Athlete adventurer Ross Edgley decided to start 2017 a little different to most. Attempting to run 30 marathons in 30 days from a treadmill in his kitchen, he wants to trial 30 different breakfasts to explore the intricacies of endurance-based nutrition. Now into week 1, he’s jumped off the treadmill to log his thoughts…
THE WORST MARATHON MOMENT
The first week was always going to be the hardest. After a Christmas of too much food and not enough running, any traces of semi-decent running efficiency (biomechanics) was all but forgotten and my knees wondered why I was taking my 92kg frame for such a long run. I didn’t expert this first marathon to be fast or pretty.
It wasn’t. Looking at my Suunto watch, 4 hours and 34 minutes had passed when I reached the 26.2 mile mark. Woefully slower than my PB, this hurt my ego more than it did my legs. But I told myself this month is figuratively and literally a marathon, not a sprint. So I gently applied a foam roller to my calves — they were still wondering what was going on — took myself off to bed and decided to fight another day.
THE BEST MARATHON MOMENT
It was day four when culinary salvation arrived. Still hurting from the first marathon, I went to the kitchen equipped with a Peanut Butter & Blueberry Porridge recipe. Now, I love peanut butter, and I also love fresh fruit, which is why I wouldn’t mind at all if this marathon was slow. I would do it with a smile on my face and a meal in my belly that both my body and taste buds would love.
Made with vegan protein, this is essentially a high-protein vegan snack that’s been fused with low-glycaemic, slow-releasing carbohydrates to provide a steady and sustained release of energy to the muscles. Working in nutritional synergy with the healthy fats from the peanut butter, what’s left is this dual-fuel energy source that I addressed in my first article: Ross Edgley | Man Vs (Marathon) Food.
PEANUT BUTTER & BLUEBERRY PROTEIN PORRIDGE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 scoops of oats
- 1 medium-sized chopped banana
- 1 handful of blueberries
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 heaped tsp of cacao nibs
- 30g scoop of chocolate diet vegan protein
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 spoonful of flaxseed (optional but works well with the nutty texture of the peanut butter and cacao nibs)
HOW TO MAKE
- Mix the almond milk and oats into a large bowl
- Stir until completely blended and then place in the microwave for 20-50 seconds
- Next add the cacao nibs and flaxseed and stir into the bowl
- Add blueberries and chopped banana on top
THE RESULTS
- Taste & Texture: Every single ingredient in this recipe is amazing when served warm. I could very happily make up my calorie (energy) requirements for every marathon like this. But I must mention the only issue I find is it tastes too good I could have eaten 5 bowls and curled up on the sofa in a comfy, warm, snug food coma. Thankfully I didn’t. 1 very large bowl was enough and I completed marathon 4 in a (semi) decent time.
- Running Time: 3 Hours 28 Minutes
- Digestibility: Personally speaking, I always find your choice of marathon fuel should be a perfect balance between making sure you feel you’ve eaten something substantial whilst at the same time not “weighing you down” by being too “heavy”. For me Peanut Butter & Blueberry Protein Porridge strikes this balance (providing you only have 1 bowl before lacing up your trainers).
THE NEXT STEP
Looking ahead to week 2, and what’s on the menu is still being debated – mainly on the interactive Facebook Feeds I’m hosting. So if you ever wanted to see someone run a marathon on something strange, get over to Facebook and let me know what you want me to test. But know that everything has been suggested from birthday cake, to a BBQ and a full, traditional, fried breakfast. Whatever is decided, the next few marathons are going to be interesting.
Ross Edgley is an athlete adventurer, chief sports scientist at THE PROTEIN WORKS™ and considered one of the world’s most travelled fitness experts. Follow his Man Vs (Marathon) Food on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat: RossEdgley.
