A Little Experiment

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Jen

Freshest belly pic, taken last night pre-run, at 29 weeks!

I’m 29 weeks pregnant and still “going strong” (surviving!) with running. We are currently in Seattle for three weeks and the perfect temps (60s, no humidity when I run in the morning) have really helped my running. My first Sunday here, I ran 6.5 miles with the Oiselle group and felt great the whole time. I’ve been doing more like 3 miles a day since then, plus a lot of walking and sightseeing. It’s funny how much of a tourist I become when I’m here even though I lived here for 5 years!

Let me tell you about a little experiment that took place right before we came to Seattle. I’ve had little itches here and there to do some fast running, and I mostly ignore them, other than my strides about a month ago. Still, back when I was about 23 weeks pregnant, I got this idea that I wanted to run a 90 second quarter (400 meters on the track). This has always been sort of a baseline for me no matter what running shape I’m in, I know I can always do a 90 second quarter (400 meters on the track, 6:00/mile pace). It’s like a comeback pace, a way to build confidence for track work after an injury/baby/etc.

After talking with some friends about 5k training, I got a little obsessed with running a 90 second quarter while pregnant. I just wanted to do one, to see how it felt, knowing I could back out at any point. I thought about it every day for about a month, then finally, when I was in the middle of my 27th week of pregnancy, officially in the 3rd trimester, I decided it was “now or never”.

27 weeks instagram pic, pre-run

27 week awkward front view!

27 weeks pregnant belly hanging with my dog nephews.

It was a warm, muggy, day in Amanda, Ohio and my baby belly was feeling pretty happy. I ran about 2.5 miles around town with my husband and told him we needed to stop at the track. My instructions to him were simple: pace me through a 90 second quarter. (He had no idea I’d been stewing over this “workout” for a month.) Within a minute of telling him the plan we were executing it. Honestly, it felt FAST from the start. I optimistically thought we were on pace for something in the low 80s. As we went through the first 100 meters, my husband said 22.5, right on pace! “Ah! Seriously? Ok, keep pushing. And the rest went like that until I finished in 89! Success!

I ran back to the little park where my car was parked, excited to still have some speed despite the growing belly and sore muscles all over that come with pregnancy. I did some good dynamic stretching (don’t skip the details!) and felt a little more proud than necessary for the rest of the day.

Speaking of running fast, did you hear about the new Oiselle Haute Volée team? You can read the blog post here. I’m so thrilled to be a part of this incredible group of speedy ladies! Reading their profiles makes me want to throw on some bunhuggers and get racing! Like I said on Twitter yesterday, I’m so excited to be growing Baby Boy Bigham, but can’t wait to start racing fast again ~ January 2014!

Good Days, Bad Days

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Jen

I’m 26 weeks and I’ll be honest… exercise is getting hard!

I’m actually 25 weeks here, even bigger now!

My belly is getting larger, my blood volume is increasing and there are days where I just feel SLOW. I’m at the point where I briefly considered hanging up the running shoes last pregnancy. But, just like last time, I know I won’t. I’m just going through a rough patch and I’m not one to give up when things get rough.

Here’s a little nugget of advice about pregnant running. You aren’t always going to feel great. Some days will most likely feel horrible, and it’s ok to throw in the towel, just walk, call someone to come get you, whatever works. During my first pregnancy, I almost stopped running around 6 months. I was having bad runs every day for more than a week, the baby was always in a bad position, and I just wasn’t comfortable. BUT… I gave it some time, did plenty of walk-jogging, and before long I started feeling great again.

Then, around 7 months, I fell hard onto the asphalt on a run with my dad. I hurt my knee and hand pretty badly (lots of pain and blood) but belly seemed fine. Still, because I fell on my belly too, I went to the hospital. After 4 hours there, the doctor decided no harm was done and I was released. I questioned whether it was all worth it, but that was short lived. I ended up running until the day I went to the hospital to deliver.

The bottom line is, if you really want to run throughout your whole pregnancy and you hit a rough patch, don’t give up! Good days are probably just around the corner! For example- a few weeks ago, I woke at 5am to run before the heat set in. The baby was having none of this and sat in a really strange position for the first mile, to where I was feeling really uncomfortable and just decided to walk home. That meant I logged a mile of running and a mile of walking. The next day, I went 4 miles, and felt amazing. It was truly the best solo run I’ve had during pregnancy. I would have gone longer, but Jeff had to get to work, so I did a few pick-ups instead. Running “fast” felt awesome. The rest of that week I had great runs. Since then, things have been rough again. It’s a roller coaster, but I understand that and am ok with it!

I have a few new developments in baby land at 26 weeks. A few quick general things:

Fatigue is actually getting better. I’m finally able to make it through the day without feeling like I need a nap.
Belly/boobs getting bigger, rounder, heavier.
I’m starting to feel really hot all the time.
Belly button, what belly button? Seriously, it changes from completely flat to protruding. (sexy)
As far as running goes, I’m getting slower, both because I’m getting bigger and I’m not tolerating heat as well. Some women never notice feeling extra hot during pregnancy, but I become a furnace and have a really hard time dealing with heat.
I’ve been doing shorter runs, and taking walk breaks. I run every day, but some days are more walk/jogs and others are pure running. I just do whatever I feel like when I get out there.

For those of you who have been pregnant, when did you hit your rough patches? Were you able to stay active?

Thoughts During Pregnancy – Fear

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Jen

I’ll start with a few belly shots from this morning. Jeff took the first one, Currie took the second. I think Currie’s pic is more flattering, actually!

23 weeks, ready for a run! Photo by Jeff.

23 weeks, ready for a run! Photo by Currie, 3 years old.

Let’s get down to business. I can easily say the feeling I have most when pregnant is fear. Things that never bother me usually can really get me panicked during these 9 months.

I worry about running on my everyday routes:

“Is someone hiding in the bushes on the trails, ready to snatch me up?”
“Will a car come around the curve on a country road and hit me?”
“Am I going to find a place to pee where no one will see me?”

I worry about my daily choices:

“Did I get enough sleep last night to provide for my little guy?”
“Is that cup of coffee a day going to hurt him, give me a horrible sleeper, etc?”
“If I let Currie have the iPad for 45 minutes while I nap, am I ruining her?”

I worry about the baby’s development:

“Is he growing the right amount?”
“Is he healthy?”
“Will he make it full-term?”
“Is my diet providing enough nutrients for him?”

I worry about petty things:

“Can I escape stretch marks, varicose veins, and other pregnancy woes?”
“Will I have a quick labor?”
“Will I be able to deliver without drugs?” (I don’t care either way. Had an epidural with Currie and would gladly do that again, but would like to try without too.)

And of course, I worry about future running. I worry about my life after having the baby. With Jeff starting a new job, I wonder if I will have time to do all the training I want to do. Will I have the energy with a toddler and a newborn? Will I have the motivation? Will I have the speed?

Most of the time, I think I will come back faster and stronger than ever. But some of the time, I let doubt enter my mind. I just read a Runner’s World interview with Desi Davila and they asked if she ever lost faith about coming back while she was healing from her stress fracture. Her response was basically that yes, she lost a little faith when there was so much uncertainty. Now she’s getting ready to toe the line for her first race since the Olympic Marathon and she’s super excited. Pregnancy is definitely a blessing and not an injury, but my running life changes a lot, just like during a long, painful injury. Speed is a thing of the past, aches and pains are a daily occurrence, center of gravity is off and I just feel really clumsy. It’s easy to feel really far removed from my former running self.

I think it’s good and healthy to have doubts, have the tools to squash those doubts and put them in their place. I CAN say that my first real speed session after having Currie was the best run of my life. I still remember, 3 years later, so many details about the run. I felt so free, so fast, like I was truly flying. The pain of the run felt so real and so right. And I knew I was going to do something special with it. Every time I wonder if I can do it, I think of how far I’ve come, all I still want to do and all the improvements I know I can make.

How do you handle fear?

Do you experience fear during down time from running: injury, pregnancy, forced time off?

Feeling Good & It’s a…

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Jen

Wow, I’m 21 weeks pregnant, and just had the best week of running. Right after my last post, the round ligament pain went away almost completely (still wearing support belt every run) and I’ve been feeling so wonderful. I mean, I’m not breaking any records, but I’m just feeling so good and energetic on my runs. I’ve been doing about 5 miles a day this week. Then I follow that with no belly pain at night. All great stuff!

21 Weeks photo, taken right before a fun run! These are my newest larger Oiselle roga shorts (have gone from XS to Medium) and an old Oiselle tank.

In other news, after having to reschedule and rearrange (we’ve been out of town a lot) we finally had our gender ultrasound. We found out Baby Bigham #2 is a BOY! He’s a crazy little guy who moves around all day and night. I’m not sleeping much because he moves so much and because I’m not supposed to sleep on my back anymore (after 16 weeks it’s recommended to sleep on your side, preferably left side). Normally, I sleep flat on my back, no pillow, arms down at my side or crossed over my ribs. I usually don’t move all night. Now I toss and turn thanks to the uncomfortable side sleeping position and baby kicking. I could do without the side sleeping, but I wouldn’t change the baby movements. I love feeling him move!

I’ll end there for tonight, but thinking my next few posts will be on some or all of these topics:

Inner dialogue while pregnant – What will running be like after I give birth…again? – Motivation – All my running friends are rocking it – Looking back through old training & improvements – Running history – Marathon history – Future racing – Some cool new (or new to me) running blogs

How’s your week (running or otherwise) going?

Anything you want to read about while I’m pregnant and not talking speedy, frequent, racing?

Halfway!

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Jen

Just how winter temps quickly transitioned to summer here in Upstate NY (85 and humid here!), my body has gone through some major transformations in the blink of an eye. I can’t go anywhere without someone asking “when are you due?” I completely skipped the “are you expecting?” phase, I guess. (Which is fine, because it’s fun to talk about being pregnant.) I’m now 20 weeks, halfway through this pregnancy!

18 weeks!

19 weeks!

20 weeks!

I started wearing my maternity support belt at 18 weeks. Do you wonder why I wear this? Let me tell you, the baby isn’t going anywhere when I run. My belly is a hard ball, it doesn’t shake or jiggle, and the baby is packed in nice and snug. Some women never run with the support belts. I started using them later in my pregnancy with Currie and think they are lifesavers for round ligament pain and general muscle soreness in my lower belly and back. I’ve found round ligament pain to be MUCH worse and happen MUCH earlier this time around. If I wear the support belt it’s better, but I still have some soreness in the evening.

*****If you are interested, I have 2 maternity support belts that I wore last pregnancy and am using this time around too. Check the very bottom of this post to read more.

I’m still running every day. In the first trimester I was just trying to stay awake, get the energy to run, deal with the food/poop/real baby, and not gag every second of my run. Now I’m feeling much better, have more energy (but am still pretty tired!) but I’m dealing with the round ligament pain so I’m taking it really easy and rarely doing over 4 miles.

A few “notable” things:

I’m breathing heavily from the second I step out the door and I’m running at least a minute per mile slower than my usual “easy” pace. Pregnancy breathing is like that. I even breathe heavy when sitting in bed reading (and no, I’m not reading Fifty Shades of Grey).
I’m peeing all the time when running. A 4 mile run sometimes requires 3 squats.
I’m not having as many “food baby” or “poop baby” problems. See image and text in this post.
This baby is much more active than Currie was in my belly. I don’t feel fetal movement when running, but pretty much any time I sit down, I feel kicks, flips and turns.

A few pieces of advice:

Enjoy the easy running time. My wish for all pregnant athletes is that they still enjoy their sport, but appreciate the time off. I know I’ll be ROCKING workouts someday very soon! I’m thoroughly enjoying these easy runs. (On the other hand, I definitely have days where my legs are twitching, just begging for some speed. My lungs are also yearning for some prolonged burning. All in time!)
Wear clothing that fits! This is always true for running comfort, but especially during pregnancy when you are already uncomfortable. I tried to run in my pre-pregnancy Roga shorts the other day. Here’s what happened – I got incredibly HORRIBLE CHAFING from shorts that have never once bothered me. Big bloody scabs. Not fun! I also got 12 pictures of me with MAJOR CAMEL TOE! Yes, Jeff took 12 pictures before telling me, “um, you kind of have camel toe in all these pictures.” HA! I would share the pictures because they are THAT FUNNY but it would be too embarrassing for everyone. Seriously.

Here’s a bathroom selfie where I haven’t quite reached camel toe status, but am about to bust out of the shirt.

Along that same line… pre-pregnancy swimsuits aren’t appropriate during pregnancy after you’ve gained more than 10 pounds. You might think you are still tiny, but swimsuits will show you otherwise. I brought a one piece and a bikini to our hotel a few weekends ago and let me tell you, both suits were ridiculous. Little “extras” hanging out everywhere. I need new swimsuits pronto!
If you try to take pictures of yourself on the treadmill while you are RUNNING, they will end up blurry.

Pretty good hotel gym, so I thought I’d take a picture. This one is crystal clear compared to the other 2!

Overall, the first 20 weeks have been great! I recommend trying to stay active as long as possible. Even with little aches/pains/annoyances this time around, I feel like I’m much more comfortable and happy running (and walking) while pregnant as opposed to doing nothing.

I have an ultrasound this week to find out the baby’s sex! Any guesses?!

Did you wear a maternity support belt?

Have a good camel toe pic?

*****Maternity support belt info below!

http://www.fitmaternity.com/maternity-clothes/ga003.html

I honestly got this because Runners World recommended it and it was reasonably priced. I was a size 4 or 27 in jeans at the time and ordered a small. I wished I had a medium. I started this pregnancy a size 0 or 25 in jeans and it fits great.

The maternity support belt I will wear (while running) for most of my pregnancy.

Based on an online search, I also got this one:

http://www.figure8maternity.com/viewItem.cfm?pid=110980

I ordered a small for this one too and it wasn’t supportive enough until my last few months of my first pregnancy.

Another Big Decision

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Jen

Three and a half years ago we moved to Rochester, NY, bought our first home, and had our first child all within a month. We apparently like to make big decisions all at once. So, with news of a baby on the way, it’s time to share that we will be moving again – to Pittsburgh. Jeff landed his dream job and we will be moving sometime this summer / early fall.

New house, new baby, 2010.

I’m obsessed with Rochester and sing its praises to everyone I meet. I never could have imagined what a wonderful city it would be for me and my family. The people in Rochester are the nicest people in country! Activities for families are fun and plentiful. The running scene from people to races to trails – unbelievable! Our home is beautiful, affordable, in a great location. I’ve already shed quite a few tears over leaving this city and I’m sure there are more tears to come (this has been exaggerated by the pregnancy)! But, it’s time to move on, and I’m excited about all that Pittsburgh has to offer us.

I’m already scheming a possible marathon comeback after baby arrives, maybe May 2014. The Pittsburgh Marathon is in early May. That will give me almost 7 months to train after having new baby Bigham. (Actually, I plan to take a month off running after giving birth like I did with Currie, so it would give me almost 6 months to train.) It would be a good way to jump into my new local running community and maybe meet some training partners! Then I can race another marathon in the Fall, hoping for an even speedier time. This is all pregnancy daydreaming right now. We will see how delivery/recovery/life is going at that point.

There’s the next big reveal. Sorry it wasn’t “I’m having twins!”

Have you made more than one big life decision at once? How did it go?

Any words of wisdom about PIttsburgh? Running or otherwise?

Running During Pregnancy – 15 Weeks

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Jen

Thanks to everyone for all the kind words on my pregnancy IRL, email, text, twitter, instagram, facebook, etc! It’s an exciting time and I’m so thankful for your thoughtfulness!

A few things about running this pregnancy:

I’m exhausted pretty much all the time. If a run doesn’t happen in the morning, it’s really hard to get done. I have the most energy in the morning. I’m down to maybe a half cup of coffee a day (because I can’t stomach it and anyway, caffeine isn’t exactly a great thing to have during pregnancy). I sometimes drink one cup of tea instead. Just not the same…

Tea is fine, but coffee is my first love!

I have to pee even more while on the run. My daily “fun-yet-somewhat-needed” outside pee has become a total necessity. Sometimes I go more than once in just 4-5 miles!
Food Baby + Poop Baby + Real Baby = Uncomfortable! Did you realize digestion slows WAAAAAY down during pregnancy? Let’s start with Food Baby. I have a hard time running on an empty stomach and always eat breakfast the second I wake. Usually, I can start a run within 15 minutes of chowing down an almond butter chia seed sandwich. Now, that breakfast requires at least 60 minutes to get to the point where I’m ok to run. And even then, I feel like I’m carrying a food baby the whole run. Not the most comfortable. Next, Poop Baby. Guess what else happens when digestion slows?! That’s right, the normal poop schedule goes out the window! Long gone are the days when a little breakfast and a hot cup of joe was all my body needed to clear out the pipes. Everything kind of hangs out in the bowels for awhile. Add that poop baby to the uncomfortable equation. Finally, don’t forget there’s a REAL BABY growing in there! Three “babies” competing for space in a little body (though it’s not so little anymore).

Fantastic diagram for your viewing pleasure.

I get (needlessly) nervous about every run with others. I love running with other people, but something about being pregnant and getting winded so easily makes me so nervous! My first friend-run of this pregnancy was with Matt and it’s a good thing I was given exactly 5 minutes warning that we were running together and I was still in my pajamas at the time so most of my thought process was spent wondering what the temperature was and what I was going to wear. Matt is a speedy dude and I was sure the run would be a disaster for me. But, I made it through 7 miles alive. In fact, he kept it at my pace. Thanks Matt! The next friend-run was last weekend with my husband and our friend Josh. I was equally nervous, because Jeff and Josh are both speedy dudes as well, but they were also kind enough to keep the pace super easy. Thanks guys! Finally, today I ran with Hollie and Laura and was once again nervous. I was actually happy a friend came over last night and suggested we eat pasta because I wanted to carb load. We were going to run 10-12 miles which is the most I’ve done this pregnancy, but they said we’d keep the pace easy and we did. Thanks ladies! The run went by so quickly!

Already sporting the baby bump on my run with Matt, but still fit in my running clothes. And this was about 6 weeks ago!

Big boobs. Whoa, things have changed in the chest region. My little chest that fit my little running body so well has expanded just as quickly as my belly. They aren’t knocking me in the face or anything, but I have to laugh every day when I can literally feel the extra weight (and jiggle) when I run.

Those are the main running differences I’ve had the first 15 weeks. I promise I will post a pic of me and my growing belly headed out for a run soon. I surprisingly haven’t taken any pictures this pregnancy. With my Currie pregnancy, I took pictures almost daily. “And here are my 15 weeks, 2 days pictures! And here are my 15 weeks, 5 days pictures!” This pregnancy seems to be flying by and I haven’t taken a single belly pic!

What were some of the biggest changes you noticed the first 15 weeks of pregnancy? Do you get nervous to run with others (due to pregnancy or something else)?

In Case You Were Wondering…

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Jen

Hello! Long time no talk…

I’ve been busy (haven’t we all). I’ve made a list more than 20 races I really want to run this year. I’ve already missed a handful of them… And I’m going to miss the remainder of them in 2013, because I’ve been working on something else –

GROWING A NEW LITTLE HUMAN!

That’s right, we are adding baby #2 to the mix this October and couldn’t be more excited!

Everyone takes 3 tests in 3 consecutive days just to “make sure”, right?

You probably know from this blog and Twitter (@jenbigham) that I’m obsessed with running. But more than that, I’m obsessed with having a family. And if I was told I had to choose between having children and running, I would choose children without hesitation. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with both. The running just takes a seat on the back burner for now.

Does this mean I’ve stopped running?! No way! I ran every day of my pregnancy with my daughter, until I left for the hospital to give birth and I intend to do the same with this little one. Does it mean I’m done racing? Well, I believe my best racing days are still to come but I’m done racing for 2013. I have an “in it to win it” mentality and racing serves no purpose for me right now. I think it’s great when other women race through their pregnancies, but it’s just not for me. I’m completely happy with my training runs (most days 4-5 miles, occasionally more or less), all much slower than usual. It’s relaxing. It’s time to dream of the future. It’s time to recharge. It’s time to obsess about something other than running. It’s healthy.

I’m out of the first trimester, feeling good and have seen the baby chilling in my belly on the ultrasound. I’ll spare you the pictures of my uterus and fetus, but believe me when I say they are both pretty cute (ha)!

Some pregnancy info: I was sick my first trimester. Not “toss cookies” sick, but all day nausea, major food aversions, and a need to eat unhealthy food constantly to combat those symptoms. I couldn’t stand the smell, and therefore taste, of any nut butter which is something I eat at almost every meal. I also couldn’t stomach another favorite food, avocados. I was surviving on bagels and cream cheese, lo mein, pancakes and spaghetti for many weeks. Baby likes a runner diet already! I’ve been pretty exhausted and very emotional. I’m usually not a crier, but I will cry about almost anything now. Kids singing, even a totally happy song – I’m going to cry. Someone accomplishes a goal, even someone on a tv show – it’s going to bring me to tears.

I’ll end this post with a few of my favorite reactions from my siblings:

“Not to steal your thunder but I already knew.” – My younger brother. This is totally something I would say.
“AHHHHHH!!! I’m so excited!” *proceeds to kiss and talk to my belly* -My sister
“One of your sisters is pregnant” -mom informing older brother “Well, it better be Jen because she has some training (running) to do. -My older brother, referring to training for the Oly Trials, but knowing I wanted to have another child first. This was my favorite response so far.

There’s my big secret, one reason I haven’t been blogging and the main reason I’ve been a little MIA on social media in general lately. I have one more big announcement to make sometime soon (and it’s not related to baby).

Any big news for you? Did you (or would you) run/race through pregnancy?

Running with a Cold, Running Dreams, Running Errands

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Jen

Whew! It’s been a long time since I posted! Currie had her third birthday:

Rochester Museum and Science Center Birthday Party

Happy 3rd Birthday Currie!

And then she held a snake.

I had a big work project (I woke from home), then I got a killer cold. The cold started in my sinuses and was so bad in the beginning I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. Everything hurt! It’s the kind of cold that will slightly affect my breathing (think phlegm in throat while racing) during hard efforts for another month or so. The kind of colds runners dread. I’m not one to take days off unless I really need it, and let me tell you – I took a day off, another day of 1 mile, another day of 2 miles… and so on. I’m still only up to 4.3 miles as it’s hard to breathe with all the “drainage”. Eww. It came at a bad time because:

My mother-in-law is in town and I like to get quality running and home projects done when I have help in town. That isn’t happening. I feel lucky that she’s been here to help with Currie though!
It’s time to get ramping up for 2013 races. The local races are piling up, starting with Syracuse Half on 3/24/13 which I planned on running but won’t be because we have an out of town wedding that weekend. Next up is the Flower City Half Marathon at the end of April. It is the USATF Niagara Half Marathon Championships this year and has a potential $1,000 on the line for the winner who also hits time bonuses. Oh, and another $150 for an additional time bonus for USATF Niagara members. Pretty big payday potential! And this is just the beginning. More big races, more big money coming up as the weather gets warmer.

And right now I’m running 4 miles a day. But, I know it’s better to run short and easy until I’m 100% then to prolong the sickness and more training. Taking it in stride by…

wearing shirts that say “run” a million times.

spending money on more running apparel. Hello Oiselle Lux Layer.

So, what else do I do when I’m not running much? DREAM about running! Or running friends. Anything running related will do. If you follow me on twitter (@jenbigham) you know I had a dream a few days ago where Oiselle‘s Marketing Director + Model, Sarah, was in a music video being shot here in a Rochester thrift store. It was produced by none other than Lauren Fleshman. I was in charge of wardrobe. Hey, it could happen.

Then last night, I had a dream that my younger brother and I were flying to a highly competitive race where there was big money on the line. The race director said they would pay his flight, lodging and food. Then they told me all they could offer me was a little kale at meals. What?! I don’t know where that dream came from and I woke up before I actually got to eat. Womp Womp… Looks like I need to work on confidence?

Today, for my longest run in over a week, I ran to the library. The library is just over 2 miles away, but the route there is along busy roads, especially during rush hour. I had a DVD (that I didn’t even watch!) that was due yesterday and I needed to get it back before the library opened to avoid a 25 cent late fine. I know, 25 CENTS! Must get that DVD back immediately!

I’m no stranger to literally running my errands, but I was hesitant because the route isn’t exactly safe to run during rush hour thanks to crazy traffic. I couldn’t drive it because I only had time for a run OR a trip to the library before my Currie’s gymnastics class and you know the running was going to win. I didn’t want a fine mostly because I feel like with anything in life, once you start giving up/letting things slip/not caring in general, it just makes it easier to do in the future. Kind of like dropping out of a race. Do it once, more likely to do it again. (On a side note, I have dropped out of a race and run many successful races after that. I’ve also finished dead last in a large race where I should have been a top finisher because I just gave up. You can overcome these things, but in general I’d rather not give in, no matter how silly the task.)

So, I ran to the library. I got the DVD in without a fine. I feel better than I’ve felt all week. And I made it 4.3 miles! Things are looking up!

Do you RUN your errands? Shop when you’re stressed/sad? Do you have crazy dreams every night like me? My dreams aren’t always about running, but have been running intense this week!

My Diet Transformation and Newest Find – Silk PureAlmond

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Jen

I’ve been running since I was in 7th grade. I’ve been into healthy eating and general fitness just as long. My mom got me a subscription for Fitness magazine, followed by Shape magazine and my dad fittingly subscribed to Runner’s World magazine. We had books on healthy diets and exercise. I learned the old food pyramid in school. I also watched a lot of morning exercise shows and informercials. I knew I was on a healthy living quest for the rest of my life. Still, I grew up mostly on rural Ohio staples: meat, white potatoes, white pasta (for my running family).

Me as a little 7th grader starting a mile race on our stone track! Check out those paw-print socks and school-color-matching shoes!

In college, I started thinking more about diet. Not the way many people thought about diet like “going on a diet” or “losing weight” or “taking away” foods. I started thinking about what I put into my body on a daily basis. I decided to start buying organic produce, adding more fruits and veggies in general, and dropping cow’s milk (after becoming lactose intolerant). At the time, I started drinking Silk Soy Milk.

Here I am in college, when I was still eating burgers quite often. This particular burger was from In-N-Out Burger.

After college, I moved to Seattle. I started dropping meat from my diet. I also started physically feeling better than ever. I lost about 10 pounds. When I started dropping meat, I added all sorts of new foods like tofu, tempeh, seitan, quinoa, barley, avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach – things I eat almost daily now and can’t imagine my life without!

Every year, I pick up a few new foods to try. My favorite new finds in 2012 were delicata squash and almond milk. I heard of delicata squash through my CSA (community supported agriculture) share and I can’t believe I lived without it all these years! I heard of almond milk a few years ago, but was always too scared to try it. Milk… made from almonds? For some reason, I didn’t have the same reservations about soy milk, maybe because I heard about it first and knew people who drank it. I didn’t know anyone at the time who drank almond milk. It just seemed strange.

One day in early 2012, for some reason, I decided to try Silk PureAlmond Original. I think it was because I saw a coupon in the Sunday newspaper. It sat in the refrigerator for a few days. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I ended up using it in a post-run smoothie, combining with frozen banana, almond butter and cinnamon and I was hooked! The stuff was delicious! I started buying it weekly.

Just a few months ago, I realized there was an unsweetened version of the Silk PureAlmond so I decided to try it. It has just half the calories of the original (just 30 calories per serving). The transition was seamless. I didn’t notice any difference in my recipes. Score!

If you are somewhat new to almond milk like me, Silk has a “Rethink What You Drink” campaign going on right now on their Facebook page. You will find 30 awesome recipes (including some overnight breakfast ideas that are really easy and tasty!) by 30 bloggers, using the 30 calorie Silk PureAlmond! My favorite recipes are the breakfast ideas and the smoothies. You know I drink a smoothie every day!

Speaking of amazing smoothies and recipes, I HIT THE JACKPOT with smoothie creation yesterday. I can easily say this is the best smoothie I’ve ever made. And it was easy! Here’s a rough recipe. I recommend you try this at home:

Blow My Mind Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 cup Silk PureAlmond
1/2 cup fresh cut pineapple
1/2 cup fresh red grapes
2 ripe bananas
1/2 of a 12 oz bag of frozen strawberries

Put all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Pour into 2 cups. Enjoy with a companion. Try to drink slowly to avoid brain freeze. (I was not so lucky!)

Have you been through an eating transformation or have you kept the same diet most of your life? Do you drink almond milk? Have you tried Silk PureAlmond?

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

The Local Elite

Live/Laugh/Love Running

Author Archives: Jen