Marathon Fueling!

Boring Pasta

Tomorrow is the NYC Marathon!

Less than two years ago I got a new hip. This is my first marathon since the LA Marathon I ran in March of 2011. I’m a little nervous about injury but for the most part I put in quality training and I am READY! This will be marathon #17 for me.

Gastrointestinal distress is a huge race day issue for me. It’s not a savory topic, but a lot of runners deal with it. Once I wore a watch and decided to time all of my bathroom stops along the marathon and I lost 24 minutes. For a 3:45 marathon that is the difference between qualifying for Boston or… not.

This week I ate really bland food and cut the Tapatio and Sriracha out of my diet. Aside from a complete Halloween blowout last night I eased off the booze as well. I always eat pasta the night before a marathon but I didn’t want a sauce that was processed or likely to make my intestines angry.

So, I came up with this simple sauce that is low sodium and easy to make. Now that I’m in grad school the days of tomato sauce from scratch are over. I don’t even have a chinois! #MotherSauceFail

Ingredients

1 15-oz can tomato puree (its slightly thicker than “sauce”), low sodium preferred

1 8-oz can tomato sauce, low sodium preffered

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce (I know this sounds strange. Just do it.)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Combine everything in a pot over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes.

See that was easy. I made two pounds of ziti rigate and topped it with parmeseano reggiano. Obviously.

My bib number is 6016 if you’d like to track me. I start at 09:30 a.m. Don’t expect any miracles or a PR tomorrow, but I promise to do my best to stay uninjured and finish with a big toothy grin at the finish. I will probably finish in around four hours.

Also, if you can manage it, please donate to my favorite charity that I will be racing for tomorrow, Endure to Cure. My friend Jason and the team puts in thousands of miles to raise money for pediatric cancer research. My athlete page is down right now but you can still donate! Thank you!