And I thought I'd need a head doctor...

...turns out, my GP wants me to see a feet doctor. As soon as possible. As in, preferably in the next 48 hours. Uhm...emergency foot situation? In the middle of (ultra) marathon training. Not what I wanted to hear.

Lesson learned: threat your feet well. Especially when you're a runner! I never did and will have to pay for that...

Why? Well, after my brilliant plan to run 2 marathons in 2 weeks (it was a fantastic plan! And I had so much fun!) my right pinky toe turned against me. It did. It's a bit better now. Plus, I was able to run. Barefoot or in Newtons (large toebox), but it didn't keep me from running.

Warning: Gross photos coming up!

That cute little pinky toe still looks gross, but if feels a heck of a lot less painful than a couple of days ago. And guess what? I might not lose the toenail. Check!
And, uhm, did you spot the conveniently placed blister on the other toe? Yeah...sexy feet. Sexy feet...

Fast forward to last Sunday. I planned on doing a 10 mile recovery run. Easy peasy. But I woke up with a stiffish and sore calf. Used The Stick on it, but it didn't feel better. So decided to do the sane thing 5 days after a marathon, and headed out for a 6K hike with the dogs instead.

'Big toe' is a scientific term

Halfway in my left 'big' toe (that's a scientific term, I'm sure) started to hurt. When I returned home I took off my socks and figured I was dealing with a black/bruised toenail. The fluid underneath the toenail - due to the 'black' thing going on there - was causing some pressure. Applied Arnyca gel (yeah, I throw that stuff on about anything), iced the heck out of it, and rested it. Today (Tuesday) the black toenail thing is already less painful. A lot less painful. See, Arnyca works. ;)

However, when I woke up yesterday morning (Monday) it felt like The Black Big Toe had an ingrown toenail. Could this happen overnight? Tried to fix it with a pair of tweezers and scissors. Didn't work. Drowned the thing in Calendula gel to keep it clean. Phoned the GP and was called in to see her this morning. To remove part of the toenail. Something I was really looking forward to. NOT!

At the GP's - this morning - she told me she was not going to remove anything yet (oh yeah, I love the 'yet' part...ouch). Apparently the toenail is about to become an ingrown toenail, but not quite there yet. With the marathons and ultra bonanza planned and coming up (hopefully), she wanted me to go see a Podiatrist as soon as possible. She released some of the pressure by taping the toe. So, made an appointment with the Podiatrist and was told that the Podiatrist will put something (not sure what) underneath the toenail to prevent the nail from growing in. Oh, and this will be painful (not only the procedure itself, but in the weeks after that) and will most likely keep me from running for a while. Fingers crossed she's wrong! :(

I can only blame myself - lesson learned

Apparently I'm not the only runner with an (almost) ingrown toenail. The GP told me it's a common thing. Great. Plus, she told me that it could be prevented, at least in most cases, by regularly having a pedicure done. Uhm...I've never ever had a pedi. Never. Ever. The look on the GP's face when I told her that. Lesson learned: spend money on a pedicure.

Oh, wonder what my 'big' toe looks like? Even more gross photos coming up!


There's a bit of a black-ish toenail thing going on there, but nothing too bad.


1. I have extremely long toes. I know. Get over it. 2. See how the toenail is somewhat 'rounded' instead of straight. That's what's causing the 'about to get an ingrown toenail' thing. It's not ingrown yet, but if I don't let the Podiatrist do something about it, well, uhm, NOW, it could get infected. Apparently this could happen to every runner: especially when you're running in higher temps and your feet get sweaty.

Hydration is key - The 'What (not) to do' post

Temperatures are warming up. I can hear the birds chirping in the garden. The scent of spring is here.

And I'm sweating a heck of a lot more during my runs!

I need aqua! And so do you! Come on, you know you do!

Hydration is key

I can't point this out often enough: hydration is key. Not only during a run, but also throughout the day. Every day.

Do

1. As said, hydrate throughout the day. Start when you get up in the morning and keep it up till you go to bed at night. Minimum: 1 1/2 - 2 liters (hey, I'm Dutch, we do it metric!) a day. I try to stick to averaging +/- 3 liters a day. Works for me.

My go to (besides aqua): Pukka Detox Fennel tea (herbal tea, 100% caffeine free): 2 liters a day cleans up the mess formerly known as my body. :)

Also, I feel that when I hydrate well throughout the day, I have less hydration issues during a run.

2. During a run: especially on longer runs, don't stick to just water. Also work on your electrolyte intake. Important. Seriously. My go to: GU and Gatorade.

3. During a run: Drink small amounts of water / energy drink on a frequent basis. For example, every 15 minutes. Don't wait till you get thirsty.

4. After a run: don't stop drinking when you've finished your run. Preferably grab a recovery drink. You'll recover faster and feel better (and are less likely to crash after a long long run - embarrassing enough, I've been there...).

Don't

1. Try to avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Might look like you're getting a lot of fluids in, but it will actually dehydrate you.

2. Do not gulp water in during a run. This will cause cramps and might even make you vomit (again...believe me, I've been there).

3. Race day: don't grab the race energy drink at the aid station, when you haven't tried that specific type out during training. Don't!

4. ...forget your water bottle! I carry one in my handbag (hey, large bags are still tha bomb, so no shame here ;)). I can have a sip whenever I want to. Bonus: I won't have to spend money on those over-priced bottles of bottled water. :)

Do you have any hydration advice to add?

ZZZZZZZZZZ - The Sleepy Runner Post

So, you're a runner. And your focus is on long distance running. Your weekly mileage is 35+ miles / 56 km in a rest week. In the peak of marathon training your mileage hits 50 miles a week or higher. You're no Paula or Kara, but your mileage is crazy enough. You work full time or are a full time mom / dad, you have a social life and you want to get all these miles in. Every single week. Plus, you do some strength training. And, if you get to it, some cross training.

That's at least 10 hours a week into your training. Plus the hours that are taken by work/parenting and having something that could qualify as a social life, your week is pretty much filled with work / activities / running / etcetera. That's one busy life! Sleeping becomes less important. You come home from your PM run on a weekday, and don't want to go to bed right away. You have a good book waiting for you. Let's read a bit in that one. Or, you taped your favorite sitcom and want to watch that before you go to bed. And before you know it, it becomes normal that you get about 6 to 7 hours of sleep, or less, in per night. Before you know it, it's day to day business that you wake up still feeling tired and not really revived.

And that affects your running. Having a busy life and being a runner isn't always easy. There you go, I said it. Heck, I admitted it. And apparently I could have known this (well, to be honest common sense could have done the trick...). This Runnerworld.com article explains how important it is for runners to get enough hours of sleep per night.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-238-267--8028-0,00.html

For me, this article is a true eye opener. I have been feeling tired lately, and besides that, easy runs seem less easy than they did a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to make sleeping part of my training plan. 6-7 hours of sleep per night is just not enough for this girl. That good book / cocktail hour / late night movie will have to wait. At least, for now. So, starting tonight I will try to get at least 9 hours of sleep in...per night. No excuses. No watching tv while already in bed. No turning the pages of that good book, because I'm desperate to find out who's that serial killer. Running means just too much for me.

Does a lack of sleep affect your running / training plan? How many hours of sleep do you need?

Days left 'til New York Marathon:



Yeah, RunningRonald, I know, I totally stole this one from you, but I just think it's a great idea! :) Consider yourself honoured. ;)