What NOT to eat before running...

I love to cook.

For those that know me, I have a variety of specialties that I like to make every once in a while. It typically depends upon my mood... or what might strike me at a certain moment.

Well, last Sunday I decided to make one of my favorites - chili. This is typically an "all-day affair." I spend a lot of time on what goes into the pot, and then I make sure I cook it for several hours. Let's just say my mouth is watering while I'm waiting for this to "cook to perfection."

Throughout the week, I've been eating on this. Whether it was a lunch or a dinner, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, I like to top it off with cheese, onions, and sometimes even a dab of sour cream.

Now, why am I writing about this topic on a running blog? To warn you from making the same foolish mistake I made!

Thursday and Friday were two unusual days for me. According to my schedule, I'm supposed to run on Thursday and take Friday off. However, due to tickets I had to a Baylor basketball game, I needed to turn Friday into a "Saturday."

On Thursday night, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill, 1.5 miles on the Elliptical, and walked a half mile. No problems...

On Friday, I worked from home with plans to head to the gym afterwards. Around lunchtime I noticed the chili. Hmm... "looks good," I thought to myself. Well friends, 4 hours later I'm on the treadmill struggling to run my 3 miles... fighting the world's worst heartburn!

Believe me, it was incredibly difficult! Not only was I having to deal with the normal aches and pains, but also this fire in my belly that was a raging inferno! Right then I vowed, "Lord, if you'll get me through these 3 miles, I PROMISE to make better decisions on what I eat prior to a workout!"

And I can assure you... I intend to keep that promise!