Re: discharge, go see your doc, you may have a simple yeast infection or it could be something more subtle. FWIW, I didn't notice any such change when I began running (last year of Uni).

Re: eating healthy: that's hard to do on campus. Buy a bunch of healthy snacks/bars/similar that you like and that don't need to be in the fridge. Lara bars, dried apricots, raw almonds, etc. Hit the bulk aisle at the supermarket. Beware roasted nuts - usually covered in oils and too much salt. PB&J is always a safe bet (natural PB - peanuts should be the only ingredient; pick multi/whole grain breads) for snacks/lunch as well. In the fall/winter: soups are great - avoid the "cream" ones where it makes sense. Beans, lentils - all good and cheap. Your tricky area will be lean proteins; they can be expensive and a PITA if a kitchen is not always available. Get it when you can is all I can suggest at this point. Salmon, pork tenderloin, skinless chicken breast. The less refined the food is, the better for you... ;-)

Re: juggling time: LOL I have to laugh a bit because if you think it's hard to juggle a schedule in college, boy oh boy are you in for a surprise when you get into the real world ;-). You need to understand your priorities. If running is one of them, then you will make time for it. If it's not, then you won't. Maybe at the beginning of the year, write down a few goals. "Run a 5k race" might be one. "Run twice a week" might be another. Put them up somewhere you can see them every day. Rewrite them as they change. But if the priorities, the goals are not clear, how on earth do you think you can achieve them? ;-)

Good luck!

AP

---

------------------------
"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Welcome,

Can't help ya on the first but can on the rest. Eating right is a difficult thing to do on an uber regular basis and honestly isn't all its cracked up to be :) Eating right most of the time can be easier that most people think. It sounds like you can find some time in the kitchen and that should help you out a good bit. Depending on your weight, body fat, etc. as well as goals: eating 5 or 6 times a day vice 3 works really well for me to keep body fat low and caloric intake where it needs to be. Find some stuff that you enjoy eating and that is easy to prep and make larger quantities of it that you can prepack or at least make it easier to pack in less time. Grabbing premade servings of this & that and throwing it into a bag makes mornings go a lot quicker. Also: the crock pot is your friend. Throwing some hamburger and veggies and broth in in the morning means you have a great dinner when you get home, and you can take some in a thermos the next day.

Cutting your mileage again depends on your goals; if you want to be a marathoner cutting your mileage isn't the way to get there. If you just enjoy running and working out, cutting your mileage is a sacrifice you may have to make in the interest of getting your degree but my guess is looking at structuring your schedule (and sticking to it) can allow you keep your mileage up, you calories where they need to be, and your butt in class...

---

---

When someone pulls laws out of their @$$, all we end up with are laws that smell like sh!t. -Skippy

Welcome to running!

I'd see the doc about the discharge, too. There used to be some home test kits you could buy to check for yeast infections; maybe they still exist? Could be caused by your getting so hot. They are a bigger problem in hot climates. Change out of workout clothes promptly, that helps.

About the eating. When I was a student, I ate lots of cheap pbj and lots of eggs---high in protein and easy to make. Think about eating fresh fruits and veggies, dried fruits and nuts, and choosing whole grains. You could load up on breakfast cereal, too, which has a long shelf life and is fortified. It will get you to drink more milk, too. I made eating breakfast my priority. The rest of the day I couldn't control, but that meal I could. Once you get used to your schedule, you can figure out when you get hungriest, and when you have the best opportunities to eat well.

About the running. You may have to scale it back for awhile, but if you like it, try to find ways to get your runs in. Again, first thing in the morning is the best for making sure it gets done. Easier said than done. Your schedule may be busy, but predictable. As you get a sense of your days, you will see where you can squeeze in a run, maybe at lunch or right after work. Think about time wasting activities you could give up to run instead. TV watching in the evening is a big one for most people.

Do you have a meal plan/meal hall at school? Fresh fruits and veggies are readily available at my school and some of our places are a la carte so we can get stuff with lunch and save it for snacks for later.

Alternatively, wear a sweatshirt and stick a couple pieces of fruit or veggie sticks in the pocket for later (or wear it in and wrap them up with it). I also got away with filling Nalgene bottles up with soymilk.

Running time - get up a bit early and do it first thing. It will wake you up for the day and then you won't have to worry about fitting it in later.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I am running into a similar problem. Last year at this time I was training for a marathon and able to keep up with my training plan and nutrition. This year, due to a new job and low hemoglobin late spring/early summer I find myself running much less, eating extremely unhealthy, 10 pounds heavier and trying to train for a 10 mile run in early October. Thanks for the info everyone and if you have any suggestions for me I appreciate it! Thanks

I understand some of your frustrations. I can't relate to the hemoglobin problems but time management and maintaining high levels of ambition are challenging with a full schedule of work and school. I feel that I have multiple priorities and I am not sure I can down size much from here. I think maybe we could try to encourage each other with our efforts and maybe that will help us stay motivated.

Alicia