Marathon Roadmap Meal Plan, Week 2 (Days 1-2)

Now that I'm back from vacation and only a few days out from the Nashville Rock & Roll Marathon (eeeeek!), I'm following week two of the No Meat Athlete Marathon Roadmap meal plan. It's a two-week, whole foods-based plan that's perfect for getting your eating goals in line during the taper period. I did week one the week before vacation and then took a little break from healthy eating while in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

But on Monday (don't all good healthy goals start on Mondays??), I started back on week two of the plan. Each day starts with a smoothie, and Monday, that was the Raspberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie with walnuts and baby spinach. My fave smoothie on the plan! I took a rest day from working out on Monday so I could catch up on sleep after my trip.

Morning snack was Whole Wheat Pita with Hummus, Lemon, & Pea Shoots. Fun snack! It's really important to load up on carbs the week before a big race, and I'm loving all the carbs on this plan.

Lunch was Grilled Portabellas with Caramelized Shallot & Spinach-Beet Salad. Fancy! The mushrooms were coated in a vegan worcestershire-dijon mustard sauce and grilled in a grill pan. Served atop grilled sprouted grain bread.

Afternoon snack every day is a salad with whatever toppings you choose. This one has a homemade oil-free cashew ranch, chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, and red cabbage. 

Dinner on Monday night was this beautiful bowl of Whole Wheat Bowtie Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Spinach. For the tomatoes, you coat chopped plum tomatoes in a little olive oil, garlic, and herbs, and then roast in the oven. OMG SO AMAZING. Also, the recipe called for arugula, but I'm not a fan so I subbed spinach. 

I enjoyed a nice glass of my dad's homemade blackberry wine for dessert!

Breakfast on Tuesday morning was another smoothie. This time, it was a Blueberry Peach Smoothie with banana, spinach, and walnuts.

Morning snack was an Avocado with Lemon & Sea Salt. It didn't say how much avocado to eat, so I started with a half, thinking that'd be plenty for a snack. But I was still hungry after that half, so I ate the whole thing!

Lunch was leftover bowtie pasta, and my afternoon snack was another (very similar) salad. I had plans to attend a Nashville Marathon course preview event at Overton Park, and that included a fun run. So I fueled with a Blueberry Muffin Larabar before the run.

I had a beer at the Overton Park Clubhouse after the run (they have $2.50 craft beers!) and watched St. Jude coach Kevin Leathers go over the marathon course. I feel slightly more prepared but still very intimidated by the large size of this race!! I've never done a Rock & Roll series race, but I hear they're huge. I got home from that event pretty late (around 8 pm) so I was hungry. But luckily, I'd already prepped last night's dinner — Lemony Lentils with Brown Rice.

This very brown dish is actually REALLY good and very simple — just lentils cooked with caramelized onions and seasoned with salt and lemon juice.