Marathon training Food (get it?) for thought

Food might very well be represented simply as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats: the basic food categories that allow your body to function.

If we thought of food with as much passion and obsession as we do with, say, gasoline or nuclear fission, it would be much easier to treat cuisine with the same benign desire as we have for cardboard.

Of course, such a fantasy ride as this exists only in some make-believe, twisted Disney World of nutrition hell. After all, I am a Louisianan. Were my world to consist of anything less than grease, salt, and alcohol (our basic food categories), the world would hellish indeed.

We live in the real world, and few people I want to associate with think in such terms. But the valid point is this, especially with regard to marathon training: to achieve greatness – and your goal, whatever it might be, is greatness – you need to think differently AND rise to the occasion.

Because nutrition is such an important part of marathoning, and because it is indeed fuel, understanding the value of what you put into your body, and how it affects your body is a very relevant point.

In this marathon endeavor food is fuel. You might have to eat more. You might have to eat something that popular fad diets eschew. You will need to supply your body with the tools it needs to carry you to new heights, and this, friends and neighbors, begins with food. Well, a lot of prayer and cussing first, but certainly food.

Café Ole’!

... for those living in the less civilized world outside Louisiana, "Cafe' Ole'" is a play on the favorite New Orleans caffeinated beverage cafe au lait. Clever, no?

Normally, morning runs begin for me with a glass of Gatorade. It's just a little something to charge my system, which is otherwise relying on an empty stomach to power up the old machinery.

Today's run was preceded by said Gatorade and complemented with an unplanned cup o' joe. I resisted today's alarm clock call to hit the street, and before I knew it, the kids' morning routine (breakfast, prep for school, brush teeth, etc., in which I play an important role) and my jogging time collided. One thing led to another and, whoops, there I am drinking a cup of coffee before my run.

Some frown on coffee, some cheer it. I for one enjoy it... occasionally. It is not part of my normal routine, but sometimes when it finds its way into the routine, I won't resist. This morning it actually proved quite useful as I was pretty damn tired. Indeed, this morning was a good run.

There are those who are less concerned about coffee's positive stimulant effect than they are about the downside potential of losing control of one's continence.

Studies show caffeine is linked to better performance and that it won’t likely contribute to more urine production.

Caffeine reacts differently during exercise than at rest. According to Ellen Coleman, R.D., author of Eating for Endurance, the effects of coffee consumption prior to exercise depends on the runner too.

If you normally drink coffee, a little coffee before the race won’t likely hurt. If you are not a regular coffee drinker, it’ll relax your plumbing, so if you try it before the race be mindful of the nearest exits.



That is a good cup o' joe.