Weekly MM: Marathon Food! [Before, During, & After]

It's been a little over two weeks since the marathon; and up until this week, things were going great! I'd been working out moderately, managed to catch a cold, and last Sunday I went on my first long run since the marathon. It was an awesome 11 miles. I felt so fresh and happy!

This Sunday I walked out my door, excited for another long run. Something happened in my foot halfway through that forced me to completely stop. Since then, I've seen a doctor and allowed myself one day of mourning. He wasn't able to give me a definite answer, just a few likely causes of the pain and direction for proceeding: no running for the next 7-10 days...and then, we'll see. For someone that's never experienced a true sports-related injury, this news was heartbreaking.

So let's talk about something that always makes me happier: FOOD! I thought it would be fun to share what I ate as I prepared for and ran the marathon, as well as what I had after (EVERYTHING). As the last week approaches and the weekly mileage dwindles, obsessing over the "perfect" pre-race meal and right proportions of carbs, salt, liquids takes over...also, what terrible things am I going to eat afterwards? I was not excluded from this typical worry of proper pre-marathon fueling. Race day went more than smoothly, so I think I did alright with my selections in the end!


Thursday Night
I picked up my race packet Thursday, and went with some training teammates to get some drinks. I had a cider for good luck and returned home to hydrate and eat dinner: ricotta & tomato spaghetti squash bake and toast. They were leftovers so I didn't bother putting them on a plate. I just reheated and ate straight from the baking dish...proof that my life isn't always pretty :)



Friday Morning
Two slices of bacon to, you know, keep my salt levels high. I also had some cooked oats, topped with banana, peanut butter, and raspberry jam. (Oh, and I stashed some salt packets for the race. Conversations from the night before had me anxious about not having sodium pills...)





Friday Lunch
At work, I had an avocado & tuna sandwich on wheat bread (carbs! check!). Plus, there were salad greens with cucumber (hydrating!) and topped with a bit of ranch.



Friday Dinner
Dinner was the most difficult meal for me to decide on. Throughout my training, I mainly stuck to meatless meals the night before long runs. A lot of what I read warned about eating too many vegetables (fiber), but also reiterated that you should stick with what your body is used to. So meatless it was! I tossed together quinoa fried rice with one egg and lots o'soy for my protein/salt. I topped it with seasoned Asian veggies. The veggies were from a frozen steam-able bag, which helped make prep and clean-up easy and stress-free! Not pictured: a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and coconut-almond blend milk.



Saturday Breakfast
This meal was the easiest and required close to no thought, since it was what I had been eating for my early runs from the very beginning: 1 1/2 homemade granola bars, black coffee, 1 water bottle. I tried to add half a banana into the mix, but just couldn't stomach it. (A shame, since I was so hungry at the start line an hour later!)



During/Immediately After the Marathon
I mainly relied on Jelly Belly SportBeans during the race (lemon-lime and fruit punch). Around mile 15, I was hungry and was in the mood for a different texture/taste, so I switched to Honey Stingers Waffles for a few miles. The honey flavor tastes just like a chewy graham cracker! Immediately after finishing the race, the splurge began with 2 slices of Papa John's pizza and a bottle of Coco Cafe for hydration & recovery.

Saturday Lunch: Post-Marathon Meal
A burger was a necessity for lunch, since I rarely eat them. Maybe once a month? I inhaled a Rodeo Burger from Carytown Burger and Fries: onion ring, bacon, barbecue sauce, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles. Plus, we shared fries. A few hours later...a bag of gummy bears :)



Saturday Dinner
I dragged my sore legs out of the apartment and walked to get dinner where my favorite macaroni & cheese in Richmond is served: Bamboo Cafe. My sister Cherie, Boyfriend, and I also chowed down on some pot stickers as an appetizer. Before heading home, we took a detour to Bev's Ice Cream...because it wouldn't be a real celebration without a scoop of chocolate ice cream!