It’s not much to look at, I’ll give you that.

My go-to place if I’m not making a meal lately has been Jersey Mike’s.

A couple of years ago one opened just a couple of miles away and all things considered it’s one of the healthier options when it comes to eating somewhere. (Is it fast food? I guess it’s kind of fast food. The food is ready quick. But it’s not unhealthy fast food. It’s a sandwich shop, mostly. Someone get me Danny DeVito. I bet he knows.)

I usually get a chicken bacon ranch sub.

I like to get that for a post-long run lunch…sometimes for dinner…sometimes as a fun treat if I feel like I earned it somehow.

I build up a lot of rewards points, so sometimes I’m eating for free.

The last time I ordered my chicken bacon ranch sub, I got it in a bowl.

One of the things that upsets my stomach lately is bread. I can’t eat too much of it, and when I do eat it, it’s much better for me to eat whole wheat or multigrain.

Jersey Mike’s has wheat bread, so I can do that as a sandwich and it’s fine.

But they also offer the sandwich laid out in a bowl rather than in a sandwich, and with the lettuce and tomato, well, it’s practically a salad!

I didn’t love the way the sandwich looked as a bowl, if I’m being completely honest with you.

But it tasted just fine.

I much prefer the sandwich version, but I’m glad I tried the bowl. I like knowing the option is there if I need it.

I’ll be having plenty of subs before I start my Chicago training this summer.

But I already can’t wait for that first time I’m craving something to eat after a training long run and I order myself a Jersey Mike’s sub.

That lunch is one of the true pleasures of marathon training.