charger Pre-Run

Beetroot, Ginger & Apple Pre-Run Smoothie

Name: Beetroot, Ginger & Apple Pre-Run Smoothie
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 200 ml beet juice, cold-pressed or freshly juiced and strained; 120 ml (1/2 cup) apple juice; 1 ripe banana (about 100 g); 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1 tsp honey (optional); 4-5 ice cubes

2-3 hours before

The 2-3 hour pre-run breakfast you can drink. Beet juice for nitrates, banana and apple juice for carbs, ginger and lemon to make it taste like something you'd want at 5 am. Built low-fiber on purpose so it clears before the start.

skilletCook0 min

soup_kitchenPrep5 min

restaurantYield1 serving

boltCarbs~60g

water_dropSodium250mg

exerciseProteins~3g

grassFiber~3g

For your run

When: 2-3 hours beforeDetails
Nitrate from beet juice peaks in your blood 2-3 hours after drinking it, and the carbs are timed to be stored as glycogen by the start. Low fiber and almost no fat, so it clears the stomach. Skip the mouthwash beforehand: the bacteria in your mouth are part of how nitrate gets converted.
Why it works: Beet juice supplies dietary nitrate, which your body converts to nitric oxide; that lowers the oxygen cost of running by a small but real margin at race pace. Banana and apple juice give about 60 g of carbs with almost no fiber, so glycogen is topped up without anything sitting in the gut. Salt starts the sodium load. Ginger settles a nervous race-morning stomach.
Wrong time: At 30 minutes before, the nitrate hasn't converted yet and 60 g of liquid sugar can leave you flat in the first 10 minutes. At 4 hours, the nitrate effect is fading and you'll be hungry at the line. 2-3 hours is the window that works for both.
How much: One glass (200 ml beet juice) for runners under 75 kg. Heavier runners, or anyone racing over 21 km, can go to 250 ml of beet juice. Use it before workouts and races, not easy runs; the effect only shows up when you're working.
On the run: Buy bottled cold-pressed beet juice for race trips so you don't need a juicer in a hotel. Blend and drink; it separates if it sits. Wash the blender straight away or the beet stains.
Replaces: Beet It Sport shots and pre-race beet juice, about $1.50 a glass instead of $4-5 a shot, with breakfast built in.
Fits: WorkoutLong runRace
GI risk: Low GI risk

Ingredients

Smoothie

200 ml beet juice, cold-pressed or freshly juiced and strained

120 ml (1/2 cup) apple juice

1 ripe banana (about 100 g)

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 pinch fine sea salt

1 tsp honey (optional)

4-5 ice cubes

Dose matters

One glass on the day is enough. Extra beet juice does not increase the effect and commonly causes stomach upset. Beets turn urine and stool pink for a day, which is harmless. If you have a history of kidney stones, beets are high in oxalate and worth raising with your doctor before using them regularly.

Notes

Use juice, not whole beets: two blended beets and an apple add 8-10 g of fiber, which is exactly what you don't want 2 hours before a run. Cold-pressed bottled beet juice works, or juice and strain your own. The research dose for a performance effect is roughly 300-400 mg of nitrate, about 200 ml of beet juice. Fair warning: beets turn urine and stool pink for a day. It's harmless, but know it before race morning so you don't panic. The ginger is for taste and a calmer stomach; it isn't a therapeutic dose.