I ate A LOT of food prior to and after my 10k race!
A gal just can’t be too sure, right?? :)
I snacked on these all day long whenever a ‘peep’ of hunger came about. I stifled it pretty good! lol. Filling those glycogen stores!!!
The night before:
HIGH PROTEIN/HIGH CARB DINNER:
Lentils all the way baby!!!
In just 3/4 of a cup there are 27 grams of protein, 16 grams of fibre, and almost 50 grams of carbs!
This is why I don’t have the traditional pasta…
Don’t get me wrong, whole wheat pasta is a great option, but as you can see it is no where close to the nutritional powerhouse that lentils are. 1 serving of this pasta (PC brand) has 8 grams of fibre, 9 grams of protein, and 54 grams of carbs. It’s a decent option, but not as high in protein and fibre. Plus, I like the taste of lentils much more!
I ended up making a Lentil-based ‘sloppy jane’ over toasted flatbread. It was SO good.
The contents of the sloppy jane:
- 1 cup red lentils
- 3/4 cup split peas
- 1 cup spagheti sauce
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 cup or a bit more of frozen veggies
After the lentils were cooked, I simply heated everything up together and stirred. VERY easy!
I also had dried fruit and dark + white chocolate– hello, energy density!!! lol.
I snacked on this bowl all night.
All together:
Later that evening (yes, I had MORE!), I had a bowl of spelt cereal and one of my skinni mini glo buns that I removed from the freezer for emergencies like this! haha :D
YUM!
THE MORNING OF:
I woke up at 5:30am with NO appetite whatsoever (surprise, surprise! lol). And I had to force down some food. I decided the easiest way to do that was to make a calorie dense Green Monster!
In the GM:
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 T raw almond butter (or a bit more)
- 3 organic kale leaves
- 1 package chocolate Amazing Grass meal powder
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1.25 cups soy milk
- ice
This breakfast was light yet still gave me some fuel without feeling like I overdid it too early in the morning. This smoothie is approx 475 calories.
Since the race was still a good 5 hours away, I knew I had to pack food:
I brought carbs!
I didn’t end up having much of this at all, as my nerves got to me and I had zero appetite! I had maybe a handful of cereal around 9am.
I drank green tea and water like it was my job! Green tea is a quick way to get an energy boost without overdoing it on caffeine.
During the race I drank only water (probably about 2 cups).
POST RACE EATS!!!
Bring on the FOOD!
Post race I was starving! I had about 2 cups of fresh strawberries that were free for runners. I also guzzled water. We were outside ALL day until about 3:30pm, so I drank tons of water all day long. We both got some colour despite wearing SPF 60- that sun was intense!!
Here is the ice cream shop Eric dragged me to:
How cute!
I wasn’t thrilled about walking to it because I did not want to walk after the race at all and I assumed they wouldn’t have any non-dairy options anyways! But to my surprise they DID have dairy free ice sorbet. I was PUMPED. Just look at how cool this place is!!!
I was in heaven!!!
WOW!
Here is the coolest part of all. They take the ice cream, put in on this frozen countertop (below) and they take the toppings and ‘fold’ it into the ice cream. It was so cool to watch! I even took a video and I think the girl thought I was a nut case! bahaha.
I got the non-dairy tropical flavoured sorbet. Here it is on the frozen block. I had blueberries and strawberries added in!
Yes, my friends, those are cookie dough BALLS to add into the ice cream (far left):
It was so good! Eric had french vanilla with caramel and nuts added in! It was the perfect, refreshing snack post-race!
After leaving around 3:30pm, we were starving for lunch!!! And I mean starving! We passed a Quiznos and stopped in. I LOVE Quiznos and don’t go there enough!!!
I had the medium veggie sub (minus the olives and cheese). It was the BEST tasting sub I have EVER had. Ever. In my life. Since Birth. I told Eric this about 6 times and he was on cloud nine because it is one of his favourite lunch places to eat!!
ops I took a few bites and forgot to picture before diving in!!
On my sub was: lettuce, red onion, guacamole (SO GOOD!), tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, and red wine vinaigrette on a wheat baguette.
The inside:
I can’t even begin to describe how good it was. I’m sure the red wine vinaigrette must have been high in fat because it tasted so amazing!! It was just dripping in the sauce. Ok, now I want one SO badly!! lol. You must try this sub if you live near a Quiznos!! And yes, I wore my medal AND BIB into quiznos! lol.
Our drive home was beautiful!!
Ahhh, I was at peace with the world on the drive home.
I also popped one of these post-race to reduce inflammation! I meant to take one pre-race too, but I forgot.
Eric took 2 tablets because he had a bad headache from standing in the sun all day (poor guy!).
For dinner, I had the same exact PRE-RACE meal since I had leftovers and it was so high in protein!!
For dessert was dark chocolate. Then I could barely keep my eyes open and passed out shortly thereafter!
A great day, indeed. :)
WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?
In case you haven’t noticed- I caught the race bug!
Immediately after my 10k race yesterday I knew I had to sign up for my next race. After some careful searching I found the PERFECT race for me.
I present to you: The ACURA 5k and 10-miler @ Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto!! Sunday JULY 19th- which is 33 days away!!
Views of the Toronto skyline:
Surrounded by Lake Ontario! How sweet is that!?
Bridges:
What could be better???
Medals.
After I read this, I was SOLD:
Join us and make cancer history! The Canadian Cancer Society’s fight against men’s cancers is a lot like your commitment to running — with strength, hard work and perseverance we will make cancer history. We invite all participants in the Acura Toronto 10-Miler & 5K events to join the fight against men’s cancers.”
I’m pretty sure this race couldn’t be any more perfect for me!!
Now the only question that remains is this: 5k or 10-miler.
Obviously, they are hugely different.
I am leaning toward the 10 miler for a couple reasons:
1) The course is FLAT
2) It is an early AM start, which means less heat + sun
I have emailed the race organizer to see how close they are to the cap because I don’t want to wait too long and have it get full! If I am not ready for the 10mi, I will do the 5k! We shall see…stay tuned for updates!!
Tonight’s question: What is the perfect distance to run? What is your favourite race distance?
I can barely keep my eyes open today- I am so so tired from yesterday!!! I might go take a nap…
Plus, OSG MOM gave me orders to rest today! ;)
my favorite distance is a 15K – close to a 10 miler – because its just long enough to be really challenging but not as grueling as a half!!
I just did a 10 miler a month ago and had suuuuch a blast!! You could increase your mileage by one mile per week to hit that 10 mile mark!
I really enjoyed reading all about your first race adventures. Running in races is so fun. I’ve never placed as you have, but I still love them none-the-less. My favorite race is in June (sadly, I missed it this year due to being out of town) and is a 12K that is tough and full of hills (you know it is hilly when one of the hills is called suicide hill). The first mile is all downhill, and it is steep, but after doing 6 miles of rolling hills, you get the lucky honor of running up the last mile hill – the funny thing is it has this flashing light that marks the intersection of the finish line, and no matter where you are, the light never seems to get closer. It is a fun time with lots of people out cheering you on. When it is hot, people put out sprinklers or get water guns or hoses and water you down if you want as you run by. I’m hoping to do more running now that I’m getting back from a long injury myself :) Congrats again – that is so awesome!
Thanks for info on tea box….such a lovely idea for a gift too!Yup,i have never heard of that store in NS,,,but will peek at Stokes!
Hey! Congratulations on the race! I really enjoyed reading your recaps – way to go! I mean “glow,” haha!!
Awesome!
I’m also curious as to your white and dark chocolate chunks you have … I’m intrigued. Are they organic? I want some! Yum Yum! Where did you find something so tasty? I must know! :)
That ice cream place looks amazing! I always rate my ice cream places by the amount of topping choices they have :)
The Quiznos sub looks so good. I think I may convert from a subwayer to a quiznoer since they have quac!
Congrats again on a good race, it sounds like you had a great time. My favorite run is 3-4miles, but I’m hoping that number grows as I get back into shape.
Skip the 10 mile and look for a FUN 1/2 marathon. You are ready. You GLO!!!!!!
Congratulations on your race — what a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Your lentil meals look fantastic, and I love the stats. I was so excited to see your post because my husband just picked up some lentils tonight. Can’t wait to make ’em!
That is so amazing you are doing another race girly <3
I never knew lentils packed in so many great nutritional stats!
Thank you so much for the great info. Those cupcakes are adorable at that ice cream parlor. :)
I’ve raced in 5K’s, 10K’s, a 15K, and a half marathon. For me, they are all challenging in their own way. I alter my pace for the distance and when I cross the finish I’m spent regardless! 5K are sooo fast and require lots of speed work training. For 15K and half marathon’s I run slower and my training runs are slower, because it’s all about endurance. I love them all but I admit I like the attention that comes from longer distances (esp.from non-runners when they ask, “Now,how many miles did you run?” and they look at you like you have superpowers!) HaHa :)
Right now, my fav distance is between 5-8 miles. I’ll let you know in a few weeks though! I have some lentils to use up – maybe i’ll use your recipe for some inspiration!
Hi Angela, I am a newbie to reading your blog and have gotten addicted. (I have already made my first green monster, then I made banana apple coconut curry and fell in love!) I can’t wait to try the lentil sloppy janes!
ANYWAY, I liked your race post, way to go girl! I could really feel your emotions, struggles, and glory- I felt like I ran it myself! I am very proud of you, you are a great inspiration! And the area did look beautiful!
I’ve only ran a 5k once, but I loved the training and excitement of it. I need to sign up for another!
What great eats! I am so happy to see someone who really does fuel themselves well before a race. And it obviously paid off with that great race!
I think the perfect race distance is a 10K. I don’t have to really “train” and can make it through just on my running bace. I find it fun and there isn’t much recovery.
For a real challenge, I love half marathons. They aren’t like taking on a part time job that full marathons are. They definitely still take a fairly strict running plan (you do have to do long runs on the weekends) but you aren’t looking at taking every Saturday morning to go running and then having to recover for the rest of the weekend like I do when I have trained for a full marathon.
Happiness Awaits
Hi Angela,
I ran the 10 miler race last year and it was great! I run the route from time to time as I live literally around the corner from the start line. It is a great route – VERY FLAT – a great view of downtown when you get to the loop in Tommy Thompson park! They provide a PLETHORA of eats after the race and it all takes place in the Distillery District which is a pretty kick butt place for some good food! I am still flip flopping over registering for the 10 miler this year (a knee injury has set me back a bit)! If we both end up running it I hope to see you there!
Ooo your bowl of chocolates looks good! Nice big chunks :)
What’s the white stuff next to the cookie dough balls?… That sounds inappropriate hahaha!
My favorite race distance is a half marathon. I love the challenge the training provides, but I also really love that I’m not completely out of commission after the race. I usually need 3-5 days of much reduced activity after a half marathon, but then I’m desperate for another race and to get back on the road. Glad you’ve caught the bug too!!
That’s so awesome. It was just the motivation I needed.
The ice cream place sounds a lot like where I work: Cold Stone Creamery. We pull ice cream from a ghea (we have about 15 or so flavors to choose from including a tart and tangy frozen yogurt, a few sorbets, and a “sinless” sugar-free fat free flavor. Then we mix in anything you like (and put it in a plain or dipped (sometimes with sprinkles, nuts, pie crust, or coconut)waffle bowl or cone if you like). There are probably about 20 mix-in options, but we have signature creations that people usually get. There are also milkshakes, smoothies, and coffee drinks. We also sing and dance for tips. :) I think they have Cold Stones in Canada, since they had them when I lived in Japan. You should check it out!