Latest questions from the @RunEatRepeat Instagram Story Box

Run Eat Repeat Q&A – April 2021

1. How to get motivated to run again after a year of no races & now out of shape
2. Have you ever dealt with anemia while running high mileage months?
3. Bust water bottle to ensure I drink more water?
4. What vitamins do you take? Supplements?
5. How did you learn to take rest days? Help!
6. Thoughts on nachos?

1. How to get motivated to run again after a year of no races and now out of shape

Acknowledge that you (and many many other people) were living through unprecedented times. It was hard to just go to the grocery store. It was hard to go to the bathroom!! (without TP)

And yeah, it was hard to stay active and push yourself like you would when training for a race. What you did or didn’t do over the last year is in the past. Stay where you are today and move forward.

5 Tip to Get Motivated to Run Again:

1. Set a goal you can accomplish within the next 12 weeks or so. Write it down. [If you have a long term goal – write that too so you can think about the big picture.]
2. Decide how you’ll be accountable. [Register for a race or virtual race. Do it with a buddy. Reward yourself when you finish…]
3. Choose a plan that will help you accomplish your goal. Make sure it’s realistic for where you are today. Don’t use a plan you’ve used in the past when you were in better running shape.]
4. START! Get going and run.
5. Focus on progress and celebrate every tiny victory.

 

2. Have you ever dealt with anemia while running high mileage months?

Not that I know of, but it’s possible that I might’ve either had a minor case or went through bouts of being anemic when I was running higher mileage. I’ve had some of the symptoms (fatigue, cold hands/feet, trouble sleeping), but those are similar to hypothyroid symptoms (which I have) so it could be that.

I pretty much have a diet rich in all the foods and vitamins they suggest to help prevent anemia, so that may have worked in my favor. Other factors – it doesn’t run in my family and/or I was on a birth control for a long time that prevented me from having my period so that could’ve kept me from tipping over to anemic? (I’m not a doctor but I’m an expert in redheaded Mexicans from Pico & those are my random thoughts on it.)

If you are anemic – find out what is causing it. Anemia associated with endurance athletes is most often caused by iron deficiency. But there’s a chance it’s something else, so make sure to work with your doctor AND a health coach or registered dietician that specializes in working with athletes.

3. Best water bottle to ensure I drink more water?

I use this 32 oz Nalgene water bottle. I used to have the 48 oz one but it was a beast to lug around. It didn’t fit in my purse so I’d literally hold it like a large puppy everywhere I went.

 

4. What vitamins do you take? Supplements?

Okay… so… well, I… um… I take a lot of vitamins and supplements. They’re kinda pricey compared to what I used to take (a women’s multi-vitamin from the store), but I did a lot of research on the best supplements & vitamins and what companies are best in terms of nutritional quality.

Thorne Multi-Vitamin Elite AM/PM – this is 3 at night and 3 in the morning, which required me to get a HUGE pill case

Bioastin Astaxanthin – I heard this is like taking a pill of sunblock and immediately bought a bottle. I love running, but I don’t love being out in the sun. I’m very light skinned, don’t tan and burn very easily (redhead problems). So even though I put on sunblock I think I should use a lil extra help via this supplement. It also supports joint and eye health.

New Chapter Bone Strength –  this is a calcium supplement formulated for higher absorption.

Bone Collagenizer –this helps increase bone collagen formation and is taken at the same time.

This is very important to me because after I broke my foot – I asked my doctor to send me for a bone density screening (I think my doc friend was the one who suggested it). My doctor agreed since we couldn’t really figure out why or how I broke my foot (it didn’t seem to be running related since I wasn’t overtraining, increasing distance or difficulty, etc).

Well, turns out I have Osteopenia… and that’s wild because I don’t have any of the usual risk factors [White & Asian women, sedentary lifestyle, small frame, smoking, etc… – nope]! I’ve avoided looking into why/how it happened because I suspect it’s due to a combination of my issues with food in the past and/or maybe the birth control I used in college.

Anyway. It’s very important that I do help my bone density stay strong! So I leveled up my calcium supplement and also take collagen.

Melatonin – to help me get to sleep or I’ll try to stay up all night on Instagram and TikTok. But I take one that’s only 1mg.

*Note: This is just what I take & not a recommendation. Check with your physician before trying anything new.

5. How did you learn to take rest days? Help!

Okay… I’m about to give ya some tough love. Take a deep breath. I’m coming from a good place.

Rest days are non-negotiable because:

• You want to avoid injury – you must give your body time to rest and recover. NOT being able to run for 8 weeks (or more!) SUCKS. I’d rather take 2 rest days a week over that! (Don’t learn this the hard way.)
• You want to get faster – you have to give your body time to recover from your workouts. If you’re running everyday you’re not really able to run on fresh legs and push yourself during your workouts. So it’s all just ‘meh’ workouts that aren’t going to help you perform to you full potential.
• You don’t know better than your coach or training plan – If you’re following a training plan, I’m sure it includes rest and recovery. That is in the plan because it’s designed to push to to run better/faster/stronger but that’s a process (a process that requires recovery).

6. Thoughts on nachos?

Yes, please!

 

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