Food Friday: Refuel After a Run or Workout

It’s Food Friday and we’re talking about refueling after your run or workout.  This post could easily be a Tuesday Training Tip, too!  I recently participated in the Grand Teton Relay 2015, running three five-mile legs with approximately eight hours to refuel and rest in between runs. With short recovery times it becomes important to make wise use of your food options. What works on the relay can also work well for refueling after your everyday workouts.

Here are a few of my favorite post run or workout options:

Hydrate: Cold water is always a great option. If you are looking to refuel while you hydrate, try a glass of cold chocolate milk. It quickly provides protein and carbohydrates – and it tastes like chocolate!

Bananas and Nuts:  Whether you spread peanut butter on a banana or dip it in sunflower seeds or chopped nuts, this quick snack provides potassium, carbohydrates, and protein.

Chocolate Berry Breakfast Smoothie: This cold smoothie tastes like a milkshake!  It’s packed with antioxidants and protein. Add a frozen banana to really power it up.  Find the recipe HERE.

Homemade Trail Mix:  I prefer almonds, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips.  Making your own trail mix allows you to customize it to suit your tastes and pocketbook.

Peanut Butter Energy Bites:  Okay, anything with peanut butter sounds good to me, but these simple to make energy bites may have saved me on the relay. Easy to store and easy to digest, they provided a quick source of fuel that tasted like a treat!

You don’t have to be participating in a relay or other endurance challenge to benefit from a healthy post run or workout snack.  Refueling is a key part of any healthy lifestyle. Find more healthy snack ideas on this page from NUTS.com.

Have a happy Food Friday!

Do you have a favorite healthy snack you would like to share?  Post it in the comments below!

Happy Running!

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He is in the Details

“Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives.” – Thomas S. Monson

This was reconfirmed to me recently as I was struggling with a personal obstacle.  I had prepared for many months in many ways to participate in the Grand Teton Relay. It is a team effort and I was the captain. My own physical preparation suffered as I fought a calf injury all summer.  It would improve some and then I would reinjure it. The most recent injury occurred only one week prior to the relay.

To say I was discouraged would be an understatement. I threw myself a pity party for a day!  I then realized that I needed to recover quickly, or in the very least I needed to improve my attitude so that I did not have a negative impact on the experience for my teammates.  Ideally, both of those things could occur.  I approached the problem in this way.

·         I had a good talk with myself about my attitude.

·         I humbled myself and requested a priesthood blessing, which I received on Sunday night.

·         I requested the prayers of friends, which they kindly offered.

·         I rested.  This was difficult because I knew I was not physically prepared for the distance, heat, and elevation.

·         I vowed to take it slowly if I were able to run at all. (This was not difficult due to my lack of training!)

·         I applied ice and heat and compression. I stretched and massaged my calf.

·         I prayed.

Participating was important to me, but I did not feel that it was something that would be important to the rest of the world.  For this reason, I thought perhaps it was not a worthy request to ask my Heavenly Father for a rapid healing – and then I remembered these words from a prophet of God,

 “I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives.”

I pressed forward in faith not knowing if I would be able to run or if I would have to impose upon my teammates to run my 15.5 miles.  By Wednesday I was no longer walking with a limp. When friends asked if I was going to be able to run I answered, “We will see.”  Friday morning I applied kinesio tape AND a compression sock – and I ran.

I ran!  It wasn’t my best performance, but that didn’t matter. What mattered to me was that I was able to participate! There is no way my injury should have improved as quickly as it did. It should have taken a minimum of 2-3 weeks. I asked for help and healing from my Heavenly Father and I received it. It was important to me and He was in the details of my life. I am grateful for that reinforced knowledge and I am grateful for the prayers of friends who also find themselves in the details of my life. Your love and support is noticed and appreciated!

 

Question: When have you noticed the Lord’s hand in your life?

Happy Running!

 

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Tuesday’s Training Tip: Read a Motivational Book

Strange things can be motivational!

Let’s face it, it can be difficult to stay motivated when you are training for a race that is months away, or when you are struggling to see improvement in your physical fitness, or when you have been injured. Reading a good motivational book can help you pass the hours while recovering.

What’s the best motivational book to read? That depends on what you need …

 If your desire to run is waning …

Read something running related such as a runner’s biography or a classic running novel. 

Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Run toOvercome by Meb Keflezighi

If you’ve been injured and need some down time to recover …

Read something entertaining to pass the time or something that will instill patience and positivity.

The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Running the Edge by Tim Catalano and Adam Goucher

If your improvement is slow and you need daily motivation …

Read something that inspires you daily such as your favorite book of scripture, a daily motivational tip from a life coach, or browse a recent copy of Runners’ World magazine. 

Remember, running is hard.  Life is hard.  It’s going to take a little help to get through it.  You can read and learn from those who have gone before. It might make things a little bit easier.

Do you have a favorite motivational book you would like to share?  Please tell us about it in the comments below.

Get your copy of The Hard Run: Painful Lessons from a Running Granny. HERE

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

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