Nutritionally Challenged

I have always been of the school of thought that life is short, indulge in the small pleasures along the way. One of those most primal and visceral pleasures being food. Some day, when I'm in the cafeteria line at the old folks home, waiting for my no-salt, 1% fat, prune-flavored bowl of oatmeal, I'll take a mental inventory of all the things I miss about reckless eating...I'll be a bitter old woman for sure (if you are counting on knowing me for life, please be prepared).

But hopefully, that is a long way off and with a sprinkle of healthy living here and there, I have many plates of mac-n-cheese in my future. What, you ask, about the importance of nutrition while training for endurance events? Yes, this is a question creeping up on me as I realize that the burning of mass calories does not necessarily negate the ill effects of excessive fat consumption.

What a rude awakening.

I have been all about the glory of eating a big, fatty meal after a tough workout. Sunday brunches with the team: omelettes, french toast, home fries, In-N-Out Burger (animal style); North Beach Pizza after Kezar, burritos (yes, that whole thing ended up in my belly), and whatever else gets in my path. I can still fit into the same size jeans I wore in college, so who cares? The problem seems to rear its ugly head at around mile 30 of a bike ride...the dreaded bonk...and there's nothing else to blame a bonk on except poor nutrition.

I've been reading a lot of articles about nutrition and I basically know what I'm supposed to do. More fruit, more veggies, more whole grains, more hydration, and the right kinds of fats. I want to eat right, I swear I do. But I think I'm going to have to hire a live-in chef.

Here's a typical day: wake up, drink coffee (each cup of coffee apparently translates to 2 extra cups of water, that's on top of the base 60 oz I'm supposed to drink every day) rush off to work, drink coffee #2 (another 2 cups of water. Sorry, I can't get any work done because I'm spending 90% of the day on the toilet), eat a bowl of cereal with some fruit in it, lunch consists of leftovers usually pasta or something carb & cheese based, eat girlscout cookies or some other non-fruit snack at around 3pm, another snack at around 5 (pre-workout), then dinner which may or may not meet any nutrition criteria.

With work, working out, and staying on top of general life tasks, where the hell am I supposed to find the time to shop for and prepare all of these healthy meals? I either need to move back in with my mom, marry Chris Carmichael, or really commit to changing my habits. I'm not sure which of those options is the most realistic...