And just like that, it’s July. I think we can all agree that the first half of the year felt like the longest and worst experience of our lives. While 2020 seemed to start out fine, that boat sunk faster than the Titanic and the iceberg we hit was a worldwide pandemic. I remember when they said this would be gone by Easter. They said it’d be gone when summer came because viruses die in warmer weather. As a medical professional, I can tell you that is so far from the truth. Here in Arizona, we’ve started to shut down things for a second time. Our governor released an executive order to close bars, gyms, water parks, pools, and tubing (you know, floating on a river) for the next 30 days, right before a big holiday weekend. No gatherings of more than 50 people can go on. The first day of school has been pushed back two weeks. If you want my honest opinion, with looking at our recent data and the very upward trajectory we are on, we should be in another stay-at-home order. Why close bars but not restaurants? Whatever. I don’t run the show. I’ll just sit here, safe in my home, and continue to pray.
Maybe you’re like me and you’ve dealt with a rise of anxiety or some sort of unrest due to everything that has been happening. I talked about this in a previous post but we’ll touch base on it again for today’s entry. Along with using the Headspace app for daily meditation, I’ve dove more into my yoga practice. Let’s talk about my history with yoga.
I used to hate yoga, like really hate it. How could you hate yoga? Well, I thought it was boring. I used to be in the mindset that if I wasn’t drenched in sweat after a workout, it was useless. I couldn’t ever focus long enough to complete a full practice. I tried to do it at least once a week because I saw a lot of runners doing it but I wrote it off for a long time. Fast forward to last year, I suppose when we moved here and I decided to open my mind more about my thoughts of the practice and tried to see the real benefits of it, for my mental health. I found myself meeting up with Adriene more and more. I challenged myself in poses I never thought I could do. I even attended a few classes in a studio, mostly gentle yoga. Fast forward to this year and I can’t live without it. I’ve found it hard to juggle strength training with running. I took a step back and asked myself, “Do I really need to be doing all of this?” Spending time in the gym was becoming more of a chore and not an enjoyment. My friend, who is a yoga instructor, suggested I check out power yoga. She said I’d be surprised how much strength I could build from those types of classes. Boy, was she right. I’ve been wanting to do one of Adriene’s month long challenges. I would tend to start one and then only get like four days in and quit. I was determined this time.
‘Courage’ was the theme. She gives each month its own word. When I read the post about this, she (Adriene) told us to prepare to sweat and work but learn to move with our breath. I’ve spent the entire last 30 days doing just this. I haven’t lifted one weight. I’ve used my body and moved in ways I haven’t. My arms have developed definition, my core feels stronger, and more importantly, my mind is becoming clearer. I actually feel stronger now than I ever have even with my past in Olympic lifting. To have that mind body connection in flow together feels so great. I took a picture of myself every day with a specific pose from that day’s practice. Here are some of my favorites:
Starting out, I had trouble keeping my foot pointing down and keeping my hips squared.
Chaturanga to up-dog practice became almost a daily goal of mine.
The mighty flamingo!
Peaceful warrior. I love going into this post from warrior 2.
The lovely triangle pose. After a few weeks, I was able to not hold any momentum against my leg.
Down dog split! This is about when I finally saw progress in melting my heart in and keeping my foot flexed.
This was literally one of the best stretches I had ever felt.
Balance practice becomes that much harder when on carpet. This move was actually a series of three, all balancing on one foot. I felt so strong!
Today, I start July’s theme of “Shift”. I don’t know how long I’ll keep up daily practice but it’s been such a blessing in disguise both for my mind and my running. If you’ve been on the fence about trying yoga, I encourage you to dive in and give it a try. My favorite thing about practicing yoga is that there is literally no right or wrong way to do it. You try your best and if you feel like challenging yourself one day over the previous, go for it! There are people who are amazing at yoga and can do some crazy, complicated moves and that’s awesome! Don’t compare yourself to anyone but who you look at in the mirror. Check out Adriene on YouTube. She has tons of free resources and a great beginner series. If your one who needs to be in an actual classroom setting, find a class that’s some type of foundation setting or a slow flow. Yin yoga is great for relaxing while a power or energize yoga will test your body and make you work a bit!
Alright, let's first address the elephant in the room that is week 9 of training.
What do you see a lot of? Crossing out. Well, that's always a bad sign. If you read last week's entry, you should know, going into this one, we'd talk some sadness. So I've been dealing with some knee pain. As runners, even with the slightest bought of pain we have two feelings: 'oh my god my career is over' and 'it's just a little pain, I'll be fine'. 2018 brought me two injuries and since then, any type of discomfort makes me think the worst. I've had tendonitis for quite a few years. However, it hasn't flared up in forever. I guess God decided to strike me down and said, "HAHA SLOW DOWN". After my long run last Saturday (12 miles), I decided enough was enough and waved my white flag of surrender. Not to the end of the training, but to take a week off of pounding the pavement. So yes, as we look at my training log for this week, it's very....abstract. I mimicked a speed workout on the bike on Monday which made my ass hurt for the next two days, prompting me to move to the elliptical on Wednesday. My knee did not like that. I basically felt like a failure all week. I did, however, find a whole new love of yoga. It literally saved me from losing my mind. I know normal day-to-day people think "oh a week is nothing" but let me tell you, as a runner, a week feels like a lifetime. But, I remained patient with myself and my body. Though I felt like my fitness level was a -1000, I knew it was best. I did some rehab, mobility, and flexibility work. I practiced yoga every day. Instead of challenging myself out on a run, I challenged myself to new poses I haven't done yet. My knee is cooperating and we will test the waters next week with some base building. I'll give you a hint: it's Monday and things are going well so far.
Speaking of yoga, I've decided to take a 30-day journey and practice every day through the month of September. When I practice at home, I'm always hanging with my homegirl, Adriene. If you've never heard of her and are interested in doing yoga, even if you've never attempted it, she is the bomb! It's all free, too. I'll link her channel here. I am not affiliated with her by any means, just love spreading the joy of yoga. Namaste!
Okay, onto what I titled this entry after...
The real Brittany
I headed to the theatre this past weekend to catch a showing of 'Brittany Runs A Marathon', a movie based on a true story. I had to see this movie for three reasons: it has my name in the title, it's about running, and Jillian Bell is hilarious. This movie honestly hit home more than I thought it would. I'll try and explain some things without going into too much detail. Brittany is your typical 20-something year old. Loves to party, stay out late, and eat crap food. She knows a lot of people but still feels super secluded. She does a lot of dumb things to make up for her feeling like she has no direction in life. It's crazy to think that was me. I used to frequent the bar scene 5-6 nights a week. I used to know a lot of people but didn't have any real, true friends. I also did a lot of dumb things that we won't go into detail about. She goes through a weight loss journey and becomes obsessed with her weight. I also went through this. I remember when I used to weigh myself twice a day every single day and be pissed off if I didn't weigh less than the previous day. I have thrown away my scale since then. A lot of people will say, "but that's part of growing up and finding yourself!". But is it? Anywho, fast forward through her becoming friends with her neighbor, who is already a runner, a house-sitting job where she'll meet her next love interest, and a whole lot of marathon training, I found myself in tears at the end. "Can't go out tonight, I have to run in the morning". I mean raise your hand if you've said that *raises hand*. I encountered those people (and still do) that will never understand why we do this. Marathon training is a full-time job that you don't get paid for (unless you're a super pro). There were so many feels at the end from the start line to getting to the point where you think you're going to die. In the end, I'd go back and see this movie 10 more times.
That's all I have for this week. I know, where's the food part? I'm trying two new recipes this week and if they turn out looking like Martha Stewart was there, I'll share next time. Cheers!
Sometimes I wonder how people keep up with these things and then I remember that it's their job to. I'm just here for fun. Hello! It's been a few weeks. No content from last week because of a few reasons (excuses): not much to showcase and not much running. If you remember from the last post, May is the month to focus on getting my bro on with lifting big weights and building muscle. I've been running 3x/week, two light, one long, and just slowly building up on those. I know I've mentioned it before but I'm going to say it again: strength training is important, people! I've made it such a priority this year and it's made a big difference in how I feel and how I perform. I'm currently on week 3 of Body Beast and while it's definitely kicking my arse, it's a good burn. Sidenote: it starts getting daylight around 5 am here. Check the metadata on the photo if you don't believe me. If you don't know how to do that, go read a book. Learning new things is fun.
Looks like the headlamp and Noxgear Tracer vest will be getting a break for a bit, at least until we're doing 4 am training runs before it gets to be as hot as the surface of the sun.
This week, I'm switching it up and talking about something we all seek: inspiration. I don't do many treadmill runs because, quite frankly, I hate them, but when I am on them, I need a good podcast or YouTube video to keep me going. The following are my favorite podcasts and YouTube personalities I like to listen to and watch. They aren't ranked in any particular order, by the way.
YouTube
Meg-freakin'-Squats aka Megan Gallagher. She is one of the first people on YouTube that I started watching pretty regularly because powerlifting is badass. She's super genuine and doesn't care about body image or anything related to it. While she will talk about specific diet needs, how to get enough protein, etc, she showcases lifting and technique such as how to do your first pull up. Her sense of humor is also pretty A+ if you ask me.
Not much to explain here except being inspired from cinematography alone. Billy Yang is a film-making superstar in the running world. From Lake Sonoma to Western States, it's just an eye-catching wonder to watch his work. With many famous runners, especially in the Ultra world, I definitely like watching his films for inspiration, especially before a race.
I don't even know what I would do without Adriene and her Yoga. I followed many of her practices before setting foot in an actual classroom because I was too scared to do so. She has so many specific moves for people with hip issues, tired legs, runners specifically, chair yoga, and so much more. She is definitely a go-to when I can't make it to class or I need a little extra zen in my life.
Podcasts
Marathon Training Academy: I feel like I should start this one with a disclaimer: you do NOT have to be a marathon runner to listen to this podcast! Trevor and Angie are a married couple who are both runners (surprise!) and have episodes from race recaps to how to perform better and even have some awesome interviews with authors and other athletes like Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi. Angie is currently on a quest to run in every state which has been really fun to follow along with.
Run Eat Repeat: If I'm being honest, which is going to happen anyway, I clicked on this podcast solely because of the name when I was on a hunt for something good to listen to. It proved to be awesome! Monica started up her RER journey by blogging her way through race training and weight loss. She also has a blog that goes along with her podcast channel so make sure to check that out as well. Some great recipes too! The link only features some of the earlier episodes but you can find her on either iTunes or Google Play.
No Meat Athlete: If you're new here, I'm a vegetarian! I discovered No Meat Athlete while searching for more information on how to transition to a more plant-based diet as an athlete. While they mostly follow a vegan diet, they do not discriminate against those of us who still dabble in the world of cheese and eggs. I've learned SO MUCH from these guys about food and fitness alike.
I could probably share a lot more but those are my core go-to people. Do you have a favorite podcast or youtube channel you go to for inspiration? Let me know in the comments and I'll check it out!
Alright, it's that time again: a new recipe! I'm so excited to announce that we finally got a tofu press! We had been talking about it for a while but holy hades, there are so many to choose from. We ended up going with the Tofuture and it works pretty great! Before, I was just doing the whole towel and cast iron pan method. While there isn't anything necessarily wrong with that, let's be honest, we like easier methods.
I didn't even wear that shirt on purpose for the photo, I swear. Anywho, back to the recipe. So, I've made a peanut sauce tofu before but this is just so totally different and way more yummy. Thanks to Reddit for this one. It was so easy, too. I think it took a total of maybe 30 minutes? Either way, if you like a Thai-flavor to your dish with some crispy added in, this is up your alley. If you've never had tofu because you think it looks disgusting, you should try this to change your mind. Plus, it's loaded with protein and you probably need a little more of that in your life.
Crispy peanut sauce tofu with broccolini and brown rice
Okay, folks, that's all she wrote for this week. Thanks for coming by! Stay tuned for Wednesday as we update the Wine of the Week!
