Obliviously I love myself a tutu, as I have even written about how when I don't wear one, it makes me sad.

So when I saw this post go viral on Facebook about Self magazine and their bs meter about wearing tutus :

Excited to see our tutus in SELF Magazine ... but shocked to see that running tutus are classified as lame. Especially considering the fact that this picture is from last year's LA Marathon when Glam Runner founders Tara and Monika ran together as superheroes ... because Monika was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and was running a marathon in the middle of a year of chemo. 

I was pissed. Beyond pissed. I honestly felt like my way of running, having fun and dressing up and wearing tutus, was being attacked as not "real running", which should not be the case. 


Then when I learned the whole story that Monika was recovering from a brain tumor, I was even more pissed! And even worse? They contacted her to use the picture and did it with such hatred really made my blood boil!


How could a magazine that's supposed to support and build up women (enough things on this planet bring us down including ourselves) could have a BS meter where they print things like this? 


The fact they did not do their research: 

• umm.. Tara's bib says DIE TUMOR DIE
  
• It is clearly a race (not just a run in central park)
  
• it's the LA marathon
  
• a marathon-who cares what you wear as long as it's comfortable for 26.2 miles!
  
• they never asked for the background
  
• the costumes are so cute and well done
  
• the costumes are done by themselves and sold and donations made to charity
• do people really believe that wearing a tutu makes you run faster?
• 
  
•  All of these add up to one thing: lack of research, lack of integrity, lack of support to the cause they claim they are for: women. 

Well it did not take long for this to blow up on social media especially around the Disney groups (including rundisney weighing in and showing support for tutus) as so many people enjoy dressing up in costume for runs. 


At the same time, the Self facebook page was pretty much attacked with people saying they were cancelling subscriptions and could not believe it. It was turning into a PR nightmare and surprisingly Self was pretty quiet. 


It took Self longer to respond than I thought it should. Within 2 days the editor in chief had released the following statement:


"I am personally mortified," Lucy Danziger, the magazine's editor-in-chief, told USA Today. "I had no idea that Monika had been through cancer. It was an error. It was a stupid mistake. We shouldn't have run the item."

Yes it was great for them to speak out but the damage had been done. The fact that they apologized because she had cancer and not because it was not how people should treat each other was still sitting wrong with me. The fact that they said they would interview her for a future issue also did not sit well with me. They also said they would be donating to Girls on the Run, which is a good start. 


Well they must have felt the same way as the interview is out NOW and done by the editor in chief herself. 


Do I accept the apology and appreciate the interview the editor did with Monika? Of course! and Monika's composure and graciousness should not be understated as she is truly an inspiration. 

Do I think its great that they will not be doing a bs meter? Yes!

Do I plan on subscribing to self anytime soon? NOPE! It seems like they have a negative slant and are trying to be edgy which I personally don't like. I read a few comments/references about how Self was trying to "appeal to millennials" with this level of snark and that does not go over well with me either as a millennial. I like things that are supportive and good for all. 

Also I believe they are only apologizing so openly because it's a PR nightmare. They have not commented on the 5k diss ( where they said you should run 10k because there are "more bragging rights than the shorty 5k"). What about that diss to all of the people that run 5ks? Or do they not count because it is a "shorty 5k"? What else have they been writing in the magazine that has been looked over? 


and I wonder as well if the person they had posted a picture had been anyone different (someone not so well-mannered, not recovering from cancer, not donating proceeds to charity), if they would have done anything. I guess we can just hope that they would! 

However since this has been going on the better part of a week, let's put it to bed and #changetheconversation to be more positive.

As a runner, I feel that it is much harder than people give it credit for. There is a lot of training, planning and commitment that goes into being a runner no matter the distance whether it is a 50m dash to an ultra marathon of 100 miles. If it was easy, everyone would do it! All runners should be celebrated not torn down over something as trivial as an outfit. We are all in this together! 

So going forward, run in the tutu, sparkle skirt, costume, WHATEVER YOU WANT as long as you are safe and comfortable and celebrate everyone's accomplishment!

We are all on different journeys but we are all runners: we gotta support each other! and I think rundisney put it best to show their support for #rockthetutu with this picture of the first tinkerbell winner:
Click 'Like' to show your support for everyone who has the courage to take the first step towards the Finish Line of their personal journey!


It is about the journey.  It is about the finish line, not the finish time! Let's all get out there and have a good run! As for me, I will still be out there rocking the tutu! I do it because it is fun, not because I think it will make me faster (even though I have run some great races in costume!) #rockthetutu


What are your thoughts on the Self debacle? 

Another easy recipe I threw together with leftover veggies.

PREP TIME

15 min prep

4-8 hours cooking time

INGREDIENTS

• Red bell pepper
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Peppers
• Salt,pepper,oregano,cumin, chili powder, paprika
• Chicken

DIRECTIONS

• Chop veggies to desired size
• Rinse and clean chicken
• Spray crock pot with olive oil and add a layer of veggies on the bottom
• Add chicken and season on all sides
• Stuff chicken with veggies and seasoning
• Add leftovers to the top
• Add a bit of water if you're worried about dryness (I've never had this problem)
• Cook 4-8 hours (4 on high, 8 on low)
• Serve!

Such an easy shopping day! I'm still eating the veggies from my Farm Fresh box and have a lot of leftovers from the past few weeks which is a great problem to have.

FRESH N EASY

Clearance meatballs

Peanut butter (they finally brought back their peanut butter! )

Clearance hot sauce! I've never tried green salsa but I bet it'll be good.

Spent 7 bucks

VONS

so much here but not all for me!

Ralph is getting his wisdom teeth taken out today so I has to shop for him.

His food-bananas, yogurt, jello, pudding, orange juice, milk, peanut butter

For me-bananas, kiwis, carrots, and corn.

Why so much corn? 2 for us (well Ralph won't be able to eat it so TWO FOR ME!) and 6 for a party I'm gojng to on Sunday. Cheap, easy and quick and pretty healthy to bring to a party.

Spent 25 bucks

I also went to target but that will be a post for next week :)

What are you planning on buying this week?

• Drink a lot of tea and water all week to stay hydrated
  
• Eat a clean diet all week-no fast food, no processed food.
  
• Sleep! Getting at least 8 hours of sleep is a good way to make sure you are rested heading Into the point
  
• Bananas! It turns my leg cramps were probably caused by a lack of potassium so I decided to test it out but consuming a lot of bananas.
  
• For me, try and avoid as much gluten as possible. I'm still having issues with gluten so I need to continue to carb load naturally. Ever since I have done this, I feel that my running has gotten better!
  

• 2 navel oranges
  
• 1 purple cabbage
  
• 1 haas avocado
  
• 3 blood oranges
  
• 1 fennel
  
• 1 frisée (curly endive)
  
• 1 lettuce
  
• 7 golden beets
  
• 6 carrots
  
• 1 green kale
  
• 7 radishes
  
• 1 box of strawberries
  

A 10k carb load is very different than a marathon carb loading (which I totally just realized I never posted! I will do that this week. Silly me). You don't need as much as it's a much shorter race.however it is still important to carb load to tap out your glycogen stores.

I've never really carbloaded before a 10k before so I thought I would see how it would work. And boy did it work-I PRed the race!

All week I made sure to eat semi-clean (my jack in the box meal not counting but it was an insane craving I had!) and make sure I had a good amount of protein and fruit as well as stretching and relaxing.

Personally, I have been focusing on how to correctly carbload as in the olden days, I would just eat a lot of pasta the night before, which caused me to feel a bit sluggish the next morning.

After consulting Mark's Daily Apple and Runner's World, All you need for carb loading is an extra serving or two of carbs at each meals for 3-4 days before the event. I also learned in the Tinkerbell Race Guide that carbs eaten need to be consumed about 12 hours before race start time. 

Carb loading can take any form: vegetables, root vegetables, potatoes, rice, quinoa, couscous, bread, pasta, tortillas, etc.

FRIDAY

Breakfast-Ralph and I went out for breakfast at Portos and it was great. We both got the breakfast special with an omelet with pepper jack cheese, potatoes and peppers, black beans and amazing pico. I also had a horchata coffee.

Lunch-I was pretty full from breakfast but wanted to eat before leaving. I had leftover gluten free pasta (so good!). On the drive over I had vanilla yogurt and a banana.

Snack-all the ones they gave us in the goody bag. A kind bar, amazing chips, dole mango pieces and dole strawberries. And some goldfish I brought. I also had 5 cups of tea! So good (don't worry-it was decaffinated).

Dinner- fried mozzarella sticks, bread and gluten free pasta in alla vodka sauce. And a nice glass of wine to get me sleepy :)

SATURDAY

pre race- piece of bread with peanut butter and a banana and English breakfast tea.

After party- so much! Burrito, chips, so many things of fresh juice, coffee, pasteries, lemonade, oranges, banana, etc

Lunch- leftover pasta, more oranges and fruit, a glass of wine, avocado yogurt dip and chips,

Dinner- frisée, fennel and crockpot chicken tikka masala

Sunday-Disneyland celebration! Ice cream sandwich, meatloaf with veggies, and mashed potatoes, and popcorn!

How do you carb load for a 10k?

Many websites do grocery store match-ups, which is a great way to save money (Chief Family Officer and Southern Cali Saver are my two favorites) , but I tweak it just a bit. I only highlight the good deals that are healthy, all-natural. Nothing in a box or can (unless it's exceptional!). By buying what is in season and on sale to build your meals, you can save a lot of money each week! 

SPROUTS

• sweet mini peppers-2 dollars/1 lb
• organic grape tomatoes-2 dollars/pint
• cuties-2.88/3 lb bag
• watermelon-3 lbs/1 dollar
• potatoes or cabbage- 3 lbs/1 dollar
• tomatoes- 88 cents/lb
• cilantro, radishes or onions-3 for 1 dollar
• oranges-88 cents/lb
• bell peppers-50 cents each
• mangoes- 50 cents each
• celery, eggplant, 1 lb peeled carrots-98 cents
• organic avocados-98 cents
• organic kale- 98 cents
• chicken breast tender-2.49/lb
• chia seeds-7.99/lb
• Sprouts peanut butter-2.79 each
• 
  RALPH'S
  Apples 99 cents/lb
• Blueberries and blackberries-1.50 each
• Lettuce-99 cents
• Oranges-99 cents
• Tropicana-3.99 for 89 oz
  
  FRESH N EASY
  sadly still no ad!!! i guess the ads are gone forever now :( 
  Always check your account for extra point coupons! 
  
  VONS
• Chicken Grill Pack 99 cents/lb
• Strawberries 3.99/3 lbs (dangit! i got these for 5 bucks on Friday! guess i gotta get them again!)
• Clementines 3.99/3lb bag
• Chobani yogurt-$1 each
• open nature yogurt-95 cents
• WINE!! 30% off (an additional 10% off when you buy 6 bottles)-combine that with Just4U coupons and you can good wine for 3-4 bucks/bottle
• Powerade-buy 10,get 10 free! wow!
• matzos (gotta prep for Passover!) 2.99/5 lb
• Lucerne butter- 2.99 each
• Corn-50 cents each (Ive been craving corn too)
• grapefruit-50 cents each
• bell peppers-59 cents each
• pineapple-2.99/ each
• 5 DOLLAR FRIDAYS- blueberries and blackberries-2.50 each//Trop 50, 89 oz, 5 dollar each

As always, check your Just for You account. I got the following deals: eggs, Paul lemonade, carrots, lemons, kiwis.

My shopping plan for the week:
I will go to Von's to grab carrots and kiwis and maybe a few other things like corn! I still have yogurt and cabbage left over so I can eat those next week for lunch. I may also pop into Sprouts as it has been way too long.

I need to start eating from my freezer again as there's a lot of good food in there.

What are your grocery plans for this week?

I used to never want to check a bag as I did not want to deal with the lines. However as I have run more races, I have learned to put in a bag and what not to put! 

Here is my list for what I just used at the Great Race: 

• Magicband (room key and credit card!)-for WDW races
• ID-never know if you will be able to get a drink!
  
• Credit card and Money-sometimes you need it!
  
• Wipes-BEST IDEA! I pack face wipes and also baby wipes and towel off after racing. It really does make a difference until you can get to a shower
  
• Chaffing gel- you gotta put it on before and after
  
• Lip balm-may need
  
• Roller-I did this for Princess half marathon, and it helped recovery. I bring my hand roller
  
• Change of shoes- it's always good to get out of your sweaty socks and shoes
  
• Deodorant/perfume- may need depending on how long the race is
  
• I also pack these things in my bag the night before so I don't have to search for anything in the morning

Pack but take out/use:

• Hat- you can decide to wear it or not
  
• Sunglasses-same here
  
• iPod- need your music!
  
• Phone case-need to make sure it doesn't get ruined
  
• Food- breakfast-usually banana, PB and bread
  
• Drink-i always make tea in the morning. need the caffeine
  
• Coat-it may be cold! you will want to cover up.
  

What do you pack for your races? 

• Freeze dried corn
  
• Granola
  
• Salad from an awesome local cafe
  
• Juice
  
• Pastry

• Burrito and chips and salsa from sharks
  
• Lavender lemonade, oatmeal and iced coffee from rabbit hole
  
• Free coffee from Starbucks

• Another banana
  
• Juice from whole foods (beet juice then apple juice)
  
• Sample of a cookie
  
• Water and sliced oranges from Albertsons
  
• Lemonade from Alex's lemonade stand