Delicious and nutritious training fuel

I have been focused on improving my nutrition at this early stage of marathon training. It is extremely hot out right now (in the low to mid 90's) so my runs are slow and short. With that in mind I know I need to be vigilant in making excellent nutritional choices to prevent injury and lets face it, slim down a bit so I'm not hauling so much up and down the hills in Baltimore. Maybe in my next few posts I will go into my weight and measurements purely for a source of comparison after this marathon and before the Dopey.

With the heat beating me down I have increased my water intake tremendously. The first thing I do when I wake up is chug the full 16 ounces of water sitting on my night stand strategically placed the night before. I take a reusable cup full of water everywhere I go for the rest of the day!

Breakfast has been 2 hard boiled eggs (Cindy, you know how hard one is for me, but I have been eating two!!) On days that I need a change I have my eggs scrambled with peppers, spinach or any other veggies I can get my hands on. I also have one single serving size plain Greek yogurt (As little sugar as possible) I have tried Fage, Chobani, and Oikos. They are all pretty similar in taste, but not in price so I will buy whatever is on sale of the 3. This morning I added fresh raspberries and black berries to my yogurt.

After I teach spin and core or do my own training in the morning I usually have a protein shake with fruit and spinach. I used frozen grapes, 4oz of milk and the rest was water this morning.The frozen grapes taste ultra sweet so it is like having a cake in a cup!

As soon as I feel at all hungry after that I have a salad with either grilled chicken or hard boiled eggs as a source of protein. I have some sort of nuts too. Lately I have been loving salt-free walnuts. Variety where I can get it here!

If I am going to have anything that I know that I really shouldn't I try to do it midday. That way I don't get off track early and cascade and I also don't end the day feeling like a I made bad choices right at the end. A positive mindset in nutrition is just as important as it is in training.

Dinner. I try to strictly limit processed food here. There is no time left to "burn it off" and I want to provide my body with the right tools to use my sleep as recovery time. A relatively small dinner that satisfies my hunger is what I have. Usually that is chicken, fish and veggies.My favorite veggie of all time is the adorable baby cabbage looking brussel sprout. (I know they smell bad and I don't care - they taste yummy and are packed with the nutrients my body needs to function at a high level of athletisism)

 I have been having FAR less coffee in the last couple weeks and I do not feel like I have less energy. Of course I don't have a true way to measure that though. I may go get a coffee right now before my bike ride!

Chow!