by Olympic and marathon champion Shalane Flanagan knows more about nutrition now than she did when she was competing at the elite level. That may be partly due to the fact that she has co-authored two books, Run fast. Eat slowly and Run fast. Cook Fast. Eat slowlyin 2016 and 2018 respectively, before officially retiring from the sport in 2019.
Her nutritional philosophy is about eating as many good, healthy, nutrient dense and simple ingredients as possible – but trying to make it tasty too. “Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it shouldn’t taste good,” she says WH.
These days, the 42-year-old sees marathoning as “a nice treat.” As a full-time mother of two and a coach at the University of Oregon, she has two fitness goals. First, she wants to stay healthy for her children. “Having children is a real test of endurance [that] it takes a lot of time on my feet and my energy,” she says.
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Goal number two for Flanagan? To keep up with his collegiate athletes. “I get that [running] It’s a great time to reach out to them,” she says. “If you can go for a run, you can have a great conversation because there’s not this eye contact, so people are quite open.”
For this year’s New York City Marathon, Flanagan partnered with MasterCard to empower local small businesses in New York. “Many of these small business owners are running the marathon as well,” she says. “That’s incredible because there’s nothing easy about running a marathon or training for a marathon [and] there is nothing easy about owning your own business and starting a business, but they are very similar in that it takes a lot of grit, determination and resilience and shows great consistency.”
Flanagan hit the starting line with some of these small business owners on Nov. 5 as part of MasterCard’s Priceless Start, a one-time opportunity to be at the forefront of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, just like the Elite Marathon. “You get to hit the road before all the other runners do, and it feels like you’re rubbing elbows with some of the best in the world,” she says. “It’s really liberating to be able to be the first on the street.”
So what did she eat before the big day? And what does she eat on a “regular” day? Read on to find out, as well as some of the hard fueling lessons she’s learned over the years.
The New York City Marathon calls for New York City carbs.
Perhaps not surprisingly, while in the Big Apple, her favorite thing to eat is New York pizza. “I live in Oregon now, and the pizza isn’t the same out there,” she says, adding that bagels are also a must when she’s in town.
The night before the race, however, she will eat rice, sweet potatoes, salad, and protein (usually fish, steak, or chicken). She notes that staying hydrated is also key before the race and she likes coconut water because it has “good natural electrolytes.”
As much as she can in the days leading up to the race she tries to focus on things as natural as possible “because on the day of the marathon, there’s a lot of packaged food out on the course with the gels and everything.”
There is a time and a place for simple carbs as fuel.
Before the race, Flanagan prefers frequent carb-rich snacks to large meals. And those carbs are mostly simple instead of complex. “Usually when I’m training I want more whole grains and everything, but going into a marathon, you want to cut back on fiber,” she explains.
“Simple carbohydrates can be digested quickly and put that nice glycogen into the legs [and] into the system.” Some of her favorites include pretzels, some fruit, and sometimes Lärabar.
Homemade baked goods are a staple.
When it comes to day-to-day fuel, overnight oats are the way to go and coffee is top priority in the morning. Flanagan notes that she’s not “very consistent” with her daily food choices due to her busy lifestyle but one go-to is some type of homemade baked good that’s easy to find and take on the way to practice , for example.
She will also often snack on fruit while training with tea, especially in the colder months.
Sunday meal prep sets her up for success during the week.
“On Sundays, I try to prepare some food if I can,” she said. Rice bowls are often on rotation: “I’ll make a bunch of different veggies, rice, different sauces and types of proteins,” she explains, adding that incorporating variety ensures the meals never get boring. “That’s easily my go-to for lunch.”
Dinner is where things are a little more flexible or “all over the place” in her words, although sitting down for a good family dinner is a priority. “It’s trying to combine a lot of the things that a three-year-old likes as well as what an adult palate likes,” she said. “Some nights it’s doing a little more of the chicken fingers, and then some nights it’s the really good chicken parm kind of thing made out of a home oven.”
Eating local is a focus.
However, her commitment to seasonality is consistent. “I try to eat more seasonally, so I don’t eat as many berries in the winter, I’ll admit, as I do in the summer,” she says.
Lately, she says, squash has been on rotation. “I think eating locally and seasonally, first of all, tastes better,” she says, and “because it’s not traveling as far, whatever you eat is more nutritious .”
Healthy fats also play a key role.
Flanagan makes it a priority to incorporate healthy fats such as nuts, avocados, and coconut oil. “[They] It really helps maintain a healthy menstrual cycle, which helps maintain good bone density,” she says. “And I feel more satiated if I have the good healthy fats.”
Flanagan explains that she grew up in the “no-fat, low-fat diet era” and learned that “I was actually eating a ton of sugar so I was never feeling full,” she says. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned in my nutrition journey.”
