It is OKAY to be Hungry

You know the word ‘hangry?’ It’s a real thing for runners and if I have learned anything during this marathon training cycle, it is that lots of miles = lots of hunger and that is okay.

I don’t know what it is about our culture, but I feel like a lot of times, we, as women, can become uncomfortable with feeling ‘hungry.’ Like, we should be able to eat a handful of granola and except that to fuel us through our workouts and the entire day, and that my friends, is just not so. When we workout, run a ton of miles, or simply, have active days, we need to fuel ourselves with proper nutrition. Proper nutrition means taking in enough calories (aka energy) in order to fuel our bodies throughout the day.

I know from experience, that when I was running at a undernourished state, I was plagued by injuries and felt ‘bleh’ all day long. I also know that when I was too carefree with my eating and not mindful with my choices, my running felt harder, it took more effort, and wasn’t as enjoyable because I was above my ideal running weight. Both of these extremes are what I am avoiding in my marathon training and want to shy away from.

Marathon training is making me really hungry and that is okay. It is a normal and good thing to be hungry and we should take the time to listen to our bodies and fill them with good, nutritional food. I don’t want to restrict just to have the ‘perfect’ body type and I don’t want to overindulge and make my training harder than it needs to be. Finding balance and focusing on the proper foods, without obsessing is now not only my ideal, but my goal for marathon training and post-marathon living.