Three Things Thursday

This has been a great week! I've done a lot, but I feel energized instead of tired. Yay! Here are the week's highlights so far:

1. "Next Level" functional training workout at the downtown YMCA.
   I did it on Monday and again on Wednesday. It's a killer workout, but I can already feel that I am getting stronger. The exercises change every week, but they were the same on Monday and Wednesday, and I had to do less modifications when I did it yesterday. Yay! The workout is a circuit of 12 different exercises that we do 2x each for 30s on/15s off. Check out my dailymile log for the exercises we did this week.
   
   
2. Running with Jen. My friend Jen is doing the C25k, and yesterday was her first 20 minute run. I volunteered to do it with her outdoors to free her from the dreadmill. She did amazing, and we had so much fun! Congrats Jen!
   
   
3. Speed Work!
    I actually love running in the track and doing speed work, but I haven't done it in months. It was a bit too much to build millage for my first marathon and work on speed, so I focused on distance last season, but I am now ready to get faster! Today's workout was 8 x 400 @ 5K pace, and it went great. I can tell I'm in much better shape. With the warm up and cool down, I ran over 5 miles!  Read details at DM.

PS - I wrote this earlier in the day, while I was still basking in my runner's high from this morning's run at the track. Now that it is 6:30 p.m., I think I've hit my limit for the week. I'm beat! I basically phoned it in for my swim workout this afternoon. I only managed 500 yds, and had to force myself to even due that much, so I cut it short because I was exhausted and could feel myself getting sloppier with each lap. Thankfully, tomorrow is a rest day :)

One Green Thing: Laundry

I'm going to try something a little different today (which I may adopt for future posts as it gives me a good framework for drafting the posts). Below are the Top 10 Green Laundry Tips (check out full article for details on each item) from Planet Green's article,  How to Go Green: Laundry. I'll write how my own habits stack up to these tips, and where I can still improve.

1. Wear it more than once

Most of the clothes that I wear to work -- specially pants -- barely get dirty, so I try to hang them up when I get home and wear them again later in the week. We usually only do laundry on the weekends, so we'll hand wash our workout clothes while we shower and hang them to dry, then wash those that need it on the weekends. Of course, if something gets a stain or really dirty we'll toss it in the hamper immediately. Another reason for at least rinsing our workout clothes and hang drying them, is that tossing damp sweaty clothes in the hamper will just contaminate the rest of the laundry and may harvest bacteria.

2. Use green laundry detergent

Here is where I need the most work. I still buy Publix generic detergent, but I plan to look into greener alternatives. However, I do use white vinegar instead of fabric softener, and make sure to only use as much detergent as I need and not fill the cup all the way. The package instructions usually encourage you to use more than needed so you run out sooner and spend more on their product.

3. Choose concentrated detergent

The Publix generic detergent I buy is at least concentrated, which is another reason I do not need to use as much of it.

4. Make your own laundry detergent

I've been meaning to do this, but have yet to give a try. If you are interested in trying it, check out this great detailed visual guide at The Simple Dollar or check out the video.

5. Maximize your washer for energy efficiency

I always wash clothes in cold water, and wait until I have a full load to run the wash -- especially since I live in an apartment and have to pay per load.

6. Hang it out to dry

When we lived in the house, we put up a clothes line and I loved using it. Now that we live in an apartment, we do not have as much room to hang clothes, but we still do what we can. We have a clothes rack from Ikea, and I usually hang dry at least all my workout clothes (those tech fabrics are expensive, so I want to make them last as long as possible). We also hang dry workout clothes in the shower when we hang wash them after workouts between laundry days.

7. Maximize your dryer

I ditched dryer sheets long ago in favor of dryer balls. The vinegar in the wash ensure they are soft and clean-smelling, and the dryer balls seem to help with drying. Because sometimes I wash workout clothes with other clothes, the dryer is not always full but it doesn't tend to dry as well when it is too full anyway. Since I wash clothes in cold water anyway, I'm going to try to do an entire load of just workout clothes that I can hang dry to save myself one drying cycle.

8. Don't iron if you don't have to

No protests here! I hate ironing and rarely do it. In fact, I do not even know where our iron is (we do own one, but do not know why). We try to hang our clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer and rarely need to worry about ironing them.

9. Head to the laundromat

Technically, we have a laundromat at our apartment, but it is only 1 washer and dryer that services 4 apartments. It would probably be quicker to take all my clothes to the laundromat and wash/dry them at once, but I like multitasking while doing laundry and then I would not be able to hang dry some of the clothes.

10. Don't bother with dry cleaning

I don't really own many clothes that need dry cleaning, so I either use the washing machine or hand wash everything. The one thing I occasionally dry clean is my winter coat.

So, how do your own habits stack up? Is there anything new you plan to implement?

Resources:

• Top 10 Green Laundry Tips (via Planet Green)
• Planet Green's How to Go Green: Laundry (via Planet Green)
• Making Your Own Laundry Detergent: A Detailed Visual Guide (via The Simple Dollar)
• Video: How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent  (via The Simple Dollar)
• Dryer Rack (from Ikea)
• Reusable Dryer Balls (from Bed Bath and Beyond)
• Vinegar Tips for Laundry

MBE: My Blog

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at  Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Your Blog.

Question: Do your family and friends know about your blog? If so, what do they think of it? If not, why haven’t you told them?

I am an open book and this is a public blog, so yeah they know about it. I have the link to it on facebook and twitter, and every post gets syndicated there. My mom has mentioned reading my blog, and some friends comment on it either here or via facebook.  My boyfriend never comments, but he tells me he reads it via rss (or at least skims it because I tell him what I blog about anyway so it's redundant to him -- at least, that's the story he's sticking with).

Before I started this blog, I had a blog on livejournal. That one was and still is private, but I rarely post to it anymore. I do read some communities there, and it was an invaluable resource when I was completing the c25k program. When I embarked on my lifestyle change to lose weight and become a runner, I began this blog to document the entire process publicly. I think making the process transparent helped keep me accountable, and inspired others to embark in their own similar journey. Inspiring others is one of the biggest motivations for me to keep going.

I love documenting my training as I set higher and higher goals, as well as recapping all my races so I have a historical account of how far I've come. While I always hoped I'd have readers follow along, I blog more for me because I love having the data to look back on. I am thrilled to have met so many wonderful people through this blog, both online and in person. So if you are out there lurking, come on out and say hi! :)

Week 16 Recap

It's been a long week, and even longer weekend, so this will be short and sweet so I can go back to doing nothing for the rest of the day :) The highlight of the week was setting a new 5K PR yesterday and finally learning to swim the breast stroke. w00t! This upcoming week will be our last week of living by candle light and eating vegetarian, but we expect to continue this lifestyle change indefinitely with a few modifications. I'll blog more about that later. No races planned for next weekend, but I hope to run at least 10 miles on Saturday.

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday - swam 600 yds in 15 min; 1hr of kickboxing and functional training at Y
• Tuesday - ran 3.5 miles in 41 minutes
• Wednesday - biked 6.2 miles in 31 minutes (drop off / pick up car at shop)
• Thursday - rest
• Friday - rest
• Saturday - ran 5k in 32:12; biked 13 miles; walked 4 miles; swam 1 hour
• Sunday - biked 9.6 miles (errands); swam 350 yds; moving storage units

Week Totals (rounded)

• run/walk - 8 miles
• bike - 29 miles 
• swim - 1.5 hrs (1000 yds+)
• cross training - 1 hr 
• exercise hours - 7.5 hrs

Accomplishments

• Run for the Trees 5K -- New PR!
• 100% vegetarian meals
• 71% homemade meals (ate out 4x + 2 days of leftovers)
• I can do the breast stroke! :)

Goals for Upcoming Week

• 100% vegetarian meals
• 85% homemade meals
• exercise plan (subject to change):
• Monday: run + functional training at Y 
• Tuesday: swim
• Wednesday: bike to work + run with Jen
• Thursday: run @ track + swim
• Friday: rest or yoga
• Saturday: long run + swim
• Sunday: bike

Race Report: Run for the Trees 5K

It's been a very busy day, and I am exhausted, but I didn't want to put off writing this race report or it may never happen. In the span of 3 hours this morning, I biked 13 miles, set a 5K PR, and walked about 2 miles. I then had breakfast, took a 20 minute nap, swam for 1 hour (last lesson), and walked around lake Eola for a bit at Central Florida Earth Day. Oh yeah, and I made vegetable stock and german chocolate brownies. Quite frankly, I have no idea how I'm still awake. But let's back up and take it from the top.

Pre-Race

I woke up at 5:30 am before my alarm. I was a bit anxious about today's race. I got ready and had a bit to eat, then decided to make sure my Garmin was fully charged and download the latest workouts. I put it on the charger and it beeped like it just turned on. So I turn it off (I think, we are living in the dark here) and it never turned on again. I was freaking out because I needed it for the intervals and to monitor my pace, but more than anything it just seemed like a bad omen to start the morning. Since Jason isn't as obsessed with data as I am, he let me use his watch and all was right with the world again. I still was trying to get mine to start because I have it set just how I like it, but I had to let it go and focus on the task at hand. Around 6:45 am, we left the house and biked 6.5 miles to the start. We meant to leave earlier, but made it there with 10 minutes to spare, locked up our bikes, and walked the 1/4 mile or so to the start.

The Race

I started somewhere in the middle of the pack and tried to pace myself well. My legs felt a bit tired from the bike ride, especially the calves, but I pushed through it and let myself take it easy for the first interval while I got into the running groove. I walked 1 minute for every 3 minutes, but really pushed it during each run segment. 

The first 3 minutes was at 10:52 pace, but every other run interval was under 10 min/mile. I was even impressed at how fast I was walking, around 13-14 min/mile. I gave it all I had and was rewarded with perfect negative splits -- 10:20 - 10:16 - 10:00 - 8:50 (.18 in 1:34) -- and a new PR by 1 minute and 2 seconds from last year's race. I'm also pleased that I placed in the top half overall, and even better in my age group and gender (see full stats below).

With a little speed work, I'm sure I could run my coveted 31 minute 5K soon, and under 30 minutes before the year is over. However, all the long distance training I'll be doing starting in June for the 3 upcoming marathons and the 50K ultra may limit my speed and how many 5Ks I can do this year.

Stats

• garmin = 3.18 in 32:13 (10:08) 
• clock = 32:40 
• chip = 32:10 (10:21) 
• overall = 484 / 969 (top 50%) 
• ag = 37 / 97 (top 38%) 
• gender = 230 / 594 (top 39%)

Post Race

I crossed the finish line spent, although I somehow I felt I could have pushed harder, but I know I gave it all I had. Jason had finished over 10 minutes earlier, I quickly spotted his bright red shirt cheering me on across the finish line. While I walked to get water, Mike finished about a minute behind me. He did great for his 2nd 5k and we were leap frogging for most of the race (he ran the whole thing, while I ran/walked). We waited for Jessica to finish, then walked back to the start with Marcus and Cheryl. I also got to meet Morgan from CAUTION: Redhead Running and some other local running bloggers. I love our running blogging community!

After we got our trees and smoothie samples, we biked back home. The ride home was a bit harder because our legs were tired (we had both ran our fastest) and we of course had a headwind. We were starving, so made some breakfast, and I debated skipping my swim lesson because I was so tired. I am glad I took a quick 20 minute nap and went to the lesson because I made some progress on my breast stroke and learned the beginnings of side stroke. 

I'd like to find another 5K to do soon, and hope to do a tri in June, but marathon training will begin before I know it. I'm really looking forward to it and incorporating some speed work. This is going to be one crazy year! =)

Friday Five: Run for the Trees 5k Goals

Tomorrow I'll be running the Run for the Trees 5K for the 3rd time. I set my current 5K PR at this race last year, and I'm going back for a rematch tomorrow :) I stupidly did a new circuit workout on Monday and have been sore since; fearing I may have pulled something on my right inner thigh, I skipped yesterday's run. The soreness (and bruise like pain on my thigh) seems to be mostly gone now with resting the last 2 days, so I still have high hopes that I'll do well tomorrow.

Below are my lofty goals for this race.

1. Bike to start -- the race start is about 6 miles away near Cady Way Park, so we plan to bike there as a warm up. I am not looking forward to biking back after pushing hard on the run, but it should be a good cool down if I take it easy and allow myself plenty of time to recover before heading home.
2. PR -- This is my main goal, to finish under 33:12, which was my time at this race last year.
3. Finish in 32:30 -- This would be an average pace of 10:30 min/mile and I think its doable since it's only 42 seconds faster than last year. I may be able to pull that off on my improved endurance alone.
4. Finish in 31 minutes -- This is my pie in the sky goal, which would mean an average pace of the coveted 10 min/mile. I would be ecstatic if I finished anywhere near this, but I am not going to beat myself up if I don't. I do think this is doable if I push really hard and leave it all out there, so I'm going to do my best.
5. Run using 3:1 intervals - Even though I can cover the distance without walking, I am at least 2 minutes slower. So I plan to run using 3:1 intervals (last year I used 5:1 intervals). I may extend the run intervals during the last mile, but will likely just run faster. Using 2:1 intervals worked great for a PR at my last 10k a few weeks ago, so it's worth a shot for this 5k.

Well, there you have it.  I'll be sure to post a race report tomorrow night and let you know how I did. Wish me luck!

One Green Thing: Water Bottles

I drink nothing but water on a daily basis, and I have a Klean Kanteen with insulating tote and sling that I refill with filtered tap water and carry everywhere I go instead of buying bottled water. It's become a second purse.

Bottled water is not only absurdly overpriced for something we already pay for at home, but it's not very environmentally friendly, nor is it really any safer than tap water in most cities. There is a lot of waste and cost associated with the production and transport of bottled water. Take a look at the video below, The Story of Bottled Water, for an eye opening look at the evolution of and waste created by the bottled water boom.

I am by no means perfect, and occasionally will consume bottled water when I have no other option, but I make every attempt to recycle that bottle even if I have to bring it home to do it. We have a reverse osmosis filter at home, which we use to refill our water bottles and make water for the fish tank, but I am appalled at the amount of water waste it produces. I wish we lived in a house so we could have a way to catch the waste water and use it to water the plants and such. 

For more information, check out the articles at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/bottled-water/

If you need your own reusable bottle, here are some options:

• Klean Kanteen - stainless steel with optional insulating totes and slings
• HydraPouch - alternative to paper cups during a road race
• Vapur - the anti-bottle, made of ultra-durable BPA-Free polymer; stands when full - rolls, folds or flattens when empty

Three Things Tuesday

1. Turbo Kick

I went to the YMCA after work yesterday for what I thought was a kickboxing class. The instructor was way too peppy and it felt more like a hip hop class, so I left after 30 minutes for a different workout. I realized this morning that it was a Turbo Kick class:

a combination of super-fun kickboxing moves, as well as dance moves, all perfectly choreographed to high energy and motivating music. It's an amazing cardiovascular workout that's a unique blend of cardio intervals, strength/endurance training and a relaxing cool-down. 

It was a good workout, but I don't care for the combination. I really prefer the traditional kickboxing moves that make me feel powerful, and help me tone and build strength. This class just made me feel sloppy and uncoordinated.

2. The Next Level - Functional Training

Instead of the rest of the Turbo Kick class, I went to the Loft (new room at the Y) and tried their new functional training workout called "The Next Level," which focuses on core, balance and strength, fast twitch power and endurance.  It was a circuit of 4 stations, with 3 exercises per station that we did twice for 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. The exercises ranged from using kettle bells, balance dome, rope ladder, and TRX. It involved a lot of jumping and plyometrics that really got the heart rate up, and strength training such as squats and push ups. It was a nice variation for cross straining and a change of pace, so I'm going to try to incorporate this into my routine once a week.

3. Virtual Race Report

The Mordor Half Marathon is the greatest race report ever, which was written for Jamoosh’s Virtual Halfathon. I wish I had seen this virtual race before and signed up. It's all about the race report and doesn't require any actual running. How awesome! Maybe I should bandit the race and write a race report anyway ;)

MBE: Boston

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is Boston.

Question: Do you get excited about the Boston Marathon? Have you ever ran or do you hope to one day run in the race? Will you watch today and if so will it be watching in person, on TV, on the computer? Do you have anyone special running this year? Any great Boston stories to tell?

I got a little excited about it today. Last year, I didn't even know when it was taking place; this year I followed the live results on the website. I am in awe that runners can finish a marathon faster than I can do a half marathon. LOL. More astonishing was that there were only seconds separating the top 10-20 elite men.

The only way I'll ever run Boston is if I'm still running and don't get any slower when I'm 80 :) I know I could run it for charity, but I wouldn't want to run it unless I qualified, and that's a hell of a long shot for me in my lifetime. I did find out this year that they have a 5k the day before, so maybe I'll take a little vacation to Boston next year, explore the Expo, run the 5K, and watch the marathon.

Congratulations to everyone who qualified for and ran Boston today. You are all an inspiration!

Week 15 Recap

This was a very busy and exhausting week, but I got back into the groove of training. The Corporate 5k was a huge success! Swim lessons are going well. I am finally getting the hang of bilateral breathing and starting to make a little bit of progress on the breast stroke. I only have one lesson left, and I may see about learning the basics of the side stroke. I may have to take another set of lessons in June, but we'll see how things go.

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday - ran 2.5 miles in 31 min
• Tuesday - swam 600 yds in 13:30; ran 3.1 miles in 41 min
• Wednesday - 1 hr of yoga
• Thursday - swam 950 yds in 21 min; ran 3.13 in 34:37
• Friday - rest
• Saturday - ran 9 miles in 01:54; 45 minute swim lesson
• Sunday -  biked 18.2 miles in 01:16; 65 min of yoga

Week Totals

• run/walk - 17.6 miles
• bike - 18.2 miles
• swim - 1h 20 min
• cross training - 2 hrs yoga (core/upper body)
• exercise hours - 8h 20 min 

Accomplishments

• Corporate 5k
• 100% vegetarian meals
• 85% homemade meals (ate out 3x)

Goals / Planned Events for This Week

• swim x3; bike x2; run x3; core/upper body x1
• 85% homemade meals 
• 100% vegetarian meals
• Run for the Trees 5K (PR?)