During the 2023 New York City Marathon, The world of the runner set up shop in a vacant storefront on West 57th Street with Adidas and hosted three days of inspirational talks, fitness tests and shoe demonstrations.
Due to a last-minute cancellation by a guest speaker, I was called in to talk about nutrition. This was bound to be interesting. You see, I’m known around the office for doing things unconventionally or even questionably. I go out for long runs without water or gels. At lunchtime, I’m more likely to choose a McDonald’s or a gas station sandwich than a salad. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I know the sage advice this magazine gives, even if I don’t take it into account in my daily life as a runner.
During the nutrition panel, I did as I was told, but just for your entertainment, I’m offering a sampling of questionable eating strategies and food mistakes I’ve recorded in my training log over the past two decades.
In case it’s not clear yet: you better not follow my example!
Chicago Marathon 10/13/2019:
A new personal record for a marathon! By almost 5 minutes. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen today, to be honest. I hadn’t slept well the last few nights. Plus, I had a brisket sandwich for dinner last night and Pepto-Bismol for dessert.
10/15/2014 Seven miles:
Note to self: Buffalo chicken pizza is not a good choice if you’re running after work. It was a great GH run, but I had some stomach issues 2 miles from the end and had to jump into the bushes. It wasn’t fun. The run was fun, though.
Adirondack Marathon 09/20/2009:
A moment to forget. I was making good progress and was second overall for the first 22 miles, but today I had trouble keeping fluids down and couldn’t keep my cool when I warmed up in the first half of the course. Maybe I shouldn’t eat a sausage sandwich at midnight before next year’s race.
5/5/2017 Taco Mile:
Today I spent $129 at Taco Bell. I filled two Ikea bags. I ate one taco, ran one lap, and repeated. It was fun. I was slow, but it was still a lot of fun.
Boston Marathon 10/11/2021:
I received a lot of support. Frank gave me his mimosa at mile 18.
05/20/2020 Seven miles:
Burping the pork and egg sandwich I had for lunch. Oops.
06/16/2017 Beer mile:
Lap 4, the beer was coming along fine, but I started laughing when Kit started chattering. I almost killed myself, but I spit out a mouthful of beer, which earned me a penalty lap. Damn.
2/12/2019 Four miles:
I started the day late, but I snuck out to get something to eat. It snowed pretty hard. On the way home, I stopped at Burger King. I ordered two Whoppers for $6. Awesome!
4/2/2024 19 mile long run:
I was hungry when I ran past a 7-11, so I stopped to get a donut (and Gatorade).
10/11/2017 Five miles:
I ate a chicken Caesar wrap way too late in the day. I threw up a little on the Brooklyn Bridge and almost shit my socks. Ugh!
12/21/2015 Seven miles:
We went to Joe’s Shanghai for a work holiday lunch. The 1:30 reservation meant I burped dumplings for 11 miles after work. Not fun.
Jeff is the assistant director of The world of the runnerwho guides the brand’s footwear and equipment coverage. He’s a true footwear expert and has spent more than a decade testing and reviewing footwear. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days in a different model.
