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eggs are. For vital protein that helps
your muscles recover from training
sessions, eggs are one of the best
sources.”
“Looking back at my late 20s,” says
Suzy, “I had a coach who was very
old-school about carbs: it was muffins
for breakfast, pasta for lunch and then
lasagne for dinner. I see now that we
were all eating far too many refined
carbs, too few proteins, and not nearly
enough vegetables. I’m sure that
made it harder for us to maintain our
weight, too.”
And now? “I eat a lot of salad, and
I believe vegetables are really, really
important. Most people don’t eat
enough vegetables; instead, they
eat too much fruit, not realising how
full of sugar it is. And I am massively
anti-fruit-juice. Part of the problem is
that you’re leaving behind the pulp,
which is nutritionally the best part of
the fruit. What’s more, you use three to
four apples for just one glass of apple
juice. It would be way better to have
just one apple and a glass of water.”
Suzy starts the day with cereal, nuts
and seeds; lunch and dinner are either
a big salad or vegetables, always with
some protein. “For snacks, I try to stick
to nuts and seeds,” she adds, “and I
avoid processed foods as much as
possible.”
Marathoners need more carbs for
training and racing, Suzy believes; but
intense carb-loading is of far less value
for shorter distances like the 10K.
Nevertheless, she does feel there’s
a case to be made in Singapore for
eating more carbs before a race,
especially for a low-carb eater like
herself. The reason is that running in
this kind of heat and humidity causes
us to lose so much water, as much as
1.5kg (or 1.5 litres) in a single race or
training session, in Suzy’s case.
“For 24 to 48 hours before a 10K
race, I will increase my carbs,” she
explains. “I’ll have a banana, and I’ll
have a chicken sandwich instead
of a chicken salad. Carbs help you
retain water, so you’re starting your
race more hydrated than you would
otherwise be. You may be a bit heavier
at the start line, but that’s water that
you’ll lose during the race.”
So, what’s best – medium-carb, low-
carb or no-carb? High-fat, medium-fat
or low-fat? Not only is the choice
highly individual, but it probably lies
somewhere in between the extremes.
I, for one, am joyfully celebrating
the return of healthy fat to our diets:
creamy avocadoes, crisp-roasted
chicken skin, generously olive-oil-
tossed salads and butter-coated hot
veggies. Hallelujah!
JANUARY
1
Mileage New Year Run,
7.30am, 10K, Punggol Park
3
MR25 Ultramarathon,
7am, min. 5 10K laps in 12 hrs, MacRitchie
Reservoir
4
West Coast Mazda Run,
7am, 1.2/6K, West Coast Park
10/11
NUS Bizad Charity Run,
5pm, 5/10K, Mochtar Riady Building, NUS
11
Run For Your Lives Singapore,
12 noon, 5K, West Coast Park
17
Run for Light,
5pm, 5K, Gardens by the Bay
FEBRUARY
7
Safari Zoo Run,
4pm, 6/12K
8
Terry Fox Run,
7.30am, 5/10K, East Coast, Big Splash
14
Brooks Marina Run,
5.30pm, 10/21K, Gardens by the Bay
15
Marina Party Dash,
5pm, 5K, Gardens by the Bay
MARCH
1
Men’s Health Urbanathlon,
7am, 14K, Kallang Practice Track
8
Green Corridor Run,
7am, 10.5K, Tanjong Pagar Rail Station
8
Venus Run,
7.30am, 5K
28-29
Twilight Ultra Challenge,
7pm, 5/10K laps in 16 hrs, ECP Area F
29
2XU Compression Run,
5.30am, 21.1/10/5K, F1 Pit Building