I get a lot of emails from people who run because they want to lose weight but don’t want to eat to fuel their runs. I always say – When you ask a lot of your body (in the form of making it go for miles), Give a lot back (in the form of good food and good rest).
I asked a lot of my body this week. Two half marathons PRs in one week! That’s ridiculous for me. Seriously, I barely feel comfortable calling myself a runner.
When I ask a lot of my body, I give a lot back too. I give it a lot of good food – like cookies x402
And I got a juice today after work. Ahhhhhh! My muscles slurped it right up.
“Excuse me, Miss – what are you doing in the vitamin aisle?”
My muscles also got some massage love today!
I Run for the Shirt so let me show you my latest addition. The Fontana Half Marathon gives out cotton shirts, not tech tees. I know, I was surprised too.
But, I will not hate on my new favorite race. I haven’t taken this shirt off since the race 
Added bonus – Fontana Half also gives you a hat and a pin! This makes up for the non tech-tee 
Here’s a run down of my other race shirts.
How do you give back to your body?
Bay to Breakers gave out cotton tees this year too! Disappointing, since it was the centennial race! As for pre-run fuel in the morning, I like to do a piece of whole wheat toast with PB/SB/greek yogurt and a cup of drip coffee (so you’re not weighed down by the milk in it, and the caffiene wakes you up/gives you that extra boost mid-run)!
I actually prefer cotton tees to tech tees. I feel like tech tees cling weirdly when I sweat. Cotton ones are comfy so I’m not worried about how I look when I’m running. Congrats on 2 PRs! That’s super awesome!
That is so true, we all need to remember to be kind to our bodies and thank them for what they allow us to do. I love that t-shirt! I love it when shirts actually have sleeves and not those fake things that look like sleeves, but really don’t offer any coverage!
That’s such a good point: when we ask a lot of our bodies, we DO need to give a lot back! I have that problem sometimes. :/ I either under fuel or I completely over fuel (which I would say it definitely not giving back adequately).
Reading about your journey with intuitive eating has inspired me to start looking into it! Some days I feel like I do it fairly well, but after spending 4 years obsessively calorie counting it’s hard to get out of that mindset. It’s also hard to get out of the mindset of an eating schedule and eating only a certain amount of calories per meal. But listening to and treating our bodies well is super important!
This is such an important topic. I am so tired of hearing people saying how they barely ate so they can lose weight right before a double digit run, or not refueling properly after. I just ran an ultra marathon and saw firsthand the effects of attempting distance running while barely taking in any calories – not pretty (it wasn’t me, I ate my face off!). Personally, I think unless you are extremely careful and well informed, you need to either choose between your weight loss goals or training for a long race – they do not go hand in hand.
your bod definitely deserves some cookies! its been working ridiculously hard! congrats on the race!
Rest and food all the way! I’ve had a spa finder gift certificate burning a hole in my wallet for over a year now. I totally need to take advantage of that too!
Congrats on your marathon week and you two(!) personal bests 🙂
I ran a marathon this week too!
I got a cotton t at a race one time, too, a very small race with only 200 participants or so.
I give back to my body by feeding it plenty of fruits and veggies, stretching, and getting enough sleep. And then stuffing it with cookies.
Good topic, since I was thinking last night of what I should eat before I ran (though it was much shorter than 8 miles!) and how early I should eat it. I like working out/running in the morning to get it out of the way, but I hate thinking about waking up even earlier so I can eat a little something before I head out the door.
I’m also trying to lose weight, 10 lbs max, so I still have the midset that “eat less, exercise more” is the only way to do it. In a way it’s true, but like you said, it’s essential to be able to fuel your body properly or it won’t respond the way you’re hoping for it to. I’m still trying to find a happy medium to wear I don’t feel too full and sluggish, but I’m not about to gnaw my arm off when I’m finished. Thanks for bringing this up! (Also sidenote: reading about your intuitive eating is making me try to become more aware of my bodies hunger signals, and not just what time it is or what food is around me. I’ve struggled with using the # on the scale to make me happy and am making an effort to be thankful for what my body is able to do and to fuel it properly- so thank you!)
Hi Megan,
Sounds like you’re doing great! The trick to Intuitive Eating is to find a happy medium. It takes some work to learn our body’s cues, but it’s super important to fuel up if you’re running.
You rock 🙂
Thanks for raising the topic of refueling. I’ve struggled with that, since I started running in the hope of dramatic weight loss. (Hasn’t happened yet). I’m trying hard to make the right choices to fuel my body for the half marathon training, without using it as an excuse to pig out totally. It’s hard for me to accept that carbs can be my friend, rather than a sworn enemy to be avoided at all costs.
Have you been eating before the long Saturday runs? That’s super important 🙂
I love this-I totally run for the shirt too! Ya gotta flaunt the run a little!
Wow! congrats on your double PRs! you should definitely be calling yourself a runner, based on the fact that 1. you ran 2 half marathons in a week, and 2. you PRed both of them! xoxo
That’s surprising about the cotton tee! Still comfy though.
And yes – I have learned just how vital it is to give back to our bodies when we push them. I know I want to keep my body happy! 🙂
I am hoping to give back to my body with a LONG massage. If I could afford it, I would give back to my body every week in this way. But one thing I do need to do that I can afford to do every single day and stretch. I am so bad with this.
it’s allll about the tshirt! if there’s no tshirt for a race, i say thanks, but no thanks. cotton – yes, becoming more and more rare. you had such an amazing week – congrats!!
I’m trying to be better about foam rolling. You earned that massage!
my body & i talk, we work well together.
2 half marathons in 1 week?! Tha’s crazy but awesome!!
Love the advice! So many times I’ve gone for a run without properly refueling after. It’s not necessarily intentional though. More often than not, I have zero appetite post run!