Feed The Resistance: A Mediterranean Salmon Salad is paired with “Son of Juice” IPA from Maplewood Brewery!
Ironman Wisconsin is on Sunday…so in honor of that, we did a little “Carbo-Loading” to get ready for the big race! It’s traditional to eat pasta before a big race, although the research that I have seen says that it’s actually more effective to do that carbo-loading two days before the race, not one day like most people do. I don’t think it actually hurts to do it the night before, and that’s the tradition, so I say stick with tradition! In addition to those carbs, you need some good protein to get race-ready. Salmon is a really good protein – it’s processed very efficiently by your body, and it’s a “brain” food – so it might even help with the mental part of your race.
With those two things in mind, I looked for a recipe using both pasta and salmon…and found the Mediterranean Salmon Salad!
This is a great recipe that comes together very simply – basically you just cook up the salmon and then mix it in with the rest of the ingredients…spinach, red bell pepper, green onions, olives, feta cheese, and a little lemon juice. My wife suggested topping the salad with capers and pine nuts, so we did.
It’s also a great recipe because it travels well. Often when you’re racing, you’re travelling, and not spending the night before race-day at home, so it’s nice to have something like this in the fridge so you can grab a quick bite before your race.
A quick warning, before you make this up for your pre-race meal. DON’T TRY ANYTHIG NEW on race weekend. Go with what you know works for you. If you have been training for the past year for Ironman Wisconsin, you know what works for you. What’s in this salad is what has worked for me when I race. I think it’s fairly common that pasta and salmon are both good pre-race meals, but if you have another pre-race meal that’s been working for you, don’t switch it up now.
Dee picked out “Son of Juice” IPA from Maplewood Brewing to go with the salad…and it worked PERFECTLY!
Warning #2: Alcohol DE-hydrates, and you need to be well hydrated on race-day. Yes, a beer is fine the night before your race, it might even calm your nerves a bit, but don’t overdo it. Make sure you go into race-day well hydrated, well fed and well-rested.
