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Run Fast. Eat Slow.

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From world-class marathoner and 4-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky comes a whole foods, flavor-forward cookbook that proves food can be indulgent and nourishing at the same time. Finally here's a cookbook for runners that shows fat is essential for flavor and performance and that counting calories, obsessing over protein, and restrictive dieting does more harm than good.

Packed with more than 100 recipes for every part of your day, mind-blowing nutritional wisdom, and inspiring stories from two fitness-crazed women that became fast friends over 15 years ago, Run Fast Eat Slow has all the bases covered. You'll find no shortage of delicious meals, satisfying snacks, thirst-quenching drinks, and wholesome treats. Fan favorites include Can't Beet Me Smoothie, Arugula Cashew Pesto, High-Altitude Bison Meatballs, Superhero Muffins, Kale Radicchio Salad with Farro, and Double Chocolate Teff Cookies.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2016

966 people are currently reading
6353 people want to read

About the author

Shalane Flanagan

7 books64 followers
Shalane Flanagan is an Olympic medalist, four-time Olympian, American record holder, and world-class marathoner. She finished second at the 2010 NYC marathon and ran the fastest time ever by an American woman at the 2014 Boston Marathon, completing the race in 2:22.02. At the 2014 Berlin Marathon, Shalane ran a personal best of 2:21.14, the second-fastest time ever by an American woman.

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5 stars
1,543 (51%)
4 stars
856 (28%)
3 stars
405 (13%)
2 stars
111 (3%)
1 star
64 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah.
13 reviews4 followers
February 6, 2017
This book is difficult to rate. Although it's a cookbook, I did read the content from front to back. If I were to break down my rating, I'd say 4 stars for the recipes, 2 stars for additional content, and 1 star for the writing style.

As a person on a restrictive diet due to health issues, and one who prefers homemade whole foods to packaged and processed ones, frequently making the same recipes gets old. The authors, who are both runners, have several unique ideas for combining nutritious ingredients with the intent to provide proper nourishment for athletes, however, anyone can enjoy them.

In addition to the recipes, the book includes suggested items to have in your pantry, as well as information on remedies for common runner's ailments (linking back to specific recipes that could nutritionally support that condition).

On the header of each page, the recipes note whether they are gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan, which was helpful to be able to quickly note which ones best suited my needs. Unfortunately, I first noticed this distinction when I was reading the recipe for pita chips, which was marked as gluten-free, despite the "whole wheat pita bread" required in the ingredients list! The rest of the notations seemed accurate.

Although the content is decent, reading through it was agonizing. The whole book sounds like an overly fake infomercial, replete with excessive adjectives and hip buzzwords. Here's an excerpt from the first recipe for a coconut-kale smoothie:

"Portland is a small city packed to the brim with creative people churning out incredible food. Lucky for us, you don't have to go to a fancy restaurant to experience an inspiring dish. In fact, some of our favorite spots to chow down at are the endless food carts. And one of our favorite carts to cruise by when we're in the need of a health fix is the Kure Juice Bar. This recipe is inspired by our go-to smoothie at the Kure. Not surprisingly, it's called the Extra Mile. One sip of this refreshing mean-green smoothie and you'll be ready to go that extra mile."


I'd highly suggest skimming through the supplementary information and getting straight into the recipes! I haven't tried any yet, but from past experience working with these ingredients, I can tell that they will be full of flavor.
Profile Image for Diana.
476 reviews38 followers
June 21, 2025
Run Fast. Eat Slow. is a cookbook geared toward runners. Marathoner Shalene Flanagan has teamed up with chef Elyse Kopecky to make this happen. The book kicks off with a little background info on the two women followed by a chapter titled "Our Pantry" outlining what they deem must-haves for every kitchen. From there the book is broken down into the following food categories:
Thirst Quenchers
Morning Fuel
Snacks and Appetizers
Salads
Soups
Nourishing Mains
Sides
Sauces & Dressings
Wholesome Treats
Runner's Remedies

Onto the recipes:

Variety: There is a large variety of recipes in this book and there are a LOT of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Pictures: The pictures in this book are beautiful; however, there are not very many. There are VERY FEW recipes with accompanying pictures -- probably less than 25% I would say.

Difficulty: The recipes have easy to follow instructions and are set up in an easy to follow format. Some are quick and easy, others are lengthy with lots of steps.

Ingredients: Most of the recipes include fresh ingredients as well as unique ingredients such as teff flour or almond flour so unless you normally shop at a natural foods store or the like, you may need to expand your shopping routine to find some of these ingredients.

Nutrition: Nutrition facts are NOT included with the recipes. This quote from the book explains their reasoning:
"The recipes in this cookbook do not include calorie counts or macronutrient (carbs, protein, fat) measurements. This wasn’t an oversight but intentional. Don’t ask us how many grams of protein are in our High-Altitude Bison Meatballs with Simple Marinara or how many grams of fat are in our Superhero Muffins. We don’t know and we don’t care. Instead we’ll tell you all about the incredible phytochemicals, antioxidants, and omega 3s and the exciting ways these delicious foods can help supercharge your training."
Okay, I can see what they are trying to say here but as a life-long fitness and nutrition enthusiast, I will ALWAYS want nutritional information included in any cookbook I am using!
Profile Image for Jackie.
497 reviews17 followers
July 31, 2017
I didn't know anything about this book before getting it from the library, except that a friend recommended it to me. Based on the title, I expected it to be about half advice on running, half advice on food. It's all food. That's not really a criticism of the book, because I probably could have read the back of the book to find that out, but more of a heads-up for anyone else.

I find it hard to give this book a high rating. It doesn't really outline a specific dietary plan or give you definite goals/rules to guide your food choices. Its advice and suggestions are very general. That's probably appropriate given that the authors are not licensed doctors or trained dietitians. One's an olympic marathon runner, and that's impressive, but it really only qualifies her to give advice about running. Reading about an average week of menus for her is interesting, but they don't really give you enough information to truly follow her example. A lot of the advice comes down to cook at home, don't eat pre-packaged food, and eat a balanced diet. That's not very specific, and it certainly isn't specific to runners.

Ok, so this won't be laying out a new dietary plan, but most of the book is recipes, so how does it fare as a cookbook? Meh. I tried 5 recipes: a smoothie, some breakfast scones, some trail mix, a chicken and rice stew, and a sauteed pear dessert thing. The smoothie was gross; not drinkable. The scones and pears were both pretty average; enjoyable but not good enough that I'd bother making them again. The trail mix was predictably decent. The stew was actually quite good; I'll be making a copy of that one. I plan on trying out a few more of the entree recipes, but I feel pretty safe making a judgement now about the overall quality of the book.
Profile Image for Max.
926 reviews37 followers
July 31, 2019
Great recipes focused on long distance running. Also some explanation is included and useful tips. I already made the superhero muffins and they are wonderful! The recipes are healthy with good ingredients but they are kind of heavy so this is not a book with recipes for when you're trying to lose weight.
Profile Image for Anna.
292 reviews
April 27, 2018
This is the cookbook I've been looking for

I could not have found a more perfect cookbook that matches my own views on healthy eating. There is no shortage of healthy fats (including butter!), there are vegetarian recipes, there are meat recipes that are paired with a large doses of veggies,and best of all, they all taste amazing (I do usually add a bit more salt than they call for, but they do tell you to adjust seasoning as necessary). I use this book weekly if not daily and I was so lost without it on a recent extended trip that I also bought the ebook to permanently have it available on my phone (which also works great when I'm in the grocery store).
1 review
September 1, 2018
I love food. I like Whoppers and Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwiches. When my marathon running daughter said she was going to cook a meal from this book, I was worried. Especially after she brought out the kale and quinoa and Garbanzo Beans. I held my breath and tried her first dish. Holy crow! I liked it. She made a second dinner. I loved it. And so on. And here I am writing a reivew for a book I have not read. I just am blessed to live with someone who has. What the heck?

People who run marathons aren't normal. Or so I thought. They are beautifully normal. And these specific marathon, olympic and smart chef people, know how to eat. This book needs to be in everyone's kitchen. You must try this stuff. It is so good. It is delectable. It will change your mind about all that is healthy and looks too healthy to be fun and a joy to eat. Have at it. RF. ES. is required. It needs to be read. Read it and change the world we live in for the better.
Profile Image for Amanda.
146 reviews7 followers
January 2, 2019
My star track athlete sister received this book for Christmas and I swiped it from her for the day. I loooved the way the whole premise of the text, how everything was formatted, and the lovely pictures.
Profile Image for Marathon County Public Library.
1,508 reviews49 followers
March 27, 2017

Are you an athlete looking for recipes that will fuel your workouts, help you recover, and work to nourish and support your body? This cookbook is a wonderful collection of healthy recipes and tips from a collaboration between an Olympic athlete and a chef, who both know the importance of taking care of their hard-working bodies. While I personally work to steer clear of animal products, which this cookbook does use in some of the recipes, I still found a good stack of recipes that I can't wait to try out!




Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

Profile Image for Em.
625 reviews15 followers
July 10, 2016
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway from Rodale Publishing.

Because this was an advance copy, it didn't feature full-color photographs that will be in the final copy. For me, color photos are crucial, so the final product will benefit people like me - those who need vivid photos to entice the brain, eye and palate. I also need visuals to motivate me to cook.

I really like the concept of this book - nourishing recipes for athletes. I'm not a foodie, but I want my food to be healthy, nourishing and tasty.

The book has 12 chapters: book concept, pantry basics, and then nine category chapters (drinks, breakfast, snacks and appetizers, salads, soups, mains, sides, sauces/dressings, treats), runners remedies (recipes in the book for specific issues, such as colds, etc.).

If you live in a city with a Whole Foods, you can most likely find ingredients there, even if you live in small city. They do provide online sites where some of the items can be purchased.

Some of the recipes are new to me, but some are variations of things I already do. I did like that the authors included a recipe for chicken bone broth and a mineral broth.

This looks to be a really good cookbook for athletes who are willing to cook. The book does seem geared toward runners, and it's written by two runners. I don't know that the CrossFit or Paleo crowd will like it as much as the running crowd. Some of the recipes seem heavy on the carb side. This cookbook is part of the slow cooking trend.

One of the books strengths is the Treat chapter. These are recipes that satisfy the sweet tooth using fruits, dark chocolate, oatmeal and more.

The Sides Chapter was disappointing for me. I am always looking for healthy sides that are made from nonstarchy vegetables. The ones they include are variations of things I already do.

Because I'm not someone who cooks a lot, I prefer cookbooks that tell me how long it will take to prep and how long it will take to cook. This cookbook does neither, and some of the recipes look time intensive to prep and cook.

Overall, it's a nice cookbook. The recipes look like they would please most palates, so if someone is cooking for a family and only one is a runner or other athlete, the variety of recipes are sure to please most. Most recipes serve 2, 4, or 6. The recipes definitely do look nourishing and tasty.
Profile Image for Yvette .
216 reviews34 followers
August 14, 2016
Excellent new recipe book geared toward clean eating for athletes, especially runners. I love the addition of the herbal remedies for various ailments, such as inflammation, upset stomach, common cold, etc. I am a firm believer that organic cures are the best for the human body. I find I heal quicker. I made the whole chicken recipe in less than 90 minutes with the cauliflower for dinner and it was fantastic. I found that all the recipes are simple to make and can be made in advance and eaten as left overs as I am super busy during the week and don't usually have time to cook. One other suggestion start with the fish tacos with mango salsa. We grilled Halibut on the barbecue and it was out of the world!!! Enjoying the food and I look forward improving my running as result.
Profile Image for Matilda.
247 reviews13 followers
January 7, 2017
a cool book for athletes focusing on the runner. while there are no chapters on how to run faster it's under the concept that if you fuel yourself correctly then the speed will come naturally (or with a lot of hard work in training)

haven't tested any of the recipes yet but to do like how each recipe gives you what part of training it is suited for ie speedwork, recovery, long run etc
Profile Image for Becky Fuller.
50 reviews6 followers
September 20, 2016
Lovely cookbook with what appear to be excellent recipes. If I attempted to do these recipes myself in addition to caring for my two small children I would ironically no longer have any time to actually run. Definitely something to aspire to though!
Profile Image for Megan.
459 reviews22 followers
January 26, 2024
Hard to rate a cookbook, but I like the way this one addresses ingredients. Basically, the recipes call for some moderately unusual ingredients (spelt flour, molasses, etc), but rather than just being eclectic, there's a section at the beginning explaining which ingredients they want you to have and why, and the recipes are based around this selected group of items, so there isn't as much time spent searching for specialty items as it might first seem.

There's also a section at the back that goes over common athletic nutrition problems (anemia, athletic amenorrhea, etc) and how to address them through diet choices. I do think some specific nutritional breakdowns would have been useful, but assume the shear potential range of products used makes that hard in this kind of a format.

After about a month of use, my most used recipes are:
- Ginger Molasses Granola - I've made granola before, and it was 'meh' at best and often too oily. This one is great, the molasses really does a lot here, and the directions just work. I have tried a few of the recommended substitutions, but keep finding 'as written' is just the best flavor balance. Molasses and raisins, who knew?
- Arugula Cashew Pesto - just so good. The basic formula (plus some water, I find) works for a wide range of ingredients. The 'as written' is a really great flavor, but it's an incredibly versatile formula as well so this is such a good option for extra greens.
- Sweet Potato Fries - The addition of egg white here is great, I never would have tried that on my own.

Overall I found this useful and will be checking out the second book, I think this is a good take on healthier eating, especially for endurance athletes and especially for female endurance athletes.
52 reviews2 followers
December 27, 2020
The book is co-written by an Olympian athlete and whole-foods nutrition expert. All of the recipes are incredibly healthy, and the ones that I have made are delicious 😋

I love the book because in addition to recipes, it gives tips for runners (e.g. strength work examples or tips for better sleep). It also gives information about things runners commonly struggle with and how those things can be prevented with a healthy diet. In most of the recipes, they explain the benefits of certain ingredients used, which I also like.

Some downsides are that the recipes call for ingredients that are often more expensive than more common ingredients and can be hard to find in smaller grocery stores.
Profile Image for Corey.
41 reviews
Read
March 16, 2021
I returned it to the library so I guess I'm done reading it, but I haven't tried any of the recipes. Not sure what I was thinking because anyone who knows me, knows I hate cooking. I did find it funny that they pointed out that the olympic marathon runner doesn't count calories. She runs 100 miles a week! Of course she doesn't count calories!
Profile Image for Cloud.
457 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2022
Did not finish.

I feel like I'm cheating by saying I'm done "reading" this book. It's a cookbook. I like what the authors have in the beginning about food and keeping the base stuff on hand. I'll say I tried to make the beet smoothy and things were not good. I'm sure that's more of a user error.

Will I look at this book and try more recipes? Yes. I have a friend who raves about it so I'm sure it'll say in the front of my brain for a bit longer. Do I have the mental energy and time to do any new fancy cooking right now? No. (the reason why is because of Baby)

Overall tho I'm glad to have this book in my collection.
Profile Image for Daron Simon.
14 reviews
June 3, 2024
Never enjoyed cooking til this book 🤗

Rating is based mostly on the recipes—most of the additional writing was helpful for me going into my first marathon build, but some of it was just okay. Overall, these books are great.
Profile Image for Aiden Orlovsky.
12 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2025
I wish there was a little more content but I liked how there was explanations at the start and then descriptions and stories with each recipe. Made a list of ones I’m going to try and most looking forward to superhero muffins and pecan butter chocolate truffles with sea salt
Profile Image for Michelle.
206 reviews42 followers
January 1, 2018
Great tips and interesting recipes. Unfortunately I’m allergic to several key ingredients (soy, nuts, avocados) so I can only make a few recipes.
Profile Image for Jenny Michael-lust.
37 reviews3 followers
April 10, 2018
I am excited to try the recipes I this book to not only eat healthier, but to help the runners in my family.
492 reviews
Read
May 7, 2018
The book contains some broad bits of common sense food wisdom, but it was not helpful to me without macronutrient information.
Profile Image for Penny.
546 reviews9 followers
May 17, 2018
I got some good recipes from this book.
Profile Image for Christine Falbo.
86 reviews1 follower
January 14, 2019
This is the first time I read an entire cookbook cover to cover. Lots of interesting and useful information. I'm excited to try a lot of these recipes!
Profile Image for S.
21 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2025
I've made half a dozen of these recipes and liked all of them. The Thai quinoa salad is a lunch go-to for me and has been for several years.
Profile Image for Amber Kuczynski.
69 reviews
December 30, 2022
I’m not actually sure this counts as a book, but I loved it! I did read it front to back and all the tips/extras in it. It has some great info and recipes and I’ll definitely be trying tons of them leading up to my next marathon!
Profile Image for Connie.
908 reviews7 followers
July 24, 2018
Great layout. Easy to read, user friendly, encouragement for new tastes, delicious and healthy recipes with the active person in mind.
Okay, I haven’t run for days, but there is still hope! This recipe book has inspired me to make the effort to get back at it.
Profile Image for ion.
76 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2020
"One look at the line in front of the porta-potties at a road race and it's apparent that digestive distress is a common problem among runners."

Truer words have never been said.
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