Good morning!
I got up and got my long run out of the way this morning. It was a clear and crisp morning (around 19C). I had a Run Glo Bar before heading out for some fuel.
The run:
- Distance: 8 miles
- Time: 1 hour 12 mins 22 secs.
- Avg pace: 9:02 min/mile
Mile splits are in the chart below…note that I ran each mile faster than the previous ones! This took some hard core sprinting at the end of miles 5-8 to achieve this goal.
It might be the strongest run I have had since my 3rd half marathon on May 30th! My music highlight today was a way back play back- Castles in the Sky by Ian Van Dahl. Love it!
Fueling For Long Runs:
When I do a long run over 6 miles, I always bring some food with me for fuel. Today I brought two medjool dates (chopped and pitted and in a bag) and I had half at mile 6 and the rest at mile 7. It gave me such a boost!
I have been thinking about trying coconut water for my long runs because I have heard so many great things about it. Has anyone used it before and want to share their thoughts?
When I got home I made a huge, delicious, mouth-watering green monster in Her-Mix-A-Lot! Mmmmmmm.
Post-Run Green Monster:
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate Amazing Meal Protein Powder
- 1 large frozen banana
- 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 tsp maca powder
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp coconut butter
It was INCREDIBLE! Highly recommended for post-run replenishment.
It’s that time again. Some of my favourite health links over the past week…enjoy!
Health News Round Up
- What Sheryl Crow does for fitness – Fit Sugar
- Toxic chemicals lurking in household and beauty products – Huffington Post
- Japanese women live the longest – Huffington Post
- How to sprout seeds- a fast and easy tutorial – Traveling Together
- Too much or too little Vitamin D? The results won’t be out for years – Globe and Mail
- Bored on your bike? Here are 4 workouts to build speed & strength – That’s Fit
- What is the best kind of yoga to try for my personality type? – Fit Sugar
- The Health Benefits of Watermelon – That’s Fit.ca
- Can allergies to certain foods trigger migranes? – NY Times
- Germany weighs tax on the obese – Huffington Post
- A recipe I want to try: Baked Limas with tomatoes and peppers – NY Times
Spotted:
- Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins and again
- Cherry, Banana, Coconut Butter Bread
- Maple Baked Beans
- First timer green monster and vegan overnight oats
- Basil Scalloped tomatoes
- Vegan overnight oats in a jar
- Healthy Carrot Cake power scuffins and again!
- Frosty No Bake Glo Cakes
- Pretty in the pan stuffed patty pan squash
- Healthy Zucchini Bread Power Scuffins
Today’s question: How do you fuel for long-runs? What works for you?
Well, I’m off to get ready for the Antique Market. Very excited. I will bring the camera and show you what treasures we come across! Enjoy your day.
I fuel with either hot oats w/ PB and honey mixed in, or some pieces of wholemeal toast with PB. I don’t usually bring anything during a long run unless I am actually racing the distance, but I have started to like the sports beans – they taste good and are easy to grab and eat along the way.
Don’t want to be negative, but I tried coconut water after my first 1/2 earlier this year and it’s GROSS. And I don’t say that about a lot of consumable goods :) But everyone has their own taste, so you should definitely give it a go. Not sure what I can drink beyond water as I don’t like Gatorade or anything like that. Apparently chocolate milk is an excellent recovery drink.
Nice job on the long run – you’re going to haul ass at your next race!!
I had to do a lot of experimenting with food/long-runs but I finally got it down pat! For me, I don’t need fuel for anything under 11ish miles. After that, I bring along coconut water because it has it all (sugar, electrolytes). I’ve tried Clif sports drinks and coconut water and I gotta say- coconut water was the best. My heart rate would go down & I wouldn’t sweat as much after drinking it (weird!) But yeah I’d def. recommend it!
I have tried coconut water and it DOES give you energy…..I just had to get used to the flavor, which I didn’t like at first.
BTW-I’m featuring your carrot cake scuffins on my blog post for this evening :)
I definitely recommend coconut water for longer runs – I have a 4-bottle fuel belt and fill 2 of the bottles with it (the other 2 with regular water). They revive me better than gatorade and apparently have more electrolytes than leading sport drinks.
I will admit I don’t like the taste – I know some people enjoy it but I find it kind of gross. Still, the longer I use it the more I find it grows on me…
Hi,
I have been making VOO for breakfast for a couple of months now (or maybe it’s already been three). I always use coconut oil for the topping, and wanted to ask whether it can cause breakouts to increase? Mine have increased quite drastically (read: very very much), and I was just wondering whether this could be the cause, or whether I should look elsewhere.
Looking forward to your antiques post.
I’d agree with the “tried it, but hate the taste!” sect of coconut-water people — it actually made me quite nauseous, which was no fun halfway through a 20 miler. :(
Plus, I also sweat loads, and need the sodium too. But, I do splash coconut water into my sparkling water/POM drink, which hides the taste and also put glug or so into my recovery green monsters.
Crazy congrats on your splits! Those are insane! I hope that I can work to be as fast one day. :)
Angela -I made the carrot cake scuffins last night and they were tremendous! Thank you so much for a healthful fantastic recipe!
Awesome run!! Congrats, doesn’t it feel so great to have a really strong one?
For my long runs, I like to fuel with Gu gels, and dried apricots. The apricots are a little easier to eat than the gels (because they don’t squirt everywhere!) and since the sugars in them are simple, my stomach has an easy time breaking them down.
Have fun at the market!
Great run! You are one fast woman! :)
A word on your post-workout nutrition: ideally it should be drinkable and contain carbs:proteins in the ration 2:1 and zero fats. Your post-run smoothie is perfect except for the coconut butter. After physical exertion, the body needs quick digesting food to replenish and repair itself. Adding fats to your smoothie slows down digestion. Yes, coconut butter is a healthy fat and in any other smoothie would be a great addition, just not in a post-workout one. Thought you may want to know. You can google ‘post-workout nutrition’ for more info.
I spotted your carrot scuffins in http://carrotsncake.com/ too recently :)
I started drinking coconut water a few months ago when the temperature started rising during my runs. It was great knowing you were drinking something unprocessed, and had a ton of potassium compared to other sports drink products. I don’t use it during every workout but when I do I always find it very refreshing, it has to drank very cold. It gives me a sense of rejuvenation, and energy post workout. :) You should try it!
Question: Where do you buy your coconut butter, or do you only make it?
I have been wanting to try this and coconut oil for awhile now, but am not quite sure which product is the best to go with..
I used coconut water to fuel my 17-miler today (in vibrams!!!) — I finished really well. Average page was slightly faster than normal (8:56 pace) . . . so I’d highly recommend it. Great run, btw!
Hello Angela!
A couple of months ago I stumbled upon a link to your blog on Fitsugar and have been reading ever since. I found your blog so inspirational that over the past months I have (slowly) been going back through all of your posts. This morning I finally reached the very beginning and would just like to thank you for bringing a positive, healthy note to each day. I definitely have my share of days where I don’t feel like going for a run or practising yoga but more often than not your blog was able to provide the push I needed to get off my butt and go accomplish something. Wishing you all the best!
Oh, and PS: my post-run smoothie was similar to yours (with chia and blueberry, etc.) I’m planning on posting it tomorrow! I have a lot of trouble eating after a long run . . . so I always do smoothies. The chia seeds are great for hydration/holding onto water. I added Greek yogurt to mine because protein is super important after long runs. Anyway, just thought that was fun — smoothies ROCK!
I’m curious about coconut water too! Supposedly it’s like a natural form of Gatorade (has electrolytes), but it’s awfully expensive.
I really tried to like coconut water, I did. I tried plain, flavored, different brands, diluting it, etc. But in the end, i cannot stomach the taste. To me, it is like feet. It’s all good though because that stuff is expensive!
I just run 8 miles this morning too, it was glorious! great idea to keep some dates as fuel, I will do that in the future! :)
how to fuel after a long run? for me the most important thing is replenish water and then listen to my body, if I feel more hungry than usual, I’ll eat more, otherwise I’ll just eat as usual. :)
I love coconut water. To me, it’s like a treat. After a sweaty fun I love diving into it. It works great to return your electrolytes.
I adore medjool dates and will use any occasion as an excuse to chow on them. I’ve yet to try them on a long run, but they sound like an excellent, natural fuel source for extensive runs.
Your green monster sounds like an incredible mix of highly nourishing ingredients, I particularly love the addition of coconut butter. Yum!
Nice job on the run! I like to get some sort of carbs and glucose in during runs longer than 6 miles too. Sometimes I mix a little POM juice with water in my Camelbak.
I used coconut water on my last sprint triathlon and it worked great. I drank about a pint during the bike and then only needed one sip of water on the 5k run despite it being around 25 degrees c. I’m usually desperate for water at the aid stations so that was great. I added less than 1/8 tsp salt to it, which I worked out would bring the sodium up to the same as in a Gatorade and I couldn’t taste the salt at all. I posted about coconut water on a triathlon forum asking if anyone used it and basically got laughed at asking if I was a monkey! Oh well they can keep chugging those horrible artificial drinks!