Beets Are Endurance Athletes’ Favorite Root
Nitrates in beets have made them popular among exercisers, but the benefit may be even greater for less active people.
When Dennis Dollins first started training for ultramarathons — races longer than 26.2 miles — two years ago, he did some research on strategies that would allow him to more efficiently cover longer distances in less time. The 54-year-old came across a study examining cyclists who consumed beet juice before a race. The results, which suggested beet juice staved off exhaustion in the cyclists, convinced him to experiment with the vegetable on his own.
His strategy: Starting about three days before any run over 25 miles, Dollins, who works in information security, would eat about six ounces of beets. Then, he’d track his heart rate during the run. To compare, he’d also record his heart rate during a run when he hadn’t eaten beets. When Dollins looked at his data, he noticed that when he ate the beets, his heart rate at the same pace would go down a couple of beats. “As a result, I was able to go a little bit longer before I hit that lactic acid threshold,” the point in a workout where lactic acid, which is made in muscle cells when the body converts food into energy, begins to increase exponentially.
