Author: Jenna

It is a little funny that today’s prompt, Day of Rest, falls on my actual rest day from workouts. Although the prompt is talking more about relaxing to relieve stress and my workouts help relieve stress so not exactly the same thing. 😉

Today’s Prompt:

Kick your feet up! What is your ideal day in? When you are having a bad day, or a long week – how o you relax, recharge, and reset yourself?

Hmmmm…. First off I would sleep in. I get up at 5 am most days and rarely get the chance to really sleep in. Even when I try to sleep in I still naturally wake up early. I want to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go (which just may not be how my body works because I can’t recall a time that has happened).

I would have a small breakfast, probably gluten-free waffles with nut butter and a banana with a glass of water and then head out the door for at least a 5 mile run in perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold. A longer 10 miler would be perfect. 10 miles would allow me to come home and have a second breakfast, probably eggs, bacon and chocolate milk followed by Hawaiian coffee.

I would also do a quick recovery yoga video before breakfast to make sure my muscles are stretched and hips are opened. I don’t want to be sore the next day. I may also get a massage after breakfast or maybe a nap. It would depend how tired my run makes me.

The rest of the day would probably consist of watching a movie or catch up with tv shows on the dvr, like Criminal Minds (a favorite of mine that I could watch over and over). I would also read, either books or magazines (or both depending on how I felt). I might also work a bit on the blog or my photography business. Editing photos relaxes me and time flies when I am working on them.

I may also go out for dinner. If I am relaxing I do not want to cook dinner! I can’t really say where I would go since I am in a transition to gluten-free thanks to a recent celiac disease. I haven’t found all of the places that are safe for me. Maybe PF Changs or a steakhouse. Something a bit more fancy than the usual.

I might bake a dessert. I like baking and I find it far more relaxing than cooking dinner. Maybe because I do it when I want and don’t have to do it every day. I do need to find some new recipes and new flour(s) since my celiac disease diagnosis. I haven’t baked anything since my diagnosis. This is something I plan to change once I get some gluten-free flour.

I would probably end the evening cuddling on the couch with my man and our pups. We’d probably watch a movie or dvr shows.

Readers: What would be in your day of rest?

I have two furbabies and I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love these two. They are always happy to see me. Always.

Before I was diagnosed with celiac disease I had this fog and feeling of depression. It made getting up and going to work difficult. All I would think about at work was going home and crashing. I had no desire to be at work and it made me miserable.

My two dogs are always be waiting for me to come home, with one peeking out from under the gate every day. Once I get in the door it is a full on attack. One barks and wiggles like he can’t simply contain his excitement. The other jumps and spins like a mad woman. They both fight for my attention. It helped to temporarily lift that fog from celiac disease. It made me happy to see them so happy.

Before I knew I couldn’t eat gluten I obviously ate it and then I had to eat it to be diagnosed. There were days when my digestive system seemed to be killing me from the inside out and my dogs would come and lay with me on the bed. They knew I didn’t feel well and wanted to cheer me up.

There really is nothing like the unconditional love from a dog. Yes, at times I get upset with them for barking or pulling out the garbage but I can’t stay mad at them. They just look at me with those big brown eyes and wag their tail and I just melt. They cheer me up when I’m down. They make me laugh when I want to cry.

Today’s prompt was:

Write a thank you letter to your furry, feathery, or fishy friend for always being there for you. How have they helped you cope with your health condition?

Today’s prompt is comfort food:

We’re not all 5 star chefs, but we all need to eat! Tell how to make your favorite dish. Does the recipe hold a good memory for you? Is it the act of cooking itself that brigs you joy, or the people that come together to eat it?

This prompt is hard for me. When I need comfort the last thing I want to do is cook. I want to curl up on the couch and have a McDonald’s quarter pounder and french fries. This is comfort to me.

My other comfort go to is Ghiradelli’s brownie mix. I don’t have a homemade go-to brownie recipe. When I crave comfort I crave easy, simple. I want to do as little work as possible.

I cook almost every night because I need to. I bake because I like to but I do it for enjoyment and to bring others joy. I might have a serving or two but then I give the rest away. I don’t find comfort in my meals or baking. Dinner is usually trying to reach a protein goal or fuel some kind of workout. Meals are typically utilitarian in nature.

Unfortunately I will need to find new comfort foods. With my recent celiac diagnosis I cannot eat either of my comfort foods. Not even McDonald’s fries. My diagnosis is still fresh and I would give my left arm to be able to eat McDonald’s fries when I need comfort but I can’t without risking serious illness and possible other diseases later in life. It is not worth the risk. And In and Out fries are just not the same.

Readers: What are your comfort foods?

I am late to the party by nine days but I have decided to participate in the WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge. I plan to focus on my workouts (running) and my recent diagnosis (celiac disease). I am starting with April 9th, Challenger.

Running half marathons is always a challenge for me. It is all mental, all self-confidence. I know I can do them, even without a lot of training but for some reason when I step up to the starting line I struggle.

Suddenly I’ve forgotten how hard I’ve worked and how I’ve done this several times. 13.1 miles just seems so daunting at mile zero.

For me the first two to three miles are torture; I have to tell myself to slow down and keep going because it will get better. And it always does. There have been times I struggle later in a race too. When that happens I tell myself just finish this mile or get to the aid station and you can take a walk break. I often find myself able to keep running when I hit the goal.

One of my biggest helpers is to mentally break the race down into smaller portions. It’s just two 5 mile segments. I can run 5 miles. Once I hit those two 5 mile section all that’s left is a 5k. 3.1 miles. Easy peasy.

Running is all about tricking your brain. I find it helps me of I talk myself through races. Finishing the race is so much easier if I keep telling myself how easy two miles is or how it’s less than 1.5 miles to go. I know I can complete these distances. I do them all the time. 13.1 doesn’t look so tough when you think of it as shorter runs.

Even though 13.1 can still intimidate me I have signed up for a marathon. Yes, 262 miles. I’m nervous as hell but I want to know if I can do this. I know the challenge will be convincing my brain. I haven’t figured out how to break down the distance, two halfs seems a bit much. During training I will tell myself I can do it. I will tell myself I can do 13.1 so why not 26.2? It’s only four 5 milers and a 10k. Easy peasy, right?

Today’s prompt was:

Share about a time you had to overcome a daunting challenge. What words of encouragement would you share with others who find themselves facing similar difficulty?

I am very passionate about running and I am not afraid to show it. I post about running on Facebook and Twitter. I do post run selfies on Instagram. But why do I love it so much? Why do I want to share my love of running with others?

I have many reasons for being so passionate about running but sometimes struggle to explain my love to others when asked. Since my motivation is so low lately I thought I would write on what running does for me to help get me out the door.

1. Weight loss – A few years ago I hit my highest weight ever. I only had a few pairs of pants that fit. And by fit I mean squeezing into. I decided that was enough. I started running and calorie counting and the weight started coming off. I am now a healthy weight and want to keep it that way and keep improving my body. Running has helped me drop weight and change my body for the positive.

2. Accomplishments – When I started running again I decided to do a 5K. I wanted to the UW-LaCrosse Turkey Trot. I have attempted to run off and on since my early 20s prior to that I hated running. When I was younger my asthma wasn’t well controlled and running was difficult; I couldn’t run a mile as a child. I hadn’t learned how to work with my asthma. I always heard about the UW-LaCrosse Turkey Trot and thought I would never be able to do it. I started running on the treadmill during college. Eventually I could do five miles but I hadn’t attempted much running outside. Life got in the way and I quit the gym and gained weight as priorities shifted. When I decided to lose weight I committed to running out doors. I made the decision to finally tackle that 5K. I did it and it was hard but I did it. It felt amazing to cross the finish line. I did a five miler next. I then started running 5Ks and other shorter distances all the time. Eventually I decided to attempt a half marathon. Another challenge. Another tough race. Another chance to prove to myself that I can do it. Another accomplishment. Racing makes me challenge myself. Can I do this distance? Can I beat my last time? I have now set my sights on a marathon in January. I cannot wait to see if I can do 26.2 miles. I am confident with the right training I can and I will finish it, just like that very first 5K.

3. Camaraderie – I used to always run alone. I never knew anyone else that ran. At first I was ok with this. I didn’t know any better. My dad ran my first 5K with me; it was nice to have someone with you. I went to a lot of races alone. It can be difficult to be alone before and after a race since it is such a social setting. A few times I was able to convince someone to do a race and being able to share the experience makes it much more enriching. Then I joined a running group. I cannot even put into words how amazing a running group can be. They are incredible encouraging and fun. They helped me shave 9 minutes off my half marathon time. We do a lot of the same races and it is just awesome to have others cheering and supporting you. I only hope I encourage them as much as they do me. My running group has become my running family and I am blessed to have found them. I love getting together with them for a run and post run breakfast!

4. Me Time – I am an introvert. I have to be “on” all day at work. When I run I can be me. I don’t have to talk to anyone. I don’t have to act like an extrovert. Running allows me to recover from work. I love putting in my headphones and just go. Running also relieves my daily stresses. My brain is constantly thinking but when I run, I don’t think. My brain finally stops spinning while I run. I don’t have to worry about anything while running. I get to relax and reduce my stress as I recharge my spirit.

There are many smaller reasons for why I run but to me these are the biggest (and I don’t want to bore you much more). Of course I run for health reasons other than just weight loss or stress. I do enjoy other workouts besides running but I do them for different reasons.

What are you passionate about and why?

Recently there has been a lot of talk about back of the pack runners all over the internet. I have not been in that position, I am usually somewhere in the middle, but I can’t help but feel for them as I read their stories. I think it is fabulous that they are out on a race course, challenging or improving themselves or whatever their reason for being there.

I recently read an article about back of packers who, even though finish before the cutoff time, receive no support.  Volunteers leave stations. Faster runners take all the free food. Race directors pack up the finish line. I feel that if a race stats cut off time is X then they should support all those who finish in X time. Water and aid stations should stay stocked and volunteers should remain as well (and I get volunteers have been out there a while but send relief or fresh volunteers). The finish line should stay up. All finishers should get their medal and banana. They earned it just as much as the rest of us.

I understand races only have roads and parks for a set amount of time but that should include the cut off time they have given participants. They have an obligation, and possibly a liability, to support those still out there within the cutoff time. When deciding on a cut off time race directors need to think of their take down time and adjust cut off time accordingly. Also, this time needs to be clearly stated on the race website, Facebook etc. If no time limit is given then you need to stay until the last runner crosses the line. That is on the race, not the runner.

Runners and walkers also have a responsibility to know their limits and estimated finish time to make sure it falls within any stated cutoff time. Yes, sometimes you have a bad run or something happens but if you know you can’t finish in the time given then don’t sign up for that race.

Personally, I was looking for a marathon to do for my very first one. I know my estimated finish time and looked at course cut off times. The one I was thinking of doing was five hours. My estimated finish time would be just under that. I want to be safe in the event something happens and I take longer so I went with a different marathon. I know my limits. I know I could have a rough race for various reasons. Maybe I don’t fuel enough. Maybe I have a bad asthma day. You just never know and I wasn’t willing to cut it that close.

I also know how much an empty aid station is. During my last half marathon I was in corral 14 out of about 25. The very first aid station was void of volunteers except one guy trying to clean up the cups and keep the tables stocked with water cups. I have done this race for the past three years and this was the first time I ever saw this. I hope it was some kind of misunderstanding and next year there will be volunteers throughout the race.

I was thinking about this blog post on my run Saturday. I was having a tough time. I hit 3 miles at just over 36 minutes, which is pretty slow for me. I just couldn’t get my legs working. I recalled an article about a women pulled from a race, with no course limit given, during mile 1 because she was doing a 12 minute mile pace. If my run had been at that race, I’d have been pulled. I was doing 13 minute pace in the first mile! When I hit 40 minutes suddenly I got my rhythm and settled into about a 9:45 pace for the last 10 minutes.

I think both sides have an obligation. Runners/walkers need to know their limits and only sign up for races the can finish. Race directors need to clearly state cutoff times and provide support through the entire stated time.

Are you a back of the pack runner? What have your experiences at races been?

I love running. But sometimes I hate it. I can lose my momentum easily. I can misplace my motivation if not used daily. I struggle to motivate myself if I stop running for an extended period of time (usually a month or more).

Right now I have very little motivation. Or maybe I lack follow through. I want to run but I can’t bring myself to go. I got sick at the start of February and couldn’t shake the resulting cough for almost two months, which meant I couldn’t run. I am trying to get back into running. I have a schedule but I can’t stick to it every day. I do a few days and then I have an excuse.

I had a hard day at work.

I’m exhausted.

It’ll take to long to get ready, warm up etc…

It’s over 90 degrees already and I’m not ready for it.

I’m hungry so I’ll go later. (and never do)

I have to do X, Y and Z instead.

But what are some reasons I should run? Why aren’t these calling me more than the excuses? I love being outside, enjoying nature. I can get my head clear and not think for the duration of my run. Endorphin.

Logically the positives always outweigh the negatives yet the negatives seem to win out when I don’t have a routine or not training for a half marathon. Why is it easier not to go?

I just need to push myself out the door but some days that is much harder than it sounds.

What are your excuses for skipping a workout? How do you find the motivation to ignore the excuses and just do your workout?