Friday Five: Favorite Post-Race Refreshments
I mean what you consume immediately upon finishing, not an hour later, hence the omission of fajitas, Boston cream pie or bacon double cheeseburgers.
1) Beer. The thought of drinking beer at 9 a.m. is enough to make me hurl, but I’ve done it several times after half-marathons and it is always blissful.
2) Minestrone soup. Particularly when accompanied by the beer.
3) Pancakes. I would eat pancakes during a race if someone would set up a special aid station. But I guess you have to do ultras for that kind of service.
4) Doughnuts. I wouldn’t, however, eat doughnuts during a race.
5) Naked Juice. All the fruit I crave without the bothersome peeling and chewing.
During the Crim 10 mile in Flint Mi every August at about the 2.7 mile marker, there is a fraternity that every year gives out donuts. Just the smell of them makes me nauseous. But they are outdone by the Peanut Brigade just before the turn to the 4 mile mark and into the hilly part of the course. These guys have beer and cigarettes and are toast by this time of the race (somewhere between 8:30 and 9 AM). I hold my breath thru this part of the course.
I think if they would name an event “Free Beer” Half-Marathon, attendance would double.
I ran one Halfer which had signs “## miles until beer.” I think it takes the edge off the hardest miles of the race.
For the longer races, all I can think about while I run is what I’m going to eat as soon as I can. After I cross that finish line though, I can’t even look at the food without wanting to hurl. FTW?!