Breakfast

If I’m having a work breakfast (I work in talent management) then it’s:

Two slices of gluten-free toast (yes I’m that person, BUT gluten does not agree that well with me), spinach, mushrooms and avocado.

If I have breakfast at home it’s:

A bowl of white fish and a WelleCo Nourishing Protein (vanilla) shake with almond milk.

Every single morning I also have a glass of the WelleCo Super Elixir Alkalising Greens – it’s a supplement and helps to maintain good nutrition, strong immunity and balances the acidity in your skin, helping give it that glow! It’s also a saviour when travelling as it helps beat jet lag.

Lunch

Normally I do a Reformer Pilates class then have boiled sweet potato or gluten-free pasta. I normally add a healthy topping such as tuna or avocado.

Dinner

Simple white fish and salad or white fish and a carb.

Snacks

Bananas and lots of peanut butter. The amount I go through, I should have shares in Pip & Nut!

Food During Training

If I’m going for a really long cycle (about 4-5 hours) I’ll take protein bars in my pocket to eat while I’m cycling, because you need to keep yourself fuelled up.

Food On Race Day

On race days there is a specific diet I follow. I religiously stick to this for every marathon, triathlon and duathlon.

I have a gluten-free bagel with peanut butter and a banana (half) chopped on top. I eat half the bagel before I leave the house – this sounds gross, but you have to think about when you’re going to go to the toilet! –then I eat half in the car on the way there, then about 1 hour before I start, I eat the other half of the banana.

Food During The Race

Gels are used to ingest small amounts of carbs that help maintain your energy levels. Carbs and fats are used as the main energy source and the amount of training affects this. It’s common sense but when training for long periods of time, the body relies on carbs for its energy source. Fat is broken down into usable energy but is a much slower source. No matter how much we load our body with carbs we can only store a limited amount in our muscles. This is where gels come in. Energy gels replenish the glycogen you are burning when training intensely and/or for long periods of time.

You have to trial gels to find the ones for you – they can mess a little with your stomach so it’s a case of trial and error. DON’T try gels for the first time on race day, you may be running for the toilet!

I personally use the brand SIS (Science In Sport) because they don’t taste too bad, and my body completely agrees with them. Typically in a marathon, I’ll have an isotonic gel at approximately eight miles (isotonic gels hit the carb load you need to keep your performance level up). Then another isotonic gel at 16 miles and, if I need it, a caffeine and energy gel at 22 miles – this gives an extra caffeine hit and lasts for under 60-90 minutes.

When I do marathons, I tuck three gels into my arm strap where my iPod is. I’m sure there’s a much fancier way to store them but it works for me! For triathlons, they go in the suit.