Proper Nutrition

I was reminded this morning of just how important proper nutrition is for me when it comes to running.  I usually eat pretty well and have a good amount of energy, but today I felt heavy and slow. It's possible the oppressive humidity played a role, but if so I think it was a minor one.

It's not that I ate horribly yesterday. I had a lot of my usual eats during the day: peanut butter bagel, banana, apple, almonds, etc. I even had a couple of slices of honey wheat quinoa bread I made last weekend.

Maybe it was the bite-size Snickers I ate? Nah, I've done that plenty of times in the past without consequence, so I don't think that was it.

It certainly couldn't be dinner. I fixed a healthy meal of baked salmon with steamed green beans and new potatoes. Nothing wrong with that, right?

What's missing? Complex carbohydrates. Sure, the new potatoes I ate with dinner qualify, but it was a pretty small portion.

I usually carbo load at dinner, usually in the form of pasta or brown rice. And on the occasion I don't I'll snack on a whole wheat bagel before bed. I had none of those things yesterday and paid for it this morning. I'd say lesson learned, but this isn't the first time I've done this. I should know better by now.

So, do you experience disparate energy levels based on what you've recently eaten? I'm curious if my body's nutritional needs are just more sensitive than the average athlete.