First up in my exciting life;)

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My mom gave me the most ginormous peaches I have ever seen.

Good thing my stomach isn’t the ‘size of your fist’ and more like the ‘size of your head’ so that I can comfortably eat 3 of these at a time for a snack:)

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In my last post about Optimizing Our Mileage my good friend Erica made an awesome comment!!!

‘After you start training smarter, isn’t it strange (almost comical) to look back on old habits?  I cringe at some of the junk miles I ran for the sake of discipline.  The running journey (aka life) is a wonderful thing!’

She nailed it!

It made me think back to my old days where I HAD to exercise for an exact amount of time, every single day (sometimes taking a rest day, sometimes not).

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(Sorry Sissy, I had to post the picture of you when we were out on a run and I told you we might be moving away……she stopped dead in her tracks and wouldn’t move off the bike trail for a good 5 minutes because she was so upset)

My workout on the eliptical this morning was 1/3 of my old ‘required’ amount of exercise and I finished feeling awesome, energetic and STRONG and didn’t think about my workout again until I was writing the post.

The old Janae would have obsessed about how I could make up a workout that was so ‘short’ and add on miles to the next day in order to make up for it.  (I never said I was normal, imagine what BSauce has to deal with on a daily occurence).

I do believe that training for a race is different (if you are doing it for the right reasons) because you need to hit a certain mileage/time on your feet in order to do your best during the race.  With most  training plans there are plenty of REST DAYS, EASY DAYS and if you are not feeling up to a certain workout that day, you DON’T have to do it and you don’t have EXERCISE GUILT over missing a workout or ten.  Over exercising (or compulsive exercising) happens when you push yourself too far, too often, no matter what.

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I have talked about it before but I really think that running has helped me to get out of the over exercising cycle.  I AM (key word am) realizing that in order to be the best runner I can be and accomplish my FUTURE GOALS, I have to respect my body and to exercise for the right reasons rather than calories, help my anxiety, and a sense of temporary control.

PS I know I am not perfect and still have plenty of things to work on.  I always am afraid to post super personal stuff like this…..1,2,3 publish:)

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Anyone else have experiences with over exercising (or with friends/family members that over exercised)?  What were some of your past habits when it comes to exercising that you no longer have and you are PROUD of?

-Getting in and out of the gym QUICK without stressing (or even thinking) about whether it was ‘enough.’

-My main reasons for exercise now are to compete (and do my best) in endurance events rather than exercising as a side effect of my past disordered eating.

What fruit is in season in your neck of the woods?

-Peaches are almost done and apples are coming in.

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80 comments

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I hear ya girl!! It’s all about feeling good about what you did, rather than hitting certain numbers. There is no better feeling than pushing yourself to just the RIGHT amount – but not overdoing it! It’s not always easy to get in that mindset, but you’re def on your way there :)

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Janae, I love your personal posts. You’re awesome.
And yes, I realized that today too, I was out running, my legs felt tired and I wasn’t really feeling it, and I thought about having to run a certain mileage but I didn’t, I shortened my run at 5 miles, stopped my Garmin and walked home.
And it was good, I enjoyed the sun and the nice weather outside but it would have been better if I had just gone for a walk.
But I am still learning how to do that too.

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I definitely think I am a cumpulsive exerciser… every time that I miss a day, I feel like I have to make it up somehow (working out in room, going harder the next day, etc) and get a guilty feeling for not working out. Even when my roommate goes to work out in the morning I will feel guilty and almost angry that I didn’t go too, even though I know I have practice or a big workout later that day. It’s something I’m working on!! And I know that when I do get rest days in, I feel soooooo much better coming back! Plus my legs aren’t as sore for the next workout :)

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I am a creature of habit and it is so hard for me not to do what I think I’m supposed to do in my workout whether it’s a good idea or not. Which is how I ended up with a stress fracture after doing a full round of P90X in addition to full on marathon training. Not a smart idea.

Blackberries are all over the place around here. It’s awesome.

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Oh also, I just heard about the book “You are an Ironman” today and am totally excited to read it, considering how much you loved the ironman special I thought I’d share that info with you.

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I loved this post! I’m right there with you…have come so far, yet can always get better at being more lenient with my body! Good for you, friend!

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I like when you share things like this, it makes you more real! :)

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Great post Janae! I really think everyone at one time or another has dealt with this in some way or another. I workout now because it makes me happy. Not in order to lose weight.
I’m just as obsessed with peaches as you! love them!

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loved this post :)

I used to overexercise badly, and I feel like its still a learning process for me. It really wasnt until I started dating Kevin that I learned to stop beating up on myself (and my body) so much. I was then able to take days off here and there, I *think* bc at first I was afraid to show him how crazy I really was…hahaha

In fact, I still struggle with exercise guilt sometimes, but when I feel that old bad habit start creeping up, i tell myself NO, you need to enjoy life, life is not all about exercise, even if we all enjoy it as a major part of our lives

Exercise and running should be tools we use in life…whether for competition, for enjoyment, etc…but its not what life is all about.

I’m proud that I can have days where I skip my workout and feel perfectly fine about it.
I’m proud that I can have days where maybe I dont hit the mileage that I had planned, and its okay.

balance, balance balance :)

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I’m a “go with the flow” kind of person. I get it from my Mom- she always let things just roll off her back, never worrying about things she had no control of, or were unimportant. Now that I’m older, I’m SO GRATEFUL she set this example for me. I think this is why I only experience very, very mild “runner’s guilt” and don’t stress about missing runs or having to cut down mileage (unless I’m injured, then the injury makes me completely FREAK OUT). Hmmm… Not sure if what I’m saying here is even making any sense. I blame it on only getting about 4.5 hours of sleep last night.

I’m glad you are learning from past mistakes! That’s what this life is all about, after all. And way to publish something personal. It’s nice to know that Janae is human :). Thanks for being so awesome!

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Apples are everywhere here in NY. We’re going picking this weekend!

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I look at my exercise and eating as a sample math equation. I want it to balance, to stay right where I am. Some days, I eat more than others and so I exercise more than other. I try to save my indulgences for long run days!

Fruit sounds about the same here. But I am obsessed with any orange food so it is all peaches and nectarines for me!

The Kidless Kronicles
Wag More, Bark….

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I love this post. Like you, I used to NEVER be able to workout and not think about calories. I still sometimes see the calories burned, and think “yeah!”. But, my main purpose of exercising is to keep my body healthy and in shape.

Once I get started in a really good ‘groove’, it’s hard for me to stop. I keep thinking just 1/2 a mile more…so on and so forth. Instead of it being about weight I’m losing, it’s more about how good exercising makes me feel.

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Thank you for posting this blog today. I just felt like I had the most horrible run in my life today. My calves were cramping, I had to stretch every mile, and it was only a five mile run. So, instead, I flipped off my Garmin and headed home.

I had terrible anxiety after because I felt as though I didn’t accomplish anything, but after reading your post today, I feel like maybe my body is telling me to just relax a little and lighten up.

I am running a 5k this weekend for fun, but I am thinking, “Oh, if I had such a lousy run before my rest day, I’m going to stink at this easy race.” I just have to tell myself that my body is ready, I’ve run 20 miles before for crying out loud, I’m ready, but it won’t be if I keep running myself to the ground.

Great post. I think I need to re-evaluate my exercise habits!

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you’re awesome. and inspiring. admiting benefit from change is a big deal!! AND we can all relate to it. so thanks!! (:

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That’s really shrewd! Good to see the logic set out so well.

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Janae and the giant peach :) Love it! This post is really honest, I think so many can connect with this so thank you so much for posting this type of thing, you are such an awesome example and someone to really look up to!

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“janae and the giant peach.” sounds like a book title! oh wait…

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What a great post. I can completely relate-being a varsity college athlete of two different sports. My coaches are both so good to me and when I don’t feel up to a specific workout they allow me to make changes (or even sleep) because I’m training for two different things.

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I wish I could get out of my cycle of overexercising. Truly, I LOVE to exercise and in terms of enjoyment I genuinely, hand on heart, would keep on training 6 hours in a day. I would love to be a Body Pump etc. instructor so I could make working out my job and share my love with others!

My problem: injury. My mind is willing but my body is not all the time. Injury kills me, messes with my head, and I never feel better for rest, just horribly stiff!

But I’ve come to realise that the real kicker is my eating. I don’t run to eat, but I do eat to run. And without the release of running, anxiety leads to more eating. I wouldn’t sweat quite so much over if I HAD to cut down on activity (I would never choose to) if I wasn’t so close to being overweight. It seems that even with cutting down on exercise you’re the same size: still lean and beautiful, where as whenever I reduce activity I just gain more and more :( You seem to get a balance of sweets and salads which I admire so much, and personal posts like this one are great because you’re always so open and honest.

How do you monitor food intake when cutting down on activity? I just think it’s easier to be more relaxed and healthy when you know you’re going to stay the same size regardless?

xxx

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Can I tell you how much I love this post. In the past if I didn’t exercise I felt guilty or would base my exercise on what I ate that day or the night before. Thinking back to those days when I felt like I knew what I was doing. When actually I didn’t know anything. Now I run bc I love it and refuel my body correctly and don’t stress over missing a run.

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I can’t wait for apples to come in season. They are probably one of my favorite fruits. They are just so diverse, you can do almost anything with them.

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Girl, don’t be scared to post stuff like this. Posts like this remind us all how awesome you are every day! You are an inspiration to everyone no matter how many miles you run in any give day/week. And, I’m super excited reading how you realize this :)

I use to do the exact same thing. I would run EVERY DAY. And when I would have to skip a day because I was injured (because I was running EVERY DAY), I would get all upset and then make myself push 10x as hard even though my body was screaming at me to stop. I’m glad I’m out of that. I love myself now and hate what I did to myself then.

Nothing is coming in because we ‘aint got no rain since MAY. But I’m indulging in apples, peaches and PUMPKIN (just made pumpkin spice ice cream :) ).

THANKS for your great post. Love ’em every day (and like, 3 times a day, too)

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I can completely relate to this post I used to be an over exerciser in a bad way, I would push my body too hard and rarely did I take a rest day. It took me a while to get over it and find new reasons to exercise rather then burn max. amount of calories. Recently I signed up for my first half marathon and during training pulled my it band, the second it bothered me I stopped running and sought help. At that moment I realized that the old me would have kept going and ending up injuring myself worse, it made me proud to see how far I have come. Sorry for the lengthy response!

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THANK YOU for hitting “publish,” janae!
i have been there, too, with the overexercising. in my late 20s, i HAD to do x time per day, or i got really, really anxious, angry, felt guilty….and HAD to make it up at another time. thank goodness for a change in mindset, and i view exercise as FUN but to be practised in moderation. it helps to think like a competitive athlete, too!

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I sometimes get a little anxious that I don’t work out enough (ie an hour everyday of the week but one) but then I realize that if I move my body most days of the week I am doing something great for myself whether its for 20 minutes or 60+. I try not to let these worries make me any crazier then I already am!!

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Awesome post!!!!! :D I’ve definitely struggled w/ over-exercising or obsessing about how long I’m exercising for. Now, I just do what I feel like doing that day, and guess what? I feel better! hahaha :D

Tangerines, mangoes and strawberries are in season right now!

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Love this post. I think I was a little obsessed with working out in high school. I would go to the weight room at 5:45am everyday, go to class all day, then have practice in the afternoon 3:30-5:30 or have a race. I literally do not remember ever doing homework. I also was told by a doctor that I pushed myself so hard I caused a seizure from stress.
Since then I have had to take a step back and really take rest days seriously. Knowing that I have epilepsy and stress is one of my triggers I have to pay even more attention to my body. College was a rough time to figure this all out and I had several injuries during that time. But in the past 7 years I have been injury free (not seizure free) and my running has been awesomeness!

Also apples are big time in season in PA and they are delicious!

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i absolutely loved this! you are a FANTASTIC role model and example :)

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I want to first said that I am proud and happy that you post “personal” stuff!! I can relate with the exercise guilt and over training! A few years ago I HAD to run 13 miles a day almost everyday, more was ok but less was not! Now I look back and think how the heck did I do it and why 13 miles?!?!? I have since learn how to train properly and if I train right I race right! You are am amazing role model and inspiration to female athletes!!

Apples are in season here in DELAWARE! We love to go apple picking at the orchard!!

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Great post. I think a lot of us struggle with the ocd side of running/working out and hitting an exact magical number of time or mileage instead of listening to our bodies. I am a champ at this… I’ve definitely forced myself to do crap mileage to hit a coach or self prescribed program. It’s hard because sometimes you need to push through and be diligent and sometimes you’re just screwing yourself over, but if you’re really paying attention to what your body is feeling like and not just what you want it to be/feel like, you can tell the difference. I’ve been injured enough times to know that I’ve fallen into the overtraining category.

And I’m loving our pears right now.

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Really good post! I used to do the same thing<—specific time and number of calories per session.

I truly believe that doing fitness things should be for the love of taking care of the body, feeling good, and being healthy. For each person that 'feeling' is different, I believe.

I LOVE peaches!!

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Still getting over the post disordered eating stage! Glad to see that there is an end!

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You’ve made such awesome progress! I had similar thoughts in the past and would tell myself I had to run at least 3-4 miles each time, or had to do the elliptical for an hour (or it wasn’t a good workout), or felt like a failure if I took walk breaks during a run. I am SO glad I am over that, and I feel much stronger because of it. Today, I did 2 miles of intervals on the treadmill, then weights. In the past, 2 miles would have been way too little. I didn’t stress about it because I knew my legs needed a rest from my long run yesterday. A workout is good based on your effort, not the time!

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This was a great post at a great time. As I am getting into running, my only real goal is to run a minimum of 3 days a week. My milage is about 2 mi a run, but I walk the rest to do about 5k every time. I felt so obligated to run this morning, but I told myself just to walk. But the guilt set in and off I went running. And my legs felt dead. Anyways, I am still learning to listen and let go, but as a beginner I don’t want to let too much time slip by in between runs. What do you think about beginners pushing their bodies to break into running? Sometimes I feel like if I don’t challenge myself I won’t ever get better.

I could say so much more on this issue, I definitely exercise to see how many calories I can burn. I count food calories everyday if I need to drop a couple pounds….

I love reading the other comments. We are all on this path together, some further along, others just beginning to figure it all out. Thanks Janae, really thank you for this post!!!

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Peaches are leaving me too! Apples are coming! Yeah :)

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Apples are in season! Apple crisp, homemade applesauce, apples and PB etc….

I am totally compulsive. My stress fractures this summer have made me really listen to my body.

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Don’t be afraid to post something personal! I think more of us will relate than not, so it’s all good. You’re incredible!

I am guilty of over exercising. I often exercise for 1.5 to 2 hours a day and feel like I have to exercise to be able to eat regularly. It has screwed up my metabolism big time and I’m trying to get it all under control. Marathon training is teaching me that rest days are okay (I took would take maybe one or two a month), and that I don’t need to do an intense workout every day. Life lessons are hard, even when you’re a logical person!

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Janae,

Thanks so much for your honesty I can totally relate to having similar behaviors in the past and boy did it suck yet it still took a long time to break out of the cycle. Thank goodness for the truly loving the feel of my body in motion and how it can perform when it is loved, rested, and respected. :D

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I LOVE YOU x 400000000!!

I am (yep, AM. I’d love to say ‘was’ but that’s not true) completely guilty of over-exercising. In recovering from an eating disorder, I basically just swapped restricting my food for EXERCISING LIKE A CRAZY PERSON.

Yesterday I did a 10 km run in the morning and nothing else. I FELT GUILTY ABOUT IT ALL DAY. Because it wasn’t my usual 2hrs+ of cardio. Even though I KNOW that is ridiculous, it’s hard to shake old habits.

Huge amounts of exercise = huge appetite too. While trying to eat sensibly/not too much during the day, my body eventually says ENOUGH and I end up binging at night. Which is understandable…. it’s been worked HARD. It NEEDS it! But it still makes me feel awful, so I end up over-exercising again the next day to ‘make up for it’. And so the cycle continues……

Now, I’m deliberately cutting down on my exercise, in the hope that it’ll get my eating/cravings/appetite under control. I’ve gained a LOT of weight recently, through these binges, and I’m not feeling good, which is just perpetuating the cycle.

Sometimes, it takes a LOT of discipline to NOT train. Or to learn to train intelligently, rather than just for the sake of it.

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I can totally relate! I have a lot of exercise guilt when I miss a run. This is the first week of my taper for my very first marathon and I missed my run today. It was just a sucky day, and now I feel so guilty. I am getting up at 5:00 am now tomorrow to get in my run, because I feel I NEED to and I can’t miss it. I wish I could get away from that and enjoy it more sometimes.

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Thank you for being brave enough to write this! Training for my first marathon last year completely changed how I viewed exercise. And since my marathon I haven’t run more than 2 miles at a time and I’m more than okay with it! I never ever think about calories anymore. And rest days aren’t planned way ahead of time, they just happen when life gets busy and I’m fine with it. I used to push aside social activities to work out, and I’d work out because I was bored or lonely. Now I so many other great things going on in my life I don’t need exercise as a crutch to keep me “happy” or “sane” (in fact it was probably doing just the opposite).

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can i like bookmark this post so I can read it when I have my obsessive moments???

I definitely have issues with overexercising. It never does me good and I’m still not over it – and it definitely gets worse when I can’t run. When I have to cross train because I’m injured, I obsess about “getting in enough cardio to make up for what I would’ve run”…I’ve done 100 minute “long runs” on the elliptical before, and it only made me feel tired and crappy! Its easier to be nicer to myself when I’m running….but I can still get compulsive.

But you hit the nail right on the head! Less is sometimes more! Its easy to cross the line from training at your maximal capacity to just plain being obsessive about it. Thank you for writing this!!

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This was so inspiring! My little sister (17 yrs) is CONSUMED with the calories eaten and the ones she burns at the gym. I do worry about her sometimes, she has gotten to the point of not spending time with others if she hasn’t gotten to the gym. Every year she works way too hard and by Christmas she is so worn down that she gets sick for over a week! She is a normal healthy girl at 5’4 and a 4/6 but I don’t want her to go overboard :(
Thanks for this post, it has shed some light on my sister’s over-exercising!

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Thanks for such a personal story. I think most of us can relate to this issue at one time or another. Usually we learn our lesson through injury :( but hopefully we all learn our lesson.

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So funny (not haha) that you should post this today, I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic this week. I’m kind of an all or nothing girl about many things in life (eesh), and I definitely feel more sane and in control and happy when I am exercising, and sometimes its hard to not freak out if it doesn’t go according to my “plan”. I’m trying to improve on this as well, too, though, and just this morning I went for a 20 minute run/walk with my bf rather than a much more intense planned solo workout, and it was an AMAZING start to the day. Thanks (as always) for your post :-)

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Janae,
Thanks for sharing this entry. It’s so hard to find the balance in training and over-training. I’ve found that sometimes I’m running because I’m an athlete and I’m disciplined, and sometimes I run because I don’t know how to take a day off. Sometimes I rest because I need it, and sometimes a rest day is the hardest thing to say I need. Thank you so much for sharing! It’s all about the journey, not the destination.
-Jenna

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I NEEDED to hear this today more than you know. Thank you! On another note I wonder sometimes as a very new runner if I over think things. Am I doing this right? I need to work on the food but have no idea where to start, etc…This is a never ending rounds of thoughts. I think it keeps me from the FULL enjoyment of running. Here is another link to try for my blog http://www.blogger.com/profile/01973508041543738184 Let me know how it works.
Thank you for simply being you :)

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At the age of 36, there is one issue in particular that I still struggle with almost daily on my runs and that is the issue of running for time. If I finish my 9 mile route, 13 mile route, whatever a couple of minutes faster than usual, I almost always make myself go around the block a couple of times until I reach that ridiculous time goal that I have in my mind. If I have anything over 3 minutes left, I will definitely keep running, if it is less than 3 minutes, sometimes I let myself stop. Sooooooooo ridiculous, but something in me tells me that I am either a quitter, a wuss, etc. or that my stomach just won’t be as flat tomorrow if I don’t do it. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

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Forgot to mention, I just ate 6 carefully measured cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Not sure why I kept measuring after the 2nd cup full.

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I never had a problem with over exercising consistently. But I’ve had problems with trying to calculate how many calories I need to burn that day and working out until I burned those. Like when I would try to lose x-number of pounds before an event, so I would need to burn that number of calories during each workout.

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Girl, I know that publishing such personal posts are nerve-wracking, but just let me say….YOU ROCK. I love these posts because they show that you, in fact, human. I was thinking you were super-human with your high miles and fast times. :) You are kicking butt at injury recovery and will be racing soon!

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i love your blog, it has helped me deal with so many different aspects in my life! Thanks for being YOU!

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My dearest Janae,
Love the post……love the honesty.
Thank you for letting us share in your journey.
:)

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you are one smart woman and putting this out there only gives encouragement to others. Its about being real. We’ve all been there and learned from that experience. In fact, some us still might be there, struggling. But its the support and the realness you get from people like you that gives us all hope and faith in our abilities!
xxoo

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Great thoughts and definitely respect your honesty! We all learn something everyday, what we do about it the next is what counts…..

Keep it going girl, youre doing great!

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I am very guilty of this and have to rely rely work hard to not go overboard. It is such a difficult balance. You are so amazing for openning up about this. You have no idea how much I and so many people can relate. I just love you!!

There is a group of us running 10 miles on Saturday. Are you interested? I will be the official pace police and make sure you don’t go to fast. :)

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SO true!!! You definitely shouldn’t be afraid to post stuff like this because so many people can relate. I used to think that if I ate something I thought I shouldn’t then I should try and work it off the next day. F that haha Eating something I enjoy and exercising to be HEALTHY is what it’s all about :) Thanks for the post!

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Peaches are almost done here and apples coming in, exactly what we’re having in CO! I saw our first pink ladies at the store since last spring the other day, I’m so excited!

I think it’s easy to get into the dangerous exercise cycles of thinking you need to do x minutes/day to be “ok” and that it’s huge that you’re trusting in the process and listening to your body!

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I love your honesty in these posts, Janae! You are brave and your vulnerability helps other people who have struggled/are struggling with the same thing. Proud of you for learning day to day the best ways to care for your body. I know I’m still learning, too. :)

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Thank you for this. You have so much wisdom in those multi-colored words! It sounds like this is something that a LOT of us needed to hear. Thanks for being such an inspiration!

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Awesome post that so many of us can relate to in one way or another. Thank you for being so open!

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Thanks Janae. This is one of the many reasons we love you. I totally struggle with this, and it helps to read someone else thinking through it logically and being perfectly honest.

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I love this post and definitely needed it…I have that crazy mentality that a decent workout has to be at least 45 minutes! It’s a mind block but I need to realise that even 20 minutes can sometimes be enough! Merci for this!

If you saw/tasted the pineapple that I’ve been inhaling lately, you would be like “peach who” haha!

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I used to be an over-exerciser, it sucks we had to learn the hard way.

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I have started realizing the importance of the quality of your workout, rather than the quantity… and it makes a big difference!

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Super-timely post!! I have been trying to take it easy on the workouts this week because next week I am starting P90X and want to be totally injury free to start. I was cranky yesterday and woke up this morning the same way and just realized (after reading your post again) that it’s because I think I have to workout at a certain pace for a certain amount of time everyday. Even though I KNOW I needed to back off this week to be prepared for next week – I was still beating myself up for taking it easy and eating more sugar than usual. THANK YOU for this post!

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Oh my gosh, I went crazy during my freshman year of college and stressed out and felt like I had no control over my life so I ran 6 miles three times a day. EVERY day!!! And my crazy roommate had this idea that it was smart to go on an all fruit diet so I did it with her! I was so stupid. it was absolutely ridiculous and then all I had the energy to do for the rest of the day was sleep. 4.0 student turned into a 2.0 student really fast. Its amazing how overexercising can mess with you life in so many ways. I really appreciate your open and honest posts. I think we can all learn a lot from your journey and reflect on our own so that we can become stronger and healthier!

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I definitely felt like this post was aimed right at me! My hubby had to talk to me about this same kind of thing the other night. It was one of those days where my body just was NOT cooperating with my work-out. Whenever that happens I get so frustrated and upset with myself. Every. Single. Time I wind up practically in tears. Which I guess seems silly, but it seems to always happen on days I’m upping my speed/mileage, and so I get frustrated that my body doesn’t want to do what my head wants to do. I’ve practically passed out in the gym a couple times…and yet I always feel upset when these days occur, as if it’s my fault…Any more tips for powering/fueling for harder work outs? I just want to make progress!!!!!

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Changing the way you think is part of growth! Way to grow!! Personally, I can’t run more than 3 days a week without injury. :( So…I got in to biking and swimming to keep my cardio strong, and succumbed to more weight training – even though I’d *rather* be running. It works – no more injuries. :)

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This is soooo true! I just read an article about beating ourselves up if we miss a workout and compensating with calories that day. I fall guilty of this and I want to change! I think you nailed it when you said “I have to respect my body and to exercise for the right reasons rather than calories, help my anxiety, and a sense of temporary control.”

Thank you so much for sharing! I needed this today!

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i used to stare religiously at the time or calorie count on the treadmill or elliptical and not let myself get off until I hit my alotted time – I needed to get in a full hour or I would have to make up for it the next day…thanks for sharing, because I know it’s tough for us to step away and notice how obsessive we become, and sometimes we need a little kick in the butt to wake us up!

My workout is lots and lots of stretching so I can run tomorrow – maybe a little kayaking too?

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I actually really love these posts, because I can totally relate!
I am still a ‘recovering overexerciser’…is that even a word?!..ha! But it’s a hard habit to break, but SO important to realize how much harm you actually doing to your body, rather than helping it/ making it stronger. It’s pretty crazy what your brain can tell you is the right thing (like oh ‘working out a TON is SO good for me) when really it is the exact opposite.

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the best thing about this blog is your personal posts! (and your hilarity :) and training plans/tips)
i certainly experience this myself, and i’m still working on getting out of that mentality. i’ve come a LONG way since those days, bc i eat more and fuel my body, and i like to do it for sanity as well as races. i like working on the competitve portion rather that ‘burning calories’ crap. its a day-to-day thing i still battle with, but reading positive blogs like this and talking and watching others do stuff for fun is such a positive influence. i am enough! and enjoy exercise just because!
happy weekend : )

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Girl you are doing amazing and you are so right…it is a day to day battle but we can do it together! Thanks for your sweet comment. It totally made my day!

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Great post! I started feeling shin splints coming on so I rested for a little over a week and if it hurts I don’t run. It’s REALLY hard to do but it’s the best thing for your body. I thought of you when I started getting the pain.

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Great post! Exercising should be about feeling GOOD about yourself, not feeling bad because you didn’t run that extra mile or burn another 100 calories. A couple of years ago I exercised to burn calories and loose weight, but it never seemed fun and I didn’t feel happy with my body. Today, I exercise to feel strong and give myself a sense of purpose. I feel ENERGIZED after a great workout instead of burnt out. Keep up the positive posts, girl! :) You are an inspiration for healthy girls all over.

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i absolutely LOVE this post janae. i seriously was just struggling with this TONIGHT! i have been feeling so guilty for skipping my workout today, but my body was tired and i shouldn’t feel guilty for giving it what it needs!!! overexercising is dangerous physically and mentally. thanks for the great reminder :)

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I know exactly what you mean. Recently I realized that I no longer felt guilty about missing the odd day of running…when before I would have been obsessing about it. I think now I’ve made a transition in my thinking. It’s no longer about “working out”, it’s now a lifestyle for me. I don’t feel like one workout is the be all and end all, because I know I’m going to get up tomorrow and do it…because I want to. What a great feeling!

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I’m still work in progress in this department! Thanks for writing this post – it’s great to know I’m not the only one like this! I’ve always been very “type A” and like to hit exact mileage, so I need to remind myself daily just to chill and enjoy the run. Running and racing is awesome, but it’s not the focus of my life!

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