Weekend Workouts and Food

I've been in a recovery week again so the workouts have been fairly light. As usual I switched things around to take two days off instead of one. Still can't shake that dang laziness that plagues me every single recovery week. Oh well.

Still working on my non race nutrition. My stomach will not cut me much slack lately. Not that I blame it. I think my body knows what it needs and me eating either not enough or the wrong things has grown tiresome for it. It is so ironic, and incorrect, when people say that we as triathletes can eat "whatever we want." My personal experience with this is that I can get away with less than ever before simply because my body needs the nutrition and energy now more than ever, with all the training that I put it through.

Take for example, this morning's open water swim. I went to another of Jackie's open water clinics, where we practiced everything from starts, to sighting, to drafting. After all that, we had an approximately 1000 yard straight swim along the buoy line. My swim was strong today and I felt good. Except for a few moments mid swim when my stomach decided to remind me that, apparently I had not eaten enough yesterday (I say apparently very sarcastically because I always know damn well when I haven't eaten quite enough). I was swimming along and my stomach started to hurt. Not badly, no nausea, but just a little hurt, followed by an angry growl.

This has never happened to me during training but I am sure glad it happened today. BECAUSE it was a wakeup call to stop screwing around and just do what I need to do already! This is something I can control. The last thing I need is an angry growl during the Silverman swim – that would mess with my head ALL. DAY. LONG.

This morning I did eat breakfast before the swim: oatmeal with blueberries and coffee. But yesterday I was a little light, which is why my stomach got growly. I ate a Clif Bar after the swim and during my 45 minute easy ride. I also drank a bunch of water and was fine (had a great easy ride) and got lunch soon after that.

I know what to eat – I'm just incredibly lazy about it. I know when to eat – again it's the laziness factor.

A lean protein, a starchy carb and a fibrous carb in every meal. Every 2 to 2.5 hours. No measuring of portions, as long as the three are approximately equal. Sometimes one portion is bigger than the other (like when I have spaghetti or something), and that is OK. Whole foods (preferably fresh veggies, but frozen is okay), not processed. Very little sugar. Whole grains, fruit, veggies, eggs, lean proteins, low fat dairy. There is a lot of choice in there but for someone who hates to grocery shop and cook things become tedious in a hurry.

The hating to shop and the tedium are excuses. There is no excuse for not doing this, and doing it WELL, for the next six weeks. I have come too far and worked too hard this year to not have all my ducks in a row!