Monday, November 11, 2019

Q&A with Carlee

I had posted on my social media platforms a few weeks ago, asking folks if I was to do a Q&A if there were any questions they were dying to ask me and I got a plethora of questions (and quite the variety too!). I've shared the first two posts already [you can read them HERE and HERE], but since I still had plenty more to answer the series is chugging right along. If there’s anything YOU want to know, leave the question in the comments so I can touch on it in an upcoming post.


Did you go to U of M? If so, what's your degree in? Did your hubby go there too?

I did go to the University of Michigan - attending from 2002 until 2006 (IT'S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!). I started college thinking I would be a math major, but when I realized I would need six semesters of Calculus I switched to an Economics major (I would only need 4 semesters of calc for that degree ;)). In my mind, the specific major wasn't what was important, it was the skills I would be gaining in college, such as critical thinking, effective communication, analytical skills, etc that mattered. With that said, I selected Economics because it came easy to me and was interesting (not necessarily because I loved it or saw myself doing something specific in the field after I graduated). The hubby did go to U of M as well (we met in college, started dating our sophomore year). He technically graduated from the School of Art & Design at U of M with a BFA (while I got my degree {BA} from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts).


How do you stay injury free?

Injury prevention is something I take very seriously (because I know how much not running can suck and don't want to be out for an extended period of time due to something I could have prevented). I do my best to try to listen to my body as much as possible. I am absolutely a Type A person, so if I have something on my training plan I often feel as though I "must" do it, but I know deep down that missing a workout here or there will not make or break my training cycle - but pushing my body when it needs a break may very well be detrimental to my running. Learning to tell the difference between when your body is tired and wants a break vs. when your body is in pain and needs a break is very important.


Every evening I try to remember to foam roll and stretch for at least 10-15 minutes (it's a great way to wind down after the day). I also enjoy Epsom salt baths (I don't know if they do anything for my muscles, but at least they help me take a timeout from the day for 20ish minutes and force me to relax). The hubby and I are lucky enough to have chiropractic treatment covered with our health insurance, so we also try and go to get aligned every other week or so.


If your mom as cool as you?

I'll let you guess who asked this question ;) But, yes, in case anyone else was wondering, my mom is the BEE'S KNEES! She's where I inherited all of my "awesomeness" from ;) #IGetItFromMyMama (And, I've been told I get my stubbornness from my daddy-o... but I can neither confirm nor deny that... Me?! Stubborn?! No way ;) #LikeFatherLikeDaughter)


I'd love to get your perspective on being veggie while training.

First, let me mention that I can't give a perspective on what it's like to train while being a meat-eater, seeing as I've been a vegetarian longer than I've been a runner, so I can't really compare the two personally, but I can at least give my thoughts on being a plant-based athlete. For me, it works perfectly. I've gotten blood tests done since being plant-based [I blogged about a specific wellness testing earlier in the year HERE and have also used Inside Tracker] and I haven't had any strange deficiencies or health related issues due to my diet. I do take a few supplements on a daily basis, but for the most part I receive all my nutrients and vitamins straight from the source (without having an animal as the middle-man...).

Left / Right

Next, I would HIGHLY recommend you give The Game Changers a watch {you can find it on many digital platforms around the world}. It is an extremely well done movie about food, fuel, nutrition, meat, protein, training, recovery, etc. There is a ton of science and data in the movie, but nothing that isn't comprehend-able (yes, maybe I made the word up, but you know what I mean... and that's how the movie is - it explains things in easy to grasp concepts).

Source

And, there you have it, a handful of your questions with my honest to goodness answers. Hopefully you found some of the information interesting. I think this might be a fun series to continue, so as long as people keep supplying the questions, I’ll keep supplying the answers. Leave a question in the comments or reach out any of the social media platforms you follow me on (I should be @CarleeMcDot on all of them) and let me know what you've been dying to know about me.

What answer did you find the most interesting?

No comments: