What do you feed a 1/2 Marathoner?

This past weekend my darling husband ran in Grandma’s 1/2 marathon. He met his goal and finished in 1 hour, 42 minutes and 49 seconds – a 7:51 minute mile pace. Last year, Brette and I ran the San Fransisco 1/2 marathon. During the 10 months between the two races, Brette shaved more than a minute off his mile pace, which I find very impressive. I’m so proud!

Here are five of the guys Anne and I knew that ran. Brette is in the middle and Pat (Anne’s beloved) is to his right in the chartreuse colored shirt. It’s hard to tell because of the shadows, but they all are pretty studly.

As you can imagine, ones appetite increases while training for such an event. When asking Brette what his favorite training foods, here’s the response I got (after, of course, he accused me of setting him up to talk about his wife’s great cooking skills):

Cliff Bars – his favorite flavor is Chocolate Almond Fudge

Yogurt and Granola – he ate this pretty much daily and before many of his afternoon runs. The recipe for his favorite version is below.

Raisin Bran – This is the consistent pre-run breakfast.  In fact, this is what he eats for breakfast 98% of the time.

In addition to these three faves, he eats a pretty balanced diet filled with lean proteins, whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies (rumor has it, this is good for your health). I don’t know how much of it is a conscious effort on his part or because he eats what I make.  Either way, I think it paid off. Great job babe!

Let me know if you have any suggestions for training food. I have a feeling there is another 1/2 in Brette’s future and most likely a triathlon – more on that coming soon. For me? Why, thanks for asking. I’m doing the MS TRAM this year. It’s just your average 300-mile bike tour. So between the two of us, we are on the move a lot.

Brette’s Marathon Granola

This is a great summer granola because you don’t have to turn the oven on.

Makes 5 Cups

You’ll need:

• 2/3  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  apple cider or juice. I have also used orange and grape juice with success.
• 2  cups  regular oats
• 2/3  cup  chopped pistachios – other nuts work here, but the green pistachios look pretty.
• 2/3  cup   Grape-Nuts
• 2/3  cup  dried sweet cherries or other dried fruit of choice – I will usually add some apricots or golden raisins for color.
• 1/2  cup  sunflower seed kernels
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed – optional. Sometimes I’ll throw this in when Brette’s not looking. Great source of Omega-3′s!

Combine sugar and cider in a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in oats and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until granola is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Cool completely on wax or parchment paper. Store in an airtight container up to a week.