M. Suzanne Terry

The start of a beautiful friendship

This weekend, it was soup weather in Denton. During cooler (or even just less hot) months, I make at least one soup a week. It’s one of my favorite meals. It’s inexpensive, satisfying, comforting, and delicious.

It’s also a great way to pack in nutrients when I am training. My tendency to run more often when it’s cool outside isn’t just about the weather. It also has a lot to do with my seasonal food choices that give me more energy. Lack of energy will zap my motivation faster than anything. I have been told time and time again, “Just get yourself started – the energy will come with more exercise.” But for me, getting started requires it. The energy has to come first.

For this, I turn to food. I increase my consumption of fruits and vegetables, and I limit things like sugar, which gives me a false high that I know will soon send me crashing. I also tend to be a little anemic sometimes, so I focus more on leafy greens and peas, sneak raisins and dried apricots into everything (caponata with apricots – do it!), and revel in increasing my cheeseburger intake (without the side of onion rings and Dr. Pepper that often accompany it, of course).

Making healthy food choices begins with assessing what you need. I need more energy than usual to even want to run, so I eat things that I know will boost my energy level overall. If you are regularly running longer distances, you might want to consider carbo-loading (which is as glorious as it sounds) to maintain energy during your long runs. If you are prone to muscle cramps, you might want to think about foods that put more more potassium, calcium, or sodium in your diet, or maybe drink more water. Figuring out what you need is the key to making better choices that fuel you well.

I’m spending 31 days running wild.