In my quest to complete the Vermont 100 mile Endurance Run on July 18th, I have listed some of my upcoming training runs, races, and recipes for not only fuel while running but easy to digest recovery foods.   With less than 2 years of running experience I  have found that my ability to perform has greatly increased mainly because of my raw vegan lifestyle.  Incorporting fresh, whole, organic fruits and vegetables has given my body the proper vitamins and minerals needed to run at its best.

  Race Schedule 2008-

• The HAT, March 29th, 50k-Results-5:05:37
• Seven Sisters, May 4th, 12 miles-Results-2:31:35
• Soapstone, May 18th, 14.5 miles-Results-2:08:20
• Nipmuck Marathon, June 1st, 26.2-Results-4:15:41
• Vermont 100, July 18-19th, 100 miles-Results-22:54:47
• Mt. Toby, August 24th, 14 miles-Results-1:54:52
• Niantic Bay Half Marathon, Sept 21st, 13.1 miles-Results-1:39:40

What I Eat

While train, I stick to  a diet losely based on Doug Graham’s  methods of 80-10-10.  I rely on carbohydrates, in the form of fruit, to make up the bulk of my food intake.  An intake of 1-2 lbs of fresh leafy green vegetables a day are also a must.  In general, I consume a mono meal of fruit in the morning, typically after a morning training run.  I will consume as much of the same fruit until I feel satiated.  In doing so, digestion is eased and the body can work on recovering for the next workout.  Running, especially ultras, puts a lot of demands on the body.  We have to be kind to our bodies, so consuming fruits and easy to digest vegetables, we make digestion an easier process.  During the day I may continue eating fruit as well as consuming a green smoothie which would normally consist of fresh fruit and greens.

At night, I will eat a large green salad with a mix of fruits and vegetables.  My dinner meal is when I generally add in fats.  I tend to consume hemp, sesame seeds(tahini), and or olives.  I don’t add any additional oils to my foods. Dressings usually consist of blended fruit with cucumber or tomatoes.  Following meals, proper rest gets me ready to go out and do it all over again the next morning.

On long training runs, I will drink raisin soak water.  Overnight, I soak raisins in water.  The warmer the weather, the more diluted the soak water should be.  As I have noticed in the past, if my drink is too sweet, I will lose the ability to handle the sweetness and avoid drinking all together.  Not a good idea when baking in thee sun and running for multiple hours.  This will give me a small shot of sugar to keep me going for hours.  If I need to consume food, bananas are my favorite.  My stomach has no problem taking in upwards of 2 dozen on any given day!

Recovery

It is important to know that we do not get stronger, faster, or build muscle while we train.  Proper rest and recovery is where your body will reap the beniefits of your hard work.  After exercising,it is extremely important to replace sugar, water, and salts, that are lost during your workout.  Fruit smoothies or plain juicy fruits are best because they are easy to digest and do not require much work from the body.  We don’t want to make our body work any harder than it has to so keep it simple!

Recovery Smoothie-

1 banana

1/2 c frozen fruit

1 1/2 c water or fresh coconut water

Blend well in a blender.  Sip slowly and enjoy.

Running links-

Mr Bimble

Vermont 100

Grand Tree Racing Series

Inov-8 Shoes

The Multi Day Runner

Run 100’s

Trail Running Super Heroes-

Karl Melzer

David Horton

Scott Jurek

Tony Krupicka