All food after serious exertion tastes amazing. It doesn’t matter what that meal is, it just tastes extraordinary. After my last triathlon I had the best sausage in a bun that I’d ever had. After my first half marathon I ate the most incredible watermelon slices, and the pizza I had that evening was perfection.

Jeremy finished a duathlon (I was spectating on the run course, and came in a couple of minutes behind him). He got a finishers bag and it had an energy bar that he was already halfway through when I finally caught up with him to order post-event coffees (priorities, people). When he saw me he exclaimed “Oh this bar is great! We have to buy some!” About two months later I found them in a supermarket and bought a few. When Jeremy got to eat one a second time he wasn’t as impressed, but after a solid training run for the Six Inch Trail Ultramarathon he had one and they were rated as “Amazing!” again.

I’ve absolutely no scientific or medical training but judging by what I’ve experienced, and what I’ve seen when Jeremy or friends finish sporting events and activities like endurance training sessions, “endorphin supplied flavouring” is a thing. I’m the first to admit that Rotary Clubs are well practiced when it comes to the sausage sizzle (I’m a solid supporter of the local sausage sizzle), and farmers market quality watermelon is always going to beat the mass grown version from the supermarket, but I think exercise adds a flavour to food that monosodium glutamate just can’t compete with.

It’s probably partly why people will go for a run and burn 600 calories and sit down and eat 1200 calories in replacement.

Does anyone else find this happens to them?