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raw runner

Hi everyone! i’ve been reading the forums for a while, but I figure I should probably start participating as well!

I’m a musician and a runner. I’ve been on the journey to find ideal nutrition for my music-making and my marathon-training for years, and it’s finally come to “drastic” measures! I have been slowly going towards raw food for about 4 months, and have been 99% raw for about 7 weeks. I will run my first “raw” half-marathon in just a couple of weeks. My family, although supportive, thinks i’m a bit nuts, but I feel fine on raw food. I love the feeling of discovering what’s best for ME, not what the USDA’s and FDA’s finances say what’s best for me and my health.

I haven’t experienced anything earth-shattering so far; no huge detox, nothing like that. I just feel more alive. the only “cooked” item I crave is coffee, but those cravings are diminishing. Now, if only I could lighten up on the nuts and dried fruits… sometimes I feel like all I want to do is stuff them in my face! I assume those cravings, too, will start to diminish. I am currently trying to up the intake of green juices and smoothies, and thinking about getting a dehydrator.

I’m not eating raw in order to lose weight or cure major diseases. I have had some “food issues” in my life, but nothing out of the ordinary for a modern female I suppose. Raw food seems to make me feel calmer in that area of my psyche. Mostly, I just realize that things that come from our wonderful earth MUST be most healthy in their most natural forms, so why change them? Why fix what ‘aint broke?

anyway, i know this is a long post, but… well… hello everyone! I look forward to communicating, debating, celebrating, and sharing with all of you!

Comments

  • AKAAuburnEyesAKAAuburnEyes Raw Newbie

    Hi Kayo,

    Best of luck to you in the marathon and transitioning to raw :)

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    Welcome kayo—some good raw running info in the Raw Athlete thread in Health & Beauty. Welcome. You’ll have a great race.

  • Hi Kayo…when and where is your next marathon? what types of foods to you utilize when training and for post running fuel to help you recover quickly and get back to running? I am running my first marathon in 10 days :)

  • hello everyone, thanks for the good wishes!

    runnagurl- i eat pretty much everything I can get my hands on. pre-run for short training runs, i usually eat a half-banana and some honey with a spoonful of almond butter or a few nuts (carbs+protein=sustained energy).

    after every run, i immediately eat 1 or 2 oranges and a few more nuts. I read that the kenyans eat fruit and protein after hard workouts, so it must work! after my shower and stretching, I also have a green smoothie, or if i’m really hungry, a bowl of fruit covered with honey, flaxseeds, cinnamon, nuts, sprouted grains, raw cocoa, and raw milk (or no milk if i don’t have it).

    I place of gatorade or power gels, I carry water+raw honey+a pinch of salt+a squirt of orange juice. I put a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of almond butter and a pinch of salt into the corners of little sandwich bags and tie them off. those are my power gels. I just grab them out of my pocket and bite of the tip and squirt it into my mouth at 5-mile intervals for long runs or races.

    favorite power foods: raw honey, bee pollen, raw tahini, almond butter, raw whole milk (i know, not vegan), all fruits (a lot of fruit!), all salads, sprouted grains and mung beans, lemon water, green juices, carrot juice, wheatgrass juice, pumpkin seeds, sun-dried fruit, dates…. you name it, i eat it. I have a juicer, which is great. I also want a blender to make smoothies.

    As for recovery after your marathon, make sure you eat everything! i don’t know the magic formula! I switched to 99% raw the day after my last marathon. That whole week I just ate and ate and ate, especially raw apricots or dates stuffed with a nut or almond butter.

    As far as I know, more green is the way to go. I’m still working on that; the sweet fruits and nuts always call to me when I’m feeling hungry. but we have to eat more greens!!

    good luck on your marathon! where is it? you’ll do great! I can’t wait for your race-report. My next half-marathon is the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half, on may 10th. my parents are even coming into town to see me run; they don’t know anything about raw food. Maybe i’ll inspire them!!

  • AKAAuburnEyesAKAAuburnEyes Raw Newbie

    Kayo and Runnagurl, a great book to read (very short read) is On Nutrition and Athletic Performance by Dr. Douglas Graham. I found it to be very informative on the best way to fuel yourself for recovery and training.

    Good luck Runnagurl! Where is your marathon?

    Kayo, what a great place to run a marathon! It is sure to be beautiful the whole way. Very inspiring and invigorating :)

  • Kayo, check out the “Thrive” diet. by a Brendan Brazier who is vegan. He runs marathons and has a plant based diet. His book has a lot of recipes for energy drinks and bars, many of which have a raw option, meaning he gives suggestions on how to turn them into a raw recipe. I have trained for the last two years, but not raw. I am just now incporporating a vegan diet, but am not sure if I will do a full or half this year in Chiago. Cheers!

  • AuburnEyes, I looked up Douglas Graham, and it seems like he knows a LOT! I’ll definitely check out some of his writings, thanks for the tips.

    mzzmac, thanks for the tip on Brendan Brazier! It’s amazing how many raw athletes there are out there! I can’t wait to read more, i have so much to learn. have fun training!

  • Kayo and Akaauburneyes..thanks for the luck!..must have worked because I did great..finished in the time or just under the time I was striving for and I felt real good! It got tough around mile 22, but I pulled through. The most amazing thing to me was my recovery. I didn’t feel any different that I would after a normal long training run! The following day I did not run, but got in the pool and did yoga. 2 days after the marathon, I was back to running, lifting, and riding. I’ve been running since and feeling great! Looking forward to my next one.

    Thanks to both of you for the advice and the book to read. Now that school is over I will have time to read what I want! How did the half marathon go kayo? It must have been a beauty. I have always wanted to go see the vineyards out in CA. I know there is a marathon out there that runs right through many of them. That’s on the list.

    Kayo..thanks for the many fueling ideas. I eat a lot of the same things you do and it’s been working. Looking to change up my during run fuel for the next marathon by experimenting during training runs. I did raisin soak water and dates during this past marathon. I could feel the instand energy from both. Post marathon, I immediatly drank coconut water and had a massage. The rest of the day was fueled with bananas, oranges, salads, and water. I was in NJ and at a hotel so I snagged all the bananas and oranges I could to hold me over til I went home the following morning!

    Happy Running :)

  • Yay! Good for you and welcome :)

  • hi runnagurl! congratulations on your marathon! it sounds like you had a really successful run. isn’t running awesome!!??

    I just did my half marathon on saturday. I had a blast! the course was absolutely STUNNINGLY beautiful. the only problem was that it was really hilly, and i hadn’t done any hill training! oops! they also didn’t post any mile-markers, so i had to rely on my instinct as far as pace is concerned. I finished within my goal range, but on the slow side. My goal time was 1:40-1:45, with 1:42 being the target, but i finished in 1:45.

    I was a little disappointed, but then i got to thinking… all those hills with no training, and no mile markers! actually, i did great! I think that if it weren’t for my great nutrition, the hills would have really slowed me down a lot more. and, like you said, the amazing thing is the recovery. I felt great afterwards, and had no stiffness or muscle fatigue the rest of the weekend. Although it was only a half, i would expect those hills to cause some muscle soreness. I feel great, though!

    Now all i need is another race to train for!

    ps. i like your idea of raisin soak water! i’ll have to try it.

  • Kayo..Congrats..no hill training and you still kicked butt! What did you use as fuel on the coarse? How was the recovery..were you back running a day or two later? Are you thinking another half or a full marathon is next? What’s your typical training like? Run daily? Do you cross train? Give the raisin water a whirl and let me know what you think. I am interested in trying one your your “gu” ideas you gave me above. Have you read any good books that you’d recommend to me? I am on “summer vacay” even though i am interning for school 40hrs a week plus working a paying job and training on the side but Id like to get a few good reads in before it’s back to the text books.

  • So interesting to read the info. from other athletes. I am “brand” new to the Raw eating thing and it sure helps knowing other athletes have tried and succeeded with this type of diet. I have run for MANY years and as I get older I am looking for the best way to stay into the sport that I LOVE! I have a marathon coming up in September and just started my marathon training but had concern that I might not have the muscle mass to pull it off. I have been mostly raw for the past 6 weeks. This past week I have been needing 10 hours sleep! And I am only doing 10 mile long runs! My last marathon was in 2003 at Bayshore in Traverse City Michigan. Beautiful course! Had a 3:42 and would love to break 3:40 if possible. I am taking a little of everyones advice on fuel and we’ll see where it goes from there. One more thing: Has anyone ever heard of the Eat Right for Your Type? That made sense to me with all the research that’s been done on it but it doesn’t bode well with the Raw life- style, any suggestion?

  • Best of luck to you in your marathon and your journey to a better lifestyle. I am a runner too, although I was training for a marathon a coupple of years ago I had to leave that “dream” behind as a result of an injury, I am now back and training a little, 5K here and there 2-3 times a week and also biking. ciao!

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