Student-athletes burn so many calories during workouts, dieting is not in their best interest for peak performance. For many, taking in more calories than their typical classmate is part of their daily routine.

Eating healthy to replenish their body and energy levels is key. Senior Nick Hruskoci has found his dietary balance for running his very best. Hruskoci is a four-time varsity runner for both the Irish cross-country and track and field teams.

As a longtime runner, Hruskoci has tried a plethora of methods over the years to find the equilibrium for his dietary needs. He includes three nutritious meals with a snack to get him through a routine school day. 

He said, “Running every day takes a lot out of your body, so I have to overeat just to properly make sure I replenish my body. Making sure I hit each of the food groups as often as possible is one thing I always consider.”

One morning for Hruskoci may start with an egg scramble with bacon, potatoes, peppers and cheese paired with an everything bagel with butter. He also will eat a strawberry yogurt, a banana and take a Vitamin C for his immune system as well as an iron supplement. He said he takes this supplement as a “precaution to iron deficiency, as running tends to lower iron content in your blood.”

His “typical packed lunch,” he said, is followed with turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat bread with pretzels, trail mix and banana bread. He also eats an apple, an orange and his second banana of the day. 

After running, he said it is “one of the most important times I eat during the day. It’s really important to replenish simple sugars and proteins within 20 to 39 minutes after I am done running.” His go-to post-workout snack consists of a chocolate chip cookie and a protein bar. 

Hruskoci’s final meal is a simple dinner of two bowls of spicy rice with beef and broccoli.

His favorite way to recover other than food is sleep. On average, he gets nine hours and something he said he takes “very seriously.” He also includes “rolling and rope stretching for leg recovery.”

The shutdown of the school for the remainder the semester and the cancellation of the men’s track and field season has affected Hruckoci’s routine. He said, “The shutdown has some positives and negatives to my athletics. The biggest negative is it took me out of routine. I had a set routine that I did almost every day in regards to my diet and running. Switching that up has taken me a few weeks to get used to, but I have made the adjustment.

“Breakfast and dinner have been very similar if not the same, but since I have been at home I have been able to make some better meals for lunch that include chicken Caesar salad or a pasta dish. Some positives include that I have been getting more than nine hours of sleep on a daily basis and have much more time to spend taking care of my body.”

Both before and after the coronavirus pandemic, serious dedication to his sport has given Nick the opportunity to continue his athletic and academic career at the collegiate level. In the fall, Hruskoci will enroll at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.