In a few months, I’m going to once again participate in the Eugene Marathon.
2017 marks my third year to do so. It’s also in celebration of my 63rd birthday. No slowing down for this senior. Whooo hooo!
Even though I’m doing the half, rather than the full this year, it still requires I train for it.
To not do so risks injury.
Hitting The Mark
To support my outcome of hitting my personal best time in a half marathon, I’ll be reading lots of books I’ve already read as well as participating in a training program through Run Hub in Eugene, Oregon.
Twice a week, through race day, I’ll meet with dozens of others in the training program for workshops, clinics, running, and camaraderie.
You Are What You Eat
A big part of a successful training regime is what one eats. The right eating can definitely help you to perform better, while poor eating habits can hinder a runner.
Having given up meat over a month ago, I am very conscientious of what I’m putting into my body. Not only do I have to eat to give me energy, I have to eat to support recovery.
To that end, I love doing web searches for fun recipes that are not only healthy, they are also easy, taste good and don’t leave me feeling hungry.
21 Day Weight-Loss Breakthrough Diet
In a recent search for recipes that offered a variety, I came across the 21 Day Weight-Loss Breakthrough Diet from Dr. Oz. I found myself instantly attracted to the eating regime. In essence, it is clean eating made simple.
Although it’s called a diet, it’s more of a way of eating that fills me up and yet, is incredibly healthy.
In the three days since starting the 21 day protocol, I’m feeling really good. My energy is great and I’m very focused.
One of the challenges with anything with the word “diet” in it is too few calories for the day. This often leads to irritability, lack of focus, tiredness and overall sluggishness. I’m not experiencing any of this with the 21 Day Weight-Loss Breakthrough Diet.
What’s Approved
In essence it’s an eating regime that is very high in non-starchy vegetables, some fruits, clean protein, healthy fats and lots of water.
Lean meat is on the “approved” list two days a week, but since I am not eating any meat whatsoever, I use Morning Star Farms selections. One of my favorites is the Griller Crumbles. These are delicious veggie crumbles perfect for chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos and more.
If you’re not eating meat, there are plenty of foods that will supply you with all the protein you require. You can choose between various types of beans, legumes and quinoa.
The following is a list of common non-starchy vegetables:
Artichoke
Artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Baby corn
Bamboo shoots
Beans (green, wax, Italian)
Bean sprouts
Beets
Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cabbage (green, bok choy, Chinese)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chayote
Coleslaw (packaged, no dressing)
Cucumber
Daikon
Eggplant
Greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip)
Hearts of palm
Jicama
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Pea pods
Peppers
Radishes
Rutabaga
Salad greens
Sprouts
Squash (cushaw, summer, crookneck, spaghetti, zucchini)
Sugar snap peas
Swiss chard
Tomato
Turnips
Water chestnuts
Yard-long beans
An average day’s food intake looks like this
Breakfast
Ezekiel toast
Avocado
Morning snack
Medium orange or tangerine
Lunch
Veggie dish with meatless substitute
Afternoon snack
Small serving of berries
Small handful of raw pumpkin seeds
Dinner
Veggie dish with quinoa and meatless substitute
Be sure to drink water throughout the day.
Here’s one of my fun recipes I created
3 inch chunk of squash, one cup of fresh mushrooms, diced onion (1/4 cup), one cup of morning star meatless crumbles, seasoning to taste.
Cook all ingredients in fry pan for 5-10 minutes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
This is a very simple meal to cook. If you want to save time, increase the amount you cook at one time in order to have more than one meal for your efforts.
More Than Just a Diet
Although this is a 21 Day Breakthrough Diet, there’s a really great chance I will incorporate much of the protocol into my overall eating. The most important thing for me as I train for the Eugene Marathon is to get enough calories to support the amount of energy I use on a daily basis from running and resistance training.
Oh yes, resistance training is a big part of this. It’s essential that my muscles are developed in more ways than simply from running. More on this in a future post.
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