Flanagan Shalane - Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow

Shalane, all smiles, just minutes after winning the TCS New York City Marathon!

ELYSE KOPECKY is a New York Times bestselling author, chef, nutrition coach, and inspirational speaker. Her friendship with Shalane began over 18 years ago on the cross-country team at the University of North Carolina. After graduation, both moved to Portland, Oregon, to work for NikeShalane as a professional runner, and Elyse as a digital marketing producer.

Elyses career took her abroad, where she attended cooking classes throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. Armed with amazing recipes from around the world, Elyse began cooking to fuel her athletic endeavors. She discovered that by incorporating more fats into her diet, she was stronger, healthier, and happier than ever before. She quit a successful marketing career of 10 years for the chance to help others eat right, and moved to New York City to study at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts.

Elyses idea for Run Fast. Eat Slow. began as a small dream over a home-cooked meal at Shalanes house. She never imagined it would become a New York Times bestseller, get translated into multiple languages, and be featured in Runners World, Womens Running, Outside Magazine , and Good Morning America , to name a few.

Elyse lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, two sweet kids, and one rambunctious pup. She can be found at IndulgentNourishment.com and on Instagram @elysekopecky.

SHALANES TOP 10 RACE TIPS

>> TRAIN THE BRAIN In the midst of hard workouts I like to practice pushing through the discomfort and pain that I will inevitably feel on race day. I use mantras to help myself focus and live in the moment. For example, I may chant to myself You got this! Or think about inspirational quotes like, You dont train to feel your best, you train to be at your best when you feel your worst.

>> CROSS-TRAIN To prevent injury or burnout, I like to get in extra cardiovascular work by lifting weights, swimming or aqua jogging, and stationary cycling. I sometimes replace my afternoon (second) run with one of these if I am feeling flat.

>> FUEL RIGHT Proper hydration and fuel every day is vital to racing success. Not just eating right in the week leading up to race day. During peak training, cooking wholesome meals helps me recover, makes me happy, and enhances my training. My race-day meal consists of a large bowl of oatmeal with almond milk, honey, walnuts or almonds, bananas, and raspberries or blueberries. I also have to have my coffee and my sports drink (see for our Shalanes Natural Sports Drink recipe).

>> NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY Preparation is key in preventing race-day surprises. I practice every detail including what underwear I will race in! I practice my prerace meals, shoes, uniform, sports drink, etc. Never try anything new on race day!!

>> THE LONG RUN IS ESSENTIAL The staple workout in my marathon training is the long run. I run anywhere from 20 to 28 miles every 7 to 10 days during my peak season. This provides huge fitness gains as well as confidence that I can go the distance. For those racing shorter distances like a 5K, their long run might be 8 to 10 miles.

>> BE FLEXIBLE Set goals and share them! I set three goals for every race: Goals A, B, and C (in case something goes wrong). On any given day your best thought-out plan can unravel, so its important to not panic midrace. Goal A is the perfect day, then B is my next best scenario, and so on. This keeps me focused when things get tough as they did at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. I was able to dig deep and stick to Goal C instead of giving up. This focus enabled me to make my fourth Olympic team.

>> SIMULATE THE COURSE Some race courses have lots of turns and hills, while others are flat and fast. I like to do my homework and try to simulate my own version where I live and train so that my body and mind are prepared.

>> TAPER Its time to peak! This means gradually dialing back your training before the race (for a marathon, I recommend a 3-week taper period). Some people suffer from taper tantrums and feel they are becoming unfit. I like to take this time to get extra sleep and imagine all the energy my body is storing up for race day! If I am restless and need distractions, I meet up with friends for coffee.

>> GET YOUR ZZZZS I can tell when Im not getting enough sleep because I start to get grumpy, I cant focus, and my legs feel stale. I shoot for 9 hours every night and sneak in a nap during the day between my training sessions. Sleep allows the body to recover fully and repair itself, which is crucial during intense training. See sleep tips on .

>> RACE SHORT TO BOOST FITNESS Racing a 5K, 10K, or half marathon is a great way to keep me motivated while training for a marathon. Its also a good fitness test and lets me know where I am in my training.

Remember. A setback is just a setup for a comeback.

SHALANE,
AFTER WINNING THE TCS NEW YORK CITY MARATHON 9 MONTHS AFTER A MAJOR INJURY

YOUR REAL FOOD STORIES (LETTERS FROM YOU)

Shalane and Elyse with a group of young fans at a book tour event hosted by Fleet Feet in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Hello Shalane and Elyse,

Im a Division I Cross-Country and Track athlete. I received your cookbook as a Christmas gift from my father, and it has changed my relationship with food. When I started running at the collegiate level, I started obsessing over my caloric intake, losing lots of weight in the process, and becoming a firm believer that thin equals fast. While my times sure did drop in the beginning, it was not a sustainable approach. I developed anemia and athletic amenorrhea and later on, two stress fractures. More important, I was unhappy, tired of monitoring every food choice, exhausted from all the grueling workouts, which were run on virtually no fuel, and frustrated that my performances had taken a nosedive. Indulging in real foods helped me regain my health and eventually train and perform better. I no longer looked at food as the enemy; rather, it became indulgent nourishment, something I looked forward to, something my body deserved after all the hard work Id put it through. Thanks for the great recipes and all the joy and happiness that your book has brought back into my life.