Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Eating "healthy"??

Eeek! I've been slacking! Time management has been tough on me lately. Last week, I missed one of my short runs because I was preparing for my sister's baby shower (totally worth it, obv) and I have yet to establish a routine for handling my night classes. Aaaahhhh I really need to figure that one out. I hate rushing to do my homework an hour before class!! And next week isn't going to be any better because I have a conference in Ft. Lauderdale and a Mardi Gras Ball AND THEN I'm driving to St. Pete to run the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll 1/2M. I'm not complaining about any of this stuff because I know next week is going to be really fun and exciting (FLO RIDA is playing the post-race show!!!), but stuff like doing the dishes and blogging tend to slip between the cracks.

This morning, I want to talk a little bit about food. I've been making a real effort to clean up my diet this year. I cut cream & sugar from my coffee (hahaha- baby steps!), cut fast food (I love a good Baconator at 9:30pm after my Managerial Accounting class...), and decided to be make better choices in general. I have used marathon training as an excuse to eat whatever the hell I want and I think it has gotten a little out of control!

Exhibit A: Giant plate of greasy, amazing lasagna from Cousin Vinny's in Daphne

So I'm eating healthier for a few days and I realize... wow I really feel like garbage! I was getting through my workouts but I didn't have as much energy as usual and one night I thought I was going to need to leave class early. I was sitting in Financial Management and I had a bad headache and felt nauseous and I realized... I couldn't stop thinking about salty food. So I proceeded to Jimmy John's and ordered the usual: #5 light mayo w/ salt & vinegar chips. The #5 is The Vito, my favorite sandwich in the whole wide world. It comes pre-loaded with lots of sodium, but I like to stuff it with the salt & vinegar chips for the extra crunch ;)

I love you, Jimmy John's

I ate the sandwich and felt way, way better. My friend Jamie wrote a post the other day that touched on how runners should be more mindful of their sodium levels because sodium is essential to remaining hydrated. I also read about how you can flood your body with water to stay hydrated in a workout, but without also consuming sodium your electrolyte levels will get all out of whack. There's probably a much more eloquent way to say that but I'm over it. 

So I think my idea of eating healthy would be great if I wasn't in the tail end of marathon training. But right now, maybe I should be listening to my body and giving in to some of these cravings... 
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7 comments:

  1. Carolina JohnFebruary 1, 2012 at 6:13 AM

    True, cravings can indicate a deficiency in some mineral or functional way. Lots of pregnant women crave cheeseburgers because of an Iron deficiency. So give in when you need to, but only then.

    Eating healthy is its own reward. It will make you feel so much better, your body will process everything so much easier, and you should get the best fuel for your runs. This means a balance between healthy carbs, fats, and protein. There is no "healthier", you either eat healthy or you don't. I give myself a cheat meal every week and make better choices for the other meals. But then I realize how much worse I feel after the cheat meal and stop doing that for a while.

    Make smart decisions and it will all balance out in the end.

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    1. McCraeFebruary 1, 2012 at 2:03 PM

      Thanks for sharing, John! Either I have a sodium deficiency or I am truly addicted to Jimmy John's... I already want another sandwich.

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  2. B.o.B.February 1, 2012 at 2:28 PM

    thanks for the comment on my blog. don't be freaked! you're first marathon is a guaranteed PR (personal record!). just make sure you PACE yourself. that's the one big lesson i learned in my first one.

    i'm also doing the RnR half! we'll have to look for each other. and woot woot on the Flo Rida!

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    1. McCraeFebruary 1, 2012 at 2:49 PM

      Yaaayyy Flo Rida!! I follow the 1/2M's page on Facebook and I was so surprised at how many people were PISSED that he's playing the post-race! I am super excited for it. If you see a tall-ish tan-ish girl hobbling around with a giant lumberjack, that's probably me and Hans! I'll keep my eyes peeled for you, and for sure will keep reading your blog :)

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 1, 2012 at 6:17 PM

    OMG I am sorry but that lasagna looks AMAZING. give it to me NOW. hahaha listen to your body, it tells you what you need, but I am like you, I feel like I was eating like crap training for this marathon because I felt like I could eat whatever I wanted.
    Here is a more scientific reason for needing sodium in your diet (refer to answer 2 in the article)
    http://www.active.com/running/Articles/How_to_deal_with_cramping_during_your_marathon.htm

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    1. McCraeFebruary 2, 2012 at 9:49 AM

      Jamie, thanks for the great article! Gosh I feel like you need a nutritionist to balance all this stuff out. I sure am learning a lot! It's tough though because I know I can't trust my body on all of these cravings... like the tub of thin mint ice cream that I devoured through all of yesterday. I don't think that was my body telling me I'm low on calcium! I can't believe my body tricked me like that... haha

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    2. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2012 at 5:39 PM

      :) I feel ya, I am still challenged on the nutrition!

      Delete

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