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Nia Akins, middle-distance runner and grad of the University of Pennsylvania, recently joined the Brooks Beasts Track Club and moved to Seattle to train with her new teammates—with her eyes on Tokyo 2021.
“I’m starting to picking it back up and incorporate training elements like med ball circuits. And now that I have access to a track, I have been able to throw on spikes and really start gearing up for when we can toe the line again,” she told Runner’s World.
Winter Running Hats 600-meter race in 1:27.20 at the Bigger Friendly Meet on July 17, held near Eugene, Oregon, with just athletes, no fans, in order to keep the event safe during the coronavirus outbreak.
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But it’s not just training that helps Akins top the podium; proper fuel is key, too. As she looks to the 2021 Olympic year, cooking with fresh, local ingredients, eating all of the chocolate chip cookies, and being adventurous when dining out are what keeps her strong and supports the demands of her training.
One Giant Pancake for Fuel
What to Wear Tool giant pancake with Greek yogurt, berries, and maple syrup, plus a handful of toasted walnuts. If I’m in a hotel before a meet, I’ll go for oatmeal, but I prefer a pancake when I can. It doesn’t sit as heavy in my stomach. And for every race, I always make sure to pack a a GoGo Squeez gives you five muscle-building routines that take just 10 minutes to get you stronger.
If I’m not fueling for a race or workout and have some extra time in the morning, I like to do a breakfast burrito bowl with quinoa, black beans, eggs, pico de gallo, and kale—almost like a salad.
Following a workout, I whip up a protein shake or smoothie, and use whey protein, berries, and sometimes add in chocolate syrup for a bit of a treat.
[Runner’s World 10-Minute Cross-Training, Best Jogging Strollers.]
Go for the Plants
For lunch, I’ll usually have some kind of salad. I’ve eaten mostly vegetarian my whole life. I fill my bowl with arugula, beet, avocado, and some kind of plant protein—like lentils—and add a whole grain—like quinoa—and sometimes a sprinkle of nutritional yeast on top. As a side, I like to add whatever local sourdough bread I can find.
My cooking style is definitely to “go for the plants,” and don’t be afraid to try new things, especially when it comes to plant-based food.
Soups, Even in Summer
For dinner, I tend to whip up some kind of sweet potato bowl with kale and chickpeas. Lately, I’ve been making homemade soups and stews that typically include fresh, local ingredients like curried sweet potato and lentils.
I know it makes no sense in the summer, but I still love to eat soup. The more time soups and stews sit in the fridge, the more time the flavors have to mix together. So they’re really good a couple days out.
Homemade Snacks
For dessert, it’s all about a classic: a good chocolate chip cookie. When I’m in training, sometimes I’ll use chickpeas, maple syrup, chocolate chips, and peanut butter in the blender to create a healthier version to snack on, but it’s not quite the same.
GPS Running Watches Zhoug sauce from Trader Joe’s, which I recently got my roommates hooked on.
Nia Akins’s Pantry Staples
Thick-Crust Pizza, Always
Aside from whipping up meals with local ingredients in my own kitchen, I like to try new things when I go out to eat—I’m definitely a foodie. I especially like to go for what I know would be hard to make myself. When I was in school in Philadelphia, I liked to go out for pizza after meets—there was so much good pizza there. Now, I’m finding great pizza places in Seattle, too.
I always order the one that I couldn’t recreate at home or that would be really challenging to attempt. Recently, I had a really good pizza. I don’t remember the cheese, but it had pesto, pine nut, jam, figs and pears. Lots of flavors. And thick crust, always.
