Onion rings and salad – not exactly fuel for success

The first time I ran Ragnar we decided to celebrate finishing our first leg with a real, sit-down dinner. Someone suggested legendary Maddox Ranch House in Brigham City. As I looked over the menu, I gave the decision a lot of thought. Seriously.
I wanted onion rings, but I worried I needed something nutritious, so I decided to go with an order of rings and a salad with ranch. Now before you start laughing, understand, this was a healthy decision for a person who, just a couple of years earlier, could go months without eating any kind of veggie. So lettuce (and a couple carrots) smothered in ranch, well that was an improvement.
As you can guess, it was a horrific combination. It is not fun to have digestive issues when you’re huddled in a van for 24 hours with people you don’t know well enough to discuss digestive issues. (Okay, the way I was raised, I don’t know anyone that well…I just kept complaining about being nauseated and I’m pretty sure I stopped at every Port-a-Potty from Morgan to Park City)
I wasn’t the only one who suffered from a bad meal choice. Others feasted on chicken strips and burgers. Maybe a little more nutritional value, but one thing Wasatch Back taught us was you will pay for bad food choices in a 24-hour race – and you will pay dearly.
I have had mixed success finding food that doesn’t upset my very tired, very sensitive digestive system in these races. I can’t repeat some of the names people have offered for the “condition” that occurs when you opt for food that is too heavy or too sugary.
One serious runner suggested I try a liquid diet. He told me I could run hungry. Boy, was he wrong. There is a reason I have never been on a diet. This girl needs dinner (and breakfast and lunch and snacks.)
The difficulty of the relay races is that when you’re extremely tired, it is difficult to make good choices. You have to be prepared and you have to be willing to eat that which you don’t crave.
Like waiting until after the race to pound a pile of onion rings – dipped in all kinds of sauce.
I’d love to hear war stories (because misery loves company) and I’d also LOVE suggestions for what you’ve found that works!