"I love you Everything Burrito!"

My biggest challenge in training for this triathlon (or perhaps for my whole life) is my love of food.  Food has been love, comfort, and a constant companion.  Pretty much the whole reason I started running in the first place was in order to burn enough calories to eat the food I want to eat.  For example, my net calorie burn for running is a little over a hundred calories per mile.  A half marathon is 13.1 miles, so I should, in theory, be able to scarf down 1400 extra calories that day and not gain any weight. That’s like half a 14” pepperoni pizza washed down with a beer.  Whoo hoo! Unfortunately use of that strategy hasn’t helped me lose these last 15 lbs.

It is also tricky to fuel adequately while training hard.  Yesterday I was in the pool for 60 minutes of drills (note - side kicks are the worst for getting water up your nose, but I have to admit they really helped my form for regular swimming).  This was followed by a 14 mile bike ride (oh, and there was 20 minutes of core workout in the middle).  I'd had a small homemade lowfat banana muffin & a glass of milk for breakfast, and a Clif bar before the bike ride.  When I got home, errands got in the way of eating right away so by the time we stopped for lunch I was STARVING and ate a cheeseburger and fries. Two steps forward, one step back.

So, with the Napa Tri less than 30 days away, I'm committing to eating healthier, and not trying to kid myself when I burn a bunch of calories on my bike, or on a run, or in the pool. Pinky swear to all of you.

Speaking of eating healthier, I'm not a big fan of the workout food industry. I don't know what chemicals are in there, and I don't like the idea of all the packaging landfill. I did a little digging on the internet, and found this version of an energy bar that I really like on Organic Authority:

BANANA ALMOND BUTTER GRANOLA BARS (Vegan-Friendly)
On your stovetop, heat the following ingredients until well combined, reserving for later use:

• FRUIT -- 2 ripe mashed bananas
• NUTS -- ½ cup of almond butter
• Next, pour the following four ingredients in a food processor, chopping until coarse and well-blended:
• FRUIT -- ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup cherries, ¼ cup apricots
• NUTS -- 1/2 cup almonds
• Then, pour food processor contents into a large bowl, incorporating previously heated banana-almond butter mixture along with the following:
• GRAIN -- 1 cup rolled oats
• SEEDS --1/4 cup mixed seeds
• Finally, press the whole kit and caboodle into a prepared 9-inch square metal pan, baking it in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Cool thoroughly before cutting into individual bars.

The website Loving the Bike has some good recipes for making your own sports drinks:

Water + Carbs + Electrolytes (sodium):
48 oz. water + 16 oz. 100% juice + ¼ cup sugar + ¼-½ tsp. salt

Per 8 oz. serving: 60 calories, 15 gram carbs, 75-150 mg sodium; Per hour @ 20 oz.: 150 calories, 38 grams carb, 187-375 mg sodium

Potassium is another important electrolyte in training, and it can be easily added from Morton’s Lite, which can be found at your grocery store next to the salt.  If you do decide to add it, try ¼ tsp. per 64 oz. fluid (44 mg Potassium per 8 oz., or 109 mg per hour with 20 oz.).  You can also use watermelon juice, as it is full of potassium, along with “B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, lycopene and phosphorus.