIY

RECIPE
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Chunky Veggie Chili

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 can Kidney beans
- 1 can Black beans
- 1 tablespoon oil, Olive
- 1 Garlic clove, Minced
- 1 Onion, Chopped
- 2 stalks Celery, Chopped
- 1/2 cup Carrot, Sliced
- 10 Mushrooms, Quartered
- 1 Green or Red Pepper, Chopped
- 1 Zucchini, Chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon Basil, Dill, Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 1/4 tsp Tabasco
- 1 tablespoon Chili powder, To taste
- 1 can 28 oz Plum Tomatoes, Diced
- 1 1/2 cups V-8 Juice, Low sodium
- 1 tablespoon Tomato paste

METHOD:

In large pot, heat oil add onion, celery, carrots, peppers and garlic. Sauté for about 15 minutes.(Don't scorch the garlic!)
Add mushrooms and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes.
Sprinkle in spices, stir for a few minutes.
Rinse canned beans – discard liquid. (This gets rid of the extra salt and reduces gas forming issues...)
Then stir in V-8 juice, tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and Tabasco sauce.
Simmer for at least 1 hour. The longer the better!

NOTES:

May use a variety of beans, and add ingredients like crumbled Veggie burgers, sausage, baked tofu, tvp, pre-cooked bulger wheat.
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White Moment

No, not snow – just a white moment.

“Everything feels harmonious, unified, and effortless.” Goleman

Around the 2 mile mark everything seemed in sync - the path, the trees, even the wind.
A few feet in front of me there were two female runners. I began watching their feet. They were running fast and I was running right along with them. The movement of our feet synchronized. Just like elite runners in a marathon race… At that instant - I was in the flow. My flow or theirs, it didn’t matter. Running this fast was so easy.
Then just as miraculously, we broke apart – one drove ahead of me the other fell behind.

“When skills and challenge match, then flow is most likely to emerge.” - Goleman

Pre race chatter: “That Santa looks like a girl?”
Favorite bumper sticker: “My other car is an accordion.”

Jingle Bell Run 8 - 2008

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Running In The Fog

Pics from today's run

Does have advantages:

• colors are more vivid.
• there is an unspoken silence.
• you feel sheltered.
• the way headlights emerge.
• the weight of Fall leaves.
• spider webs appear frosted.
• FOG HORNS – and other lost sounds.
• seeing the swirls rise with the heat.
• glimpses of blue sky.
• Halloween decorations look SO scary!

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