Can Juicing enhance performance?

As I write this, its exactly 1 day and 15 hours until the start of the London Marathon and I have just broken one of the golden rules - don't try anything new in race week.

What I've done isn't exactly heinous and I have done so under good authority (my colleague the multi marathon smashing and cyclist extraordinaire) but none-the-less i'm a little nervous.

I have just consumed my first beetroot juice.

Numerous studies have linked the consumption of Beetroot juice to increased stamina and speed, which I simply couldn't resist ahead of Sunday's marathon. Beetroots are high in nitrate, which when ingested is converted into nitrite then nitric acid.

Nitric acid has two effects on the body, firstly it causes blood vessels to dilate so you can provide more blood through them. Secondly, it makes the mitochondria (the powerhouses of cells) more efficient so they create the same amount of energy whilst consuming less oxygen. These basically means you are producing more oxygen but utilizing it more efficiently which can only lead to good things!

So to make my juice I juiced a whole cooked beetroot with an apple and Satsuma and a little water. The taste was ok - very beetrooty. Luckily i'm a fan of the taste to it works for me. The maximum effects as described above take place between 2 and 2.5 hours from consumption, so assuming I don't experience any untoward effects, I will have another with my breakfast on Sunday morning and hopefully reap the rewards and hit my goal of a 3:30 finish!

My nerves are slowly turning to excitement and i'm feeling pretty pumped right now. Bring. It. On.

The best flapjacks yet

Words cannot describe how good my latest creations are - packed with protein, layered with peanut butter and topped with a totally clean chocolate spread, I urge you to get these in your life! What's more they are 100% vegan with no refined sugars so anyone can enjoy these beauties.

What are you waiting for? Time to get your bake on.

To get started, combine 200g oats with 2 scoops of your chosen Protien powder then add Almond milk until the mixture comes together. The amount of Almond milk you need will depend on what type of Protien power you use, but start with around 50ml then keep going until you're happy with the consistency. Next pop a selection of nuts into the food processor and blitz until they start to break down. I like the nuts to be quite chunky so this takes me about 30 seconds, but if you prefer a finer mix then keep going for longer. I used cashews, almonds and pecans. Add the nuts to the Oat mixture then transfer the lot to a lined tin, pushing it all down to the bottom.

Next comes the peanut butter layer - I use PB2 but you can you use any nut butter you like - spread a layer over the oats then transfer to the freezer and leave to set for about an hour.

Then comes the good bit - the chocolate layer! Put around 10 pitted dates into a saucepan with enough water to cover the dates. Heat until a syrup is formed, you will need to keep topping up with water and stirring - this took me around 20 mins all together. Next add two tablespoons of Cacao power and stir until combined. I also added a splash of Dark Chocolate Almond milk to intensify the flavor then left to thicken for about 10 more mins, stirring occasionally.

I then took this off the heat to cool down and once the oat/peanut butter layer had frozen, poured the chocolate layer over the to, then put the whole thing back in the freezer for another hour or so to set. Remove from the freezer and allow to defrost then chop into bars or squares and try not to eat the whole thing in one go!

These are great pre or post workout or simply when your chocolate/sweet cravings come around - enjoy as they are completely clean but taste entirely naughty.

6 weeks to go!

Today was my penultimate 20+ training run and it felt great! It really does wonders for your motivation to feel progress over such a short period of time - each week I can feel that i'm getting fitter and stronger.

From first stepping out this morning, I felt pretty good as I had rested all day Friday. The first 4 miles breezed as I then reached the new section I have added to my route which is pretty hilly. Last week one of the hills left me feeling completely out of breath but this week I felt noticeably stronger going up (this is what i'm talking about regarding progress!). I kept going to mile 10 where I stopped for my first Gel - although I didn't feel as I particularly needed it, I had been running for almost 80 mins so didn't want to risk my supplies getting too low.

On average your muscles can store enough Glycogen to keep you fuelled for 90 mins - you do not want to get to empty as this is what we call hitting the wall and means you don't have the energy to move. Once you reach empty it takes considerably longer to refuel than it does to refuel with a little left in the tank so always stay on the side of caution.

I kept moving onto the next section of hills by which time the sun had come out, giving me a little extra push. From mile 15, the route flattens back out which is great for increasing pace. I stopped for my second Gel then pushed on to the end, arriving home in 2:34:15 and clocking up just over 20 miles. Today was the first day during my cool down walk I didn't have shaky legs which is another sign of how far I've come!

My boyfriend, or Delia as i'm now calling him, spent his morning baking homemade jam tarts which after running 20 miles and being in a major calorie deficit, I was only happy to indulge in! Check them out -

The weeks are absolutely flying by at the moment - I cannot believe there is only 6 weeks to go until i'll be lining up on the London Marathon start line! The week ahead is a low mileage one as I have the Reading half on Sunday. I will be aiming to beat my PB that  I set at Brighton 3 weeks ago but it's going to be tough as Brighton was a really strong run. From there, I have one last big of miles then start to taper ahead of the big day. With the mileage falling, I will be focused on increasing intensity as much as possible to ensure I'm in the best possible shape for the 26th April.

6 weeks and counting guys...

Fabulous Flapjacks

Forget everything you thought you knew about Flapjacks and check these out - not an ounce of butter in site!

I love flapjacks but the commercial produced ones are jam packed with fats and simple sugars and whilst I am all for a little indulgence here and there, I wanted to create something that I could eat as an afternoon snack or post workout. 

As with some of my other snacks, these ones don't require any baking and so are super simple to prepare. Start by heating maple syrup* (see my note below on this) with some cinnamon in a saucepan until the cinnamon has combined. As I've mentioned before, I don't measure but i'd guess at 4 tablespoons of maple syrup and one tablespoon of cinnamon. This may sound a lot but remember you can get up to 10 portions from this recipe.

Whilst this is heating, put your chosen selection of nuts into a food processor and blend until they are nicely broken down. I used Cashews, Walnuts, Almonds and Pecans. Add these, along with Oats, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and chopped dark chocolate to the syrup saucepan and stir. I also add a scoop of protein to this to increase the protein content but as ever, this is entirely optional.

Next transfer all of this into a lined tin, pushing the mixture down and put into the freezer. Whilst chilling, you can then make the topping, again is entirely optional, they are great with or without. The topping is chocolate hazelnut spead, the recipe for which can be found on my pancake post. Remove the flapjacks from the freezer, top until your hearts content and that's it!

These are brilliant for satisfying sweet cravings any time of the day and provide a great source of energy pre and post training. I keep mine in the freezer and take out an hour or so before I want to eat them.

*I use 100% pure maple syrup, always check the labels of what you buy as many are as little as 20% maple syrup and the other 80% is refined sugar and other nasties you want to avoid.

Snack Happy

I am always on a mission to create tasty, energy filled, low sugar snacks to keep me going throughout the day, so behold, my latest offering! The great news about these beauties is that there actually isn't any baking required! These Protien packed squares are super quick to put together and make great snacks for when you're on the go.

A fantastic source of energy and protien - these squares
are great any time of the day between meals.

 

The recipe is also really flexible so you can switch in and out ingredients depending on your preference or what you have in the cupboards.

 

Start by melting a tablespoon of nut butter, with honey (add more the sweeter your tooth) and about 100ml of Almond milk. Once smooth add a couple of tablespoons of cacoa power and stir until combined. Next add in your dry ingredients, I went with Oats, chopped cashews, sultanas and a little dark chocolate. I also added a scoop of soy protien to boost the protien content but this is entirely optional. I don't really measure as I go, I just keep going until the consistency looks right!

 

Once you're happy with the contents, put the mixture into a lined tin and transfer into the freezer for an hour or so until set. Then chop into squares and you're ready to go! 

 

I have been munching on these in the afternoon with some fruit and they have kept me going through to dinner. They make a perfect post workout snack as well as the blend of Carbs and Protien are just what you need to replenish your Glycogen Stores but remember to make sure you rehydrate as well as eat following exercise to maximize recovery.

 

Happy snacking x