Michael Phelps recovered from freestyle relay by eating ‘a pound of pasta’

The Olympics can be very taxing for athletes. Swimmers can compete in a race that finishes late one night, then have a quick turnaround in order to compete again the next day.

Michael Phelps had to deal with that on Sunday and Monday, and his solution? Sleep and a whole lot of pasta.

“I think I had a pound of pasta and spaghetti,” Phelps said, via Beth Harris of the Associated Press. “And I’m not a spaghetti fan but I forced myself to eat it.”

Phelps won gold as part of the U.S. 4×100-meter freestyle relay team on Sunday night, but had to be back in the pool Monday afternoon for 200 butterfly qualifiers. He didn’t even get to bed until 3 a.m., and had to catch an 11 a.m. bus for the next events.

The Olympics aren’t exactly a vacation. With obligations like this, you can understand why Phelps saw fit to duck out early during the opening ceremonies.