It’s time for Friday Five linkup with DC area bloggers Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What?!, and Mar at Mar on the Run!  Be sure to stop by their blogs and say hello!

FridayFiveFavoriteFuels
This week’s theme is Favorite Fuels For Running And Fitness, and I’m happy to share what works best for me.

1.  Sweet potato fries – My friend Mary told me that she eats sweet potato fries the night before her races, so I decided to try it as well.  The first time I tried them was the night before the Fit Foodie 5K, and I’ve had them before every race since them.  I even packed a bag of sweet potato fries to eat cold about two hours before each of my legs at Ragnar DC.

In case you’re interested, here’s my recipe:

  • Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
  • Wash and cut sweet potatoes into steak fry size pieces, leaving skin on
  • Toss in a small amount of olive oil
  • Sprinkle with thyme, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
  • Place in single layer on a cookie sheet
  • Roast at 450° for about 25 minutes

SweetPotatoFries

2.  Bananas – I have a banana before I leave my house for most long runs.  I usually eat it about 30 minutes before I head out the door to run, and even though it would be better to eat it about an hour earlier, my stomach seems to do okay.

TKOMelanoma5KBananas

3. Toasted bagel with peanut butter – I love eating half of a toasted bagel with a very thin layer of peanut butter or almond butter on it about two hours before my races.  In addition to the bagel, I eat half of a banana on race mornings.

BagelAndPeanutButter

4.  Honey Stingers – My friend Amanda let me try her Honey Stingers on a long run one day a couple of years ago.  I loved the way they tasted, and my stomach did well with them, so they’ve been my fuel of choice for eating during training runs and races ever since.  I like that I can take them one at a time, rather than all at once so my stomach doesn’t rebel.

HoneyStingersWaterFountain

5.  GU – For years, I used GU as my fuel of choice on the long run.  The taste of it made me happy because I associated it only with long runs and races.  The only problem with a gel fuel for me is that I can’t stand getting anything sticky on my fingers or in my pocket, so I’d eat it all at once and throw the packet away, rather than taking a little bit at a time.  Unfortunately, taking so much at once would sometimes upset my stomach.

GU

Of course in addition to fuel, I drink plenty of water to hydrate all week long, just prior to my run, and throughout my run or race.

 

  • Questions:
  • What are your favorite fitness fuels?
  • What vegetables are your favorite to roast?
  • Who’s racing this weekend? ~ I am, I am!