The difference in my nutrition, between Marathon and Ultra Marathon Running
When I trained for the London Marathon, I did what everyone said: loaded up on carbs. But instead of feeling energized, I felt sluggish. My muscles ached, and training became a chore. It was nothing like I’d imagined. Then, my husband took on the Marathon de Sables, a 152-mile race across the Sahara desert. He went the opposite route, eating meat and more meat, with extremely low carbs. The results were astonishing. He had no injuries, no inflammation, and he finished the race lean and strong, even without an ACL in his left knee. Inspired by his success, I decided to change my diet for my next challenge: a 60-mile ultra marathon. I switched to a diet rich in meat and low in carbs. And guess what? No sluggishness, no pain, no inflammation. For the first time, I truly enjoyed every moment of my race. Now, we have a daughter who is an athlete, and we wanted to give her the best start possible. After a lot of research and a chat with a sprinter who was a 400m world champion for team USA living in Maui, we revamped her diet too. Here’s what she eats: • Breakfast: Boiled or scrambled eggs, berries, pine nuts, and meat. • Lunch and Dinner: Meat or fish, fruits, and vegetables. Of course, we still enjoy carbs now and then, but we believe that this meat-based diet has kept us fit, pain-free, and loving every minute of our training with little, or dare I say it … no injuries! It’s been a game-changer for our family, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
