Marathon Eats

I wrote enough about the race in the recap, but let me tell you about what I ate to get there. I carb-loaded for three days, and got in far more than the minimum 8 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight (over 400 grams a day for me) (Featherstun, n.d.). What did that look like? Among other things I ate:

16 T Nesquick

9 sourdough bagels (that I made myself)

6 bananas 

3-4 T pumpkin butter

3 pumpkin spice poptarts

3 pumpkin spice bagels

3 c pasta

2 t Honey Stinger hydration mix

1.5 c applesauce 

1.5 c peas

1.5 c sweet potato

1 fruit pouch

1 sachet of LMNT

Race day included:

1 sourdough bagel

Sachet of LMNT

9 GU gels

Barbecue Lays

A Muscle Milk protein shake

A bottle of water

Two more bottles of water with another LMNT

Oreos

A gigantic hamburger from Rehab Burger Therapy

A banana split from Dairy Queen

Sourdough bread

Hot chocolate with peanut butter

Was I binge eating? No, I was legitimately hungry for all this! I wanted the chips almost immediately after I drank the bottle of water, which tells me I needed salt. Then I felt my blood sugar dropping, so I ate the Oreos. The hamburger was in the plan, as that is my post long-run re-fuel food of choice. The ice cream was to celebrate! Then I was hungry, so I ate the bread and drank hot chocolate. Was it a balanced day of eating? Certainly not! It was a day of celebrating, because we only get one life. There is time for healthy eating, but marathon day is not that time!

Since the marathon, I have felt less hunger pangs. At the same time, my stomach has felt like a bottomless pit. I have eaten as much or more than I did during peak week of training. I have been craving more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, however, and desserts do not seem that appealing. (I am guessing my body is balancing out the massive amount of sugar I consumed in the form of gels during the marathon.) Whatever the case, I am trying to listen to my body and give it what it needs

God made our bodies smart. I read that it can take up to a month to replenish glycogen stores, and I want that to happen, so I am going to keep eating, eating, eating (Higdon, n.d.). I ran a marathon. Now I guess I have a marathon of eating?

References:

Featherstun, M. (n.d.). Carb loading. https://www.featherstonenutrition.com/carb-loading/

Higdon, H. (n.d.). Post-marathon recovery: Novice. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/post-marathon-recovery/novice-post-marathon/