The End of the School Year

Every year when school's about to close for the summer, I literally get so sad, even though I love summer as much (if not more) than anyone.  It's funny though.  I get to the end of winter, and I'm sad because there's no skiing, no snow days, no snowmen lining the yards of the neighbors.  I get to the end of summer, and it's back to school, back to long nights and long classes, but I get to see my friends.  I get to the end of fall, and its bittersweet because the snow comes down and we all freeze, but I get to ski and Christmas comes around… Life is bittersweet.  Every up is going to be followed and preceded by a down.  Some are worse or better than others.  We all fail.  We all fall.  Yeah, I know I say that a lot.  But, at the same time, we all have our moments, our little (or massive) victories.  And we can all sit and bask in the glory of those.  Of the little things.  The snacks we have with our friends.  The conversations that bring smiles to our face.  The runs that leave you feeling absolutely defeated, but oh, so accomplished.

Every day is going to be a challenge, even if you've been waiting on it your entire life.  Don't expect it not to be.  There's no such thing as perfection, because if there was perfection, nothing would be worth living out at all.  But, we can get pretty darn close.

I've been telling myself for the last day, and in reality, the last several months, that I have grown up so much in the last few years.  I came out of my shy, timid phase.  I grew up when I thought I might forever be a child.  I set goals and achieved them--- most of the time.  I made friendships and I backed my friends up, and sometimes I wasn't there when I should have been.  But, like I've said a thousand times, we all try and we've all failed and fallen.  We've all fought and been knocked down, but it doesn't matter, because someday there will be a moment where you'll open your eyes and look around and all will be worth it.  Every moment where you doubted yourself, every relationship that didn't work out, every attempt at a task that you didn't follow through with, will be worth it.

This summer is going to be amazing.  I will travel and see and do things I never thought I would.  I will work and slowly teach my leg muscles how to work together again, on a run, on a bike.  I will make memories with family and friends.  I would not trade any moment in my life for anything.  Not the failures.  Not the moments I'm not proud of.  Not the challenges and definitely not the blessings.

So for today, I blast music in my ears as I go over a final paper and get ready to beast out finals week.  It hasn't been an easy road, but it isn't for anybody.  We've all struggled.  We've all lost people we love.  I know there are people I wish could be here today and throughout the next few years to watch me become a Marine Officer.  I know I'm not the only one.  We've all disappointed ourselves and others, and watched our dreams seem to disappear a little, hanging out just at the edge of our fingertips, but in the end, those things molded us into who we are today… Those people pushed us to discover who we wanted to be and what dreams we were going to chase.

So now, I'm going to go over my final history paper, crank out some Navigation assignments (theoretically the last time I'll be doing ocean navigation… Land Nav here we come!), and get ready for a strong last week before I go on an epic trip.

Semper Fidelis!
Thanks for reading,
Sarah

United States Marine Corps

I'm not going to lie.  It has been quite a semester.  It's been a hard term, especially with the injury sidelining me for so long.  Missing the bike racing season was a downer, as was not competing at regionals and nationals for skiing.  There were times where I didn't believe I'd ever see a day where I wasn't on crutches and there were times where I never thought the term would end.  But, yesterday, the semester hit a climax when I found out I got a ROTC slot to ultimately become an officer in the United States Marine Corps.  I've been waiting to find out all year, and it's a crazy feeling now that I have.  I could not be more thrilled, even though I am definitely aware that I have a long road in front of me.

This year has taught me more than ever that challenges are only around to make you stronger.  I've taken some of the hardest classes, had the most work, been off my feet longer than I ever thought was even possible...  I've hit my limits.  I've watched myself fall.  I've pushed past those limits and kept pushing through.  I've watched my friends fall too, but in the end, we all got back up again.  Because no matter what, there was hope at the end of the tunnel.  There were things to look forward to, because in the end, no matter what happens, we all have lives to live, we all have dreams to achieve, and we all have a ridiculous amount to learn.

When I was on crutches, all I wanted was to be able to walk from the kitchen to the dining room.  I can do that now.  When I was in the walking boot, all I wanted was the all clear to take it off long enough to walk onto campus.  I can do that now.  There are definitely still things I can't do.  Running is still a little while out.  But, in these last few months, as much as I've discovered that I'm not invincible, I also know it's not over.  It could be so much worse than a stress fracture.  I've met Marines who have been wounded overseas and they were so dedicated to surpassing any setbacks they might meet, and continued to do what they loved no matter how much they had to adapt or push through to do so, whether it was running marathons, racing bikes, doing triathlons, etcetera…

I could not be more honored to be given this opportunity, and I swear I will fight as hard as I can to make sure to push through and pull this off.  Thank you to everybody who has given me so much support over the last few years.  Semper Fi!

Relay For Life

This weekend was my school's American Cancer Society Relay For Life.  Don’t let the name deceive you.  It’s not an insane endurance event (in fact there was tons of candy, pizza, cupcakes, etcetera.  I even won a raffle basket with marshmallow peeps and godiva chocolate).  But, it was definitely still worth being at.  I’d be talking to one friend, and then I’d look around and see someone else I knew.  There were very few times throughout the night where I had no one to hang out with or talk to.  Whether it was kids in ROTC, kids on the ski team or friends from class, there was always someone around.  Furthermore, there were cool events going on all night, whether it was Mr. Relay, a date auction, henna tattoos or a psychic, there was always something to keep you busy. 

And even though I’m in this weird transition stage of wearing the walking boot less and less, and learning to walk again, and someone I knew came up to me and said jokingly, “I feel like this event is anti-you.  Because it involves walking and you’re not supposed to be doing that.”, and to be fair, I did opt out of the bouncy house even though I wanted to, I enjoyed every minute of it. 

I’m an athlete, and most days listening to long speeches or lectures is a struggle to focus, since I really just want to go for a long run most of the time, but I was one hundred percent still and focused as students from our school shared their stories last night.  From the survivor who just finished Chemotherapy after being on the medication for 9 years to the boy who’s childhood best friend lost his 5-year long battle with cancer last year to the kid who said, “I’m here today because for the first 17 years of my life, cancer didn’t affect me”, but it stole his father away within three months, just a week before his high school graduation, everyone has a story.  Some have had it harder than others. 

But, last night, everyone came together to honor those we have buried, as well as those who have survived, and to fight for a better future, where adults like my parents, aunts and grandparents, teenagers like Zach Sobiech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjKgV65fpo) and young children like Ben Sauer (http://bensauer.blogspot.com) don’t have to face this beast.  And there’s something beautiful about a community like that. 

That’s all I’ve got for now.  In fact I have to go write a history paper… But stay strong, and keep running,

Sarah

A Snippit on Training for a Marathon

So, recently I had a couple fellow midshipman ask me how exactly I trained for the marathon.  As we get closer to the event and I remember exactly how I did it, I'll add more, but for the time being, here are a few tips to get started (also, refer to my other posts).

1. For me, one of the most important part of the training runs was learning how my body would respond...
That means, what can you eat before?  What can you eat during?  How much do you need to drink?  Will you need to stop for any reason during the run?  Or walk?  How can you make sure you don't?  A lot of this is trial and error and you'll figure it out pretty quick.  Some people can't eat anything at all.  I generally won't either, unless it's a few hours before, and then, I'm ridiculously meticulous about what I put into my body.  And I've never actually had any problems there.  But, for me, the kicker is heat.  Heat = death.  I legitimately can't think of a run that I walked for a reason other than heat.  As a result of the heat, I got up earlier or ran later in the day.  I opted not to run summer marathons in hot states, and crossed my fingers that the weather Gods would be in my favor the day of the event.

2. Get your post run routine down pat.  
This might change by season too.  And there's always room for adjustment.  But, do what feels right and don't overdo it.  Stretch, hydrate, eat, whatever works.  I usually sit down on my porch for a second in good temperatures to catch my breath when I finish, and then I head indoors.  In the summer, I go straight for one glass of gatorade and one glass of water, or a popsicle and water.  I have a friend who can literally down a glass of Coke, a glass of Grape Juice and water before I have time to pour my own.  I take time to nurse it, and then I start stuffing my face with whatever's in sight, whether it be cinnamon buns, walnuts, bread and cheese, whatever… And then I shower… In the winter, I generally hit the shower first thing before I freeze to death.  But, hey, we're establishing quickly that I'm a wimp about extreme weather conditions.

3. Get your during training-run routine down pat.  
I have a rule.  Less than or equal to 10 miles equals iPod, headphones and no water.  More than or equal to 10 miles equals no iPod and a small water bottle.  I'm weird though, because I despise the waste band water carriers and iPod armbands so I just carry both in my hand, and I like to have a hand free.  It took me a while to get headphones that stay.  If it's a super long run, I might eat some honey stingers or a GU energy gel in the middle, but I usually don't see a reason to use those unless I'm planning on a 15 miler.  But, he, that's just me.

4. Run a half marathon before the full.  Just do it.  You'll thank me later.
Just like you get your training routines all figured out, get your race routine down.  You can do 5ks and 10ks too.  I usually do 1 of each of those every year too, but the half marathon is useful for other reasons.  For one, it's one of your main training distances.  Also it's a half marathon, so you get an idea of how you'll be feeling halfway.  A lot of people forget that you can actually pace just barely slower than your half time, and do fine in a marathon.  One metric to use to gage your full marathon time is to multiply your half time by 2 and add about 7 minutes.  It's not as hard as you think you stay on track with that.  I ran a half early in my training and another a week before (although I'd recommend doing it a few more weeks before), and it gave me the information I needed to decide how to pace the marathon and do well there.

5. OK, now we can start discussing mileage.  
If you're actually still reading right now, hit up the Hal Higdon Training programs.  But, I'm me and I don't see a point in putting on my running shoes for anything less than 5 miles (unless it's 1000 degrees and then I'm more open to the idea), so I tended to do 3 ~5 milers a week (sometimes more like 4.5, and other times close to 6, depending on the day, time, place and route), with a long one on the weekend.  I made sure I was staying ahead of the training plan (I "followed" novice 2), so when the summer ended and I got busy in the fall, I had already maxed out at 20 miles and was OK just doing 10-13 milers every weekend.  Also I did A LOT of cross training.  My mom and I bike a lot, and when I got back in the fall, I was hitting the gym a few times a week, swimming, and riding, as well as running 4 times a week.  You'll be surprised, but even though it takes up a lot of time, training is really fun and the races are even more fun.  When I got back from the marathon and took off from running to focus on other things, I missed it A LOT.  So if you're not already signed up for one, DO IT.

Alright,
That's all I've got for now,
Sarah

The Ins and Out of Being Injured

1. Running is Life.
2. People with the ability to run deny that running is life.
3. These people complain about running.
4. Their complaints will make you miss it more.
5. The inability to run will make you less likely to do other types of workouts due to sheer laziness.
6. You scoff at any exercise that doesn't involve pounding feet on the pavement.
7. You can walk around campus in a walking boot for 6 weeks and some of your old friends/ acquaintances who haven't seen you in a while will still ask what happened to you.
8.  You will be called "Gimpy" and become the object of all your friend's jokes.
9.  They only joke because they love you.
10.  You hope.
11. The world's favorite question will be "When do you get out of the boot/off crutches/ cleared/ etc?"
12. You will be like, "YOU DO REALIZE THERE IS MORE GOING ON IN MY LIFE THAN MY BROKEN LEG, RIGHT?"
13. Well it'll be like that, except you'll be cordial.  You won't yell.  (We hope).
14. And they only ask because they care...
15. Or maybe they just don't know what else to say.
16. Sometimes you walk by people and your boot is clicking on the ground really loudly and they turn to you and say "Jeez" really loud and you're like "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME.  STOP JUDGING!"
17. Except you keep walking in the direction you were heading, because you'd beat them in a race any day of the week (even now probably).
18.  At least once a day, one of your friends/acquaintances complains that you're lucky to get out of working out/standing at long intervals/ etcetera.
19. You'd give anything to be them.
20.  You're starting to enjoy the consumption of vegetables.
21. Which makes you really realize that you need to be working out more, to get back to cinnamon bun love.
22. At least once a day, you ask yourself if your leg feels up to hitting the pavement yet.
23.  At least once a day, you remind yourself that doctor's visits really break up your day, so you begrudgingly skip the run…
24. You're still planning your race calendar for a few months out from now.
25.  You swear you're not in denial.
26.  But, you probably are.
27. But the doctor said you'd be clear well before the event, so you swear you're all good.
28.  Your friends shake their heads.
29.  But, as much as you love them, they're not runners.  They will never understand.
30.  When you're on crutches, some people assume you're a fragile little baby who can't do anything but sit in a recliner.
31. STAIRS PEOPLE.  There are times when they are unavoidable!  #crutchtalents101
31. The rest complain that you're too slow.
32. Hey, I'm pretty quick but I'm not an Olympic Level crutch user!
33. You remind yourself every day that you could have it a thousand times worse.
34. ACL Tears and Knee Surgery.
35. Bone Cancers.
36. The verdict that you will never run again.
37. I mean, I could go on forever, but I think you've got the drift.
38.  Every day you promise yourself you will never complain about running again, once you're cleared.
39. And for the record, every day you complain that you can't run.
40.  You receive zero sympathy.
41.  You probably deserve that.
42. For the record, you swear it wasn't running that got you injured in the first place!
43. Just the nordic skiing and the running in combat boots…
44. Every day is a countdown to losing the walking boot.
45. When the boot breaks, it takes you less than five minutes to find a friend willing to donate theirs.
46. The countdown to hitting the roads again began the first day you started experiencing pain.
47. Running IS LIFE.

The Nearest Popsicle

            It’s five a.m. and I’m sitting in the wardroom at my ROTC unit.  I’m writing a paper on Tunisia for a history class, but I’m not entirely thrilled by it.  I’m tired, hungry and freezing, wondering where spring is hiding after all this time.  I sometimes joke that being in the wardroom when everyone’s at PT (since I’m injured and can’t go), is the most productive part of my day, because hey, what is there to distract you at 5 in the morning when you’re not connected to the crosstown school’s wifi and there’s no one around?  I plead the fifth because I’m writing a blog post right now (and I just posted two last night). 

            Today I want to talk to you a little about motivation.  And I mean, I’m not trying to bombard you with a pep talk this morning.  “Come on guys!  Get super hua.  Let’s go!”  But, I want to talk a little bit about what possesses human beings to do what they do.  And not in a psychology kind of way.  Just in a “People make choices and some of them seem way out there, until you’ve picked that way out there choice before, and then it’s way easier to pick again.”

            I mean you’d think I’d cry inside about waking up at 4 a.m.  And you’re one hundred percent correct.  Even after all this time, it still requires meticulous planning, far too many alarms, and a little bit of digging deep and giving it my all just to get out of bed and into uniform in the morning on early days.  But, hey, getting out of bed at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning to get in a 20 miler is no picnic either.  But, we do it.  Whether we do it for the cinnamon buns, because we told our friends we would, because then we can justify the long nap we’re gonna take or just blowing off our chores for a little while, or ----, we do it.  There’s something that pushes us to wake up, lace our sneakers up tight, fill up a water bottle, and just go. 

            I do it for me.  For moments where I’ve been running so long, my head is completely blank.  There’s nothing I can worry about.  There’s nothing to be afraid of.  I could have five finals the next day and not care.  I do it for me.  For the friendships I’ve formed, just striking up random conversations on the sixth (or sixteenth) mile of a marathon, because hey, when you’re running for three and a half hours, you’ve got all the time in the world to make friends.  But, literally.  I do it for me.  For the cardio benefits and the fact that I can get on the scale and be like, “It must be broken” because I weigh too little (beautiful, but rare feeling, by the way). 

            But, also, because no matter what’s going on in your life, your lot could always be worse, and if you have the time, muscular and mental capacity to run 20 miles, you could be doing a whole lot worse.  It gives you a chance to unwind, push yourself, succeed, fail, succeed again, die on the side of the bike path and walk home, kick back by the pool with your best friend and devour the cinnamon bun you just carried 5 miles. 

            Life is marked by a series of successes and failures unevenly spaced along the path that is your essence.  Each of those failures taught you something that made the impending success that much more important in the grand scheme of things.  Without failure, you are absolutely nothing.  Without that moment where you’re so thirsty, you turn back, or that realization that heat is not your thing and your new God given quest is to find the nearest popsicle, then there’s no need for motivation, no need for talent, no need to want it with the whole heart, because then you’re basically just capable of running a marathon in your sleep, all day and every day. 

            But, unless you’re at that point in your life where running across the country is not only what you want to do, but what you legitimately have time and money for, you will have runs where you feel like gold, and you will have runs where you feel like a pile of trash.  Hopefully the number of the former will outweigh the latter. 

            So learn to finish.  And next time you want to turn back, think about the logic behind sticking with it.  Think how nice your new splits will look on your stopwatch down the line, if you just give a little more this time. 
That's all I've got for now,

Sarah

A few words to start (or end) a day on

I've heard a lot of stories lately and have known a lot of people who have gotten medically disqualified or are afraid they are going to from the U.S. Military.  And although I don't expect I'll be DQ'd any time soon, I've thought a lot about what if that happened to me, because hey, it's a complete toss up.  Will this or that injury or whatever disqualify you?  How do you prove it no longer affects you?  I like to think I'm 100% healthy, but if the worst happened and this stupid fracture in my shin meant that my dreams were over, how angry would I be?  How hard would I cry?  I mean what do you say when you work hard and give your all in ROTC for a year or two and then somebody shakes their head, pats you on the back for a job well done but not quite well enough, and directs you the other way? I think that in that case, you just have to stand up and realize that there's going to be more for you in this life.  That you got the short end of the stick this time, but are going to win out in the future.  Because you always have a choice of how to deal with your lot in life, and while the choices aren't always glamorous, fighting hard until the fight is over never hurt anyone, as long as they learned how to accept the end when it finally came.  

 Ever since I got my first C, failed to get an award at an award ceremony and accepted my mediocrity, I've learned how to succeed more often than not.  But it's a joke to think that everything is going to go well all of the time, and I mean, even your greatest strength won't hold up every time it's put under a magnifying glass.  I mean, take me, for instance.  My biggest strength is my ability to push hard and never stop- at running mostly and on a bike and at PT- but even I am human, as shocked as I was to discover it, and even I have bones that can get weakened under overuse and even my body needs a long hiatus from endurance sports every now and then.  

A lot of people think that failure is a cue to stop trying.  But it's not.  I don't know any better way to explain that to people.  I started as a 12 year old scrawny kid who had a few good friends, good grades (but hey I was in 7th grade), played two instruments  halfway decently and was afraid of the ball.  Flash forward 7 years and I am three months shy of my 20th birthday (gosh, I'm old), and a Boston qualifier.  Beyond that, I'm a student, a ROTC midshipman, a cyclist, skier, sister, friend and daughter (and I'm still afraid of the ball, but this isn't middle school and in the world I have sought, that's ok as long as you strive to be a PT God and accept that you still have great lengths to improve when you fail miserably).  It amazes me how many people I have grown close to over the years, especially since I started college, how many places I have had the opportunity to travel to with and without my family and ultimately, just the experiences that have led me to become the young woman I am today.  So when I come across another failure, I'll probably fall down and I'll probably hate my life just a little, but to be fair and to offer a little sage advice at the wise old age of 19 and three quarters, you get a lot of chances in life.  

You will mess up, make mistakes and get kicked back a little, but you will also face the most beautiful moments in the world, that may be as simple as eating chocolate covered strawberries at a spring training baseball game with your parents or as self fulfilling as crossing the finish line of a marathon or bringing home straight As.  At some point in your life, I guarantee that you will disappoint yourself and you will disappoint others.  Sometimes it will be your own fault and other times you will have absolutely zero control.  But blame never got anyone anywhere.  You will remember later that hindsight is 20/20 and try to do better next time.  But for now, do your best and bask in the inherent simplicity of learning from your mistakes.  
That's all I've got for now,
Sarah

Brooks

            So first off, I’m sorry it’s been a while since I posted.  When I’m not running, my motivation to type words that have to do with running is unfortunately a lot lower than it should be.  Also, I’ve just been busy with school, spring break (I went to Arizona with the parents.  It was awesome and completely and utterly warm out, just what I needed), friends, life, ROTC, etcetera.  And here I claim to eat, breath and sleep running!  (Lies.  Haha). 

But, also my work out life has been at a lower point in the last month or so than it’s been in a long time.  A lot of swimming combined with the occasional crunch, sit up and flutter kick leads to lacking leg muscles and a retreating cardiovascular system.  But, the good news is that I made the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon!!!  And later on, as we come closer to the race, we’ll get into the specifics of why everybody on this earth, runner or not, really needs to register for MCM and run MCM and why MCM is the most amazing thing on this earth.  Why MCM made me a marathoner and an all around better person (OK, I don’t know if I’d go that far), but you get the point…

But, for now, the goal is to make it to the start line.  And if something goes terribly or even slightly wrong over the next several months, and I make the decision under my doctors’ advice not to run in October, then so be it.  The primary goal right now is to make the finish line at Boston 2015, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.  Because Boston is- well, it’s THE Boston Marathon.  The awesomeness I was trying to portray with that statement is inherent in the title itself.  So that comes first (secondary primarily to my health of course, because I am a runner and a cyclist and an ROTC midshipman, and being on my two feet without crutches, a wheelchair or a walking boot or whatever the doctor orders is a priority).  And furthermore, it was insane and completely amazing to become a Boston qualifier on the first try, but I’m definitely not trying to be a has-been at 19.  So, to recap, healing up and running again comes first, Boston comes second, and MCM is a close third.    

So back to the point of this post, even though I haven’t been running lately (and I’m still in the walking boot), my shoes are wearing out, especially since I’m wearing the left to walk around campus and such, but not the right, so the left is bound to be worn out when I get the boot off, and the right won’t be evenly worn, since it’s been hiding in some unknown corner under my bed for the last several weeks, so coming back from an injury and training in unevenly worn out shoes is a severe problem (that only a runner obsessed engineering student would find the time to worry about, but hey, that’s me for you)… But, due to these unique circumstances and the not so unique fact that shoes wear out after a while, today I got new running shoes!!!  Even though I’m still a few months shy of running (and by running, I mean walk 5 minutes, run 1 minute, repeat 6 times… and so the back to running plan begins), I’m not too far off from losing the boot, and I was at the mall and they were on the shelf and they were $40 less than I paid for the last pair of the same model I got, so I jumped at them.

They’re Brooks Glycerin 11’s, neon pink, and I hope that this pair will serve me as well as the last did.  I mean, as a runner, you rarely admit how vital the little things are.  An ill fitting or worn out pair of shoes can lead to blisters, plantar fasciitis, shin splints (or gasp), stress fractures, although in my case it was a combination of supreme overuse, bad luck and semi-worn out combat boots of questionable quality.  The shoes won’t always break you, but because it has become my life goal to be as cliché as possible in this blog (but only when speaking the truth), they have the capability to make you or break you. 

So I’m not really into advertising, but today I will give a shout out for the Brooks Glycerin.  They provide a good amount of cushion, feel awesome, and hey- who doesn’t want neon pink shoes?  I know I do! 

That’s all I’ve got for now (and I can see you at your computer screen gasping with relief because I’m not pushing any more products on you, but to be fair, I’m not telling you to ditch your month old shoes and go out and get them today, but when your shoes wear out (and they will), just do it!)

Thanks for reading,

Sarah

Snack time: What's it gonna be?

            OK, so if you’re hungry right now, you’re probably going to hate me a little if you make it through the end of this post without eating your computer.  But, hey, I am a food-loving athlete, so here we go.

            Even though my poor food budget cannot afford to sustain me on all of the following, at the beginning of a week, right after I’ve gone grocery shopping (depending on my life choices for that week), snack opportunities are endless.  I can have granola bars of all varieties, crackers and cheese (or crackers and peanut butter), tostitos and salsa, carrots and hummus, a banana, etc… A handful of walnuts and raisins.  A bowl of cereal with soymilk.  And maybe if it’s a splurge week, there’ll be some fig newtons laying around. 

            The best part about all of those things is that a lot of them double as meals.  Walnuts and raisins in a bowl of oatmeal with a little brown sugar?  May as well be Julia Childs if you eat like that.  A pita with a little chicken, hummus, walnuts, apple slices, carrots, lettuce even, is to die for.  Veggie burgers in a pita hit the spot too. 

            But, instead of me ranting on and on about all the foods I love, let’s make something clear.  A runner’s must have tastables: 

1.     Peanut butter (It goes great with crackers of any type, pitas, toast, jelly and bread, apples, celery, etcetera.  I could go on all day, but my friends on the ski team will tell you that oreos and peanut butter are the way to go (but that’s not on your diet, is it?)

2.     Pasta:  I have no fewer than 5 pounds of spaghetti in my cupboard right now just begging me to eat it.  Add parmesan, cheddar, tomato sauce, broccoli, butter… The possibilities are again endless.  Just eat it.  You’ll want the carbs on race day. 

3.     Granola Bars: Life without granola bars would be very sad… I am a proud consumer of Belvita, Nature Valley, and Nutrigrain and I love Chewy too.  Bottom line: They’re easy to pack, quick to eat, and good for breakfast or snack time any day. 

4.     Gatorade: I used to only use Gatorade for special situations, like race days, and then I became a marathoner.  I usually keep a few bottles around, but since that goes so fast, I buy the powdered type too, so that when I’m feeling dehydrated, it’s easy to access. 

5.     Popsicles: I really like Edy’s real fruit fruit bars.  The big strawberry ones are the way to go, but the mixed packs with lime, wild berry and strawberry are delicious too.  I also discovered Chapman’s “Electrolyte Sport Popsicles” this summer.  It’s basically like frozen Gatorade on a stick and it’s super fulfilling after a long run.  Popsicles are basically unappealing (at least for me) after about mid-September.  As soon as you start coming in from your runs freezing to death, it’s acceptable to cross ‘em off the shopping list, but in the summer, when you barely survive a hot run, definitely the way to go. 

What are your top five foods at this moment? 

That’s all I’ve got for now,

Sarah