The Race: 2012 Columbia Triathlon
What did you eat the night before the Columbia Triathlon?
LW: After an unsatisfactory experience at Jimmy John's (a fast food sub shop) for lunch, I wanted to make sure I had a good dinner. Since our hotel had a full kitchen (thanks to Bec's careful planning), I "cooked" my own meal.
Bec & I left the pre-race pro meeting and drove right to the Food Lion grocery store to forage for ingredients for a pasta dinner. I bought generic brand pasta, thought about the 99 cent canned variety for a second (the packaging design was nice!), but then splurged on fancy Wolfgang Puck red sauce. I also picked up some provolone cheese to mix in with the pasta. Bec did her own thing. She brought a gluten-free meal from home, this amazing quinoa and lentil salad with tomatoes and capers (see this post for details on Bec's salad). I was jealous, but secretly couldn't wait to open that jar of sauce.
Why Pasta?
I go for simple, comforting, easy to digest food the night before a race. Also, it's easy. Who wants to fuss over making dinner the night before a race?
Did you eat anything else?
Bec shared the lettuce she brought from NYC. So I made a small salad with some sliced carrots we picked up at the store. While the pasta water was boiling, we snacked on lots of carrots & hummus.
Did you have dessert?
Bec & I split half of a Sweet Riot dark chocolate & coconut bar. I also had a couple Milanos (sadly not mint) that came as a gift from our hotel.
What did you like about this meal?
I hadn't had pasta with red sauce in a long time, so even though it's probably the least interesting meal out there, it felt like a treat. Plus, I had leftovers. They made a great second lunch on the drive back to NYC after the race. Even cold pasta tastes good when you're famished and depleted and stuck in traffic on the Jersey Turnpike after a race. Don't judge it until you try it! And, yes, I did have a fork.
Would you do it again?
Yes. It was simple and cheap. Since I cooked it myself, I was made sure I got enough to eat. Next time I'd like to add some bread to the meal, but I couldn't find any good Italian bread that wasn't covered in Texas Toast. I guess it worked because I had one of the best races of my life with no trace of a stomach ache!