For me, there's no distinction between eating for fun and eating for fuel. I need food to survive, of course, but I put a lot of effort into making sure each meal is as enjoyable as it can be—even when there is a lot on my figurative plate. I’ve let this principle guide me the past few months while training for the New York City Marathon. During runs, I often eschewed sport gels in favor of Starbursts and peanuts. After long runs, I happily downed piled-high tartines on olive oil-fried toast, or large amounts of grain-heavy salads. If hunger struck, I didn’t think twice about mid-afternoon cake snacks at the office.
It’s the final stretch now: The New York City Marathon is November 1st, and it’s time to carb-load. Carb-loading doesn’t just mean eating a bowl of pasta the night before a race. To do it well, you need to eat excess carbohydrates for three or four days prior. That means this week I need to eat a lot, and I still want to eat well. Here’s what’s on my menu to make sure that I get plenty of carbs, not too much fiber, and just a little fat:
Overnight Steel-Cut Oats with Almond Butter & Honey by ying
Heidi Swanson's Baked Oatmeal by Nicholas Day
![Oatmeal](https://images.food52.com/bDXuW-LuWuB1Tmf9d2m6h8d5238=/753x502/4c6ada18-c211-4827-a783-b8a33628fdb1--2013-0611_nicholas-baked-oatmeal-033-CLEANED-UP.jpg)
Breakfast Fried Rice by Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom
![Rice](https://images.food52.com/6FyPwgfvOfDjdFlqQKQsx6fHhno=/753x502/cab2fafc-344d-47c6-beb9-ff5c2ea46f63--2014-0408_finalist_breakfast-fried-rice-021.jpg)
Baker's Sign Soft Pretzels by Nicholas Day
![Pretzels](https://images.food52.com/pNKi8dVmB5I-P9XfIKqx8rGacGE=/753x502/6687c84b-8bc3-48da-a3ec-4cd331f25d9b--Food52_km_123109_051.jpeg)
A Medley of Roasted Potatoes with Homemade Za'atar and Aleppo Pepper by onetribegourmet
Southwestern Spied Sweet Potato Fries with Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream by TasteFood
![Fries](https://images.food52.com/wXM-yTEat3ZbynerhCw6YjmmkRk=/753x502/ca67abe7-bbda-4a49-8b87-efe9d96d32bd--food52_12-18-12-1284.jpg)
Braised Onion Sauce by Kenzi Wilbur
![Onion](https://images.food52.com/RZBoCLzbQauX6DR1Yqi--_n6t6E=/753x502/8b225a99-ba0e-488d-af1a-66c30ca05184--2015-0106_braised-onion-pasta-259.jpg)
Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas) by Emiko
![Chickpeas](https://images.food52.com/PToK2gwQl-3gvJeQjbxbLR_vJwc=/753x502/28438fd8-18e7-4c37-9891-695166da4f24--ceci_IMG_4439_food52.jpg)
Sweet Potatoes Roasted in Coconut Oil by Gena Hamshaw
![Potatoes](https://images.food52.com/C08OWKv7gWUZnCwbCuUQABi1Oao=/753x502/ec25eb75-7775-44ed-bc02-2c819067c281--2014-0114_gena_sweet-potatoes-coconut-oil-012.jpg)
Vegetarian Carrot Fried Brown Rice by Erin (Naturally Ella)
![Rice](https://images.food52.com/pS20-2vTbEYujZI0HCMIHSls5aA=/753x502/d5744fae-d73f-4794-9e5c-c9a513fa2172--fried_rice_1_of_1-.jpg)
Low-Sugar Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Cookies by Joanne Chang
![Cookies](https://images.food52.com/8SI4-Gyso-2piajY3X3e1KPfzWY=/753x502/273b0547-a8dc-489c-b27c-f3459e27df58--2015-0706_oatmeal-cookies_james-ransom-011.jpg)
Do you have a ritual pre-race food? Tell us in the comments.
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