It’s once again time for Take it and Run Thursday over at the Runners Lounge. Though, this week’s topic isn’t exactly one of my strong points …
This week’s theme is … Runners version of Eat This Not That. Pass along some of your tips of food you have found helps your running. Tell us about what foods you have cut out or reduced because they don’t help your running. And even better, tell us what “good” foods you substitute for the “bad” ones.
I have my favorite pre-run meals like most runners — usually pasta the night before a big race, and a bagel or toast with peanut butter for breakfast. Other than that, though, I don’t really do anything special.
Lately, though, I’ve been paying a bit more attention to my diet.
My weekly mileage has been higher than usual in the past few months. After the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March, I couldn’t really let my mileage slide like I normally would. I ran a 10-mile race in April and have another half next weekend. On top of that, I’ve started swimming and biking again, to prepare for Iron Girl.
So I’ve been wondering if I’m eating enough calories and the right balance to support all this activity.
I’ve gone through a few phases where I’ve tracked my diet. I usually do it for a while and then get tired of it. I’ve tried a few sites, but so far I like FitDay the best. You can easily track each workout and see how many calories you’ve burned for the day. I often view the “Calories Burned vs Eaten” chart to see how I’m doing.
On the main food page, a pie chart gives you the breakdown of carbs, fat and protein consumed for the day. Since I don’t eat meat (just fish/seafood), I was a little concerned about getting enough protein. Some days it’s kind of low, so I’m glad I’m monitoring it. It helps me plan my next meal or snack.
Just because I’m watching doesn’t mean I actually know what I should be eating, though. I still need to do a little research to make sure I’m getting it right!
(Now I’m going to go check out the other TiaRT contributors for some tips!)
