Only 3 days left until Gasparilla Race weekend begins! I have a 15k & 5k on Saturday, and then a half marathon and 8k on Sunday – it’s going to be a running kinda weekend!
Today’s workout calls for a 45 minute tempo run, which I plan to scale back to about 30 minutes. Then tomorrow I will be lifting weights and cross training, and Friday going out for a 3 mile shake out run. I prefer to run the day before a race of any distance. Some people like to take off completely prior to race day, but my legs feel it – I tend to feel a bit sore, and just not ready to run on the day of the race. I’m excited to take on the Michelob Ultra Challenge at a nice steady pace – definitely nothing fast for any of the 4 races! This is after all a training run 
Zesty Chicken Quinoa
After a very long hiatus, I finally have a new recipe to share, which just so happens to be gluten free!! What can I say, I guess I love talking about running more than food 
Last night for dinner, it was a clear out the fridge kind of night. We had some half eaten veggies, left over chicken, and a packet of quinoa, so I decided to do a little experimenting! And ya know what… it turned out great! Here is the recipe for my zesty chicken quinoa.
½ red pepper, diced
½ green pepper, diced
½ onion, diced
1 chopped zucchini
2 cups uncooked quinoa
2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 chicken breasts, precooked
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
salsa
First, cook quinoa according to directions on the package. I used Red Mill Organic for mine, but feel free to use whichever brand you like
While the quinoa is cooking, sauté the peppers, onions, and zucchini on low to medium heat. I like mine a little bit crunchy after they are cooked, so I do not sauté them for too long.
Dice the chicken and add it to the veggie mixture towards the end of cooking – just enough to warm it up since it has already been cooked. Add the cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the veggies.
Stir, and then add entire mixture to your cooked pot of quinoa. Once everything is in the same bowl, stir in greek yogurt and cilantro.
Add a scoop of salsa (not pictured) to your portion at the end and voila! You now have a protein packed meal that will last a few days. When I cook, I prefer to make larger portions to have for leftovers, and this recipe definitely fits the bill! I expect to be able to eat 2 more meals from this batch Woo hoo!!
For a long race (half or full marathon) I’ll run 20 minutes the day before; for 5Ks and 10Ks, I take the day off but get a long warm-up in.
I always swim the day before a triathlon though.
Any reason you don’t run the day before shorter races? That is interesting to me!
Sounds yummy! Just pinned
I always run the day before a race. For a marathon, I’ll typically do 1-3 miles. Especially when staying at a hotel for the marathon, I’ll go for a short run to see how far it is to the start for the next morning. Typically, I like to stay close enough to the start/finish so I can run there the day before! Then I like to stretch for a looong time (foam roller, stick, etc) and take a nice warm shower!
Definitely! I really like being close to the start too! It gets you even more pumped up! And heck yes to the stick! That thing doesn’t leave my side lately!
Wow that’s a lot of running! I love doing an easy jog the day before, just to loosen up the legs.
I’ve never tried yogurt with quinoa but it sounds like a great combo. Full of protein.
Yes! It gives it that yummy creamy flavor that I know I love, but do not like to add to most food because of the fat and calorie content! But not with Greek Yogurt
That looks really good! Never thought to do a mexican theme with quinoa for some reason.
I really recommend it! The salsa really makes it! I didn’t have avocados on hand, but I think they would be awesome added in at the end too!
That looks really good, I love the addition of the yogurt at the end
Good luck this weekend, sounds like an really fun string of races! I like to do something the day before – a short run or the elliptical.
Kitchen experiments often yield some of the tastiest results!
Thanks so much for the picture-shout-out! Glad the Greek yogurt worked well… this dish sounds super satisfying!
On behalf of the farm families who own Cabot, we sincerely appreciate the support.
Thanks Regan! I use Cabot Yogurt for soo many recipes!! Love it!
LOVE the quinoa recipe!! Looks so good! I use the same quinoa
It is the best!!!
Love quinoa!! This looks great!! Thank you for sharing it!
Thanks Emily! I warmed it up for left overs last night and added some avocado! Yum!!
Hi Mary,
Race week presents many challenges ranging from the type of taper to hydration, rest, and nutrition. After spending months tempering the body and mind to race a target event, the pre-race week presents new challenges fraught with uncertainty. Every racer learns the right mix of volume and intensity through experience, but my typical schedule for a half to full marathons is:’
7 days out – 90 minute run (steady)
6days out – 60 minutes with strides
5 days out – 2 miles + 5x1000m + 2miles
4 days – 60 minutes easy
3 days – 30 minutes with 4-5 strides
2 days – 15/20 minutes
1 day – 20/30 minutes
I hate feeling jittery or “too” good before a race; therefore, I won’t cut mileage by more than 40% of my peak.