Trail running requires smart fueling. Purposely timing food and drink before, during and after a long run increases the chances that the workout and adventure (which is how I define trail running!) is a fun, feel-good experience.
On Saturday, June 30, I ran 16.3 miles on hilly, rocky single track trails with a time of 4:01:06 and pace of 14:47 (yes, trail running is much slower than road running!) at Bear Run Nature Preserve in southwestern Pennsylvania. To attain the mileage I wanted, I ran the Black Loop, Orange Loop and White Loop. It was muggy, humid and about 80 degrees.
Two days prior to the run, I visited my favorite grocery store with my sons, Avie, 5, and Grey, 14 months at the time, and planned what I wanted to eat. Most of the food was purchased at the grocery store, Kroger in Suncrest Plaza,
Morgantown, W.V., while a few of the items were ordered from vitacost.com. The links give you an online ordering option with reviews and detailed descriptions.
In addition to fueling this long run, and all my races and runs since April 2, 2017, I pay careful attention to eating enough calories to maintain an adequate breastmilk supply for my now 15-month old son, Grey. When I'm with him, which, as a stay-at-home mom, is most of the time (except when I have some yoga classes to teach or trails to run) he nurses every hour or two, on demand, and all night. Choosing lactogenic foods ensures that I do not deplete milk supplies with endurance training and that Grey is happy and well-fed :)
With that said, what I eat on almost any given run is never the same. Sometimes I eat crystalized ginger, dates, figs, apples, oranges, pears or Larabars and drink carrot juice, black cherry juice, tart cherry juice or lukewarm Yerba Mate tea. Fuel choices change with the weather, season, time of day, running terrain (what I eat on a four-hour road run is different from trail) and my mood. What always remains the same is that I choose real food over gels and chews, which I tried for a couple of months this spring for the first time in 24 years of running and did not enjoy. Rather, I prefer the simplicity and satiety of food.
Today, I give you a list of the real food and drink I consumed before, during and immediately after this long, sweaty and enjoyable 16.3-miler. As one who leads an all-female trail running group, the Trail Run Tribe, I know that runners love to talk about food-on-the-run and are always experimenting to find sources that increase performance and recovery. Thus, I hope this list gives you some new, wholesome, healthy snack ideas for a challenging trail run... even if you're not breastfeeding ;)
On Saturday, June 30, I ran 16.3 miles on hilly, rocky single track trails with a time of 4:01:06 and pace of 14:47 (yes, trail running is much slower than road running!) at Bear Run Nature Preserve in southwestern Pennsylvania. To attain the mileage I wanted, I ran the Black Loop, Orange Loop and White Loop. It was muggy, humid and about 80 degrees.
Two days prior to the run, I visited my favorite grocery store with my sons, Avie, 5, and Grey, 14 months at the time, and planned what I wanted to eat. Most of the food was purchased at the grocery store, Kroger in Suncrest Plaza,
Morgantown, W.V., while a few of the items were ordered from vitacost.com. The links give you an online ordering option with reviews and detailed descriptions.
In addition to fueling this long run, and all my races and runs since April 2, 2017, I pay careful attention to eating enough calories to maintain an adequate breastmilk supply for my now 15-month old son, Grey. When I'm with him, which, as a stay-at-home mom, is most of the time (except when I have some yoga classes to teach or trails to run) he nurses every hour or two, on demand, and all night. Choosing lactogenic foods ensures that I do not deplete milk supplies with endurance training and that Grey is happy and well-fed :)
With that said, what I eat on almost any given run is never the same. Sometimes I eat crystalized ginger, dates, figs, apples, oranges, pears or Larabars and drink carrot juice, black cherry juice, tart cherry juice or lukewarm Yerba Mate tea. Fuel choices change with the weather, season, time of day, running terrain (what I eat on a four-hour road run is different from trail) and my mood. What always remains the same is that I choose real food over gels and chews, which I tried for a couple of months this spring for the first time in 24 years of running and did not enjoy. Rather, I prefer the simplicity and satiety of food.
Today, I give you a list of the real food and drink I consumed before, during and immediately after this long, sweaty and enjoyable 16.3-miler. As one who leads an all-female trail running group, the Trail Run Tribe, I know that runners love to talk about food-on-the-run and are always experimenting to find sources that increase performance and recovery. Thus, I hope this list gives you some new, wholesome, healthy snack ideas for a challenging trail run... even if you're not breastfeeding ;)
7:20 a.m. Green Smoothie and 20 oz hot Yerba Mate tea
Recipe:
3 bananas
1 TBSP raw date sugar
1 TBSP Brewer's Yeast
1 tsp Spirulina powder
1 tsp Barley juice grass powder
Room temperature water for blending
Click the following links to learn more about smoothie ingredients and tea:
Recipe:
3 bananas
1 TBSP raw date sugar
1 TBSP Brewer's Yeast
1 tsp Spirulina powder
1 tsp Barley juice grass powder
Room temperature water for blending
Click the following links to learn more about smoothie ingredients and tea:
8-8:45 a.m. Sun Salutations (vinyasa-based yoga)
9:25 a.m. Began running at Bear Run Nature Preserve
9:25 a.m. Began running at Bear Run Nature Preserve
Mile 0.8 Feeling the need to replenish from 45 minutes of sun salutations and front load the run with a significant amount of fuel, I decided to consume the following after cruising along the trail for just 10 minutes: Bobo's Coconut Oat Bar, 4 ounces coconut water from a Marmot collapsible running flask and one SaltStick Capsule.
Click on each link to learn more about snack number one:
Mile 11: Two hours after the first snack, I refueled on one packet of Justin's Maple Almond Butter, half a bar of Theo Organic Salted Almond Dark Chocolate and one SaltStick Capsule
Click on each link to learn more about snack number two:
Post-run recovery drinks, consumed 20 minutes after finishing the run (click the following links to learn more about each product):
When I arrived home, within 35 minutes of finishing the four-hour run, I ate a sandwich with multigrain bread from Morgantown's Phoenix Bakery, sunflower seed butter and half an avocado and an organic mixed greens salad with three pickled beets, a splash of avocado oil and Dr. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar and a handful of trail mix containing pumpkin seeds, walnuts and dried cranberries.
I hope that you found this post helpful. I am running coach and yoga instructor whose mother instilled the values of "food as medicine" and "eating for optimal health" since I was in her belly with my identical twin sister. Though I am not a sports nutrition expert, I have made fueling a priority for more than two decades and am inspired by the following books when it comes to eating to run:
Happy running and eating, everyone!
Much love,
Brynn :)
Much love,
Brynn :)
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