Take your trot and shove it
I want to acknowledge in advance that I'm going to make a lot of people mad with this post. I guess it's good that only 3 people ever read this blog.
First and foremost, happy thanksgiving to you and yours!
And if you ran the local Turkey Trot, I'm not judging you. Much.
But if your friends are anything like mine, you've seen a year's worth of 5k and 10k FB, Instagram, and Twitter posts in the last 12 hours. It's Thanksgiving, which means the annual Turkey Trot has risen from the ashes, making competitive runners of even the least dedicated couch to 5k'ers. Friends who hardly ever run are out there, pounding the pavement in order to "deserve" that extra slice of pie tonight. Three hundred runners at a time, everyone is out "earning" their Thanksgiving dinner.
Except me.
Now here's the thing. I run. A lot. Like "3-4 marathons a year" lot. My latest "interesting only to me" goal is to run 3 marathons in 3 days in June 2019. So I am no slouch when it comes to getting sweaty (I'm sure future posts will feature some of the ridiculous training regimes necessary). And I think everyone CAN and SHOULD run. It's easy, it's relatively cost effective (but don't scrimp on the shoes), and it can make a huge different in both your attitude and your health.
But it isn't a way to "earn" your food. Or your existence.
And that's where I draw the line on the local Turkey Trot. Because all week I've seen posts about how much pie you burn off for each mile*, how many extra helpings of mashed potatoes your 10k will get you, and how you can eat all you want this holiday season and still "slim down."
I call bullshit.
Running isn't about losing weight. It isn't about eating extra pie. And more importantly, you are ALLOWED to eat all of the pie that you want. Because food is just fuel. It's not dirty, it's not fake, and it's not contingent on exercise. It's just a thing that IS. We'll feel better if we include fruits and vegetables on our plates, we'll benefit from including fewer processed versions of our favorites, and none of us are going to food jail if we swing by a fast food restaurant tomorrow.
What food is is necessary. And it's emotional and cultural and so many other things that all of us intuitively know but find hard to articulate. Which is why fad diets and weird food cults seem to pervade. And I don't want my sport wrapped up in that. Because quite frankly, running has enough body dysmorphia issues, especially for adolescents. I saw it back when I was competing in high school and college. And I still see it today, when I compete in an age bracket and at speed level where no one is ever going to wonder if I'm doping (if I am, I'm not getting a good ROI, that's for sure).
We live in a country where almost 1% of women and .25% of men report an eating disorder. That may not seem like a lot, but it translates to approximately 3 million Americans. Eating disorders are complicated and nuanced and I am not the right kind of expert to tell you whether you have one; but if you think you do, make an appointment with your primary care physician. They can help.
So when someone tells me that they can eat some extra pumpkin pie because of those few extra miles, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended). Running isn't about eating more. And eating isn't about finding ways to "burn it off." We eat because we need to survive. And hopefully, we run for the same reason. Thanksgiving is complicated enough without having to justify what's on your plate.
And if running with thousands of strangers in the cold on an early Thursday morning makes you happy, go for it. I get it. But remember, when someone tells you that you've "earned" your pie, tell them to shove it. And have an extra piece, just to prove your point.
*Spoiler alert - running generally between 75-125 calories per mile, dependent on height, weight, and gender. Here's a handy calculator if it's really a thing you care about. This is handy when you are trying to figure out how many calories per mile you need to replace during long run sessions (more than an hour of running) in order to race your best.
But remember, it's fewer calories than you think - and if the only reason you're running is to lose weight, you'll get more benefit from an exercise that you actually enjoy.
First and foremost, happy thanksgiving to you and yours!
And if you ran the local Turkey Trot, I'm not judging you. Much.
But if your friends are anything like mine, you've seen a year's worth of 5k and 10k FB, Instagram, and Twitter posts in the last 12 hours. It's Thanksgiving, which means the annual Turkey Trot has risen from the ashes, making competitive runners of even the least dedicated couch to 5k'ers. Friends who hardly ever run are out there, pounding the pavement in order to "deserve" that extra slice of pie tonight. Three hundred runners at a time, everyone is out "earning" their Thanksgiving dinner.
Except me.
Now here's the thing. I run. A lot. Like "3-4 marathons a year" lot. My latest "interesting only to me" goal is to run 3 marathons in 3 days in June 2019. So I am no slouch when it comes to getting sweaty (I'm sure future posts will feature some of the ridiculous training regimes necessary). And I think everyone CAN and SHOULD run. It's easy, it's relatively cost effective (but don't scrimp on the shoes), and it can make a huge different in both your attitude and your health.
But it isn't a way to "earn" your food. Or your existence.
And that's where I draw the line on the local Turkey Trot. Because all week I've seen posts about how much pie you burn off for each mile*, how many extra helpings of mashed potatoes your 10k will get you, and how you can eat all you want this holiday season and still "slim down."
I call bullshit.
Running isn't about losing weight. It isn't about eating extra pie. And more importantly, you are ALLOWED to eat all of the pie that you want. Because food is just fuel. It's not dirty, it's not fake, and it's not contingent on exercise. It's just a thing that IS. We'll feel better if we include fruits and vegetables on our plates, we'll benefit from including fewer processed versions of our favorites, and none of us are going to food jail if we swing by a fast food restaurant tomorrow.
What food is is necessary. And it's emotional and cultural and so many other things that all of us intuitively know but find hard to articulate. Which is why fad diets and weird food cults seem to pervade. And I don't want my sport wrapped up in that. Because quite frankly, running has enough body dysmorphia issues, especially for adolescents. I saw it back when I was competing in high school and college. And I still see it today, when I compete in an age bracket and at speed level where no one is ever going to wonder if I'm doping (if I am, I'm not getting a good ROI, that's for sure).
We live in a country where almost 1% of women and .25% of men report an eating disorder. That may not seem like a lot, but it translates to approximately 3 million Americans. Eating disorders are complicated and nuanced and I am not the right kind of expert to tell you whether you have one; but if you think you do, make an appointment with your primary care physician. They can help.
So when someone tells me that they can eat some extra pumpkin pie because of those few extra miles, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended). Running isn't about eating more. And eating isn't about finding ways to "burn it off." We eat because we need to survive. And hopefully, we run for the same reason. Thanksgiving is complicated enough without having to justify what's on your plate.
And if running with thousands of strangers in the cold on an early Thursday morning makes you happy, go for it. I get it. But remember, when someone tells you that you've "earned" your pie, tell them to shove it. And have an extra piece, just to prove your point.
*Spoiler alert - running generally between 75-125 calories per mile, dependent on height, weight, and gender. Here's a handy calculator if it's really a thing you care about. This is handy when you are trying to figure out how many calories per mile you need to replace during long run sessions (more than an hour of running) in order to race your best.
But remember, it's fewer calories than you think - and if the only reason you're running is to lose weight, you'll get more benefit from an exercise that you actually enjoy.
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