Race day is around the corner, and like a college kid the night before an exam, I’m desperate for any last minute tricks to give me an edge when it’s go-time.
I’m trying to go to bed earlier. I’ve cut out alcohol. I’m loading up on the leafy greens. Totally planning to do that Wonder-Woman starting pose stance again… that’s an easy 60 seconds for potential gain.
Another thing I’m adding to our diet this week? Beets. A fascinating series of videos by Dr. Greger of nutritionfacts.org highlighted the research showing that beets improve how efficiently our bodies use oxygen, a key element in aerobic exercise like running.
Here’s what Dr. Greger says about one of the recent studies on beets and athletic performance:
“Whole beetroot consumption acutely improves running performance. They gave physically fit men and women a cup and a half of baked beets, which is equal to about a can of beets, 75 minutes before running a 5k. They started out the same, but during the last mile of the 5k race, the beet group pulled ahead compared to the placebo group, who were given berries instead. Though they were running faster, their heart rate wasn’t any higher. If anything, the beet group reported less exertion.”
–http://nutritionfacts.org/video/whole-beets-vs-juice-for-improving-athletic-performance/
Better performance when fatigued?! Pulled ahead in the last mile? Hello, beets, you are worth a try in my mind. I don’t even care if it’s placebo effect pulling me up at mile 12 because the beet smoothie wore off at mile 6, I love knowing I’m using a research-backed strategy to give my muscles the best help they can get.
Here’s one of the first beet juice videos from Dr. Greger:
I’m planning to have a strawberry beet smoothie about 2 hours before the half marathon start time, using my favorite recipe from Oh She Glows: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/09/03/introducing-vegan-glow-pink-power-detox-smoothie-recipe/
Happy running! It’s not cheating… it’s nutrition 😉
I have heard this! One of my running friends was all about the beets earlier this year. I didn’t watch the videos, so maybe they said this, but my friend says that you can’t brush your teeth or anything after drinking the juice. Something to do with the chemical process of it being in your mouth & throat while you’re running. I haven’t tried it, but it’s worth a shot!
I haven’t heard that! I’m pretty into brushing my teeth… hopefully it won’t ruin my results!
I’m looking forward to hearing the results of your smoothie experiment.