Q&A
Below you will find some questions I have regularly receive on my blog and from reader e-mails. If your question is not listed here, feel free to e-mail me at: katy[at]thesingingrunner[dot]com or send me a tweet! I’ll answer it in an upcoming post!
Q&A: You Asked!- Part I
Food:
Do you document everything you eat? No. I usually document my daily breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I have an interesting or delicious snack or dessert, I will document it, but usually they go unpictured. Honestly, I have pretty boring snacks, and I don’t want to bore you with excessive photographs of food!You don’t seem to get enough carbohydrates (or protein, fat, etc) in your meals! How do you have energy to exercise? Since I do not document all of my meals throughout the day, it may not seem like I meet my daily needs of carbs or protein. I can assure you that I listen to my body and its needs. Usually after a long, hard workout (such as a long run or speed session), I actually crave protein over carbs! I have never been a big bread or pasta person (shocker, I know!), but I strive to get enough carbs to fuel me through training sessions and races.
Do you drink alcohol? I just turned 21 on April 14th, so I am legal to drink! That being said, I do not drink too often- the exception being when I went to Costa Rica for Spring Break!
When I drink, I usually regret it the next morning, not because of my actions (because I am pretty good, even when a little tipsy ), but because of the amount of “empty calories” I have consumed. That being said, I do like to have a nice glass of wine from time to time.
Do your friend’s know about your disordered eating? A few do, but most do not. Granted any of them could come and read about it on my blog, but most of my friend’s don’t even know about my blog! While it is something that I am not ashamed of, it is not something I talk about a lot. Most of my friends do not understand my struggles and what I have had to do to try and fight it.
Running/Fitness:
When did you start running? I’ve always been a fairly active person. Throughout middle and high school, I was a member of many sports teams, including the cross-country team during my junior year. Back then, I thought 3 miles was LONG! I had a negative attitude towards running and vowed I would never do distance running again! I did not run again until mid- June 2010. After gaining five pounds in a month, I began running (2-3 miles at a time, 3-4 days a week) to lose weight. My running, coupled with disordered eating habits, caused me to lose a lot of weight, quickly and not in a healthy way. After making steps to combat my disordered eating in October 2010 (right around the time I started blogging), I began running for FUN, not for weight loss! You can read more about my running journey here!How come you are so fast?
By no means do I consider myself a fast runner! I’m actually pretty slow when it comes to long runs and I’m still working on better pacing myself during races.
You seemed to get pretty fast pretty quick with regards to running, do you have any tips for how to get faster? This question actually made me laugh a little. I, by no means, consider myself to be a fast runner! My pace started to get faster in the weeks before I injured myself in February because I was devoting a lot of time to speed work. After my injury, I lost any sort of “speed” I had built up and have had to work up again. Right now, I am working on increasing my speed. I do this with weekly speed work/ tempo run sessions. Currently I am rotating between tempo runs and speed work (400m pickups). As I continue training, I would love to fall into the following running schedule: 1 day of easy running, 1 day of speed work, 1 day of a tempo run, and 1 long run. Eventually I would like to work my speed work from 400m pickups to 800m or even 1600m with recovery time in between. For more information on speed work and tempo runs, check out the two links from Runner’s World.
I love running anything over five miles. It takes me a little while to get into a “zone” and just run. My favorite distances to race are the 10K and Half-Marathon distance. Who knows, after my marathon in October, I may be adding marathon to that list!
Where can I view your training plan for the Chicago Marathon? You can view the Google Docs spreadsheet, or can track my progress on my Chicago Marathon training page.
When I was training for my first half-marathon, I developed Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) which plagued me for months. Eventually after a little rest, I was able to get back on my feet and the issue resolved itself. Then when I was training for my second half-marathon, I developed a shin splint due to overuse. This injury sidelined me from running for six weeks (forcing me to pull out of two spring half-marathons), but combined with physical therapy and a lot of cross training, I was able to make a gradual return to running. I have made a few posts about my ups and downs with my injury.
Do you cross-train? Yes I do! In a typical week, I run four times, cross-train twice, and take a day of rest. On cross-training days I usually do an interval workout on the spin bike followed by a cool down on the elliptical. I am trying to get into a better schedule with light weight lifting and I want to start swimming. In addition to the cross-training, I also do core-fitness 3-4 times a week (usually un-noted on the blog)
How do you stick to training plans? I’m so busy with school, work, etc! While my training plans are pretty rigid, I tend to bend them a little bit based on how I feel. If something doesn’t feel right (like my knee hurts, etc), then I cross-train or take the run easy. The key to training plans is to be a little flexible. It is almost impossible to follow training plans exactly so I always plan for a little leeway when I make a plan. In sticking to completing workouts, I honestly schedule in my workout into my daily schedule. It is a priority to me saying sane! Seriously! If I miss a workout, I am more stressed, frazzled, and emotionally in a bad place. Even if I am super busy, I will squeeze in a short run or core workout. Exercising to me is just as important to eating throughout the day!
Blogging:
How long have you been blogging for? I started “The Singing Runner” in October 2010.What layout do you use? I use the Clear Line Theme by Vatuma for WordPress. I made numerous modifications to the design (which took over 40 hours!) to achieve the final look of my site.
How can I get to the beginning of your blog? Click here for my first post!
Check out this post I wrote with some tips on how to do the change.
What type of camera do you use? I currently use a Canon PowerShot SD11oo IS. It’s a great point and shoot and it is very portiable! However, I have had it since high school and it is beginning to show some signs of wear and tear. I am currently looking for a great DSLR (suggestions are welcomed!).
You can check out some of my favorite healthy living bloggers on my blog roll! This is not an all-inclusive list (I actually need to update it!). I found some of the best blogs by participating in the weekly FitBlog Chats and connecting with other like-minded bloggers via Twitter!
What new names for the blog are you considering? I have a few names in mind, but I am not going to disclose them at this time. (I don’t want people to steal my name!) However, I am still not 100% happy with the names I have come up with so far. I am waiting for the perfect name to come to me when I least expect it. I will say that my new blog name will reflect the next chapter in my life. While I love The Singing Runner, I also feel like it is very narrow in its title. When I originally started blogging, I focused on running. Now I like to write about a variety of topics dealing with running, fitness, food, self-esteem, etc. My goal with the new name is to have a name that is all-inclusive! I have awhile until I am going to change the name, so I’m not stressing too much about it!
School/Future Goals:
What is your dream job after you graduate? If you were to ask me this a year ago, I would have said to be a professional stage actor. However, in the past year, my dreams and aspirations have changed dramatically. After I graduate with my BFA in Music Theatre, I plan to pursue a Master’s in Public Health with a specialization in Nutrition/ Dietetics in hopes to become a Registered Dietitian. Ultimately, I would love to be able to travel to different schools (and countries!) and groups and be an advocate for programs that promote healthy eating with an active lifestyle. I would also love to be able to tell my story and how food, which was once my enemy, and running, changed my life for the better. Of course, being a full-time blogger wouldn’t be too bad either! You can follow my journey to graduate school here.
Will you be/ do you want to blog more for a living/ side income? I love blogging. It is a passion that I never thought would last and I foresee myself doing it for a very long time! But I don’t blog for the money. Yes I do receive a little bit (and I mean a little bit!) of money due to being affiliated with Foodbuzz, but I am not in it for the money. Of course I would love for my blog to grow bigger and bigger and have more readers, but even if it doesn’t, I cherish the friendships I have made with the people who do read my blog on a daily basis. I have a huge passion for nutrition and working with children. That is what I want to do with my life. I want a career where I can travel and share my passions with people. If blogging (and social media) goes along with it, then I absolutely would want to blog more as a living. My goal in life is to use my passions and hopefully touch someone. If I can change one person for the better, then I have fulfilled my life goal.
My name is Katy and I am a 23-year-old living, running, and cycling in and around the Washington, DC metro area. This blog chronicles my life, inner musings, and fitness adventures as I try to navigate this crazy thing called life!
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