I'm a Runner: Alanis Morissette
The rock star talks about her un-rock 'n' roll lifestyle while training for her first marathon.
By Dana Meltzer Zepeda
Image by Jim Wright
From the January 2010 issue of Runner's World
Occupation: Singer/Actress
Age: 35
Residence: Los Angeles
Tell me about the marathon you're doing.
I've been doing a lot of different cross-training and kickboxing and Capoeira and kite surfing, and I've just really been back to what I consider my original athletic self. And while I was doing that, I just felt in such great form that I had always wanted to do a marathon. I've done a few triathlons over the years and just thought it was time to do a marathon. I don't think I would have been able to commit to the training unless it was infused with some sort of service. If my star of Bethlehem is some sort of service, then I feel like I can push through some of the more difficult moments. I decided to do it on behalf of the National Eating Disorders Association. I think there is no better way to invite a human being to view their body differently than by inviting them to be an athlete, by revering one's body as an instrument rather than just an ornament. It's a really great way to reorient how you see your body so you can see it as this incredible, awe-inspiring machine that you need to fuel well in order for it to function.
Are you raising money for the charity? Are you getting sponsors?
I'm just raising awareness. I'll be putting a link up on my site and, to whatever degree people want to contribute, I'll invite them to do so. But just really raising awareness, not unlike what you and I are doing right now. I've just always felt it's an incredibly empowering thing, particularly for young women, to capitalize on their coordination and their strength. It's a very empowering thing to feel strong in your body.
What's the name of the marathon you're training for?
It's the Bizz Johnson Marathon. It's about an hour outside of San Francisco. It's a trail run. My twin brother [Wade] and I actually decided we wanted to do it in the same week, which is not very unusual for us because we're very telepathic. We definitely have that twin thing. Within five days of each other, we both sent e-mails to each other saying, "Let's do a marathon together." He's 12 minutes older than me and apparently we're doing a marathon together. We literally hadn't spoken about it once any other time so we just cracked up at that. He did some research. We were investigating the Big Sur Marathon. That's one of my favorite places on the planet. But then he found the Bizz Johnson one, and he said he really wanted to do one that's not on concrete. So I, of course, jumped at the thought of being a little gentler on the knees.
How does training for the marathon compare to the triathlons you've done in the past?
Really, distinguishing what stamina means versus endurance. It's really about how I feel in my head and seeing the ebbs and flows of energy levels and how food directly affects my strength or sleep. With the triathlon, the smaller versions of what I was doing, I could barrel through it regardless of what my state was on any given day. For the marathon training, especially some of the longer runs—I have a 14-mile run to do tomorrow—I have to take that into consideration a good 48 hours in advance. I have to make sure I get enough sleep. I have to make sure that I'm eating properly. It's just a larger scope for me.
I read you became a vegan last year for health reasons. Are you still a vegan?
I'm about 90 percent vegan. I think veganism is really well suited for training, at least for me anyway.
How so?
There's cleanliness to how I eat now. I'm much more in tune with my body, so now that I'm so in tune based on having become a semivegan, I can tell what foods affect energy levels. I can tell when I've been eating particularly high nutrient foods or I can tell when my glycemic levels are all over the place. The detox and veganism really allowed me to tune into the subtleties of how food affects my body. It's really helped for training especially. I feel like I'm a mad scientist.
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