Running with all the 'real' runners out there

This is from four weeks ago:

Sometimes, things just work out. I was supposed to be working on a qualifying exam all weekend but my teacher decided to give us some extra time.

So, this weekend for the first time since the EAS 10miler, I got the chance to really run. These past few weeks I've been holding back. I've had to try to conserve energy to work for the rest of the day and also I haven't been eating well.

What I did:
breakfast: smoothie with fruit and protein powder. Waffle. Coffee. 16 oz of water.
three gu packets during the run
3 cones of water per water stop (got a bit much and ran the last few miles with a side stitch)

It was great, I got really sick of running with two miles to go and started speeding up. Something I've never quite done. I was feeling strong but I felt like I could sustain it.

Then....

with half a mile to go, I sprained my leg. But I was trying to make my goal so I tried to keep running on it. I finally stopped after cussing like a mad woman (a hold over from my VT days, when being injured warranted lots of @#$*s) and scaring the bejesus out of two women on the trail. I stopped, walked and tried not to kick myself with the leg that still could. Fortunately, It wasn't bad and I eventually ran the last quarter of a mile.

The ankle got lots of rest since the next week was spent frantically trying to finish the qualifying exam before the trip to portland. Trip was great. We got to run once in that entire 10 day period. Once. we did walk everywhere though. And I mean everywhere!

Sometimes you feel like a runner

and sometimes you don't.

Went for my long run Sunday instead of Saturday. It was supposed to be relatively short 7 miles and I was running by myself. I was looking forward to it but at the same time it didn't seem right to take time out to run while I'm struggling to finish this semester.
I still went to the trail.
Well, I got shin splints in the first mile. Not sure what caused this. I also had an odd pounding headache and fuzzy contacts.
This year as with the last, I lost the enjoyment I get from running around this time. I've been thinking about what might be causing this and I think it is the end of the semester stuff that just gets me down. I'm not getting good sleep. My allergies are starting to act up. I'm stressed because of qualifying exams. Essentially, school is interfering with my extracurricular activities.
Update: ran around the neighbourhood and got shin splints again. I think I need more arch support with the Sauconys I'm using.

Cats

Our neighbour's cat is trying to adopt us. He just sits in the back door and stares in. He's a cute one.
He was there when I left for a run yesterday and still there when I got back. It started one night when I cooked salmon...
Also, my cat will (without fail) want love when I stretch. For some reason he thinks it's perfectly acceptable for me to scratch his ears when I'm in downward dog or triangle.
And lastly, I really like chasing cats when I'm out running. It's really fun to watch them freeze initially when they see me 'charge' and then take off themselves.

good times...

Sugar!

ta ta ta ta ta
oh honey honey.
(I used to love that song)

I've been monitoring my sugar intake lately since it seems like I'm particularly drawn to it. My nutritionist noticed that I tend to eat a little bit of something sugary almost everyday. So for the past two weeks, I've been trying to avoid it and also pay attention to cravings.

Things were going quite well until yesterday.
I had to leave home in a hurry so I grabbed a third of a nature's path bar as a snack (these are fairly balanced bars so I thought it wouldn't be too bad on my sugar levels). Last night though, I was craving something sweet so badly that I ate 1.5 hermit cookies. That in and of itself isn't too bad (they were newman's own) BUT...
I ate the half first and then instead of eating the remaining half, I actually ate a whole other (or for those of you that prefer: a whole nother) cookie! Then I caught myself wanting that half that was left in there.

Today was similar. I had a kashi frozen meal for lunch (sweet and sour chicken). It didn't occur to me that the entree was so sugary I could hear my taste buds singing their special sugar song. So for a snack this afternoon, I had pistachio nuts (good job G!) and 2 nutter butters (aw, and you were doing so well... sad face)

Now I have what I think is a sugar headache. Woe is me.

So here are the pressing questions:
I am quite hyper after I come back from my long runs. Could that be because of the 1-3 gel packets I consume? 100 calories of various sugars per packet. Hmmm.

Also, I eat like a mad woman over the weekend. Sure, saturdays are going to be a food fest since I run for hours at a time but its not just food but food like cookies and white chocolate mochas that I want. Then I get one because, you know, I worked for it. Then I want more. So I get something else on sunday because, you know, I'll work it off.

But that's the problem. I will work it off. But what about the gigantic arse on me that I am still trying to work off in the first place?

Long run 12/1

13 miles at 6 am with Jessica. For some reason, the 7 year old impatient me was around and by mile 6 I was ready to be done. I had the hardest time keeping the motivation going. Having Jessica around made all the difference. On my own, I would have gone home after 7 (probably angry and disappointed in myself). Slept like a mad woman the rest of the day. Also in full on crunch mode for the next two weeks so the blog posts are going to be as incoherent as this one is.

Fun for me and fun for you.