Cheribundi Ambassador: Runner Toni Church

A Cherry A Day For Running Recovery

by Janine Frank

For one Long Island runner, a lifelong goal is now just a month away. Toni Church is training for the New York City Marathon on November 4th. This will be the first marathon for the 34-year-old mother of two who took up running to get back in shape after her first child was born.

Now 15 years later, Church is ready to take the plunge and attempt one of running's biggest challenges. “As long as I've been running I have wanted to run one marathon and that marathon had to be NYC!” Church says.

To finally get to this point, Church, a hospital nurse, has been reliably and singularly focused on this one objective. And in all those years, her conviction never wavered. “The marathon is the ultimate running goal and I want to do it at least once,” Church says confidently.

Her training regimen consists of two runs a week with a running team called We Are Athletes. They do drills, speed work, core work and devote one of those nights to hill running. Church saves her longer runs for the weekend. “On Saturday or Sunday I do my long runs mostly with people from the team,” Church says. “My weekly mileage lands somewhere between 18 and 28 miles per week.”

Church also tries to do yoga three times a week as well as cross training with a spin bike and an elliptical trainer. She also tries to work in two weight training sessions per week. “I believe for balance and injury prevention you need to have a well-rounded workout routine,” Church says.

Unlike some first time marathon runners, Church is careful not to over-train. “Many of the plans out there have first time marathoners running an enormous amount,” Church explains, “And according to my coach it's a recipe for disaster and injury.” She says it's also important to listen to your body. “If something hurts, don't ignore it because it will only get worse.”

Representin' in her Cheribundi tee at FitBloggin' 2012.

Part of Church's daily routine also includes Cheribundi. She says it's how she ends every workout. “Cheribundi has helped me combat muscle soreness. I love having a [Whey] protein Cheribundi after a tough workout to fuel my muscles and help replenish my energy.” In fact, Church says she also drinks Cheribundi on her rest days. For her it's become a daily habit.

Church understands the struggle between achieving a fit lifestyle and raising a family. “I do my best to spend time with the family every day after work and by incorporating fitness and family time together with bike rides, workouts in the park and healthy activities,” Church says. She admits that the balance is challenging, but knows that her own fitness is essential. “Running has changed my life both physically and emotionally for the better and I couldn't imagine my life without it!”

Cheribundi wishes Toni all the best in her first marathon. May it be the beginning of many! 

Editor's Note: Unfortunately, Toni recently went to the doctor and found out she has a stress fracture. She has to rest it for eight weeks, which means she will not be able to run in the NYC Marathon this year.  But she has Cheribundi to help her recover and she says it's "definitely helping with the recovery." Toni will be back to her training routine once the fracture heals, and she plans to train for another marathon in 2013. Read more from Toni at her blog, Running Loving Living: The Road to My Dreams.

Janine Frank lives in Lafayette, Colorado with her husband, two sons and golden retriever. She writes about fitness, natural products and the great outdoors.

Sample Cheribundi this Weekend!

Where are you shopping this weekend? Come try some Cheribundi!

Tomorrow, Lisa will be at Whole Foods Market in Lake Grove, NY. She'll be there all day so stop in and say hi.

On Saturday, we'll be sampling Cheribundi at Nugget Markets in Vacaville, Eldorado Hills and West Sacramento, CA.

Christa will be at Fairway Market in Woodland park, NJ.

Rob will be at Whole Foods Market Schaumburg in the morning and Whole Foods Market Palatine in the afternoon.

Maria will be sampling at Whole Foods Market Westport, CT, in the afternoon.  We'll also be at Market Streets in Plano and Lubbock.

Sunday, August 12th, Rob will be at Whole Foods Market Northbrook and Maria will be at Whole Foods Market - Milford. Christa will be at Gourmet Garage at 1245 Park at 96th.

I’m Going to Jackson (Wyoming, that is)

Rehearsing, Recording and Running at Altitude

By Bobby McCullough

Despite being home for only five weeks following a two-month tour, I was already leaving NYC again.  

I woke up to see the Challenger space shuttle being ferried by a 747 in the sky over NYC, an event I had been looking forward to all week.  

I, too, had my own flight to make that day, as I would be heading to Jackson for a two-week recording session with Benyaro.

My travels got off to a shaky start after having a heated conversation with a cab driver.  When I arrived at the airport and boarded my plane, the girl next to me got sick multiple times before we even took off!  That only marked the beginning of what would be a very turbulent flight. 

After I landed in Denver for my layover, however, I met and chatted with singer/songwriter Brett Dennen, and since then things have been going better.  

Our recording session is for a new record of cover songs.  This week will be spent arranging, rehearsing and making demos of the songs in preparation for the recording session.  Next week, my good friend Sonny will fly in to be the sound engineer on the project. He and I will move into a house in the nearby ski resort village where the recording will also take place.  

One of the best parts about coming to Jackson is getting to enjoy the Grand Teton Mountains and the surrounding landscape. And what better way to cover some ground than by putting some running shoes on!  

Ben lives close to a community pathway where I usually run—the view is perfect:  the snowy mountains on one side and beautiful plains on the other.  Though I haven’t seen any moose yet on this trip, I did run into some deer on Saturday while on the path.

With Jackson Hole’s elevation being 6200+ ft., it was initially a little more difficult to keep up my usual running pace.  After a few days, however, I didn’t notice too much of a difference.  Also, I have to drink lots more water before and after I run to stay hydrated because of how dry it is.  

With that said, I am excited to be running here in the final weeks before my very first half marathon race!  I know that the more I train in these conditions, the stronger I will feel running on the East Coast, closer to sea level. 

Next week the house we are staying in will be right at the foot of the mountains so I hope to get in some good trail runs and mountain hikes.  Cross your fingers that I get to show Sonny his first Moose!

Bobby McCullough is a touring musician living in NYC, who has recently refocused much of his energy on healthy and happy living. For more information about Benyaro, go to http://benyaro.com.   

Guest Blog—My current recipe for exercise success:

Variation and Rewards

By Bobby McCullough

It was a little over a year ago that I decided to get proactive about my health and integrate exercise into my daily life. As someone who was aiming to be mentally healthier, I recognized that improving my physical health would be a crucial part of the solution.

  

With all the traveling that I do, I initially had concerns about whether I would be able to maintain any kind of exercise schedule.  As it turns out, I found that the inconsistencies in my whereabouts and schedule could actually help keep things interesting!  

First and foremost, I have had some of the most amazingly scenic runs while on the road: on the trails of Redwood National Forest, in the mountains of Colorado and through the urban landscapes of cities like San Francisco and Seattle.  

When I toured last summer, I also used running as a way to explore the small towns that we tour through.  I would wake up early on Saturdays to shop at the local farmers markets or I would find some interesting local stores I wanted to visit and base my run around them.  I also get to visit so many different gyms and yoga studios, the change of atmosphere is something I now look forward to.  

On this past tour with Benyaro, I went to about 15-20 different yoga studios, took a variety of types of classes and practiced with all kinds of people.  With all these variables, exercising on the road becomes more fun and interesting.  Also, between meeting people after the band’s performances and meeting people the next day at markets, stores and yoga classes, I feel like I haven’t just seen a town but have been able to get small sense of the community there.

The other focus that has kept me going for the last year is creating rewards for myself.  The first thing I focused on was how great it felt after exercising in the morning and feeling like I had earned my breakfast.  

When I first started, my goal was just to “do something” before breakfast—simple.  Whether it was a short jog, some weightlifting or a yoga class, I would find something to do before I ate breakfast.  

I love feeling like I have earned my food that day and also enjoy the feeling of actually being hungry, not just eating out of habit. Also, if I exercise at some point during the day, I feel like I can go out and not have to be as cautious about how much I eat or if I have too much dessert, because I have earned it.  I’ve found that it’s amazing how much you can eat when you exercise regularly!  

Focusing on rewarding myself enjoying the rewards that naturally come from exercising are what fuel my motivation to keep moving.

Bobby McCullough is a touring musician living in NYC, who has recently refocused much of his energy on healthy and happy living.