Fitness Fatale

Marathon Nutrition for Female Runners

Side-by-side photos of a female runner one year apart, showing her running outdoors before and after changing her eating habits.

My Costco Staples for Marathon Training and Body Composition

What I Buy at Costco for Marathon Training and Health

In a world of healthy food swaps and pizza dupes, I’m here to open up my pantry and fridge to show you the foods that actually helped me get into the best shape of my life as a 42 year old female runner. 

Side-by-side photos of a female runner at ages 40 and 41, showing changes in body composition after consistently eating simple whole foods.

Spoiler alert: there’s no cauliflower pizza. The one and only time I bought a cauliflower pizza I threw it in the trash. Give me cauliflower, or give me pizza with a buttery crust. 

Why My Costco Shopping List Is So Simple

My Costco list is not that exciting for 2 reasons:

  1. My husband is the one on his dad’s family Costco membership (thanks, Tom!), so I can’t go to Costco on my own. Since we had the twins (8 years ago), I have only been to Costco with him a few times, and he always complains that we spend way more when I do.
  2. We use Costco for simple basics in bulk. Flavor in my meals usually comes in the way these the food is prepared- spices, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce. And yes, I still eat yummy things like pizza (and not the cauliflower crust kind) or ice cream on a weekly basis, but I’m not getting them in bulk at Costco.

My Costco Grocery List for Running Performance

Things we buy at Costco every 2 weeks:

Here’s our go tos from Costco- these don’t change whether I’m focusing on body composition or marathon training. They’re our staples.

Produce:

  • Power greens or spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Bell peppers
  • Avocado
  • Bananas
  • Berries
  • Oranges or peaches (seasonal)
  • Apples

Carbs:

  • Oatmeal
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Corn on the cob
  • Canned black beans
  • Quinoa

Protein:

  • Organic eggs
  • Tuna
  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Tri tip (we usually BBQ on Sunday)

We also get Kodiak pancake mix, granola bars and other snacks for the kids.

Why Whole Foods Work for Marathon Training and Weight Loss

My shopping list is mostly boring whole foods because that’s what we eat most of the time. They’re healthy, cheaper and make you feel good.

This is also why I don’t need to count macros or calories — ever. Because when you eat more whole foods & understand how to fill your plate based on whether you’re trying to lose weight or training for a half marathon PR (2 foundational concepts of Run Fuel), you don’t need to weigh your food or stress whether the appetizers you shared with friends on girls night will put you over your allotted carbs for the day.

When in doubt, keep it simple. 

Happy running, 

Nicole Dobransky

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