The Ideal Day of Eating to Fuel Long Runs and Strength Workouts

Spartan Master Coach and fitness trainer Trevor Franklin has taken on a lot of Spartan events: a Sprint, a Super, a Beast, DEKA FIT, and even a 50K Ultra. And shortly thereafter — if that wasn’t challenging enough — he tackled a Summer Death Race. He’s certainly passed the toughness test. Paired with a comprehensive, progressive training program, he’s dialed in his diet so that he can do two other very different things: run long distances while maintaining muscle and strength.

Franklin is currently aiming to maintain his weight at 200 pounds, while increasing his weekly mileage and lifting fairly heavy. According to the trainer, what works best is operating off of a meal plan that’s high in both carbohydrates and protein.

“I normally need over 3,000 calories to keep my weight with my activity level,” he says. “The higher carbs keep my performance up for runs and lifts, and the higher protein intake helps me hold onto muscle as I add more and more cardio weekly."

Additionally, Franklin has also been working with the precision medicine company Wild Health to help him optimize his performance and training based on genomics and biomarker testing. Below is the Spartan coach’s exact meal plan, which he follows for much of the year, along with some notes on how Wild Health has made improvements.

Trevor Franklin's Distance Running and Strength Meal Plan

9-10 a.m.: Breakfast

5 eggs
5 pieces turkey bacon
2 slices pepper jack cheese
2 tortillas
Guac
Spicy ketchup

Wild Health intervention: Here, Coach Trevor’s health coach and physician flagged that his breakfast could be a bit too high in saturated fat. They suggested pulling back on the cheese and bacon slightly.

12-1 p.m.: Snack #1

Greek yogurt
Blueberries
Mangos
Pineapple
Honey

2-3 p.m.: Lunch

This meal is usually a home delivery meal or an order from Chipotle or Dig Inn.

Home Delivery Meal Requirements:

500-600 cals
Over 50 grams of protein
50 grams of carbs
20 grams of fat

Chipotle:

Burrito with
Steak
Rice
Guac
Lettuce
Corn
Cheese

Wild Health intervention: Here is another meal that Coach Trevor’s health coach and physician identified as an opportunity to bring down his saturated fat intake by swapping out steak for chicken, or going with fish tacos as an alternative.

Dig Inn:

A bowl with
Charred chicken (double serving)
Rice
Kale cashew
Mac n cheese

4-5 p.m.: Snack #2

2 Honey Stinger waffles

8-9 p.m.: Dinner

Two 90% lean burger patties
Two wheat buns
Guac
Two slices of cheese
Spicy ketchup
Brussel sprouts
Popcorn chips

Wild Health intervention: Similar to above, this is another meal that Franklin's health coach and physician flagged as an opportunity to swap out the beef for fish, chicken, or turkey, or remove the cheese to reduce his saturated fat intake.

In the evening, Coach Trevor will supplement with 25-50 milligrams of Zinc to help aid in recovery because his Wild Health assessment uncovered that he has an allele in his DNA that puts him at risk for slower recovery than usual.

Looking for a training program to help you accomplish feats like Trevor Franklin? Check out the 7-Day Run Long, Stay Strong Training Program.

Mike Simone

Mike Simone is a writer, producer, certified trainer, and creator of humanfitproject. He's also the former executive digital director of Men's Fitness magazine and has worked with brands such as Mens Journal, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, Women's Running, and Equinox. Follow him on Twitter @Mike Simone and @humanfitproject.