In season late June to August: Sour (or tart) cherries are nature's painkiller. According to a study published last year, runners who drank tart cherry juice twice daily for a week before and during the 197-mile Shoes & Gear reported feeling less pain than placebo drinkers. Choose whole cherries more often than juice; one cup of fruit has nearly half the calories and more fiber than the juice.
How You Fuel Before Your Training Block: Supermarkets rarely carry sour cherries, but you can find the summer fruit at farmers markets and produce stands. As their name implies, sour cherries taste slightly tart. They're generally brighter red and smaller than sweet varieties. Use within a day or two, or pit and freeze for up to a year.
KITCHEN SIMPLE: Sour cherries are delicious in cobbler and pie, and folded into quick-bread batter. Or make sour cherry syrup: Boil four cups pitted cherries with 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water for 10 minutes (add a splash of lemon or lime juice if you like). Pour into a jar and store in the fridge. Ladle the fruit over waffles or ice cream, or combine with seltzer for cherry soda.
