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Can you tell us more about yourself and your blog?
Hey everyone! I am Janae and I blog over at hungryrunnergirl.com. I am stoked to be featured as a Healthy Page Turner and to meet some new friends! I live in Utah and I am a health/drivers ed/civics/physical education teacher. I also teach cycling classes at the local university and my favorite thing to do in the world is run. My favorite distance is the marathon and my dream is to someday qualify for the Olympic trials. I am now 18 weeks pregnant and I am going to continue to run through my pregnancy as long as possible. My blog is all about food, running, random things that happen during the day and more running. I am kind of obsessed!
When did you become a runner and what is the most fulfilling part about it for you?
I love this question because it is so fun to think about these moments. I started running when I was 12 years old because my sister needed a running buddy. I never knew how fast or how far we were running and didn't start racing until I was in college.
What has been your proudest moment in a race or otherwise?
My proudest moment in terms of running was my first marathon. I had no idea if I was even going to be able to finish and I ended up coming in 5th place overall. I was instantly hooked on competing and wanted to see how far I could push myself.
What are some of your biggest running/race challenges and how do you go overcome them?
The biggest running challenge that I experienced was exactly a year ago. I was training for the Boston Marathon and according to my training I was on track for a major personal record. I poured my heart and soul into training for Boston and ended up getting TWO femoral stress fractures. I couldn't run Boston or run at all for about 4 months. It was a very painful injury and it took me away from doing what I loved to do most. How did I overcome this? Lots of ice cream and lots of crying (for the first few weeks at least). I decided that this was going to make me a stronger athlete. I trained hard in swimming and eventually biking and competed in a century bike ride. I took the time off from running to develop other passions and skills and focus on helping people around me rather than focusing on what I couldn't do anymore.
What are your top three tips for someone out there who is thinking about training for a race for the first time?
Sign-up for the race ASAP! This will help to motivate you to start NOW and to actually do the training because no one likes to waste money. Get a running buddy. This will make training fun and you will have someone to hold you accountable. Get some new shoes. Go get fitted for the proper running shoes and that will make your running experience a whole lot more comfortable.
Do you have any favorite go-to snacks or meals to fuel up before running that you could share with our readers?
I am all about plain and simple foods before a run or race. My go-to meal is a plain bagel and a banana. I used to eat peanut butter on my bagels before a race but that caused some serious stomach issues and so I stick to pure carbs now. I believe that the 'after' fuel is much more important anyways. My husband and I both chug down chocolate milk after a run or race because the amount of carbs and protein in chocolate milk is perfect for muscle recovery. Plus, it tastes incredible.
How has pregnancy changed your running and workout habits? Do you have any advice for other moms to be out there on how to still get the most out of your workouts while pregnant?
Things have changed big time! The most noticeable change is that I have slowed down a lot. I am working out for just as long as I used to but not nearly as intense. My advice: Read about pregnancy and running. My favorite book about this is Runner's World Guide to Running and Pregnancy. Even if you are feeling nauseated and tired, getting out for a run will help to make you feel at least a little better. It will help you sleep better, it is great for your baby and it will help you to deal with things better emotionally. Remember that growing a healthy baby is your number one priority and to be extra careful not to push it too hard.
Is there any running gear or brands that you could just not live without? Can you make some recommendations?
Oh yes. I spend 86% of my teacher's salary on running and workout gear. My best friend will always be my Garmin 305 and my iPod Shuffle. I can't leave home without them. I have an entire list with the links to my favorite things here:
http://www.hungryrunnergirl.com/my-gear
What's on your workout playlist?
For some reason I really like to run to songs by Eminem, Linkin Park and Rise Against (angry music) while I run. I also think that Rihanna creates all of her songs to actually be perfect running songs. Flo Rida always has good songs to jam out to also. Recently, I have been loving running to Pandora and trying to find some new music to love.
To keep up with all of Janae's running and fitness adventures, visit HungryRunnerGirl.com!
Hey everyone! I am Janae and I blog over at hungryrunnergirl.com. I am stoked to be featured on Healthy Page Turner and to meet some new friends! I live in Utah and I am a health/drivers ed/civics/physical education teacher. I also teach cycling classes at the local University and my favorite thing to do in the world is run. My favorite distance is the marathon and my dream is to someday qualify for the Olympic trials. I am now 18 weeks pregnant and I am going to continue to run through my pregnancy as long as possible. My blog is all about food, running, random things that happen during the day and more running….I am kind of obsessed.
2. When did you become a runner and what is the most fulfilling part about it for you? What has been your proudest moment in a race or otherwise?
I love this question because it is so fun to think about these moments. I started running when I was 12 years old because my sister needed a running buddy. I never knew how fast or how far we were running and didn't start racing until I was in college. My proudest moment in terms of running was my first marathon. I had no idea if I was even going to be able to finish and I ended up coming in 5th place overall. I was instantly hooked on competing and wanted to see how far I could push myself.
3. What are some of your biggest running/race challenges and how do you go overcome them?
The biggest running challenge that I experienced was exactly a year ago. I was training for the Boston Marathon and according to my training I was on track for a major personal record. I poured my heart and soul into training for Boston and ended up getting TWO femoral stress fractures. I couldn't run Boston or run at all for about 4 months. It was a very painful injury and it took me away from doing what I loved to do most. How did I overcome this? Lots of ice cream and lots of cryingJ (for the first few weeks at least). I decided that this was going to make me a stronger athlete. I trained hard in swimming and eventually biking and competed in a century bike ride. I took the time off from running to develop other passions and skills and focus on helping people around me rather than focusing on what I couldn't do anymore.
4. What are your top three tips for someone out there who is thinking about training for a race for the first time?
Sign-up for the race ASAP! This will help to motivate you to start NOW and to actually do the training because no one likes to waste money. Get a running buddy. This will make training fun and you will have someone to hold you accountable. Get some new shoes. Go get fitted for the proper running shoes and that will make your running experience a whole lot more comfortable.
5. Do you have any favorite go-to snacksis perfect for muscle recovery. Plus, it tastes incredible.
6. How has pregnancy changed your running and workout habits? Do you have any advice for other moms to be out there on how to still get the most out of your workouts while pregnant?
Things have changed big time! The most noticeable change is that I have slowed down a lot. I am working out for just as long as I used to but not nearly as or meals to fuel up before running that you could share with our readers?
I am all about plain and simple foods before a run or race. My go to meal is a plain bagel and a banana. I used to eat peanut butter on my bagels before a race but that caused some serious stomach issues and so I stick to pure carbs now. I believe that the 'after' fuel is much more important anywaysJ My husband and I both chug down chocolate milk after a run or race because the amount of carbs and protein in chocolate milk intense. My advice: Read about pregnancy and running. My favorite book about this is Runner's World Guide to Running and Pregnancy. Even if you are feeling nauseated and tired, getting out for a run will help to make you feel at least a little better. It will help you to sleep better, it is great for your baby and it will help you to deal with things better emotionally. Remember that growing a healthy baby is your number one priority and to be extra careful not to push it too hard.
7. Is there any running gear or brands that you could just not live without? Can you make some recommendations?
Oh yes. I spend 86% of my teacher's salary on running and workout gear. I have an entire list with the links to my favorite things here:
http://www.hungryrunnergirl.com/my-gear
My best friend will always be my Garmin 305 and my iPod Shuffle. I can't leave home without them.
8. What's on your workout playlist?
For some reason I really like to run to songs by Eminem, Linkin Park and Rise Against (angry music) while I run. I also think that Rhianna creates all of her songs to actually be perfect running songs. Flo Rida always has good songs to jam out to also. I have recently been loving running to Pandora and trying to find some new music to loveJ
