Food is More than Calories: How Food Affects Performance and Recovery

For the longest time, I thought, “If I eat less, I will be faster, smaller, and an overall better runner.” In the running culture (and really in the fitness world) we think that if we are skinny, we are fit. And if we are skinny, we will run faster. BUT let me just tell you, that is so not true. Fueling our bodies with real foods and fueling our bodies ENOUGH is key to having great workouts, better recovery, and stronger races.

I think something that we don’t realize enough is that if they key to running better and faster is running MORE. And if you can run more, you will become a better runner. And guess what needs to happen to run more? Recovery. If we, as athletes can recover faster, we can run more, run faster, and be better athletes. Think of it this way: If person 1 comes back from a 16 mile long run, trashed and they skip fueling properly and skip recovery exercises. They then take 1-3 days off because of tired, heavy legs and maybe a slight injury flare up. Now consider runner 2: Runner 2 comes back from a 16 mile long run, trashed too. But runner 2 eats a recovery meal post-workout, jumps in an ice bath, foam rolls, and gets a message. Runner 2 doesn’t need to take a day off. Who is going to be the better runner? Runner 2, because runner 2 will be able to run more mileage and thus improve her running.

Let me reiterate, food is SO much more than just calories. And that’s what I saw it as for years. I was obsessed with calories, the ‘safe,’ foods, how I could eat smaller and smaller meals, and how I could only pick the safest, lowest calorie foods at all meals. And let me tell you, it was a terrible.

Food is so much more than calories. Does food have calories in it? Yes. But food is so much more than just putting gas in the engine. The right foods help fight inflammation (which is huge for runners), fight off colds, help our muscles literally rebuild, and increase our bone density. Nothing else does that except for food.

So, why do we as runners think that if we eat less, we will be better athletes? Maybe it’s because of the cultural pressure of looking a certain way. Or maybe it’s because it’s trendy with the sport. Or just lack of knowledge. My encouragement to my athletes (and to myself) is to eat enough. Eat to fuel our bodies. Eat to nourish our bodies with nutrients and foods that will enhance performance. We can’t expect an under-fueled body to preform at it’s best. Many times, under-fueled athletes experience injuries, performance issues, lack of enthusiasm with their running, and chronic fatigue. If simply eating the right foods and enough of the right foods can avoid all of those issues, isn’t it worth it?

I have proof of this for myself > for years I under-fueled/over-trained and I felt it. I was cold all the time, lost my period, developed a really bad case of shin splints, and was constantly hangry. I ran my half marathon right after I was healing from my ED and I ran a 1:50. During my most recent half marathon, I PR’d by 6+ minutes and guess what? I weighed a couple pounds more than when I hit my previous PR. I really believe that one of the reasons why I did run faster was that I was fueling my body well. Remember, food is so much more than just calories.

So, let’s stop saying that eating less and being skinny is the way to getting faster. Let’s instead focus on fueling our bodies with real food and not worry about what our pant sizes.
Do the work. Trust the process. Eat to nourish. And stay humble and hungry 👊🏼