Oh yes, I did...

...join the Marathon Maniacs.

And yes, I'm fully aware of the fact that Tracy might never, ever ever, talk to me again. And I'm truly hoping on her checking in with her forgiving side, and finding the courage to meet up with me again at the NYC Marathon (I'll promise not to wear the MM shirt). That is, of course, if this accident prone silly girl (moi, not Tracy) makes it to the start line in one piece.



So, why did I decide to join?

1. Because I could;

2. Because I ran two marathons in two weeks - both in 'too hot for a marathon' heat - I needed something to remind me of that;

3. Because one of the guys at Marathon Maniacs told me that I would be the first Dutch member. Since I'm too slow to ever be first at any race, I'll take what I can get;

4. Because the Marathon Maniacs seem like a great group. I love chatting to other runners at the start and finish line and during the race (oh yeah, I'm that annoying girl...);

5. I was in a sorority in my University years - we used to walk around in the same shirts all the time. And I still think that's fun. Pathetic, I know;

6. Brightish yellow colors look kind of good on me. At least, I like to think so...

Hello, fellow Marathon Maniacs, #3755 is reporting for duty! :)
(Okay, I'm joking here. Okay? I'm not that weird...)

I'm one of the cool kids

Yep, that's right. I am. Stop laughing at me...now. Not buying it? Well, you should.

According to Instyle magazine, two-toned nails are the nail trend in Hollywood.

$100 manicure...

Now check out my toenail:

Effortless chic, that's how I like to call this look. ;)

As I said, I'm one of the cool kids. :)

Three Things Thursday

1. Fundraising for Team Hole in the Wall: As you've probably already noticed I'm raising funds for Team Hole in the Wall (and picked Team Hole in the Wall as the charity of my choice for the New York City Marathon '11 - fingers crossed that nothing will keep me from showing that marathon who's boss...). When I came home from work yesterday, and checked my mail, there was a letter from a Dutch Stichting called Stichting Evellius, that said that they are willing to sponsor the costs of one child to go to one of the Hole in the Wall camps. I'm beyond happy because of this, and feel humled by their generosity. I can't thank them enough!

2. Playing footsie: The toes... What can I say? Well, the toes are still behaving like a naughtly little 3-year-old. Yesterday the podiatrist worked on my left 'big' toe. She squeezed some kind of fabric underneath the toenail to prevent it from growing in. If this doesn't work, she'll have to place some kind of braces on the toenail. Sounds painful. However, the toe isn't any less annoying. I have to check in with the podiatrist in 2 weeks.

The pinky toe on my other foot is somewhat less annoying. Or, it was somewhat less annoying till I accidentally popped the blister yesterday morning, and now it's back to looking like a gross pinky toe again.

And then there's the second toe on my left foot (the one next to the 'big' toe - does that make sense?): that one is truly bugging the heck out of me. When I wake up in the morning it's okay, but at night or after a run it manages to work it's way up to being 1.5 times its original size. Huh? It doesn't really hurt though, just a bit of a sore-ish feeling going on there. No clue, no clue at all. If it doesn't feel better in a week, I'll check with my GP.

3. Running shoes: My beloved Asics GT-2160's (2A width) felt heavy and bulky on last night's run. It was the first time that they felt heavy on my feet. Weird. My Asics are my go-to shoes for long runs (14+ miles / 22+K), since they have good pronation control (at least, in my opinion), and that's just what I need when I get tired at the end of a long run. Plus, they come in narrow widths and still have a large toebox. Could the 'heavy' feeling be caused by the barefoot running I've been adding to my schedule lately? And to the shorter runs I've been doing in Newtons? Do you have any recommendations on lighter shoes that have good pronation control and are narrow or come in AA width?

Deco my Eco - Eco-friendly running gear

How eco-friendly are you? Where do you draw the line? What's one thing you wouldn't trade for an eco-friendly alternative?

Well, that thing doesn't have to be cute running gear. At least, in my book it doesn't. Last night I spent some time on the internet researching eco-friendly running gear. And guess what? There's a lot of cute stuff out there! Here's a list of great websites to check out!

Gaiam: Mainly Yoga gear, but they have some shirts/shorts/tights that look like they could be great for running.

Atayne: Short/long sleeves only (at least, I couldn't find bottoms on the website). For example: shirts made from 100% recycled water bottles. I like that idea!

Patagonia: I blogged about their running dresses a couple of weeks ago here. Patagonia is known for its eco-friendly products and has high quality cute-looking gear!

Lululemon: Has some eco-friendly running products. Check the product specs to find out whether or not the product you like is eco-friendly.

Golite: Nice looking website and their running gear looks great! I love the colors on their Tilly Jane Run Skirt.

Moving Comfort: Has some eco-friendly running products. For example, an eco-friendly running skirt. Check the product specs to find out whether or not the product you like is eco-friendly.

Moeben: Has an eco-friendly line. Their bamboo arm sleeves are beyond cute. Hard to find online retailers that have a wide selection of Moeben products, and ship to the Netherlands. :( Especially since I would so love to try out the Moeben shirts and dresses.

Rei: Has an eco-friendly 'tab' on their website that shows you the eco-friendly products on their website.

Do you have any websites/companies to add to this list? Please share!

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.

April recap/stats

Miles / Km planned / ran: 120 miles / 192 km planned 125 miles / 199.9 km ran - Apparently running 2 marathons in 2 weeks and in the same month with rest/taper in between will bring your mileage down...

Rest days planned / taken: 10 / 10 - taper taper

Highest mileage / km week: 25/4 - 30/4 : 39.7 miles / 63.5 km - again due to the two marathons in two weeks thing...

Long runs planned / ran: 4 / 4

Pace / speed work outs planned / ran: 4 / 4 (Because a marathon counts as a pace work out in my book....)

Cross training work outs planned / done: 5 / 5

Donuts burned: 92 (What? Only 92? I ran two bleeping marathons)

Current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: Laughing my butt off over the outfits of some of the guests of the Royal Wedding in the UK. Seriously, Beatrice and Eugenie: what were you thinking?

Current obsession: Checking ultramarathon websites to check whether or not my training is on track.

Current drink: Still fennel tea, water and diet coke. And Gatorade. I'm boring.

Current song: Snoop Dogg - Sweat. No kidding.

Current need: The cure for my bleeping feet and toenails. Bruised, black, ingrown toenails. Ouch. That ingrown toenail prevented me from heading out for a 10-miler yesterday. So did the bloody Calf. My body is screaming 'NO!' after this two marathons in two weeks thing. At least, I hope so. Fingers crossed this won't be a long-term thing...

Current triumph: Running two marathons in two weeks, both in up in the 80's heat, and PR-ing with a sub-4 on the second one. :)

Current bane of my existence: My toenails and feet.

Current blessings: Running two marathons in two weeks. :) And my mom cycling next to me for every single mile / km on the second one. :)

Current excitement: Running a sub-4 marathon. :)