You are what you eat

The phrase "you are what you eat" has always made me chuckle a little. It brings to mind Violet from Willy Wonka ("Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!") who turns into a blueberry after chewing Willy Wonka's experimental gum.



However, recently I have found that what I eat during the day (and especially right before a run) really affects how a feel during my runs--even the shorter runs. For example, yesterday afternoon I ate entirely too much leftover Christmas candy (hey, if you eat it all at least it's not in the house anymore). A couple of hours later I went running and I felt like I was shuffling through sludge for the entire two miles. Today I made an effort to eat less crap and more whole foods (I traded in the candy for a banana for my afternoon snack) and the entire 3.5 miles felt great.

Tomorrow is another two mile run, but the temperature is supposed to go back down into the low thirties. My plan is to brave the weather and run outside anyway. We'll see how it goes.