Posts Tagged by Injuries
Injured…again?!
| December 6, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Injuries |
Yup, story of my LIFE! Aaaand guess what it is? My favourite injury…
If you didn’t know, I struggled with shin splints for about 6 months earlier this year, and it caused me to have to take a total of 3 months fully off running and drop out of two half marathons. Not fun!
The irony is that it’s not ‘back’…it’s in the other leg now!
Now it’s on the inside right leg, which is common when you start running on the track a lot because that’s the leg you run the bends on.
The reason for it is simple, and to be honest I could almost see it coming. Some statistics say as many as a third of competitive runners develop shin splints around this time, because you return to the track (hard surface) and start speedwork again. And until recently, I hadn’t done any sprints, or trained on the track regularly, but my training has been ramped up in both these areas over the past few weeks.
I started noticing it on Thursday on the track session, and then it returned with a vengeance on Saturday at the race! It was hurting during the warm-up, and I told my coach that. He told me to run the race, but if it felt like it was getting worse, pull out.
Can you spot me? I’m second from the right. My start was just as bad as usual, but this time because I was chatting to the girl behind me when the gun suddenly went off, no warning!
I was in a medal position when I pulled out. I was doing better than I have done so far in any race this year, and I was feeling strong. But my shin was not, and dropping out then was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. The whole rest of the day, I looked back and regretted it, wishing I’d pushed on to the end and hopefully left with a medal. But now, I definitely see that it was the best thing to do, even though at the time I was crying like a baby! 
The interesting thing was that when I went to the first aid tent, the physio on hand said I did not have shin splints, but that I’d strained my gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (calf muscles):
But when I went to my physio yesterday for a sports massage (which, by the way, is the most painful thing EVER!), she confirmed that it was shin splints. So if in doubt about your injury, get a second opinion! Apparently my calf muscles were so tight because I haven’t been holding my stretches for long enough (it has to be at least 30 seconds to be effective), which is why it was misdiagnosed.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I have mild shin splints in the other leg, and I can still train through it at the moment as long as I am careful not to make it worse, and am diligent with my stretching+strengthening exercises. So at the moment, I’m trying not to overthink it and just being sensible with prioritising recovery and listening to my body as much as possible 
Well nothing cheers me up like Christmas! I spent the rest of the weekend putting up the Christmas decorations with my family. Tree assembling in action…
We use an artificial tree because my dog doesn’t get along with pine needles. Or Santa hats for that matter…
He was not happy about that!
I am in charge of decorations on the tree, which is why there is one on almost every branch, and why 90% of them are candy canes.
You should’ve seen the year I was in charge of tinsel. Rainbow sparkly tinsel covered every branch. My momma practically had a heart attack when she saw it haha!
Trust me, all of them will be gone by next week 
I’m making my favourite gingerbread cookies to go on the tree tomorrow! It’s one of my favourite traditions
I’ll be back tomorrow with a What I Ate Wednesday!
What’s the worst injury you’ve ever suffered? Shin splints. 3 months off running in total, and they still came and went repeatedly! But this time it’s pretty mild at the moment, and I’m determined not to let it get any worse!
When do you put your Christmas decorations up? Ours go up in the first weekend of December.
What is your favourite Christmas tradition? Oh man, I’ve got so many! When I was younger, my brother and I had a tradition of formulating a plan to catch Santa, but every year we’d end up falling asleep instead!
I hope you’re having a great week friends! <3
P.S. Thank you SO MUCH for all the amazing feedback on my binge eating post! Your comments and emails mean so much to me!
Tempo-Racing & Homemade Luna Bars
| October 29, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Recipes, Running Talk |
Happy WEEKEND guys! I hope you’ve all had a great week! I’m sorry about the erratic posting this week, but I’m back to my usual routine next week, so hopefully it should be all back to normal then:)
I am RACING again tomorrow, yaay! Actually, correction, I am tempo-running tomorrow’s race. I went to see the sports doc again today about my injury, and it is improving, but he is worried that I am working too hard in the short amounts of running that I am doing, and that this could set me back in my recovery. He is right, and I can see that. Although I’ve only been running twice a week normally for short periods of time, and usually on grass, it has still been hard efforts. Although I AM getting better, I want to continue to move forwards! I don’t mind too much, because tomorrow isn’t the most important race of the season, so I really will be squat-jogging up the hills this week, just like at the last race 
So I need to keep this race, and the next few runs, easy-ish, and then we will assess how I am doing and if I can go back to running properly again! I can’t WAIT! 
I am still excited about tomorrow, despite the ‘tempo-run’ effort! I have let my coach know so he won’t be screaming “POWER UP THOSE HILLS!” at me this time hopefully! 
I love running as a team, and hopefully we will still place highly without me giving it my all. Regardless, next week is the big one: National XC Relays!!
Bring. It. On. And HEAL QUICKLY RIGHT TIBIA!!
I was sad this morning because it was my last week of working in a hospital. No more talking to patients. No more stealing borrowing cool latex gloves. No more NHS staff discount. Sad face:
But on the upside no more crazy hours means I can reunite with my hairbrush again. It was an early start in my defence, and breakfast > appearance.
Goodbye awesome salad bar.
But again, the lack of crazy hours means I have *slightly* more leisure time! So basically watching more Gilmore Girls and baking…and CORE WORKOUTS AND STRETCHING (in case my sports doc is reading this ). I got straight down to the baking side of things tonight:
I am a HUGE bar fan. Not that you knew that already or anything… 
Those were all demolished in a month and a half.
Problem is, it is an EXPENSIVE addiction! So when I can, I try to make my own. And when I saw this recipe for Homemade Luna Bars (one of my faves!) on Katie’s blog, I knew I HAD to make them! So I did, with a few changes…
Homemade Luna Bars (Adapted from CCK’s recipe)
Vegan, can be gluten-free
- 2 cups rice crispies (I used brown rice crispies)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup peanut flour + 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup (or agave)
- 3 T protein powder
- 200g/7oz melted chocolate or chocolate chips
- Mix the peanut flour with the water until smooth. Add the brown rice syrup, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the rice crispies, oats, and protein powder. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and stir very well.
- Line a pan with non-stick baking paper and spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Place a sheet of the paper on top of the mixture, then press down as firmly as you can. Spread the melted chocolate on top, and freeze for at least a half hour before slicing. It can then be stored in a n airtight container at room temperature for at least 5 days. ENJOY!!
I LOVE these! I’ve wrapped them up individually so I can grab them on the go 
Anyway, I’m off to eat my pre-race dinner…
Wholewheat noodles in soy sauce, teriyaki tofu, and carrots
…and then get an early night!! Or, more likely, spend more time on Pinterest. I am addicted. It is great for motivation though!
I will be remembering that one tomorrow
Have you got any races coming up? I have XC races most weeks from now until December! Crazy!!
What is your favourite Luna bar flavour? I think Peanut Butter Cookie!
Have you got any favourite running or general quotes? So many! “When your legs get tired, run with your heart” is one of my faves, and also “Pain is temporary, Pride is forever”.
Have a GREAT weekend! <3
Life Updates
| October 13, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
Update 1:
I am officially so confused!! Basically, yesterday someone left a comment for me on Formspring to let me know they had found a website with my race result from Saturday, and it’s COMPLETELY different from what I had heard! Time, placing, EVERYTHING was different!! Has anyone ever had this with races before with different sets of results? I’m going to ask my coach when I see him next week (he wasn’t at practice today), but I don’t understand at all!! It really upset me at first, cos these results are much worse!! But I’ll wait to see what Coach says about it all 
(P.S. If the person who Formspringed me reading this, thank you for letting me know!)
All I know is that next race (two weeks on Saturday) I will be wearing Garmy so there will be no confusion! 
Looking good post-run 
Update 2:
I went back to see the sports doctor about my tibial bone stress.
He said that it is healing, and that I definitely should not do any more than I am doing (I’m only running twice a week during team training) and he said that I should not really be racing. I explained to him that if possible I need to run the next few races to be in with a chance of qualifying for Nationals and stuff, so he said that it should be fine as long as I treat them more like tempo runs than actual races, and hopefully it should be totally healed within the next two months! I’ll take it! 
Now onto slightly more trivial updates…
Update 3:
I have been LOVING autumnal (yes ‘autumn’ not ‘fall’ cos I’m a Brit thank you anonymous commenter! ) oatmeal lately…
Apple-cinnamon oatmeal, with cashew butter stirred in
Caramel-Pumpkin oatmeal! Pumpkin oatmeal with caramel pudding and a pumpkin scuffin. Baked goods as an oatmeal topping is the best thing ever!!
The scuffins by the way are from Oh She Glows (recipe found here), and I make a few minor changes (e.g. no chia seeds) but they are my all-time FAVOURITE pumpkin recipe, and one of my general favourites too!!
Update 4:
I am having the best time training with my team! I’m so glad that for the time being at least, I can still run with them twice a week! And NEWS FLASH I am no longer the slowest person yaay!
3 miles of warm-up/cooldown+drills, and then repeats and stuff! I was pretty frustrated by my 5.01 min/mile split! I was trying so hard to break 5 min/mile!!
NEXT TIME I will for sure!
I refuelled afterwards by crumbling a pumpkin scuffin (obsessed!) into a half empty soy yoghurt pot:
Keeping it cool and classy as always
Update 5:
I have early morning spin class tomorrow, with my fave instructor (super-hardcore ex-military, ultra-marathoner man- he ‘mentions’ that every time haha!). And if I’m going to be able to crawl out of bed at some crazy hour, I need to get some sleep! I am NOT a super-early morning person normally!
So I’m off to get some shut-eye! And yes I will be wearing my workout clothes to bed…always classy
Help me out here runners: have you ever had any confusion over race times? I’ve never had this before! Obviously your Garmin always says something different to the actual results, but I’ve never seen two completely different sets of official results before!
What is one thing you are aiming for in your next few workouts/runs? To break the 5 min/mile in my next set of repeats! Although next session is hills…hmmm!
How much sleep do you get on average? Ok, I’ll admit it now…currently about 6 hours. I know I know, it’s bad!! I’m working on it haha!
Have a great end to the week friends! <3
Girl Talk
| September 26, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Deep Stuff, Topic Posts |
Happy Monday friends!! How has the start of your week been? Good I hope!
I started my day with banana oatbran pudding with blueberries and homemade cinnamon raisin PB (recipe tomorrow!):
I love this breakfast because I get up, put it on straight away, then go and get ready and when I’m finished I come back and it’s done! I love it!!
The big part of my Monday included going to the sports doctor to get my bone stress injury sorted. And voila:
Pretty, huh? 
The bad news: No Royal Parks half marathon in 13 days. To be honest, I knew this already, so it wasn’t a big shock, but it’s still a bit of a disappointment!
The good news: I should be able to run/walk on grass for a short time once or twice this week. Hey, I’ll take what I can get! 
So what caused all this bone stress jazz? Well I mentioned it in passing, but I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my period issues, so I thought I’d tell my story properly!
*Disclaimer*: From here on out, this post is about my period. Just a warning in case you don’t wish to read about it, and that is perfectly fine! And to all men I know, (DAD!), stop reading now please and thank you.
It all started about 2 years/18 months ago, when my period, which I’ve been having since I was 11, gradually lightened over a few months and then stopped altogether. At first, it was awesome. NO MORE GIRL TROUBLES WAHOO!! I just figured it would come back next month. But it never did.
And here’s the thing: at this time running was not in my life. Neither was exercise or healthy food. I was about 35lbs heavier than I am now. So it is NOT because of my diet/exercise habits!
So after about a year or so of not having a period, I went to see the doctor. At this point, I was restricting a lot and exercising and losing weight, but I was at a healthy weight at the time, and regardless my period had stopped a long time before all that, so it wasn’t a cause.
First came the blood and hormone tests. All fine. Then came the ultrasounds. This was the interesting bit, not because it revealed anything specific about the period mystery, but that I actually have two wombs. I know, I’m weird!
I’m currently still having tests done to try and find out what is causing this, but the doctors have no idea! They think it MIGHT be linked to the two wombs thing, but they’re not sure. Under their advice, I’ve tried all sorts of ways to get it back (the Pill, weight gain, eating more fats, etc.) but nothing has worked.
The problem is that it is now affecting my bone density, which is why I got the bone stress injury.
Of course, because I am having bone density issues and amenorrhea, and also because I run and am a vegan, the thing I hear first with every doctor/consultant I see is ‘Female Athlete Triad’. But it is not. I do NOT have disordered eating habits at all any more, and neither did I at the time it stopped.
So basically, in my case, it is a mystery. And I hope it is resolved soon for the sake of my bones especially!
And if you are having a similar problem, my biggest piece of advice is that you see a doctor as soon as you can. I left it a year, and I shouldn’t have. The sooner you get it checked out, the better.
I hope this cleared things up a bit for those of you who were confused, and didn’t freak y’all out too much! I’ll be back tomorrow with WIAW!
Any thoughts? Or have you ever had any problems with your period, or any bone density issues?
Running Chat I: Coping with Injury
| September 17, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Running Talk |
It’s Running Chat Sat(urday)!!
This is a new blog series I’m starting, because I love talking about running more than pretty much anything! Today’s is on dealing with injury, and is a topic that affects pretty much EVERY runner/athlete at some point in their running career, and is one that is affecting me right now, so it’s as good a time as any to talk about it!
Until yesterday, I was feeling relatively ok about my injury. I had accepted it. (For those of you who don’t know, I have Tibial ‘Bone Stress’, which is basically early onset stress fracture, so just one more run could cause it!) But sometimes things happen which brings back all those negative feelings temporarily. For me, this was receiving my half marathon race pack in the mail:
I don’t know as yet whether or not I’ll actually be able to run it, but honestly, things aren’t looking good on that front! I have pretty much accepted that I WON’T be running it. Even if I WAS allowed to run after four weeks, running 13.1 miles on the roads probably wouldn’t be the best idea! 
This, coupled with the fact that today I am missing what would have been my first ever proper race today with my team made me a bit sad.
In the short and sweet year (and a month) that I have been running, I have spent more time injured than not, and more money on physio appointments than on anything else this year!
Here’s my Injury Timeline:
Freak Ankle Sprain (caused by walking and twisting ankle in snow) —-> Severe Shin Splints (caused in part by the badly healed ankle sprain) —-> left hip problem (caused by the shin splints) —-> mild case of Runner’s Knee —-> ‘Tibial Bone Stress’, aka, early onset of stress fracture (thought to be caused by bone density issues)
So I’m fairly experienced on the injury front! These are my Top Ten Tips for Coping With Injury:
- Positivity. Definitely easier said than done sometimes, but this is THE most important thing in my opinion!! Studies have proven that athletes recover faster and come back stronger when they tackle injuries with a positive mindset. Being a Negative Nancy is not going to help you in any way, and will only make you more miserable and possibly even affect your recovery. It’s fine and totally natural to be upset and angry at first, but then put that aside and move forward!
- Have a good support system. Friends and family are SO important to me, especially in times like this when I am going slightly insane from lack of running! Even though none of them understand as such, they all empathise and are amazingly supportive! I couldn’t get through injuries, or ANYTHING, without their love and support! Also, the support and constant advice of a good physio that you trust is essential, both during the recovery process AND afterwards for helping you get back to running.
- Set new goals for yourself, and try new things. Last time when I was injured, I used the time off to really focus on yoga and improve in that, seeing as I don’t normally have a lot of time for it with my usual running schedule. And it worked! I improved so much and it made me stronger and more flexible too for when I returned to running, and took my mind off not running! This time I think I will focus on lots of strength training. Or you can use the time off running to become a more rounded person and try other activities! I find that when I’m not running, I have MUCH more time than normal, so instead of sitting around I try to embrace it and do things I couldn’t normally!
- Cross train. This will not only help retain some hard-earned CV fitness, but help you keep your sanity! Use injury time to try new things, or get better at others, like swimming. I know it can be mentally tough sometimes when you don’t feel like cross training and you just want to RUN, but keep telling yourself that this will benefit your running! Regardless, it definitely beats sitting around getting depressed!
- Learn your lessons, but don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes, injuries are a freak accident, and there is nothing you can do to help it. But more often than not, they are the result of a mistake you have made in your training, whether than is increasing mileage/intensity too much, or simply not listening to your body. Recognise where you went wrong, but don’t get angry at yourself about it! Mistakes are GOOD in helping you learn valuable lessons! And once learned, you rarely make the same mistake again
- Focus on what you CAN do, and not on what you CAN’T. The first time I was injured, I focused solely on what I was missing, and on my loss of fitness, and not on what I could do to heal fastest. That attitude got me NOWHERE except to make me miserable! I now focus more on how to help myself heal and my plan of action to get myself back into running after I’ve recovered.
- Never give up. Sometimes injury time can feel endless, and you just want to give in to the temptation of throwing on some running shoes, but DON’T! You may just make things worse, and end up having to take another few months off instead of a couple more days/weeks. Your body knows how to heal itself, so trust it and don’t give up hope!
- Think long term, not short term. Instead of focusing on the races or workouts you are missing now, just focus on the fact that this is just a few weeks/months out of YEARS you have to run and improve! You have a LIFETIME to run! Even if you end up missing a race that is important to you, just remember that there will be so many more in the future.
- Know that you will come back STRONGER! Dealing with injuries is so tough, and it is undoubtedly a physical setback, but you can ALWAYS gain back fitness! In fact, the good thing about certain injuries, such as stress fractures, is that you actually DO come back physically stronger, as the bone is stronger after healing. You also come back MENTALLY stronger from injuries, and often wiser too!
- Never forget that being a runner is not what defines you. You are not JUST a runner, but so much more than that! Much as you love running, never let it become WHO YOU ARE. “Always remember that running is something you do and love, but not what defines you…just remember that you are are SO MUCH MORE than a person who likes to run.” ~ Kara Goucher
My short running career has definitely tested my sanity, but it has given me so much JOY that I wouldn’t change it for the world
Thoughts? Have you ever had any major injuries and time off? How do you stay sane when injured?
I’m out right now at a party, so I’ll see y’all tomorrow! Have a great weekend! <3
This is painful. Literally.
| September 12, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Running Talk |
This is seriously painful to write.
I am 90% sure I have a tibial stress fracture.
I was ellipticalling today and there was no pain during the workout, as usual. But after I’d finished, I got a sharp pain in my tibia (shin bone) that hasn’t gone away. It is there when I walk and climb stairs and jump on it (a test for shin splints or stress fracture- I had bad pain=stress fracture).
But why haven’t I noticed pain before? Because I’ve been on painkillers (for a non-running thing!) and therefore wouldn’t have noticed. Guess what I stopped taking today…
Good news: I haven’t had it checked yet. So there is a (small) chance I’m wrong.
Bad news: I’m not sure I CAN even get it properly checked. I can’t afford to pay for a bone scan (they don’t usually show up on normal x-rays), and I might not get one on the NHS…but I’ll find out tomorrow if I can or not! I am very sure I am right though. It is sharp, localised pain. Icing doesn’t help. It doesn’t feel like the shin splints I had before. It matches all the symptoms of a tibial stress fracture.
Right now I am pretty upset to be honest. Trying to see where I went wrong is frustrating. I built up my mileage SLOWLY from my last injury, with the support and advice from my physio, and felt no pain whilst doing it! I am guessing it’s more of a bone density issue (I haven’t had a period in 18 months…more on that another time, but it’s NOT to do with my eating/running habits though!!) but I don’t really care WHY right now, I’m just SAD.
It would mean I can’t go to team practice tomorrow, or for a long time. It would mean I can’t race for my first time ever with the team on Saturday. It would mean I can’t run my half marathon for Christian Aid in less than a month.
So right now, chocolate is comforting me and I am just PRAYING that there’s that 10% chance I am wrong. I am feeling pretty upset at the moment, but I KNOW that whatever happens, God has a plan for me and it is an awesome one! He is so faithful to me, and I need to trust in that <3 I’m just going to let it all out now, and then deal with it with whatever comes my way with as much patience and grace as I can.
I love you all, and thank you for reading and always making me smile <3
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”
Happiness with a Side of Chocolate
| August 20, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
Guess what guys?! I RAN TODAY!!!
Oh, and I washed my hair!! There can be miracles!! 
If you don’t know, yesterday I broke my middle toe (thanks for all the lovely comments by the way friends!!) and I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to run again. BUT:
YAAAAAAY!! 
Last night, I was thinking over the broken toe thing, and I started thinking negative thoughts about why this had happened to me so soon after ‘coming back’ from injury. But I decided to put my trust in God because He has a plan, and it’s an AWESOME one!! Also just read this from the Purpose Driven Life, which really spoke to me:
I was SO HAPPY after that!! But I had a MUCH BIGGER cause for celebration!!
This is one of my best friends, and today was her LAST DAY OF REMISSION!! She is officially CANCER FREE today!! I am so proud, and delighted and INSPIRED by her and the way she’s dealt with her leukaemia over the past 7 years. She is truly an inspiration 
Of course, we partied big time 
And guess who brought the (vegan) cake?
Sure it’s not a birthday (yet…13 days!!!!), but any excuse for a chocolate cake is a good one! This was Katie’s Healthier Chocolate Cake, which I slightly de-healthified with the 10 inches of chocolate buttercream hehe!
But don’t worry, I made up for it by eating plenty MORE chocolate!! You know, to prep my stomach for the chocolate overload later. Makes perfect sense…!
Breakfast: Oatmeal with chocolate pudding (my last pudding!!) and peanut butter.
Breakfast for lunch is also highly recommended…
Katie’s pizzert!! Made with banana and chocolate chips, and drizzled with Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter…PERFECTION!
I did have some veggies too inbetween all that chocolate, I promise
But I think I’m in a bit of a sugar coma right now.
A very very HAPPY sugar coma
Tell me something that’s making YOU happy right now! It can be ANYTHING!
Have you ever had to overcome any medical problems? I had some sort of kidney failure when I was younger which means I now only have one kidney!
Favourite type of CAKE? Chocolate, covered in a LOT of frosting/buttercream. The ratio of frosting to cake has to be about 10:1 to be perfect for me. Can you tell I’m a frosting person?
Have an AMAZING weekend friends!! <3
Oh Woe a Broken Toe!
| August 18, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Running Talk |
HAHA sorry that title made me crack up!! I was going to make it less cheesy but that’s just too funny!! HEY friends, and sorry for the lack of postage yesterday! I got back late in the evening and then my blog was down, so I just went to bed! I hope you’re all having a good week!!
I broke my toe. My poor middle toe. Do you wanna see it? Nah, I wouldn’t do that to you! But you can see how doctor-esque I am…
Yeah, I wrapped it in tissue. I’m sure that helped…! 
(P.S. That’s a cool sandal tan line stripe right there ha!)
I did it running to the kitchen. Obviously. I heard the microwave timer go, and ran towards it, hitting my toes on a table leg in the process. It was ALMOST worth it for this…
Afternoon snack: protein oats in a not-very-empty PB jar, topped with strawberry preserves! That cheered me up! Food and peanut butter especially fix EVERYTHING 
Because walking was painful, I knew I couldn’t do my planned workout which was something that I was SO excited about (I didn’t tell you guys cos it was gonna be a surprise)!!
MY FIRST EVER (RUNNING) TEAM PRACTISE!! If you are a newer reader or you have a memory like mine, you can read about me being asked to join the club here. Anyway, my first practise was going to be today! But I don’t mind because now I can just look forward to going next week hopefully eeeee!! I can just build up even MORE excitement, and it will be GREAT!! 
I just Googled my toe thing, and apparently I can try taping it to my other toes and then running on it. If there’s no pain, then I can run on it! I’m going to check it with the doctor just in case, but *hopefully* it should be fine! It’s my middle toe, so it’s not as bad!
You know what also cheered me up? Retail therapy!! 
All workout stuff! Workout top with a PROPER built-in bra (most ones are rubbish), a dri-fit zip hoody thingy, a sports bra (I LOVED this design!!), Clif Shot Blocks, and Nuun hydration tablets (they are AWESOME!!).
I also would LOVE these:
Newton’s just sound SO awesome!! Sadly the £130 price tag is a bit much for me!
Also, there’s nothing endorphins can’t fix!
I look cool I know 
I spent an hour and a half switching between the bike and the elliptical (it’s a week off weights), doing various things to keep myself entertained, like hills and HIITs, and People Watching. I’m a creep.
And then guess what I had for dinner? Ultimate Comfort Food/Bone Healing food:
Buried under all the chocolate pudding, the vanilla pudding, and peanut butter, is STEEL CUT oatmeal!! I LOVE the texture of it!! I definitely have to work on different ways of making it though, but I seriously loved it!!
Now I’m off to eat my late night snack…
…so I’ll see you guys tomorrow!!
Have you ever broken a bone? Not till today!!
Have you ever been part of a sports team? No actually! I wasn’t a sporty child at all!! Actually I remember being in a hockey club for a bit and being AWFUL at it!!
What is your fave thing to shop for? Food, and then workout clothes! I love Nike too much, and my bank balance hates me for it!
ALMOST the weekend now!! Hope you all have a great end to the week!! *HUGS!*
P.S. I put a new album up on my Facebook page of some photos of my summer if you wanna check it out! More to come!
What I…Wednesday! Thankful Edition:)
| June 21, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under What I...Wednesday |
HEY friends, and welcome to another What I…Tuesday Wednesday! Last week this party of Jenn’s got over 100 participants!! Wooo!! Go Jenn! 
So this week I thought I’d do a slightly different focus. What I’m THANKFUL for Wednesday! So not WIAW but WITW!! There’s SO much to be thankful for and it’s too easy to just take things for granted, so today I’m going to count my blessings! 
What I’m Thankful For…BLOGGER FRIENDS!! Jenn for doing this awesome thang, your comments/emails/friendship, and blogger inspiration! Like Amanda who inspired me to top my oatmeal with caramel pudding…
Which seriously was AMAZING. Caramel Pudding Oatmeal is to die for!! Plus then there was the last of Amanda’s yummy banana bread warmed up and topped with almond buttah…
What I’m Thankful For…delicious, healthy meals!
Marinated tofu, sweet tater fries (it’s been waaaay too long!!), cucumber, and Sabra hummus for dippage
Katie’s Pizzert! A banana-date one!
Haha forgot to grease the pan, so I had to eat it outta the tin! 
My favourite salad: Get-As-Much-Produce-As-You-Can-Fit-In-Your-Belly salad, topped with more Sabra spicy hummus. (With the obligatory PB&J toast on the side 
)
Peanut Butter Crunch oatbran! My banana oatbran pudding topped with PB&Co Crunch Time and the last of the peanut butter granola.
What I’m Thankful For…the reduced aisle in the supermarket!
BARGAIN!! And I LOVE cherries!! I may or may not have bought four punnets…! I used one punnet to make these:
Mama Pea’s AMAZING Double Chocolate and Cherry cookies, but with added pecans! Oh, and the cookie dough is beyond belief by the way
What I’m Thankful For…help from Facebook friends for post inspiration!
Workout playlist? OKAY then!! Well I actually have a LOT of playlists! I have long run playlists, speedwork playlists, tempo run playlists, easy run playlists, etc, but I’ll share with you today’s short playlist:
Have I ever mentioned I have the coolest taste in music? This playlist has a mix of everything, from Rock music to Glee, Disney and a Christmas song too. I love being in a Christmassy mood any time of year!
What I am MOST Thankful for today was this moment:
I RAN AGAIN!!! COMPLETELY PAIN FREE!! Being reunited with Betty was a sweet sweet moment. 
There were tears, there was laughter, and I grinned like a crazy person the whole time. I think I forgot that it wasn’t just me and Betty in the room, but I was too happy to care about the very odd looks I was getting from my fellow gym-users. My first mile in over 4 weeks!!
Did 1 mile slow run, 1 mile walk, 1 mile slow run, 1 mile walk, came home and took Buddy for a walk, including a 1 mile run on grass.
I’m thankful that my running Buddy (haha!) makes sure I don’t go too fast! He can’t keep up if I go too fast, bless his little legs
So 3 miles run today in a very slow (for me) average 8.30 min/mile, COMPLETELY pain free! I can’t remember the last time I ran pain free!! In many ways I’m actually THANKFUL for my injury, for teaching me so much. More on that in another post, but for now I’m just going to drink up my chocolate soy milk (HEALED me I tell you!!)…
…and try not to burst with happiness!! I’m taking it all out on the poor dog right now because he can’t escape me hehe 
What are you thankful for today? YOU GUYS for sticking with me and being so lovely to me and being my No.1 motivation not to run cos I know you’d all kick my butt!
Best thing you ate today? EVERYTHING I posted!!
What is your current favourite song on your playlist? Definitely the Christmas one! I’m excited already- only 185 days to go!!
Have an AMAZING day friends!! SO MUCH LOVE for you all!!
What I…Wednesday!!
| June 7, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under What I...Wednesday |
HAPPY WEDNESDAY FRIENDS!! Ok, yes, half of you are probably reading this on Tuesday, because for the sake of WIAW, I have swapped the two days around. I’ve managed to convince one of my friends that the world has actually swapped the two days. Gullible people are fun! 
Anyway, it’s time for my weekly contribution to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons’ party!!
What I Got So Happy About I Wanted To Cry Wednesday
This (from my Dailymile):
I KNOW you’re probably all thinking “big deal”, but I am obsessed, and last week I couldn’t even take a step without pain, so this is PROGRESS people!! Seeing ma physio on Monday, and I’m really really really hoping for good news!!
What I Ate Wednesday (nut butter edition)
Best. Breakfast Ever. OIAJ. But not just ANY OIAJ. We’re talking DOUBLE OIAJ!!
Involving two not-very-empty nut butter jars 
And I tried Katie’s Voluminous Oatmeal trick (but with 1/2 cup oats) for the first time!! Um, can you say voluminous again?
Filled both jars AND another bowl! LOVE this trick!!
I was definitely digging the volume today. Check out my huuuuge post-workout Chocolate-PB-Banana Recovery Smoothie!
1 large frozen banana, 1 scoop protein powder, 1.25 cups chocolate soy milk, PB, ice cubes, xanthan gum and topped with oats and more crunchy PB.
I also am slightly obsessed with nut butter making. 
Apricot-Cashew Butter
- 1.5 cups (about 200g) roasted unsalted cashew nuts
- 5 large dried apricots, chopped
- Process your nuts until creamy. And I mean creamy. When it looks done, keep processing for another few minutes!
- Soak your dried apricots in boiling water for about 5 mins for easy chopping and softness, then chop into small pieces.
- Add to the blender and give a quick whizz. (I like there to be chunky bits, so I only processed for about 5 more seconds, but it’s up to you). ENJOY!!
Obviously, I eat it straight off the spoon. Mmmmmm…
Or inside a date of course! 
So basically, everything I’ve eaten has involved nut butter. Two more cases in point:
Nanner with Dark Chocolate Dreams
Medjool dates stuffed with PB&Co Crunchy and WCW and chocolate chips.
I really think I need to increase my fat intake, because clearly I don’t get enough.
What I Worked Wednesday
30 mins HITTs+High Cadence Intervals on the bike, and a 45 min circuit workout from the Fitnessista! (found here) It was seriously awesome!! Hello tricep dips and face of pain…
It was such a good workout! Try it you guys!! Oh, and I’ve had a lot of requests to share my High Cadence Interval Workout, so here it is:
Runner’s High Cadence Interval Workout (for indoor bike)
Recommended by my physio (who is a runner and triathlete), this is great cross-training to help increase running turnover/cadence and endurance.
- 3 mins @ moderate resistance, 80-90 rpm
- 1 min @ moderate+1 resistance, 95-100 rpm
- 30 secs @ moderate+2 resistance (should be quite heavy), 100-110 rpm
- 30 secs @ same resistance, 110+ rpm
- Repeat at least 4 times.
It’s so simple, but trust me, it really gets you, especially after a couple of times! The trick is to get the right resistance- not too easy or too hard, and then you’ll get a better turnover and all those craaaazy endorphins after!
What I Read Wednesday
I may have sneaked back into the bookstore to finish reading Run Less Run Faster. I swear the guy behind the counter saw me come in and gave me the evils. He knows me too well. I hid brilliantly behind my book though and blended right in…
I may have to actually use my earnings to buy something other than nut butter and my gym membership and invest in this book. IN LOVE.
I know I’m glowing again. Clearly what eating a lot of nut butter does to you
What was the best thing you ate today/yesterday? I’m just gonna say nut butter for this one cos that encompasses all my eats really.
Are you someone who likes voluminous foods? YES. My bowl/plate has to be brimming always haha! 
Do you have a favourite running/fitness/health/food/recipe book? This is definitely a good’un! My favourite though has to be Paula Radcliffe’s How To Run obviously, purely because I love her.
Have a happy day friends!! Love you guys!!
