This week has been a big training week. First, spring has sprung here at Purdue and my allergies are awful. I am sniffly and congested and worst of all, I am TIRED. I don’t know why this seasons allergies are making me so exhausted but I am seriously drained. This is so unfair because as soon as it warms up and I no longer have to wear my big puffy winter coat, I want to spend all of my time outdoors. Why is it the things we love hurt us the most???


Second of all, my nutrition was way out of wack. I was eating around 1,300 calories a day and running on average 30-40 miles a week. WHAT? I have no idea how I was even functioning! During training, I should be eating around 2,400 calories, a full THOUSAND more than what I was eating. I completely reevaluated my diet and saw I needed about 360 g of carbs, 150 g of protein, and 40 g of fat. I was definitely not hitting this.


Trying to hit these numbers is hard for me. I’m not used to eating this much, and I am trying to figure out how to maximize these numbers. Good thing I love carbs though, those aren’t hard to find, but it is hard to find room to eat a ton of them. Rice and beans are definitely my friend, packing a big punch of carbs and protein. My biggest problem is trying to find plant based protein (a lot of it) and not go over my fat- since a lot of my protein comes from nuts. I’m trying to figure it all out as I go, and some days I make mistakes, like eating a big meal with beans before a track workout…(bloated like NEVER before). I also need to buy more food from the grocery store since I need to be consuming so much more. There are pros and cons to being able to eat pretty much as much as you want!


I’m tracking all my food through myFitnessPal, and I try not to obsess but I feel like I need to be looking at it all day to figure out what my next meal will be. This weekend will be spent planning out the week, (I finally see the appeal of meal planning), and making sure I make myself plenty of plant based snacks to stay up on my macros!


If anyone has any advice for my marathon nutrition, let me know. If you are interested in how I stay plant based, let me know too. And if you just wanna chat about nutrition, I am always up for a good convo on that.

The pic below is me devouring the heck out of my burrito. Treat yo self. Also my 40 oz Hydroflask gives me life: hydrate or diedrate, amirite?

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."


The race is coming up so fast and it can be a little intimidating. It is hard to keep sight of the goal when you’re smack in the middle of your training and you are tired and sore. The past two weeks were really hard for many different reasons, including this, forgetting the end goal when you have another 6-8 mile run. Finding time in a busy college schedule with finals and group projects and sorority meetings is HARD. But we all have busy schedules. Finding that will to carry on with training and remember why you started is so imperative to your success. Whether that means going to bed early so you can get in a sunrise run, or moving around your schedule to make sure you have time in the evening. I’m not telling you that your life has to be completely about your training, but if you are serious about your race then you should take your training seriously.


It is really exciting to go through training and feel myself getting stronger and faster. I am starting to feel my training catching up to me, I’m more fatigued and sore but I can do so much more than when I started. So it’s all a matter of perspective. With only 7 weeks left in my training, I am hitting the peak and starting to average 30-40 miles a week, which is more than I really have ever done. Cross training is also helping me a lot, I will either go to Pure Barre or do yoga on my own for easier days. Everyone should do cross training!! It helps you avoid injuries, stretch out, and build up muscles that will help your main training.


So when you really don’t want to get that workout in, remember why you started. Remember what your goal is and why you are achieving it, and it might make getting that workout done a little easier, and I guarantee you will feel so much better after.

Long delayed because of exams but I am finally getting to the main chunk of my training! Week 3 was my spring break week that I spent at home in Boston. I was completely snowed in. Thankfully, my parents have a treadmill in the basement! Unfortunately, we didn't have power for about 4 days. I was going CRAZY. It is one thing to decide on your own that you don't want to go for a run, but it is a completely different game when you are literally stuck inside and have no way to get your training done. I was debating going to a local gym and getting a free week "trial" just to use a treadmill, but thankfully it warmed up on one of my long runs and I was able to drive to the town over that has plowed sidewalks and got most of it done there. 

Training in winter weather is SO TOUGH. You have to think about what to wear, enough layers that you don't freeze but not so many you over heat, you have to think about the conditions, too icy, snowing too hard, you have to think about where it is safe to run, are there sidewalks, will you potentially be hit by a snowplow, the list goes on and on. Needless to say, I am extremely happy the weather is warming back up.

Once I got back to Indiana, I was hit with mid-50's and sunshine so my training was back on track. I was more than happy to go for the long runs when it was nice out, especially coming back from Nor'easters. Having a desire to run and enjoying your training makes it all so much easier. I was extremely blessed for the rest of the week to have nice weather that I was having a blast with. At the end of the week, the stars were aligned and I started my long run expecting to go about 8-10 miles, and ended up running 13. While I was running, I couldn't stop thinking about how great the weather was, how nice it was to be outside, and how great my pace felt. Arguably, my pace was too fast for the run, but in the moment I felt invincible! I finished with a new PR for a half marathon, 8 whole minutes faster. As soon as I got home and the endorphins wore off, I crashed. I had only had a few pieces of fruit and a rice bowl for lunch and then I left. I had enough water but my fuel was way too low for that long of a run. I was completely drained and because I was so hungry, I was extremely nauseous and didn't want to eat, definitely self destructive.  After a little while, I mustered up enough energy to eat some Saltines, and after nibbling on those, I was able to find more food, mostly bananas and pasta, I felt myself feeling immediately better. By the end of the night, I was focused on replenishing electrolytes with my homemade recovery water, recipe below, and was feeling totally fine. Another testament to how important fueling your body is! 



Homemade Electrolyte Water
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs maple syrup
4 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lime/lemon (or half of both)

Mix well and chill before enjoying!