Food that Fuels Me

On Sunday, I am running the NYC Marathon. This will be my 6^th marathon, but it’s been a year and a half since my last one.  Yes, there have been half a dozen half-marathons and several road races in the meantime. Yes, I have followed my training program since July, working long runs around summer weekend plans. Yes, I have been doing my core workouts and cross-training in the cycling studio. No matter – I still get the jitters!

This week, I am tapering, drinking plenty of fluids, getting some sleep, and watching what I eat. Honestly, there’s not a lot of recipe testing going on. Leading up to the event, I focus on very simple foods that are easy to digest – this is no time for beans, raw vegetables, alcohol or experiments. I stick with low-fiber, high-carbohydrate options such as bagels, cooked cereal, apples, pasta, yogurt, fruit, skim milk, rice, and lean protein.

On race morning, we have to catch the Staten Island Ferry at 5:30 am to make our way out to the runner’s village and start line. Somehow, among trains, ferries, shuttles, and bag drops, I plan on having instant plain oatmeal and a banana before the race starts at 9:40 am. The rest of my race nutrition plan revolves around Vanilla Gu and Gatorade. Yummy? Not really, but it’s worked in the past; let’s hope it works again!!