Let’s start with the obvious. I’m not the expert on fueling a runner. There are some great vegan athletes with websites, blogs and products who can guide you far better than I. I posted about them in Vegan Running a few weeks ago. Go to them for solid advice.
I’m just a middle of the pack runner, now a vegan, trying to find her way.
My slight obsession about fueling for a run began in April of 2006, I was vegetarian and about to run my second marathon. Two weeks prior to the race I went to the doctor with major bloating, stomach pain, just overall feeling crappy. My (now former) GP suggested that I may be lactose intolerant or possibly celiac and suggested that I give up dairy and gluten for two weeks and then we could slowly add foods back to monitor. Okay, so I’m a vegetarian and I’m to give up dairy and wheat, staples in my diet, two weeks before a marathon? And no advice on what to eat?
Cut to race weekend at the Country Music Marathon. My carbo-load the night before? Sweet potato fries. Day of? A piece of brown rice bread with almond butter. Nothing I would have normally consumed before a big test of endurance. So are you surprised that I hit the wall….at mile 15?! UGH. Listen, I know all about the wall. I hit it at mile 21 six months earlier when I ran the Chicago Marathon. But seriously, mile 15? Torture. So at mile 17 I decided to try the Sports Beans provided in the race pack. I had never consumed solid food while running before (I’m a Hammer Gel gal) It was a big mistake. The Sports Beans were awkward to eat and my stomach felt awful. Somehow I actually made it to the finish line (even sprinted to it, if you can consider a 10:00 minute mile pace a sprint)
I never ate solid food on a run again.
Until two weeks ago. Now that I’m learning more about eating vegan, and specifically eating as a vegan “athlete,” I’ve been getting more creative. I eat recovery puddings from Herbisport. I take a tall bottle of tap water/coconut water/lime juice out on long runs thanks to the edible perspective. Angela of Oh She Glows often mentions popping a medjool date in her mouth before a run so I tried that a time or two. Two weeks ago I decided to dice up a medjool date and take it on a run. I ate it at the 45 minute mark, the time I would normally have a gel. It was good, and was fine on my stomach. Unfortunately, it turns out there are only 24 calories in one medjool date (90 calories in a Hammer Gel) so I began to think about what I have in my cupboards that could give me what I needed for fuel on a run (sodium, potassium, carbohydrates)
I decided to stuff a medjool date with cacao nibs and Himalayan salt and headed out for a 9-mile run. My target (based on VDOT/Jack Daniels formula) was an overall 11:07 minute mile pace. 45 minutes into my run I grabbed the date out of my pocket; the cacao nibs were perfectly soft. It was flippin’ delicious! And I had a really solid run, ending with a 10:38 overall pace and negative splits for the final four miles.
Did I have a great run because a medjool date stuffed with cacao nibs and Himalayan salt is the perfect fuel? Because I didn’t do speed work this week and I had some giddy-up the last few miles? Because I’m training well and of course I should have had a solid nine-mile run? Who knows. But I didn’t bonk so I’m sure going to try them again!
Here’s how I fueled up for a long-ish run
Breakfast (45 minutes before I ran)
Steel-cut oats with mango
During the run
16 oz of water (3/4 tap water, 1/4 coconut water, juice of half a lime)
and
JL’s Medjool Date for the Runner
- 1 large medjool date
- 1 t cacao nibs
- a dash of Himalayan salt (with a grinder, one twist)
Remove the top of the date with cooking scissors. Combine cacao nibs and salt and stuff into the date. Place the top back on the date.
After the run
- 1 c rice milk
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 1 heaping T of hemp protein powder
- 1 T chia seeds
- frozen mango
- frozen pineapple
- 1 T maple syrup
- 1/2 cup of coconut water
Blend and drink.
Brunch
Tofu Scramble Wrap
- 1/3 block of tofu, pressed and drained
- garlic
- onion
- peppers
- olive oil
- Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
- Baby Spinach
- Brown Rice Wrap
Saute garlic, onion and peppers in olive oil. Add tofu (crumbled), stir for about 3 minutes. Add baby spinach and a couple squirts of Bragg’s Liquid amino. Stir and cover for about 3 minutes. Serve on a brown rice wrap.
How do you fuel up for a long workout?
5 thoughts on “Fueling the vegan runner: oats, dates, spinach & tofu”
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Love this post! Good recipe ideas. I tend to nosh on medjools too though I never thought of salt and nibs- great idea!
Thank you! I find the sodium key in the summer when I’m working out!
The medjool dates that I get have about 60 calories per date. I usually get them at Trader Joe’s or Earth Fare, but anytime i’ve looked them up it’s been about that much. Interesting that the calorie info that you found is so much less. I’d definitely prefer the lower number. I’ll have to try this on my next run. i usually don’t eat before or during a run, but at times i’ve felt like i needed it. it always ends up sitting in my stomach, no matter how light it is (don’t worry, it’s always vegan! i’ve been a vegan for about 5 years now). I just wait until after my runs and then make myself gigantic (super crazy big) green smoothies with as many greens as I have on hand.
Nothing like a great, green recovery shake!