Up and at ‘em!!
As soon as I woke up, the thought of 16 miles popped into my head. (I’m missing my team run on Saturday, so I decided to do it on my own today.) I immediately got out of bed, walked the pug, and made my usual pre-run breakfast: Sandwich Thins with peanut butter and banana slices.
While I let my food digest (about 30 minutes), I got everything together for my run. Apparently, I take a lot of stuff with me!
For my running “fuel” this morning, I tried out a package of Honey Stinger Energy Chews and Haribo Gummy Bears. (I grabbed the gummy bears at CVS this morning.) Both fueled me through my run, but I’ve decided that I just don’t like running and chewing at the same time. I’m definitely sticking to the “gu” from now on.
For my 16-miler, I made an 8-mile loop (using Gmap Pedometer), which started and ended at my apartment, so I put water and my second package of fuel on my front porch for easy access. It also made a great “rest stop” at the halfway point.
When I started running, the weather was cold, gray, and a little rainy, but it wasn’t anything that I couldn’t handle… or so I thought!
By mile 2, the light drizzle turned into full on rain. 
Which continued for the next 14 miles. No joke. It actually sort of sucked at times. 
I’m quickly learning that training for a marathon is not all rainbows and butterflies. It also includes boogers and stomach cramps, and not every run is fun and wonderful. Running is hard! It’s even harder in the rain and wind. But, I tackled 16 miles and that’s all that matters! 
- Mile 1: 9:16
- Mile 2: 9:07
- Mile 3: 9:18
- Mile 4: 9:23
- Mile 5: 9:30
- Mile 6: 9:43
- Mile 7: 9:36
- Mile 8: 9:33
- Mile 9: 9:30
- Mile 10: 9:24
- Mile 11: 9:31
- Mile 12: 9:39
- Mile 13: 10:14
- Mile 14: 10:03
- Mile 15: 10:26
- Mile 16: 9:30
Total: 2:33:49
Lunch
It was just about lunchtime when I finished stretching, Tiger Tailing, icing, and showering, so I whipped up a quickie meal. I made scrambled eggs with pesto, roasted brussels sprouts, and a piece of whole wheat toast with butter and Garlic Gold. My gosh, this meal tasted amazing!
I also drank an iced coffee with lunch. I missed my morning glass because Mal finished off the batch, but he put on a new pot for me. I just needed to let it chill.
Avon Fundraiser to Benefit TNT
Remember how I mentioned that my sister is going to donate 50% of her Avon sales through Carrots ‘N’ Cake to Team In Training? Well, a few readers left comments and emailed asking for products recommendations, so my sister made a list of her favorite Avon products. Be sure to check it out! Avon is actually really affordable. I was pleasantly surprised!
If you’re interested in purchasing something, just click over to my sister’s special Avon Fundraising page.
LUNAFEST Giveaway
Thanks to everyone who entered yesterday’s LUNAFEST Giveaway. Here’s your winner: 25!
25. Ryane
My friend and I have been looking for ideas for different “girls nights outs” besides just hitting a martini bar… this looks a lot more fulfilling!
Congrats, Ryane! Please email me at tina@carrotsncake.com to claim your prize.
Question of the Day
Would you rather eat 50 hard boiled eggs or 100 whole lemons (minus the peels)?
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
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Lemons for sure! Hard-boiled eggs give me the willies for some reason. And you are super hardcore for doing 16 all by yourself! In the rain! Up hill both ways!
50 hard boiled eggs–except my cholestoral would go through the roof!! Hah. Good job on your run! You are so right when you say not every mile of marathon training is great, but grinding out those extra miles is what will make the difference. Keep up with the strong training!
16 miles on your own. That’s awesome. I would get so lonely and bored. I’d never be able to run past my own house — too tempting to stop and call it a day.
50 eggs or 100 lemons — what a choice! I’m a vegan (no eggs) with sensitive teeth (very limited citrus). But I guess I’d pick the lemons cause I do love lemon-flavored food and drinks.
Hey, I just received my Avon products from your sis. Can’t wait to try the foot cream for after a long run — it got good reviews so I thought I’d try it even though I don’t have arthritis or anything.
50 hard boiled eggs (like Gaston in Beauty and the Beast..I hope someone understands that reference…). The acidity of all those lemons…yuck.
I’m a Gu girl all the way!
50 eggs for sure! I love eggs and am sure I would hate them after this challenge – but lemons are just pure yuck straight up.
Looks like a crazy run! I hope you’re still fueling!!
great run! I love running in that area on the South shore too! The run along Castle Island was one of my favorites!
Congrats on the run! I would definitely rather eat 50 hard boiled eggs instead of 100 lemons.. I absolutely cannot stand lemons!
I admire runners :-/ I want to get into running so bad and I was running alot more but I have this knee thing so the only way for it not to hurt is to not run
Bummer. Great job though!
my oh my – what an awesome effort on the run – and in the rain too!! Great job!
That is the way you become a marathoner – Way to go on the solo 16!
Gosh…16 miles, on your own, in the rain, with 9:30 splits. You’re amazing!!
Definitely my role model for my soon-to-start marathon training
I am seriously impressed that you ran 16 miles today. It was cold and rainy. It takes a really nasty day for me to not take the kids out to recess (yes we go out in rain normally) but even I didn’t take them out today. So I’m impressed.
Give me the lemons anyday!
Those Haribo bears are my hubby’s all-time favorite. But he picks out the clear ones just for me. That’s love.
Definitely the eggs! Just thinking about those lemons is making my jaws hurt!
Lew and I just made our fist stop on the way to the foodbuzz festival. We dropped our twins off at the grandparents and are now on the way to Nashville fly out in the morning. We look forward to meeting you in San Fransisco.
Ashlee
@ashandlewplus2
Sorry about the rain, but wow, you have amazing scenery to look at while you’re running! Did you really only drink water after 8 miles? I could never go that long, especially when fueling with gummy foods. Congrats on the run!
I’d much rather eat 50 hard boiled eggs over lemons- at least you’d get protein and nutrients and not just a bunch of acid!!
Congrats on powering through the run despite the rain!!
Good for you for sticking out the 16 miles alone AND in the cold and rain! That’s some awesome determination
As an answer to your (very random lol) question, I would go for the eggs. My tummy does NOT like acidic foods!
Oh man, that first photo looks amazing!!! My mouth is watering!
http://ashleyanderic.blogspot.com
I love eggs and could eat them everyday in every way.
Good job on the 16 miler! When I was marathon training in the spring, I did my 20 miler alone. It was also pouring. I literally collapsed sobbing at the end in awe of what I’d accomplished, from being so glad the run was finally over and from sheer exahustion. But you know what? It was all worth it! I bet you feel the same.
Good job on the run! I don’t know if I would have made it past mile 8 with the wind/rain and since you were already back at home!
100 whole lemons, definitely. I quite like eating lemons!
Congrats on 16!
Congrats on the run!!!! Way to go – through the rain and all =)
I used your chocochip squash loaf recipe today, it was great to see a recipe for a squash-bread-thing that measured the squash in cups and not in ounces!! =) Its delicious – mine turned out dense, moist, and positively yummy.
Way to go on toughing it out in the rain! Hahaha and so true about the boogers. I have to carry kleenex with me on my runs now!
SUPER huge congrats on your 16 miler, especially with the crappy weather! I know how hard/intimidating it is going to that new distance pr, especially alone – so GREAT job rocking your run!
You make running 16 miles sounds like no big deal… you’re awesome!! Solo…in the rain… GO, Tina!!
great job on the solo 16 miler!!! it can be hard to run on your own and in crappy weather but the pay off is worth it!!
wow great job on 16 miles!
Great work! I get so jealous when I read about your running. I’m injured right now, and I have to lay off the running for a while
How you keep your iphone dry when you run in the rain? Do you worry about it getting wet?
Congratulations on the 16 miles!! Especially in the rain! It was terrible this morning. I’d def choose the hard boiled eggs. I absolutely HATE anything that has to do with lemon.
Congrats on your 16 miles! That’s amazing you pushed through in the rain, you motivate me to want to do a long run..perhaps tomorrow! Have fun on your trip!
Great job on the 16 mile run! I love reading about your marathon training.
It motivates me to get my long runs done! Caitlinhtp and I are running 14.0 in the am. yikes!
I hope you have fun in San Fran…. I so wish I could go!
Eggs… all the way !
@Tania: Breathe deeply and try to stretch the side where it is. Also, I eat a banana before I run, so the potassium helps with the cramps too.
@Jenny @ thelittlejogger: Either in my Spibelt or I just hold it.
I’d ea the lemons! I love lemons. I always eat them when I go out and they garnish the meal. Sometimes my fellow diners give me theirs, too.
How do you make your ice-coffee’s? I see you drink them pretty regularly, do you make them at your house?
My mouth just squirted reading the question about eating lemons. I love lemons but I also love eggs. I eat three every morning for breakfast..(sans the yolks). I’d go with the eggs…
but i’m still salivating over the thought of eating a lemon!
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