We all know that running gives us time to think and lately, since I have been running on the treadmill, I find I have even more time to think ( I do not know why this is but it’s how I feel).
My runs feel even stronger than normal these days and although I think the treadmill has something to do with it, I also came up with this interesting list of other things I do everyday that help make myself a better runner.
1.Eat Mindfully
No no no, I haven’t succumbed to the January health hoopla way of speaking. My idea of eating mindfully is a little different from the average eat mindfully chatter.
What I mean is, I pay attention to what I eat and what I need to eat in order to run and recover to then run again at my best. It’s not about calories or watching what I shouldn’t eat, it’s about eating enough before my run and then eating enough and fairly quickly after my run. It’s about paying attention to my appetite and eating more/less depending upon how hungry I am throughout the day. It’s about ignoring the clock and having lunch at 10:30 if that’s when I want to eat.
It’s about having some extra banana slices in my oatmeal if I am craving them OR if I feel crampy in my calves, not worrying about the calories but focusing on the possible need for potassium to help ease and relax the muscles. Food is fuel and medicine too ya know.
It’s also about eating chocolate cake when you really feel that nothing else is going to do the trick, knowing that the next run you have will show it’s appreciation in its splits from the nice jolt of chocolate and the food that fed your soul.
2. Hydrating throughout the day, not just during a run
If you ask me, waiting to hydrate yourself during a run or a race is too late. I personally feel that your hydration needs to be your focus all day, every day and especially in the days before a race. If I am not properly hydrated before a run, nothing I attempt to drink during a run is going to save me and I will feel the effects in the hours after my run too.
I have always been a water drinker but I find I feel my most hydrated and balanced electrolyte-wise when I eat watermelon so lately, even though it’s not summer fruit season, I have been filling up on the water–packed fruit, even eating it in my car (I don’t like to eat in my car!).
3. Wash and hang dry my workout clothes
I am not the person you want doing your laundry but I am slowly (and I mean slowly considering I am 37) getting the hang of this laundry stuff. I spend good money on my workout clothes which means I must treat them right if I want them to last and always feel and fit like new. If my workout clothes don’t fit right, I cannot run well.
I take the time to hang dry each piece so that they don’t shrink in the dryer or lose the sweat-wicking abilities in the fabric.
I have also found that drying them ever so nicely on a drying rack helps to keep the mildew smell that can form if not air-dried properly.
4. Allow myself to rest
In addition to a good night’s sleep, I force myself to rest. To sit on the couch. To be lazy. In a world that is hyper-focused on step counts and fitness gadgets that buzz us to keep moving, I am rebelling against it all by allowing myself to put my feet up.
I cannot do it all. I cannot run a bazillion miles and continue to step count my day away. Of course I try to move and walk during the day rather than sit in front of the computer for hours but I also need to rest.
It’s okay to sit on the couch and watch television at night like a lazy lump without lifting a limb. If I were to keep walking in circles to meet step counting requirements (who even thought about such a thing before we had gadgets to track our every move?) I would probably be too tired in the morning for the run on my schedule.
5. Do other things
And I don’t just mean cross training here. Running is my favorite form of fitness, a fixture in my morning routine and my hobby. However, it does not define me, it is not what I am all about.
There is so much more to me than running (I wrote a post about this topic here).
I love talking to you about running, calling my dad in the morning to chat about my splits but that’s just about it. Although writing about healthy living and fitness is a part of my job (which I love!) I do not talk or think much about my own running during the day. There is so much more to life than the activity I choose as exercise, you know?
I think that focusing on who else you are as well as a wide range of other interests and hobbies (chatting and spending time with family and friends, dining out, baking, shopping, going to hockey games etc.) helps to keep a balanced attitude to everything else in life and also helps to limit the chance for burnout.
I also think that the less time I spend thinking about or talking about running, the more likely I am to feel refreshed and excited about my upcoming workouts.
Be sure to check out what everyone else is thinking about today 🙂
****************
What are some of your other hobbies aside from running?
What drinks/snacks hydrate you the best? Are you a Nuun drinker? Which flavor?
Are you good at doing the laundry?
Comments on this entry are closed.
Love this – especially number 5! Finding that balance is something I’m working on now. It’s easy to let running begin to define your identity and I really don’t think that’s healthy for anyone! Also, I’m a little jealous of that drying rack 🙂
Michele @ paleorunningmomma recently posted…Running and Relationships: How Running Helped and Harmed My Marriage
you need the drying rack! I got it at Target!
I’ve always loved your approach to running… especially because it includes chocolate cake 😉 And you know I’m with you on #5! I think it’s great to have something that you’re super passionate about, but to keep in mind that it doesn’t define who you are. I think a lot of people seem to make that mistake, which is what makes getting an injury THAT much more difficult for them.
Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…like a kid in a candy store, banana science, and temptation bundling (ToL #166)
Yup, agreed.
PREACH to this. Running isn’t just about running–yes, there are always things that we can improve on the run, but running is just as much about everything else. When I wrote the “Why All Runners Should Learn about Marathon Training Plans” post, it made me think about just that–that those types of training plans emphasize just as much what you do away from your running shoes as in them!
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…The Moral of That Story is…
I have a lot of posts from this week to catch up on tomorrow, including this one you wrote.
I love running so I can`t wait for spring (I am broke student – no treadmill for me). But in the winter I start to do more HITT workout. And it is great for my energy level and I think it is my new hobby now 😉
Marina @ Snackie Bird recently posted…Мне совсем неодобно читать тебя через мобильный браузер, посему хочу спросить вот что. Скажи, Мариш, ты планируешь продолжать вести хотя бы просто активный профиль здесь, с ответами на вопросы, с чтением ленты? Очень скучаю по своей Птичке 🙁
It’s great to mix up the workouts and find something else you like.
Love all of these! #1 is me especially—I eat based on how fuels my running and makes me feel my best. I think I have the same drying rack, and with two runners/hikers in the house it is probably the best housekeeping item we own.
And yes, we should have other hobbies! I love cooking, hiking, traveling, reading, history, and craft beer.
Laura @ This Runner’s Recipes recently posted…Yoga Poses for Stronger Running Form {Sublimely Fit}
definitely the best housekeeping item I own!
I remember once reading something that said that if you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already too late with the water. It’s kind of a last resort tell from your body. I TRY to drink water all day, but something it’s harder than it sounds!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood recently posted…Thinking Out Loud: Phone Dump
I find it harder in the winter. If I am cold, I don’t always feel like drinking water after water.
All of these are so critical. It took me a long time to get to the point where I eat to live for real – as in, eat when I’m hungry and when I need to, in order to live like my best self. And to allow myself to rest rather than walk some more when I already went for a run and ate the fridge!
Alyssa @ Renaissancerunnergirl recently posted…Finding My Balance With Food
eating the fridge is always a good time and probably going to happen while snowed in.
It’s happening! And as for the Lebow…I’m thinking Scotland 10K.
Alyssa @ Renaissancerunnergirl recently posted…Finding My Balance With Food
Love these things. The mindful eating is so so important – sometimes I’ll be so ravenous on a rest day but I know my body needs that extra fuel. And hydration? I just keep drinking throughout the day because I know that I need it. And just.be.lazy. SO true.
Some rest days I am hungrier than on a long run day.
I like to ride the bike slowly while reading as a way to recover from running. It’s really relaxing and helps my legs a lot. I still do laundry by putting everything in together lol. I’ll never grow up
Ellie recently posted…One Of The Best Things About Running
I hate doing the laundry!
I am way more intentional about drinking water lately. I love Nuun too, especially the kind with a bit of caffeine in it.
I only tried one flavor but don’t love it, I have to try a different one! I bought the pink lemonade, I thought it sounded like a good one.
I am in a constant state of semi dehydration. I am truly awful about it. Most of my morning runs are done without so much as a sip of water before hand. I just cannot break the habit. When I get my remicade infusions (IV meds for my Crohn’s) I have to remember to hydrate for several days prior or else my poor veins go into hiding, I usually have them hang an extra bag of saline just to help me hydrate!
I miss having laundry at home, I send mine out and am wayyy too lazy to separate what they should have dry.
Gianna @ Run, Lift, Repeat recently posted…Half Marathon Training: 1/11/16 – 1/17/16
I have the same problem with my veins!
Such great tips! Laundry isn’t one that I think of but you made a great point. Keeping your clothes in good shape (especially expensive things like Lulu) is SO important!
Gretchen | Gretchruns recently posted…2016 Goals and Resolutions [Health]
So important! They say putting the workout clothes in the dry ruins the fabric and sweat wicking material
I love your, ‘doing other things.’ It’s so important for me to not be hyper-focused on my running but to still structure my day, nutrition, and hydration around fueling for the BEST run possible. And the laundry one is not something that I do often enough, and I think I wear my workout clothes out faster by drying them in the dryer.
Emily recently posted…Recovery Series: One Day At A Time
Try letting them air dry, it may help.
Good post. I do all these things too, apart from that I probably don’t eat enough chocolate cake. I’m gonna work on that one 😉
Fiona recently posted…Eating the Burn: Marathon Training
Definitely need the chocolate cake!
I am so bad about hang drying my workout clothes! I put everything in the dryer except my compression socks. Those I really try to hang dry but sometimes its so hard to find them after everything comes out of the wash!
Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine recently posted…5 Strategies For Breaking Through A Racing Plateau
I sometimes put my socks in the dryer too because it’s harder to find them in the pile but I am really good about taking the rest out, makes a big difference.
Hydration. It’s such a simple concept but the one I struggle with the most. Especially when I’m at work. Any tips?
jill conyers recently posted…Healthy and Delicious Easy to Make Gluten Free Pear Crisp
I do better drinking water when I am not home and when I worked outside of the house! I think it’s because I always packed a ton of water for the day and made sure I drank it. So, I would suggest bringing it with you. If you don’t have it, you can’t drink it.
Aside from cleaning from sweaty clothes, I feel like I’m doing all of these things right now to get through this pregnancy and still be healthy. We’ll just replace that one with lounging in my pimp suit (also known as my velour sweat suit). 🙂
Good advice for many situations.