Eating right for your run

Pre-run smoothie

It's no secret that I love food. Like really really love it. Like plan-my-next-meal-whilst-eating-my-current-meal love it. But nutrition and how to fuel for a run is something different, and something I tend to steer clear of on the blog as it’s such a personal thing. What works for one doesn't work for another; it’s very much trial and error and quite frankly, I think some things are better left to the experts.

But I was lucky enough to be invited to speak to the head Nutritionist Emma at Science in Sport this week and I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn more about what I should and shouldn't be doing.

Following the Wilmslow Half marathon recently, I felt beaten and exhausted for the whole week afterwards. Yes, I raced hard to get a new PB and put in a lot of effort, but I had run plenty of long runs before hand and not felt like I did the following week. So during my chat I wanted to see what could have caused this and if I should have done something differently to fuel pre, during or post running.

Emma was able to give me lots of great advice, some of which is common sense but having a real life person spell it out for you is such a help. We know we should all hydrate before race day and that we should eat some protein and carbs as soon as we can after exercising – but having someone really discuss it with you really opened my eyes. I realised that while I've been paying attention to my training, my running form and my new trainers, I've been neglecting my nutrition - the most important aspect of training. Even though I know the basics and know what I should be doing, for some reason it seems to have fallen by the wayside. I realised that the reason I felt so shattered was because of my bad planning. I dutifully carb loaded and concentrated on what to eat BEFORE the race, but I hadn't planned to eat the correct things after the race, and didn't have the right foods and certainly not enough food, in the days following to refuel my body. 

Leading to the feeling of having been run over by a bus. Not good.

So after a pep talk form Emma, I know what I need to be eating and drinking but I now need to put this in to action. I’ll give it a whirl for the Manchester marathon which I'm running as a half and half relay in a couple of weeks. And hopefully I will feel much better for it.

A lot of you will have marathons coming up in the next couple of weeks, so in the midst of all the taper madness, race planning and dreaming of the finish line, make sure you take some time to think about what you're eating and drinking as well.

Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of....Energy?! - Crandon Runs Friday Photo #18

Hello there! Sarah is on holiday and she's asked me to take over her blog while she's away. The power. And the pressure - this is an award-winning blog you know.

So for the next few days you'll have my random thoughts on running instead. Let me introduce myself, I'm Katie, Sarah's biggest sister and I live in Cardiff.

Confession; I'm much more of a 'brisk walker' than a runner, particularly when you compare me with Sarah's marathon efforts. But I do love a gentle plod around the park and it was actually me who got Sarah running in the first place.

Yummy homemade energy balls- the prefect pre-run snack

So what have I decided to write my first post on? Balls of course! By that I mean energy balls. If you're a runner you've probably tried energy balls, or at least heard of them, but if not, let me explain. Energy balls are basically little snacks made from protein-heavy ingredients - to give you a quick hit of energy pre-run, or a protein boost following a workout.

I first tried the pre-packaged variety you can buy in shops last year and they weren't really to my taste. Although the first bite tasted OK, they were dry and left that awful cardboard-y taste in my mouth that I've only ever experienced with energy bars and baby food (it must be some sort of preserving agent - yuck).

However I did find that the energy ball was a really good mid-morning energy kick, which didn't lead to the afternoon crash I'd get from something less healthy like a chocolate bar. I also noticed that my legs were not aching as much as usual after my workout, which I'm putting down to the protein hit.

Since then my husband Gavin and I have been experimenting with making our own energy balls at home. Deliciously Ella has some great recipes if you're not sure where to start (the cinnamon and raisin bites are so, so easy).

After much testing, we've found a recipe that we really like, so here's a very loose idea if you want to try them. I'd encourage you to play around with the ingredients and see what works for you, which is why the measurements are not very technical.

Ingredients:
A large dollop of peanut butter
A large dollop of almond butter
Chia seeds
Flaxseeds
A couple of dates
Small handful of sultanas
Handful of chopped almonds and peanuts
Desiccated coconut.
Method:
Whizz all the ingredients except the coconut together in a food processor until combined, you may need to scoop up a handful and squidge it together to make sure it sticks. Then roll into balls.
Dip each ball in the desiccated coconut and leave them to chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Hey presto! Lovely, scrummy little balls of energy.

The balls should keep in the fridge for around a week or can be frozen for around a month. Eat them whenever you're craving a snack, with a smoothie for breakfast or for a pre-run boost.

Basically add whatever you fancy - oats, cinnamon, different nuts and seeds, a scoop of protein powder if that's your thing post run. Just give it a try.

I'm heading to Cardiff Park Run tomorrow so will definitely be having one before I head out.

Sarah AKA Crandon Runs is currently on holiday.

If you're in Cardiff, you might want to follow my blog cardiffgirl.wordpress.com