I've Moved!

Hey everyone!

After thinking long and hard these past few months, I've decided to move the blog over to WordPress so that I would be able to directly respond to comments (a few other factors went in to the decision-making process as well).

Be sure to bookmark/update your readers with the new address!:

https://ucrunnereats.wordpress.com/

Please bear with me through the transition!

Q + A: Part 1

What motivates you to run and how did you start running?
I started running back in freshman year of high school. One of my best friends at the time wanted to become involved in a school sports team that she could stick with throughout high school and the cross-country team accepts everyone. She didn’t want to do it alone (new schools are scary!) so I decided to join her and we began training together. I had to quit a couple months in due to injury and was not able to run any other year due to having a job or being involved in other activities. However, every summer I would run when those responsibilities were no longer there. It wasn’t until this past summer (in 2010) that I really got serious about running and loving it after I discovered healthy living blogs on a random StumbleUpon venture.

I run for stress relief. I run for strength. I run for a challenge. I run for recovery. I run for health. I run for inspiration. I run for companionship. I run because I can. As for when I’m actually on my run, my iPod loaded with tons of upbeat music is what keeps my legs moving in the moment. And the satisfaction of what I just accomplished at the end of it keeps me coming back for more.

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
Honeycrisp apples, since they are only around for a few months in the fall, are insanely expensive for a fruit, and are, without a doubt, the greatest tasting type of apple on the planet that we call Earth.

Why don’t you like shopping?
With all of the changes that my body has gone through since I hit puberty (which was about a week after I turned 11, by the way), I have had a lot of trouble accepting my new body since it keeps changing. I still wear clothes that I acquired in middle school, not because they fit (they don’t) but because I don’t want to spend money on new clothes when my body is just going to continue changing anyways. It’s always hard for someone who is uncomfortable in their own skin to try on clothes. For me, I see cloth that doesn’t hang the way that it should on a woman and so get discouraged and end up hating this beautiful article of clothing that would otherwise look fabulous on the female form.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I’ve always been a big fan of the name Guinevere/Gwenevere. That way, my nickname would be Gwen!

What do you want to do when you graduate?
Since I’m a Dietetics major at MSU right now, I want to do my internship following graduation so that I can become a Registered Dietitian (RD). I either want to get into Clinical or Private Practice (much further down the road). I’m just now finishing up my second year, so I have a lot of time left to research positions and visit with program directors before I apply anywhere as a senior. I have not yet decided if I will be pursuing a Masters Degree, but I know that nowadays it’s pretty essential to have one in this field if you want to do more.

Do you count calories/stick to an eating schedule/eat intuitively?
I do count calories, because I’m still struggling with my ED. I also want to make sure that I’m eating enough to be able to fuel my training and am hoping that the weight will slowly start coming back on (as muscle, I hope).

I also have a sort of eating “schedule”, but that is more because I suffer from severe IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, not to be confused with IBD). In managing my condition I have to take medications whenever I eat but I can only take so many pills in a day. I’ve been working hard for the past 6 or 7 months to find my ideal pill/eating routine which minimizes my symptoms and the one that I have now has seemed to work pretty well for the time being.

I’m still working on eating intuitively, but I think that I’m still a ways off from that and will probably be postponed until I’ve got my weight managed.

What is a typical day of eats?
I’m hoping to answer this in my first ever What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) post (hopefully in the next week or two?)! While I try to switch things up throughout the week to avoid monotony and ending up hating my favorite foods, I’m sure that after a few weeks of participation in WIAW you will be able to get a fairly good picture of my typical day.

What are your hobbies?
Blogging, cooking/baking, running, reading (more so when I don’t have classes that I have to read for instead). I’ve never been much of a “hobby” person. I knit on occasion when it’s around Christmas as an easy, yet full-of-love, gift for people. I tried scrapbooking for awhile but that didn’t last.

Are you 100% recovered from your ED?
To be honest, no, I am not recovered. My ED went into remission during high school, but since I started college has sprung up again. I in no way consider this a relapse, because I am not restricting or performing my rituals like I did when I was first diagnosed, but I am still exhibiting many of the same mental patterns. It’s a process that, for some like me, takes years and a lot of support to fully get over an ED and I truly think that I am making progress. However, I can’t attach a percentage to it.

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I’m now on Formspring! I plan on doing a Q&A post once I get enough responses. Seriously, ASK ME ANYTHING. My running, family, school, ED, nothing is off limits. And it’s completely anonymous, so don’t hold back. I hope to have even more of these Q + A posts when I get even more questions! Perhaps these (above) have given you a few ideas?