I ran cross country and track in for a small 3A high school in Kansas. I did pretty well, competed at the State meet a few times, not everyone can say that. After graduating and moving to college however my activeness basically stopped, unless you count Marching Band. When I was in high school (and younger, obviously) I would eat whatever I wanted. And let me tell you, I had a serious sweet tooth. Brownies were my ultimate kryptonite. But I didn't think anything about it because I was active with sports all the time and I thought I looked and felt fine. In fact, I never gave much thought to my body or how I looked until I started college. That's probably unusual, but it's true. So, I started college and was busy with class and new friends, and was still eating the same way but not exercising. At some point I started to notice my clothes weren't fitting as well...I decided that since I did not have time to exercise, that I should stop eating sugary stuff, so I did, and it worked well enough.
Fast forward to my 3rd year of college. I had moved off campus and was living with 3 other girls, working part-time, going to school full time, and had all sorts of school related stress going on. I think this is when my health really began to nose-dive. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't eating. I would eat Pop-Tarts and a Red Bull for breakfast. Lunch would be a granola bar and a giant cup of coffee. Dinner was the easiest thing I could throw in the microwave. I would try to run for 10 minutes and would be so tired I would have to take an hour nap after. Eventually my body started to revolt.
I went to the Student Health Center because I could not stop shaking. I was sent to see a counselor and given a prescription for Xanax. The medical doctor also advised me on my eating habits. Slowly but surely I started to feel better. I had been abusing my body for quiet some time.
Fast forward a couple more years (yes, it took me 5 1/2 years to graduate). I am much better, still have a few issues but nothing I don't usually feel like I can't handle, and I start to really look at how and why I eat. I begin to adopt a "Clean Diet". I buy some magazines and cook books, and I stop eating anything with HFCS. I think this point was the start to my search for good health through food.
Then I graduated and started looking for a job. I wasn't having any luck and needed something I could control in my life so I started running again. It was much easier this time especially with a running buddy from work to encourage me. It also helped that she was a personal trainer at the time and a super-faster runner than me! She told me about this crazy thing called the Paleo Diet and how she used to eat that way and was trying to start again. I found it interesting, but like many, I didn't think I could get over my love of all things bread.
Fall came and I started substitute teaching, and our early morning runs ended. I took about 5 months off from running. But during this time, I discovered Mark's Daily Apple! THIS was the changing point in my life. I bought his books, I started reading other Paleo Diet blogs, and eventually I decided I was going to do this: it all made perfect sense. I did not go 100% all at once; it happened gradually over a couple months. I thought I felt and looked fine before, but now that I've made this transition, I feel fabulous almost all the time!
Today I'm pretty strict Paleo/Primal. I eat more fruit than anyone would probably advise, but I think my want of sweet fruit stems from how much I loved cake and candy as a kid. I also have a tendency to overindulge in nuts. I didn't say I was perfect, but I'm trying! I started running again in March. This year I have ran the Warrior Dash, five 5Ks, and a 10K. Coming up this fall I have another 10K, the Color Run, and hopefully a Halloween and Thanksgiving race. I recently started running with a new running group in town and discovered that I can run a lot faster than I thought. This winter I'm going to start swimming and strength training because I want to race a few sprint triathlons next spring. So that's me.
I am Cavegirl Runner.
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