Only 10 weeks to go until the Mississippi Blues Marathon. This past week was a doozy with Orangetheory Hell Week Monday through Friday (recap here!).  Lots and lots of intervals, which were part of my 5K training plan, plus some good strength training.  I happily took my rest day on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Unfortunately, on Saturday evening I dropped my laptop squarely on my big toe.  Yikes.  Based on the amount of pain, I was questioning whether it was broken, but now I’ve decided it is just badly bruised.  (I’ll spare you the picture.)  As runners, we are often so scared about injuring our knees or dealing with IT band pain and shin splints.  But sometimes just having butterfingers is what will thwart you!

Walking wasn’t (and still isn’t) the easiest and running was out of the question, so I went to Soul Cycle with a friend on Sunday. I know there are a lot of Soul Cycle critics out there, but I’ll just say I think it is a pretty fun workout and it helps with increasing the speed of my leg turnover.   (Feel free to debate the merits or failings of Soul Cycle in the comments.)

In summary:

Monday:  3.5 mile run + Orangetheory
Tuesday:  3.5 mile run + Orangetheory
Wednesday:  3.5 mile run + Orangetheory
Thursday:  3.5 mile run + Orangetheory
Friday:  3.5 mile run + Orangetheory
Saturday:  Rest
Sunday:  Soul Cycle

My eating was pretty great this week, considering how many calories I was burning between running and Orangetheory.  Even though I was ravenous, I made some smart lunch choices with Sweetgreen, yogurt and nuts, and Shophouse (pictures on Instagram!). I was gearing up for the official start of No Sugar November, so that was motivation to (mostly) avoid the candy and sweets around the office.

No Sugar November is a challenge my Orangetheory studio is doing.  I’ve pledged to cut out desserts, sweet drinks, granola, muffins, pastries, candy, and dried fruit from November 1 until Thanksgiving.   The desserts are the only category that I think will be hard for me — I’m known to jump out for a mid-afternoon ice cream break and I adore the lemon cookies from Taylor Gourmet at work lunches.  For me, this challenge isn’t about dieting (i.e., I’m not trying to reduce my calories); it’s about getting in control of my sugar cravings and replacing some go-to sugary treats with nourishing and savory options.  Sugar can really effect my energy levels, and I need all the balance and energy I can get for my marathon training!

I started No Sugar November on Sunday with a dairy free “fritatta” creation containing eggs, tofu, nutritional yeast, a couple of potatoes (sliced thinly with the mandolin), beets, cauliflower,  peppers, and onions.  I was really just looking for a way to use up the million vegetables we had from our crop share.

For dinner, I had the most delicious vegan ramen from Daikaya, which I have been continuously craving since Freedom’s Run Marathon.

Hoping I can stay strong for three more weeks without giving in to the siren song of ice cream…  Also hoping this toe gets its life together soon so I can get back to running!