on running
All my adult life, I’ve been a runner. I had the attitude of a comfortable, not-too-serious, running-to-eat, type of runner. I was definitely not a Serious Runner. I was comfortable running on auto pilot, then coming home and eating whatever I wanted, not paying any real attention as to what I put in my mouth or what time I ate. I was always very aware of not snacking in between meals because I was running to lose weight and that was really all that mattered.
Running was a way to lose weight and maintain my weight and that was the only thing that concerned me. Nothing else. I put in the miles and I expected to be lighter the next day.
Funny thing, though. I was never thinner or at a smaller number the next day. I’m not quite sure, even today, how I managed to stay the weight I was for so long, but I remember becoming so frustrated with everything that I thought I was doing right, when really, I was doing everything wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, running wasn’t just about losing weight; it was at the beginning, but it slowly grew into my daily escape, my self-therapy, my church. I ran big miles, quite by accident sometimes, so caught up in my thoughts that I’d forget to turn for home, only “waking up” two or three miles away from where I thought I was.
Running is, and will always be, my escape. It is such a part of my identity that David’s nickname for me is “Runner Girl.”
It wasn’t till this weekend, however, that my eyes were finally opened and my whole thought process was flipped on its head. David and I had been asked to shoot promo content for Camelbak during the Bentonville Half Marathon weekend. It was an incredibly fun weekend for the two of us, but the most fun was getting to meet and hang out with the two ultramarathoners that the Camelbak team brought in to help with the promotion. Max Jolliffe and Sally McRae could not have been nicer and were so easy to work with, running over and over for us in the cold and rain until we got the photos and video that we needed (the half marathon weekend was also the same weekend that Spring decided to unleash a “once in a generation” weather event, complete with thunderstorms, torrential downpours, hail, tornadoes and flooding throughout Arkansas. And it lasted for a good four days straight. It was nuts).
The thing that changed my mindset about running was going onto the websites of both runners, watching videos and documentaries and learning about their training and eating patterns. I learned that they eat a lot, sometimes during a workout, but always after a workout to replenish, recover and to help build muscle. I never did that, but it totally makes sense now and why I never lost a pound even after running ten miles the day before:
Our eating habits and exercise habits can affect a key hormone called ghrelin – our so-called ‘hunger hormone’ – which is mostly produced in the stomach. Our levels of ghrelin rise after we exercise or several hours after we eat a meal, telling us we need to refuel. When ghrelin is high, levels of leptin – another hormone – are low. Both hormones will return to normal levels when our energy demands are met. However, if a runner continually fails to fuel properly after a training session, intentionally or unintentionally, leptin levels stay low. Chronically low levels of leptin encourage the body to preserve energy, meaning you burn fewer calories and store more fat.
So – in simplified terms– while runners may think that running will enable them to lose weight, the reverse can happen. This explains why some runners, even when they restrict calorie intake or increase training, still don’t achieve the body composition and weight goals they would expect. - - - Runner’s World
(Insert face palm here)
I’m not about to turn into an ultra runner by a long shot, but I have decided that I want to become a Serious Runner, eating to run, becoming stronger and working towards a sub two hour half marathon.
So with that being said, let me go grab a handful of almonds and some blueberries.