8. The A-Z of Good Food for Running

With it being the New Year and everyone keen to start some new positive habits, I thought it's always nice to return to the A - Z of eating specific for the everyday runner. 

As they say a car is only as good as the fuel that’s put into it. So goes the old adage that is oft repeated in running. And it is true, something that any one who has ever filled up their Volkswagen Golf TDi with petrol will tell you. Eating is important. It is the fuel that drives you forward. So with that a mind, here are a few tips that you don't have to take too seriously:

A: Avocado

A superfood that contains protein, carbohydrates, dietary fibre and fat. You could live off avocados and some people do. Unfortunately, those people don’t tend to marry.

B: Banana

Potassium, carbohydrates, the energy fruit of kings.

 

C: Crosse & Blackwell

Perhaps not. Beetroot has in the last few years become a Superfood and one that is both very accessible and supposedly very good for you. Personally I like to chop mine up and bung in the oven to make sweet tasting chips. Whatever you do, don’t, under any circumstances, decide to take a “short-cut” and buy a jar of Crosse & Blackwell, drain off the “juice” (It’s not juice, trust me) and drink it.

D: Doughnuts

Okay, not the unhealthy doughnuts but the healthy ones that most everyone calls Bagels because that’s what they are called in New York. Still they are circular with a hole in the middle so how are they not doughnuts?

E: Eggs

Hmm… Eggs. Outside of Monster Munch is there a more universally good food out there?

F: Fat

Controversial theory that we should all be eating a fat-based diet and not a carb. While fat is something like 6 times more difficult to burn than carbs, if you are doing a fat-based diet then your body is used to burning it so does so efficiently. As a result, the argument says it is a much better fuel source. I would consider it more except for the fact that I am 37, I like potatoes, pasta and porridge so changing my whole diet to find 3 minutes is a step that I think I’ll leave to another generation.

G: Goji Berries

Might shave 4 seconds off for you and help constipation. Not sure what else they do but they are expensive, are in the health aisle and begin with G, which I’m struggling with.

H: Herring (and other oily fish)

Fish full stop is good but they say the oily fish (i.e. the one your mother used to cook you on Good Friday) is pretty good as a recovery.

I: Irish potatoes

Or sweet potatoes for that matter. Doesn’t have to be all pasta you know.

J: Jaffa Cakes

Supposedly good in the hours leading up to a race. I have my doubts. I remember my local soccer team eating them on the eve of our local cup final because we heard the did the same in England. About 2 or 3 lads threw-up before kick-off. They weren’t included the following week in the replay.

K: Kellogg’s Cornflakes

Okay, not a running food but having given it up for breakfast (see Oats below) I couldn’t possible go cold turkey on cornflakes and expect to mentally stick with.

L: Liver or Lentils

Two of the most difficult to include foods out there. I mean how many children get excited hearing their having a liver curry for dinner. Lentils are great (if you can remember to leave them out to soak the night before. Doh!).

M: Mother’s Brown Bread

Any brown bread will do as a great slow release food but only your mother’s brown bread tastes this good.

N: Nuts

One food I am not great at eating. Partly because I am not a horse and partly because we just didn’t have them growing up (and monkey nuts at Hallowe’en doesn’t count!)

O: Oats (as in Porridge)

When I finally heard that eating cornflakes for breakfast was like heating your house by burning paper, I finally turned to porridge, now a breakfast staple. This with a few Chia seeds (fancy-ass crunch) and local honey for my sweet tooth. Sorted.

P: Pasta

This carbohydrate is synonymous with marathon and long distances these days with most major city 26.2 milers complete with pasta parties the night before.

Q: Quinoa

The most popular carbohydrate amongst hipster marathon runners. Pronounced 'keen-wah' by the way.

R: Rice

Good old rice. Maybe not as popular as pasta or love as our spuds but pretty good nonetheless.

S: Spinach

Not Popeye energy giving but a recommended natural anti-inflammatory for those long-runs.

T: Tuna

Quick protein, easily accessed.

U: Unfizzy Coca Cola

a.k.a. Flat Coke. I hear it is still all the rage in some circles. Never tried it.

V: Vegetables

A no-brainer here. Plenty of veg, particularly of the green variety.

W: Water

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. Practice walking around with a bottle at work.

X: Xylophone

Full of er… iron?

Y: Yellow Banana

Didn’t we already have bananas down? Yes, we did but no harm having a few more.

Z: Zucchini

Or is it corgette?

While I cannot be certain how many of these I ate this week I can be certain that I did get out just the once, which considering how busy the week turned out to be, was something I was grateful for. Thankfully I'll be stewarding come race-day so I can get away with it, you might not so make sure to get those runs nailed this week and good luck.

Next week we look at the course.

This week’s training:

Slow run: 40 minutes.

Tough run: 10 min warm up - 4*6 mins intervals with 2 mins recovery - 10 mins warm down.

Long run: 80 minutes slow.