Nutrition
My diet is as important to me as my running. I’ve been vegetarian for over 15 years and 100% plant based for the last few (other than rare ocassion’s when there appears to be no other option but starve or stop racing).
I feel that my plant based wholefood diet is the best way to support a heavy training schedule / race calendar. If I wasn’t racing however, I’d still make the same choices. I’m not out to convince anyone it’s the only way to eat, that’s up to you – I do however get tired of the mis-conceptions and small-mindedness of some who clearly don’t take any interest in what they put into their bodies and how the body reacts to accomodate it. Nutritional value is seldom considered in any of these arguments.
I am passionate about good food and talk about it a fair amount (particularly on twitter). I’m not exactly a recipe guy but people do at times ask when they’ve seen some of my dinner plate photos. So, I thought I should start to write-up some of my more regular vegan recipes.
– Energy food (ideas for training / racing)
– Main meals
– Salads / sauces / dressings
– Snacks
Pyllon - ultra runner 
Do you have advice for main meals the day before a race? Something that’s not too heavy but will fuel well?
February 4, 2014 at 9:36 am
Hi, I’ve tried lots of different things (some of which had a negative impact). I’ve now settled on not changing my diet too much before a race. Running an ultra (or any long distance race) with stomach problems before you start is not a good place to be.
So generally I’ll maybe have a baked sweet potato, some kind of bean chilli and lots of salad (leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado etc). Something that I really enjoy but will provide a good amount of fuel (and a mix of carbs, fat and protein). I certainly don’t go overboard with carbs and I’m not a fan of lots of pasta and breads pre-race. Feeling good next day is certainly more important than taking on as many calories as possible.
I don’t have any kind of dairy / animal products in my diet at all so can’t comment on options there.
Is that helpful at all?
Paul
February 4, 2014 at 10:18 am