It starts with a crazy idea. The idea that you should run 26.2 miles consecutively. Then it gets crazier as you commit to 16 weeks of consistent training, running up to 50 or more miles a week. Once you get passed that - and maybe a couple injuries or sore spots, a run or too … Continue reading The marathon: From crazy to crying to smiling again
This morning, I woke up at 2 a.m. with my stomach growling. Not the kind of growl you can roll over and ignore. The kind of growl that demands immediate attention. My tired feet padded out of the bedroom, into the kitchen and located the only clean knife left, a few pieces of bread and … Continue reading Eating enough for a marathon
"The hardest part of recovery is even knowing what normal eating looks like," I said to my therapist a few months into my first round of treatment. "I can't even remember what hunger feels like." It took me years to really understand my hunger cues - and especially normal fullness cues - were again. I … Continue reading Life with ED: when intuitive eating doesn’t work
Listen to your body seems like the go to advice now-a-days. If you're hungry eat. If you're not, don't feel the need to clean your plate. If you're tired, rest. It seems simple enough. Seems is the key word in that sentence. Sometimes being able to interpret what your body is trying to tell you … Continue reading Body, I’m listening…thanks to the ice
When I started long distance running - like longer than the 3.1 mile courses of high school cross country - I began to hear rumors about toenail loss. Gross, I thought. I can't imagine that happening to me. I'd made it through 15 years of dance and three years of track without so much as a ripped … Continue reading The runner’s world of toenails
I'm a slow runner. For nearly five years that had been my identity. I ran - a lot - nearly every single day and for on average 30 to 40 miles per week, but I did so slowly. I rarely finished a 6 mile run in under an hour if I was by myself and … Continue reading Give yourself a chance to try
There was a time when waking up at 4:45 to run for two plus hours felt normal. The alarm would go off, I'd jump out of bed, put on my already laid out clothes, chow down on a granola bar, sip some water and head out the door. This week (apart from Monday when I … Continue reading Finding your hour for exercise
I opened my eyes a crack. The light was streaming into my basement window and I could guess that even though my body felt like it needed at least another hour my alarm would be going off momentarily. I closed my eyes and thought about turning it off. I could have that extra hour of … Continue reading Having a buddy makes all the difference
"Where did your speed go?" I asked my legs as yet again they seemed to ignore my request for more during the final miles of the Potomac River Run. It's a weird question to ask when you primarily run distances races, but the thought was rattling around my brain for the last 6 miles of … Continue reading Turns out I might like hills
For the past 4.5 years the National Eating Disorder Awareness week has meant the world to me. It's one week out of the year where there seems to be at least a few more people talking about what myself and thousands of others struggle with day in and day out. There is a little more … Continue reading Wrapping up NEDA week with my first ever talk on body positivity
It's raining. A description of the weather, yes, but the all time best excuse for skipping a run. I can't count the number of times I have opened my eyes on a Saturday morning only to roll over again when I hear the familiar patter of rain on the roof or decided during a rainy … Continue reading Run conquers Rain
I used to say I loved running on the roads, and the busy ones were my favorite. The roads that other people complained were too noisy, had too much exhaust and too many stop lights, those were my top picks. Cars rushing by felt like a challenge to go faster, the constant breeze kept the sweat … Continue reading Trails on trails on trails
