Derby Weekend

Tomorrow is the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby. Derbytime is always a wild and fun time of year in Louisville. You can feel the excitement in the air and there are so many traditions to look forward to: Derby hats, mint juleps, parties, celebrities, etc. Although I am not attending neither Oaks nor Derby this year, I'm going to an after-Derby party that will be a big reunion and lots of fun.

One Derby tradition that kind of screwed me over today: The Chow Wagon. The Chow Wagon is a hop, skip, and a jump from my office, on the waterfront, and it's basically a small fair and people go there to eat fair food and see concerts. My coworkers wanted to go over there for lunch and I tagged along thinking I would hang out and then eat my tuna salad and veggies later. However, my willpower was not strong enough to keep me from getting a fish sandwich from a local eatery that had set up shop down there. I got the biggest piece of fish ever and ended up making two fish tacos with two pieces of rye bread. Fortunately, the fish was enough to fill me up and I didn't touch any french fries or onion rings.

On the way back we got a funnel cake for a coworker (who didn't end up wanting it) and so I had a pinch of that. About 30 minutes later I was feeling awful and extremely tired. When you are eating as healthy as possible all the time, I guess those fried foods are a huge slap in the face. After getting a mug of unsweetened, hot green tea, I felt better, but my body has been extra sensitive to food this week so I need to remind myself of that next time I want to eat something fried.

After work today I went to the gym and alternated between running on the treadmill and doing weights and/or core exercises. Running on the treadmill was making my hamstrings hurt, so I cut that out and finished my cardio outside with some walking and running for 20 minutes. My post-workout meal was a pita with sprouts and tuna salad, some of my roasted veggies, and a few bites of broccoli salad. Dessert was a medium-sized glass of milk with a scoop of Nesquik. I've read a few times that refueling with chocolate milk has shown to have great results for athletes so that's an added bonus!