Week 1: Where will Clayton race next?

Announcing Clayton's next marathon! We're excited to eat our way through this summer build with fresh recipes (+grocery lists + Jackie's nutrition principles to help you thrive in your summer racing).

Hi friends,

We’re back again!

We had a great month of May. It was refreshing to take a break from the marathon grind and do some things that we usually wouldn’t be able to do—beach vacation, hiking, St. George with friends, Clayton commentating at Des and Kara’s Save the 10,000, swimming, camping, and last-minute thrown together meals.

With all the fun we’ve had, I’ve been in a food-prep slump! Once Clayton started upping his mileage again, it was back to deciding what to make at 5pm while Clayton was on his second run. We ate a lot of spaghetti or rice and beans—both of which we love, but I know we need more diversity.

I’m honestly so, so grateful to have Jackie’s help making these meal plans because removing that decision fatigue makes my part of the build feel more doable.

What to expect with these meal plans

As with Clayton’s winter build to Boston, Jackie has organized everything over this summer build so that the recipes are tailored to Clayton’s phases of training over the next 15 weeks.

In the paid subscription, you can find a grocery list (as a PDF, Apple note, and Walmart cart) as well as a nutrition principle from Jackie to help you during your training. Jackie covers topics such as what to eat before your long run/race; the role of protein, fat, and carbs in your training; how to hydrate during heat training protocol; and how to fuel during your long run/race.

These meal plans are geared toward Clayton, who is an omnivore. Most recipes are naturally (or easily adapted) to be dairy free, and many recipes include notes for how to make them gluten free or vegan. I understand that these meal plans might not work for everyone, and I’m sorry I can’t provide more options! Maybe in the future.

Another note: this is a meal plan for people who cook. Plan to spend 30-45 minutes in the kitchen 4 times a week. We like to double the recipes so that we have leftovers for the other nights, because I understand we all need nights off. :)

And lastly, I want to note that these meal plans are helpful for everyone, not just marathoners! If you’re looking for a round-up of yummy meals that are nutritionally balanced, this is the right place.

So what is Clayton training for?

Clayton has been selected to compete for Team USA at the 2025 World Athletics Championship. He’ll be racing the marathon in Tokyo, Japan, on September 15th!

We’re grateful for another opportunity to represent Team USA. Living the dream!! So far I’ve spent a lot of time on YouTube watching videos about Japan. If you’ve been there before and have any tips for me, please reach out!

Take care,

Ashley

Breakfast

I like to batch prep a few breakfast options, and then mix and match them throughout the week with eggs (usually scrambled with bell peppers) and cereal (I can’t keep Clayton from his rice krispies + bananas or his honey bunches of oats; he’s also a big fan of granola). He usually eats both a savory and a sweet option each morning.

Lunch

Clayton usually eats big breakfasts (post morning run) and big dinners (post afternoon run), so we keep lunch time pretty simple. His typical go-to is turkey sandwiches with pretzels or chips. We’ll include a serving of tuna this week for omega-3s as well.

Snack

These few weeks at the beginning of the build are a great time to focus on getting in extra veggies, and this dip looks like a delicious way to do it!

Dinner

Monday: easy mileage

You can use your choice of croissant, pita, or bread. Bonus points if you take it on a picnic!

Tuesday: workout

Wednesday: easy mileage

I’ll use ground beef for the iron benefits (more info in this week’s nutrition principle!). If you’re in Utah, check out Redmond Farms. We’ve really been enjoying their locally raised ground beef.

Thursday: workout

California chicken salad sandwiches leftovers.

Friday: easy mileage

Loaded sweet potato nachos leftovers.

Saturday: long run

Sunday: recovery day

Bang bang chicken skewers with veggies leftovers.