Ironman Training Diary - May 12, 2026

Most mornings I either eat 3-4 scrambled eggs and a large salad or a protein shake for breakfast. I’ve lately wondered exactly how many calories I’m consuming with this shake, and frankly whether it was even a healthy option. This morning I decided to find out. Here’s what goes into the shake, followed by a macro summary, and then finally I break down each ingredient according to its macros. First, the ingredients:

• 2 cups 2% reduced fat milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
• 2 cups frozen fruit
• 1 medium banana
• 1 tbps PB2 powered peanut butter
• 2 tpbs flaxseed
• 1 scoop Protein powder

The macro summary:

Macro	Total
Calories	~825
Fat	~8.7g
Saturated Fat	~6g
Carbohydrates	~103.2g
Fiber	~15g
Net Carbs	~88.2g
Sugar	~68.3g
Protein	~58.6g
Cholesterol	~100mg
Sodium	~435mg

I was a bit surprised by the calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat numbers. However considering how much I’m exercising these days, the extra calories probably don’t hurt. Also, apparently the guidelines indicate adults shouldn’t consume more than 300mg cholesterol per day, and I’m certain my other meals don’t collectively exceed this number even on days I drink the shake. Regarding saturated fat, I think I’ll just switch out the 2% milk for 1% or possibly even skim.

The ingredient breakdown:

• 2 cups 2% reduced fat milk
  • 260 calories
  • 6g saturated fat
  • 3 grams monounsaturated fat
  • 40mg cholesterol
  • 260mg sodum
  • 24g carbs
  • 24g sugar
  • 16g protein
• 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
  • Calories: 60
  • Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: ~6.7g
  • Protein: ~9.3g
  • Sugar: ~5.3g
• 2 cups frozen fruit
  • 160 calories
  • 1g fat (how in the hell is there fat in frozen fruit?)
  • 34g carbs
  • 12g dietary fiber
  • 20g sugar
  • 2g protein
• 1 medium banana
  • Calories: ~105
  • Fat: 0.4g
  • Carbohydrates: 27g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Sugar: 14g
  • Protein: 1.3g
• 1 tbps PB2 powered peanut butter
  • 30 calories
  • 0.75g fat
  • 45mg sodium
  • 2.5g carbs
  • 3g protein
• 2 tpbs flaxseed
  • 80 calories
  • 5g fat
  • 4g carbs
  • 3g protein
• 1 scoop Protein powder
  • 130 calories
  • 1.5g fat
  • 60mg cholesterol
  • 130mg sodium
  • 5g carbs
  • 4g sugar
  • 24g protein

Lots of meetings on the schedule today and so no morning run; I’ll run the 30 minute session after work. The delay is probably for the better because yesterday I got crushed by a migraine, the first time in years this happened and I wound up in bed for part of the afternoon. I feel fine today but a bit wiped out and so a few more hours to recover is welcome.

Today’s Run

Despite an easy pace, my legs felt very heavy today right from the very beginning of the run. Tomorrow is a 40 minute run (also easy pace), and so if my legs feel the same Wednesday I’m going to see about adjusting the 1/2 marathon training plan a bit and spend the extra off day cross-training.