Pre-Race Meal Plan/Carb Loading

One week.

Only one week to go until I zip up my wetsuit (if it gets here in time…) and line up at the starting line.

Only one week until I’ll pedal my heart out on the bike to make up for my lack of swimming/running skills.

Only one week until the day I’ve been waiting for for as long as I can remember.

I am beyond excited and nervous.

Can I carbo load yet?

Speaking of carb loading, I learned a lot about it from this article on Runners World. It’s very consistent with what I’ve learned from studying carbs in biology and I think it has some good tips that I’ll definitely be using this week.

As you probably remember from Into to Bio, your body can use both glycogen (stored carbs) and triglycerides (stored fat) to fuel itself, but it wants to reach for the glycogen first. I remember my professor referring to glycogen as “cash on hand” and triglycerides as “stocks that take a while to trade in.”

Since the fastest way to get energy is through glycogen, thats what you want to make sure your muscles have plenty of before your race.

Random side note: Run to the Finish recommends emptying your glycogen stores and starting fresh. I think I’ll try this just to see what happens (Ill do this on Tuesday anyway– 4 mile run, 1/2 mile swim, 1 hr spin class.)

So with all that said, here are some of my pre-race plans (for meals and other stuff):

• Replace some of the fat and protein in my diet with carbs, starting tuesday.
• Eat good carbs that I know will digest well (sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, veggies, fruit)
• Limit my fiber the day before the race (sorry, fruit. Ill miss you…)
• Get an extra hour or two of sleep every night starting now.
• Spend an hour the day before the race stretching — other than that its a total rest day.
• Drink a little more water than usual the day before the race.
• Honestly, I don’t want to eat the morning of my race. I never eat before I workout and I don’t think my body is ready for me to switch it up like that.

And heres some meals I’m planning on making for the week:

snacks:

• Energy Bar Bites (dates= carbs my tummy likes)
• Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins (recipe to come!)
• Apples and peanut butter
• Hummus and Carrots
• Guacamole (as an incentive to eat corn chips which are too boring on their own)

• 

Breakfasts:

• Quinoa Granola (inspired by this from Oh She Glows)
• Sweet Potato and Egg hash (recipe to come!)
• Zucchini Apple Spice Muffins from Paleomg
• Toast with peanut butter. Back to the basics.
• Fruit Smoothies

Lunch/Dinner:

• Quinoa Pizza Crust from Deliciously Ella
• Turkey and Veggie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (recipe to come!)
• Gluten Free Chicken Teriyaki with Rice and Broccoli (recipe to come!)
• Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and Pecans from Gluten Free Goddess

Well that’s all for now, folks. If I start cooking these now, I might be done with enough time to eat them before race day 🙂

Staying Healthy in College

Yesterday I was a few hours early to class so I went over to the gym and ran 4 miles on a treadmill. This is going to sound pathetic to just about every person alive but that’s the farthest I’ve ever run. I was pretty freakin excited.

I was a huge sweaty mess and had this huge stupid look of awe on my face because I usually can’t go through a 5k without thinking ill die or pee my pants. Too much information? Oops.

So anyway I looked awful and continued to look awful until I pulled on my swim cap and goggles and swam 1/2 mile in the pool. Then i just looked like a bug with a purple head. Good thing I’m not going to college to get married, am I right? Hahhaaa.

As far as food, I pretty much just stuffed a bazillion granola bars in my face cuz that’s easy and I like it. No creativity in the kitchen on weekdays for me. Aint nobody got tiiiime for dat.

Thankfully for ya’ll (why am I saying y’all? I hate when people say y’all. Unless you’re a real hillbilly and I don’t think I’ve met one of those yet) I do like to make good food on the weekends. Maybe because I’m bored and would otherwise be buying running shorts online and I can’t do that now due to my state of being broke smart and responsible budget plan.

But before I give you my newest recipes, heres a list that I thought a lot about this week. Staying healthy in college can be challenging, especially when everyone else is eating french fries and nutella at 2 AM (it’s sad, but thats not even an exaggeration.)

Believe it or not, it is possible to successfully stay healthy and still keep your sanity. However, some effort is required. So just focus all of your energy on these tips. If you’re healthy, no one cares if you’re uneducated and unemployed.

 Just kidding. You should probably study, too.

Being Healthy in College

• Don’t carry change. Carry granola bars. Vending machines with doritos and skittles will look like your best friend when you have a baziliion quarters in your pocket. But if  all you find when you reach for your quarters is a granola bar, you’ll eat that instead. Better yet, carry apples.
• Get a good amount of sleep. Now I know I’m asking for a miracle, but when it’s 1 AM and you’re asleep, you’re probably not eating. Unless you’re a sleep-eater. But I don’t think thats a real thing. Now, not only will a good sleeping schedule keep you from eating at odd hours, but it will also help you maintain a regular meal schedule if you’re waking up and heading to breakfast at a good time every day.
• Eat breakfast. Even if you sleep late and have to rush to class, many professors allow you to eat in their class. So bring a small bag of almonds and raisins and a bottle of water. Skipping breakfast makes you more likely to over eat later in the day, and thats not when your body is going to need the energy (and we all know what happens when you give your body calories that it doesn’t need.)
• Don’t count calories. You have to count to many other things in college. Focus on eating healthy, wholesome meals and getting exercise and you’ll be fine. Your body will tell you when it’s hungry, you just have to listen and don’t ignore it. You’re college serves healthy options, you just have to look for them.
• Join a fitness-related club. When it comes to clubs, you can find anything from Aquatics to Zumba and everything in-between. Find something that you enjoy. The group setting will keep you motivated and accountable and will make you push yourself harder than you would on your own.
• Are you a commuter or have access to a kitchen? Here’s a few ideas for you: salads, lettuce wraps; sandwiches; grilling? make extra chicken or turkey burgers to eat during the week; hummus in a small container with carrot sticks; apple slices with peanut butter holding them together; energy bar bites; &  A genius 5 min Chipotle-style lunch.

Triathlon Update:

Only 2 weeks up until the race!! Im officially training for everything at race pace/distance (plus more for the bike).

Question of the day:

Whats the farthest you’ve ever run?

Whats  your biggest challenge when it comes to staying healthy in college?

My answers: 4 miles & taking that first step of signing up for a fitness club.