On Sundays, I will answer some readers' questions in a post. If you have a question that you would like me to answer here on the blog, just send me an e-mail with the subject "Q&A", and I may include them in a future Q&A post. They don't have to be about weight loss or running--anything is game! (Remember, I'm not a doctor or dietician, or any sort of medical professional--I can only answer questions from my own experience).
Q. I'm a new runner who is up to running about 5 miles. I'm already finding
it difficult to run that distance without water. I've read that you use
a waist band for your water on long runs, but a friend, and fellow
runner, said that it pulls your pelvis into an alignment that is
slightly different than what it would be without the waist band. I was
wondering if you had any advise on this, and/or what your thoughts were
on the camelbak brand, that you wear like a backpack.
A. Very interesting! I never gave much thought to the belt changing my form while I run. I don't know how much truth there is to that, because I have no information to back it up. However, in my experience, I don't feel that it has harmed my running stride at all.
It probably depends on where on your body you wear it, also. Some people like to wear the belt down over their hips, but I find that uncomfortable because it bounces too much. I wear mine up high, around my natural waist. It looks a little dorky, but it doesn't bounce that way ;) I actually find it comfortable to wear, and it makes me feel like I have better posture.
I haven't tried the Camelbak backpacks. I would love to try one, because I've heard great things about them, but they are expensive--and my belt does the job for now, so I probably won't get one. But if the belt changes your form, I imagine that the backpack would a little as well. I think the best thing to do would be to see if a friend has one you can borrow to try out before you buy? I wore Jessica's belt before I bought one, just to see if I liked it. Or check to see what the return policy is--if you don't like it, can you return it? Doesn't hurt to ask!
Q. How did you learn to start your blog? I'm thinking about starting
one (not at all related to weight/fitness!) and don't know where to
start.
A. I've been asked this question quite a few times recently. I'm certainly no expert on this! Everything I know, I learned from Google ;) When I first started using Blogger, I was clueless. "Signing up" and creating the blog is pretty easy and self-explanatory (just go to Blogger.com and follow the prompts to set it up). But changing things around and making it more creative was the hard part. I would keep it very basic to start with, until you get more familiar with blogging.
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| One of my original banners, created in Photoshop ;) |
Once you create the blog itself (which just takes minutes), you can start posting right away. From your "dashboard" (the screen you see when you sign in), you just click the orange button, which is to write a new post. Type out what you want to say, and you can add pictures if you'd like (just by clicking the little photo icon above your post). When you're ready for it to be published, you just click the orange "publish" button.
After you get the hang of writing and publishing posts, you can start to get creative with the look of your blog. You can add "widgets" to your sidebars (I had no clue what a widget was, but I learned quickly). Blogger makes this VERY easy, because you don't have to know html or anything to do it. You can just click "add widget" and then choose from a list what you'd like to add (an archive of your posts? Links to your favorite sites? A search bar? etc).
I know this is a cop-out answer, but you really should just play around with it. That's how I learned everything I know! I tried stuff out, and if I didn't know how to do it, I just Googled the answer :) Good luck!
Q. Would you ever consider doing a run like the Color Run or Run for Your
Lives? Run for Your Lives is one reason I want to start training for a
5K. Running from zombies=FUN! :-) Then, I saw the Color Run on
Pinterest, and it looks like it could be lots of fun too. Just wanted to
know if you'd ever do something like that.
A. There are TONS of "fun" runs like these now, which I think is great--it's getting a lot of new people into running! I did do a Warrior Dash (mud run with obstacles) and learned that it just wasn't "my thing" ;) I don't like to get dirty when I run. I've heard amazing things about The Color Run, but that one doesn't really interest me either. I know, I'm a total dud! The Color Run isn't timed, and it's all about getting colorful (read: dirty) while you run. I've never heard of the zombie one--that sounds like something Jerry would be totally in to!
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| Warrior Dash 2010 |
I'm not totally against running in these novelty races, however--if one pops up that interests me, I would love to do it! I think these kinds of races are really great for people who aren't really interested in how fast they can go, but want to have fun and be active. And it makes for some great photos to post on Facebook! ;) I think you should definitely train for that zombie 5K if it interests you. And then e-mail me some pictures!
Bonus Question: Since last night, I've gotten a few e-mails and comments about how I "accidentally" posted my last name on yesterday's post with my race results. I've always been VERY careful to leave my full name out of my blog, but it was actually intentional to leave it there yesterday.
I had no idea that Fitness was going to be publishing my full name in their magazine until I saw it in print. I was a little freaked out at first, but I know that if someone really wanted to find out my name, they could. Actually, some people have said they found it by looking up my bib number on races (a little creepy, now that I write that!). So anyway, I totally appreciate your looking out for me!!
Speaking of Fitness, I finally got my copy in the mail yesterday...
I have to say, it was VERY humbling to be on the same page as the "cool kid" bloggers like Skinny Runner and The Fitnessista! (Although I do kind of feel like the nerdy girl at school who was just asked to eat lunch at the cheerleader table, lol).
