This is the start of Week 9 (out of 12 weeks) of training for the half marathon. At this point, I am confident the race itself will not be a problem and I'm ready for it! I am up to 10 miles at a time now. I'll run 11 at some point this week - whatever day seems to be the least horrendously humid. I just checked out Tom Skilling's forecast, and I don't think I'm going to have much luck there. So whatever day I'm "feeling it", that's the day I'll go run.
As I've moved into higher miles, I've experienced some not-so-fun things that I either didn't think about, know about, or expect. If you're thinking of training for a long distance race like the one I am, I'm going to share these with you so that hopefully you can prevent them!
Black Toenail
This is the most recent fun filled adventure I'm dealing with. As my nail polish started to wear off, I noticed on my left foot that the toenail next to my big toe looked black. After days of not wanting to face what laid beneath the nail polish, I finally took the polish off and saw that about 75% of the toenail is now black. I remembered that after my first 10 mile run, that toe was hurting me for a couple of days. So I turned to Google and read about the fun of Black Toenail.
As you walk or run, your foot slides forward in your shoe, banging your toes against the top, front, and sides with each step. Your feet also swell during a walk or run and get compressed by your socks and shoes. That pressure and impact can damage your toenail beds, or create a blister under the toenail itself. When this happens, the extra blood and fluid cause your toenail to separate from the toenail bed, or the "toenail in training" as the Jeff Galloway site calls it. The blood colors the toenail black.
I've learned that my toenail will be normal again in 4 to 5 months. Beautiful.
Blisters
Blisters, blisters, blisters! I'll be honest, my feet are looking pretty gruesome right now! It started with one blister after my 6 mile run, just beneath my right big toe along the side of my foot. It was a mild blister, so I let it be. With each run, a new blister formed on top of it. Before my first 10 mile run, I decided to use some athletic tape on the blister to prevent it from getting worse. The tape rubbing against my skin caused a NEW blister beneath the one I was trying to protect that was far worse than the first! This thing was like 4 layers deep! I put Neosporin on it every night and that helped it heal faster.
Then when I bought new running shoes, those caused 2 blisters on my other foot. It seems I have finally found a solution now: I put a large cloth Band-Aid over the blister, then wrap that bandage once with athletic tape. At the end of my second 10 mile run, all the Band-Aids had stayed in place, no new blisters, and no more damage to the old ones!
Chafing
I've experienced this along the inside of my bicep that rubs against my tank top as well as between my thighs. Chafing is simply skin irritation. Some areas have lost a layer of skin or so! I dealt with this after my 7 mile and 8 mile runs. Finally I decided to look up some solutions, and a lot of runner's blogs recommended Body Glide, so I purchased some at Sports Authority. This stuff is AWESOME! I have had no problems since then.
Dehydration
I've finally forced myself to get used to running with a water bottle in my hand. As I've moved into the higher miles, staying hydrated is more important than ever. During my first 10 mile run, I don't think I took in enough water. I felt very dizzy after the run, and on my drive home (I had gone running with my boss that day), I had to pull over at two different fast food restaurants to throw up. Learned my lesson!!! My second 10 miler this past Friday went much better, as I made sure to drink all my water along the way :)
I felt so great after my run on Friday night that a part of me is starting to contemplate a full marathon. I completely believe that I COULD do it. The question is, do I WANT to?! I don't know if I feel like putting in the time and commitment for that one. We shall see...
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