Win a Run Rock 'n' Roll Chicago VIP Package

You could run under this rocker at Sunday's race.

Who's racing this weekend? There's the Ironman 70.3 in Racine, the half Ironman distance and sprint distance triathlons in Door County, Wis., the Muddy Buddy, the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon. If you're signed up for one of these, you couldn't have asked for better summer racing weather with a forecast showing cooler temperatures and sunny days. But you also probably registered, suspecting you might have a hot day to contend with. Lucky you for taking that risk.

Remember how hot and humid it was last year? Yeah, me and my heat-induced puffy fingers do. And I suffered through two too many runs in 90 degree temperatures (Really? At 6:30 p.m.?) earlier this week and don't dare go for a third today. So registering for races that occur during weeks that are historically hot, isn't exactly my MO. Unless I have a specific reason, like doing Racine last year to get a half Ironman under my belt before Ironman Wisconsin or running Rock 'n' Roll to meet Dr. Andy Baldwin (which turned into more of a chase), I'm going to wait on registering until the weather turns. If it doesn't, which is usually the case, I'm out. But if it does, I'm paying a pretty expensive registration fee. Darn you, weather.

My friends at Team Refuel were already kind enough to give me an entry to this Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon, so I can run on what's sounding like a perfect summer morning. And the good news for one lucky Fit-Ink reader is that you can run, too. We're giving away a VIP entry to this race on July 21 plus some other cool perks thanks to Team Refuel! Yes, it's last minute, but if you've been training for the Chicago Marathon or another long-distance race, you're already logging that mileage.

Take 5! Refuel after the Chicago Marathon

Celebrate those marathon miles. Credit

You came, you ran, you conquered. Maybe finished is more like it. Either way, you earned that title of marathoner and the right to wear that medal around your neck to dinner, to bed, to breakfast Monday morning.

But now that you don't have to worry about logging all those miles, it's time to celebrate. You know, do all of those things you may have sacrificed over the last few months. Drink a beer--or a lot of it. Eat ice cream--OK, so that's my favorite post-race treat. Sit down, relax and veg out--again, that might be me. Here are my top five ways to refuel and refresh after Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Nothing special, but I can guarantee that knowing I'll have some treats after the race will help carry me through it come Sunday. Sometimes it's the little things that get me through the tough miles.

1. Drink chocolate milk. Team Refuel's busy prepping for the Ironman World Championship, but that doesn't mean our muscles can't use a little chocolate milk to replenish after running 26.2 miles. I guzzled two cartons after my Ironman, a welcome change from the sports drink, which I'd like to think made my muscles happy campers come Monday morning. 

The Chocolate Milk Vote for Team Refuel

No doubt: Chocolate milk is my healthy food. pnoeric

Got milk? Is it chocolate? Where's my milk mustache?

I thought I was only going to have about 15 seconds of fame when I sat down in front of the camera to record my reasons for refueling with chocolate milk after a run. It was the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon expo. It was the Team REFUEL booth. It was something to get expo-goers to stop by the booth, get interested, receive a freebie or two (I walked out with a hand towel, perfect for my next tri transition). And I was flustered from my registration, running low on time, and sweaty from pedaling down to McCormick Place. Plus the last time I was on TV (thank goodness I can't find the link to that video), I sounded like a complete fool--and never managed to look at the camera. Good thing I went into magazine journalism and not broadcast.

But it looks like those 15 seconds of fame turned into a month's worth--and perhaps a little more. The big shocker arrived in my inbox yesterday: This Fit-Inker was now a Team REFUEL finalist for July. My video (which you can view here) put me in the running to be one of the five people who will receive a Team REFUEL sponsorship, which includes training gear, $500 in sponsorship dollars, the chance to race with the Team at destination races around the globe (is Ironman Hawaii included in that?), and the chance to star in a "got chocolate milk?" ad. I might not be begging to star in the commercial, but everything else, including the research behind why lowfat chocolate milk is awesome post-race recovery fuel, gets a huge nod of approval from this chocolate milk drinker. Who knows? Maybe it'll mean another opportunity to run with Dr. Andy Baldwin--except next time I'll try to stick with him for more than two miles.

Running and REFUEL-ing with a Bachelor

Dr. Andy Baldwin: endurance athlete

Usually I'm playing the "woe is me" role, lamenting over how everyone else seems to workout with celebrities while I miss out for one reason or another. Liz has run with Kara Goucher--and if memory serves me correct, Ryan Hall. Jenn from the Fit-Bottomed Girls trained with Bob Harper (can we say awesome?). Some Chicago media peeps got to run with Abdi Abdirahman when he was in town to run the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. Close to 150 Chicago runners got to run with Scott Jurek and Born to Run author Chris McDougall when they were in town to talk running, nutrition, his book and everything in between. And a handful of triathletes and triathlon fans got to dine and/or run with Craig Alexander and Dave Scott when they were in town last week (Where was I? Stuck at my desk and then sleeping).

That's not to say that I'm not without opportunities of my own--I've worked out with Shawn Johnson, field kicked a football with Robbie Gould, snacked with Shea McClellin, and had to keep my jaw from dropping open while Michael Johnson stood directly in front of me. But I can barely contain my excitement for Sunday's XSport Fitness Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon. Instead of slogging through my two-hour run by myself, sans iPod (it died--good thing RnR races are all about music) and along the routine route along the Lakefront, I'll be running with Team REFUEL and trying to keep up with Dr. Andy Baldwin.

Fit-Q: What do you crave most after a workout?

Workout to eat, eat to workout. No matter how you cut it, look at those two activities like that and you can't help but set yourself up for disaster in one part of the cycle anyway. Splurge on a decadent dinner and you know you'll have to sweat it off later. Bust out a run or ride, and you can't reach for the food fast enough to refuel. The problem, though, is that sometimes it's not the right food to feed the tank--your cravings set in and instead of recovering with a glass of chocolate milk, you're reaching for the chocolate cake.

I know I'm guilty of it. Just look at the burrito I shoved into my mouth after riding 100 miles, or know that my post-ride pit stop is almost always Culvers (Dairy Queen and Kopps have stepped in on occasion). I'll eat all the bananas, watermelon, PB sandwiches and good-for-you snacks at the rest stops, but as the miles wind down, my food cravings kick up. If my body took a poll, ice cream would be crowned king of the cravings and salty taking a close second. Then there are the stragglers that creep into my craving brain--chocolate milk, nachos, Jamba Juice, beef jerky (my friend started that one after we looked like salt sticks after 100 miles), burger and fries. But surely, I'm not the only one yearning for these normally nutritional no-nos. Tell us what you're itching for after your tough training sessions.

poll by twiigs.com