Shalane Flanagan - Run Fast. Eat Slow.: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2016 by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Book design by Christina Gaugler

Cover design by Tad Greenough and Sezay Altinok

Page numbers listed below refer to the print edition.

Photographs by Alan Weiner, with the exception of the following: Victor Sailer/PhotoRun, xiii; Carlos Serrao, xiv, 206; Nike Running, 47 (bottom right); Andy Hughes, 47 (top); the authors, 47 (bottom left), 93, 226 (childhood photo), and 227 (childhood photo)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9781623366810 hardcover
ISBN-13: 9781623366827 e-book

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I knocked, and Steve, Shalanes husband, answered the door. Shalane was manning the grill on the back deck of her home high up in the southwestern hills of Portland. It was one of those flawless end-of-summer evenings that begs for catching up with old friends. I thought about how much Shalane had accomplished since we were anxious freshmen on the cross-country team at the University of North Carolina. I wondered if I would even be able to keep up with her for 1 mile at her marathon pace.

I made a beeline for the patio, and we shrieked in excitement and embraced. The last time we had seen each other was more than 2 years ago in NYC for Shalanes memorable marathon debut. I was working for Nike Running at the time, and Shalane was running for Nike. After graduation we had both moved west to Portland, so our paths had stayed very much intertwined, until I moved abroad.

Its been forever, Shalane said. I want to hear everything about your life in Switzerland. And I cant believe you quit your job to go to culinary school in NYC. How was it?

Seriously, we have so much to catch up on. But you go first, because Ive been watching all your races from afar and want to hear firsthand how you do it. I still get goose bumps every time I watch you run 26.2 against the best in the world! I exclaimed.

Wait, let me get you a drink. What did you bring? That salad looks phenomenal. Whats in it?

Youll have dreams about it after I leave here, I joked. Its a kale-radicchio salad with farro and my signature lemon miso dressing. I could drink this dressing. Its addicting.

Our conversation continued at three times the normal pace (think Shalane-fast) and jumped back and forth between catching up on our lives, random memories from college, and exclamations on how much I had missed Portlandespecially the local food scene, the farmers market, and the endless running trails. Our husbands elected to hover inside with their microbrews while we flipped the burgers on the grill, chattered like teenagers on too much caffeine, and enjoyed the swoon-worthy view of Mount Hood.

We reminisced about the dishes we cooked when we lived together in college, including our meat fondue party that left everyone racing for the toilet. At least we attempted to cook back then. So many of our teammates lived off of cold cereal, protein bars, and Pop-Tarts slathered with peanut butter. I shared with Shalane how, even after graduating from culinary school, I still considered her famous Breakfast-Meets-Dinner rice bowl a regular part of my comfort-food repertoire.

We moved inside to the dining table and dug in to an enticing spread of juicy bison burgers, cumin-spiced sweet potato fries, and my showstopping salad. I excitedly started to fill Shalane in on everything I had been studying about food and nutrition and its life-changing impact on my health and happinessand how it could help Shalane in pursuit of her fourth Olympic team. We talked about the misconceptions around what constitutes healthy eating and how the alarming diet trends and endless health-claiming food products were doing more harm than good.

What if people knew how well we eat? I think theyd be alarmed by how much olive oil and butter I go through in a week, Shalane said.

The perception is that healthy food is bland, boring, and uncool, I said. The reality is it can be delicious and incredibly satisfying. Our friends are seriously missing out.

The simple, seasonal dishes shared between longtime friends inspired the conversation at the table that night. Shalane shared her concerns about her own diet and her realization that as she gets older, she cant get away with lackluster nutrition, especially with training 120 miles a week. I shared my dreams of starting a family soon and how switching to a whole foods diet rich in good fats helped me overcome a 15-year battle with athletic amenorrhea, the absence of menstruation.

We talked about how female runners in this country are experiencing infertility rates at an all-time high. I shared my belief that a huge part of the problem is that women arent getting enough nourishing fats in their diets. We still have a fear of fat in this country, I said. I realized this when I moved abroad to Switzerland and saw the difference in the food. The whole milk yogurt there was rich, creamy, and pure, not stripped of fat and flavor with added sugar, artificial flavoring, and a measly strawberry to make up for it.

We shared ideas and thought: What if we wrote a book for athletes unlike any of the light and lean running cookbooks out there. Our book would celebrate all whole foods instead of obsessing over carbs verses protein or the latest diet trend? We would show runners everywhere that by indulgingyes, indulgingin real food, they will not only train and perform better, but also improve their overall health, all while enjoying what they eat more than ever before.

And soover that nourishing, home-cooked summer meal at Shalanes homeit was decided. Run Fast Eat Slow had been born.

After dinner, Shalane took me on a tour of her house to see all the renovations they had made recently. For a world-class runner with a long list of accomplishments, her polished, white-walled home was surprisingly free of any running paraphernalia. Even her cherished medal from the Beijing Olympics was nowhere to be seen. When I asked where she kept her bronze beauty, she explained nonchalantly that she keeps it tucked away in her sock drawer in order to not get complacent.