Kelly, from I Am Running This, surprised me recently when she tagged me in a running survey that she participated in. She was tagged from another running blogger (Sara), and then passed the conversation on to me. How it works is, you answer the questions presented to you, then create your own questions, tag some of your favorite bloggers, and ask them to keep it going. So to keep the ball rolling, and add momentum to this running bloggers’ love cycle, I’m posting my “Running Blogger Survey” today.
Here’s what Kelly asked me –
1. What’s the best comment you’ve ever gotten on a blog post?
I am very fortunate to receive many great comments from my readers. I am always surprised at the level of commitment some readers have for following my blog. And usually when they comment, it’s full of great advice, compassion, and love. Narrowing down to one comment isn’t easy, but there is one that sticks out in my mind. It’s a comment I got from Batyah, a hardcore Forks to Feet follower. See her comment below.
After completing my book, I wasn’t sure that I would get any feedback from it. To receive such a warm comment like this not only made my day, but made the entire book writing experience worth while. It also showed me that people were finding my blog useful and enjoyable. This is exactly why I created Forks to Feet.
2. What’s your favorite blog post that you’ve ever written (not necessarily your most popular one, the one that was most fun to write!)
This is a tough one; I’ve written so many articles that I enjoyed creating. Being a blogger is great because you’re constantly writing about what you love and learning new things as you go along. It makes it easy to create a running survey. My favorite blog post that I’ve written would probably be My Forks Over Knives Story.
I chose this as my favorite because it really lays out the last two years of my life, and how I’ve gotten to where I am today. Also, it serves as a message of hope to others who are looking for a happier and healthier way of life. Not to mention, it gained recognition from the folks over at Forks Over Knives, who later posted it on their site. It is also one of the most visited pages on my blog.
3. What’s your favorite childhood memory?
My childhood was full of fun and adventures. Living next to a large wooded area growing up, my friends and I had access to the wonderful world of nature from a very young age. And we (more than) took advantage of it! There wasn’t an area of those woods we didn’t touch.
My fondest memories took place on that land, and I believe it is where I learned to love nature and appreciate all of its beauty. I also learned that God’s creatures are sometimes better fit for their natural habitats, as I would capture crawdads, frogs, and the occasional snake, and bring them inside to live with me. My parents really loved that, lol.
4. What food would you absolutely positively rather not live without?
This may come off as more of a confessional piece. I regularly praise the benefits of eating whole (unprocessed) foods, but one of my favorite foods is pasta. There, I said it. Although it’s completely processed, I love how easy it is to prepare, and how it offers me the carbohydrates I require as a distance runner.
I’ve learned that you can add just about anything to this Italian dish, too. Some of my favorites are: nutritional yeast, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, onion, tempeh, seitan, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomatoes. I also fix my own sauce. I’ve got two recipes right here on the blog; one that’s made in the Vitamix, and the other on the stove.
5. What’s one good piece of advice (could be about running, parenting, or just life!)?
Look deep within yourself and ask what it is you want to accomplish. This could be for running, a career path, parenting, or just life in general. Make a reasonable plan, and follow it. When faced with uncertainty from others, remember this – Don’t let the limitations of others become your own.
If I had given in to the harsh skepticism of others when I decided to go vegan, I would have never become the happy, healthy, and extremely active person I am today. Most of my life, I’ve spent chasing the dreams of others. Today, I focus on what makes me happy in life, and when I set a goal, I follow through with it.
My Five Questions for the Running Survey:
1. How has blogging impacted your life (meeting people, learning new things, etc.)?
2. What was the most memorable comment you ever received on a blog post?
3. What are some of your favorite foods you use to fuel for your runs?
4. Who is your running hero (could be living or dead)?
5. Name five cities you want to run in before you die.
My Five Bloggers
- Evelin from EvelinRuns
- Robert from I Ran with Robert
- Leetra from Running My Life
- Emily from The Salty Pretzel
- Laura from Running for Kicks and Giggles
I hope you guys will keep this thing alive. I’m excited to read all of your answers!
I’ve got a challenge for everyone else – Pick one of the questions above and answer it in the comment area below. I dare ya!
I appreciate you including me on this! I can certainly relate to a majority of your answers but especially living for what you makes happy and going for your dreams!
You're very welcome. It took me a long time to realize that I needed to make a happy life for myself, not others. But, making others happy is still a large part of my life 🙂
I actually don't have a normal running hero but the one who I would choose did run because it was part of his favorite Crossfit exercise. It has been renamed the Murphy after Lt. Michael Murphy the Navy SEAL who died in Operation Redwing. I don't do it but it involved running along with other exercises and I believe he did it with body armor on. I have read that he was called Murph the Protector because when he was younger he would defend people being bullied. He is as close to a running hero that I have and his defense of others puts him at the top for me.
I'm so glad you got to see this post, Batyah! You're a key motivator for my writing now 🙂 Michael Murphy does sound like a hero. I can appreciate a man who sticks up for others. Plus, running in armor is pretty…. awesome!
This is quite some funny timing. It's something I've known, but never really known why until today. In a one word answer, my favorite food to fuel my runs is fruit.
Every Thursday, a colleague and I run a 5k on lunch. He's a meat eater and joked about how easy 5k's were when I ran my first one a couple months ago. We decided to start running together and it became quite obvious that I was faster, had greater endurance, and a quicker recovery time. I've also brought my 5k time down significantly in a very short period of time. I'd been running for less of my life so how was this possible? He has started to eat more fruit and has been improving on his time. Anyway I digress.
Last week, I was out of fruit and just hadn't been to the store to refill. I was trying to wait until the weekend to go to the farmer's market. Thursday came and I didn't have my 6-10 banana smoothie in the morning, nor did I have my high water content fruit, like watermelon, for a second breakfast. It was the hardest 5k since my first attempt at one. It took everything I had to make sure I finished first, but that energy I'm used to just wasn't there.
Today, was back to normal. I had my banana and watermelon. We get out to run and I feel amazing. Once I set into my stride, I felt on top of the world. I have a huge grin and feel like I let my tongue flop around like a dog happy to run through a field. I left him in my dust. I don't do this to partners, so I stopped and did some pushups until he caught up, but I felt like I could have run for hours.
The difference was fruit. They hydrate and fuel. That fuel is readily available and doesn't have to go through a complex process to be broken down. I will never run without it again.
That's awesome Ryan!! I'm so glad you took the time to share that. It's amazing what all plant-based foods can do, but especially fruit. I recently went on a 7-day raw fruit detox, and my senses and everything were lit up like never before! I ran a few times while eating nothing but fruit, and honestly I felt pretty amazing. What other fruits do you use? I can certainly dig watermelon and banana. I can already see me going to the store later on to pick up a watermelon, lol.
I am on my phone so I think I clicked on a couple things by accident, sorry about that. I'm glad I saw the post but I was surprised at the same time,lol. It did make my day and I needed it because my motivation has been low this week. I woke up Sunday with a pounding head and for 3 days it stayed around and I have even been forcing myself to juice. Thanks for the motivation and the nice comments 🙂
Thanks! Now that I've discovered this, I want to promote this lifestyle as much as you. I would really like to become raw. As you've stated, it really changes your body's dynamics. My wife feels ill if we eat too much cooked food. As for other fruits, I'm wide open here. I'm trying to stay local and thus eating seasonally. Sadly, summer is coming to an end, so this winter is really going to be a challenge as a whole foodie. But for now it's fall so pear season is winding down and apple is picking up. As a native NYer, apples have a special place for me. I will be missing watermelon, especially yellow watermelon that I just now discovered.
There is a large international market that has a wide selection of fruits and veggies. It's my mission to try something new each time. Some examples: Rambutan, jujubes, star fruit, jack fruit, and of course, the famed durian. I will admit, I'm not a fan of the durian, but I'd be willing to try it again prepared in something. It's just not the refreshing fruit flavor that I'm looking for.
Thank you for info about Blogger Survey!!!