Food and Running

The concept of nutrition in general seems to be rather complicated. Nutrition and running however seems to be even more overwhelming... "eat carbs, and eat protein, but... if you run fast for less than 30 minutes eat more protein than carbs, but,,, if you run slow for more than 60 minutes eat more carbs than protein, but if you run moderately fast on a Wednesday and you own a brown and white dog, eat 45% carbs and 55% protein, but not necessarily in that order".

Okay! I didn't exactly pull that quote straight from a nutrition article in a
magazine- but I swear that's how I feel after reading one of these great advice
giving articles. So...in general my theory is that eating is good. If you run
a lot, you probably should eat more. So when I'm hungry, I eat. That's almost
the extent of how un-complicated I try to keep my running life.

More than anything, the 'good nutrition running sin' I'm probably guilty of most is not having enough variety in my diet. I find a few food options that work for me and my budget, and tend to stick with them for a long time. For the last few months.... I've been pretty consistent...

Breakfast- oatmeal and a large Starbucks sugar free non-fat latte, Snack-
banana, Lunch- sandwhich (bread, mayo, mustard, cheese, and ham), Snack- yogurt
(Orange Creme), Dinner- either chicken and veggies, tuna and veggies, or...my
most recent favorite...

The gourmet favorite of spaghetti with mushroom sauce and peas. This especially has become a favorite on the night before long runs-- which this just happens to be. (I realize that I'm not going to be overwhelmed with dinner guests serving this kind of menu-- but, it seems to work for me these days so I'll stick with it. :)

On the morning of long runs.... Oatmeal, 2 slices of buttered toast, a
banana, and a small Starbucks latte (yes, caffeine before a run is AWESOME!).
During run- as much as a package of Sport Beans (really just jelly beans who
know someone I'm pretty sure), a GU packet, and maybe a fruit snack package if
I'm really out for a while. After the run---- definitely a Starbucks cupcake--
and then anything else I want!!! lol

So I seem to be doing a little better with food variety on long run weekends, but my regular during the week menu could use some amending. If you have any ideas for healthy, budget-friendly, EASY meals or snacks...please pass them along. :)

16 miles tomorrow... :)