When I was about eight months into my running journey, and training for my first half-marahton, I began to feel like I was missing a big piece of the picture – the nutrition side. I was “rungry”all the time and kept reaching for the baked pretzels as my go-to snack! I wasn’t sure what to eat before the long runs, what to eat afterwards, or even what a good nutrition plan for a runner looked like. I poked around online but found so much information it was confusing. It was around this time I found Sarah / Eat2Run online. I noticed she recommended recovery smoothies so I began with this.
I completed my first half-marathon with plans to train for another in the fall. But this time, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to hire Sarah to put together a comprehensive nutrition plan for both my husband and I. She had impressed me by the way she conducted herself on social media; with her knowledge in this area; and by the fact that she herself was an accomplished runner. I trusted that she would deliver a quality product. My biggest hesitation was cost, but we were able to budget for it and make it work. I sensed that it would be worth it.
It’s really fun, I guess in that while I was expecting to be nutritionally sound through her plan, I wasn’t expecting such drastic changes in my recovery and performance. For example, I had been “icing” my knees after the long runs because they were sore, but I haven’t had to do that in months thanks to the anti-inflammatory foods in Sarah’s plan. Even after my trial run of the half-marathon distance a week before my last race, I had ZERO soreness. Like, none! I’m a firm believer that recovery nutrition makes a HUGE difference!!
Another example? I am a slow runner and that’s fine, but even a tempo run was super-difficult for me as I never seemed to be able to improve upon my pace. Suddenly, I was able to do tempo runs at my target pace with ease, and friend at Run Club started to comment that I was getting faster. This happened after about a month on the plan, and made me feel soooooo good!! My body was just working better overall.
Another testament to the plan was that my husband started to lose weight – something that he has always kind of struggled with. He’s not super-over-weight but he just couldn’t ever get below a particular point no matter what he tried. Now? He’s gone several pounds below that plateau he could never seem to break and he’s maintaining it. I think it can be hard for husbands like mine who work in a job with long hours at a desk or in meetings, combined with lunches and suppers out with clients. Sarah was able to provide an assessment and my husband specific advise to really help boost his nutrition overall. Even simple things, like incorporating green smoothies (something we prepare and freeze that he can bring to work and quickly drink), have really helped boost his overall nutrition.
The nutrition plan that Sarah designed for me was just so comprehensive. I wanted something really specifically laid out for me, right downy to the recipes, meal plan, grocery lists, and specific plans for pre and post long-runs – and she delivered. The other thing is that the plan has lots of room for flexibility once you catch on to the principles.
My entire family has benefitted from my plan, because my husband and I are setting an example for our five kids. We have really changed the way we eat as a family. I though we actually ate pretty health-conscious before, but oh my goodness, there was so much room for improvement. For example, in the past I would have planned my suppers around a central meat dish most of the time, then add a potato or rice and a veggie. These days though, I’m conscious to first and foremost ensure a good leafy green (like spinach or kale in a salad or sauté), then several vegetables (a red and a green), a healthier starch (maybe quinoa or sweet potatoes), along with the protein component being a lean meat or fish. A salad is no longer a spring mix with store-bought ranch dressing. Instead, a salad is an antioxidant-rich green such as spinach or kale, loaded with hemp hearts, nuts and seeds, dried and fresh berries, chopped fruit, avocado, chopped veggies and drizzled with olive oil. It’s a wonderful meal!
It’s a really big shift in thinking; its not exactly easy and there are growing pains but its so worth it I think. Through experiencing the Eat2Run plan, Ive come to approach the meals I serve my family with a question: How can I really boost the nutritional value? This has been the biggest benefit.
From my very first FaceTime meeting with Sarah, It was obvious that she is not only passionate about nutrition and running, but takes seriously helping her clients. Our goals were to get a better handle on nutrition and more effectively fuel our training. Those goals were more than achieved! We both came out of our last race with personal bests that were also huge improvements over previous race times.
-Michelle Diment, Calgary AB (autumn 2015)
(nutrition coaching client)
UPDATE
October 2016 – I completed my FIRST marathon! Loved this day. So much to be thankful for. My first marathon- and I reached my pie-in-the-sky goal. My cousin paced me & pushed me to my goal of sub-5hr, oh my gosh, so perfect. And once again, the nutrition helped me reach my goal – my new (marathon focused) Eat2Run plan Sarah created for me kept me healthy, focused on recovering well & running well during training, and on race day I felt great – I never hit the ominous ‘wall’ marathoner speak of at all. Thank you so much Sarah!! Honestly I am so happy with how it all unfolded. It was the perfect balance of pushing & enjoying the day!!
