Being True to My (Fitness) Self

      I met Ryan while working for the USDA the summer after graduating high school. I was seriously crushing on him and decided one way to keep his attention would be to show interest in his favorite hobby: running. I wasn’t being fake–I cared a lot about fitness. I was eating well, went to the gym a few times a week, and would run a mile every once a while in City Park. But for some reason (blinding love?) I wanted to take running a step further.

     It turned out that my very first roommate in college was also a runner. She was the only person I’d encountered  who was willing to get up before an 8am class and go for a run. I figured there must be something to this magical running experience, so I dove into the sport. For the next two years, I had a rather unhealthy relationship with running. It was all or nothing. In my “nothing” mode, I overate and didn’t move a muscle because–get this–I was angry with myself for not moving a muscle. In my “all” mode, I ran too many miles, at too few calories, lost too much weight, and developed tendinitis in my shins that bothered me all day long.

By my junior year in college, I’d managed to screw my head on straight and found a healthier relationship with running. (It also had a lot to do with support from Sarah and Ryan. 🙂  ) After being in a “nothing” mode all summer, I read a book published by Runner’s World called Run Your Butt Off. This book outlined a feasible, straightforward approach to running and how to gradually improve. It was a book for beginners who had never run before, but it was perfect for me because I could manage my re-introduction into the sport slowly. It never asked me to run more than 4 times a week. I also began reading fitness blogs and consuming all kinds of information on the benefits of strength training.  I still ran on and off during my junior and senior year, but I was overall much healthier and found other exercise routines that didn’t involve hours of pounding the pavement.

I’d rather be hiking most of the time. We love the Smoky Mountains.

I am not meant to be a runner. I very much enjoy some of my runs and I have trained well for a few of my races, but my body was not built for it. It was built to do a bunch of squats and planks, actually. I completed two half marathons two years in a row, and I described it to a friend as “the most fun you can have while being in that much pain.” I genuinely enjoyed the race. It’s really cool running through downtown, the French Quarter, and finishing up in City Park with a bunch of people cheering you on. But the training process? Not as enjoyable. I dreaded those 10-12 mile training runs, and when they were over I was worthless for the rest of the day. I am not meant to be a runner.

March 2012 and 2013. New Orleans Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I ignored an injury while training for my second half-marathon. The following year I decided to opt out of a third half-marathon because I was afraid training for it would cause me to re-injure myself. (Yes! Good life decisions.) At first, I was terrified of gaining weight because I wouldn’t have those unnaturally long fat-burning distance training runs. As it turns out, unless you consume 3000 calories a day, they are entirely unnecessary.  Instead, I went to the gym regularly for pilates, boot camp classes, and a rope circuit class. I felt strong, and it was a pretty wonderful feeling. Once my ankle healed I rarely went for a run, and I never gave it much thought.

I used to read Runner’s World magazine and was inspired by the incredible feats long-distance runners could accomplish. On more than one occasion, I have tried to turn myself into “that” kind of runner. It’s quite boring. I have friends who genuinely love running, and that’s great. I have to remind myself I’m not them. Half of the time, I think running is awesome and I have a great time. The other half of the time, I wonder what I’m doing with my life.

Ryan took this goofy picture while we were hiking/trail running in Alabama last summer. I was happy because I was walking. 😉

If running, or some other form of cardio, is what helps you get through the day, that’s fantastic.  If you haven’t figured out your “thing” yet, it’s time to get started. Humans are meant to be active throughout the day. It’s in everyone’s genetics. We all have the potential to love fitness; you just have to find what you love. Well, it’s a little more complicated than that because I love hiking, and New Orleans and Houston couldn’t be worse locations for hiking. ( I’m crossing my fingers we’ll be near a ton of hiking trails in Georgia!) I also really enjoy strength training and body-weight fitness, so that’s usually the focus of my workouts after a little boring-ass indoor cardio.

Whenever I get bored with my exercise routine and begin to restrategize, I think about going back to running. In fact, this past month I’ve been in a running phase…that is, until my ankle decided it had better plans. So today I completed an exercise I hadn’t done in a while–I went for a walk. A really long walk. I downloaded a bunch of podcasts from Mark’s Daily Apple and listened to three of them while I walked along Buffalo Bayou. I loved it.

Downtown Houston in the distance

 

(The following paragraph is really just me projecting my issues onto anyone still reading. I should take my own advice.) We can get caught up in calories or the “cardio burn” and forget that simple activities like walking have many of the same benefits. We have to remember that we don’t need to be the same athlete (yes, we are all athletes!) as our friend or neighbor or spouse. Be healthy, be active, but do it your way. Sometimes that means you give it 100%; other times (like my weird run the other day) it means just getting outside and doing something.

Question: What exercise do you love??? And what about it makes you love it so much? (Scroll ALL the way down to comment!)

Ryan loves running. Today, he ran near the hospital before coming home from work, so he was still wearing scrubs.  🙂

Happy Runner!

Good night!

Impending thunderstorms mixed with a little bit of crazy make for a good run

I run…and more often than not, it’s a positive experience. Running is good for you–we all know that. It’s not only good for you physically, but it has a very therapeutic quality as well. My first year of teaching was a solid reality check, and to say that I was under-prepared is quite accurate. That year, I signed up eight months in advance for the Rock N’ Roll half-marathon in New Orleans. I used to tell myself on my long runs that if I could deal with that third class of terrifyingly challenging kids, then I could certainly make it through this run. That year, running provided me with a daily opportunity to sort out what happened each day and how I would most certainly not get so frustrated with the kids tomorrow.

Upon reflection, I like running. Don’t ask me mid run. And I will never be on the same page as those mutants running enthusiasts who run six or seven days a week. Some weeks I enjoy 3 or 4 runs combined with strength training. Other weeks, I’m just really not in the mood to run. Today, I did not want to run. I didn’t sleep well, I woke up early, and once Ryan left for work all I wanted to do was get back in the bed and go to sleep. But I also have two papers due on Monday. Write a paper or go run? I tried to talk myself out of it. I began with my typical I’ll run later thought process, which was promptly crushed by the mid-morning thunderstorm warning lurking at the bottom of the TV screen. Then I told myself that I didn’t have time for a 30 minute run because those two papers were due Monday, and losing 30 minutes would truly be a tragedy. So I opened my computer, re-read what I wrote yesterday about Rachel Carson, and got up to put my running shoes on. I didn’t want to write that paper either, so today running won.

I’m getting too wordy, so it must be time for a picture. This is my running path along Buffalo Bayou in Houston.

Don’t you hate those articles that tell you “Getting out the door is the hardest part! Just lace up those shoes and you’re 90% there!” Unbelievably false. I could still just walk. I could make it to the bottom of the stairs and turn around. I could walk to Dunkin Donuts. Today really wasn’t my day, but I managed to push through it. If you’ve made it out the door (congratulations) but you’re still feeling like going for a run would too closely resemble torture, don’t let your sluggish state bring you down. Even if you don’t run the whole time, you can throw in bursts of speed that will actually help you improve your stride and average speed. Here are a few tips and tricks that I tried out on my run today:

I need to download better fonts.

NUMBER 1: Bring music. It really helps, until that Waka Flocka song you hate comes on. 

I was listening to Pandora Fitness, which is a great station if you need fast-paced songs throughout your workout. But it’s a real bummer when that song you hate comes on. So here’s how I handled it. I pictured myself racing Waka Flocka Flame at the end of the Greek Fest race in City Park. I won. He lost.I cheered, internally. Don’t be afraid to actually cheer ( or at least crack a smile). Other people on the path may think you’re nuts, but now you’re having more fun than they are. (You can apply this same strategy to anyone who’s not your favorite person. Yes, it’s weird, but no one will know.)

NUMBER 2: See that person in front if you on the sidewalk? Don’t let him win. 

Now this sounds ridiculous, but no one can read your mind so it’s really okay. Look up at the people in front of you on the sidewalk. You’re better than at least one of them, I promise. The race is on, and you’re going to win because that unknowing individual isn’t expecting you to fly past them in an imaginary race.

NUMBER 3: There’s a wasp and I hate wasps. 

This tip is brought to you by the enormous wasp (or bee…I didn’t feel the need to get a closer look) that followed me all the way across the bayou bridge. I accidentally brushed up against some flowers, and a waspbeemonster followed me. Nothing will make you run faster than fear, especially childish fear.

NUMBER 4: Take your mind somewhere completely different.

This one isn’t bizarre unless your wandering mind gets a little weird. One of my favorite songs to run along with is Usher’s Yeah. When that song comes on, (please don’t judge too harshly) I simply pretend I’m up on stage with him at a concert doing some super complicated, fancy choreography. TRY IT. If Britney is your thing, I’m sure your imagination can come up with some fantastic Vegas costume and choreography combos. The song will be over before you know it, and you just ran for 4 minutes completely forgetting where you were.

NUMBER 5: If your run still didn’t go well, throw in something challenging at the end.

I felt good about my run today. I had a steady average pace with random bursts of speed when I was mentally chasing someone down or running away from a bug. There was one last obstacle to overcome. The end of any run along Buffalo Bayou always presents a challenge because there are some daunting sets of stairs where at least one person with a total of 5% body fat is sprinting up and down like a maniac. I didn’t feel the need to add anything too intense, so I ran up and down twice and went on my way, leaving the stairs to those who enjoy suffering.

And that concludes my strange collection of running tips. I’m not a physical trainer or a coach (heads up, neither are Shape, Fitness, and Women’s Health Mag), so I probably won’t ever suggest a particular training program. I’ve never followed one, myself.

After my run today, I did a quick strength set:

15 push ups

20 supermen (Lay on your stomach with your arms above your head. Arch your back, lifting your arms and legs at the same time, and try your best to resemble a flying superman. Seriously. Lower back down and repeat).

15 crunches/bicycles/leg raises, whatever ab work you’re in the mood for

Repeat above exercises 4x each

Before I leave you with this inspiring video of a 5 foot, 100lb gymnast who completed an amazing feat, let me pose a question:

What does it take to get you outside or to the gym when you’re feeling sluggish? Don’t be afraid to be completely honest =) To comment, scroll ALL the way down.