Nutrition Is Killing Me

I'm making this way harder on myself than I should. Not only am I running an ungodly amount of miles over the course of a few months, but I'm doing this as a vegetarian. According to the people who are supposedly knowledgeable in such things, I should be consuming 75-80 grams of protein every day while training. (This is in addition to the insane amount of carbs required for long runs. My stomach is way too full after dinner.) Even if I ate a steak every night for dinner, I still would have a hard time getting to 75 grams of protein. Yet I've chosen to completely cut out of my diet the easiest, most readily accessible form of protein on the planet. To make things even more difficult, I am about the most useless person to ever set foot in a kitchen. Seriously, I even suck at chopping vegetables. The last time I was in training, I had to eat fish for a few weeks because I was so run down from a lack of protein. So far things are much better this time. 

So how are things different in 2012? Well, I'm routinely eating protein bars and drinking Gatorade with protein. Whey protein powder is a big player, and I liberally add it to cereal and smoothies. PBJ is a staple and quite possibly the greatest sandwich ever invented. I don't think I'd want to live in a world without PBJ. Most importantly though, my lady-friend has made me slightly less useless in the kitchen. I can now make risotto, stir fry and even reuben sandwiches, all with meat substitutes. It's been fairly painless, and I'm well fueled for all those miles. I may even experiment and try some new dishes on my own. That's more than you probably wanted to know about grams of protein or my nutritional habits, but hey, I'm running out of ideas.

Training Update:  These are the dog days. The miles are really piling up, and the race is far enough away that it's hard to find much excitement in the running. This is when it helps to remember why I'm doing this and how many people are behind me. Still, I'm running well and healthy (knock on wood) which is all that matters. The air has been gross and smoky lately from wildfires in the area, but thankfully I haven't felt it in my lungs. It can't be helping though. I have my first 20 mile run on Sunday. I fear being in my own head for that long and may have to drag the dog along for a few miles. It's high time he earned his keep.