As if the hot weather wasn’t enough of a challenge today, I got the bright idea of drinking a green smoothie an hour before my run in the heat. Not the smartest idea. Here’s my recipe for what I decided to call the “Run Ruiner Smoothie”, adapted from a Cuisinart recipe book. For best (worst) results, drink an hour or less before run. Serves 2-3 hungry runners.

• 1 cup cold water
• a few ice cubes (added chill on hot day)
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 apple (I use gala usually, but doesn’t matter)
• a splash of flax oil
• 6-8 cups of loosely packed greens (I used spinach, kale, swiss chard and some beet greens)

Blend first 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Gradually add in greens and blend for about another minute until really smooth. Drink the deliciousness. Have horrible stomach pains entire run.

The Run Ruiner

Thankfully, I decided to just do an easy run because of the heat so I could power through the stomach problems. I had to laugh at myself for making such a silly food choice pre-run though.

Also, I’d like to add that this smoothie is actually quite tasty. I would never believe it by looking at the picture, but the banana flavor really over-powers the greens. It’s super nutritious so I recommend you try it – AFTER YOU RUN!

What crazy food choices have you made before a run that you regretted later? What were the consequences?