Quick Lessons From Yours Truly
For my readers who may just be beginning their fitness/nutrition journey, and even to those who are experienced, but have done everything perfectly, I dedicate these short lessons to you. This is what I have been forced to learn the hard way, through painful or uncomfortable runs that I wish I would have done differently. If you want to enjoy your running experience each time you lace up those trainers, don't do these things:
1. Don't eat a big meal within an hour of going running
I am sorry to anyone who has ever dealt with this kind of pain. What you are feeling in that moment is your stomach and digestive system, while in the process of digesting, being disrupted and therefore, giving you a great deal of acid/gas. Not only will you feel bloated, you will feel also feel nauseas, you may vomit, or worse, you'll get the shits. You don't want the shits! Be sure to eat your big meals at least two hours before a run in order to ensure a happy tummy.
2. Don't skip a pre run snack if you are running before breakfast
Believe it or not guys, its okay to have "two breakfasts" in fact, it will be the best thing for you in the long run. If you think about how your body is feeling as soon as you wake up in the morning, you have gone without food for hours. In fact, if you haven't had anything since dinner at say, 6:00pm, and you wake up at 7:00am, thats 11 hours without food. And then you ask your body to go for a run? Thats a lot to ask. Your body is a machine that runs and thrives off the fuel you provide. If you run and feel sluggish in the morning because you didn't have a snack, you know exactly why. Preventing yourself from having a successful run is entirely up to you. Don't deprive your body of that potential.
3. Don't run in the heat
By heat, I mean anything over like 80-85 degrees. To share a personal experience with this one, I thought I might be okay running 7 miles when it was around 89 degrees outside, big mistake. By the time I reached the front door to my house, my body was experiencing the beginning stages of heat stroke. Like, I was so hot, I was cold. Immediately I got myself into a cold shower but I had never come closer to passing out. It takes a toll on your body, depletes your system and deprives you of water and electrolytes. Be good to yourself, run early or run late, whatever you have to do.
4. Don't forget to refuel
As coach would say, get that POST! As soon as you finish a run or workout, your body is in a state of rebuilding, to help this process and speed up recovery, make sure you are getting those calories and protein within an hour of a run. But, on that note, make sure those calories are healthy! Your legs will thank you!
5. Don't run through pain
I would like to call this one a "rookie mistake" but its all too common. You get into a routine of good runs when suddenly something starts nagging at you; but you don't want to stop right? I am guilty of this, but would say I have gotten a lot better. If you are feeling something uncomfortable during a run, it is important to pay attention to it. Don't pull a Carli and ignore it until you find yourself on crutches. If you need to take a rest day, take a damn rest day! Always remember that you run because you love it and you love your body, not because you are a slave of your mileage. In the long run, what's more important? A healthy body, or getting in every mile? I hope you know the right answer.
6. Don't eat shitty food
Of course I am a huge advocate for treating yourself and eating everything in moderation, but there is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy eating. As my girl, Colleen Quiqley, would say (check out my post about her) you will never be able to preform to your full potential if you aren't properly fueling your body. Eat all those greens, lean proteins, healthy fats and carbs and watch your body thrive!
7. Don't deprive your body
I know too many runners who put themselves on a time limit and only eat after a certain amount of hours or don't snack because they think they will gain weight, and I find this ridiculous. If you are hungry, eat! As runners, we are putting our body through so much, and even just being a living and breathing human alone, you burn a ton of calories! Then, add running to that number! Your body deserves to be nurtured or it will back fire on you. Keep those bones strong, eat the calories you burn, and keep that fire fueled!
Okay folks, thats all I've got today. I hope you find this helpful, but I also hope you already knew most of these little lessons! I'm always here for a little reminder though. Feel free to always email me if you have any questions! I'm sure my email is somewhere in this blog.
Stay Gold!
Carli
