Its funny that just the other day I mentioned i’ve got this terrible addiction to cereal right now, and sure enough, Runners World puts out an article on eating cereal and its nutritional benefits .. you can read the article here.

Some key points they make during the article include “Its ample carbs, fiber, vitamins, and minerals make it a great pre- or postrun meal anytime. ” … Cool, now probably the only issue I might have is that I started eating cereal during my training in the form of Honey Bunches of Oats with peaches .. it was great, I was eating like 3-4 bowls a day. I then migrated to eating Fruity Pebbles, yeah, I know, its kid cereal, but its not the worst cereal out there by far .. so from TFA, here are more good points:

Pour it on: Quick and convenient, cereal is often fortified with vitamins and minerals. Milk boosts protein and calcium. Look for at least five grams of fiber per serving.

Wait a sec: Many have tons of sugar. Aim for 12 grams or less per serving. If it has dried fruit, then higher sugar is okay.

Dig In: For a late-night snack. A slightly sweet cereal of around 160 calories a cup can satisfy a sugar craving while providing fiber.

So I checked out my favorite cereal, and it doesn’t have 5 grams of fiber per serving, far from it, however it has less than 12 grams of sugar per serving (under 11g) .. It also has less than 160 calories per serving (145 calories), so it makes the cut, almost. It would probably be a better thing if I didn’t eat a whole box every day, outside of the caloric problem, its expensive..

I am disappointed to report that I seem to have my first black toenail on my right foot in over a year. The only thing I can think that caused it would be the new shoes I bought last week. I was under the impression that ALL New Balance shoes have a large toebox, but that might not be the case. The only other ‘possible’ cause could be the high miles of the last 2 weeks, but I really think it is shoe related. I was thrilled that they all healed up since migrating to New Balance 1061’s, but seem to have reappeared. Its time to chop the nail off I guess..

My last real run before the week prior to the race was today, I hammered out another strong 8 miles in just under 1:03 .. the impressive part is that I was running a 1:50 1/4 mile split for at least the last 3 miles of the run. Impressive. Maybe I am faster than I thought or it might just be that i’m peaking for the season .. its important that as I start to cut the miles back (if I can since I haven’t yet started) that I keep this intensity up … I think I can easily hit a 3:40, if not a 3:35 for the next marathon, it’ll just depend on it being the perfect day..

So its off to rest for another day before an easy weekend and into the last week of the taper next week … I have to cut the miles back, although the body does not want to, we’ll have to force it I guess…