Pre-Race Cuisine

Clutching my Blue-Wackadoo Slurpee from 7-11 in both hands, sipping away; I had a song in my heart and butterflies in my stomach as my mom pulled our minivan into a space at the local park, just in time for my 6th-grade cross-country race. Much to my dismay, just as we pulled up, the runners took to the line and they were off before I even had time to unbuckle my seat belt. Coach saw the look on my face as I watched in horror and he quickly scurried over to the car to explain they decided to start the race a little early, and since my team already had 5 girls, he was ok with that. We pulled away and I returned home, dejected, with tearful eyes and a blue tongue. Damn that blue slurpee. I just had to have one before that race and we cut it too close. Little did I know, this was only the beginning of pre-race meals leaving a scarring effect on me.

You know that dry, cotton-mouthed feeling you get as you eat a meal the day of a race? The butterflies fluttering in your stomach combined with a slow cow-like chew make for a somewhat less-than-pleasant meal. Since I truly dislike not fully enjoying every meal, I had made it my policy a long time ago to eat whatever I crave the day of a race. Better to get down a delicious 12-inch pizza than half of a bagel, right? Well, not quite. I have a "Don't Even Think About It" list of foods that have led to epic failures, and I will share of few of these with you here. Just so you don't make these mistakes yourself.

CHICKEN POT PIE: The infamous Ruby Tuesday's chicken pot pie incident occurred my junior year at Villanova. All I can say is that chicken pot pie seemed like the right thing at the time. It appeared to be healthy (um, hello, chicken and veggies!) and quite filling. My stomach had other ideas as I stood on the starting line waiting for my teammate to pass me the baton in a Distance Medley Relay at Penn State. We were trying to put up a fast qualifying time for the NCAA Championships. I took a big gulp and a deep breath, put my game face on, and attacked the track. We came away with the win and the time. Our enthusiastic 800m leg followed me out to the parking lot for a cool down, where the chicken pot pie made its second appearance of the night. Poor girl. I warned her, she didn't know what she was getting herself into, unassumingly following me out into that parking lot for a jog.

CHICK-FIL-A: I am not really sure what happened at Chick-Fil-A. All I know is that my college coach, (2 time NCAA coach of the year) Gina Procaccio, had banned me from the establishment prior to all races. Who doesn't love those waffle fries? Anyways, I am assuming whatever it was, it was not pretty.

LARGE PERSONAL PIZZAS: Hours prior to the NCAA 3000m final my fifth year at Villanova, I devoured a 12-inch pizza with extra cheese. Me and my sour stomach missed out on the final All-American spot in the race that year in a field that was lapped by stud (and now WORLD CHAMPION) Jenny Barringer. I need to clarify that the *extra cheese* part is an extremely important detail as my very best NCAA (runner-up) finish came just a day earlier in the 5000m and my meal prior to that final was none other than a 12-inch pizza (with a very regular amount of cheese). I guess I just got carried away with the excitement and success of the pizza the day before. In conclusion, extra cheese does not equal extra fast. Ever.

WHOLE FOODS: I may be the only human being on the planet who could go to Whole Foods for lunch before a race and eat something unhealthy. Yes, people, the day of the Payton Jordan Invitational 5k this year I had a large helping of home-style macaroni and cheese and washed it all down with a nice bowl of corn chowder. Similarly to the chicken pot pie experience, I put my hand over my mouth on the start line, took a big gulp, and got my game face on. I ran a 13 second personal best that day. I walked straight from the finish line to the nearest trash can and I will leave the rest to your imagination. Let's just say a nice little girl who was standing nearby may or may not be attending a track meet EVER again.

I can also offer first hand experience eating McDonald's Egg McMuffins and snack stand hot dogs. All I will say is that these are no-gos as well. There are probably more foods to add to this list, but I think you get the gist.

You are probably wondering what a girl is to do now that I have eliminated some of the most delicious foods from your pre-race options. No worries, there are plenty of sensible tasty options to fuel you for the big dance. As you can see, the common thread in many of my "epic failures" appears to be fats, oils, creams. Stay away from ALL of these on race day.

I have found that 6-8 hours prior to racing, simple sandwiches and snacks will suffice. A nice turkey and cheese sandwich, eggs, veggies, pretzels, bananas, rice cakes with peanut butter, dried fruit, yogurt, popcorn, nuts, etc. are all extremely agreeable. These are all simple things to digest, and they are packed with energy. I personally enjoy the following snacks: sugar snaps, carrots, cheese popcorn, chocolate covered cranberries or almonds, and laughing cow cheese. As I get closer to my race, I like to have a bagel with peanut butter, or oatmeal with cranberries and brown sugar, and a few more snacks. I stay hydrated with water throughout the day and a nice cup of tea or two.

The thing to keep in mind on race day is that food is fuel. You are getting your body ready to run faster and push harder than you did the last time you were out there. I can almost guarantee that your engine will run a lot more smoothly on oatmeal and bagels than it will on a Big Mac. That being said, sometimes we find ourselves in situations with limited food options. We race at new venues, in different countries, and at odd times. If you stress about what and when to eat, you will surely take away from what is most important on race day- enjoying the experience and running fast! So prepare to be flexible.

I reminded myself of this need for flexibility as I stood outside a Starbucks on Broadway between 51st and 52nd at 6:20 AM waiting for the doors to open this past Saturday. I had a 5k that morning in NYC at 8:30 AM and the Starbucks was supposed to open at 6. Instead of stressing that I had to purchase and digest my oatmeal in the next ten minutes, I waited patiently and chatted away with my teammate Julie and fellow BIG EAST alums and Georgetown grads Liz and Andrew. Before we knew it, a frantic barista had taken all our orders and we were quickly on our way back to our hotel, oatmeal in one hand, hot tea in the other. (NOTE: Julie did have to talk me out of also purchasing a black and white cookie to eat before the race. I am obviously still working on this. This is why it is helpful to travel with good friends.)

Instead of dealing with a sour stomach on the starting line, I was able to concentrate on keeping myself warm by huddling next to 2008 Olympians Magdalena Lewey-Boulet and Lopez Lomong as I got pumped to hear that gun go off. With a good start, a sloppy middle, and a strong finish, I walked away from the race pretty pleased with my first race back en route to the 2012 USA Olympic Trials. I finished 12th overall with a road 5k personal best of 16:23 on a cold, early morning in the Big Apple. Instead of heading for the nearest trash can post race, I was able to congratulate teammates Julie and Ashley on stellar finishes, briefly catch up with some old friends, and make some new ones. It was a pretty quality day in my book.

I must also note that post-race meals are of a different nature entirely. Celebrate your successes! I celebrated mine with Mexican and margaritas that night. Post underneath some of your favorite (or least favorite) pre and post race meals!

Introduction

Growing up, my mom had a special song she would sing for each of my brothers, my sister, and me before we went to bed at night. I almost always requested James Taylor’s Jellyman Kelly. He wrote the song after his five year old daughter came home from school one day with a poem she wrote about a funny, happy man named Jellyman Kelly who “sure loved jelly” and his partner Jenny Mulhenny who “liked to boil hot water.” One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mom scooping me up and singing this song to me to put me to sleep. If you are so inclined, you can enjoy the musical musings of a three-year-old Frances at this link: Jellyman Kelly.

Aside from the lyrical genius and catchy tune of this song, there was something else I felt I could really connect to at a young age: jelly. Who doesn’t love jelly? I was the kid who often requested to hold the peanut butter and just put a large helping of jam between two slices of white bread, please and thank you! I have been told that I singlehandedly polished off all the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving when I was two, and the next year was caught red-handed ingesting an *entire* stick of butter. Raw. Yep. 

As I got older, my palate expanded from simple sugars and fats to more complex ones. I was a pretty good kid and I ate what was on my plate. But if there were chips or candy or ice cream in the house, you could be sure I was the first to locate the target and destroy. The kitchen and dining room table are war zones out there when you have an older brother AND a younger brother with big appetites, and you have got to man your battle station. When my girlfriends and I would order pizza in high school, I usually had my own pie and order of Domino's Dots. (Does anyone remember those things? Yum.)

Lucky for me, I have been blessed with a speed-of-light metabolism and kind of a knack for the sport of running. At five feet and two inches, it is a good day if I am a hundred and five pounds soaking wet. My parents of course always encouraged me to eat healthy and provided all the necessary nutrition to do so. I was just always so little that pushing that extra cheeseburger or a half gallon of ice cream after a full meal is just what any good parent would do.

So taking care to eat in a healthy fashion to fuel my body and recover from my workouts never really seemed like a pressing issue, because it was not evidently imminent in my weight or appearance. Less than two years ago, my idea of a recovery meal after a real hard, grueling workout was to head straight for McDonalds to order the Big Mac Extra Value Meal with a chocolate shake on the side. Or two slices of Peace-A-Pizza’s barbeque chicken pizza with Hope’s M&M cookies to polish it off. Or two Potts’ cheese dogs with a bag of chips and a Rosenberger’s chocolate milk to wash it all down. But I digress (and I am just making myself hungry).

Last fall, I joined a new track club (NJ-NY TC) in order to take my running up a notch heading into the 2012 Olympic Trials on the track. I have always been very dedicated to the sport like any athlete pursuing a dream; I make positive choices every day to take me further towards my goal. I have addressed and improved upon all other aspects of my training: running, stretching, strides, drills, hurdles, strength, core, sleep, mentality. There is one last major piece of this puzzle that I have failed to address for long enough, and that is my nutrition.

A few months ago, I began working with one of NJ-NY TC’s sponsors, Pro-Activity, a local fitness, physical therapy, and wellness center near my home in Annandale, NJ. At Pro-Activity, a handful of my NJ-NY TC teammates and I are trained bi-weekly and are rehabbed as needed by their staff of trainers and physical therapists. Since training there, I have realized there is much still to learn for a professional athlete pursuing her dreams; especially when it comes to nutrition. In fact, since joining the ranks at Pro-Activity as both a client and staff member (I currently serve as a coach specializing in endurance sports), the team at Pro-Activity is responsible for helping me to realize that improving my nutrition is another way I can get closer to my goals. While my learning days will probably never be over, my colleagues, trainers, and therapists at Pro-Activity are so supportive of my (and my teammates) athletic and life endeavors, and always seem willing to share advice and knowledge to willing ears.  I believe they truly want to see us happy, healthy, and running to our full potential, and so it is through their example that I have decided to share along as I continue to learn, and only offer nutritional information and tips that I, myself will follow.

The transformation won’t happen overnight, but I am quickly beginning to catch on. For example, I have gone from eating two large Eggo waffle ice cream sandwiches and drinking hot chocolate for breakfast to enjoying a big bowl of oatmeal with milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and cranberries, a large slice of whole wheat banana bread, and a nice cup of tea to wash it all down. I have added raw veggies (sugar snap peas or red peppers) to my lunch and I have replaced potato chips with multigrain crackers and cheddar cheese. I am trying my best to drink plenty of water throughout the day and I am having fun exploring new and delicious dinner options.

This blog will document my journey to fuel my body to be the best athlete I can be. I will post new recipes, pictures, and tips, and I will let you know on how it is making me feel along the way. I am a work in progress, as you can see from this picture of Halloween candy I purchased to give out last night, but I am an eager student. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my next post when I reveal how you can get the best bang for your buck when ordering from the Dollar Menu at McDonalds! (Just kidding…)