Carb loading

Everything that is ever learned about dieting and nutrition teaches the young eater that indulgence of any food is a bad thing. Indulgence makes us nauseous; it gives us cramps while swimming; and, most importantly, it causes us to be fat.

Run, you meatball. Run like the wind!

However, as a dashing marathoner, the runner – young and old – will need saddlebags of energy to sustain the 26.2 miles of marathon famine and want. It is then necessary for an eater to prepare for feats of endurance by storing lots of energy: energy in the form of glycogen, which is begat from glucose, which is begat from complex carbohydrates, which is begat from the stuffing of thine face with bagels, cereal, bananas, pasta, and others of the “White” food group (Have you noticed that most everything you eat that is white is a carbohydrate? OK, minus the bacon fat. But you get the point.)

Carb loading throws everything you know about dieting on its ear. It is the process of consuming large amounts of carbs before intense exercise. In our case, it is preparation for the long runs and the race itself.

Oh joy! How I love carb loading! As a pasta-loving Chef Boy-R-Dee raviolio, this part of the training is the stuff of dreams! Uh-oh! Spagetteo!