Tuesday, September 18, 2018

I keep running for its beauty.

So I missed my long run on Saturday morning. This was partially because I was going to the UK football game that I had to leave at 10:00 AM for and partially because I missed my bedtime attending a gala on Friday night. I set my alarm with good intentions but wasn't willing to sacrifice more sleep and figured I'd just go Sunday morning. When my alarm rang on Sunday morning, I really didn't  feel like going then either. I hit snooze a couple of times and finally realized the miles weren't going to run themselves. I was aiming for 10 miles. I really never run 10 miles or more by myself because I get bored and unmotivated.

Sunday was different though. I went out slow. It was a beautiful morning and although somewhat humid, not terrible and not terribly hot. I decided to go up Gilbert, which really is the best place to get a picturesque view. Upon arriving in Eden Park, I looked towards Newport feeling really accomplished that I had gotten myself that far on just my two feet and nothing else. It almost becomes amazing when you run long distances to see where your body can take you, but you need your mind to help get you there.

Could I have gone faster? Sure. But something was happening on this run that was better than getting my PR. I was enjoying it instead of thinking about all the negatives. It was a tough route, but when I was able to add on the extra mile at the end I did so without thinking twice. This is really unlike me for runs when I am out by myself and it's tough to put my finger on what did it. Yesterday, I ran across this quote on the Runner's World Instagram,

"I keep running for its beauty. You have to love running. Yes, the pain is there, but it's part of the joy. The marathon is like life." -Eliud Kipchoge (He just set the new marathon record BTW)

This spoke to me because this particular run was exactly like this. I saw the beauty and felt the joy. No, I don't think every run will be like this. I KNOW every run won't be like this, but for the moment it made me remember why I am an athlete in this crazy sport of distance running.

Take a moment to appreciate life's beauty. It's so easy to forget all that's out there. 


Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Going Vegan

If you know me, you know that I have always disapproved of a restrictive diet of ANY kind. I've seen many people trying to lose weight by going on so many different fad diets and when people asked me how I lost weight, I always said "eat healthier and move more." I also always let myself eat whatever I wanted in moderation. While I was more strict about what foods I was eating, I was still enjoying foods that I loved. Yes, I still drank wine. Yes, I still ate ice cream. Yes, I still ate buffalo chicken dip and other garbage snacks. I have always felt that completely depriving yourself of things that you like to eat just sends you backwards eventually. So maybe you tried the Atkins diet, but then you had been so starved of carbs that you started eating loaves of bread every day. See where I'm going with this? By the way, carbs are good! I am a fan of a mindset of everything in moderation. That being said, I'm going vegan (eye roll) for the next 3 months.

Let me first start out by blaming my husband because this is entirely his fault. This was something he wanted to do after spending time with Harvey Lewis on the Appalachian Trail. Harvey is a supreme athlete, a freakishly talented endurance athlete in fact, and he happens to be vegan. He swears by a vegan diet. Other vegans we have known have sworn to us that miracles will happen if we go vegan. We have heard about having more energy, having a healthier digestive system, and on and on and on. My husband will say he did not force me to do this and he definitely did not, but please read previous blog posts about him driving me to every race, making signs, dealing with me choosing pizza before long runs on Fridays without him having any say, going home early on Friday nights because I have to go to bed for long runs, ignoring the bank account when funds have been depleted by race fees and running shoes.... and the list goes on. I really wanted to do this to support him and something he wanted to do. Also because I really do like a challenge and this intrigues me because of the mental hardship and self control. Therefore please know this is not a "diet" for me as much as a social experiment. I am not trying to lose weight. If I'm not trying to lose weight, what more might I be trying to get out of this other than supporting my husband and winning a "vegan trophy?"

1. I hope to become more comfortable with plant based eating. I tried to make several meals that were considered vegetarian throughout the week. I think our society has begun to incorporate meat into every meal and snack, which I don't necessarily think is healthy. I would like to eat more plant based meals in my regular life after the vegan project is over.
2. I am interested to see if this improves my athletic performance at all. I am currently skeptical, but with 2 half marathons coming up in October, I'll give it a try.
3. I would like to get better with self control. I have gotten into some bad habits with eating that I'd like to get rid of. While I say everything in moderation, some things were becoming less moderate and more daily indulgences. For example, I was eating candy every day after lunch. I began thinking I had to have this candy every day after lunch. Now I can't eat this candy, and am learning other ways to cure my sweet tooth or to avoid sweets after lunch and get back to eating them more as a treat.

We started on Monday and so far I haven't noticed much of a difference. I had a great run Tuesday and while TJ wanted to claim it was from my new diet, I highly doubt it. I don't really know where this journey will lead, but know that for my whole life, I will still find vegan cheese offensive to cheese culture.  BTW so far I miss my morning egg more than any kind of meat!!!

Some cookbooks we have found helpful:

TJ plans on vlogging our experience as a sort of short documentary series. If he ever ends up editing all the footage he has shot, I'll share a link. Meanwhile, you can hate me for doing this vegan thing. I completely understand.