Breakfast
Low-fibre pre-session + refuel
690 / 600 kcal · 105/95g C · 30/30g P
- —2–3h before: GF toast + honey + banana
- —Within 30 min after: rice cakes + honey + protein shake
Fuelling guide
Meals that actually add up to the numbers
Hitting 385g carbs and 110g protein is easy on paper and hard at 6pm. These are the plate blocks, worked meals and timing windows I use to get there — all gluten-free and dairy-free apart from goat cheese and feta.
Not a dietitian · This is a personal training tool, not clinical advice. I'm a yoga teacher and runner, not a dietitian or physician — these are habit-level fuelling patterns built around my own numbers, restrictions and training load. Anything involving iron, supplements, bloodwork, medication or a medical condition belongs with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
A worked day, meal by meal
Pick today's session. Each meal shows what's on the plate and how it lands against that meal's share of the day. The daily log also scales these targets to the minutes you actually train — a 2-hour long run eats more than an 85-minute one.
2400
kcal target
385g
Carbs
110g
Protein
47g
Fat
The four meals below total roughly 2565 kcal · 321g carbs · 146g protein. Adjust the carb base up or down a fist to close any gap.
Lunch
Rice, chicken, feta
790 / 720 kcal · 93/115g C · 61/35g P
- —White rice 1.5 cups
- —Chicken breast 150g
- —Roast veg 200g
- —Feta 40g
Dinner
GF pasta, salmon, greens
745 / 720 kcal · 62/115g C · 43/35g P
- —GF pasta 80g dry
- —Salmon 150g
- —Spinach 100g
- —Olive oil 1 tbsp
Snacks
Dates + yoghurt
340 / 360 kcal · 61/60g C · 12/15g P
- —Medjool dates ×3
- —Goat yoghurt 170g
Build a plate from blocks
Every meal is one protein anchor, a carb base sized to the session, something with colour, and a small fat. Swap within a column and the macros barely move.
Carb bases
The lever that moves with the session. One 'fist' ≈ 45g carbs.
- White rice · 1 cup cooked45C · 4P · 205 kcal
- Potatoes · 200g34C · 4P · 155 kcal
- GF pasta · 80g dry60C · 6P · 300 kcal
- GF oats · 60g dry40C · 7P · 230 kcal
- GF bread / bagel · 2 slices32C · 4P · 180 kcal
- Quinoa · 1 cup cooked39C · 8P · 220 kcal
- Sweet potato · 200g40C · 3P · 180 kcal
Protein anchors
Aim 30g per meal, four times a day — beats two big hits.
- Chicken breast · 150g0C · 46P · 245 kcal
- Salmon · 150g0C · 34P · 280 kcal
- Eggs · 3 whole1C · 18P · 225 kcal
- Lentils / chickpeas · 1 cup cooked40C · 18P · 230 kcal
- Protein powder (DF) · 1 scoop5C · 25P · 130 kcal
- Feta / goat cheese · 40g1C · 6P · 105 kcal
- Goat yoghurt · 170g8C · 11P · 140 kcal
Veg & fruit
Colour and micronutrients. Keep fibre lower close to hard sessions.
- Roast veg · 200g18C · 3P · 120 kcal
- Sautéed spinach · 100g2C · 3P · 45 kcal
- Banana · 1 medium27C · 1P · 105 kcal
- Medjool dates · 353C · 1P · 200 kcal
- Berries · 150g15C · 1P · 70 kcal
Fats & extras
Flavour and hormone support. Keep them small pre-session.
- Olive oil · 1 tbsp0C · 0P · 120 kcal
- Avocado · 1/26C · 2P · 120 kcal
- Almond butter · 1 tbsp3C · 3P · 100 kcal
- Tahini · 1 tbsp3C · 3P · 90 kcal
- Pumpkin seeds · 30g5C · 9P · 170 kcal
The numbers move with the block
Targets aren't one number for nine months. Calories and carbs climb with weekly volume — mostly through the long run getting longer — while protein stays at roughly 2g/kg from October to May.
Now → end of November
33–35 km weeks · deloads ~25Easy days land around 2,200–2,250 kcal and long-run days 2,425–2,550 while runs are still 60–75 minutes.
In-run fuel stays at 30–40g/hr — this is the gut-training window, not the race rehearsal.
December
~40 km weeks · deloads 30–32Easy days sit at 2,200–2,425 kcal and long-run days climb to 2,550–2,825 as runs stretch to 105 minutes and take the full fuel target.
Carbs, not protein, do the climbing — roughly 7g/kg on long-run days.
Late December → May 2
40 → 60–70 km weeksThe marathon block: a 2-hour long-run day reaches about 2,975 kcal and the longest runs push 3,100–3,250. Average daily intake rises 300–500 kcal across the block.
Big days can hit 8g/kg carbs. Peak weeks and the taper ride the same slider — targets follow the minutes you log.
Down weeks — every 4th week, plus the March 10–17 resort trip — drop back to the lower band. That's the plan working, not a missed week.
Timing windows
Same total food, different clock, different race. This is the part that changes how sessions feel.
60–90g carbs, low fibre, low fat — white rice, GF toast + honey, banana.
Enough time to empty the stomach while topping off glycogen.
20–40g fast carbs if the meal was small: 2–3 Medjool dates, half a gel, honey.
Tops up blood glucose without sitting heavy.
40–60g carbs/hr on longer quality sessions; build long-run intake toward 65–75g/hr as tolerated.
This is gut training — the tolerance has to be built, not hoped for.
1g carb/kg (≈60g) plus 30g protein — rice + eggs, shake + dates, rice cakes + honey.
The window where refuelling and repair are cheapest.
30g protein × 4 feeds, a carb base sized to the session, colour on the plate.
Total protein matters, but even spread drives more actual repair.
Slow protein before bed — goat yoghurt, or a casein-free shake — plus fluids earlier, not late.
Overnight repair, without waking up to pee at 3am.
On the run
The question isn't which fuel is cleanest — it's which one you can tolerate at marathon pace. Different carbohydrate blends can help at higher intakes, but test each drink and gel on long runs.
Race-ready
5 optionsDelivers enough carbs per second of effort that you can hold 4:40/km and take it clean.
SiS GO Isotonic Gel (current)
Gel · maltodextrin + fructose
22g carbs per 60ml·Up to ~90g/hr once trained
You like them, your gut already tolerates them, and the 2:1 glucose:fructose ratio is the one that actually oxidises at high rates. That combination is rare and worth protecting — it is the single most valuable thing in this whole list.
Watch out · Citric acid plus two hours of dry mouth is an enamel problem: sip water over it, rinse after, don't brush for 30 min. Carries almost no sodium, so salt comes from elsewhere.
Maurten Drink Mix 160 / 320
Liquid · alginate hydrogel
40g or 80g carbs per bottle·~90g/hr
A simple ingredient list and 40g or 80g of carbs per correctly mixed bottle. Test it on long runs if you want an alternative to SiS.
Watch out · Follow the packet mixing directions (typically 500ml). Expensive, and one bottle cannot supply an entire marathon: plan refill or on-course fuel.
Homemade maltodextrin drink
Liquid · DIY
~60g carbs per 500ml·~60–75g/hr
Bulk unflavoured maltodextrin is tasteless, gluten-free, pennies a bottle, and is the exact ingredient the expensive drinks are made of. This is the best value-per-carb option in the sport and nothing about it is artificial-looking.
Watch out · All glucose and no fructose means you're using one transporter — add a splash of apple juice or swap a third of it to maple to get the ratio right. Mix with warm water first or it clumps.
SiS GO Isotonic Drink Mix
Liquid · same brand as the gels
30g carbs per 500ml·~75g/hr combined
A familiar brand, but a new product to test. Check the actual label and count the carbs in the full bottle; its carbohydrate concentration and how long you drink it determine grams per hour.
Watch out · Still needs sodium added on a hot day — the drink mix is not a salt replacement.
Maurten Gel 100
Gel · hydrogel
25g carbs·~90g/hr combined
A compact 25g-carb alternative to test on a long run. The caffeinated version adds 100mg caffeine; count it alongside coffee and other products.
Watch out · Different texture from SiS; test opening and swallowing at pace before relying on it.
Long-run experiment
5 optionsGenuinely good fuel with a lower ceiling or a handling quirk — perfect for base-phase Sundays, risky as the only thing on race day.
Maple syrup + salt flask
Liquid · real food
~54g carbs per 500ml (¼ cup maple)·~55–60g/hr
The most natural option that genuinely works on the run: sucrose splits into even glucose and fructose, which is a usable ratio, it's local, it tastes like a treat, and a 500ml flask at ~11% concentration empties fine.
Watch out · Push the syrup stronger than this and it turns hyperosmolar and ferments — the ceiling is real. No protein, no sodium unless you add it.
TORQ Gel
Gel · cluster dextrin + fructose
40g carbs per 60g·~90g/hr
Vegan, gluten-free, no artificial anything, and 40g in one tube means far fewer things to open per hour. Cluster dextrin clears the stomach quickly.
Watch out · Harder to find in Canada and ships from the UK; one big tube is a lot to commit to when you're not sure of your gut that day.
Honey Stinger Gel / Chews
Gel & chew · honey + brown rice syrup
~24g carbs (gel), ~19g (chew)·~45–50g/hr
The most accessible 'real food' fuel in Canadian shops — honey and rice syrup, gluten-free, nothing artificial. Lovely on a two-hour easy-to-moderate long run.
Watch out · Honey runs fructose-heavy (~38% fructose against 31% glucose), so it caps out below marathon needs and the surplus is what causes the bloat. Chews need chewing.
Tailwind
Liquid · all glucose
25g carbs + 270mg sodium per scoop·~60g/hr
Easy to measure and use on long runs, with sodium included. Check the current nutrition label per scoop.
Watch out · Check the current formula and test what your gut tolerates; it can be combined with other fuels if needed.
Honey Stinger Waffles
Waffle · dissolving
~15g carbs each·~45g/hr
Thin rice-paper discs that dissolve on the tongue — no squeezing, no sticky fingers, genuinely usable at marathon pace, and about as close to whole food as race fuel gets.
Watch out · Fiddly in wind and rain, and you need four an hour, so the wrapper management becomes its own task.
Pre-run only
1 optionsWorks brilliantly before the gun and badly after it — chewing and fibre are the blockers at pace.
Medjool dates
Whole food
~18g carbs each·Pre-run and first 30 min
Real, gentle, and proven — you already use them and they work. Nothing here replaces them in the breakfast or the start-line pocket.
Watch out · Fibre and chewing at threshold. Your instinct to keep them out of the race itself was correct.
Skip it
1 optionsThe maths doesn't work — you physically cannot carry or digest enough of it.
Applesauce pouch
Whole food
~13g carbs per pouch·Not viable
The idea is sound — real food, no additives, kids' pantry — the arithmetic isn't. Sixty grams an hour means five pouches an hour and roughly fifteen across a marathon.
Watch out · Pectin slows gastric emptying, and you'd be carrying a bag of cold, thick pouches with no sodium in them.
The Toronto fuel plan
A bottle can take some work off your gel pockets, but only until it empties. For 3h20 at 65–75g/hour you need roughly 215–250g on course. Count each bottle and gel, then plan what comes from aid stations or what you carry.
65–75g
Carbs per hour
The rate that supports a 3:20 effort without a gut revolt.
Individual
Fluid + sodium
Use the weather, sweat loss and products you've tested; do not assume one fixed dose fits every runner.
Optional
Caffeine
If you use it, practise the dose and count coffee, gels and shots together.
~215–250g
On-course carbs
About 3h20 at 65–75g/hr. A pre-start gel is additional; a single bottle cannot provide all of this.
Race morning (3h out)—
90–120g carbs: white rice or GF bagel + honey, banana, fluids with electrolytes
This is a meal, not a fuel stop. It's what makes the on-run numbers survivable.
T-15 min22g
1 SiS gel, or 2–3 Medjool dates if the stomach is calm
Eat it before the gun so nothing is fumbled in the start corrals.
Every 15–20 minCount bottle grams ÷ hours used
Sip from a tested carb bottle while it lasts; then use known on-course drink or water with carried gels
A 500ml bottle with 60g carbs supplies 60g total, not 60g each hour for the whole race. Check aid-station locations, drink brands and personal-bottle rules first.
First hour onward~22g per SiS GO gel
Take familiar gels on a practised schedule, with water; adjust to the carbs already in your drink
HalfwayAim 65–75g/hr combined
Check the running total of drink + gels against the hourly target; use aid-station water as needed
Final hourKeep counting carbs
Keep the familiar gel and drink schedule going; use caffeine only if you trained with it
Do not stop fuelling at 30–35km just because the finish is close.
FinishAfter the race
Recovery meal and fluids that suit your stomach
No untested product on course.
The pro carry question
Why elites look empty-handed
They are still fuelling. Major races may set out their labelled personal bottles on elite-only tables; athletes grab them at stations, sometimes with gels attached. Others tuck gels into race-kit pockets and use course drinks and water. They also spend less time on the course, so need fewer total grams.
That service is not guaranteed for the general field. For Toronto, check the actual course map, drink brand, station spacing and rules for personal bottles or outside hand-offs. Practise a plan that works without elite tables — your Nathan handheld for long runs, and race pockets or a belt plus confirmed course support if you want to race hands-free.
Train the gut, progressively
Tolerance is built, not hoped for. As mileage climbs, add the load in steps and take it at race cadence — the gut behaves differently at threshold than it does at easy pace.
One gel on a 90-min long run, taken at easy pace. Just prove the gut is quiet.
Add the bottle. Sip on a set clock, not when thirsty.
Now take it on a run that includes some faster kilometres — the gut behaves differently at threshold.
Only once 60g is boring. This is where the liquid-heavy plan earns its keep.
The shots are not fuel
Worth being clear about, because the marketing puts them next to the gels. A shot buys you focus or efficiency — it buys you nothing to burn.
SiS GO Caffeine Shot
What it does
150mg caffeine plus citrulline malate, magnesium and B vitamins in a 60ml bottle — a focus and fatigue-delay tool.
What it doesn't
It is not energy in the carb sense. There is essentially nothing here to burn, so it will not fuel a single kilometre.
How you'd use it
Taken 30–60 min out, or split across the second half. A 59kg runner sits in the useful range at roughly 180–350mg total.
Only if you want caffeine on board and don't already get it from a gel. Two of these is 300mg — fine; four is 600mg and will cost you more than it gives.
SiS GO Nitrates Shot
What it does
500mg of nitrates — the beetroot mechanism. Nitrates convert to nitric oxide and appear to lower the oxygen cost of a given pace, so the same 4:40/km should feel slightly cheaper.
What it doesn't
It is not a stimulant and not a carb. You will not feel it on the run in the way you feel caffeine.
How you'd use it
The effect builds — it's a daily lead-in over several days to a week, or 2–3 hours out, not a start-line trick.
The most defensible of the 'extra' supplements for endurance, and beetroot is a whole-food version if you'd rather. But it's a 1–2% edge, not a substitute for the carbs column.
Make it yourself
If the reason you're asking about gels is the ingredient list, these are the versions with simple ingredients to experiment with on long runs. Check the final carb and sodium amounts for your actual serving.
Everyday carb drink
500ml · ~60g carbs · ~12% concentration- ·60g unflavoured maltodextrin (bulk, gluten-free)
- ·500ml cold water
- ·1–2 tbsp apple juice for fructose, or a splash of maple
- ·Squeeze of lemon, pinch of cinnamon
- ·Generous pinch to ¼ tsp salt (≈300–600mg sodium)
Dissolve the powder in a little warm water first, then top up cold and shake. It's tasteless by design — the flavouring is what makes it drinkable at hour two.
Roughly the cost of tap water per bottle, and the closest thing here to 'nothing in it you can't pronounce'.
Maple & salt flask
500ml · ~54g carbs · real food- ·¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
- ·500ml water
- ·¼ tsp salt
- ·Optional: squeeze of lemon
Shake until the syrup is dispersed. Don't strengthen it — the concentration is the whole trick.
Best long-run session fuel that's genuinely whole food. Expect to hit ~55g/hr, which is plenty on an easy Sunday.
Thick gel in a flask
≈60g carbs per 4 squeezes- ·½ cup maple syrup or honey
- ·¼ cup maltodextrin
- ·2–3 tbsp water
- ·¼ tsp salt
Warm gently and stir until it thickens slightly, cool, pour into a small squeeze flask. It should be closer to runny honey than jam.
Only worth it if you've decided you don't want sachets. Commercial gels are engineered for gastric emptying and this isn't — start with half-strength.
Kitchen recipes
The bakes and dinners on repeat, with macros already worked out per serving so they log in one tap.
Banana oat–almond loaf
GF/DF · no refined sugar · 8×4 pan · 350°F / 175°C · 40–45 min · 10 slices- ·3 ripe bananas, mashed (~360g)
- ·3 eggs
- ·1 cup almond flour (96g)
- ·1½ cups GF oat flour (150g)
- ·¼ cup honey or maple (85g) — optional, skip if bananas are very ripe
- ·¼ cup melted coconut oil (55g)
- ·1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch salt
Whisk the wet ingredients, fold in the dry, pour into a lined pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean. Cool fully before slicing or it crumbles.
With honey: ~200 kcal · 24g carbs · 5g protein · 9g fat. Without honey: ~185 kcal · 20g carbs · 5g protein · 9g fat (~6g sugar).
Both versions are already in the food library — log a slice straight from Starch & grains.
Peanut butter oat squares
GF · batch of 18 squares- ·½ cup butter or coconut oil
- ·1 cup natural peanut butter
- ·1 cup almond flour
- ·⅓ cup honey
- ·1½ cups GF oats
- ·½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt the fat with the peanut butter and honey, stir in the dry, press into a lined pan, top with chips and chill until firm. Cut into 18.
~360 kcal · 26g carbs · 7.5g protein · 26g fat per square.
Fat-dense — best as an evening or rest-day snack, not pre-session fuel.
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
GF · batch of ~20- ·1 egg
- ·¼ cup butter, melted
- ·¼ cup honey
- ·2 cups GF oats
- ·1 tbsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda
- ·~½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix wet, stir in oats and leaveners, fold in chips, scoop onto a lined tray and bake 10–12 min at 350°F.
~90 kcal · 12g carbs · 2g protein per cookie.
Cheap easy carbs — good in the 2 hours before a quality session.
Zucchini oat loaf
GF · no refined sugar · butter is the only dairy · 8×4 pan · 350°F / 175°C · 45–55 min · 10 slices- ·2 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed very dry (~1½ cups packed, ~200g drained)
- ·2 eggs
- ·⅓ cup (75g) butter, melted
- ·¼ cup (85g) honey or maple — optional, skip for less sugar
- ·2 cups GF oat flour (~200g), or 1 cup oat + 1 cup almond for a denser loaf
- ·1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch salt
- ·½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips — optional, folds in with the dry mix
Whisk the eggs, butter, honey and vanilla; fold in the squeezed zucchini. Stir in the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, then the chips if using. Pour into a lined pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean. Cool fully before slicing — GF oat loafs crumble when warm.
With honey (no chips): ~179 kcal · 22g carbs · 4g protein · 9g fat. No honey: ~153 kcal · 15g carbs · 4g protein · 9g fat. Add ½ cup chips: +44 kcal & ~6g carbs per slice.
Squeeze the zucchini hard — that single step decides the texture. Fat's a touch high for pre-session fuel, so treat it as a rest-day breakfast or afternoon snack with protein on the side. Both honey variants are in the food library.
Strawberry–pumpkin seed overnight oats
GF/DF · 1 jar · prep 5 min the night before · serves 1 · no cook- ·60g GF oats (≈¾ cup)
- ·2 tbsp chia seeds (≈28g)
- ·30g pumpkin seeds (≈¼ cup)
- ·1 cup (240ml) unsweetened almond milk
- ·150g frozen strawberries, roughly chopped (≈1 cup)
- ·1 scoop DF protein powder — optional
- ·Pinch of salt, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp vanilla — optional
Stir the oats, chia, pumpkin seeds, salt and cinnamon in a jar. Add the almond milk and vanilla and stir well so the chia doesn't clump, then fold in the frozen strawberries. Seal and refrigerate overnight (at least 6 hours). In the morning stir again and loosen with a splash of almond milk if it's too thick; eat cold. Stir the protein powder in at breakfast if using.
Base (no powder): ~630 kcal · 70g carbs · 23g protein · 31g fat. With 1 scoop DF protein powder: ~760 kcal · 75g carbs · 48g protein · 31g fat.
Best as the night-before prep for a quality or long-run morning — chia + strawberry fibre is manageable cold but needs extra fluids. For a rest day the full seed load is fine; within 2h of a hard session, cut the pumpkin seeds to 15g to drop ~8g fat. Both variants are in the food library.
Fudgy oat-flour brownies
GF · no refined sugar · butter is the only dairy · 8×8 pan · 350°F / 175°C · 20–25 min · 12 squares- ·1 cup (120g) GF oat flour
- ·½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ·½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt
- ·½ cup (113g) butter, melted — 1 stick
- ·½ cup (170g) honey or maple
- ·2 large eggs
- ·1 tsp vanilla
- ·⅓ cup (60g) semi-sweet chocolate chips — optional
Whisk the melted butter, honey, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the oat flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt until just combined — don't overmix or oat flour goes gummy. Fold in the chips if using. Pour into a lined 8×8 pan and bake 20–25 min until the top is set and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet). Cool fully before cutting — oat-flour brownies firm up as they cool.
No chips: ~170 kcal · 20g carbs · 3g protein · 10g fat. With chips: ~190 kcal · 23g carbs · 3g protein · 11g fat.
Fat-dense and low-protein — keep it as a rest-day or evening treat, not pre-session fuel. Both variants are in the food library.
Homemade chili
GF/DF · one pot · ~40 min · serves 6 (1-cup bowls)- ·750g lean ground beef
- ·1 onion, diced
- ·2 cloves garlic, minced
- ·1 can (796ml) crushed tomatoes
- ·2 cans (540ml each) beans, drained — kidney, black or mixed
- ·2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, pinch salt
- ·1 cup frozen corn — optional
Brown the beef with the onion and garlic in a heavy pot. Stir in the spices for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, beans and corn. Simmer 25–30 minutes, partially covered, until thick. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
~280 kcal · 22g carbs · 20g protein per 1-cup bowl.
A balanced dinner bowl on its own; add rice or a baked potato when tomorrow is a quality or long-run day. Bean fibre makes it a post-run or rest-day meal, not pre-session fuel. Already in the food library.
Banana-egg pancakes
GF/DF · 4 ingredients · ~10 min · serves 1 (whole batch)- ·1 ripe banana
- ·2 eggs
- ·¼ cup GF oats (20g)
- ·Splash of vanilla
Mash the banana, whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then stir in the oats and rest the batter 2–3 minutes so the oats soften. Cook small pancakes over medium-low heat in a little oil, about 2 minutes per side — they flip easiest when kept small.
Whole batch: ~320 kcal · 41g carbs · 16g protein · 11g fat.
A solid easy-day or pre-long-run breakfast — add a drizzle of honey or a side of goat yoghurt if you need more carbs or protein. Already in the food library.
Auntie Taralea's peanut butter squares
GF · butter is the only dairy · 8×8 pan · 350°F / 175°C · 30–35 min · 16 squares- ·1 cup GF oat flour (~120g)
- ·½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- ·½ cup soft butter (~110g)
- ·¼ cup honey (85g) — Kirsten's swap for the original ¾ cup brown sugar
- ·½ cup peanut butter (128g)
- ·½ cup water
- ·1 cup uncooked GF rolled oats (80g)
- ·Chocolate chips — amount depends on you (~½ cup / 90g is a good start)
Sift the oat flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter, honey, peanut butter and water, and beat until smooth and creamy. Blend in the oats and chocolate chips, spread into a lined 8×8 pan and bake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes. Cool before cutting into 16.
~190 kcal · 17g carbs · 3g protein · 12g fat per square (with ½ cup chips in the batch).
Kirsten's version: oat flour for the flour, honey for the brown sugar, real butter kept in. A rest-day or evening treat, not pre-session fuel. Already in the food library.
GF chicken pot pie
GF/DF · 9-inch pie · 400°F / 200°C · 30–35 min · 6 slices- ·1 GF pie crust (store-bought or oat-flour based), top and bottom
- ·2 cooked chicken breasts, diced (~400g)
- ·1 onion, diced
- ·1 cup each frozen peas, carrots and corn
- ·2 cups chicken broth, simmered with 3 tbsp GF flour or cornstarch to thicken
- ·1 tsp thyme, ½ tsp sage, salt and pepper
Soften the onion, stir in the vegetables and chicken, pour over the thickened broth and season. Fill the bottom crust, add the top, vent and bake until deep golden. Rest 10 minutes before slicing so it sets.
~340 kcal · 34g carbs · 23g protein per slice (1/6 pie).
The proof that comfort food fits a training block — carbs, protein and vegetables in one slice. Keep it for dinner after quality sessions rather than the meal right before one. Already in the food library.
Five rules under all of it
Carbs move, protein holds
Protein stays at roughly 1.8–2.1g/kg every day. Carbs are the dial you turn with the session — 4g/kg on rest days up to 7.5g/kg on long-run days.
Four feeds beat two
30g protein at each of four feeds gives more usable repair than the same total crammed into dinner. Anchor each meal with a protein before you build the rest.
Fibre timing, not fibre avoidance
Keep the volume of raw veg, legumes and bran away from the 3 hours before hard efforts, and load them at meals furthest from training instead.
Iron and fluids are non-negotiable
Heavy cycles plus 50km weeks makes iron consistency matter more than dose. Pair iron-rich food with vitamin C, keep it away from coffee, and get bloodwork through your doctor rather than guessing.
Practise race fuelling, don't improvise it
On spring long runs, practise the gels, drink and timing planned for Toronto. Nothing new on race day.
This is a personal training tool, not clinical advice. I'm a yoga teacher and runner, not a dietitian or physician — these are habit-level fuelling patterns built around my own numbers, restrictions and training load. Anything involving iron, supplements, bloodwork, medication or a medical condition belongs with your doctor or a registered dietitian.