Category Archives: Running

Shoes and Toenails

Daily Life!, Running, , , , ,

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Sorry, the post title just sounds a little gross. But these two things have just been on my mind today: shoes and toenails.

First off, if you are a distance runner and have ever trained for a half or full marathon (or anything longer!), you’ll probably find this article hilarious and completely relatable:
http://www.more.com/health/fitness/yuck-marathon-trainings-10-grossest-things

I can completely relate to numbers 1, 2, 7, and 10. It’s amazing the issues you run into when you go running for longer than 90 minutes. I swear, every time I hit 10ish miles or 90 minutes into a long run, my body starts rebelling. Chaffing will start making it’s presence known; my tummy might start to get upset from having nothing in it but Gu’s; and my sore toe will start reminding me that it’s still there.

About a month after my first 10K is when I started seriously training for my first half-marathon. This is when my first toenail incident occurred, and I ended up losing the nail on my second toe on my right foot. I now know it was because my shoes were too small. Months of running + a missing toenail has made me realize that running shoes should always be bought a 1/2 size larger than your normal size.

I thought I had it all figured out. But then the week after my half marathon, I noticed that the SAME toe (that finally had a thin nail growing back!) was sore and turning purple underneath the nail again! What the crap?! I thought I had done everything right. I had size 7 shoes instead of 6.5. I had on nice wool, sweat-wicking socks. I had my nails trimmed short. But nope….still happened. Again. Great… Now I just have to wait for the sad, thin nail to fall off and grow out. With my luck, it will happen just in time for flip-flop season! 😦
toenailShould I get that for my car along with my 26.2 sticker that I will earn in March? Oh well…toenails are overrated. Guess I’ll just be picking my shoes a little more carefully during the next few months as the temperatures (hopefully!) start rising. I usually like my feet and enjoy wearing sandals/flip flops. But looks like I’ll be singing a different tune this summer!

New Running Shoes

Soooo, in hopes of preserving all my other toenails through my marathon and the summer months, I know I need another pair of shoes! Right now, I’m relying heavily on 1 pair and using another pair for shorter runs or trips to the gym. I love my first pair of good running shoes, Brooks Ravenna 4s, but I bought them in my normal shoe size instead of a bit larger, so I can’t use them for my long runs or race. This is why new shoes are necessary. 🙂

Right now I’m wearing these:

2318994-p-MULTIVIEWThe Saucony Cohesion 6 and I really like them. I want something similar but with just a little more support in the heel. My Brooks are nice and thick in the heel, and I love them for it! The hunt is on…and I’ve found that it’s a pretty good time to do shoe shopping in the running world. Companies release their new shoes at the beginning of the year, so the older (last season) shoes go on sale. Woot! I need to find something quick and get them broken in before Little Rock. I’m sorry, credit card, but it’s for the good of everyone. Nice, new shoes will keep my feet happy and will keep everyone else from having to see all my toenail-less toes this summer. 🙂

Other than pondering new shoes and toenail issues, my day has been fairly normal. It kept snowing overnight, so my morning run and commute to work were interesting. My run was slippery and cold. It was still coming down at 5 a.m., so it was like running in a dark snowglobe. I also had one guy driving a large truck stop and yell at me as I was running on the opposite side of the road from him: “Hey dumba**, you shouldn’t be wearing all black!” I proceeded to keep on running in the opposite direction as I flipped him the bird. I had on a neon long sleeve top, neon shoes, and a neon ear warmer with my black (and reflective!) puffer vest on top. And I was nowhere in your way. Sorry for wearing ‘all black’, but I can’t help it that you are obviously an idiot who just so happens to be colorblind as well. 😉  People like that need to spend just ONE day in the shoes of a runner. I doubt he could keep up with me for even 5 minutes! (and yes, I am still angry about the dumba** comment, can you tell?!)

Tonight Nick and I will be home together, so we may venture out to the gym for a bit. I only got in 6.2 miles this morning, so a couple more treadmill miles won’t hurt. Plus I love people watching at the gym in the evenings. There are some crazy characters that show up for some of the evening classes!

Hope you all have a great night, and let’s keep our fingers crossed for no more snow!

20 Miles & Super Bowl Jazzercise

Daily Life!, Recipes, Running, , , ,

Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying the weekend. The weather has gone from rainy to snowy here, but it’s nothing us Missourians can’t handle!

20 Miles and Cookies

Yesterday morning started with my long run. I peeked out my window to see if the rain was too much to handle. It looked barely drizzly, so I bundled up in my normal running attire + my running rain jacket. I was determined to get this 20-miler out of the way if at all possible!

The first 4 miles were terrible. I really thought I was going to turn around and go home. It almost immediately started raining a little harder when I stepped outside, and the 40 degree temps made the rain pretty miserable! By the time I made my first 4 mile loop (my usual starting point), the sun was starting to come up and it made me hopeful the rain would pass.

Well I was wrong. It didn’t pass. And I ran in the drizzle with spurts of heavier rain for over 3 hours. 3 freakin’ hours. Holy moly. I stopped at 14 miles, or around the 2 hour mark, for a pit stop and a change of dry clothes. I didn’t realize how wet I was until I changed. My running tights were dripping like I had just jumped in a pool! The dry clothes felt amazing and it made my last hour and 6 miles much more manageable. I was tired and my mind was hazy, but my booty was dry and that’s what I needed at the time! Mile 18-20 were my fastest on my splits, and I chalk this up to my pit stop.

20140202-160851.jpgThis run was painful and mentally challenging. But it makes me so hopeful that I can make it through my marathon without a hitch. Usually people hit ‘the wall’ right around mile 20, but if I keep up my water and fueling, I know I can do it! Bring it on, Little Rock!!

After those 20 miles, I was obviously a little low on calories for the day. I only had Gu’s and water in my tummy. Nick was sweet enough to take me out for a nice lunch (where I ate a burger the size of my face!). When we arrived home, I was still hungry and needed sugar. Peanut butter cookies were calling my name!

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Yum!! And so simple. I combined 2 cups creamy, reduced fat peanut butter, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, and a large handful of mini chocolate chips to make these babies. Easy peasy!

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Stir them all up, roll into balls, and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. As soon as you take them out, smash them down a little with a spoon. Otherwise they will stay in the nice ball shape. 🙂

I’ve eaten over half of these babies and even took a few to Jazzercise this morning. My students didn’t mind!

And speaking of Jazzercise, I put together a Super Bowl themed song set for this morning’s class to put everyone in the mood for the big game tonight. The songs ranged from Bruno Mars classics (tonight’s halftime performer!), to songs that seem appropriate for a pep rally, to songs that include moves that are footballesque.

Some of my favorites from this morning included Push and Shove by No Doubt, Work hard Play Hard by David Guetta, Work Work by Britney Spears, and Undefeated by Jason Derulo. It was a fun class! I tried to make every song somewhat relatable to the game tonight. I’m not a football fan, but themed class sets always make things more fun. We may have to keep the football set going all week!

The evening classes today combined for a Jazzercise Plus class at 1 pm. Jazzercise Plus is a 90 minute class usually used for special occasions. It looks like those ladies had a great time! If my quads would have allowed it, I would have gone for an extra workout today. My legs just cannot stand the thought of getting off this couch after my 20 miles though!

After my class this morning, I rushed around to get some groceries before the snow started. I also wanted to get this baby in the Crockpot.

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This 8 pound turkey breast caused me some grief this morning, but I’m happy to say that it is now cooperating.

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I couldn’t get the lid to fit. My turkey was too big! I covered it up with foil the best I could, but I was happy this afternoon when it finally cooked down enough to let the lid sit all the way down like it should. 🙂 We’re going to have quite the little Super Bowl feast tonight! I can’t wait! And FYI, it’s no special occasion for the turkey. I just decided to cook it since it’s been taking up precious real estate in my tiny freezer for over 2 months now!

Have a great night everyone! Enjoy the game and some chips and queso. It’s just not the Super Bowl without some unhealthy snacks. See ya later!

To Split or Not to Split?

Daily Life!, Food for Thought, Running, , , , ,

Happy Friday everyone! I’m so ready for the weekend. It’s been gloomy and rainy here, but I don’t even care. The weather won’t drag down my spirits before Superbowl weekend!!

But before I start rambling, look at this super attractive photo my coworker took of me this morning!

IMG_3196We have a new glass panel in our office that is perfect for standing behind and drawing funny faces on people. So that’s what we did for a good chunk of the morning. Don’t judge. It’s Friday.

So yesterday I started pondering my running plans for the weekend… I checked my Little Rock marathon training schedule to make sure I wasn’t crazy. 20 Miles. 20. Miles. Holy cow. That one’s gonna hurt. I decided a mini carbload could only help the situation, so I started today with brown rice and Greek yogurt.

IMG_3192Does anyone else like their rice hot with milk, cinnamon and sugar? Nick thinks I’m absolutely insane when I put this concoction together, but it’s a total comfort food that my mom used to make for us with leftover rice. He believes rice is meant to only be salty/savory. And I feel it can awesome sweet or salty. 🙂

Then for lunch I had some tortilla chips and cottage cheese followed by an open-faced bagel sandwich.

IMG_3194Disregard the cheese….I was craving it and decided the one piece would be worth the pain. So far so good. 🙂  I had half a bagel leftover from carb loading last week, so I microwaved it with some chicken deli meat + Gouda cheese. It was delish!

To Split or Not to Split?

With my long runs for the next 2 weeks being so long, right at or exceeding 3 hours, I started wondering if this is really good for me. And is it really necessary to do it all at once? Well Google only confused me on the subject of splitting up long runs (darn those other running blogs!), but I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to shoot to do it all at once. BUT, if I have to split it up due to social events, weather, etc, it won’t be the end of the world. Many people mentioned that running longer than 3 hours can set you up for more injuries and will take longer to recuperate before your next run.

I was happy to hear this as we are forecasted to have lots of rain tonight and into tomorrow morning that could mess up my 3 hour running plan. You’re thinking – just run after it stops?! Right?! I know. But I’m so OCD about when and where I run. I want to get out early while it’s still dark. I want to run on some roads that get too busy later in the day. And I just want to the rain to go away so I can do these things on Saturday morning! But you’re right. I could just wait it out as the rain is supposed to subside late morning. And Sunday is always an option as well – working around Jazzercise and the Super Bowl, of course!

So the main point of these ramblings? I realize I need to be flexible with my weekend training schedule. And if my run has to be split into 2 sessions, then that’s okay too!  And just to throw in one more curveball…we have lots of snow in the forecast for next week! Holy smokes!

Superbowl Plans

Do you guys have any? Nick and I are being little hermits this year and decided to party it up at home with Mac for the Super Bowl. We’re awesome….we know. 🙂

I’m a horrible sports fan. I rarely even know the teams that are playing in these major games, unless it’s a team from Missouri of course! But I’m the sucker that still gives into the ‘hype’ of the game. I will watch the pregame show, the puppy bowl, the whole game, commercials, and the half-time show. And I will eat chicken wings and chips and be excited for whichever team wins. And I will go back to not really caring Monday morning. Nothing against the game or sport – I’m just not that attached to it!

If you do have plans, I hope you have tons of fun! Have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you all soon!