Pain of being a runner and a new job.

I woke up at 4:44 a.m. with my head stuffed up. You know how when you have a cold and sometimes the best thing to do is to just get up and it will clear your head up big time!?!  Well, that is what I did and I had quite the productive morning.  Ran 8 miles (didn’t feel like going to the gym and getting everyone else sick), stretched, got my chocolate milk, read emails and even took a normal length shower (aka longer than my usual 2.2 minutes).  As I was in the shower I was made aware of one of the most painful parts of being a runner:

When you realize in the shower as soon as the water hits you that you have chaffed half your skin off.  Last night on my 10 miler, I decided it was a good idea to wear a sports bra circa 1999 (I NEED to do laundry), my skin didn’t love that and it burned big time in the shower.  Ouch.  Lesson learned (I have said that a million times but let’s be honest, it will happen again in about 10 days).

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My title is a little misleading but I did get a new job that pays $3.50 a day that I am rather excited about.  I work at a really SMALL school for a high school….like 1/3rd the size that I went to.  The lunch lady here makes EVERYTHING from scratch….the lasagna, the rolls, the salad dressings…you name it, it is from scratch.

Well, she started making a theme salad that people can sign up for EVERY DAY!! I tried it on Monday (chef salad with turkey, veggies, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, sunflower seeds, croutons and sprinkles of heaven) and I have been hooked ever since.

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This week she has made a chicken fajita salad, caesar salad and today I am STOKED for the oriental salad.  The meal also comes with a  homemade wheat roll and a piece of fruit and milk.

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Since I already spend too much money on going out to eat for dinner and too many nike tempo shorts, spending money on lunch every day doesn’t work.

So, I asked her if I could work for her in exchange for free lunch.  She said HECK YEAH and I will help for the first 20 minutes of lunch (I will still have 25 minutes to eat) and I have never been so happy.  These salads are like restaurant worthy.  It is okay to be jealous of my lunch every day for the rest of the school year.  I might even have to just go to her house during the summer for lunch….weekends are even going to be hard to get through without these.

She even writes my name on it and sometimes a note about how special I am.

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I definitely chose canned peaches over an apple and strawberry milk over regular milk that day, gotta live it up right;)

Added bonus….no more having to pack a lunch!

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Do you chafe!?!?! What do you use to prevent it?  What is one of the most painful parts of being a runner for you?

-I use body glide for races but maybe I should use it for training runs also when I decide to wear the worst running gear possible.

Favorite THEMED salad?

-I think Chef Salad wins for me!  Hard-boiled eggs in a salad is always a win.

Do you stick to your workout that you have planned out or just go with how you are feeling that day?

-I have been all about just going with how I feel that day lately but I will be getting onto a training plan SOON!

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83 comments

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Janae, you are so smart! I would never think to strike a deal like that, but so genius. I probably spend around 20 minutes a day packing my own lunch, so I think you are the clear winner here! Nice! I am really bad about knowing when to stick with my plan. If I over do my upper body weights, I end up with my neck hurting, so I usually go through phases where I am super good with them (TOO ambitious of a plan!), then my neck starts to bother me and I don’t do any for a week or more. I’m better about doing my cardio as planned.

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Thanks Irene….I definitely spend 20 minutes packing my lunch too:) BUMMER about your neck hurting with upper body weights, that is no fun at all!

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Hahaha, that is awesome news! And think of how much time you will save by not having to pack a lunch at night!

I’m not picky with salads–I just need lots of toppings and I’m good to go!

I feel like I workout stronger and harder when I go with a plan in mind than just winging it. However, some days my body just wants to take it easy so I just do what I feel like. :D

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Good call on the LOTS of toppings…that is necessary! Hope you are having an amazing day Laura!

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You are amazing negotiator.
I usually stick to my plan. If I don’t I end up not working out at all.
I’ve been very lucky to not have any chafing issues. I credit my running gurus for giving me excellent advice about running gear.

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YAY for no chafing for you…I need to get whatever you are wearing!

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Loving all my new tempo shorts…however my son doesn’t. Check out todays post since I know you love MF too. :-) love boiled eggs in salad and I’ve been chaffing under my arms this week, cheap tank, I use body glide.

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I love your shorts!!! Yep, cheap tanks definitely do that to me too!

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Definitely a smart idea, and those salads look awesome. What will you be doing? Helping to prep food to go out?

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I wish….I just enter in the kids numbers for them to pay…maybe she will let me do more soon. I don’t think she trusts me not to eat all the food:)

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I feel like that’s even easier. Good work on being thrifty! Wonder how much you will save over the course of the whole school year!

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Wow…I’m still trying to get past the part where you ran 10 miles one evening and then 8 the next morning. That’s just awesome! How do you feel about rest days? I really struggle with them and usually take crosstraining days and rarely a real rest day.

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HEY LISA!!! I am ALL about rest days. I take at least one a week otherwise I get injured. I just tell myself that taking a day off is a lot better than taking MONTHS off due to injury! Letting your body rebuild itself is so so important!!

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I used to never chafe, but I’ve put on a few pounds and am starting to chafe!?! Not liking it! THose salads look amazing. I was just toying with the idea of getting a part time job at a running store for the discount:)
I should be sticking with the plan for the day, but lately I’ve been doing what I feel like. I NEED to get back to the plan!!!
Can’t wait to hear about what plan you will be doing!

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That would be AWESOME to work at a running store….do it!!

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I like Asian chicken salads, with edamame and fried won-tons. The fried part may not be healthy, but it’s really tasty! ;)

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YUM!!! All salads are healthy whether or not there is fried goodness in there:)

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That is awesome that you get a different yummy salad for lunch everyday. I love any salad made by someone else, not sure why they always seem to taste better. I feel that way about sandwiches too.

Ugh, I always deviate from my plan though that is never the intention. I am getting a lot better at sticking to it!

I use body glide, a lot. I even use it when hiking and biking. I am sorry about the burn, it is the worst when water hits it. I seem to find other injuries that way too.

Have a great weekend-

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I JUST got done with a tempo run, and as I sit here (drinking my chocolate milk), I am wincing from the chaffing that happened probably from my cheap tank top! Hopping in the shower now is going to be oh so painful.

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I used to run in a thong because I run with my dad and didn’t know that was a bad idea…it was fine until I started doing long runs. Let’s just talk about the most embarrassing and awkward chafing ever.
I’m still trying to figure out the underwear running situation. Any advice?

I use 5 hour anti chafe from Mission Skincare where my sports bras rub. Really sticky but works well!

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I’ve been also following no specific running plan and base training lately. I felt sickish this morning, and so it was nice not having the pressure of feeling like I had to do a fast run.

Favorite salad? Love buffalo chicken salad. At my hospital’s cafeteria, I mix low-fat ranch with hot sauce (did I mention this before?) on top of a spinach salad with grilled chicken, corn, and a bunch of other stuff…I swear the hot sauce with ranch dressing tastes like wing sauce! soooo good.

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You must have read my mind…I hardly ever chafe but this morning I got a big spot under my arm from it rubbing on my tank top. It’s been rubbing on my sweater all day, no fun. Those salads look amazing, and that is an awesome deal you worked out! I used to hate lettuce and salad because all I knew growing up was plain, flavorless iceburg lettuce with no variety…it seriously took me until just a few years ago to realize that there are so many other options, and now I love salads. (But I’m still picky and won’t eat the crunchy parts). I have to make up for all my years of not eating it and try so many different varieties and toppings..yum!

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That is a sweet deal. I wonder what I could do to get someone to make my lunch every day…and my kids…and my husbands….

I have NEVER had chaffing while running/exercising. I always wondered why because it seems to be quite the topic amongst the avid runners. Until last week. I had no idea either…until the shower…you are SO right about the burn. I was so confused as to what was going on. And it was not in the best of places either. I have now had it 2 more times since. What gives? I think I will blame it on the new exercise capris I bought from Old Navy. I guess that is what happens when I try and be cheap. I will have to go out and buy some Body Glide…or check out the other comments people leave.

Oriental salad. I love me some mandarin oranges and sesame dressing. Or the BBQ ranch salad from Paradise Bakery…or pulled pork/Mexican salad. Guess I can’t pick just one. Thank a lot. Now I am hungry.

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omg janae ive been increasing my mileage and my breasts/area under where the sports bra hits are pretty much mutilated. and it feels fine until I get in the shower and then i just want to die it stings so bad. im trying to remember to use body glide

anyway just wanted to say how awesome that is that others understand lol

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That is so awesome! So excited for you – there is a free lunch in this world after all! I would like to see a picture of one of these special notes she writes to you though! :-)

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Whoa, ten miles last night and eight this morning? Impressed, but be careful!

And great new gig.

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I can honestly say I have never chaffed. (knocking on wood right now)

Favorite salad: Tuna Taco salad? I call it that because I have tuna and veggies, but then specifically corn, tomatoes, cheese, crushed Doritoes, and Western dressing all which remind me of a taco salad.

I do a specific workout Mon/Wed/Sat. Just go how I am feeling the other days….sort of……I do not want to run more than 5 days and i gotta have a rest day. So I more go on feel for X-train and weights.

Tomorrow is Friday! Who is already excited…..this girl!

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YUM….the crushed doritos on a salad is the best idea in the whole wide world!! What are your weekend plans? I like your schedule for workouts…once again we are a lot alike!

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Yes! I can totally relate to the chaffing. My heart rate monitor & running shorts will cause problems at random – and I never notice until the shower or the towel runs across it! OUCH! I like to call it my “runner’s rash”…makes me feel tough, like bikers and their “road rash” :)

Congrats on the free lunches! Salads are awesome!

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Love grilled chicken salads about anyway! I never usually look at the rest of the menu
I need a good 1/2 marathon plan, right now I just do whatever the group I run with is doing

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New Skin liquid bandages have eliminated the embarrassing red streaks (blood) down the front of my shirt. I’ve found that it works better than band-aids or NipGuards.

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Right now I just go with what feels right with running. I’m planning on signing up for my first marathon(!) soon so it’ll be back to following a training plan again.

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what an awesome deal :) you go girl! I am totally going to try that next time I go to a restaurant….j/k

but remember in the movies when people couldn’t pay for their meals and they’d do the dishes?? – I wonder if that would really work. I just might have to test this theory!

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Hahaha you are TOO clever! How have your students reacted to your new job?

And I think my fav themed salad is medditeranean. Cucumbers, feta, and olives….yum.

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They loved it….they were teasing me and I just kept saying, ‘Free lunch.’ YUM…now I NEED a Mediterranean salad (minus the olives). Have an amazing day Jamie!

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Love your salad deal, Janae!! Your lunch lady sounds so sweet :-) I worked at a very small high school last year and I miss the closeness that came with it.

My favorite salad is a mexican salad and I do chafe. If I don’t wear a shirt with sleeves, I ALWAYS chafe in a little dime-sized spot in my left armpit. Such a weird spot but it HURTS! I just put vaseline on it now and no more chafing!

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45 minutes for lunch?!?! You lucky-duck!!
At my school, I get 27 — 27!!! Sometimes I dream of what I would do with an extra twenty minutes for lunch… :)

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WHAT!!! 27 minutes….that is not NEARLY long enough, what are they thinking? Come work with me!

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i’m a huge fan of a cobb or chef salad too – like you said, the hard boiled eggs make it! i love the cheese too! i also really enjoy salads with berries and candied nuts… yum!! woohoo for free lunch! ;)

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Holy crap, I want that job and that salad!

My sports bras almost always chafe. I really need to find ones that don’t. I use the anti-chafe stuff from Mission Skincare and it’s awesome for before and after.

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I love that you get to help make the salads! I would totally do that too!!!
I hope you feel better soon.

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Greek salads with chicken are definitely one of my favorites!

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Chafing is the worst. Well, getting into the shower with chafing is the worst. I tend to chafe from my sports bra, usually under my arms, even with my “seamless” bras sometimes. It’s really annoying. If I realized I’ve chafed before I get in the shower, I put on some Aquaphor and the shower doesn’t hurt as bad.
Free lunch sounds awesome! :)

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wow your school sounds like the one I grew up in. We had one school k-12. Our lunch ladies made fresh frood daily (including bread). I still LOVE (warm) bread to this day. I am jealous of your salads. I have to say, I would probably like oriental the best.

I use body glide daily..I chaff badly. The worst was between my buttcheeks so badly that I literally screamed in the shower *shutter*

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HAHA! I just giggled at your chaffing story, cause I did that just recently. Too funny!

You are an excellent writer! Just started following your blog. :)

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Tough choice….I’d say spinach salad is my fav! Strawberries are the best!!!

Congrats on the new job! :) Smart to strike a deal!

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what a great idea! free lunch is always great, esp when it includes restaurant quality salads! YUM! way to go!

i love cobb salads personally….eggs, bacon, gorgonzola (not a fan of blue cheese), tomato, onion, lettuce..yummy!

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Hahaha, you’re such a smart girl, working for your free salad! I wish I could do that! Maybe I should go ask the ice cream place if I can strike the same deal…

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That’s the coolest thing that the lunch lady makes everything from scratch. I never ate cafeteria food in school because it grossed me out. It was all pre-packaged stuff that didn’t look appetizing to me.
I have NEVER chaffed before. I’m not sure why!!?
I loveee any salad, but I definitely love the ones with fruit, grilled chicken, cheese, and nuts.
I usually stick with what I have planned especially since I am training but I have been doing whatever I want lately.

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Cobb Salad definitely. Avocado, bacon, egg. What’s not to love.
I am learning to listen to my body. For example today said 6 miles but the legs said no. So to the elliptical I went.

The Kidless Kronicles

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I am so anal I have to stick to the run I have planned for the day. The only excuses are if I’m really just having a terribly off day or if I’m sick. Normally I just trudge through terrible runs.

I am a salad queen. My favorite is Greek salad. Yum.

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Dang – that’s awesome! I am also jealous of how long your lunch is…our lunch is 25 minutes and by the time I pack up from one class and set up for the next, I’ve missed the first 5-10 minutes of lunch.

On top of getting free lunch – you also don’t have to pack lunch anymore! I take forever getting all my stuff together for lunches. :)

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25 minutes….that is not NEARLY long enough, I would go crazy! Come work with me:)

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I’ve been dealing with heart rate monitor chaffing…youch! Aquaphor helps. Awesome deal on the lunch! I’d definitely work 20 minutes for those. When I’m not on a training plan, I often go “by how I feel.” But now I’m in week 3 of 20 of a plan. I need to stop counting down, though.

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ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm so TOTALLY jealous of your lunch salad hook up!!! Seriously!!

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Genius! I might have to work out a deal like that in my future school!

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School lunch from scratch?? That is insane! I am sooo jealous. I also work for a tiny school, but our lunches are frightening. It’s cool you are helping her out and getting to eat her yummy food!

No chaffing for me yet, but I don’t go quite the distance that you do haha!!

I am winging my workouts right now until Spring gets here.

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Brilliant re the free/fresh lunches for a little work. Cha-ching – you can add up the money you save as you eat! She’ll probably be so thrilled with you that she’ll add a frozen yogurt machine within 1.6 months.

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Verlin, that is the best idea I have ever heard. I will be proposing the froyo machine idea tomorrow:) Thanks and have an amazing Friday!

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Life changing salad: romain lettuce, bbq chicken that’s been in the crock pot all day, black beans, corn, tomatoes, green onions and whatever tortilla chips you have on hand to top it off. (I’m partial to Doritos from the purple bag.)

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UM…..are you serious….that sounds absolutely incredible, especially the Doritos part. I will be trying that out!

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That is awesome about your lunch deal. What a great time and money saver! Oh, how unfair is your lunch time?? We get 10 min…no lie. Needless to say, I don’t get to eat lunch until school ends. I always have a weekly workout plan. Since I teach the classes, I do all my plans and playlist over the weekend.

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TEN MINUTES…..AHHHH That is not right, how in the world do you do it!!

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That is so amazing that your students have access to fresh, from-scratch foods!!!! I am just about freaking out over that over here. School lunches provide such a great opportunity to nourish kids, but too often they are served unrecognizable, reheated, mystery dishes. YAY for your lunch lady!

Aaaand yes I chafe. I always forget to put glide on before training runs and will be in pain for at least 24 hours, and look super sexy also.

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I love that they’re letting you work in the cafeteria! That’s so smart of you to think to ask! And that does look like a good salad- my high school definitely didn’t have food that looked like that!

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Ages ago you asked what we would choose if we could have any luxury…and I said ‘not packing lunch every day’…consider yourself very lucky (and me very jealous)!! :D

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that was such a smart move to ask the lunch lady!! man, i’d totally be all over that one, especially since that means u have liberty to customize that salad and add in some extras?? i mean take full advantage of that post u’ve worked for! :)

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ugh chafing. It doesn’t happen to me too often, but there have been times when I don’t discover till after purchasing them that a pair of shorts are just a LITTLE too big, and they chafe my inner thighs like none other! in that case, I would say pulling on a pair of skinny jeans post-run is much more painful than the shower hahaha. And OMG! the lunch lady makes everything from scratch?!? holy crap that is epic – I’m totally sending any future kids I have to that high school so that they can eat delicious homemade goodness.

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I think it is so awesome you have 55 minutes for lunch. We get 30, but it really feels like 15! And yesterday there was a back up at the microwave…ugh. The only lucky part of my lunch is that my room is right across the hall from one of the staff rooms! I don’t venture down to the cafe very often =)

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Greek salad is my favourite! I had one yesterday for lunch and it was loaded with feta. Made my day! I even had to tell my husband how much I enjoyed it later in the evneing haha.

Normally I stick with my workout plan. I like routine, plus I’m not keen on thinking at 5am so I just go with it!

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Beet & Goat cheese hands down is my favorite. salad. ever. EVER.

I buy JUMBO body glide sticks because my feet blister really easily & my jumbo thighs rub together. Plus, its good in the summer time – I just put some on my eyebrows therefore no sweat in my eyes when running!

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Thankfully, I have never been chafed. I probably don’t run long enough to get that way….:) I do hate it when my thighs rub together though!

I love the chicken salads at Panera bread!

I norally try to stick with my plan, but also try to listen to my body to see if I need to change something or take a niiiiice rest day. :)

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ugh chafing is the worst. i only have chafed a few times from my heart rate monitor rubbing me the wrong way. oh, and after the ironman – boy did i scream in the shower!! OUCH!

hmm theme salads – i can say that the luau salad from cheesecake factory is my favorite salad of all time.

and i stick to my workouts prescribed by my coach…im a create of routine/habit!

have a wonderful weekend friend!

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What a great deal you have there. I live for big hearty salads!

I chafe too and never realize it til that painful moment in the shower. Sometimes I’ll notice my legs but it’s the sports bra that gets me the worst. ow!

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That is just awesome. I love it.

Chafe? Yes. I use body glide for races as well as long run. When I forget…it is so painful. When I visit my sister for a weekend she almost always stops me on my way out for a run by saying “Did you put on body glide?” You just have to love older sisters.

Favorite themed salad: Greek! I just love that feta cheese. I know you hate olives, but I love them!

Workouts: I do usually stick to what I have planned unless I am sick or if I just don’t have enough time to complete what my SmartCoach plan says.

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I am so jealous. I teach at a teeny-tiny high school, and we don’t get homemade food in the cafeteria. And we’re lucky to get half an hour for lunch now–we used to only have 25 minutes!

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I’ve never had too many issues with chaffing.. of course I’m not running 10 miles, then 8 miles! I hope to get there one day- but I have to remember to take it slow! My favorite salad is baby spinach w/ ff feta cheese, craisins, and candied walnuts. It’s also delicious with strawberries, pears, apples- or any fruit really! It’s TDF! I’m loving all the salad ideas on here!:)

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Wow, that is the best lunch set-up EVER!
One of my favorite themed salads is from Saladworks (have you heard of them or are they an East Coast/Philly thing)? Tuna Nicoise (I may just like saying the name):
– tuna
– hard boiled egg
– black olives
– pasta
– romaine lettuce
– tomatoes (I sub croutons for tomatoes because I prefer carbs over tasteless red things)
– fat free or light caesar dressing
Ok, now I want one but I’m going to Corner Bakery for a lunch date so I’m going to have to find a substitute…

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That is so awesome that there is a schoool, somewhere in the world, that still makes lunches from scratch. Good trade, too!

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That’s great that you are getting great salads for free in exchange for working!!

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This post made me so happy! How freaking awesome is that. My stomach is now growling. Yum!

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Look at you finding ways to maximize your time at school! Your school is really lucky to have meals from scratch right?! Hope you are feeling better-GET WELL SOON! So impressed you got up and ran despite your cold!

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Girl you are a SUPAA fast runner – I’m jealous :)
I never follow a training plan – ever! I just run with how I feel and if I don’t feel like going for a run that day I’ll do something else (stairmill, elliptical, strength train, long walk)
I get bored and sometimes anxious if I follow a training plan so I like to just think about the fun in running more and that helps :)

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