Purple [Dino]Sore Toe

For the past week or more, I’ve been having problems with my left big toe. Every since Friday’s long run, my toe has been as purple as the shirt I wore on my run this morning:

I think that my toenail is ingrown, and unfortunately now infected. It hurts A LOT when I run, and if I touch area around the nail. I’m heading to the doctor at 1:00pm to make sure that running isn’t going to cause gangrene or something, and possibly get it taken care of. I would hate for a stupid piece of nail to affect my marathon training!!

 

I decided to get in a good “last run” in case they have to surgically remove my toenail (which Jason had to have done, and was off his foot for two weeks!!) Gaaah!

I had a 7.0 miler on my marathon training plan, and there was no way I was letting it pass me by. I like to think I’m hardcore. 😉

Mile Stats:

• Mile 1: 9:30 (warm-up)
• Mile 2: 9:00
• Mile 3: 8:47
• Mile 4: 8:42
• Mile 5: 8:46
• Mile 6: 8:47
• Mile 7: 8:36

Woo hoo! I finished with an average pace of 8:52 min/mile! If my toe falls off, I will die happy after that run. Ok… just kidding.

 

Breakfast

I was extremely hungry after my run, even though I had half a CLIF bar moments before I walked out the door.

Cereal and yogurt sounded refreshing, so that’s what I made!

My bowl included:

• small container vanilla Oikos yogurt
• 1/2 cup Kashi go Lean
• 1/2 cup Kashi heart to heart cereal
• banana
• 1 TBL flax

  

YUM!

 

Ok, wish me luck!

I have another exam tonight, and the Doctor’s appointment. I am crossing my fingers that there is something they can do for my toe that won’t keep me from marathon training. I’m half way there!

❤ MegaNerd

One Word

Caffeine:

Cereal:

Snackage:

Lunch:

Studying!

 

❤ MegaNerd

Busy and Unmotivated

I’ve been a busy bee since I last posted!

Yesterday afternoon, my sister and I worked on our Halloween costumes. It took up a good chunk of the afternoon, and before I knew it, it was time for class!

I struggled to come up with something to eat, since it was about 3:30 when I had to make dinner. I made a bunch of pasta so that Brielle and JasoNerd would have plenty when they were ready to eat (I have to eat at school since I have class from 4:30-10:30).

 

My pasta included:

• Penne pasta
• white beans
• broccoli (steamed)
• marinara sauce
• parmesan cheese

I have to eat my dinners cold, which is getting so old! I also have to break it into two parts, since I have two ten minute breaks. I can’t wait to be on a normal schedule again!

By the time I got home, it was almost 11:00 and I was wiped! I knew that I had a 6.0 mile run on the marathon training plan and I was feeling VERY unmotivated to set the alarm and wake up to run. I immediately texted Caitlin to see if she would run with me!

I met at her apartment, and we ran a total of 6.0 miles. We took a few walking breaks, but still managed to run in just over an hour.

 

When I am feeling unmotivated to get out and run, I’ve found that it helps to:

• Run with a friend– This is especially great if you have a lot to chat about!
• Change the scenery- I like to run somewhere different than usual.
• Download new music onto your ipod, listening to the same stuff tends to get boring
• Think about the run in smaller chunks– Today I thought about running two 3.0 mile runs, out and back. It made the time pass faster.

 

What are your tricks for motivating yourself, when you just don’t feel like exercising?

Before I left, I fueled up with a piece of Almond Butter and Organic Jelly toast. Normally I wouldn’t need such a big snack, but I had not eaten anything since dinner, which was 14 hours prior!

By the time I got home, I was pretty hungry. I made a big yogurt bowl!

My bowl included:

• container of Stonyfield Black Cherry yogurt
• 1/2 cup granola
• banana

YUM!!

 

I have a LOT to get done today!!! It’s already 11:00 am and I haven’t even showered. Must get on that.

❤ MegaNerd

My Longest Run Yet: 15 Miles!

Aaaah! I did it!

That’s my super excited face.

I ran 15.0 Miles this morning, setting a new PDR (personal distance record). 😀

HOLLER! (I forgot to stop the watch when I started walking, so the numbers are a bit off.)

Before I left the apartment, I fueled up with a half honey bagel with PB.

I met Kelly at 5:30 am for our usual Friday run. It was nice to have her with me to keep me occupied for the first 7.0 miles. We walked for a minute or so at the end because I had to go to the bathroom, like REALLY bad. Kelly drove me 1.3 miles to my car, I hoped out, ran to my apartment, went to the bathroom, and ran back out the door. I did all of this is 5 minutes and 36 seconds. Speedy pit stop 😀

I finished the remaining 8.0 miles on my own. I really didn’t know if I could do it! I have never run that far, and never more than 8.0 miles on my own! I actually ran faster by myself, because I was already warmed up, had nobody to talk to, and just wanted to get it over with!

Mentally, I broke the run up into little chunks. First 7.0 miles with Kelly, only 3 more miles to a shot block, only 3 more miles to the next, only 1.5 miles to fill up my water bottle, etc.

Dark cherry Shotbloks: Miles 7,10, and 13.

Run Stats:

• Distance: 15.0 miles !!!
• Time: 2:32
• Average Pace: 10:10 (a little off because I forgot to stop it, close enough!)
• Average Heart Rate: 163 bpm

I’m so proud! A few years ago, I couldn’t run 1.0 mile. Hard work pays off, you just have to really want it!

   

When I got home, I wasn’t that hungry but KNEW that I needed to eat something. It didn’t take much effort to decide:

My yogurt mess contained:

• 1 container Vanilla Stonyfield yogurt
• 1/2 cup Kashi go Lean cereal
• 1/2 cup Bear Naked chocolate granola (yup… 270 calories worth!)
• banana
• strawberries… which I got tired of cutting!

 

It tastes better once it’s all jumbled up!

Next item on the list?

ICE BATH!… dun dun dun…

Trust me, it was cold. Twenty pounds of ice later…

Haha. Yep. It hurt. I’ve done it a couple of times before, so I was prepped for pain.

I wore a fleece hoodie to stay “warm”.

My legs were sore all over. I figured dunking them in ice was faster than individually icing each area. Once I was all the way in, they went slightly numb feeling and then it wasn’t bad at all.

I brought along a watch to time myself for 15 minutes…

…and a cup of hot pear tea!

   

…and of course, Runners’ World magazine, and my camera for entertainment.

Check out those chill bumps…

 

I never thought I would ACTUALLY be training for a marathon. For the past three years, I have been training for 5k-half marathon distances. Not until today have I actually felt like I was MARATHON TRAINING! Now that my long runs are exceeding half marathon distance, it feels for real.

Disney Marathon… here I come!

❤ MegaNerd

Love Your Body Day (A Day Late)

Good morning! I can’t believe it’s Thursday already.

This morning on my run I was really appreciating my body. I rarely think bad thoughts about it, but I also never think about how much it can do! I had just read Taylor’s Letter to her body and I felt like I could have written it to myself!

It really made me think.

Loving your body isn’t just about loving what you physically look like. It’s about appreciating your senses, like smelling fresh baked cookies, or being able to see the sunrise. It’s about being thankful for the ability to smile, laugh, cry, and love. It’s about loving your legs for carrying you through a marathon, or loving your hips for carrying a child.

We only have one body in this life, it’s important to take care of it and love it!

I know that I’m a day late, since yesterday was Love your body day.

What do you love about your body?

For me, loving my body also means appreciating my brain. I doubt my mental capabilities more than anything else in my life. Especially with the FE exam on Saturday, I need to be confident in my abilities. I need to remind myself that I can do it!

Breakfast

After my 3.0 mile easy run, I heated up some leftover pumpkin pancakes.

This batch made a TON, so I froze the extras for quick weekday breakfasts.

Warmed in the microwave, topped with syrup and a banana. Yum!

Don’t forget to love your body (or brain) today!!!

❤ MegaNerd

Late Start

Sorry for the delay in posting.I didn’t get home from class until 11:00 pm, and I let myself sleep in!

I woke up around 8:30 this morning, and felt really sluggish. It took me an HOUR to get out the door for my run! I really didn’t feel like running this morning, which was shocking, considering the past two runs I have been super excited about!

I saw 6.0 miles on the marathon training plan and got a little freaked out. Why? I don’t really know. I told myself just to get out there and run at any pace that felt comfortable. I think that worked for me, because basically I was lazy and didn’t feel like pushing it this morning. I ended up completing 6.25 miles in a little over an hour, because I walked a bit (and didn’t stop the watch).

Before I left, I had half a blueberry crisp CLIF bar. I swear it tastes like a Blueberry Muffin!

I am just now eating breakfast! (Yes, it’s really 11:00 am).

I used up the last of my Kashi H2H cereal, which was probably two servings, plus a banana, and fat free milk.

Yesterday…

After lunch, I worked on a project for school, and munched on pretzels and PB straight from the bag. My appetite is still pretty low, so I didn’t worry about eating the whole bag or anything. I love this snack!

I was SERIOUSLY dragging yesterday. Waking up for a 7:30 am class… and then having to go to class again from 4:30-10:20pm is painful. I stopped for some caffeine!

Pumpkin Spice Latte! It’s basically a nonfat latte, with one pump pumpkin spice, no whip cream. The real thing is SO sweet, and adds like 200 extra calories. Not necessary at all.

I packed two leftover tacos for dinner, which I had to eat cold. They got a little soggy, but it was better than paying $$$$ for food on campus.

I made them before I left:

• soft taco shells
• black beans
• pepper jack cheese
• green bell pepper
• tomato

I wrapped them individually to make it easier to eat and walk.

When I got home, I needed a little snack. I cut up an apple, sprinkled with cinnamon, and microwaved it for 30 seconds. Delicious!

Ok, It’s almost 11:30 am. I need to get my day started!!!

❤ MegaNerd

Studying on Saturday

The last five or six Saturday’s of my life have been either

a. FE Review class 8am-5pm

OR

b. Early morning race and THEN class until 5pm

 

Today was no different. I then continued my long day by spending another four hours studying for my Thermo test. MY LIFE = Studying.

When will my life be normal?!?

I am studied out! Honestly though, my grades stink worse then my trash can. I NEED to do well on these tests… my future (aka graduating, getting out of massive debt, and moving away with Jason) depends on it!

Sorry, I needed to vent!

 

Now onto what you REALLY want to read about… FOOD!

I started my morning off with a bowl mug of Oatmeal. It’s easier to take it on the go this way.

It had the usual… with banana and almond butter.

Jason ate my leftover sushi, which was disappointing, but I decided to make sushi wraps!

I basically took a whole wheat wrap, spread a decent amount of sundried tomato hummus, added deli meat, and sprouts. Then, I wrapped it up, and cut into cute little bite sized pieces!

I packed the “sushi” with 2 carrots and extra hummus:

I like to have mini-meals when I’m at school, so I also packed a cut up honey crisp apple…

… and a pumpkin pie Kashi bar. These things taste like dessert, but are actually pretty healthy!

Time to wrap this post up! I’ll finish up the day’s eats in the morning. You will have to wait in suspense until then. I made a very “fall” meal, and had a “glo”-ing dessert! 😀

❤ MegaNerd