Since we last talked and did you ever do the fat-free everything thing?

Hey everyone!  It feels like it has been forever since we last chatted so let’s talk about some of the things that went down.

Tuesday night:

-I got to go to Meg’s bootcamp class!  Some of my favorite people were there and Megan made sure to include all of the hardest moves possible… my glutes and hamstrings are still thanking her for that:) 

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-I really need to start wearing this tank to her class so that I don’t have to verbally apologize after each round of burpees.

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-Speaking of legs burning… have you seen this clip about Europe’s steepest running race?  I cannot even begin to imagine:

-While I was at bootcamp Brooke was with her cousins and I can’t explain how lucky we are to have them.  Brooke actually thinks they are sisters at this point.

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-Right as I walked into my sister’s house to pick up Brooke I heard her call to the kids, “DINNER TIME.”  Between the the fact that I was starving after bootcamp and spaghetti being my current favorite food… I couldn’t have asked for anything greater.  PS one thing I love that my sister’s family does at dinner is that they go around the table and each person talks about something nice that they did for somebody else that day.  

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-And then we met for froyo with the girls and Brooke slept through the entire Yogurtland trip… I guess I’m forced to take her today to make up for it;)

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-Wednesday morning involved 6 miles @ 8:45 pace.  I seem to be hitting my workout paces (tempo/long run/speed) but taking my recovery paces slower than what my training plan recommends.  My body is telling me to do it so I am doing it.  Recovery is just as important as the training.  

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-Brooke is quite the little general and tries to whistle (with her fingers) whenever her classmates get out of line.  She sticks to those rules (and reminding others to do the same;) like glue.

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-Brooke had a playdate with her best pal.  These two get SO excited to see each other… 

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-Breakfast for dinner last night.  We go through the Kodiak Power Cakes so fast between the two of us… thank goodness Costco sells them in bulk.  While I was making our cheesy eggs I was thinking about my fat-free days… back when I didn’t come near an egg yolk, bought fat-free EVERYTHING (salad dressing, cheese, yogurt, SnackWell’s cookies, milk…everything) and thought fat was the enemy!  Remember that huge craze?  It wasn’t until I was working with my doctor to get out of my amenorrhea problems that I realized how important fat (everything from helping your body to absorb some nutrients, producing hormones that are super important, providing energy, it helps to keeps our organs protected etc) is for our bodies (especially as women)!  I really think that increasing my fat intake/body fat percentage (not just gaining weight) is what helped me out of this issue and from then on I devoured avocados, eggs, olive oil, peanuts (pb), full fat dairy etc.  Just a reminder for women runners to get in their fats!!!

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-Doing my long run today and tempo run on Saturday so that I can get Josse with me for half of my run today and all of my tempo miles on Saturday.  Time to put some serious mileage on the Pure Cadence 5s (aren’t they pretty?) and then I’ll give you a full review on them. 

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-Speaking of shoes, did you see the Brooks Boston 2016 shoe?  Adorable.  Plaid.  I still love my Lobster ones from last year too:)

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Did you ever follow along in the fat-free craze?  What fat-free foods did you buy a lot of? 

What’s your Thursday workout looking like?

Who will be at Boston this year?  You getting the shoes?  The jacket?

Ever done a race on a different continent than the one you live on?

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78 comments

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I know I did the fat free thing for years, my husband still sort of thinks that way because it’s a hard mentality to get away from when you’ve grown up with it. Now it’s all fat for me, though :) I’ll be at Boston this year and I’ll definitely be getting the jacket!

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I haven’t done a race on a different continent YET but I really want to do the London Marathon! I loved running through London on my last trip and immediately added it to my bucket list!

I have a doctor’s appointment is less than an hour which might not be fun, but after that it’s clear sailing until the weekend! :)

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Thursday is my rest day! I’m going to be doing a final walk-through of my house (that we’re closing on tomorrow!!!!) so I’m happy to have the day off :)

I did a Park Run in Denmark last year. I wish it was more popular in the US, but each week at parks across Europe there are free races! It’s so awesome and all of the stats are kept online so you can see how your times improve. Such a cool concept!

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They originated from the UK and we literally have hundreds all over the place every Saturday. It’s such a great concept as it creates a a real community feeling as each parrkun is located in the same place each week and you get the same people and it also requires people to volunteer to help. And when you get to 50 parkruns you get a free technical t-shirt, and then 100 and 250. The US really need to get involved!!

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Have you tasted any of those fat free things recently? Like the Snack Wells cookies? They have such a strange taste, like a chemical-like after taste. I never noticed it when that was the crazy but I definitely do now!

No Boston for me this year. I can’t wait to go back! I love the Boston shoes though! I did the 2500th Anniversary of the first marathon race in Athens, Greece back in 2010. It was awesome! Also required alot of math since all the distance markers were in km rather than miles!

Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals too. Never turn that down!

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Luckily I was too young during the fats are bad craze so I didn’t dive too far into it, but I think everyone was affected just by how they changed our groceries. Everything is still fat free and low fat even if we don’t want them anymore! I eat pretty much paleo so I eat lots and lots of fats, I don’t know what I’d do without them!

I did my second marathon in Amsterdam it was actually my first time going to Europe too! Such a cool experience.

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I don’t think I’m a fan of fat-free anything. It usually doesn’t taste as good. (Except froyo–I know some flavors are fat-free, and they are still just so delicious.) :)

Today’s workout involved tempo and fartlek paces. Glad to have that out of the way. And my friend sent me that hill race in Europe, and I want to do it!!

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I do remember the snack well cookie phase. Fat free but a million grams of sugar.
Glad that is over.
I’m meeting my friend for sushi tonight.

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I was young during the fat free craze but definitely remember eating fat free dressing even in college (which now I can’t help but be grossed out as to what is in those things). Fats are a more important part of my diet now than even a few years ago because some fat/calorie phobia does exist still.
Workout today is a long run with progresdion at the end!

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I still buy fat free dairy, but I get lots of healthy fats in my diet from nuts, avocados, etc.

Really looking forward to my run this afternoon. It’ll be my first outdoor run of the week!

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Wow! Look at these shoes! So cool! It’s kinda funny because with cystic fibrosis we are advised to eat a diet very high in fat and high in salt. It does feel like “swimming against the main stream!”. I do believe in the importance of good fats (i.e. avocadoes, meat, yogurt). They help curb my appetite and keep me full longer. When companies remove fat from food, they usually add sugar or other things that are way more problematic for me.

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My in-laws are STILL in the fat-free craze! Sometimes its hard trying to all have a meal together :(

I just finished my morning workout :D A very slow 4.5 miles this morning. I’ve just started to switch from running in the evenings to first thing in the morning and I’m definitely in love with it!

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Sometime over the next few years, I’d love to start doing some international races! I love to travel, and racing is fun… so why not combine the 2?

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Your shirts!! Love! Cardio on Thursdays. And yes, the fat-free fad was real for me in a serious way.

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I went to college in 1993 so fat free was practically my mantra for years. I still do fat free yogurt and fro-yo and low fat milk but that’s pretty much it.
Today will be a full body strength sesh at the gym.

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Ahhh, LOVE the plaid Brooks!

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I remember wondering why anyone would buy the regular version of something when there was a fat-free version. Shows how little I knew about nutrition!
Today’s supposed to be a 4 mile run but it’s snowing (really Colorado?!) so we’ll see. Fingers crossed it warms up by this afternoon.

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Oh I can’t wait for you review on the Pure Flow 5’s! The Pure flow 2’s were my absolute favorite shoe, but the 3’s and 4’s just did not work for me. I have been wearing the Pure Cadence and the Launch 3’s recently and loving them.

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I was fully on board the fat free train for years. Struggled with a bad eating disorder for almost 10 years and lost my period for majority of that time. Couldn’t agree with you more about how important fats are. PLUS … Some fat free/reduced fat items aren’t even worth eating (pb for example … yuck!).

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I’ve never avoided fats completely but I did go through this phase of only eating fat-free pretzels and fat free milk. As much as I love carbs, research suggests that they are actually worse for you than fat :( That doesn’t stop me though!

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I’m running an 8k Sunday so today will be probably 6-7 miles with a short fartlek mixed in then easy the next 2 days! I’ve never run a race on a different continent but will be running the Anchorage Marathon in June so that kinda feels like it should be a different continent haha!

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I want that tank. Where did you get it?

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I was thinking the same thing – love the tank!

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I never did the fat free craze (I was too young when it was a thing) but I do remember my parents buying fat free everything. I have learned how important fats are for our body and I am a huge fan of foods with healthy fats like avocado and nuts so I am 100% sure I get enough fats in every day ;) Workout today is 4 tempo miles!

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My workout today is 4 miles on the trail with my sister! I’m dragging her to my favorite place and I’m pumped.

One of my biggest dreams is to run a race overseas. Australia, Ireland and Italy are a few places I’d love to do a race in!

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I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go on any kind of diet. I love food too much. My daughter is the same way with rules. She’s the rules police and a little bit of a tattle tell sometimes.

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I love that you mentioned that you need fat on your body. I recently tried one of those fancy scales that shows your body fat percentage and I hate seeing that number get higher. But maybe that just means that it’s what healthier for me. I think we’re taught to see all weight gain and fat gain as a bad thing, but for some of us that may be just what we need to feel our best. Thanks for making me think about that in different way!

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Do you still wear the Launch 3’s or back to Flow’s mainly?

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I have speedwork scheduled for tonight, but I may skip it and do a core workout and yoga. I’ve been in a bit of a running funk the past few days, so the break could be nice.

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PLAID SHOES! OH my gosh – I love those!

haha… Brooke whistling .. that is the funniest.

I’d die… totally die right there on the side of that hill. That’s CRAZY!

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workout today was 5 miles with some leg work add in for good measure. I never did the no fat thing or the no carb thing because it’s just too much work. plus, I don’t really believe in eliminating an entire nutrient even sugar. it’s in food for a reason, we shouldn’t go around avoiding it like the plague. that being said, I have genetically high cholesterol so I have to be more aware of foods that have extra fat in them (ie. egg yolks) but still, everything in moderation is alright.

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I feel like when I was growing up, my mother was very into the fat free craze herself. I remember seeing fat free cookies, fat free cheese, etc. I try to avoid fat free foods now because I hear they’re much worse for you because of all the additives needed to make fat free food taste good!

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I want those plaid shoes!

I laughed so hard when I saw Lindsey’s snap with Brooke asleep at YL. It’s like, how is she even your child??

I totally did the fat free everything back on 2002 when I was losing the freshman 15. Can you believe I didn’t touch peanut butter for a year? They were dark times I am telling ya. But now either pb, nuts or avocados are present at every meal.

So Europe’s steepest race = Europe’s longest bear crawl? Pretty much.

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I never got into the fat free craze but I didn’t use real butter until a few years ago. I’ll never go back now! Love the brooks plaid! Super cute. I ran a half marathon in Taiwan, it was awesome and brutal but I loved it. We want to take our kids back for a few months in the next few years so I hope to run it again. There’s also a Great Wall of china marathon which I’ve always dreamt of doing (although from friends that have done it you walk/crawl it, no real running) and I’d love to do the London marathon.

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My Thursday workout was 3 x snooze button (fast, for time) + 1 x panicking I was going to be last for work because of my 3 x snoozes.

Umm I’m odd about my fat intake? Like I’ll pick skim milk or fat free yogurt, I guess because I’m saving myself for things like a whole avocado, or lots of eggs. I love to eat them hardboiled. Or cheese. Goat cheese & feta & cheese. Mmm.

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I love my lobster shoes too, and look forward to seeing what they have for the London Marathon. I may be tempted to buy another pair on sneakers I can just wear for fun!

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I wish Brooks made a neutral edition version but I guess they did just do the launch last year. I love the plaid though but I don’t need to get an injury for loving the look of a shoe.

I’ve been taking more time off from running than I would like lately but I would rather take precautions than end up with an injury.

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I agree – and the shoe is not neutral this year, it is the adrenaline so anyone can wear it! I think I am going to preorder it.

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Confused by your comment Allison, since the shoe is a very stable shoe not everyone can wear it! It could cause IT band problems for those who don’t need that support.

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The problem with the fat-free thing (besides the fact that yes, we do NEED some fats) is that in order to make fat-free foods taste better, companies drastically increase the amount of sugar that is in it. So some fat free foods are actually doing you more harm because of the sugar content! I do use some fat free things but not everything (leave cheese alone! It needs Fat!). I try and watch the sugar content of things more than the fat because if I overload with sugar I get headaches and feel sluggish (and it makes you want sugar more!)

I am running Boston, but I’m a Saucony girl so I’ll be looking at their Boston version shoe which is modeled after the “green line” on the Boston subway system!

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I think I’m doing an easy run followed by my PT moves today.

I used to do the fat free thing. Now that I coach others on eating it’s a struggle to get that trend to go away. (and the sugar is out of control on a lot of the fat free items. The manufacturers have to make it taste good somehow). I am trying to get weight on my husband so I buy him full fat dairy. It’s really hard to find full fat yogurt in a lot of the grocery stores. (and he hates all nut butters. I just don’t understand that at all).

Your sister has some kick butt parenting ideas. She should blog. :)

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Breakfast for dinner is quite the staple in our house as well :P Who doesn’t looooove eggs??? In any shape or form!! As for pancakes well i am just going to stop right here, before I start drooling over my lap top LOL!! As for fat – free, hmmm usually my dairy products since I really dont taste the difference anyway and I prefer fat free milk in general…

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Red Bull 400 hits Utah in September – look forward to reading your race report!

http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/events/1331718858544/red-bull-400-international

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I did the fat free diet for a few years after my Dad had his heart trouble. His cardiologist actually recommended it. Funny thing is I’m now in nutrition school and it’s been discovered that fat free diets are actually causing heart problems now. YIKES!

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I need that burpees tank! Could you imagine if someone was to trip and start rolling down that hill??? Talk about scary.
I LOVE breakfast for dinner. I had the kodiak cakes with some sliced peaches and syrup. Soooo good!

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I did the fat free for many years, skim milk and yogurt and snackwells and cheese. Now I think the low sugar fat free yogurt is gross!!! Skim milk also just tastes weird to me. My 5 year old’s pre-k teacher talked to them about the dangers of eating too much fat and she was talking about getting a balanced diet. But Audrey came home thinking all fat was bad so we had a long talk she was so happy that her guacamole contained healthy fats!!! She was sad that sadly donuts do not have healthy fat.
I am off work this week and my girls have school so I have gotten in some great weight lifting and longer work outs. I just got new Brooks Pureflows and they took me forever to break in and I am not sure why as that has never happened. I was about to buy other sneakers and then they suddenly felt great.

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Never have done the fat free thing, but I’m. Almost 6 weeks sugar and soda free! Only natural sugars now!

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My workout today will be a walk by the river. We finally got some rain over the last 24 hours (it’s been really dry here), and I love the park when it’s recently rained. The colors are brighter and it smells good.

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Your new sneakers are awesome! I’m excited for the review!

Thursday Workout: 5-mile run (9:00 pace) + an upper body workout (currently working with a coach for my strength training) <– this was supposed to happen this morning but I couldn't peel my eyes open :/

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It’s interesting that you mentioned the fat-free craze. I have been reading lately that lack of fat actually adds to the obesity epidemic. I am trying to incorporate healthy fats and eliminate refined foods and am feeling so much better. I also have found that coconut oil is very good for you. My lunch today: 2 eggs fried in coconut oil, 1/4 avacado, strawberries and greek yogurt.
I WANT THOSE SNEAKERS!! So cute!

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Omg I totally was a victim of the fat free craze! Looking back, I think the worst thing I probably ate was fat free spray butter! I was pretty much just eating chemicals!

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I love my fats! Avocados, almond butter, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, and donuts. It’s all about balance. Sometimes the motivation to get out of bed and run is knowing there’s a spoonful of almond butter waiting for me.

I love your sister’s idea to have everyone share how they helped another person. That is so lovely!

Those Pure Cadence 5’s are rocking! I raced my last two marathons in the Cadence 4’s so I will be checking those new ones out. Happy running!

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I love the idea of saying something nice you did for another person at dinner. I may try it with my family – we are working on empathy with my 7-yr old. At our dinner, everyone has to say their highlight of the day, which I do really like.

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hi Janae, I used to think fat-free was the way to go, but now I am all about full-fat!!! I am so much happier and less hungry.

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Wow, you really have the best blog name for responding to this post!!

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The Lobster Launches were spectacular….but I’m loving the plaid too!!!
I will be at Boston this year and cannot believe It is so soon! How did that happen!?!

I did the fat free thing way back in high school for a short period of time. Just until I realized the value of REAL food and how all that fat free stuff is loaded with empty nutrition and fake ingredients and most often more calories! Good fats are so essential to optimal nutrition, weight, and assist with fuel for activity!

I’ve never raced on a different continent…but I’ve run everywhere I have traveled…too many US states to count, Canada, England, Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria…
For me, it’s the best way to really explore a new place.

Your meals always look mouth watering to me…but I have a weak spot for breakfast for dinner! Breakfast for me is usually veggies anyway…so I guess it all works out in the end.

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I’ve been a bit scared of fat in the past… I think I went months denying myself peanut butter. Now I eat it almost every day, along with plenty of hummus.

My Thursday run was 13.5 miles, in pleasant weather but with a bit of weird stomach stuff going on… just one of those days, I guess.

Hey Janae, if possible I would love to see a post in the near future on running in the rain! I have an aversion to it that I’m trying to get over. It’s frustrating because I recognize that it’s definitely a mental obstacle, not a physical one…

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Thankfully I think I missed the time when fat free was all the rage, but I was definitely apart of the time period in which everyone raved about only eating 1,200 calories. YIKES. Grateful to be past that time in my life!!

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Those sneakers!! Gah, I want! I’m not running the marathon so I’m trying to figure out how I can justify a $130 purchase when I just bought the launch3.

I use to be into the fat-free craze, I use to LOVE splenda. Then this past year I realized how beneficial real, whole food is for my body. I also did a whole30, which allowed me to see how much better my body functioned with real, whole food – and I also realized that more is more! I’ve been eating more real food and not gaining weight, its amazing. Although I will indulge in some treats when I have a training day – I can justify the calories, haha.

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that workout tank is so cute, be fast or be last love it! im doing a sugar detox right now and that is all about full fat foods. makes me nervous eating all that fat but i can see the value. i dont buy everything fat free except for greek yogurt and sour cream, dont really know why I just do.

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I remember the fat free craze! They used to sell so many types of fat free cookies! Glad they don’t sell that stuff anymore. I even wonder if they were really fat free lol

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Yes I did the fat-free thing (unfortunately). Now we know that fat is one of the most important macronutrients we can eat! Especially for runners. Now a lot of endurance runners seem to be going pretty high fat and low carb!

Today is pre-meet! 6 miles at a slow, recovery pace, and 5k race on the track tomorrow!

Thank you for sharing as always, love your blog!!

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Sometimes I almost do the fat free thing, then I realize fat is delish! I did have a time I became a vegetarian because I thought it would keep me skinny. Thank goodness I’m recovered from that! Meat is just too good!

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Yes, as a college student in the 90’s I was all about the fat free craze. In fact it was ingrained in girls my age (around 40) that it took years for me to accept I can eat an egg. I have friends that still live by this rule and they work and work at their weight and see little success. Once I started eating real food including good fats the weight fell off and I’m so much happier and fuller now that I can eat eggs and avocado!

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I just started eating egg yolks last year. I was missing out on so much yumminess! I love to smear it on toast. I’m weaning my kids off of skim. They are at 1%. My husband thinks the low cal option is best. I told him they need the fat for brain development.

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I totally jumped on the fat-free craze and looking back it is so dumb! Fats are so important! Today I did a 5 mile run followed by some strength training. :) It felt good. Then I did some grocery shopping with my little girl and lunch with my hubby and in-laws. It has been a good day so far. :)

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Oh yes, fat-free everything for YEARS!!! It has just been in the last couple of years that I’ve managed to break “free” of it (see what I did there?). ;) I still struggle w/ thinking I need to watch my fat content. Ugh. I’m a work-in-progress.

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Oh gosh yes, I did the fat free thing for awhile! I used to buy the chocolate marshmallow Snackwell and eat the whole box. LOL. Because there was no fat, so of course it was OK to eat them all (nevermind the sugar)!

I am running Boston this year! :-) SOOOO excited. And YES, I will be buying the jacket! I just started my taper this week, so today I will be doing an easy 6 miler. This will be the hardest part of my training – keeping my mileage lower. Never thought I would ever say that …. especially not a week ago ;)

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Wow. Thanks! I really needed to read this today! I have struggled with anorexia for 13 years and have had amenorrhea on and off. I have been in a good spot for a while now but still no period. Ive been wondering whats going on its probably lack of good FATS in food! Time to load up on PB and Oils!! thanks :D

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This has nothing to do with what you asked today but I have a 3 year old son and I want to hear more about Brooke and any difficulty you have. Seems like it’s always fun with you and her. My 3 year old has the worst tantrums right now and is very strong willed. Does Brooke ever act that way? And do you use any kind of behavior incentive chart or have to use discipline like taking away toys, time out, ect?

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Oh yes… she most definitely does. I think it would be abnormal if a 3 year old wasn’t having tantrums. Brooke also is very strong willed and likes to be the boss of everyone, including me! I choose not to blog about these times because I never want to post anything on here that would embarrass her in the future ya know? I am all about time out and that works very well for her. Let me know if you have any other questions!

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Ahhhh! I’m doing Boston, and for me that’s on another continent – I’m coming all the way from Australia! Can’t wait

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I love those Pure Cadences!!! Also where did you get the shirt about being fast or last? Love that too!!

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Hey Janae,

I have a question about the brooks pure cadence…I know you have been running in them for a while but was there a time that you had to transition into that shoe or was it a quick transition for you? Do you plan to use them for all of your runs?

Thanks!

Mary

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My Thursday workout was 4 mile warm up and while watching my son make a snowman do 10x 1 minute max followed by 2 minutes slow jog back and forth in front of the house. Never got into the fat free diet.

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I am a former ballerina and in my dancing days, back in the 90’s, I totally bought into “fat is the enemy.” Now I can’t even look at a container of fat-free dairy without feeling nauseated! Thank god we know now that fat doesn’t make you fat. :)

My thursday workout was HIIT and some foam rolling, but tonight my hubby is picking up my little so that I can go for a run after work!! First one in nearly a week! I am irrationally excited about this. Oh happy day!

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I remember when fat-free was so popular… I don’t think I could do it… I love my peanut butter and avocados!!

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Where did you get the Be Fast or Be Last shirt? Awesome!

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