Fueling Tips and a First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon Giveaway

My friends at First Watch have provided me with amazingly delicious fueling tips for running and training to share with my readers! I suddenly have the urge for Avocado Toast and a Mimosa fresh squeezed fruit juice. My favorite breakfast restaurant happens to be the sponsor for this weekends First Watch Half Marathon in Sarasota. Along with the fueling tips below, they are also giving away an entry to First Watch Half Marathon, winners choice of a 10K or Half Marathon! Click here to enter the giveaway through Instagram. You can also still register for the First Watch Half Marathon, click here to run one of our favorite races in Florida.

You’ve heard the saying before – Food is Fuel. For everyone, fueling your body daily with nutritious and delicious meals is important. For a runner, it’s even more vital to fuel up for your training runs and leading up to a big race with foods that will give you the energy and nutrients you need to achieve your goals, keep a clear mind and take care of your hardworking body!

We wanted to share a few tips to help you prepare for this year’s First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon.

Eat more! – As you’re powering through those longer runs and getting closer to race day, this one is important. While you’re training for a longer race, your body is likely burning many more calories than it was before. You need to replace these calories with nutrients that will help you run your best race. So what should you eat?

Eat carbs – Your body breaks these down to make glucose, which is burned to provide jet fuel for your muscles. Try our whole grain artisan toast – topped with some almond butter and Maldon Sea Salt!

Eat fats – Body fat is an important energy source for endurance exercise like running, and dietary fat helps your body absorb vitamins. The best source of healthy fats? Dark meat, coconut oil, seeds, avocado and fish. Try our Avocado Toast for some tasty polyunsaturated fats. Yum!

Eat protein – Protein is a muscle builder, and for runners, it’s vital to re-build, re-shape and re-condition your muscles as you train. At First Watch, try our Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos, full of great proteins like eggs, chicken and chorizo and served with a size of black beans.

Eat fruits and veggies – It’s great when we can get our vitamins in a natural way, and fruits and veggies are the best way to do that! They also have anti-inflammatory benefits, which is an added bonus. Try our Sunrise Granola Bowl, or our Superfood Kale Salad!

And most importantly, don’t forget to reward yourself for all the hard work and training hours you’ve put in! We’ll be waiting for you at the finish line with cold water, high fives, fresh fruit, Sunrise Cocktails with our housemade granola, and (drumroll please…) multigrain pancakes fresh off the griddle!

We wish you the best of luck during your last few weeks of training, and we can’t wait to serve you on race day. Happy running!

-Your friends at First Watch