Eat like a Triathlete

I competed in my second triathlon yesterday, along with Amy (one of Lindsey's roommates) and Jayme (a colleague - history professor at GHC, to be exact). We all survived, and made great time, too! It was Amy's third tri, my second, and Jayme's first. Jayme and I are already scheming about ways to get our fellow GHC co-workers and everyone we know, basically, to join us next year... if you're reading this blog and not currently in triathlon shape, you should just make up your mind to be in that sort of shape by this time next year.

Anyway, I thought it would be neat to tell you how I ate for the tri and afterwards, since this is a food blog and all. Prepare to laugh, as I'm pretty sure I violated every rule out there about proper nutrition. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think that I totally negate any healthiness that might be associated with triathlons in the way that I eat after the race is over. I'm seeing a pattern here... the half marathon was the same way...

First: hydration. I ramped up my water consumption to 2 1/2 - 3 liters a day, for the 5 days leading up to the tri. This was up from my usual 2 liters a day. I figured with all that water going in, I had a little room for alcohol: one glass (a small one, 5-6 ounces) of wine with dinner every night. I did have a beer and a fruity drink at the impromptu pool party on Wednesday... but pool parties don't count towards regular food/drink consumption, right?

Second: fuel. I really did eat pretty healthy stuff all week, for the most part. You saw what I posted last week: salad, salad, salad. I focused pretty heavily on fruits, vegetables, protein, and carbs. The night before the race, I had a small salad with a little bit of leftover chicken, along with a ginormous bowl of penne with tomato sauce that I made out of onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil and parsley.

Third: race morning. I am a creature of habit, to a fault. So, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that I ate my usual breakfast: frosted mini-wheats (exactly 25 bales) and coffee - as soon as I woke up at 4:30 am. I drank an iced coffee with soy milk instead of a hot coffee, though; then I inhaled a banana as soon as I got everything sufficiently set up in the transition zone, about an hour before the race started. Some people strongly disagree with coffee before any athletic event. I strongly disagree with me not having coffee upon first waking, no matter what I have going on that day. I may have been the most cheerful person Jayme's ever seen at 5 am...

Fourth: post-race. Hydration is pretty important, so I chugged a liter of water between the time the race was over and arriving back at home. I also had half a peanut butter sandwich and a Gatorade. It got super hot on the run - and I thought I might die. But I also thought I might die in the lake, too, and then the song "You Might Die Trying" came in my head, and I did just fine after that. Dave Matthews Band is a good luck charm, apparently.

But, I digress. When I finally got home, I was in desperate need of a shower, and famished. Fearing I might pass out if I didn't consume something fast, the very first thing I did was hit the blender for a fruity drink: soy milk, some sort of fruit juice (I don't even know what I grabbed; whatever I saw first!), leftover pineapples, and frozen blueberries. That provided enough protein and sugar to get me through a shower, and by the time Dave and I got to the barbecue restaurant for our anniversary lunch, I was still starving so I pretty much inhaled a plate full of pulled pork, potato salad, macaroni and cheese and Texas toast. Oh, and a big glass of sweet tea washed it all down. Did I mention the macaroni was swimming - literally, swimming - in melted butter?

But wait! There's more! We went to visit Dave's parents in Cumming immediately after. Needing a little fuel to get me through the 45 minute drive, we stopped at Chick-fil-A for a chocolate milkshake (hold the whipped cream, as if it mattered at that point). More water was consumed on the way there and back, bringing my total water consumption to at least 2 1/2 liters for the day. That milkshake was SO worth it, by the way. No talk in the comments section about how many calories those babies contain. As a reformed, obsessed calorie counter, I know, and I do not care.

Then, I crashed. I was suddenly soooooo tiiiirreeeddd. I don't know how I made it from the car to the couch, but I did, and slept for 2 hours. This is very unusual for me, as I generally dislike naps, especially those that may threaten my usual sleep schedule - as one from 4:30-6:30 pm may do.

As soon as I regained coherence, it was time to eat again! I had a larger than usual bowl of the leftover pasta, this time topped with extra parmesan and goat cheese.

And a glass of wine.

And a piece of leftover wedding cake.

Today, still in "I did a triathlon, yay! Let's eat more!" mode, I had my usual breakfast (see above), a banana, half an omelette (I had many moments of FAIL in the kitchen today; while I wanted more for lunch, it just didn't happen... I'll leave it at that), and then since it was such a bad day for me to do anything (I was seriously failing at everything today), Dave and I went to Taco Mac at 3:30 and had beers, chips and cheese dip, and wings.

And I had another piece of wedding cake.

And I'm about to eat dinner. :)

Reason #1 to do a triathlon: they are awesome for your self esteem. Reason #2: you eat ALL weekend long, without giving it a second thought.