Tag: slow runner

Ready, Set, Reset!

eatfastrunslow

reset

I am hungry all the time.  Now that I’m running a consistent 20+ miles per week, I’ve been eating like a high school football player, but with the metabolism of a practically (if not unbelievably) 40-year-old woman.

Running can be a great way to lose weight, but longer distance running can be a very tricky balance, a slippery slope if you will.  If you eat too little, you will most likely die mid-run, that’s just science. On the flip side, after a run, you feel like you can – and completely deserve – to eat everything.

I’ve had success changing my eating habits when I’ve faced a big weight loss goal, but I’m finding it much more difficult to make changes when my brain is telling me that I’m pretty much an Olympic champion so maybe I should just make a quick stop at McDonald’s mid-run?  I mean, they are an Olympic sponsor.

So what do you do when you can’t take the bad habits out of the girl?  You take the girl away from the bad habits.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about how running has made me a more adventurous and awesome traveler.  That’s still true, but not every trip is created equal.  I’m currently on Day 3 of a 12 day work trip in Tampa.  There’s lots and lots of work to be done, but also way to much downtime.  When I found out about this trip, I knew it was an opportunity to put some focus on my health and ditch some of my bad habits.  It took a little planning, but now that I’m an expert bullet journalist, it was easy peasy:

  • In lieu of a hotel, I’m staying at an Airbnb with a small kitchen and a washer/dryer (for my stinky running clothes)
  • I found a local food service that delivers freshly made breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily – it’s actually much cheaper and healthier than eating out
  • I only bought healthy snacks and jugs of water at the grocery store, no junk in the house
  • I’m getting up at 5:30 each morning to run before the Florida sun melts me into a puddle
  • I have literally nothing to do after 5pm each day, so I am taking classes at a local yoga studio – I really need to be stretching more anyway

I won’t lie, this one is not a fun-filled trip and it’s a long time away from home, but creating a routine that is singularly focused on my health will do me some good.

Of course, I did have a slice of key lime pie the night I landed, but travel days don’t count, right?