Introducing Carrie Verdon, a full-time teacher who just-so-happens to be one of the best distance runners in the USA.
Carrie has run a full marathon in 2h32m, a half marathon in 1h10m, and cleared 10km in just 31 minutes and 30 seconds an average pace of 5:04 minutes per mile.
This is serious business. Most athletes only dream about these speeds.
Carrie is a local legend and national disruptor racing for Team Elite in Boulder. Carrie finished 7th at the Chicago Marathon, her marathon debut. After her most recent accomplishments at Pittsburgh 1/2 Marathon (2nd Place) and BoulderBoulder 10km (3rd Place) we sent Carrie some Vafels we know she's enjoyed in the past to fuel her training weeks.
We asked how she prefers to integrate Vafels into her active lifestyle, often consisting of pre- and post-school day training sessions, trail runs and walks with Scout (below) mixed in.
When to fuel with Vafels
"I normally eat a Stoopvafel about 45-60 minutes before workouts, long runs, and races, so normally in the morning with a cup of tea! I love Liège Vafels as more of a post run refuel, or even a nice dessert after dinner. They are definitely more substantial, and I love that for recovery!"
Carrie's running upwards of 100mi / week and time to train is limited around work hours, so it's essential for Carrie to have access to fuel that doesn't torque the tummy. In other words, when it's time to run, it's ON, and there's no time to waste nursing indigestion.
Why Vafels?
"I choose Vafels over other brands or nutrition because they don’t cause any type of stomach issue for me while exercising, and I find I get a lot of simple carbs/sugars from them which is what I aim for both for pre- and post-workout when you need quick fueling or recovery. I also love that the ingredients are organic, vegan, and I actually know what all of the ingredients are!"
When we made the Original Liège Vafel, our goal was to produce a pastry you could take with you during an activity (like a long bike ride or hike) that wouldn't upset your stomach. In development, we removed about 40% of the fat from the a traditional Liège recipe. Fats are hard to digest during activity and sit heavily in the stomach. We also wanted to find a way to replace the eggs and dairy in the traditional Liège wafel recipe. Eggs and dairy have harder-to-digest animal-based proteins that can cause an upset. We use just the right amount of flaxseed as a binder for our Liège wafel dough. We're careful not to add too much fiber to our wafels, which can leave you gassy and uncomfortable during-activity (tip: stay away from fibrous snacks like apples before or during activity if you're not confident in how you can handle a lot of fiber).
From the development to the Original Liège Vafel to our full product lineup, everything at Vafels is plant-based and vegan-friendly. It's part of our ethos. We design pastries made to fuel your moves because just like you, we got tired of energy bars all the time.
"I’d recommend Vafels for any type of active person! It’s one of those awesome products that can be consumed before, during, and after your choice of movement and the taste literally never gets old. Other nutrition brands can have bland taste that leaves me not wanting to eat it, but I always look forward to eating a Vafel!"
A Different Kind of Tough
In Carrie's free time (which we have yet to comprehend), Carrie is a coach. In fact, she's mixing up her road running training by pacing one of her athletes at the Badwater 135mi race from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA as I write this.
We're wishing Shaun and Carrie the best of luck out there this week.
Follow Carrie in her journey as a runner and Boulder community member on Instagram. Oh, and if you're at all interested in some coaching, check out her coaching profile.