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Isn't pasta supposed to be good for you?

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5ksandcabernets: Isn't pasta supposed to be good for you?

5ksandcabernets

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Isn't pasta supposed to be good for you?

Mile 6:   7:11
Mile 7:   7:34
Mile 8:   8:44
Mile 9:   9:31
Mile 10: 8:13

These are the splits of my last five miles of Thursday morning's 10-miler with Team Rogue. I know what you are thinking: "Ah-ha, you ran Mile 6 too fast and you were spent the last four miles of the run."

Wrong.

During this entire run, I just didn't feel right, and felt nothing like I did during Tuesday's 10-miler, when I ran the last 5 miles in sub 7:00-mile pace. To be honest, on Thursday morning, I felt exactly the way I felt during the Portland Marathon. Sluggish. Weak. A little delirious.

So, what's going on here? I'm not real sure. One of the guys I run with at Team Rogue - we call him Geezer - told me after Portland that every long run I have after that should be about correcting mistakes. Like I blogged a few weeks back, I think one of my mistakes is that I drink too much water during the marathon.

But Thursday morning, I didn't drink that much water - maybe less than two cups. This leaves me to glean something from my diet - and I think I've found the culprit: white pasta.

On Tuesday evening, I had the biggest bowl of spaghetti with clam sauce. The day before Portland, I had some dish that included tons of white pasta. Now that I think of it, if I run the day after I eat spaghetti, I've always had terrible runs.

And Thursday morning, I had terrible runs, so to speak, and a terrible run. Physically, I felt the same as I did in Portland. Weak. Sluggish. Disinterested. It was hard to believe that I was the same guy that, on Tuesday, ran 10 miles in 7:15 pace.

Maybe this is what happens when you become an over 40-runner, though I doubt it.

Anyway, long story short: No pasta (unless its wheat) the week before I run a marathon. Don't drink too much water (unless its Chicago 2007 all over again).

11 Comments:

Blogger Phil said...

That's interesting - I almost always have salmon before a marathon. I'm not sure if it really helps, or it's just psychological, but I know it doesn't hurt. I had pasta last weekend and my time was a little bit off.

November 12, 2009 at 11:57 PM  
Blogger Sadie J said...

You might even consider not eating whole wheat pasta either (technically white pasta is made from wheat). Maybe try rice or potatoes as your carb loader. You know me...breakfast for dinner...the breakfast potatoes work great. I have also had rice and fish - that works great, too.

November 13, 2009 at 5:02 AM  
Blogger Blue Gal said...

isn't that interesting? it's good that you've figured out what might be a problem.

November 13, 2009 at 5:56 AM  
Blogger Derek said...

Very interesting, I wonder if it could be gluten intolerance. Keep us updated on what you find out.

November 13, 2009 at 8:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Its not just you, and I don't think its necessarily related to aging (though it doesn't help!).

The problem is that starches aren't always the easiest things to digest, especially if you've got sauces that are either acidic (like tomato sauces) or creamy. And as pretty much any endurance athlete has learned the hard way, you don't want to eat stuff that doesn't digest easily if you're gonna be out there for awhile. If I'm running anything over 10 miles, I have to do say...rice and chicken. Or oddly, some kind of protein and something salty seems to work...I ran a 10 meal PR after a giant burger and fries a few weeks back. Hell, I ran a PR after eating a steak with fries and broccoli the night before.

Go figure.

November 13, 2009 at 9:24 AM  
Blogger  said...

Hmmm... this is interesting. Maybe you should begin keeping a food journal to see what foods increase or decrease your energy levels?

November 13, 2009 at 11:45 AM  
Blogger A Plain Observer said...

Damn, that is how I have been feeling and how I felt during the marathon on Sunday but I can't pinpoint what it is. I didn't eat pasta and hardly ever do.
So when you figure it out, tell me

November 13, 2009 at 11:56 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Very interesting. I have yet to find that perfect race food for me.

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November 13, 2009 at 1:07 PM  
Blogger Muz said...

Just out of curiosity and we might hit the head of the nail here, just how much is "biggest bowl" or "tons", now what are we talking here?

November 15, 2009 at 12:22 PM  
Blogger Kathleen said...

I agree with Sadie. Of course, I'm no speed demon and I literally never eat wheat. I've run for hours at a time by "carb-loading" on potatoes, carrots and plenty of protein. I also like salmon before long runs.

November 17, 2009 at 12:19 AM  
Anonymous Jess said...

Interesting! If you keep a training journal, maybe you should start tracking your meals in it and look for trends.

November 18, 2009 at 10:33 PM  

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