What Running Has Taught Me

The time has come! My first half marathon is THIS WEEKEND (T- minus 2 days) in Virginia Beach! I leave today after work for a nice, long weekend:) I am excited and nervous about the race, but mostly I am proud of my running accomplishments thus far. Over the course of training for this race, and since beginning to run consistently about four years ago, I have learned a lot. From not being able to do 1 mile without stopping to running 13.1 miles in a single race, a lot has changed for me.  Here are some of my takeaways from my running journey:

1.  I may regret many things over the course of a day, but I never regret a run. Even a crappy run when I am tried and want to be doing anything else is better than no run at all.

2. Never underestimate your support system. Ever since I was a kid, I had this “I can do it myself” attitude, and while I have always had a big group of friends, I never realized how friends would lead/shape me down this running path. In college my roommates kept telling me I could do it. In grad school when I began running I used them as my motivation. Then more of my friends began running, and I even reconnected with an old classmate who made running her passion to fight cancer. It's true that any goal that’s bigger than you will require help and motivation. The best runs I ever had were with a friend, and when not running with someone, friends were my ultimate motivation. Their encouragement (and sometimes partnership during a long run) made a ten-mile run feel like a walk in the park. Running sometimes became a social hour! It's true that friends are there to help you, because as Maya Angelou wrote, “Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.”

3. Food is fuel, not a means to live. What I put into my body affects what I get out of my body. I can no longer eat like crap and feel good the next day, because I don't sleep well and feel sluggish when I eat poorly. My workout and mood suffers. I would rather just eat what I know is good for me than indulge and pay for it later at this point in my life. So if that means drinking less alcohol and eating "cleaner," then so be it. My fitness and health is my top priority and makes me better in all other areas of my life. I am ok being "lame" and saying no to certain things when I am out with friends. They could care less how I eat- the same way I could care less how they eat. We are adults and make our own choices! That being said, I also do not believe in being hungry, so I still eat when my body tells me it needs food (and I drink A LOT of water- 96 ounces a day typically) and a cheat day is always enjoyed!

4. My body is capable of so much more than what it looks like. It is not about a number on the scale or comparing my thighs to someone else's. I am in the best shape of my life, and while I will never be stick thin, I am healthy and strong with all my imperfections. I am built the way I am built...genes do compromise 80% of appearance...and all the time I try to change that is wasted time I could be focusing on something else. Even though my athletic body is not perfect, it is STRONG and HEALTHY.

*For those interested, I only lost 1-2 pounds during my 12 weeks of training, but I also measured the circumference around my thighs, hips, waist and arms every month to see muscle changes. I dropped 2 inches in my waist and gained 1 inch in each thigh! *

5. Getting up when it's dark to workout can be fun! No, waking up during the 5 AM hour isn't ideal, but you just gotta give yourself time to get used to it:) Sometimes running on a dark street (with lights!) is the most peaceful start to a day- no cars, little noise and endless possibilities. Just make sure you get to bed early enough and you'll have enough energy to enjoy that sunrise:). And time changes just suck.

6. When I run, I think and self-talk all the time. It’s true when they say endurance sport is all about mind over body. Call it what you will, but for me, running symbolizes the race in life that is set out for us. There will always be the excuses, obstacles and falls that we encounter in the race, but what matters is you never, ever give up. Just finish the race – it will be worthwhile.

7. You are a runner even if you never run a race. Dealing with pain in my tendons, AWFUL blisters that sidelined me for a week (yes, blisters), and other health nuisances, including knee pain, I quickly realized that running to stay in shape and running to train for races are two different things. It is not normal to run for more than an hour. It is not good for your body and takes so much out of you. I am not saying I will never do another half marathon, but I do not know how I will train. I want to stay enjoying running and that means taking care of myself! We'll see how I actually do in the race, but through this training I have realized I became a runner the second I laced up my sneakers and took my first jog. This half marathon does not make me and it won't break me. Running comes in all distances and times, so just enjoy it.

What have you learned from running?! Or any exercise/health endeavor?

Snow Day

In what will undoubtedly be the last snow day of the 2012-2013 school year, I felt the need to document what I do when I unexpectedly get the day off due to rain/sleet/ice/snow. It has definitely changed since when I was a kid!

5:40- Wake up and go to my complex's gym (school's not canceled yet!)

6:30- School gets called while I'm on the elliptical watching the news! Yay!

7:00- Shower

7:15- Fiber One Cereal for breakfast- a luxury as I usually drink a Slimfast at work!

7:30- Plop down on the couch for morning TV viewing and internet surfing

8:30- Nap...it's a tough life b/c I still got up early

9:30- Continue with more TV (mostly news and talk shows) and hair blow-drying. 

*I WOULD have a good hair day when I am not going any where*

11:30- Venture outside to clean off my car and walk with a neighbor to a local pharmacy down the street. COLD and WINDY.

12:00- Lunch of whole wheat peanut butter toast, pretzels, an apple and carrots. 

Healthy fats, grains, carbs, fruits and veggies. #Yum

1:15- Car service shop to get two new tires. Yup, even more money going into my car this winter...lame!! I read a lot of my book while there.

3:30- Once home, I have to clean up water pooling on my passenger side floor with a vaccum and towels. I am hoping this was just from the mechanic working on the car and not a new leak:(

3:45- Laundry due to dirty towels and more TV ("Giuliana and Bill" marathon!)

5:30- Bake a frittata for dinner with broccoli, cheese and egg whites

Mine actually looked like the pic below but SO GOOD and HEALTHY (and a little UVA shout out)!

6:30- Make lunch/dinner for tomorrow (soccer scrimmage after work so I won't be home until 8ish) and lay out clothes

7:00- Watch "This Is 40"

10:00- Bed

Pretty exciting day, huh? I love the ability to nap, catch up on errands/chores and just chill out for a day! It is especially better for me now that I live in the city and the roads are always clear so I can get out and about:) Hopefully, though, my car issues do not continue as I have almost put in $1,000 in the past 3 months!

Why We Get Fat

 
As many of you know, I care a great deal about health and wellness. I am always up for learning about new research or views on what it means to be healthy. In the summer of 2011, this lead to me becoming a vegetarian thanks in large part to my friend Nicole and brother Nate who both recommended books at the time that changed my life ("Skinny Bitch," "In Defense of Food," and "Eating Animals"). Now, almost a year and a half later, I am hitting a new leaf in my continual aspiration to be my best self.

I have been thinking about exercise a lot lately as Richmond is in the midst of a huge training season with the marathon and half marathon next month. I have been discussing with people how much we actually need to exercise to be healthy, because I feel that I have hit a plateau in my running and think that I could cut back from 5-6 days a week to 3-4 it wouldn't matter (I actually eat more when I exercise, but I do enjoy the mental aspects of a good workout). Well, my coworker Ernie, who is an English teacher at my school, recommended I read the book "Why We Get Fat" because he and his wife are also very into health and wellness. This book brought to light how everything we have ever told about what is healthy, is pretty much a lie. That it is not about eating less and exercising more, but about WHAT we are eating (and not calories or fat). This book, with research to back it up, explains that carbohydrates are like cigarettes- they never should be eaten, even in moderation, because what good is it to smoke in moderation? I will not go into details because you should read the book, but basically when we eat carbs and sugar, that is what our body will burn, and all the fat we eat will be stored, which makes us fat. When we eliminate carbs, our body has to switch to burn fat, which in turn causes you to lose weight because it is burning all the excess fat that is stored.

Now you may be thinking that this makes no sense because people lose weight when they eat less and exercise more. Well, of course they do, because all weight lose programs (Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, South beach, ect) assign more points to, or allow less, carbs. A pasta dish may have up to 7 points on Weight Watchers, but an egg is close to 1. An egg has 0 carbs and pasta is loaded. So naturally, whenever people lose weight they do cut carbs. However, when carbs are not limited almost completely, you are still craving those foods and are often hungry. Eating almost exclusively meat (or tofu, veggie burgers and fish for me), protein and veggies eliminates cravings for carbs/sugar because you are eating enough fat to not be hungry. And those studies about increases in heart disease and cholesterol with excessive fat? Heart disease actually INCREASED when starches and breads were heavily introduced into our diet and there is no link to fat and an unhealthy increase in cholesterol (both LDL and HDL go up).

As far as exercise goes, this book also explains that while exercise is very important, we don't need much to get what we need. Twenty minute bursts a few days a week is fine, because your eating will compensate for how much activity you are getting. Studies have proven this (he has a lot of good studies cited). Also, your body can only change so much- genetics is the main reason we look the way we do (sorry:(). We can only do our best to make sure we are eating right and controlling what we can. This, of course, is easier said than done, but just 2 days of actually reading carb content on nutrition labels has blown my mind. My "healthy"cereal? My "healthy" preztles? My "whole grain" bread? LOADED with carbs. No wonder I am hungry in the middle of the day.

My first step is becoming carb-low is to change my breakfasts to eggs, cheese and veggies and to get rid of all granola/cereal bars instead for afternoon snacks of cottage cheese, cheese sticks, veggies in regular dressing and other protein products. Then I will tackle lunches (my dinners are pretty carb-low anyways, but I will need to get rid or go through all of my rice/pasta). Sweets will be the hardest, but if I can cut back everywhere else, I can still allow myself to stay under 60 grams of carbs a day with a sweet treat after dinner. And being a vegetarian (besides fish), this will also be difficult, but I know of plenty alternative options and eating full-fat everything will fill me up even without meat.

Don't believe me or think this is all bull? Read the book and then we can discuss:)

10,000 Steps

I am always reading about new ways to be active and healthy. I found an article earlier this week about the #1 fitness tip a trainer would give to someone wanting to be in great shape. His tip? Walks 10,000 steps a day (equivalent to about 5 miles). I had always heard about this number but never thought that it was that essential to a fit lifestyle as long as you are active on a regular basis. Well, one of my PE teachers had a stash of pedometers that I borrowed, and I have been tracking my steps since last Thursday. What I have found is that is is very easy to get to 10,000 steps IF you work out. However, most days at work, I only walk 3,000 steps, so if I didn't exercise in the evenings, I would get no where near the magic number. Also, having something track how much I am walking does make me consciously get up and walk around more, so I think it is good for people to wear. Sometimes you don't realize how little or how much you are doing, so it is nice to keep in check.

Now I want to get even fancier and get one of these: http://www.fitbit.com/

Cool, right? It's nice to try something new for the summer when your normal routines are harder because of the heat (at least in Virginia). So I am focusing more on overall movement than killing myself at the butt crack of dawn to get my cool-ish run in!

And with that, my summer officially begins at 4 pm today! Year  two- CHECK. Can't wait for 8 weeks "off" even though I sure am keeping busy with other jobs this year!