I have been struggling with my eating for a while now. I used to be able to get away with a decent amount of indulgence on the weekends because I ate well during the week and ran lots of miles. Somehow, eating poorly has become the norm on most weekdays and I don’t even want to talk about my weekends.
So, last week I started Laura’s 21 day reset. I stopped eating wheat and cut dairy way down. I added more vegetables to every meal and ate fruit as my sweet treat. I made coconut milk chocolate “ice cream” and coconut flour muffins. I actually lost 4 of the fluff pounds I’ve been trying to get rid of and felt great.
And then Ragnar happened. Let me tell you, Ragnar was a lot of things, but it was not a healthy eating experience. I also would not recommend you eat the way I did.
Before I left the house, I joined Shoo in eating a waffle with almond butter.
On our drive up, we stopped midway (at Halfway, MD LOL) for coffee. I was feeling a little hungry so I grabbed an everything bagel.
Three hours later, I headed out on my first run (7.9 miles at 1:05pm). On the run, I drank almost two bottles of Gatorade.
When I finished, the exchange was at a gas station with a deli. I had the most amazing ham and cheese on rye bread. (Or maybe I was just that hungry.) I accompanied it with a Coke. (Yeah, I know, but dang it tasted good.)
Sometime later that day I had an applesauce squeeze pouch.
Finally, sometime around 9pm, we stopped for dinner where I had a salad, meatballs, and two amazing rolls. The meatballs were a mistake. That’s all I’m going to say about that. And I started getting tired and it was dark, so no more pictures…
Three hours later, I headed out on my second run (4.9 miles at 12:40am), where I ate nothing and drank only a few sips of nuun.
My amazing teammate met me with a chocolate shake from South Mountain Creamery. It tasted so good, but my jacked up digestive system wanted no part of it. Oy.
Luckily, my stomach was settled by the time everyone else was done running, so I was able to partake of another everything bagel and coffee.
Two hours later, I ran my last run (2 miles at 11:30am).
And then ate a Starbucks breakfast sandwich and a latte.
So, two bagels, two sandwiches, dinner, an applesauce, and a shake. Definitely not the healthiest 36 hours of my life…
Want to know what I didn’t eat (but I packed)?
- The “on the run” nutrition I took with me
- apples
- bananas
- Muscle Milk
- PB&J
Lessons learned? Don’t drink the milk shake. Avoid the meatballs. Plan your Ragnar meals ahead of time.
So now, I’m spending three days eating this:
So, next week’s WIAW will be all about doing a cleanse. Wish me luck!
I skipped the deli and went right to the ice cream shop next door for my root beer float! Honestly, that seems like very little calories for all that running and running around!
Coco recently posted…What I Ate For Ragnar Relay Food
I needed a sandwich in a big bad way. Funny thing is that I thought I basically inhaled it, but I discovered a quarter of it in my bag when I got home…
Haha, I read your sentence about the meatballs, and before I even finished it, I had that thought…uh oh…and yep, you confirmed it! I think for me the hardest part of a relay would be fueling. I struggle with it normally. I have such a sensitive GI tract. And just when I think I have it figured out-boom–and I mean boom–yep, disaster. Ugh.
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Marathon training week 9-The beginning of the end
They tasted so good and I really was craving protein, but, umm, yeah.
I think that with all the Ragnar running, it’s okay that you hadn’t eaten the most nutritious pre-race food. I have been running for over 2 years now and am still figuring out what I can and cannot eat before a race
Heather @ Divas Run for Bling recently posted…Workout Wednesday Roundup September 17, 2014
I’m not too concerned, but I could have done without the porta potty trips…
Relays are definitely not the place for healthy eating! You definitely just grab what looks good and then regret it later during your nighttime leg. I too have learned from experience at the RTBNH 🙂 Good luck with Laura’s 21 Day reset!
Sandra Laflamme recently posted…Let’s talk about triathlon – the swim (A three part series)
Oh yeah about the regretting later. Oy.
Oh man it all sounds delicious but I can imagine it was rough on the digestive system! I am looking forward to my relay next weekend but am going to try and plan my food ahead as much as possible. Good luck with the reset!
Annmarie recently posted…KIND Snacks Review & GIVEAWAY!
I would have killed for your banana and your apple. The one mistake I made was not bringing enough real food. I thought there would be more places to stop. It makes it a little harder being a vegetarian too. I was starving at the ice cream place and all they had were burgers. I drank the shake and lets just say that didn’t go well. Live and learn!
Deborah Brooks recently posted…Ragnar Relay- 20 things I Learned & Loved
Wish i’d known. I had two apples and two bananas and a huge bag of nuts… I’d have happily shared since I didn’t actually eat any of them.
It’s hard to eat normally and well on a relay. I’d just count those days as a loss and start over. And that seems to be exactly what you’re doing.
Char recently posted…Crazy Loves Company
Yeah, I’ve moved on and am back to eating healthy.
I love reading about Ragnar! What cleanse are you doing?
jill conyers recently posted…Spend Time Just Being
It was so fun!
I’m doing an Urban Remedy cleanse.
Looks like your body was using the food you were eating for fuel so I wouldn’t feel too bad honestly. LOL. What type of cleanse is that?
Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club recently posted…POPSUGAR Select Blogger – Deborah of Confessions of a Mother Runner
Yeah, I felt fine as long as I ate bread LOL. Long live the carbs!
I’m doing an Urban Remedy metabolism cleanse.
I need to check out Urban Remedy. Thanks.
Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club recently posted…In The Gym with Vegan Chef Jamila of EarthyCandy
I know all about the Ragnar food. It’s not great. I survived Ragnar SoCal last year by eating my weight in nutter butters.
steph recently posted…Manitoba Harvest Pro70 Review
I feel practically virtuous now. ;o) I was just all about bread…
But damn, that milkshake tasted so good, right? (it wreaked havoc on me for pretty much all of Saturday, too…)
It was! BTW, I think you actually met my teammate, Deb. She blogs at http://confessionsofamotherunner.com. Glad to meet you online though!
Are you starting another South Block Juice cleanse??
No, this one is from Urban Remedy and it includes actual food! I can’t do another juice only deal. I just can’t.