Week 14 Recap

This week did not go as planned, and that is ok. I think I over did it last week, and I payed for it this week. I didn't feel well at the beginning of the week, so I took it easy for most of the week. Even though I didn't meet most of my goals for this week, I had some great workouts at the end of the week.

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday - 24 min of yoga 
• Tuesday - home sick
• Wednesday - rest
• Thursday - ran 3 miles in 35 minutes
• Friday - home sick
• Saturday - ran 6.5 miles in 1:18 non-stop; 45 minute swim lesson #2
• Sunday - biked 18.2 miles in 1:17

Week Totals

• run/walk - 9.5 miles (2 runs); longest = 6.5 miles
• bike - 18.2 miles (1 ride)
• swim - 45 minutes
• exercise hours - 4 hrs

Accomplishments

• ran 10k+ without walking
• 90% homemade meals
• 100% vegetarian meals (details on Wed's One Green Thing)
• first road bike ride of the season

Goals / Planned Events for This Week

• 85% homemade meals 
• 100% vegetarian meals
• 4/15 - Corporate 5k
• 4/16 - UCF Relay for Life
• 4/18 - Dow Live Earth Run for Water 6k

6.5 Miles Non Stop in 1:18

I set out to run 10K without walking this morning (another item in my 101 things list), and I ran 6.5 non-stop miles in 1:18 @ a 12:02 min/mile pace! The most I've ever run without a walk break before was 5 miles.  I am in awe because I figured that at best I would average 13. When I finished the first mile in 12:36, I feared I had started out too fast, but the pace felt comfortable. I tried to slow down, but that's the pace my body wanted to run; anything slower actually felt a little awkward. I was sure I'd lose steam towards the end, so imagine my surprise when I kept seeing my average pace go down!

Splits:

• mile 1 = 12:36
• mile 2 = 12:15
• mile 3 = 12:16
• mile 4 = 12:17
• mile 5 = 12:06
• mile 6 = 11:30
• mile 6.5 = 5:15 (10:26)

And to think that this run almost did not happen. I was having tummy issues so I was going to postpone until tomorrow. But Jason urged me on, so I took a pepto and gave it a try staying close to home for the first few miles just in case. I felt great, and the weather was perfect, so I kept going. I wore my fuel belt to sip on water throughout and took a gel at mile 3.  I was feeling really good towards the end and speeding up, so I instead of 10K I kept going for an even 6.5 miles. I probably could have ran 7 miles, but I didn't want to push it since I felt twinges here and there.

After the run, I ate some breakfast and ran some errands, then I went to my 2nd swim lesson at the Y. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of bilateral breathing, and began learning the proper way to do the breast stroke. You can read more details about the swim at dailymile.

Friday Five: Why Go Green

There are many benefits to going green. Planet Green has an excellent article, Why Go Green?,  talking about the big picture, including Top 10 Tips and By the Numbers for those of you who like statistics. Below is my top five list of the benefits of going green. I find that at least one, and usually all, of these are true of every green thing I do.

1. reduce impact on the environment - this is the main benefit of going green. Everything we do affects our planet and we're slowly using up all our natural resources. The Story of Stuff is a great look at this.
2. incidental exercise - biking to work or walking to the store not only saves you money on gas and helps reduce pollution caused from car emissions (such as carbon dioxide) they are a great workout!
3. reduce waste - recycling, or better yet reusing, keeps excess waste out of landfills. Sadly, not everything we recycle stays out of landfills so being mindful of the packaging and reusability of the things we purchase goes a long way. 
4. eat healthier - eating green is healthier for us because they are natural and unprocessed, keeping more of their nutrients, which also means they require less resources and money to produce and transport them. e.g. most processed foods have extra sodium to help preserve the food longer; restaurants also use a lot of added sodium and fat (e.g. butter) to make things taste better even if they are not of the best quality from the start.
5. save money - most things that we do to conserve the earth's resources also help us save money, e.g. tap water vs bottled water; biking vs driving; opening windows vs light bulbs or A/C; cooking vs eating at a restaurant.

How about you? Why do you go green?

Should I Tri?

Training for and completing the marathon reignited my love for running, and I don't ever want to stop. I'm getting faster and my endurance is outstanding. I could run for hours, and I do, and I LOVE it! I feel so powerful when I run, and it helps keep me sane. This is why on an almost daily basis I go back and forth on whether I want to train for triathlons this season or just focus on my running.

Last season my running suffered because I was too focus on swimming and biking and barely ran more than 2-3 miles the entire season; I don't want that to happen again. In fact, I can't let it happen. I'll be training for a fall marathon, probably the Space Coast Marathon during Thanksgiving weekend, so I need to keep up with my running to be able to run 12 miles at the start of the training in June.

On the one hand, I enjoy the additional challenge of a triathlon, the great community that goes with it, and the benefits of cross training. I know that I'll get the bug when I see others, like Jason, start participating in triathlons. There also aren't many road races in Florida until the fall, other than 5Ks, so I'd be running with no goal in mind other than maintenance and I always do better when I'm training for a specific race.

On the other hand, I really want to work on improving my running speed, so that means I can't jeopardize any of my running workouts because of swimming or biking. I also want to keep up with core and strength training and I'm having a hard time finding the time to fit it all in without risking overtraining, injury or burn out. I guess the best thing to do is to focus on my running, bike and swim for cross training as best I can, and if I'm ready when the time comes sign up for a tri to mix thing sup. We'll see.

One Green Thing: Candlelight

Earth Hour inspired us to shut off the lights and live by candlelight for the month of April. The verdict is still out about how much cheaper or better for the environment this may be than compact florescent light bulbs, but Jason will be posting a full analysis at the end of the month.

We long ago switched to compact florescent light bulbs to conserve energy, but we still flipped the switch and left lights on far more often than needed. I always try to turn off lights after I leave the room, but sometimes we forget. Flipping that switch became such a habit that we often had lights on in the middle of the day! There is no reason at all for that. To avoid temptation, and believe me it abounds, we put taped over all the light switches. I am hoping this experiment will help us realize just how little artificial light we need on any given day and help us adjust to do more things during daylight hours.

How has this changed my lifestyle so far:

• We open windows and blinds more often to let in natural light; this further reduces our cost and impact on the environment because we need to light less candles.
• I get more done when I get home from work, such as preparing my lunch or packing workout clothes for the next day, because I want to get it done before losing daylight. 
• I'm finally getting to use all the candles and holders I bought when I was a Partylite consultant.
• The apartment smells great from all my Partylite candles :)
• My eyes are adjusting to seeing better in low light; it's amazing how the smallest amount of light can light up a whole room -- unless you are looking for something tiny =P
• It's easier to go to bed early when it's pitch black.
• We spend more time in the living room because the fish tank and projector provide extra light lol

This is the perfect time for this experiment because days are longer and the sun doesn't set until almost 8 p.m. The light on the fish tank in the living room used to turn off at 9 p.m., so that gave us extra time with light, but Jason switched it to shut off at 7 p.m. to make things more realistic when the apartment goes dark after the sun goes down.

So far this has been a pleasant experience, and we are enjoying the gentle glow and aroma of candles. However, a few things are proving a bit difficult, such as shaving and looking for clothes in my closet. My closet has no windows so it's always the darkest room, and I fear bringing candles in there and setting my clothes on fire =P I do have an enclosed candle lantern that I can bring in there, but it's still not enough light. I've managed, especially if pick out clothes the day before,  but I'll be glad when I can turn on that light again :)

I doubt we'll continue living by candlelight alone past April, but I hope this will help us make better use natural light and limit when and how often we use artificial light (including light bulbs and candles). Maybe we'll leave most of the light switches taped, but I think the one in the closet and the bathroom may need to come off.

For more information: Top Green Lighting Tips from Planet Green

Vote for our Corporate 5k t-shirt design

Victor designed our Corporate 5K an awesome team shirt (see design below) and now we need your help to win the best shirt design contest. Visit the Corporate 5K Blog and vote for "UCF CDL" in the poll to the right. Everyone can vote, even if you are not participating, so spread the word!

Monday Brain Exchange: Favorite Races!

This week's Monday Brain Exchange topic is Favorite Races. The question: Name your top 3 favorite events to date. When were they and why are they your favorite?

This was a tough choice -- like choosing your favorite child. LOL. Ok, maybe not. Anyway, I narrowed it down and here they are in order of occurrence. Click on the race name to read the race report.

Run for the Trees 5K - April 25, 2009 in Winter Park, FL

I've run this race every year since I began running, which is only 2 times lol, but I'm going back this year. Last year I ran it in 33:12, my current 5K PR, and had a blast because I had my mom and friends there. One of the things I love most about this race is the focus on the environment. Everyone that finishes the race receives a young tree, and the race awards are also (bigger) trees. It's close enough to home that I can bike there. The course is gorgeous and unique, ending on in the tree-canopied, wilderness dirt road of Genius Drive, a privately owned glimpse of old Florida opened to the public only once a year, for this event.


26.2 with Donna Marathon Relay - February 21, 2010 in Jacksonville, FL

The big selling point for this race is that 100% of the proceeds go towards breast cancer research and care. With such a great cause, it's not surprise that the support from the local community is amazing. I was impressed with the level of organization, support, and spectators in this race. The water stops were ample, as were the GUs and other food items. This being their first year of the relay, the logistics could be improved, but it wasn't a big enough issue to deter from my enjoyment or wanting to do it again. The weather was perfect, I ran a great race, and got to share a marathon with my family. What more could I have asked for? I'm already planning to return next year to run the full marathon by myself.

Gasparilla Marathon - February 28, 2010 in Tampa, FL

This was my first marathon, so of course it makes the top 3. The goodie bags were reusable tote bags, the post race food was great; I loved the pirate theme; and my heavy duty maiden voyage medal is gorgeous and can double as a weapon if someone breaks into my apartment lol I don't think the support and spectators were as good as BCM, and I prefer GU to PowerBar Gels, but it was an amazing experience that I will cherish forever, especially running the last 2 miles with my Dad! :)

Honorable Mentions: Corporate 5K for it's cheer size and running with co-workers; Central Florida Sprint Triathlon for the great goodie bag, course, and post-race food; OUC Triathlon Relay for a killer run leg with the best relay team ever!

As you can see, I don't venture too far from home, but that is all about to change in 2010 :)

Week 13 Recap

This has been a very busy week and I think I may have over done it a bit, so today is a complete day off. I managed to sleep in until 9:30 am! I tried to do some yoga, but quit after 10 minutes. My body just wanted to be, so I let it be :)

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday - 30 minutes of cardio kickboxing; ran 3.11 miles in 36 minutes
• Tuesday - swam 1200 yd in 35 minutes; ran 2 miles in 26 minutes + walked 1.65 mile 
• Wednesday - bike to work: 29 miles roundtrip
• Thursday - swam 1500 yd in 42 minutes;  ran 3.2 mile run in 42 minutes
• Friday - bike to work (one way) - 14.4 miles; 
• Saturday - ran 10 miles in 2:13; 45 minute swim lesson
• Sunday - 10 min of yoga

Week Totals

• run/walk - 20 miles (4 runs + walks); longest = 10 miles
• bike - 48 miles (4 rides); longest = 14.5 miles
• swim - 2700 yds (2 sessions + swim lesson); longest = 1500 yds
• exercise hours - 10.5 hrs (avg 1.5 / day)

Goals for Next Week:

• run 3x; at least 12 miles
• run 10k without walking
• bike to work 2x; at least 34 miles
• swim 3x (including lesson); 3000 yds
• cross train 1x: yoga, kickboxing, core
• restart 100 pushup challenge using ful push ups
• 85% homemade meals 
• 4/11 - World Record Bicycle Parade

Friday Five: Weekly Blog Features

Today I am taking a page from Running is Funny (and many other blogs out there), and hopefully this will become my 3rd weekly feature. I'm still wrestling with how I want this to go, but I will either pick a theme every Friday and post 5 things that match that theme, or I'll just post 5 random things that happened that week or come to mind that day =P I guess random is a theme ;)

Today's theme is weekly blog features. In an attempt to blog more regularly, I am implementing some recurring blog features. I'm trying these out for now and we'll see if I stick with them. I could use your help for more ideas since I may run out of material for some, or grow tire of it, and need to replace it eventually.

1. Monday Brain Exchange -- I plan to play along every week with the topic/question posted at Finishing is Winning.
2. Wednesday One Green Thing -- This is my newest feature and one that will not likely last because I'll run out of things to post about. I guess I'll just need to find new was to save our environment :) I may just start going through green guides on the web (e.g. Green Guide or Planet Green)  and post about which I'm doing and try those that I'm not.
3. Friday Five -- You are here! =)
4. Sunday Week Recap (needs a clever name) -- I've tried this before and it ever only lasted for a week or two, but I am going to give it another try now that I will be doing 3 sports regularly. This will also help make writing the monthly recaps easier.
5. Random - I'll also regularly post about the following as they occur: race reports, monthly recaps (including progress on yearly goals), 101 things progress, yearly recaps, gear reviews, and much more! 

So reading this, you'd think I'll be posting 5 days a week. Ha! I'll try, but it's entirely possible I'll skip one or more of these features on any given week due to lack of time or creativity :) But if I shoot for 5, I should be able to get in at least 3.

March 2010 Recap

Marathon recovery is going great, but you wouldn't know I just ran a marathon with the level of exercise I've been doing this past month. I started swimming 3 times a week and biking to work 2 times a week (soon to be 3), and that is on top of running 3-4 times a week, including long runs of 6-14 miles every Saturday. I've been neglecting yoga, core, and upper body strength though, so I need to juggle things around in April to fit those in.

March Stats

• run / walk = 86 miles = 17 walk + 69 run; longest run 11 miles
• bike = 135 miles; longest ride 14.5 miles
• swim = 5 miles / 8100 yards
• total = 225 miles in 40h 25m (avg 1.3 hrs / day)

2010 Goals Progress

The year is 25% over, so anything around that percentage means I'm on track to meet that yearly goal. In some cases (e.g. swimming and biking), I know the totals are low during winter months but they will increase drastically during spring and summer and I'll make up the difference then. Full stats in miles and percentage of goal accomplished are below, followed by a chart for those who prefer visuals :)

• run/walk = 269 / 700 miles (avg 89/mo; 21/wk; 38%)
• cycling = 163 / 1750 miles (avg 54/mo; 9%)
• swimming = 5 / 60 miles (8%)
• tri 2010 challenge = 436 / 2010 (22%)
• total exercise hours = 110 / 365 hours (avg 1.2 hrs / day; 30%)
• 101 things = 7/30 done (23%); 11 in progress (details in separate post later)
• maintain weight around 125 lbs = spiked above 125 the last 2 weeks, but still mostly within "maintenance" range of give or take 2-3 lbs and I'm back to 124 lbs today.

March Accomplishments

• Winter Park Road Race - 8.2 miles Distance Dare - New 10K and 2 miler PR!
• Recruited 33 people for our Corporate 5K team at work (including a few friends and family)
• Began swimming again
• Began biking to work again

Goals for April

• run/walk 58 miles (14/week)
• bike 2-3 times per week, at least 146 miles (34/week)
  
• swim 3x a week and finish 0 to 1650 program (swimmer's mile)
• exercise 30 hours (1 hr/day)
• blog at least 3x per week
• eat vegetarian (or at least pescatarian) for the entire month 
• swim lessons every Saturday for next 4 weeks -- hope to learn breast stroke and bilateral breathing
• planned fitness events:
• 04/15 - Corporate 5K
• 04/11 - World Record Bicycle Parade
• 04/17 - Earth Day 12k or 5K (maybe - if I don't do the 6K)
• 04/18 - Dow Live Earth / Run for Water 6K
• 04/24 -  Run for the Trees 5K (PR?)