Maple bacon doughnut no help in a marathon.

Byline: FOOD DUDE By Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Mmmm bacon. Goes well with just about anything, doesn't it. One of the sweetest bacon applications I've heard about is the maple bacon doughnut offered by Portland's world famous Voodoo Doughnut shop. I've never actually tried one of these babies - essentially maple logs with slices of bacon adhered to the top - but you just know it's got to be good.

Also, fyi, Voodoo serves apple fritters as big as your head, and the management performs weddings and offers Swahili lessons on Monday nights.

As excited as I am about bacon, I'm not so pumped about gourmet bacon. This includes extra-thick bacon or anything covered in pepper or smoked with apple wood. I just can't figure out why they went and messed with such a good thing. They've pulled off the impossible - they've screwed up bacon.

If you like your bacon peeled from a package with a see-through window on the back, then slow cooked until the whole house smells like pork product, write to the Food Dude at the address at the end of the column.

Dear Food Dude: I'm training for the Eugene Marathon on April 29. I'm very hungry. What should I be eating?

- R.B.

Dear R.B.: This isn't the time for you to go low-carb, says Teresa Snyder, a registered dietitian who's run a dozen marathons. She's hoping to make Eugene her 13th.

"Include carbs at every meal and snack in order to give your body the energy it needs for endurance training," Snyder says.

Carbohydrates are your body's most important fuel source for running. Carbs are stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, which is burned during your runs. Snyder recommends boosting those glycogen stores with bread, pasta, rice, baked white or sweet potatoes, low-fat muffins, pancakes, waffles, cereals, fruits, vegetables, beans, milk and yogurt. She also suggests making some of your grains whole grains. Whole-wheat bread, pasta and brown rice are all great sources.

Those carbs should be balanced with some protein (fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef, soy, eggs) and fat (remember the good fats such as olive or canola oils, nuts and nut butters). And don't forget your fluids, Snyder says.

Even though you're running a zillion miles, you can easily eat too much. If you're one of those runners who's using a marathon as motivation to keep the pounds off, don't overdo your portion sizes and try to choose healthful options for meals and snacks.

In general, Snyder says, you should eat regularly timed meals and snacks and chow at least two hours before your runs. Since fatty foods and high-fiber foods are digested slowly, it's a good idea to avoid eating whole sticks of butter and Kellogg's All-Bran Buds immediately before a run.

"The longer it is before the run, the larger and higher in fat the meal can be," she explains. "If you have less than an hour before, try to get in a few mouthfuls of an easily digestible high-carb food such as an energy bar, a bagel or juice."

Within 30-minutes of a run, Snyder says, you should eat something with carbs and a small amount of protein to maximize refueling and rebuilding. Muscles are like carb sponges and they're at their most absorbent immediately following a run, so give them something to soak up.

Snyder likes to drink fat-free chocolate milk after a run. She also recommends a carb-rich meal within two hours to further refuel those muscles.

A big question for many runners is what to eat for breakfast. The short answer is whatever works for you. A maple bacon doughnut is probably not the best choice. Snyder likes oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar or low-fat yogurt with low-fat granola and fruit.

In the weeks preceding the marathon when you're decreasing your miles (the taper), stick with your high-carb routine. You might want to decrease your caloric intake since you'll be running less. The day before the race, Snyder recommends grazing on high-carb, high-sodium, mostly low-fiber foods throughout the day. The tradition of "carbo-loading" with a pre-race pasta meal one or two nights before the marathon can help top off your tank.

"Just be sure not to gorge yourself," Snyder says.

When you wake up on race day, just remember that it's not the time to try something new, Snyder says. Anything you eat should be something you've experimented with during your training. Try to eat a high-carb, low-fat meal at least two hours before the race. Snyder adds a 16-ounce sports drink to her breakfast, plus another four to eight ounces 10 minutes before the race.

During the race Snyder sustains herself with energy gels. These viscous food sources won't win any James Beard awards for their flavor, but they've got the carbs that will keep your energy up during the race. Some gels also contain sodium and potassium to help your body replace the electrolytes you've lost.

Snyder takes one gel every half-hour. She recommends 30 to 100 grams of carbs per hour. Gels should be taken with fluids.

Speaking of fluids, Snyder says, don't forget to drink during the run. Drink about five to 10 ounces of water or sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes. Drinking too much water can result in a condition called hyponatremia, an electrolyte disturbance that occurs when sodium levels in the bloodstream fall dangerously low. Some ultra-distance runners take electrolyte supplements (`salt pills') to prevent the condition, but most marathon runners can avoid hyponatremia by simply drinking less.

Following the marathon, Snyder says, you should eat within 30 minutes and then again two hours later. Replenish those fluids and eat your favorite foods. Short of a bacon doughnut, Food Dude recommends a cheeseburger, fries and a shake, chased down with a monster cookie.

Talk to the Food Dude at www.registerguard.com/blogs/index.php/fooddude. Or, send mail to Food Dude, The Register Guard, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2168.