Fast Food

Miles last week: 50 (again!)
In progress: 21/40-50


I had honestly never contemplated eating while running. I don't even like eating before running. Too much salad, a soda, a lump of oatmeal- just thinking about food bopping around in my stomach while running makes me feel queesy.

So when Liz said active.com recommends eating during a run longer than seven miles, I was pretty surprised. Especially because most of my runs are longer than seven miles.

We're not talking eating hamburger and hot dogs. Rather energy gels, sugary chews, dried fruit, & even Fig Newtons. "You need easy sugars and carbs," my friend, fellow marathon runner, and senior nutrition major Lauren explained as we ran on Saturday. "Avoid any and all fiber, but you've got to fuel your body, and keep fueling it if you want to feel good on these long run days."

So I ran 18/19 on Staurday this past week, the first nine with Lauren. She brought along a picnic of runner's goodies- a cliff bar Razz energy shot and several slivers of Fig Newtons. At about an hour she prompted me to eat the energy shot- which tasted like raspberry Starbursts and had the consistency of toothpaste. Not half bad. At about two hours I ate the sliced fig cookies, each third in three little bites. And I nibbled on some dried cranberries near the very end. And the funny thing is, I think it actually worked.

I felt better, more energized, perkier, faster even. I finish my run in two and a half hours. Lauren thought that fifty miles a week was even a little too much (what a relief)!

I would how much is the placebo effect (my simply believing the food would help) and how much was actually nutritional science. If I can convince my self of positive energy from food, could I draw the same metaphorical sugars and carbs from enthusiastic crowds? I could eat up that cheering like cake. This is new: trusting that there is more working for me than just my sheer will-power. I think I'm on to something.