In these final days before the race, the running and training is mostly behind us (at least in theory) and our focus is shifting to nutrition. Liv and I are both living at the office right now with hefty workloads, and for me, that usually means eating whatever is the most convenient [read: the Halloween candy jar that is 20 feet from my office], rather than choosing healthier options.
But let's get real. Yes, maybe Halloween is one of my very favorite times of year. And maybe I do live for free candy in delicious bite-sized portions. But if I can't suck it up and be smart about nutrition for the 9 remaining days until the marathon, then I really need to reevaluate my relationship with food. (Gulp. Nice self-induced guilt trip, eh?)
Herein lies the bigger issue: I'm a little clueless about what I should be eating in these final days. Lately, I've been using the MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone to better understand my nutritional intake, and it has taught me that I eat entirely too much sugar and not nearly enough protein. Shocker, I know. To quote the brilliant Jack Donaghy, "Thanks for telling me what I already know. You should work for the Huffington Post."
So I'm taking some pointers from No Meat Athlete. According to Matt (and Lance Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael), "carbohydrates are most important, followed by protein, followed by fat, which is of little use before a race." So... I reckon he's telling me to cool it on the miniature Reese's until after the marathon.
I wish I could claim that I'll be making all of No Meat Athlete's delicious recipes to properly fuel before the marathon, but that just ain't happening with my current schedule at work. Even so, I'll be more than happy to chow down on whatever pasta, bagels, candy and nutrition bars I can get my hands on.
Oh, and sugar addiction aside, you better believe I have a date with a giant bag of Halloween candy after I cross that finish line. Judge away.
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