Carb-overloading!

I have to go run 4 miles. I was going to go run them this morning, but work got busy. Then I was going to go run them at noon, but my running buddy invited me to lunch. I  brought lunch from home, and I really can't afford to go out for lunch, but it has been FOREVER since I went out to eat or even treated myself to a coffee with my BRF. I thought about how hectic this week has been, how cold and miserable it is outside, and how I really wanted to get away from the office for a bit. Add that to the fact that she wanted to go to the best Asian restaurant on campus, and I couldn't say "no". So, I went and demolished a huge plate of Tofu Chow Fun, in like five minutes. Now, I have to go run 4 miles. This is not going to be pleasant.

See, I don't eat like that anymore. Used to be that wolfing down a plate of stir-fried noodles while barely stopping to breathe was a regular occurrence for me. I ate whatever tasted good, I ate for the camaraderie of sharing time with friends; food was fun! However, in the past year and a half since I started running, I have found my attitude towards food has made a pretty drastic shift. I never used to view food as fuel for my body's activities. I enjoyed food, maybe too much, but never really thought about how it might be affecting my energy or attitude. I didn't have to worry about how much fiber was in my morning meal, or whether or not I was getting enough "good" fat in my diet. I didn't have to plan out my protein intake to make sure it was aiding in recovery after workouts, and I certainly never considered eating anything called Gu!

Now, I am keenly aware of everything that goes into my body; how it affects my ability to exercise at a peak level and how it helps replenish me after a run. Decadent treats are reserved for rest days (or after races) and a bowl of cereal no longer cuts it as breakfast. I know how often and how much I need to eat each day to maintain my weight and my energy at an optimal level. I now eat to live, instead of living to eat. This change has been gradual, and it hasn't been easy. I've given up some things I really love, but I don't feel deprived. I still have chocolate chip cookies and ice cream, I just don't have them every night. If anything, I have really learned to stop and think about what I'm about to put in my body. I think about how I'm going to feel after I eat it, I think about how it is going to affect my workout, I decide whether or not it is "worth" the calories. It is a shift that has really helped me be in a place where I am in the best shape of my life, and all the sacrifices have been worth it!

Still, there is one area of my nutrition overhaul that I haven't figured out....fueling during long runs/races. I started to experiment with this last year, but found that for most of my races I didn't really need anything other than some water. I tried some energy gels, which were all heinous, while training for my half marathon. Although I'll admit I got a good boost from them, it was torture trying to choke them down. I did discover one brand, Huma Chia Energy Gels, that tasted pretty good, but I don't know that they delivered the best bang for my buck. I have realized though, with marathon training in full swing, now is the time to get this figured out. So, I stopped by REI the other day and picked up this :

Yes, that is pretty much every variation of easy to process energy there is on the market. And I'm going to attempt to find at least one that will get me through 26.2 miles without making me want to puke, or bonk in the process. I am also planning on trying this recipe for homemade Chia gel. I am nothing if not frugal, so if I can make my own energy gel at a fraction of the cost of store-bought, sign me up!

I am working on a page where I can post reviews of everything I try, so look for that in the next week or so. In the meantime, I welcome your suggestions on what works for you, what I should avoid, or you can just tell me I am way over thinking this and I should stick to the tried and true pre-race spaghetti dinner to get me through!