Vegan gluten free energy bars for half-marathon training

It's October, meaning it's pumpkin season AND my half marathon training commences! It's something I've had on my to-do list so I finally signed up for Surf City in February! I've been mulling over signing up for a race, but finally bit the bullet and signed up. Most people train for 2-3 months, but being the slow-bro runner I am, I'm going to ease it into it. Needless to say, there may be a few more posts related to food/health/running/half-marathon training from now until February. But I promise that February will be dedicated to indulgence!

What's also great about October? Enjoying beautiful runs at dawn.

Beautiful view of my mornings - if it gets any darker, I'm going to have to wear a headlight

Nothing beats having the chance to start a run in the dark and end with the sun just peeking out. I like to run either in the dark or early day just because there's so little people around. It's like you have the whole world to yourself, get to have your thoughts to yourself, and just reflect. Much of my reflecting is thinking about what I'm going to eat after the run, but it's still deep thoughts!

My morning runs have been great, but I keep forgetting to prep my tummy and then halfway through I'm low on energy. While there are many options to choose from (gels, dried fruit, nuts, or bars), I've found eating a little peanut butter ball to be helpful prior to a run. But for those days where I'm aiming for long runs, or for packing something along the run, little energy bars go a long way.

Enter these little lovelies...

These energy bars are inspired from some energy bars I saw on Runner's World and are super easy to prepare. They combine my love for almonds, coconuts, dates, and most of all, simplicity. You don't need to bake these guys - just throw everything into a blender, spread out onto a baking sheet, and freeze. Simple, right?

Ingredients:
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 3/4 cup of chopped toasted almonds
- 1 cup of dates soaked
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup of oats
- 6 tbsp of coconut oil

Protocol:
1. Soak dates to get them softened
2. Throw all ingredients (except coconut oil) and blend using a food processor - you want everything to be chopped into very small pieces
3. Top off with coconut oil that will bind all the ingredients together
4. Spread mixture across baking sheet lined with parchment paper
5. Place in freezer for a couple of hours until firm
6. Cut into designated sizes (squares for energy bar size, small balls for popping into your mouth, whatever you like) and place in fridge until ready to eat

I was a bit skeptical about experimenting with the banana, but these dates are soft, not-to-sweet, and pretty healthy. Needless to say, I'm not too worried about having much left by the end of the week - MOH has been "testing" these babies out throughout the day as well.

Hope everyone is having a great Fall season - for people who live where there are seasons, I'm incredibly jealous. Weather here in Southern California is incredibly beautiful, but I miss the leaves changing colors.

Until next time, happy eating all!