The biggest problem I found myself having lately is getting back from a run and then an hour later I feel zonked. I started thinking that I am not eating enough food for the amount of running that I am doing. So I reflected on it when I was asked, “What do you usually eat on a typical day?! Because you are just so healthy!” So here it is: in the morning I will wake up and have a bowl of oatmeal. The original large flake quaker oats kind. Then I dress it up with some honey, wheat germ, ground flax seed, oat bran, and bran flakes. Deeelish. It really is! It may sound boring but it’s full of flaaava! If it’s still kind of bland for you, you can try throwing some fresh fruits on top. I continue my day as a grazier. I snack all day long. My mid-morning snack is usually a banana and a yogurt. At lunch, I tend to have a veggie sandwich, a tuna sandwhich, or an egg salad sandwhich to build up some protein. (I also love sticking a spoon into the peanut butter jar and getting my protein that way. It’s just soooo tastey!) Sometimes, a nice homemade soup will go on the side. And then it’s time for a mid-afternoon snack and I break open my bag of veggies which usually contains carrots, green and red bell peppers for my Vitamin A as well as broccoli, blueberries, and grapes for my Vitamin C. Then on my way home I have another fruit which is usually an apple. For dinner, I don’t really mind what I eat because I know my day was filled with all of my nutrients. So in the evening I eat carbs, meat, and veg. After dinner I will have tea and lately some chocolate from leftover halloween treats for the trick-or-treaters. Mmmm sooo good! I can just eat so many little bite sized chocolates- they are just too good to only have a tiny amount! After doing whatever it is I do that evening I find myself hungry before bed. So, I eat some cereal and have a cup of tea before going to sleep. 

The thing is even after eating all of that and going for a run I just feel zonked! Annnnd– I think I just figured out the reason why. If I don’t eat within an hour of getting back from a run, I become sluggish. It’s because when you run you burn glycogen (the fuel stored in your muscles) and the enzymes that make glycogen are most effective after a workout. Which makes it vital to eat within 60 minutes of a workout. Whoooooooooops! This is the hard part for me: eating even if you aren’t hungry. It’s just soooo hard. But I am realising more and more how important it really is. I just can’t come back from a run anymore and get those headaches that lead into laziness and you feel like you have been out drinking all night. So, it’s time to kick my butt into gear and eat, Eat, EAT after a run!

Water is still hard to keep drinking all day long but I am working on that too. One day I want to be able to trust that I can go out for a run without a water bottle and know that I am hydrated enough to not want to pass out with thirst. It’s gonna happen.