Feeling the burn..

Preview post

Off we go!

Running 13.1 miles without stopping is really hard. Running 26.2 miles is really, really hard. It requires a lot of energy. What we eat before and after our training runs, during the week leading up to a big event and on the morning of race day matters. The energy we fuel our bodies with can be the difference between hitting the wall or running through it.

Unfortunately for gluten free athletes, when we think of carb loading before a race we think of pasta. Almost all big running events have a ‘pasta dinner’ the night before the race. We can’t do these but the good news is we can get the same energy from lots of different gluten free foods!

I’ve run in a variety of different running events around the world since being diagnosed as celiac and these tips have given me the energy to keep running until the end. I ate 100% gluten free and I hit no walls. I didn’t win any races either ( or come anywhere close) but in my mind I’m a winner if I can run the distance without stopping. Success!

Gluten Free Training Tips

• Replace pasta with rice.  Many athletes eat pasta the night before a long run and rice the the obvious gluten free replacement. Rice is available almost everywhere and goes with most things the way pasta does. It’s also high in carbs and will give you lots of energy for long runs! Whilst brown rice is perhaps the more nutritious option, white rice can be good before intense training as it contains less fiber.
• If you want your pasta dinner then have it. There are plenty of different gluten free pastas out there. Many varieties of GF pasta contain around the same amount of carbs, protein and calories as wheat pasta, taste great and cook even faster than ordinary pasta!
• Sushi can be a good option for a gluten free night before your race meal. This delicious mix of carbs, fat and protein will provide your body with the energy it’s going to need to run the distance. Adding some gluten free soy sauce can be a good way of getting some extra sodium, a lot of which your body will lose after running for a long time.
• Try some tasty new grains. There are lots of interesting gluten free grains out there that you may not have tried, or even heard of before. Quinoa, buckwheat, teff, millet and amaranth are delicious, healthy alternatives which will provide you with lots of energy.
• Always have a snack with you. Keeping a gluten free snack with you at all times is always a good idea but it’s even more important when you’re in training. With all those extra calories you’re burning, you will find yourself getting hungrier than usual in between meals and you don’t want to be left with nothing to nibble.
• Research your energy drinks and sports gels. Water just isn’t enough when you are running long distances but you need to ensure that any energy drinks you use are gluten free. The same goes for any sports gels you plan to use on race day. Find gluten free ones and try them out on long practice runs to ensure your body can handle them. You don’t want to do the right training and eat the right things to then waste it by getting glutenated because you forgot to check your sports drink.
• Research race day. If you can, find out which sports drinks are being given out during your race. If they aren’t what you are familiar with, do some research to ensure they are gluten free. If fruit or other snacks are on offer too make sure these are things your body can handle and nothing that gives you problems.
• Simply salt. To some long distance athletes, over hydration is a concern. Serious sweating plus consuming too much fluid can dangerous lower the bodies salt levels if you aren’t careful (This probably isn’t a concern unless you’re running a marathon, ultra marathon, triathalon, etc). Athletes to whom this is a concern often use gels which replenish them with salts and minerals to counteract this. Do your research to find out which gels are safe for celiacs. If this isn’t for you then simply eating a pack or two of pure salt during your event can give your body the salts it needs to make it to the finish line without hitting the wall. (It may sound disgusting but it worked for me during my first full marathon. Salt packets from McDonalds at miles 18 and 22 gave me the extra kick I needed to make it to the end.)
• Don’t try anything new on the day. No serious athlete wants to test out a new night before meal, race morning breakfast or energy bar/drink during the race and this is even more important if you are on a gluten free diet. You don’t want to try something new, have your body react badly to it and have it prevent you from achieving the goal you have set for yourself!
• Have something waiting at the finish line. At the end of a race there are almost always snacks being handed out. These tend to be glutenous things like cookies, cakes and energy bars. You’re almost certainly going to be starving at the end of a race so be sure to give whoever is there to cheer you on something gluten free and full of energy. For me a huge carton of chocolate milk is the perfect end to a race.
• Enjoy your day. You’ve done all the hard work and preparation. You’re ready. Now all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other until you reach the finish line! Yay!

My gluten free bib

Last weekend I ran the San Francisco Half Marathon. There were more hills than I was expecting (Yes, I know we’re in SF but a runner can hope can’t she) but it was a great race and I didn’t stop for a second. The 13.1 mile course covered some amazing views and I got to run over the Golden Gate Bridge which was amazing!

As usual, the night before the race I filled up on lots of gluten free carbs. Dinner was a large plate of rice, egg and black beans. Simple and delicious. The race was to begin at 5.30am which meant getting up insanely early to nibble a large bowl of gluten free breakfast before making my way down to the start line. What did I eat? CHEX of course! They say not to change things up on game day.

As it was the half this time rather than the full, I wasn’t concerned about  my salt levels. At the Buenos Aires marathon I ate pure salt on two or three occasions to ensure I didn’t over hydrate myself but this wouldn’t be an issue for a 13.1. I would drink the Gatorade they were giving out at hydration stations and I’d be set. I saw on the website that they would also be handing out GU Gels at mile 7. I knew from the expo that these were gluten free but as I hadn’t used them in training I’d give them a miss unless I was feeling really low energy levels.

Running in a huge crowd in a marathon or half marathon is such an amazing feeling and it’s pretty emotional too, especially in a race with a huge turn out like this. Waiting at the starting line, the atmosphere is a mixture of nerves, excitement and giddiness. All those miles and hours of training that have brought us together on this summer morning, and the sun hasn’t even risen yet! No one has had a good night of sleep but that’s not important. As soon as the countdown reaches zero the adrenaline kicks in and there’s no looking back. It’s beautiful. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of. The next 13.1 or 26.2 miles are the fun part. It’s all the training that makes you who you are on the day.

The run was amazing! It was hard work but it was worth it. John won husband of the year by waking up with me at 4am and biking the whole race route to meet me at the end. He was there at mile nine waiting to snap a photo of me and he was there at 13.1 with chocolate milk! Perfect. One of the drinks we were given at the finish line was Zico Coconut Water. Not bad but as I’m a big fan of coconut I thought I’d like it more. It’s labelled as gluten free.

Gluten free coconut water

My medal

Maraton de Buenos Aires

Last week I ran my first marathon and it was an amazing experience!

I woke up at 4.30am to eat a bowl of gluten free and carb filled Polenta with a couple of pinches of salt. I never add salt to meals but today I was going to need it considering the amount of salt my body was going to lose through sweat. I drank a glass of gatorade (all flavours are gluten free) and set off for the start of the race.

The marathon was to start at 7.30 so arriving at 6.20 I had plenty of time to psyche myself up. Half an hour before the start I ate a gluten free cereal bar to give me some extra energy. I had a few more sips of Gatorade and I was ready to run….

From the starting line right through to mile 26.2, it was an amazing run. Trying to communicate with a Brazilian in broken Spanish when he is speaking Portuguese and you are both approaching mile 18 of your first marathon is an interesting experience.

I stuck with Gatorade for the entirety of the run. It would prevent me from becoming dehydrated just as well as water and it would also give me at least some of the electrolytes I was losing. I had read a lot about slower athletes being susceptible to overhydration during the length of a marathon so I hoped that keeping to Gatorade would lessen my risk. I also ate a couple of salt packets (from McDonalds) at miles 16 and 20 to avoid allowing my salt levels to get too low. At 5 occasions they handed us orange slices and their sugary deliciousness gave me that much needed extra energy to get me to the end.

I ran my first marathon in 5 hours on the dot. Not exactly Olympic running but I was very proud of myself for running the whole way without resting. The huge chuck of chocolate cake filled with dulce de leche and covered in cream was the perfect after marathon treat!

A well deserved kiss after 26.2 miles!

All of this training means that I’m hungry pretty much constantly and finding interesting and varied gluten free meals to eat gets pretty difficult. Much of what I’ve read talks about loading up on carbs and since many carb filled foods tend to also be filled with gluten, I’m careful to ensure I still get enough carbs whilst remaining gluten free.

I’m doing the first half of my training in Iowa and my second half when we move to Argentina, 2 months before the race.

Tasty Chex for breakfast

Vegetable sushi

My tasty tortilla lunch

Cream of Rice with pineapple and cinnamon

In Iowa

I like to start my day with a bowl of Chex. On a short run day I’ll nibble a few pieces of fruit before my run and leave the cereal for afterwards but on a long run day I’ll fuel up with cereal first thing when I wake up. I’ve starting mixing corn, rice and honey nut Chex and I love it. Some days I substitute Chex for Cream of Rice, which tastes great with fruit and cinnamon.

For lunch, I’m all about corn tortillas with various fillings. Recently my favourite is ham with cucumber/spinach and cottage cheese. If we go out for lunch, I like to fill up on lots of Sushi with wheat free soy. New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City does some great, fresh Nigiri and Maki sushi sets, which are gluten free. They also have wheat free soy. When buying pre-packed sushi, always check with whoever prepared it that it’s gluten free and stay away from imitation crab meat and any sauces. Fish Nigiri and either fish or vegetable Maki are usually the best bet.

Blue Bunny with strawberries

Yoplait yoghurt

Glutino breakfast bars

Envirokids snack bars

I find myself getting hungry between meals, especially on my long run days, and I try to keep my snacking pretty healthy. I eat a lot of yoghurt (normally Yoplait as the fat free is gf and says so on the label) with rice cakes for dipping, gluten free bars, lots of fruit, and sometimes a bowl of Blue Bunny vanilla Ice Cream.

For dinner I find myself eating lots and lots of rice. Lucky for me I love the stuff but I still like to bring new ingredients in to eat with it to spice it up. Some of my favourites are Chilli with rice, ground beef with pineapple salsa and rice, black beans with rice, Kimchi with rice and Bolognese with rice. On the few occasions I don’t have rice, I eat various omelettes, tasty Iowa sweet corn or gluten free sandwiches (although I’m yet to find a great tasting gf bread in the States)

Tasty chilli

Yummy Iowa sweet corn

Running around 40 miles a week means that I can eat pretty much whatever I want but I try my best to eat the right things to fuel my body and prepare me for long distances. I don’t eat as much variety when it comes to my meals as I did in my pre-coeliac days but I’m working on this….

In Buenos Aires

My marathon training diet had changed quite a bit since moving to Argentina but thanks to a few great gluten free stores and eateries, I’m managing to keep my carb intake high. Cereal was such a huge part of what I was eating in the states but as there is no gluten free cereal to be found here, I’ve had to make a few changes to my diet. Before short runs I eat a cereal bar and if I’m going on a longer run I like to have a bowl of crushed up rice cakes with milk which is the nearest thing to a bowl of cereal here. Almost every day, the first thing I eat post run is a big bowl of polenta with fruit and cinnamon.

Pre-run cereal bars

Polenta with apples

For lunch, I’m all about the empanadas (usually ground beef or chicken) or gluten free baguettes with ham and cheese from Celigourmet. As my weekly mileage is increasing I’m all about eating between meals too so I find myself eating a lot of yoghurts, fruit, nuts and chocolate covered gluten free snacks. My favourite snack here is Chocoarroz which is two small rice cakes stuck together with a layer of dulce de leche and covered in milk or white chocolate!

Choco Arroz

Empanadas de carne

Celigourmet baguettes

Tasty yoghurts

Dinner in Buenos Aires, like in the States, is almost always something with rice (or rice with something the night before a long run). Here I eat a lot of rice with egg and cheese, rice and veggie stir fry or my favourite, chilli with rice. Again, not a huge variety in what I’m eating but I try to vary it as much as possible and I enjoy everything that I eat.