Fueling a prairie winter run

Cold weather just burns away the fuel. For those experiencing bone chilling temperatures who still haven’t lost the desire to run outside, Tara Campbell brings her “super banana muffins” recipe for post-run replenishment.

This past weekend, Saskatoon hit its lowest temperature of the winter so far with a feels-like forecast of -45 C on Saturday. Some may think that training outside comes to a stop when the temperature dips this low, but it doesn’t — and, for the most part, there’s no reason for it to. It does however require some adjustments beyond footwear, clothing and carefully selected routes. Proper nutrition plays a major role when training in these conditions.

It takes much more out of my body to run in -30 C than it does to run in even – 10 C. The extreme cold is relentless in its demand for easily-accessible fuel, and it makes that very clear very quickly. It’s an awful feeling to be 7K into a 10K run and suddenly feel as if there’s nothing else to give. I’ve been there, and I’m learning from it. Making adjustments to my regular eating routine by adding in more snacks throughout the day is helping to ensure that my body has the right amount of fuel it needs for winter training.

As I’ve written before, there’s nothing I enjoy for breakfast more than a bowl of oatmeal mixed with banana and blueberries. I make it nice and hot and top it with brown sugar. With it, I have a big glass of water and a protein bar before heading out the door. This works for me pre-run, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle.

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I need plenty of additional fuel post-run and beyond to help me recover and store some energy for the next workout. My enjoyment of baking comes in handy here. It’s a fun and nutritional way to get lots of good stuff into my body– plus, who can resist a warm oven and the delightful smell of baked goods on a cold prairie day? It’s enough to lift anyone’s spirits.

I’ve been trying all sorts of different recipes, from breads to pie crusts and more. I recently started making what I call “super banana muffins.” The “super” is because I nearly double the number of bananas called for in Candace’s mom’s original recipe. Then I add berries and nuts as well.

I’m sharing the recipe this week for everyone out there experiencing plummeting winter temperatures while maintaining the desire to train outdoors. So, warm up the oven and get ready to eat– these muffins make a tasty snack and will help keep your body fueled and ready to run.

Super banana muffins

5 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup blueberries

½ to 1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, any nuts)

5 bananas

¾ cup sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 C. Lightly grease the muffin tin with oil. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, and the egg. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and add blueberries and nuts. Stir together. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. This recipe makes 12 muffins.