Year of Running, 2022

2022 was a very bizarre year for me, running-wise. In fact, I didn’t run at all for most of it, despite spending half the year training for the most difficult physical challenge I’ve ever done. I also did a half-marathon with no training, which I do not recommend, but which is still dangerous knowledge to have because now I know I can. I’m also ending this a little late – after the end of the year – because the challenge I spent half the year training for ended on January 8th.

Read on to hear about my very Dopey year!

(You can also read my previous Years of Running: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 [the year I did a half-marathon every month AND a full marathon], 2015.)

Best Race Experience

Disney World’s Tower of Terror is my favorite ride there, so I’ve wanted to do the Tower of Terror 10-Miler since I began running in 2015. The problem was: 2014 is the last year they held it. Womp, womp. But! This year they changed the last weekend of their race season to a theme that will change every year (this weekend is now called “Springtime Surprise” for that reason), and for the first one they brought back some discontinued races including my long-desired ToT10! Disney races are always amazing, but I love everything about the Tower of Terror. I adore the creepy retro theming, I love the story (there’s even a delightfully campy TV movie with Kirsten Dunst!), and I love the ride itself. So, to have an entire race – thousands of people – celebrating something I love so much was just so incredibly fun. I went back and forth on costumes, and in the end decided to just be a Hollywood Tower Hotel guest, complete with HTH pajamas I custom painted, and the look of a room key thanks to a keychain I’d bought years before. I chose this partially because I thought it would be unique and fun, and partially because then I could have ToT themed pajamas – which I’ve now worn many, many times since!

Best Run

This is an interesting thing for me to ponder this year. My best runs were, in fact, walks. It’s a long story…

During the Princess half-marathon in late February, I noticed around mile 10 that my left knee felt really tight. After the race I discovered it was quite swollen. This was very strange because for my entire life, it’s been my right knee that’s been a problem – never my left! I had also been doing very well at training and even strength training and yoga since the new year. I knew I needed to get an MRI, but the following weekend was the Gate River Run and a month after that was Springtime Surprise. There was no way I wasn’t doing either of those, so I completely stopped working out to rest it, to see if it happened again. Both times it did. So with no other races on the docket I decided to rest it longer and see if it got better. Then I decided last minute to do a half in Edinburgh, Scotland (which I originally registered for in March 2020) at the end of May. I figured, “Hey, I haven’t run at all since the first weekend of April. I’m sure my knee is fine now.”

Yeah. No.

The race was fun, but with extra walking before and after, my race-related distance was over 15 miles. My knee was already swollen and both knees were already sore. (Did I mention I do not recommend doing a half untrained?) But, looking at the weather, I realized if I wanted to climb up to King Arthur’s Seat, I needed to go that afternoon. That added another I don’t even know how many miles. A lot. And much of it was steep ascent and descent. On the way down my left knee had shooting sharp pains. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of my trip (actually I later did three different walking tours, because I love walking tours, and also I’m stupid) but I resolved that I would make a point to go get that MRI when I got home.

The MRI didn’t happen till the end of June, and the results took a few weeks after that. The orthopedic P.A. said that I needed to stop running or get knee surgery.* I almost cried. Because in April I had done a 180 on the whole never-again-marathon thing and in fact had registered for the Dopey Challenge, which is a 5K Thursday, 10K Friday, half-marathon Saturday, and marathon Sunday. Disney doesn’t do refunds or deferrals, and they are expensive. Thankfully, they also have a pretty generous time requirement, which is 16 minutes per mile from the last people to start.

I’m naturally a slow walker, but I knew racewalking was a thing, and learned how to do it via the internet. In the end I’ve been able to racewalk up to an 11:30 minute mile (5.5 mph)! I did alllll my Dopey training racewalking – and I did alllll my Dopey races racewalking! But I did do it. It took forever. (Actually, I cut about 40 minutes off my first terrible marathon. Go figure.)

And that finally brings us to my best “run” of the year: the BHM26.2 half-marathon. And heck, let’s throw in the 5K I did the day before. Birmingham, AL is hilly, but I actually passed several runners in both cases. I still can’t believe I managed to walk a hilly half under 3:04. My 5K was about 40 minutes. It was exhilarating!

Best New Piece of Gear

Racewalking required different shorts for me than running, because of the different technique, so I asked around about shorts that don’t ride up and have pockets but aren’t tight like bike shorts. (It’s too hot in FL to not have some air flow!) Oiselle Long Roga Shorts were recommended in one of my online running groups, and they are AMAZING. I think I have 6 or 8 pairs now because I’ve gotten several on clearance and two secondhand. The Toolbelt Long Roga are my ultimate favorite because they have even more storage without adding bulk or warmth. (I’m actually wearing a pair in the pic above.) Now that I’m running again*, I still love them the most, so I’ve gotten rid of a bunch of my old shorts.

Best Piece of Running Advice You Received

I had to remind myself of this a lot: a mile, whether run or walked, is still a mile.

Biggest Achievement:

Dopey! That’s a beast of a challenge, but outside of training, I actually had a great time. Feel free to watch my training and race log on TikTok. Also, I didn’t realize how much a good marathon experience would mean to me until I was 20 miles in. Redemption is a nice feeling.

Favorite Picture From a Run or Race This Year

See above. I think that marathon/Dopey finish pic has to be it. I was dressed as my favorite superhero, I had time to get a donut for my finisher pic, and I felt freaking amazing. If not that, then this one from Princess in February. Though Luisa costumes are common now, with donkeys on shoulders, as far as I can tell I was the first to do it at a Disney race. I ran the Princess half with my burritos – and then did it again almost a year later for the Dopey half-marathon.

Race Experience You Would Repeat in A Heartbeat

Tower of Terror 10-miler! Edinburgh half! Uh… Dopey? Because somehow I got sucked in again. And if I can get Dumbo at Disneyland, I’m doing that a week later. I am so incredibly stupid – and so incredibly excited. Dopey to Dumbo 2024!

If you could sum up your running year in one word, what would it be?

Surprising.

Running Goals for 2023

• Sub-2:30 half. Thinking of getting a coach to see if I can finally make this reality.
• Sub-30 5K. If I can do the above, I can maybe do this.

I’ve run half-marathons in:

2015: Tennessee, Florida, Connecticut
2016: Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, California, Hawaii
2017: Pennsylvania, FRANCE
2018: Illinois, Missouri, New York, NEW ZEALAND
2019: Maine, Virginia, NORWAY
2020: Louisiana, Rhode Island
2021: Mississippi, ICELAND, New Hampshire
2022: SCOTLAND, Alabama

Half-marathon stats:

Total finished: 44
States checked off: 19
Countries checked off: 5 (not counting the USA)

PRs:

5K: 31:59 (Ancient City Brewing, 10/2021)
10K: 1:08:58 (honestly don’t remember when)
15K: 1:46:48 (Gate River Run, 03/07/2020)
Half: 2:38:03 (Richmond Half, 11/16/2019)
Marathon: 6:59:28 (Walt Disney World Marathon, 01/08/2023 – includes several stops)

* Yeah, so, about that “stop running or get surgery” thing. I was resolved to get the surgery after Dopey. When I went in to talk about it, the exact same P.A. told me I wasn’t a candidate for surgery and that I could try other things. WHY.THE.CRAP. THEN DID YOU TELL ME TO STOP RUNNING OR GET SURGERY?! I was so mad. I even got a second opinion, this time from an actual doctor, who concurred that I am not a candidate for surgery but also that there’s really nothing I can do beyond icing and elevating when it’s swollen. He said I can run if I want to and that it will get worse whether or not I run so if I want to I might as well. I am still SO MAD that I walked all those training miles and didn’t have to. I will never go to an orthopedic P.A. again.

The biggest danger for any runner isn’t what gets headlines.

Runners and non-runner women are reeling from the murder of Eliza Fletcher – and rightly so. It is a tragedy that a fellow runner and human being has been taken from the world, and that we have to feel this fear again.

But, please, my fellow mileage-tacklers, realize and prepare for this: the biggest threat to any runner, even female, is getting hit by a vehicle. Yet, female runners worry about being attacked while running far more than male and female runners combined worry about being hit by a car! Being murdered while running is actually incredibly rare, and undeniably disturbing, so it gets all the headlines. People getting killed by cars is so common that sometimes it doesn’t even make the local news.

Anecdotally, a few years ago, before sunset, I was crossing at a crosswalk with a walk signal. I was wearing neon reflective clothing, and several flashing lights. A driver who was making a right turn into the lanes I was about to get into only looked left to make sure no cars were coming. She never even saw me. Thankfully, I was watching her and stopped in the middle as she quickly accelerated into the lane I would’ve been in if I hadn’t stopped. I got lucky that time because, before this happened, sometimes I was in the zone when crossing the street, and didn’t always think to look for a driver’s eyes.

I still wear my neon/reflective/flashing lights, because in most situations, they do make me visible. But all the shiny running stuff in the world won’t save you from a driver who isn’t careful. We must pay attention so we can enjoy our run and get home safely.

Here are some tips to fight the biggest threat to runner safety:

• Run defensively – ideally against traffic. Don’t assume they see you, even if you have a walk signal. Look for the driver’s eyes. If they don’t look at you, wait. As annoying as it is to have to wait another light cycle, it’s much better than getting hit.
• Run with bone conduction headphones, one earbud out, or no music at all so you can hear vehicles (or creepers) behind you.
• Carry ID or get a RoadID or something similar. In addition to my name and address, my RoadID has two emergency contacts and my blood type.
• Use a tracking app. Garmin offers it for free with their Connect app. Other options are Life360 or RoadID tracking app. Some of them will alert your chosen contacts if there is some sort of major jolt or if you don’t move for a certain period of time.
• And yeah, in case of creepers, do carry a means of defense: whistle/alarm, flashing light, pepper spray, knife, firearm – whatever is legal where you are. Run with a friend or a dog when you can.

Be smart, be vigilant – but don’t let fear steal your joy. I know a few people who’ve been hit by cars while running, and I have friends in Memphis who’ve run where Eliza was running and know many people who loved her, but I’m still going out there. Not because I’m brave, but because I straight up refuse to let a horrible person or a bad driver take something I love from me. Stay strong, friends.

Year of Running, 2021

2021 was not a bad running year for me – which is surprising after the dumpster fire that was 2020. I even set a long-awaited 5K PR. I had two great training cycles for races, but then utterly crashed and burned for the goal races. (First one, I was crushing it, and then 45 mph wind gusts on a mile-long bridge climb set me back enough that I missed a PR by 15 seconds. Second one I was rocking it and then out of nowhere hit the wall for the first time ever and could not physically make myself run after the 10-mile mark – with 3.1 left to go.) I did have several moments of wondering why I make myself do this… but yet here I am – 7 years running!

(You can also read my previous Years of Running: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 [the year I did a half-marathon every month AND a full marathon], 2015.)

Best Race Experience

Suzuki Midnight Sun Run Half-Marathon, a.k.a. Suzuki Midnaeturhlaup, in Reykjavik, Iceland. This race has been on my to-run list since I found out it exists in 2016. I always wanted to do it as a trip with friends, but I finally gave up waiting on people to come with me and did it a greatly-rejuvenating solo trip instead. This year the race was very small – only 191 people. And the field was fast. So despite this actually being a decent time for me (especially given my jet lag and that I had done a strenuous 6-mile hike earlier in the day), for the first time in my many years running, I officially finished last. (Although it may be worth mentioning that there were two DNFs and a DQ, so technically I was 188 out of 191, yes? Yes.) So how is this the best race experience when I came in DFL? The course was gorgeous, I had it almost entirely to myself (see above about coming in last), the people were friendly, and honestly running in daylight at like 11pm was utterly fascinating.

Best Run

Gate River Run 15k again, even though I missed a PR by 15 seconds! This was my first long race since I started Intermittent Fasting, which teaches your body to use stored fat as fuel, and I was unsure of how it would go. But I was ROCKING it. It was cold, I felt great, and I was moving fast (for me). And then… the Green Monster – a mile-long bridge climb near the end of the race. I was ready for the Green Monster, actually. I’d been training for it. But I was not ready for 45 mph wind gusts on the Green Monster that almost literally knocked people over. It was absurd wind. Just absurd. I could not run. I could not even walk without leaning over at a crazy angle. Sadly that was enough to push my time back just a bit. I typically don’t slow down nearly that much for the Green Monster, but alas.

Best New Piece of Gear

I finally got some Aftershokz running headphones, and they are deserving of all the hype! It’s fascinating how you can hear your music and what’s going on around you.

Best Piece of Running Advice You Received

I can’t think of anything this year.

Biggest Achievement:

Finally getting sub-32 for a 5K! My half training may have failed when I hit the wall during my half-marathon, but it was sufficient to get me a long-awaited 5K PR!

Favorite Picture From a Run or Race This Year

Disney races are back and I didn’t get any on-course pics from my non-Disney races this year, so here’s a Wine & Dine assortment. I got to do the 5K with my good friend whom I hadn’t seen in years, the 10K with my son for his first Disney race, and the half with my husband.

Haunted Mansion black widow bride & my friend Donald Duck – 5K

Miss Minutes & Dr. Facilier – 10K

Miki and Mini Mouse Loki Variants – half

Race Experience You Would Repeat in A Heartbeat

Midnight Sun Run, or Disney Wine & Dine – although I’d like the latter to be a lot warmer and drier!

If you could sum up your running year in one word, what would it be?

Disappointing? Because even though it was a good year overall, my two goal races were so frustrating. I did SO WELL until near the end of both. And also I keep having existential crises while doing half-marathons, and honestly I think I’m pretty much done with them outside of Disney or using them as an excuse to go cool places. And I hit 40 of them done in 2021, so that’s pretty cool.

Running Goals for 2022

• Sub-2:35 half if I do any non-Disney.
• Sub-1:45 Gate River Run 15K. If it wasn’t for the wind on the bridge, I would’ve had it this year, easily.
• Sub-31 5K. Finally get to adjust this one down a minute!

I’ve run half-marathons in:

2015: Tennessee, Florida, Connecticut
2016: Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, California, Hawaii
2017: Pennsylvania, FRANCE
2018: Illinois, Missouri, New York, NEW ZEALAND
2019: Maine, Virginia, NORWAY
2020: Louisiana, Rhode Island
2021: Mississippi, ICELAND, New Hampshire

Half-marathon stats:

PR: 2:38:03 (Richmond Half, 11/16/2019)
Total finished: 40!!!
States checked off: 18
Countries checked off: 4 (not counting the USA)

200 Days of Intermittent Fasting

(It’s really 206 at this point, but who’s counting.)

In my last post about IF I talked about how my husband and I have been doing time-restricted eating and that it is working well for us. Well, now we’ve been doing it for twice as long so I thought it was time for an update!

First, everything that I said before remains true. This lifestyle is still working very well for us. We’ve adapted our window to life a time or two, and enjoyed generous eating windows on vacations, but we almost always fast for at least 14 hours. Most of the time he does 16, and most of the time I do 17-20. We still eat whatever we want, but not more than we want. We try to be mindful of when we’re satisfied. Leftovers are a good thing! And teaching your body that hunger is not an emergency is very freeing in many ways, especially in unusual situations where before you would be hungry and worried about what you were going to eat soon. Not to mention I saved a bunch of money by not eating breakfast on my solo trip to Iceland last month!

I’ve now lost 2″ on my waist, 1.5″ on my hips, and unknown – but plentiful – inches on my stomach and thighs. I didn’t think to measure them, but I should have, because they have shrunk the most! It’s funny about my hips because when I was modeling I tried so hard to get my hip measurement under 40″. Now it is, for the first time in at least a decade, and the only thing I’ve done differently vs. the past few years is IF. And my stomach is so much smaller now that sometimes I can wear high-waisted shorts or pants without stomach pain! That’s a huge NSV (non-scale victory) for me!

I’ve continued to enjoy a total lack of depression valleys. Going more than six months without one is utterly shocking. I don’t think that’s happened in more than ten years at least. I actually had a clinical evaluation for depression and ADHD, and all the questions are, “In the last six months, have you…” and thus most of my answers for the depression screening were NO. (The ADHD, however… squirrel!) At least for now, I appear to have IFed out of depression. It’s insane. I honestly still would not believe that if it were not my own life.

Finally, my IBS has also continued to be much better. Flares still happen, but they happen less frequently and seem to end more quickly. A big part of why my stomach is smaller is less IBS bloating.

All those perks are amazing, but there’s some frustration: both of us have stalled in weight loss. I made it down 18 lbs., which is actually past my initial goal weight, but I then went back up 3-7 pounds and stayed there for months. I have no idea why. Just this week I’ve come back down to that low weight again. (It may have been sooner; I stopped weighing for a while.) I didn’t change a thing at any of those times. Who knows. Weight is weird. This is why so many IFers encourage people to take measurements and progress photos, and many get rid of their scales. Although my weight stayed the same for months, my inches continued to go down. IFers call that “body recomposition” and it is incredibly common for an IFer’s weight to stay the same or even go up a bit while they’re still obviously losing inches and their clothes are getting looser.

I don’t know if my weight will go down anymore if I don’t give up various unhealthy foods or eat less. I’m OK with it though. I feel healthier than when I was thinner years ago. This lack of depression valleys, lack of bloating, knowing I’m healthier than before… these are better than a number on a scale. I’m actually very close to my goal body, so my goal weight isn’t my focus.

I wish I had some pictures to show you, but I didn’t take any before. I thought, “I’m only trying to lose 15 lbs.; pictures won’t show a difference.” Uh, dude. Yeah, I’m only down 18 lbs. in 6.5 months, but I look so much leaner! I should’ve taken the pictures.

How about you? Have you been IFing? How is it going for you? What’s your favorite NSV?

Ebbs and Flows of Friendship

Do you ever feel like friends come in waves? Up and down – and random distances between the highs and lows?

I’ve been pondering this lately because I’m in a trough right now. The last crest started dissipating about two years ago. I see that now, but I didn’t realize then that it was almost time for the tide to head out.

Moves. Jobs. Kids. Covid precautions. Other life changes. These all took my friends away. (Probably doesn’t help that I mostly befriend introverts either! And I say that as one myself, who also often prefers to stay in.)

What do you do to not feel so lonely when the friendship surf is as flat as the Florida Gulf beaches?

I’m trying to accept it for what it is – to know that it’s temporary, just as it was the times it happened before. Friends will come one day. I know, now, that it isn’t me; this is just part of adulthood for me.

But it is definitely hard to deal with, looking back just a few years ago when I had four close friends I saw several times a month, and several others I at least hung out with sometimes. But right now? All my friends are busy/exhausted, hermits, or don’t live here.

Life below sea level sucks.

100 Days of Intermittent Fasting

Once upon a time, a friend mentioned she had lost weight with intermittent fasting. I didn’t think much of it – beyond that “fasting” sounded awful – for years after that. Then, this past Christmas day, after months of watching the scale creep up because of pandemic life, I saw a digit in the tens’ place that I’d never seen before. My BMI had crossed the line to Overweight. And I knew I had to do something.

I don’t know why, but I thought of that friend, and I decided to see if there was anything to this “intermittent fasting” thing. So, I did what I usually do: I googled “intermittent fasting science” to try to find only scholarly or reputable articles about it. I was surprised to find that there are a lot of them. I kind of felt like the only person in the world who’d never really taken a good look at IF!

According to multiple research studies, there are benefits to IF beyond weight loss. One IF proponent and author, Gin Stephens, calls it “a health plan with the side effect of weight loss”. Diabetes runs in my family (though I’m not yet affected by it) and my husband has high blood pressure – two things research seems to indicate that IF helps with – so I decided to pitch to him the easiest version of IF and see if he wanted to do it too.

This is how we do it:*

I began with what’s called 16:8, which is a form of time-restricted eating. What that means is that I don’t eat anything for 16 hours a day; I eat in an 8-hour window of time. 16 hours might seem like a lot, but that includes 7-9 hours of sleep! My eating window started as noon-8pm. Over time I’ve gone longer, and now open my window anywhere from noon to 4pm, and close my window by 8pm. I’ve found this surprisingly easy to do, partially because I can eat whatever food I want during my eating window! I’m not restricting sugar or carbs or anything tasty. Many do, and probably see bigger or faster results, and there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s just not for me because it will be unsustainable for me because I love tasty food.

My husband wakes up earlier and also works really long hours right now, so he’s been doing 14:10. He fasts for 14, and eats for 10. This usually means eating between 10am and 8pm. He has sometimes pushed opening his window to 11am or noon. This is the first diet or healthier eating plan that he has not only stuck with, but is doing very well at! Because again, we don’t restrict what we eat. We don’t overeat, nor do we eat only junk, but the man doesn’t want to live without hamburgers and Cadbury Creme Eggs! Last week we actually each had our own slices of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory – but I ate mine as a treat after dinner over three days, and he had one bite the night we got it (previously he would’ve eaten the whole thing despite being full) and then ate it as a meal the next day, during his window.

How’s that workin’ for ya?

Well, first, if you don’t cut out junk food and such, and only restrict your eating time, you should expect to lose no more than .5-1 pound per week, after your body adapts to IF, which may take 4-6 weeks. We are at about 14 weeks now… and I’ve lost 14 lbs! I also only thought to measure my waist and hips, and those are down 1.5″ and 1″, respectively, but it’s very obvious my belly and thighs are a lot leaner. I wish I had measured them! I got myself out of Overweight BMI! I also have found myself naturally craving healthier foods, and needing less food to feel full. And since one of my IBS and acid reflux triggers is eating to much or being too full, it has helped with those as well.

Isaac did not weigh himself before, or take measurements. He also started lifting weights at the same time so perhaps has not lost as much as he would’ve otherwise because of muscle gains, but he has lost at least 15 lbs. and has fit into numerous articles of clothing that before he couldn’t button. A few people have also noticed his loss and commented on it if they hadn’t seen him for a while. He has also moved down one BMI tier!

But the best part for us has been how easy it is. This is something we can do indefinitely, it costs nothing (actually, it may save money!), and it’s incredibly flexible. When I was visiting somewhere in February, I found out there were amazing cinnamon rolls nearby. It only worked for us to go there and eat them around 10am. Did I stress about eating early, feel like I failed, or “fell off the wagon”? Nope. I just considered it a longer eating window that day, I enjoyed every delicious bite of those cinnamon rolls, and then went back to my usual schedule the next day.

OK, I’m intrigued. Got any more tips?

Honestly, my main recommendation is to see if your local library has Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens. She explains everything really well and has links to many studies.

If you don’t have time to read a book but think you might want to try IF, here’re the basics:
1. Pick an eating window that works for you. Try to go at least 14 hours without eating. See if you can work your way up to 16-20 hours, depending on how you feel! If you love breakfast and don’t care much about dinner, maybe try 9am-5pm. It’s completely flexible based on your needs and your life.
2. Outside your eating window – during your fast – only put water, black coffee, plain unflavored tea, or anything else that is flavorless, in your mouth. (Plus any medications and toothpaste, of course!) Don’t chew gum or add cream to your coffee. There are different schools of thought on this, but some studies seem to show that flavors/sweetness/salt spike your insulin and prep your body for food, thereby ending your fast early. Anecdotally, I can attest that I don’t even get hungry in the morning while fasting – BUT when I opened my window early to have those amazing cinnamon rolls? I was starving an hour later! Even though it was 1-4 hours before I would normally eat a thing, and I’d already eaten three cinnamon rolls! (Judge that lack of moderation if you want, but I regret nothing!)
3. Don’t overeat in your window. Your goal isn’t to squish all the food you used to eat all day into a reduced period of time. (Although some studies show that there may still be health benefits from time-restricted eating even without calorie reduction.) Indeed, likely one way that IF helps with weight loss is by reducing caloric intake. Isaac and I used to snack a lot after dinner. Now, our window is closed, so we don’t. I’m also eating less by not having breakfast.
4. It’s OK to change your window if needed; it isn’t failure or cheating. If you forget and add some cream to your coffee, you didn’t fail and the rest of your fast that day isn’t pointless. If you forget and lick the spoon when you are making cookies for your kid’s class, that’s fine; keep fasting till your window opens. If you’re on vacation and decide to have some amazing pancakes at 9am, or a night cap at 9pm, have fun! If your friend’s birthday party doesn’t bring out the cake till 10pm, enjoy! Those are just days with longer windows. You can go back to your normal schedule the next day, or after your trip, or whatever. You haven’t undone everything or failed.
5. Take pictures and lots of measurements, but stay off the scale for at least a month! One way that IF works is by using your stored fat for fuel. This often leads to your measurements and the look of your body changing, even while the scale doesn’t budge. Take pictures in the same lighting and same angles, and same clothes if you can. Take note of how your clothes fit. Watch for changes.
6. Hunger is not an emergency. We’ve all been told to eat when we’re hungry – but when we start tuning into our body, we realize that a lot of times the hunger we feel is mental, not physical. We’re bored, or sad, or whatever, so we feel like we want to eat. The majority of the time, though, our bodies don’t actually need any fuel, even if you’ve done IF long enough to have depleted your glycogen stores. Even a normal thin body has plenty of fat to fuel itself, and we will not starve if we just delay eating for another hour or two. If you feel hungry but it’s only been, say, 13 hours since you ate, drink some water/black coffee/plain tea and go do some work/cleaning/school/yoga. Chances are you will make it that extra hour or two just fine. When my brain is trying to tell me I’m hungry and I know I’m really not, I channel my inner ’90s kid and retort, “Hey, body! Eat fat!”

And I think that’s it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

* Sorry not sorry for getting that in your head. Party here on the Westside!

P.S. Obviously I’m not your doctor. Particularly if you have health challenges, you should probably talk to yours before you start a new way of life like this. You may want to come armed with some of the studies referenced in the above linked articles, just in case they aren’t up on the latest IF research… but they might surprise you; many MDs recommend IF!

Year of Running (or… not), 2020

Ah, 2020. The year where tons of people started running and others, like me… stopped. 2020 was such that my depression was frequent, and my depression is such that it makes something like running feel like it takes so. much. effort. Changing into running clothes takes effort. Getting what I need prepped to run takes effort. Running is exhausting. Showering takes effort. Putting on another set of clothes is exhausting. So, after March 8th, for the most part I didn’t run. Read on for what did happen in my running life this year!

(You can also read my previous Years of Running: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 (the year I did a half-marathon every month AND a full marathon), 2015.)

Best Race Experience

The Louisiana Marathon. I really loved this race! It was a beautiful course and the swag and post-race party (RIP) were fantastic. I also really liked Baton Rouge – and its proximity to New Orleans. Running through the LSU campus was beautiful, and brought an interesting challenge since it took place the day after LSU’s victory parade: watching out for Mardi Gras beads on the ground so you didn’t accidentally step on them and slip! Ha!

Best Run

Gate River Run! I finally got sub-1:50!!! I’d been working on this for five years!

Going up the Green Monster near the end of the Gate. I’m smiling despite the workout because I know I’m going to PR!

Best New Piece of Gear

Skechers GoRun 7 and 7+ shoes. Dang. Read good things, found a good price, and who would’ve ever thought I’d be raving about Skechers running shoes?! But the reviews are united in how awesome they are. They are so LIGHT and bouncy! I thought the lightweight Reeboks I talked about last year were good until I tried these.

Best Piece of Running Advice You Received

Running will still be there when you’re ready.

Meaning it’s OK to take time off from it. If it’s just making you stressed, if depression makes it too much effort, whatever – it’s OK to let it go for as long as you need. Walk if you can. Yoga, bike, whatever. Or just take a break. It’s OK. Running will be there waiting.

Most Inspirational Runner

Can I pick myself? Because I think it’s myself this time. For one, I still managed to get two PRs and check off halfs in two more states despite not running for 7 months of the year. For another, I completed a stupid ultra challenge (Yeti 24-hour, + enough extra to make it a 50K), and walked the whole dang thing. For yet another, I made the goal of getting 1,500 Charity Miles in 2020, which was more than double any previous year, and I exceeded it with 1,515! So yeah; I choose me.

Feeling strong, exhausted, and slightly delirious after finishing the final portion of the Yeti Ultra 24-Hour Challenge!

Biggest Achievement:

PRing my 5-miler and then my 15K the following weekend!

Favorite Picture From a Run or Race This Year

One of the best things about the Gate is that so many people I know run it! I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating at the end with these three!

Race Experience You Would Repeat in A Heartbeat

Louisiana Marathon, especially if I can make a trip of it again and spend more time in New Orleans as well as Baton Rouge. I had not been to either before, and had a great time.

Also, this is the first year since 2015 that I didn’t do any Disney races. I MISS THEM SO MUCH.

If you could sum up your running year in one word, what would it be?

Hard.

Running Goals for 2021

• Sub-2:35 half. This would be just 3 minutes faster than my PR. If I can have another good training cycle, it’s possible.
• Sub-1:45 Gate River Run 15K. I got my sub-1:50 so this is the next step!
• Sub-32 5K. I only did one 5K last year. How weird is that. Don’t have any planned for now either, but we shall see.
• Do at least three half-marathons.
• Check off half-marathons in at least two more states and hopefully a country. (Got the two states last year, but my country was canceled. Hoping it happens this year.)

I’ve run half-marathons in:

2015: Tennessee, Florida, Connecticut
2016: Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, California, Hawaii
2017: Pennsylvania, FRANCE
2018: Illinois, Missouri, New York, NEW ZEALAND
2019: Maine, Virginia, NORWAY
2020: Louisiana, Rhode Island

Half-marathon stats:

PR: 2:38:03 (Richmond Half, 11/16/2019)
Total finished: 36
States checked off: 16
Countries checked off: 3 (not counting the USA)

Covid Piles All Suck

“I feel guilty worrying about losing my job when so many have lost their lives or loved ones.”

 

“I feel guilty being disappointed about my trip being canceled even though I was really looking forward to it for a long time when some people can’t travel for the rest of their lives.”

 

“I feel guilty complaining about being tired from work when there are doctors and nurses and scientists who’ve been working nonstop since March.”

 

“I feel guilty not protesting because it seems unsafe when I know that change needs to happen.”

 

“I feel guilty being depressed by staying home and not seeing people for a few months when some people won’t be able to do that till there’s a vaccine.”

 

“I feel guilty about being sad that the big race I was training for was canceled even though I know it may have been unsafe for it to take place.”

 

“I feel guilty hoping kids go back to school this fall when I know it’s hard on some teachers.”

 

“I feel guilty hoping kids don’t go back to school this fall when I know it’s hard on some kids.”

 

Does any of that sound familiar? Maybe you haven’t said any of those things, but you’ve felt them, right?

 

This Covid life, man. It’s tough.

 

Many years ago my husband was in the hospital for a few days with something potentially life-threatening. A friend’s husband was hospitalized at the same time with something potentially life-threatening and definitely life-altering. I found myself feeling bad about being upset about my situation because I knew things could be so much worse.

 

Isn’t that silly? My husband was very sick and in a lot of pain, but I was still comparing myself to someone else’s situation and thinking I had little right to be upset.

 

It was then that I first realized that just because something could be worse doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.

 

With the Covid situation, I’ve had to remind myself of that over and over again. Things that were important to me have kept going away. Every single one is another serving of sadness and disappointment.

 

I know that I’m lucky. I haven’t lost anyone to Covid, nor do I even know anyone who’s had it, except for some friends all the way around the world who were asymptomatic. My city has a lot of cases, but there’s still room in our hospitals and we have a very low mortality rate.

 

So I should just be thankful, right?

 

Well, I am thankful. Very much so. I thank God every day that my loved ones are yet untouched by this disease that has been so vicious and cruel to so many.

 

There hasn’t been that one big thing that looms in front of me.

But a lot of little sadnesses and disappointments still make a really big pile.

 

It’s OK to acknowledge them and mourn them.

 

It’s OK to feel what you feel.

 

It really is.

 

 

 

P.S. If you need to talk to someone, please reach out to a friend. They want to know. They want to help. If quarantine or anxiety or depression has gotten to you very badly, talk to someone who can help you get through it.

Agreeing to disagree with a long way to go.

I’ll own it: I used to be an insufferable know-it-all. In fact, I think a lot of people still have that idea of me in their heads because that’s what I was for so long. Alas, it’s my own fault.

But, people change.

From what I’ve seen, people don’t really become full-fledged, legit adults until at least their early twenties, but in most cases mid-to late twenties. But even after we level up to True Adulty Adult, we should still grow and change. We should never stop challenging ourselves and learning. I do that by reading things that make me uncomfortable, listening to people whose experiences differ from mine, trying to put myself in the shoes of those I disagree with, and seeing as much of the world and the humans in it as I can. My goal is to hopefully make my bubble a little bigger and a little bigger until one day it just pops.

My adult bubble first expanded a lot when I joined LiveJournal, a private blogging site, in 2004. I was 21. Through LJ I met a lot of people I otherwise would not have met. We came from different cultural, economic, and theological backgrounds, but we had more in common than not. That profoundly influenced me and still does to this day.

I also distinctly remember one night, on a public LJ blog, around 2009ish, getting into an argument in the comments section. (Ten points from Ravenclaw for engaging in the comments section.) It was long and tiring – but, surprisingly, it was good. Amidst the typical trolls on both sides of the issue, there were people actually trying to reach people on the other side. Some told me in the end that they’d never heard some of my thoughts on it before and it made them see another side. Things shared with me brought about understanding and empathy for the other side that I had never had before. That debate has shaped my opinion on that issue to this day. The most interesting thing about it to me, though, is this: I did not change sides. I still maintain my original opinion on that issue. But, wow, my understanding and empathy for those on the other side shifted massively. I’m a better person because of that debate.

I think that was truly the beginning of the end of my insufferable Hermione-lite persona. Through that back-and-forth, I had seen the other side in a brand new light. I may not have come to agree with them, but I understood them. And I realized that I can profoundly empathize with someone even if I think they’re wrong.

Nowadays, I’m still a know-it-all, but less so. (Is that a sufferable know-it-all? *ponders*) I still correct grammar and punctuation, but mostly just in my brain. I still want things to be accurate, but I choose those battles sparingly. I still have some things that I nitpick about, but mostly only to certain people because that’s how we show our love for one another. (You know who you are!) And I try really, really hard to understand both sides of a divisive issue. Because even if I don’t agree, I can listen, I can have empathy, and I can try to help with the stuff we do agree on.

* * * * * * * * * *

This post was inspired by the May 27, 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, and the subsequent rioting. The entire world agrees that Floyd was murdered and that the person who killed him and the fellow “officers” who did not try to stop him should be convicted. Most agree that he received more brutal treatment because of the color of his skin. But, depending on our background, we likely have very different opinions on the rioting.

I always consider doing harm to innocent people to be wrong, even if you’re doing it for a good reason. I consider riots that target civilians, even if it’s “just” their property, to be doing harm to innocent people. And despite the riots and many peaceful protests of the past decade, and despite my trying to have compassion, I’m ashamed to admit that until this recent ordeal, I never even thought to try to expand that part of my bubble.

It started when a Black man I admire and who is known for reaching out to both sides essentially said on Wednesday that the riots were understandable and today posted about his anger and why he is angry. It compounded when a Black acquaintance of mine who is not usually a reactionary or heated person shared a post from one of her friends on Thursday about why this is the reaction some people are having. It continues today as I read another post explaining this reaction and the history of systemic racism in Minneapolis. OOF. Gut punches, all. I understand it now. I still don’t agree with violence, but I understand it, and I truly empathize instead of just condemn. Can I consider someone to be doing wrong and still empathize with them? Yes. YES. It’s hard. But not as hard as what our fellow Americans are going through and have gone through since before this country existed.

Yes, things are better in 2020 than they were in the 1960s or 1860s or 1760s. But better is not the same as acceptable. We all need to look for our negative biases, and work on them – especially if we’re in a position of power, but even if we’re not.

I’m getting there. I’ve come a long way since my mid-twenties, but I still have a long way to go.

Further reading on finding and working on biases:

https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/test-yourself-for-hidden-bias

https://www.folio.ca/how-to-check-your-unconscious-biases/

https://www.boyden.com/media/checking-your-blind-spot-ways-to-find-and-fix-unconscious-bias-7627148/index.html

https://www.aafp.org/journals/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/implicit_bias.html

Test yourself for biases: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html

Further reading on ways White people can help the Black community. Note: you don’t have to agree with or like all of these or even most of them in order to do the ones you agree with. 

I haven’t “really” run 35 half-marathons.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a very long time. Thanks to the boring life we’re all living right now (#thanksCovid 😛 ), it’s finally gettin’ done!

So. After more than five years as a runner, this isn’t a secret to my runner friends, but to everyone else, I confess:

I DO RUN/WALK INTERVALS

a.k.a. “I take regular walk breaks”, a.k.a. “Jeff Galloway is my co-pilot”.

All hail Jeff Galloway!

If you consider yourself a <sparkles>Real Runner™</sparkles>, what you probably just heard is I DON’T RUN THE WHOLE TIME.

And you’re right. I don’t. But I’m not ashamed of that.

Run/walk intervals (or “run/walk/run”, “the Galloway method”, or “Jeffing”) is a method of running/completing distance where you plan to take regular walk breaks during a run. You do not wait until you feel like you can’t run anymore and need a break. Some people – including Galloway himself – run as little as 30 seconds and then walk for 30 seconds, and they continue to do this for the entire distance. Although this practice is becoming more and more common, and some big races even have “Galloway pacers”, many people still consider this to be cheating yourself, not real running, or failure.

In truth, it actually took me a while to come around to the idea of intervals. I have an old FB Messenger thread with my most encouraging runner friend talking about how I felt like walk breaks were cheating. But as I read over those messages from half a decade ago, I see that after talking to her and doing way too much research, my opinion soon changed.

I read article after article after article and blog after blog after blog*, and each one had people not only feel better during and after runs by doing run/walk, but many actually finished faster by doing run/walk.

Many people finish faster? Is that why this is considered “cheating”?! Because it’s less painful but you still go faster? Y’all, that’s not cheating; it’s efficiency!

I did a little experiment around that time. I ran 5K without taking any walk breaks. This was a long time ago now, and it was very difficult for me, and it took about 39 minutes. A few days after that, I did the same route in similar conditions, and walked at least once every 2/3 of a mile. I finished under 36 minutes! That’s a huge difference for a short distance.

Since that experiment I honestly haven’t done another experiment like it. I see no need; I’ve seen enough evidence.

I want to be active and healthy and strong, and be my best runner self, and use half-marathons as an excuse for as many vacations as possible (ahem), and if intervals are how I can achieve that, that’s not cheating or “fake” running. My goal is to want to keep doing this; being extra miserable does not help me achieve that goal.

Now, let me add real quick that if your goal is to run whatever distance without stopping, more power to ya. Really. I’m proud of you for having a goal and working toward it and hopefully achieving it. Runner beast mode has no limits or restrictions! But if you stopped to walk a bit in your half-marathon or whatever? That’s not a failure, and you don’t need to be ashamed of it!

In truth, I do try to say “I’ve done/finished 35 half-marathons” vs. “I’ve run 35 half-marathons”. I feel that is more accurate and, honestly, still completely badass**. The fact that I take regular walk breaks doesn’t make me a fake runner, and it doesn’t make Jeff Galloway a fake runner.

If you think you hate running, maybe you should try run/walking. It’s still hard. It still takes work. But you just might find you don’t hate it, and maybe you’ll find a place next to (or in front of) the rest of us real runners. 

* A few more links to read if you’re interested:

Run Walk Run

https://blog.timesunion.com/running/my-first-attempt-at-the-run-walk-method/7178/

Could The Run/Walk Method Be Right For You?

Another one that gets really weird if I just put the link here.

And the most helpful tool I’ve found for running intervals, other than a watch with an interval timer, is the spreadsheet here. It’s amazing.

** I don’t usually swear, but I don’t know a better word to describe finishing 35 half-marathons.