Food (the sequel), and my stomach

If you've been following this blog, you should, by now, be educated on the definition of an ironman.  If not, then shame on you.  We'll all pause and wait patiently while you check the link.  That said however, this post is not about ironman events.  It's about my stomach.  Which is made of iron.  Yes, there's logic there .... somewhere.

I seem to be able to eat just about anything.  I've never experienced food poisoning as far as I know.  And almost everything sent down there, stays put nicely.  You might even compare my stomach to Lance Armstrong's lungs ... which is NOT helpful for dieting!  Because not only can I eat almost anything, I can eat a LOT of it.

A friend of mine has often remarked that she can't eat dinner if she's had a big lunch.  But, says I, dinner is still FIVE hours away!   Lunch is a distant memory by then.  (It's like those people who can actually sit and work next to a decorative dish of candy, like at a bank.  You might as well parade a marching band through the office to describe the level of distraction a dish of candy presents to me.)  

Often heard amongst runners, "I can't eat before a run".  Or they say they must eat very lightly to avoid the dreaded "lead-weight-in-the-stomach" syndrome.  Not me.  I can happily run on a double stack of whole wheat pancakes, with bacon and an extra tall glass of OJ.  

Not that I do!  But I could.  If I let myself.  Being a proud graduate and employee of Weight Watchers, I have learned that Nature is against me at every turn and each calorie I consume sticks like fly paper.  Chiseling it off via exercise is a constant uphill effort.  Temperance is required even on my 20 miler days.   Yes, my GPS SAYS I burned 2000 calories ... just tell that to my scales!

Anyway, ol' Iron Stomach and I do fairly well.  During a run, I don't have to worry about tolerating the Powerbars, the sport drinks, the Ensure, or even the GUs.  It all goes down and mingles happily with my breakfast.  The only types of food that DO cause some ruckus are the really healthy things, like broccoli.  I've learned NEVER to eat it before I .... um .....  let's just leave it at that.

Interestingly enough, my up-coming marathon of choice enjoys the unusual distinction of offering, (since it's at the coast) raw oysters.  

Seriously!  I MIGHT be willing to give them a sporty try on almost any other occasion.  But during a marathon ... I think I'd be pushing my luck a little too far.  So no thank you.  But bring on the rest!  The bagels and cream cheese.  The M&Ms.  The bananas and grapes.  And those shortbread cookies with the chocolate frosting-stripes across the tops ......