25-Mile Challenge for Planned Parenthood, Miles 1-4

I feel compelled to start with a disclaimer/explanation noting that my last post on this blog was in October 2008, ten days after finishing my first (and only) full marathon. The best I can offer is that although I have continued running, including finishing a handful of half-marathons and many shorter races, I have not continued blogging. I attribute this to my personal reliance on Facebook and Instagram, where I find the dopamine-infused instant gratification from immediate likes and comments. Blogging for me has always been a struggle. Although I am a writer by training, I struggle to articulate anything that I think is worth sharing in a longer format. For the past sixteen years, posting photos of my pets has become the norm. Oddly enough, I never stopped brainstorming blog post ideas on my runs, so choosing to participate in the 25-Mile Challenge for Planned Parenthood this month felt like an opportune time to pick it back up.

Why I Run, Part 1: Physical Health

The main reasons I run relate to my health. Physically, I run to burn calories as a way to get into and/or maintain some semblance of fitness. I've struggled with weight issues throughout my adult life, mostly due to my intense love of the American trifecta that is sugar, salt, and fat. Like many modern Americans, I have a tendency to binge eat as a coping mechanism when faced with boredom and stress. Now that I'm in my 40s, I have come to accept that the longer I put off intentionally managing my physical health, the harder it will become to get a grip with each passing year and decade. In my 20s and 30s, I relied on my youth and general lack of major health issues to offset living an unhealthy lifestyle comprised problematic levels of alcohol consumption and eating whatever and whenever I wanted. Although I quit drinking in 2011, since then, my relationship with food has continued its status as "complicated," to say the least. 

This past year, I tried out Noom, a weight management app that integrates psychology lessons along with the usual nutrition and exercise tracking features. I quickly began losing weight using the app, learning most notably that eating more low calorie dense foods, such as fruits and vegetables, not only gives you the nutrition you need, you'll feel full for longer. Replacing my sweet cravings with fruit (mandarin oranges, bananas, and grapes) and salt cravings with vegetables (cucumber, bell peppers, carrots) dipped in ranch has helped me transition to a more balanced approach to eating. Upping my protein intake via yogurt with protein powder and honey and homemade protein shakes with frozen spinach mixed in has also helped me find more balance all around. 

Over the summer, I intentionally set out to run less as well because running often exacerbates my hunger. I started integrating more strength training, biking, and yoga as alternatives or supplements to running, and found that the strength training alone helped me find more success in weight loss and overall management. Strengthening my core has been especially beneficial given my otherwise sedentary working and living conditions, i.e., working on a computer and lounging on the couch reading or watching TV. Having a stronger core has resulted in little to no lower back pain from sitting and/or sleeping, an issue I'd been dealing with over the past few years. 

Today's inaugural segment for the fundraiser was completed on the treadmill. I ran slower than usual because I wanted to stay in Zone 3 and not feel too wiped out afterwards. Before I ran, I did a 15-minute full body dumb bell workout that I found on YouTube. Oliver Sjostrom is a Swedish fitness trainer I recently discovered whose workouts are challenging but doable and set to music (no annoying talking throughout the workout) and include helpful timers and embedded "up next" clips. 

Looking ahead, I plan to blog about the other reasons I run as well as some personal experiences and reasons for choosing to support Planned Parenthood. Feel free to comment here or like/comment on the social media site from which you accessed this link! 

Thanks for reading and supporting me!

MDA 💕