Three Simple Breakfast Meals Perfect For Runners

Properly fueling your long run is key to a successful run. Most long runs take place in the early morning,
so a good breakfast is key in providing the needed macronutrients for the long haul. There is no one perfect pre-run food for runners, because runners are all so different. Between allergies, GI issues, and various likes and dislikes, it's almost impossible to say eat exactly this or that. Instead a runner needs to make sure he/she is getting the proper caloric intake as well as the proper balance of carbohydrates and protein. 200-400 calories is a good number of calories to take in about 1 to 1.5 hours before your long run.You want more easily digestible carbs than protein. a 3;1 OR 4:1 carbs to protein ratio is good. The carbs will provide the glycogen which is the fuel for your muscles. The protein will work to help begin the rebuilding process. This same carb/protein ratio is also great for your post run-recovery snack.

I've prepared the following video to show you three simple-to-make breakfast meals that I eat before my long runs.



Here are a few more pre-run fueling ideas from my book Full-Body Fitness for Runners.

               

The Orange: Great Last Minute Pre-Run Fuel

Ever realize 15-30 minutes before a run that you forgot to fuel up? Grab an orange! An orange has 100% of your daily Vitamin C needs. Vitamin C helps prevent muscle injury by replacing collagen in the muscle fibers that bread down during running. Oranges provide needed simple carbohydrates, but they're low on the glycemic index so their natural sugars won't cause your blood sugar to spike and crash. Oranges also contain quercitrin, a citrus flavonoid, that some research shows helps to

increase tolerance for exercise, quicken recovery time, and increase performance. Eat a whole orange not orange juice before a run. Orange juice has a much higher concentration of the natural sugars and may cause GI issues in some runners. So, keep a few oranges on hand for those times you forget to fuel or just want to give yourself an extra boost.

Potatoes: A Great Food for Runners!

Running and pasta are like Bert & Ernie, Yin & Yang, Lavern & Shirley, Thelma & Louise. That's all well and fine. Pasta is a great source of carbs for fueling your runs, but did you know that thepotato is a nutritious source of  carbohydrates, even more than rice or pasta? Yep, this often shunned veggie has gotten a bad wrap in the whole anti-carb movement. Like many foods, it's how you prepare it that makes or breaks the nutritional value of the spud. Cover it with butter, melted cheese, and bacon bits and you've created "food porn." Bake it and top it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and voilà, nutritious yumminess! Sport nutritionist Nancy Clark supports the spud too.  She shares that this super veggie is a great source of Vitamin C (gives 1/2 of your daily needs) and provides the potassium you'd lose in three hours of sweaty exercise. It's cousin the sweet potato provides even more health benefits!  A standard potato (like you'd get with a restaurant meal) contains around 200 calories. That's about the same as most sports bars. The spud makes a great pre-and post-run snack as well as a part of a meal. Pre-baked spuds that are sliced and refrigerated make great snacks before or after a run.  In her book, NancyClark's Food Guide for Marathoners, she gives some great ideas for potato toppers such as low-fat salad dressing; low-fat sour cream, chopped onion, and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese; cottage cheese and garlic powder; milk mashed into the potato; plain yogurt (I like using the Greek yogurt. It's very similar to sour cream); flavored vinegars; soy sauce; steamed veggies like broccoli; chopped jalapeno peppers; lentils or lentil soup (I like topping it with veggie chili or black beans); applesauce.  Worried about the potato being high on the Glycemic Index? Valid concern, but did you know that when you pair the spud with certain foods, it actually lowers its GI? Adding healthy fats to your spud such as olive oil, sour cream or avocados, will lower the GI. Increasing the acidity by adding vinegar, citrus or salsa lowers the GI of the spud too. Eating the potato with the skin on increased the fiber slowing digestion and lowering the GI. Oddly enough, cooking the potato, then cooling it before you eat it, lowers the GI. So, give the spud a try!!

Guest Runner Chef: Johnny Vaccaro

One of my favorite healthy food and cooking websites is Johnny Vaccaro's Running the Kitchen. Johnny's own words best describe the website's purpose, "I believe in eating healthy and staying active. My goal is to keep you motivated and perform your best in the kitchen, on your runs and workouts, and in all other aspects of your life." Johnny's culinary creations are healthy, innovative, full of good stuff and fun to make.

I contacted Johnny a little while ago to see if he'd "cook-up" something special for the RunnerDude's Blog. He was awesome and said yes. Johnny asked me what ingredients I'd like for him to use and I suggested something with Quinoa. It's a great source of protein and it's really easy to fix, but so few people know about it. I also wanted the dish to be a great pre-run fuel source or post-run refueling source. Johnny came up with a great creation he calls Warm Cinnamon Pecan Quinoa. Check it out below.

Be sure to visit Running the Kitchen for all of Johnny's other great recipes! Also check out the Running the Kitchen Facebook page.

Thanks Johnny!