Dear Diary: What do I eat before a marathon?

Some people believe that it is really important to eat well the three days prior to the marathon. This way, you are fully energized and ready for the race. I have been trying out the idea of eating really well during the whole taper period. I would say to eat well all the time but that is too much of a commitment right now and I don't feel it is sustainable in my life (I enjoy potato chips and I also like to have gravy on my French Fries (spf)).

So what am I eating or planning to eat? Well, I think that it might be easier to say what I am not going to eat. I plan to cut alcohol out for the remainder of the month. I will cut my coffee/caffeine consumption down to 2 cups in the morning and one in the afternoon (time to stock up on Green tea). Pop is out of the question. Absolutely nothing with aspartame or that other derivative in it. Dairy has been gone for a while but it is time to cut out the cream in my coffee as well (I guess that means no cheese either?).

This past fall and Spring marathon seasons I decided, after reading up on how proteins are digested, to stick to easily digested and lean meats. So this meant cutting out red meat, pork and fried chicken (wings too). I will stick to things like grilled chicken (thank God for George Foreman grills), and fish (salmon and the occasional tuna salad.) I love to eat beans on toast with brown rice is always good. I also like to eat a lot of almonds (tamari...Thanks for that addiction, Craig!).

So what am I eating today?

Last night, I made a large pot of Chili w ground chicken, black beans, fresh tomatoes, and corn. I am going to make some garlic laced spaghetti sauce tonight so that I can eat pasta for the next few nights. I don't plan to eat a lot of white pasta, but I do want to have some in the next couple of weeks. I wonder how good Tabbouleh is for carb loading? I will be ordering my usual Felafel's takeout on Friday (Yaw! King Tut's). I have already bought a couple of cans of good salmon, a frozen fillet of that fish that I can never remember the name of...tali?, and a full flat of chicken breasts from Costco. I am craving that lillydale smoked turkey breast...mmmm.

Snacking is going to be the hardest part of the coming weeks. Crackers are always good. I have been eating snow peas like potato chips lately. But I still have to curb the whole 4pm sugar crave and the 9pm dorito fix.

Any more suggestions? Please email me: niemimaa@gmail.com

Tomorrow: the perfect 2 week taper.