The first edition of the Athlete Food Lunch Club was held today. The idea is a workout followed by a healthy meal. The host gets to choose the workout and the food. The guests have to come prepared to sweat and to eat. We think it's the perfect combination! 
We love pizza. We eat it after a long day of training. We eat it after races. We eat it piled high with arugula during training season. And, in the off season, we add bacon and gorgonzola.
Maybe it all started with post-meet swim team dinners at Shakey's Pizzeria in the Gaithersburg Square shopping center. Then, in college our 16-passenger vans would unload at pizza joints for carbs and calories while on the road traveling to track meets.
New this year, the New York Road Runners Club held a race the day before the ING New York City Marathon called the Dash to the Finish Line. NYRR recruited about 40 of America's top distance runners, assembling a field probably more competitive than a national championships. Adding this 5k gave many of the runners who are training for the US Olympic Marathon Trials (in Houston in January) a chance to participate in the NYC Marathon festivities, even though racing a marathon right now wouldn't fit into their programs. 
Only a few more days until the NYC Marathon--a day that so many people have been preparing for for months. I can't believe it has has been TEN years since I ran through the 5 boroughs! If I’m going to eat salad for dinner, I’m going to need to eat a lot of it. And, to eat a lot of salad, I need a huge bowl, one big enough to hold four or five fistfuls of greens, grains, vegetables, and protein.
Laurel and I began the big bowl search a few weeks ago at Crate & Barrel. There, we nixed cereal, ice cream, and pasta bowls. They would work for a lunch-sized portion or a bowl of pasta. But one of our enormous dinner salads would easily overflow. We also passed on the mixing and serving bowls, since they were too deep.
Photo by Eric Wynn
This past weekend, we wrapped up the Lifetime Race to the Toyota Cup with the final race in Rockwall, TX. This was the second year for this Dallas suburb venue, which centered around a Hilton resort on the shores of a large reservoir. Due to the drought in Texas, the water level was too low for the traditional dive from the dock start, so we started in the 74(?) degree water with no wetsuits. The swim started off fast and I quickly found myself in a large group with all of the major players except Sara H., Sara M. and Anabel, who where out front
