I am in training for a marathon. And although I didn’t used to think it was a big deal, what I eat is HUGELY important right now. Once again, I am writing this with a keen understanding of the fact that I am in no ways an expert. In fact, I hardly ever cook (my husband is the chef around here) and I don’t even think I’m a very good vegetarian as I eat eggs and cheese (which, yes, I do know enough to identify as a lacto ovo vegetarian. OK, so I guess I’m not a complete idiot on the topic;).

Tonight’s dinner: pasta with broccoli and sun dried tomatoes. Yum.

But here’s what I DO know: my last 3 marathon training cycles I didn’t make great choices, I ended up with very low blood pressure (dangerously so), anemia, and very low levels of vitamin B, and not only are those things not good for your performance, they’re not good for your LIFE.

So this time I am determined to be more intentional about what goes in my body. Oh, and did I mention that I typically GAIN weight when training for a marathon? And no, well meaning people, it is NOT muscle. It is me not planning my meals well and becoming so hungry that I will shove the first thing that is edible in my pie whole (even if it’s a whole pie). 

So . . here’s how it’s gonna go down. Or at least as close to this as humanly possible (oh, and disclaimer, almost all I’m saying here I got from other people but MUCH of it can be credited to Tara Gius at Diet Diva Tara Gidus and her podcasts on nutrition on the Mickey Miles Podcast which have all been hugely awesome).

My rules:

• Eat often – this week I am scheduled to run 29 miles. That’s a lot of miles. And I need A LOT of food to support that. Eating smaller meals throughout the day is the way to go for me here. Keeps me from ever being so hungry that I make horrible choices. Great items to always have on hand for this? Hard boiled eggs, avocados, almonds, and in a bind, Cliff bars (whole food is my top choice but those are pretty good and do the trick)
• Take my supplements. I tend to run anemic in the best of times and marathon training puts an even greater drain on my iron stores. Also, my B vitamins (which are lacking in most vegetarian diets) are always low so taking that as well. 
• Hydrate – and NOT just with water. I am a huge believer in electrolyte replacement not because I’m advertising for it but because I see a HUGE difference. On a running day I’m doing Nuun during (1 – 3 depending on how long I’m out there) and at least one Nuun tablet that afternoon. And the day before a long run I’m trying to get 2 – 3 in as well. My very low blood pressure scare (which Web MD had me COMPLETELY freaked out about) was actually low sodium caused by excessive sweating and dehydration. Nuun is my friend.
• WATCH YOUR PROTEIN I just started using Vega Sport Protein Powder and love it. A scoop full of that with a banana and ice (and water of course per directions) in my blender after a long run is PERFECTION. I’m also eating eggs every day and working on increasing how many nuts I eat.
• Eat enough calories!! Yes, this may seem odd considering I just told you I don’t want to gain weight but when I don’t eat enough calories to support the miles, I get tired. I when I get tired, I loose all ability to make great dietary choices. And when I loose all ability to make great dietary choices I eat whole pies.