Sunday, June 21, 2009

Secret Lives of Us

Just wondering - all of you hard core runners - do you have habits that you justify or rationalize because you run so eff'ing far each week? As in -

Yep, I drink a bottle of wine every night, but I run 10 miles a day, so lay off!

Sure, I ate that whole row of oreos but I did 39 miles this week, so f%$@ off!

No shit, I slept until noon and had 5 pancakes, 4 links of sausage and 3 cinnamon rolls but I did a half marathon the day before, so screw you!


I have to be honest here - I do find myself justifying my bad habits because I run so much. I mean, even if I eat like a pig or drink like a sailor, I run long distances regularly so it's all cool, right? Everyone close to me knows I'm a runner. They might think I'm all healthy and in shape cause I run. I feel like I have this secret world of bad habits. Like if they all just knew...well, certainly they wouldn't think I was all that healthy.

Just wondering if I'm the only one who is healthy and not healthy all at the same time???

24 comments:

  1. oh geez, totally do this all the time. justify beer, fried food, and beef. and highly refined sugar. and naps. all of it. my running group's motto is pretty much that we run to eat. awesome. good to know i'm not alone ;)

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  2. haha! Everytime I do a really long run I almost always have some sort of junk food. It's ok, afterall, I just ran ___ miles!

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  3. Justifiable rewards. Let's face it, unless you are running to earn your keep, what better motivation than a frosty mug of beer and a double death burger with extra cholesterol!

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  4. All the time. My worse thing is drinking too much pepsi on a daily basis. I eat too much espically fast food and pizza.

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  5. I definitely find myself using my running as an excuse to over-indulge... we deserve it. But shhh, it's a secret among runners!

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  6. I eat pretty healthy, espeially at home...but I will justify ice cream, wine and martini's any day of the week! And holidays are also a free-for-all! Seriously, we deserve it!!

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  7. No! Once again... you're not alone. :-)

    More than anything, I feel like I'm getting too old to overindulge in food or alcohol. I'm tired!

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  8. After packing on 10+ lbs. between Christmas and my recent marathon, I no longer subscribe to the practice of eating anything just because I run far! I have started moderating what I eat and have lost 5 lbs. Still have some work ahead of me, though!

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  9. I don't do it as much with food as with, say, driving a quarter of a mile to the library instead of walking. Or taking the elevator instead of the stairs. Or parking in the spot closest to the entrance of the grocery store. "I ran today," I say to myself. "Of course I should spend the rest of the day napping, not moving a muscle."

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  10. I had TCBY and oreos on Saturday, and I didn't feel the least bit bad about it. It was amazing.

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  11. Ha!!! I'm totally healthy AND not healthy! I'm mostly healthy but I definitely treat myself to dessert :-)

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  12. I definitely can relate to this. You can either be an unhealthy runner or an unhealthy couch potato. I chose the unhealthy runner. As somebody who was a semi-couch potato (not working out on a regular basis), running allows me to eat some of the things we all love, and not feel so guilty and ashamed. I will say that being a runner has improved my eating, so I don't indulge near as much as I did before.

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  13. I'm a sucker for the beer. Unfortunately, it can sneak up on you when your not looking!

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  14. I like my treats. And pizza. I tend to think calories don't count on days I've run more than 10 miles. And if I ran a race? Free for all.

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  15. Frankly, I wanted to see if having an unhealthy diet and running does help. It does not. My cholesterol did go up. I just have to practice what I preach... maintaining a healthy diet and exercise is the way to go. Psst.. I tend to cheat once in awhile. It just between us.

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  16. I definitely don't run nearly as much as you do, but I have found myself justifying occasionally eating badly because I do run and exercise. Another thing I do is... while I'm out on a run and thinking about how difficult it is and how my body is dying to stop, my mind flashes back on the bad food or drinks I recently consumed. Then I mentally beat myself up for having no business eating or drinking that. Ugh!

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  17. heck ya I can have that cookie or that ice cream and still feel healthy cause I run! I also don't do that daily any more or my body would indeed not look like a runners

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  18. So true! I read somewhere that people who work out, often consume more calories, because they feel entitled.

    I'm nowhere near perfect, and I know if I gave up some bad habits, I would see a lot better results. Instead, it's so easy to settle for mediocrity. It is a constant struggle for balance with me.

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  19. Oh geez....I am the queen of "I just ran such and such mileage, so I should be able to eat that steak, potatoes, half that jar of icing, AND top it off with wine". I try to be good for the most part, but when I'm off, I'm waaay off.

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  20. Ha - the wine & beer consumption might exceed the "recommended amounts" on um, EVERY weekend. But uhh, ya know, I still run. ;) this post cracked me up!

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  21. I didn't name my blog, "Will run for wine" for no reason. I'm a wine junkie (which is not the same as an alcholic because I run 30 mile a week - so lay off damnit!)

    Life's too short.

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  22. Okay, Beth - I've known you a long time and except for back when you weighed 150 pounds you've always been slender unlike some of us poor souls. And you are a good, healthy cook. (with good abs, bee-auch) Yes, you and we all indulge sometimes but - and okay if it's daily wine (me too!) - I'd recommend you giving yourself an effing break. Mostly, in a weeks time you are on it, my friend. On your legs running your heart out. Everyone needs rest from all the stringencies from marathon training. I decided I wouldn't put anything in my mouth that would make it harder for me to run 26.2 miles. I works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. I still love the wine. Daily.

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  23. I do that all the time! It comes back to bite me when I don't run, but whatever :)

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  24. What do you mean only 1 row of oreo's? I thought a box was the standard serving size :)

    Of course we justify our habits, but is eating a bag of chips cause the 2 hour ride was extra sweaty and you needed to replenish your salt really worse than eating the same bag of chips cause you feel like it?

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