The thing about Athlete Food is that we're not all healthy, all the time. We eat plenty of kale salads and quinoa, but also have room in our lives for indulgences like cookies and milkshakes. Let's be real, who in their right mind would turn down a big slice of greasy pizza after riding a bike 85 miles? Splurges aren't a daily occurrence for us, but cake at a birthday party? A chocolate croissant from Amy's bread after a long run? Count us in!
In preparation for my half ironman last weekend, I did my first ever carb load. This involved eating a huge breakfast the day before the race. My coach wanted me to eat pancakes, eggs, toast…the works.
If prize money were given out for best leg FinisherPix, I may have won some.
I want to thank everyone along the course – spectators and other athletes – for your support on the run course of last weekend’s Florida 70.3. Although I only finished in 7th place, your encouragement not only helped me finish the race, but it led me to experience something that will be very valuable as I continue to figure out this long distance racing thing.
I had such a good experience racing the Olympic Distance (5150) race in New Orleans that I decided to book a flight back two weeks later for the 70.3 race. It wasn't on my schedule, but I knew I was ready to race a longer distance and I was offered a free hotel (thank you Oschner!) which would allow me to stay an extra few nights to see the city. New Orleans is a fascinating place and with our great friend and native New Orleanian Rod being in town to show me the city, I knew I would have to go back!
Growing up, our dad would always keep a canister of macaroons in the pantry at our house on Mastenbrook Place. Laurel would dig into them after school or after swim practice. But the sticky sweetness of these cookies was never my thing. I preferred for Fudge Stripes or Deluxe Grahams (which we also always had in stock).
At the beginning of last week I got knocked out by a cold/flu for a few days and decided that the race I planned to do, Oceanside 70.3, wasn't meant to be. I wasn't going to be ready for a long, hard race after sitting on the couch for three days. After I started to feel a bit better on Thursday, I decided - against the advice of my coach- to race a shorter distance race in New Orleans.
The Red Hook Crit. This was the craziest sporting event I've ever been to and probably the craziest I've ever participated in. The main event, the bike race, consisted of 22 lap criterium on a technical course around the docks in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It was pouring rain. It was dark. People were racing fixed gear bikes, with NO BRAKES.
