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Kara Goucher’s Runner Pizza: Fueling Up and Feeling Good

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YES, I believe pizza is an integral part of a runner’s diet.

You can even see my chart on miles per slice because sometimes I find it amusing. Many of you have shared your own personal pizza love and I think it’s important to know that even the elites don’t deny themselves this delicious food, which is why I’m sharing a recipe from Kara Goucher.eating pizza

Can we make pizza healthier?

Since I know this goes against the grain for many of you to look at pizza and think “oh that’s a perfect pre-long run meal”, let’s talk.

Do we need to make pizza healthier? Ehhh…I dunno. I think we need to enjoy our food. I think we need to eat A LOT of nutrients (hello veggies) all day long. I think labeling food as good and bad, leads to some big time problems.

So if you want the deep dish, have a slice. If you love making it a little healthier, go to town. I’m a fan of pretty much all styles, so I’ve been know to go from a sweet potato crust to a meat lovers pie, what can I say.

Of course, we always know there are ways to make it healthier:

  • Thinner crust for less blood sugar spike from carbs (except I love a thick crust)
  • Cauliflower crust if you’re really pushing the limits of healthifing
  • Kara has been known to make this quinoa crust as well
  • Dairy free cheese (yeah I’ve found some that’s pretty stellar)
  • Loading on the veggies (a great way to sneak them in on kids)
  • Blot off excess grease (mostly because I think it’s gross on my hands)

Runner Pizza

This recipe is one I was granted permission to share from the Runner’s World Meals On The Run cookbook.

Let’s be honest, you know I’m not a chef, so I’m always a little skeptical, but the promise of a meal in 30 minutes or less that was geared towards my nutritional needs lured me in like a porch light on Halloween night.Runner's World Cookbook Sports nutrition is a tricky subject because we’re all different, but there are some commonalities that we can all benefit from and this book goes in to setting up your kitchen, some tips for fueling and then codes the meals by their different needs (i.e. dairy free, low-calorie, gluten-free, hydrating, prerun).

A quick peek at the table of contents shows meals for every type of eater: meat, vegan, seafood, salads, soups and oh yes a few snacks!

After digging through the recipes, I settled on enjoying a standard Friday night runner pizza with a little upgrade thanks to super star inspirational runner Kara Goucher.

Which leads to Kara Goucher’s Kitchen Sink Pizza, which is perfect for those pre-long run meals! And yes I have indeed seen pizza on her Instagram, so I believe it to be true!!healthy pizza

Kara Gouchers Long Run Fuel - kitchen sink pizza - a quick healthy reicpe
Print Recipe

KARA GOUCHER'S PIZZA

Fast and easy, perfect for those pre-long run meals! 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: Sports Nutrition

Ingredients

  • 4 whole wheat naan flatbreads
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 4 teaspoons pesto
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella I skipped cheese on mine
  • 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 red onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 grilled chicken breast
  • 8 large basil leaves I skipped this

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Arrange flatbreads on 2 baking sheets, spread on a thin layer of marinara
  • Top with pesto, mozzarella, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, chicken
  • Bake the flatbreads for 12 minutes

Runner Pizza Nutrition

Calories per serving: 506
Carbs: 52 g
Fiber: 7 g
Protein: 30 g
Total fat: 19 g
Saturated fat: 7 g
Sodium: 877 mg

Never underestimate the power that one good workout will have on your mind. Keeping the dream alive is half the battle.Kara Goucher
Fuel up like @karagoucher thanks to @runnersworld Meals On The Run Click To Tweet

I modified the recipe to take advantage of the abundance of zucchini in my life right now! Veggies are easy to mix and match so you can keep everyone in the family happy, which is part of what I love.

Why pizza before long runs?

That’s a fabulous question as on the face of it this might sound like a really unhealthy meal.

For me it’s habit. I’ve done it for ages and know that I can have a slice of pizza with a side of veggies and it makes for a light healthy meal with good carbs that also honestly just makes me happy!!! And part of a great run is not going in to it totally stressed out!

Learning to eat intuitively was a big game changer here as well.

  • No more guilt over choosing foods
  • No more needing 3 slices because I was depriving myself other days
  • A relaxed evening
  • Creating a consistent habit that triggers my brain to know tomorrow we utilize these yummy carbs

Ever tried pizza before your long run?

What’s your go to topping??

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Posted by amanda Categories: main dish, Recipe, sports nutrition

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy McElhaney says

    October 25, 2015 at 11:18 am

    Pizza before my long run? ALWAYS!! When I stray, I pay for it!

  2. wendy says

    October 25, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    My husband's cooking pet peeve is dull knives. When we travel and rent a house, the knives always suck! I liked this video on cutting a butternut squash, because it links perfectly with the recipe I have on my blog today! How did you know? :P
    My recent post Falling for…food and family #hemphearts #sweatpink

  3. vitatrain4life says

    October 26, 2015 at 5:54 am

    Sweet! We were gifted this cookbook as part of our RW weekend last weekend so I can totally make this!! And I am in desperate need of sharpening my knives but haven't a clue as to how I do it. A 'self sharpening' knife is genius!
    My recent post The Rundown – Taper Town USA

  4. thisrunnersrecipes says

    October 26, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    I need that cookbook! I use a Kitchenaid knife set that has some fancy sharpener, but I always have my husband sharpen them – it's a scary task! A self-sharpening knife is genius and makes cooking so much safer!
    My recent post Mile Markers 10/19/15 – 10/25/15

  5. Krysten says

    October 26, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    OOOOKAY that pizza sounds amazing!!!
    My recent post Meal Planning + Workout Recap

  6. Physical Kitchness says

    October 27, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    I could not function without a great knife set! I LOL'd at the thought of your non-butter butter knife. This pizza looks amazing. I love the idea of using naan bread for the crust! Great recipe.

  7. Bethany says

    October 31, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    This looks amazing!
    My recent post Celebrating One Year With A NuNaturals Giveaway!

  8. Luvele.com says

    January 21, 2016 at 5:03 am

    I read in “Running with the Buffaloes” that Adam would eat a steak dinner the night before his races so he would feel like a carnivore on race day.

  9. Eve Hunt says

    July 21, 2019 at 10:47 pm

    thank you this worked great! can i freeze the left over spaghetti squash or how long does it keep in the fridge?

    • amanda says

      July 22, 2019 at 6:42 am

      I’ve tried freezing and never had the best results. Because of the water content, it’s usually still good in the fridge for a week

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