In keeping with my intention of training more, I started thinking of other ways to keep myself fit for racing...and one major point I keep coming back to is nutrition. Surely what I put into my body has to be an important indicator of what I will get out of it. My diet is woefully inadequate....this summer consisting mainly of microwave pizza, fast food, and "whatever-Harrisburg-Senators-baseball-is-serving-in-the-media-room". (Often this last item did not resemble anything known to be edible.) I can practically feel my arteries hardening. So I started to wonder, what is everybody else eating? Does anyone have suggestions for including a variety of more healthy foods in my diet...and sticking with it? (Eating healthier seems more expensive and time consuming....especially during a half-hour lunch break...it's sooooo easy to slide back into the prepared & frozen foods.)
On a similar note, I was wondering what kinds of vitamins and energy supplements are in wide use as well...I already take a Centrum multivitamin sporadically (yeah, another one of those things I tend to let slide :-( ) And I have been reading a lot in various race commentary about orienteers using Gu . However, at the cycle shop where I went to get my trial run of Gu (banana....I can't have caffeine), the guy told me that Gu is "so five years ago" and recommended several other energy products as well. So what's the word on the street? What's worked for you?
I like Gu because it has less volume for the same amount of calories as power-gel (and who knows about "trendy-gel"). though if you cant have caffeine then you will probably get bored of bananna. I think only one kind of powergel (chocolate) has caffeine in it. your best bet is just to try various brands and find something you like.
Hmm... I don't think Gu (or other gels) have anything to do with nutrition. I think of nutrition as what you eat day to day as you go through your life, while Gu is something you toss in to keep going during a race or training run.
J-J's Rules of Dietary Appropriateness:
1) You should eat, EVERY DAY. (Applies to everyone.)
2) You should eat all you can. (Applies to some people, such as myself.)
One general useful tip: I consider Wendy's to be the best fast food outlet, solely on the basis of the Baked Potato Factor. You can get baked potatoes there. I hate their hamburgers, and I almost always get a large chili and a baked potato. Two baked potatoes would be even better.
Here's the ultimate: 100 ug darbepoetin (polysorbate solution) intravenously every Monday. Can't beat that 0.5 g/dl/week hemoglobin increase! Oh, and whatever Nancy Clark happens to suggest, too.
Seriously though, the effect of proper nutrition on aerobic-sports perfornance is at least an order of magnitude (speed-wise) smaller than the effects of proper interval training. General health is another story.
All I can say is, wait till your 50, you'll pay.
(ever heard of vegetables, you know that green stuff with the vitamins in them?)
Proper balanced nutrition intake is the base of your training process and performance. And listen to the Coach! Just wait till you turn 50 or so to fill all your disobedience :) A supplemental polyvitamin pill might be good addition to your diet.