Beef: Its whats for a marathon runner?

1. The knee. Feels better. Much better. About 98 percent. Stiffens up when I sit at my desk, but feels great during runs.

 

2. This morning. We did 8x1000 meter intervals with about a 2 minute recovery in between. My times: 4:29 (warm-up), 4:03, 4:06, 3:58, 4:04, 4:06, 4:03, 4:03....

 

3. My diet. Not real sure. Sometimes, I feel really strong during runs. Other times, like this morning, I feel really weak, like something is burning inside my shoulders and neck. I've tracked this down to what I eat. When I eat beef the night before a run - long or short - I feel really strong the next morning, really strong. When I eat beef the night before a run, and a piece of fruit about 20 minutes before a run, I feel even stronger.

 

But not any fruit. (I'll get to that point later)

 

When I eat chicken or fish the night before a run of any distance, I notice I don't feel so strong, no matter what I do or dont eat during the run the next day.

 

First of all, and Ive never written in this space, but I'm kinda allergic to chicken. At least chicken breasts. When I eat Chick-Fil-A, or chicken breast from any kind of restaurant or even out of my fridge, I get this dull itch all over my body about 20 minutes after eating. (Insert your laughter here). Seriously. I've got this chicken itch thing going on and its been going on for the last 20 years. Its like you are wearing a wool sweater and it makes you itch. Thats how I feel. Not bad enough not to eat, but certainly a nagging thing.

 

So, over the last two weeks, I decided to track what I eat the day before a run and see how I feel the next day.

 

Last Friday night, I ate barbque brisket. Saturday morning, i had a piece of pear, then I ran 18 miles in 8:05 pace, with the last 9 miles averaging about 7:50 and the last mile in 7:20. The only thing I took during the run was salt tablets and whatever powerade was on the course.

 

Monday and Tuesday nights, I ate beef and rice for dinner. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings i ate two pieces of a pear before the run and felt strong during the run, like I could have run all day.

 

Wednesday night, chicken with my salad. Started itching 20 minutes after eating. This morning (Thursday), was out of pears, ate two pieces of an apple, instantly felt this burning sensation in my neck and shoulders, that didnt go away during the run. Felt really week during the entire run. I just felt this burning sensation in my upper body, neck and shoulders area that increased with intensity the faster I ran. Staying right around 4 minutes for each 1k interval was tougher than it should have been (Even though I ran 10 miles the day before).

 

(By this way, this isnt a placebo thing. The Friday night before last, I had dijon mustard chicken for dinner and the next day - Saturday - proceeded to have the worst 18-mile run I've ever had. Had to walk the last 1.5 miles. I had no energy. Felt weak the entire run, like something was off chemically in my body).

 

So, there you have it. Ive already written in this space that I have to stay away from dairy the day before a run. Add to this list chicken and apples.

 

But pass the bar-b-q!