Meb Kelfezighi’s Nutrition Has Him Fitter and Faster than Ever And Helped Him Win Boston
First 26 LRCers to Order Get an Autographed Photo From Meb
by: Generation UCAN (Sponsored Post)
April 24, 2014
Soon to be 39 year-old marathoners typically don’t run PRs, but don’t tell that to 2014 Boston Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi, who defied the odds once again to become the first American male to win Boston since 1983. The last 5 years of Meb’s legendary running career reads like a “Greatest Hits” list – 2009 New York City Marathon Champion, 4th at the 2012 London Olympics, and a 2:08:37 time in Boston for the inspiring victory. He’s the only runner to win an Olympic Medal, the New York City Marathon, and Boston.
An increased focus on nutrition is helping Meb stay forever young, and he relies on Generation UCAN’s one-of-a-kind sports nutrition drink to keep him fit. “I’ve been using UCAN since 2009 and it’s been my secret weapon,” says Meb. “Now that I won Boston, I’m ready to share my secret with the world.”
UCAN is an important piece of Meb’s overall nutrition puzzle, which has changed over the years
“When you’re 25, you can get away with eating anything,” says Meb. “I’m definitely more aware of my nutrition and calorie intake now than I was before. When I was in college I used to eat as much as 5000 calories a day, but now that the training mileage has gone down I’ve tried to reduce it to about 2500 calories.”
Reducing his intake of simple carbohydrates and consuming more protein and fat during his hard training sessions is one of the big changes Meb has made. “Before a run, I like to have toast and tea with a little almond butter, or eggs and some sausage. If I’m in a hurry and don’t have enough time to eat a meal before my run, I’ll have a Generation UCAN shake. When I was at UCLA (in college), I used to not eat anything before a run and that was a big mistake. Before getting to the starting line of the Boston Marathon, I had eggs, a bagel, a banana, and a Generation UCAN shake.”
Since he started using UCAN before and after workouts and races, Meb has enjoyed a series of impressive performances and an amazing level of fitness at a point in his career when many expected him to slow down.
“Generation UCAN has been very instrumental in my training,” says Meb. “Some of the reason I’ve been running PRs is because it allows me to recover so I can train hard consistently. For me it has been a huge difference with recovery. I really look forward to having the chocolate protein flavor after my intense workouts. During my cool down, it’s the first thing that goes into my body.”
“I use UCAN at least 4 times a week and it helps keep my weight in check. After I won New York in 2009, I was doing a lot of appearances and wasn’t able to train hard. I would have UCAN as a healthy snack when I was on the go. People were asking me how many miles I was running because I looked very lean, but it was really my nutrition. The results speak for themselves.”
Video With Meb After Boston
What Makes UCAN Unique?
Generation UCAN’s was originally designed for Jonah, a child with a rare disease that prohibits the body from producing its own blood sugar, resulting in frequent episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). As its founders ran further tests, they realized that its one-of-a-kind carbohydrate yielded benefits for athletes who also have to work at managing their glucose levels.
What makes UCAN so unique is the way it delivers energy, providing little bits over time and keeping blood sugar stable rather than flooding the body with a rush of calories at once like traditional sports drinks and energy gels. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is the key to feeling steady energy during and after a run.
UCAN also helps runners get lean by minimizing the need to consume excess calories and allowing them to burn more fat for fuel during workouts. This occurs because UCAN causes a minimal rise in the hormone insulin, which is produced by the body anytime there is the spike in blood sugar that comes with consuming typical sports nutrition products and high carb foods. Insulin is a very sensitive hormone that tells the body to store fat, inhibiting fat burn both during and after exercise.
One packet of UCAN’s Sports Drink Mix should be consumed 30 minutes before a workout as a pre-workout snack and will provide up to 2 hours of steady energy without needing to refuel. UCAN is very gentle on the stomach and is beneficial for runners who struggle with GI distress. The Protein-Enhanced Drink Mix is ideal for post-workout recovery and should be consumed right after a workout. To optimize the benefits of UCAN, avoid combining it with energy products and foods that spike blood sugar.
A number of elite runners like USA 3000m Women’s National Champion Gabriele Grunewald, 2012 Olympians Kim Conley and Julie Culley, and 2013 USA Half Marathon Champion Adriana Nelson rely on UCAN as their go-to fuel source. Whether you’re a competitive athlete running to win, or an everyday athlete running to lose (fat, that is!), you belong with Generation UCAN.