Summer MUT Running and Healthy Eating

June 19, 2014 | By | 12 Replies More

Sandi  and I try to eat pretty healthy…most of the time. She has a great nearly vegan, gluten-free diet that’s low in refined sugars….whereas sometimes I stray (we all have our vices, right?) and have a bit too much Avery beer…and cheese…and chocolate…and ice cream.

 

What we’ve been eating:

Tofu Curry!

Tofu Curry!

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                                       Nearly vegan pizza (gluten-free mix used an egg). Half Pesto half marinara.

 

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                                                                                             Nope, not what we eat…
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                                   Sandi’s great afternoon smoothies (with a great afternoon snack of a Ugo Bar!)

 

 

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Pizza bread! Drizzled with Flora Health “7 sources” which I take most days for healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

 

I truly believe that aside from your actual training and sleep habits, diet is the number one most important determinant for your success as a runner. [Knock on wood] I’ve never had a major overuse injury in my 15 years of nearly year-round running (with the last 6 years consecutively averaging around 85 miles per week). Some may say it’s the HOKAs or genetics or biomechanics …but I think a lot of it has to do with diet.

As we shift into the summer months our calendar is jam-packed full of adventures in the mountains. This means we’re on the road a lot camping and training and exploring. It’s a total blast and I recognize that it is also a total luxury to have the time and energy (and health) to be able to do such things. This is possible thanks to your support (and your support of our sponsors). We have it really good right now!

camping site! cooking pot with burner is a must for hot coffee in the morning

camping site! cooking pot with burner is a must for hot coffee in the morning

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Summit view on Mt. Antero (at 14,270')

Summit view on Mt. Antero (at 14,270′)

 

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We still do some actual work though, and internet connections at coffee shops and in airports are a must! From managing social media accounts (a passion of mine) to helping support my sponsors, to teaming up with Sandi on Vo2max Productions Coaching (to help earn a living), and actual training/racing, we stay really busy!

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I’m also working to finish my MUT Runner film project along with always building content on my YouTube channel (another passion of mine). I’m proud to say that I’ve dived in with Adobe Creative Suite programs as well as Final Cut Pro X to try to improve my skills when it comes to MUT Runner (I still have a long way to go). Right now though, it looks like the film is going to take me until the end of the summer before its release. I’m also proud to announce that fellow MUT Runner Matt Flaherty will be providing some key music for the film (he’s really talented).  Music is pretty important in these types of things.

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As far as running goes, here’s what my 2014 has looked like so far (I’ve also listed events I have planned later in the year):

January: Carlsbad Marathon (2nd place, 2:22:15)

March:    Tarawera Ultra Marathon 80km (1st place,  5:33 )

April:     Lake Sonoma 50-miler (3rd place, 6:12)

May:      Transvulcania 80kim (3rd place, 7:11)

June:    Mt. Washington Road Race

July:      Speedgoat 50km

August:  Pikes Peak Ascent

September:  The RUT 50km

October:     Chicago Marathon

Les Templiers 80km

December: The North Face 50-miler

 

My most recent workout video (a last-minute Tune-up 3 mile Tempo Run) before Mt. Washington. I do this workout a lot during a taper and when I’m just getting back into training. It also is a good, short and quick workout to do in-between longer and harder workouts as a good lactate threshold stimulus:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMuIC83Cd8U&list=UUh_w_vLvlZNBeTAP8qaWhoA[/youtube]

Thanks again for reading. I really appreciate your support and kind comments!  Best of luck with your own racing and training. Also, here’s a special coupon code from my hydration sponsor Ultimate Direction:   JUNE20 

It’s good for 20% all site-wide products until June 26th. Click HERE to redeem.

Cheers,

Sage

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About the Author ()

2-time Olympic Trials Qualifier, Mountain runner, Author of "Running For The Hansons," trail runner, videos for Vo2max Productioins, LLC.

Comments (12)

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  1. Pete Mills says:

    Truly priceless advice and given without prejudice. Unique on the web Sage.Keep up the fantastic work & connecting with like minded runners, athletes & budding chefs.Good luck with the rest of the season and successful completion of MUT.

  2. Roby says:

    Great post Sage! Thank you for giving us tips based upon your experiences.

    I have a couple of questions as usual: how long have you been on a gluten free diet? Have you felt any difference in your performance?

    Thank you again and good luck with your trainings and races coach!

    Pura vida,

    Rob

  3. Ryan says:

    Are you still running the Mont Blanc Marathon in the next few weeks? I noticed it wasn’t on your calender above.

    Any advice for cutting back on sugary prodcuts? I eat a very healthy diet, but have a very unhealthy sweet tooth, which pretty much negates any healthy eating I do, probably.

    Anyway – good luck at the Mt. Washington Road Race, I’m excited to see what happens. You have some good competition going into it. And of course good luck through the rest of the year.

  4. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks so much Pete! We really appreciate your support!

  5. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thank you Rob! It’s been great to coach you! Sandi has been gluten free for about 2 years. I am not totally gluten free as I drink beer and have pizza and regular bread/pasta sometimes. For me it’s not a big difference, but I eat a lot more gluten-free now with Sandi and I think I’m better off for it in the long-term. For Sandi though it is very important for her energy levels and if she has gluten her stomach hurts quite a bit! Thank you again.

  6. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks Ryan,
    Yeah, I was going to do Mont Blanc but plane tickets out there were crazy and I realized that I’m already racing too much this year. Need to rest up and focus on Speedgoat! Mt. WA was decent, but not the performance I was looking for so I need to revamp my training and focus on what I can do to respect the mountains more and train for the specific demands of each race (which I’m finding is quite unique sometimes depending on the course).

    As far as sugar goes…I have a sweet tooth as well. If you’re training a lot you can probably get away with somethings but the key is to not let bad habits form. I totally gave up soda pop (except for on airplane rides and during races), but still eat ice cream and lots of baked goods at cafes and such. It’s all about balance and not getting any crazy cravings that turn into a habit. Good luck!

  7. Henrik says:

    Hi Sage, you’re a big inspiration of mine. I am curious, when you started running, what were your times like for a 5k, for example? (without almost any training). I ask because I am interested in the amount of natural talent some athletes have 🙂 also, how often do you take rest days, if at all?

  8. SageCanaday says:

    Hey Henrik,
    Thanks so much! The very first 5km I ran was in cross country when I was 14 years old. I ran 17:33. Later that year I ran 16:23. As far as training and rest days go…I’ve run year-round (training) since I was 12 years old. I will still take 5 or 7 days off from running after any race over a marathon though. I usually am training with some structure 50 out of 52 weeks per year. I’ve probably averaged about 85 miles per week for the last 5 years in a row (including rest days). Thank you for your support!

  9. Zoe says:

    Hi Sage, thanks for your post, I just found you and Sandi’s video on YouTube about running tips and form, they were great and I just wanted to say thank you! All your advice is awesome, I’m thinking of going gluten free so your food pics and info were interesting too!
    Thanks and good luck in your racing this year!

  10. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks so much Zoe that is great to hear! Stay tuned for more videos and thank you again for all the support!

  11. Cliff says:

    Hi Sage, I’m in awe of your running & efforts to help empower runners. As a 50 year old coming back from an unhealthy lifestyle of eating, I’m plant-based & can now run again after years on animal proteins. I wonder, if you’ve heard of Dr. Esselstyn’s book Reverse & Prevent Heart Disease? In it, he outlines who ALL oils are almost pure Omega 6s (inflammatories), and when we get 4-6 servings of greens a day, chewing them, we build up Nitric Oxide, which expands our arteries. Here’s the 4-minute video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7mYblX4ugE So my question is – Why do you do the 7 Sources Oil, and believe it provides Omega 3s, when it’s almost 100% Omega 6s (inflammatories) in ALL oils, if you read Esselstyn, or T. Colin Campbell’s China Study, or James McDougall, or Dean Ornish. Most modern doctors totally disavow all Oils these days, except fish oil supplements, or what I take – 2 tsps of ground Flax seed a day (pure Omega 3s)? My guess is – you could run so much faster if you got off all Oil & ramped up for just a few days to see on 4 servings of chewed leafy greens a day. Hope that’s useful to share! Keep running! HCJ

  12. SageCanaday says:

    Hey thanks so much HCJ. Sandi and I are looking into more of that diet now. For the record Flora Oils are more omega-3s (not 6s!). Sandi is going basically no-oil and vegan right now. We eat tons of plants and nutrient dense foods as well as some fruit. Seems to be a pretty healthy combination! We just watched “Forks over Knifes” which was quite good.

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