What I Eat In A Day Training For An Ultra Marathon

With training in full swing, after wrapping up another 100-mile week last Sunday, daily nutrition is crucial. Thought it may be fun to cover what I normally eat in a day during a training week. This week is the beginning of a new training 5-week cycle (65 miles, 75, miles, 85 miles, 95 miles, 100 miles). While I typically eat a bit more food during the higher volume weeks, I try to keep my food choices consistent and simple. I do have a few meals I’ll swap depending on the weather-for example this week is cold in Colorado, so I’ve been leaning towards warm, comfort foods.

Pre-Breakfast

The first thing I do in the morning is fill up my 32 oz water bottle. I’ll drink about half of that before heading out for my first run and finish the rest when I get back. Ideally, I’ll drink 4-5 of those daily. After I get ready for the day, I typically have an 8 oz mug of dandelion root tea with lemon (or just hot lemon water if I’m out of tea bags). Today I was out of lemon and tea bags, so I had neither 😊

Breakfast-9AM

I normally run fasted unless it’s a long run. Typically, I’ll have a spinach smoothie but this week I’ve been loving steel cut oats! They’re a bit heartier and tie me over till lunch. I’ll eat about 1/3 cup oats with a cup of frozen berries. I just warm the berries in the microwave and top with cinnamon. I swear it tastes like blueberry cobbler it’s so amazing! I’ll also have a cup of black coffee with cinnamon. Two shots of espresso with a cup of hot water and a dash of cinnamon is pure heaven! I’ll typically stick with one cup of coffee a day.

Snack-11:30

It was extra cold today so I made a cup of black tea with a little honey. While I was waiting for the water to boil, I had a handful of pretzels…my weakness!

Lunch-2 PM

I could easily just snack on crackers and chips all afternoon, so I must force myself to eat a real lunch. Earlier in the week I roasted a lb of carrots with olive oil/salt and re-heat a cup or two for lunch. Today I topped with a little more salt, dill, Dijon mustard, and a few rice crackers. Carrots are naturally sweet, so they help curb any afternoon cravings.

Beverage-4:30PM

After a little workout I love a nice cool glass of carbonated water with a splash of lime!

Dinner-8:00PM

It was snowing all day today so I wanted something extra comforting. I typically make quinoa as my grain, but switched it up with a little polenta. I add roasted veggies, thyme, spinach (not shown), balsamic, and a slice of fresh bread. It hit just the spot!

Snack-9:00

I love a little something sweet after dinner! Tonight I had a handful of chocolate covered almonds from Sprouts. I also had an 8 oz glass of water before bed.

I only ran once today so I didn't have a more significant afternoon snack. Otherwise, this is a typical day of eating for me :)

Ten Self-Care Quarantine Activities...Other Than Netflix

We are well into week three, maybe longer- I lost track- of quarantine fun. Have you found the end of the internet yet? Netflix can be fun for a few days, but if you’re anything like me, you can only take so long of mindlessly scrolling through channels. Often times the first thing that comes to mind when we think self-care is chilling on the couch; and while that may be one form, there are plenty of ways to practice self-care that will benefit you far outside quarantine life! Here are just a few ideas.

Journal

I don’t necessarily mean the, “Dear Journal, today I did nothing” journaling-more so, take note of how you’re feeling, what areas of your life you notice out of place, even your thoughts on the current world condition. Releasing all your thoughts and emotions onto paper can be very therapeutic. Years down the road it will be interesting to see how we were feeling during this unprecedented time.

Organize Your Closet

Ok, that might not sound so therapeutic at first, but there’s something about purging old items and organizing your seasonal clothes that is very calming. Reducing clutter in the most frequented places in your home can bring an overall sense of calm to your day. There’s nothing quite as stressful as walking into a messy closet with clothes all over the floor. Spruce it up a bit. You could even add a cute framed picture or candle to make it feel fancy!

Get Fresh Air

Even if it’s just standing on your front porch, a little fresh air will do you wonders! It’s been sunny in Colorado the past few days and my afternoon walks give me life. If you are able to go outside, try to get at least 30 minutes of fresh air per day.

Cook a New Recipe

Cooking is very therapeutic, and with the extra time many of us are finding, it’s a great time to test your hand in the kitchen. Try looking for a recipe you wouldn't normally have the time to make on a busy weeknight like homemade pizza or sushi. Pinterest is a great way to search for new recipes. I frequently visit Cookie and Kate and Laura Lea Balanced websites.

Check in with a friend

I actually quite dislike talking on the phone, so calling someone would give me more anxiety than relaxation-maybe because I talk on the phone a lot during the day. If you feel the same as me, try sending a “just checking in” text or perhaps a thinking of you card. If you are in need of some face to face time you can always set up a Face Time or Zoom date. Try hosting a cooking class with friends or maybe a double date movie night!

Whip Out an Old Board game

There’s nothing like a flash to the past than playing one of your favorite childhood board games. I remember getting into phases where my sister and I would play monopoly on an almost daily basis-who has time for that now?? Oh what…we do.

Take a Nap

And I don’t mean, the typical “I fell asleep while watching a movie nap”. Rather curl up with a blanket in your favorite spot in the house for some intentional rest. We may feel like we’re being lazy staying inside all day, but turns out going through a global pandemic is kinda stressful!

Listen to an Audio Book or Podcast

If I'm doing tasks around the house, and want a little background noise, podcasts or audio books are the perfect substitute to television. My favorite podcasts are The Rich Roll Podcast, KoopCast, The Morning Shakeout, Billy Yang Podcast, and The Ginger Runner Live.

Find Time to Move

Of course I love running outside and am thankful I can still do so, but there are plenty of ways to get that heart rate moving other than running! Try going for a walk, Pilates, or a quick HIIT workout. There are a ton of amazing free YouTube videos if you need some guidance. My favorite channels for awesome workouts are Tone it Up, Caroline Jordan Fitness (she's a little obnoxious but has great workouts). MadFit, and Boho Beautiful.

Give Back

There's nothing as fulfilling like giving back to your community, family, and friends. Despite being in quarantine there are plenty of ways to be involved and give back. Check with your local church, community center, or medical facilities to see what area of need you may be able to fill. I know we are all feeling anxious about the unknown, but placing the focus on others can truly provide so much joy and peace about the future.

Hopefully some of those ideas help if you're feeling in a rut. Remember, this is temporary, and actually the perfect time to devote toward the things we never have time for. Stay safe:)

Aussie Bites. The Perfect Quarantine Snack

My husband offered to make a Costco run before Colorado was issued a stay at home mandate last week. Pretty sure he was worried he’d be stuck eating frozen veggies and quinoa for a month. 😊 I guess we all need to live a little during quarantine life so I said go for it-he surprisingly didn’t do too bad! Yes there was a frozen pizza here and there, but he also got the most delicious treat that I can’t stop eating-Aussie bites. The ingredient list is actually pretty clean, but I decided to try my hand at making a similar version. Of course, I didn’t have half the ingredients the recipe called for, but the substitutes worked pretty good!

I first started by melting ¼ cup coconut oil over medium heat with ¼ cup raw unrefined honey. While that melted, I blended 1 ½ cup oats in a blender to make oat flour. I only had steel cut oats on hand but I would definitely recommend using regular old fashion and not steel cut. Once the oil/honey mixture had melted I added ½ cup peanut butter and stirred till creamy. Next I added the oat flour, additional ½ cup oats, 1 tsp baking soda, and salt, to the liquid mixture. You may need to add more peanut butter if the consistency seems too dry.

Next, I pressed the oats into a muffin tin and baked on 400F for 12 minutes. To my surprise they actually turned out pretty good!! I pressed the middle down while still hot so they would create a little bowl for yummy toppings like yogurt, fruit, and nut butter.

Once, I’m forced to go to the store, I’ll pick up the actual ingredients, but I was pretty happy with the outcome of my own “aussie bites”. Of course no one knows when things will go back to normal so I’m using this time to be creative, test new recipes, and enjoy the extra time at home! Happy quarantining!

Recipe:

· ¼ cup coconut oil

· ¼ cup honey

· ½ cup peanut butter

· 1 ½ cup oat flour

· ½ cup oats

· 1 tsp baking soda

· Dash salt

I would add 1 Tbsp Cinnamon, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup dried cherries to make them more like the actual Aussie bites:)