On Sunday, I am running the NYC Marathon. This will be my 6th marathon, but it’s been a year and a half since my last one. Yes, there have been half a dozen half-marathons and several road races in the meantime. Yes, I have followed my training program since July, working long runs around summer weekend plans. Yes, I have been doing my core workouts and cross-training in the cycling studio. No matter – I still get the jitters!
This week, I am tapering, drinking plenty of fluids, getting some sleep, and watching what I eat. Honestly, there’s not a lot of recipe testing going on. Leading up to the event, I focus on very simple foods that are easy to digest – this is no time for beans, raw vegetables, alcohol or experiments. I stick with low-fiber, high-carbohydrate options such as bagels, cooked cereal, apples, pasta, yogurt, fruit, skim milk, rice, and lean protein.
On race morning, we have to catch the Staten Island Ferry at 5:30 am to make our way out to the runner’s village and start line. Somehow, among trains, ferries, shuttles, and bag drops, I plan on having instant plain oatmeal and a banana before the race starts at 9:40 am. The rest of my race nutrition plan revolves around Vanilla Gu and Gatorade. Yummy? Not really, but it’s worked in the past; let’s hope it works again!!
Out for breakfast last Sunday, we enjoyed the people watching, the newspaper, coffee, and hot breakfast porridge. It was delicious on many levels. Inspired to replicate the meal at home, I made 
‘Tis the season when the farmers’ market is abundant with apples and pears. The variety is remarkable! This past weekend, I picked up some Fuji, Honeycrisp and Stayman apples. I also picked up some Bartlett pears. In addition to serving as deliciously portable snacks, apples and pears lend themselves to a wide range of dishes, both sweet and savory.
With cold and flu season upon us, we do what we can to keep the fevers and sniffles at bay. No doubt, diet helps. There are a lot of experts out there (I am not one of them) and they all tend to agree that protein, zinc, healthy fats, and Vitamins A, C, and E play a key role in building our immunity to cold and flu bugs. 
We went for a long run on Saturday. It was the last one of the training season. It is t-minus three weeks until the marathon, and counting. The trees along the trail were showing off their fall colors, which inspired me to think about all of the soups, stews, and breads I want to make. Needless to say, over the course of 20 miles, I had plenty of time to ponder this and other various items on my to-do list. 
I know. It’s been a while. I am happy to report I’m about one month into a new job, and well, it sort of took over earlier this week. Last night was the launch event for 
