This is a pro-Noah post and in response to his written desire to gain weight after his less than satisfactory performance at Rotterdam.
Before Rotterdam, Noah Droddy did a story with Runners World about this morning workout and nutrition routine. Post -Rotterdam, he wrote on his logarun profile that " I think I need to seriously try to gain weight. I’m eating what feels like a lot, but I’m having trouble keeping weight on, and I think that showed in how weak I was over the second half. I’d like to gain 5-10 pounds I think."
His routine followed by suggestions:
His routine:
According to Runners World, after he wakes up, he has espresso and oats: "For my oatmeal, I’ve been fine-tuning my recipe over the last six months. My go-to is oats, brown sugar or honey, peanut butter, chia seeds, and maca powder."
After he's done running, he goes through two hours of "strength training and drills, so I make sure to have a good snack—like a protein drink (my favorite brand is Momentous), banana, and some nuts—that’ll keep me full until I can make a real meal."
He gets home around noon,at which point: " I make a big breakfast. I’ll fry up three to four eggs over easy, toast a few pieces of bread, and then spread mashed avocado or cream cheese on the toast before putting the eggs on top. I also like making egg scrambles with a ton of veggies thrown in, like cherry tomatoes and spinach. While that’s cooking, I make another cup of coffee to have with it. I cut myself off at two cups of coffee a day—one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. I’m not one of those runners who drinks an insane amount of it."
Suggestions
Well, meet with a nutrionist, which I am not. The kind of food in Shalane Flanagan's "Run Fast, Eat Slow" comes to mind as the kind of food that Noah needs in his diet, food that is both healthy and full of energy. Obviously, if he does, in fact, need to gain weight, increasing his caloric intake is the most important step in the process, as long as it is done in a way that incorporates food that adds fuel to the fire.
(1) The pre-run routine looks good.
(2) Post-run, I think the first step would be getting some real food in you, not just a shake, after a morning run. This could be a sandwich of some kind, such as a bagel with peanut butter, or a tuna fish sandwich, or avocado in turkey. Could be some kind of pasta salad wit protein. Plus some kind of fruit. Or something like the "Superhero" muffins from "Run Fast, Eat Slow."
(3) When he gets some, that seems like a good meal, but either swap out or add something in addition to the toast, such as sweet potatoes.
(4) Snacks. Healthy and full of energy.
(5) Dinner. Nothing fancy. Carbs, protein, and vegetables. More fruit.
It wouldn't necessarily take fancy foods. In an interview with Ben True, his diet seems to be mostly bagels and peanut butter.
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a27017891/noah-droddy-morning-routine/