Fruits and Veggies

If you're familiar with the stages of change theory, it goes like this:

pre-contemplation stage (not aware of the issue) --> contemplation stage (aware of the issue; thinking about change) --> preparation stage (taking steps to make the change)--> action stage (change the behavior)-->maintenance (work to prevent relapse)

When it comes to lifestyle/behavior change, this theory states we are in one of these phases.

I've been trying to increase the number of servings of fruits and vegetables I eat for quite some time now. I keep cycling in/out of the action stage. Action -->Relapse-->Action-->Relapse, etc. I even made increasing fruits and veggie intake my project for a Health Promotion class I took when I was a Public Health student. Students had to pick a lifestyle change goal, make a plan utilizing tools we learned in class, and then implement the plan. It was a fun class. I had good weeks and not so good weeks. In the end, it just did not stick. The good news is I know that all is not lost. It's not unusual for people to go through relapse several times until the change sticks long enough that it becomes maintenance.
Now, I have another opportunity. Today is the first day of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge, hosted by RunToTheFinish. The challenge awards points for having more than 7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This is perfect! Today I was very conscious about my food choices. Despite being busy, I am making the time to prepare and really think about what I am going eat rather than grab whatever seems convenient. Even if it's not 7 servings, any increase would be beneficial to me for my overall health. If you found any tools or tricks to help you make lifestyle changes in your life I'd love to hear about them. I need all the help I can get!

What's That Smell?

Yes, I'm going there. The topic: smelly running clothes. Technical fabrics are great at wicking away sweat and keeping me comfortable during a workout. Unfortunately, some items of clothing made of that fabric can also harbor an odor. For me, the usual culprit is a technical shirt. I've noticed this phenomenon on some of my non-workout clothes as well. I had a dress and a couple of tops made of a fabric that resists wrinkles, stains, etc. that also had lingering smells. It bothered me so much that I ended up tossing them. (The dress and tops, that is. For some reason, I'd still hang onto the running tops.) I would wash these clothes in the usual laundry detergent and they would look fine. However with a deep sniff or after wearing the item for a few minutes, I would notice the odor was still there. I tried different detergents to no avail. Even my husband would notice the smell. That's when I knew it was time to try something new.
I'd heard about people soaking smelly items of clothing in water with baking soda or spraying diluted vinegar on the clothing before washing. I only had red wine vinegar in the house at the time and thought it wouldn't be a good idea to use that variety for that purpose. When I was at a sporting goods store recently, I decided to give one of those sport laundry detergents a try. I've heard of Win, Shutout and Nikwax before, but ended up I picking up Penguin Sport-Wash because it was the only one there on the shelves that day. The small 20 ounce (590 ml) bottle was $9. The label noted that the bottle can wash 20 loads. However if you have a high efficiency washing machine, you use only 1/2 capful of detergent per load rather than a full capful of detergent. So that's one way it can be stretched a bit. I've used it on about 5 loads so far. The skeptic in me was surprised- it worked! No more subtle odor in my freshly laundered technical shirts. Yeah! However, I'd like to find a lower cost alternative that works as well. I think I may try the baking soda soak next to see if it works for me.
Today I had a nice 14 mile run. It was cool enough for me to wear my Nike headband/ear cover, Road Runner Sports tights and Under Armour long sleeved shirt. Looking forward to the upcoming short work week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Mom, Can I Come?

Those were the words from my daughter when I was getting ready to go out for my run today. "Yeah, can I come too? Please?" asked my son. I thought how great it would be to be able to spend time with them doing something active and get my scheduled run done at the same time! I've been able to have them follow/lead me with their bicycles up to 4 miles before. However one 6 mile run last year became a 6 mile walk with me pushing a very short pink Barbie bike when my daughter couldn't keep riding her bike because her "bottom hurts and I'm tired." We made it home after multiple water fountain stops and breaks, feeling exhausted. Memories of my sore back after that walk brought me back to reality and I told them, "Not today, but we can when I run a shorter distance." Disappointed my daughter said, "Okay, but I am going to run with you one day. When I'm bigger!" I can't wait.
Today was a general 8 mile run with 8 x 100 meter strides. About half way through the run, I turned a corner when I encountered a young coyote running towards me. At first I thought Do I stop? Do I keep running? Apparently I spooked him enough that he ended up running into the street. Poor fella, he looked pretty lost. He ended up running past me in the middle of two lanes. A traffic light turned green which released quite a few vehicles behind him. There he was, leading a group of cars, trucks and SUVs behind him up a hill. They were driving slowly behind him until he finally ran towards the side of the road. I hope he was able to find his way.

Adjusting

For the last week, I had rearranged my schedule which allowed me to run in actual daylight. Who would've thought that running in sunlight would feel a little weird after all the miles spent in humid, hot weather this past summer? I had to make a bit of an adjustment after all the Autumn runs in the dark of the morning or evening. This morning, though, I again joined the dark side (Darth Vader voice). Although I stepped out of the house at the same time as I had done numerous times previously, it seemed a lot darker than I remembered. No hat. No sunglasses. No sunscreen. It's weird how quickly my body adjusts to routines. 5 mile run - check! Tomorrow is speedwork. My long run on Sunday will complete this 8th week before the RNR Marathon. Time is flying!

Finished Some Speedwork and It Didn't Suck

Today Pfitz had an 8 mile (13 km)VO2max run on my schedule today. Hooray! (sarcastic voice) If you've read some of my previous posts, you know that I have not been a fan of speedwork. After quite a few unsuccessful attempts accompanied with self-defeat and tears, I omitted speedwork from my training plans for almost a year and focused on building a foundation of miles instead. The result?I was able to run long, but just not very fast. Now, I'm not looking to break any records other than my own. However I do want to improve. So this time around, I vowed to make every effort to stick with my plan and conquer this.

The run was to include 5 x 800 meters at 5K race pace and jog 50 to 90% interval time between. School was still in session, so I couldn't use the nearby track. I decided to stick with the same 8 mile loop I did yesterday. As you can see, it is relatively flat. There are ranches on either side of the road.

I run along the soft dirt horse trail that runs between the horse properties and the street...nice on the joints.

Traffic lights are few and far between. Unless it's rush hour (people use the road as a shortcut), there's not a lot of vehicular traffic. The only real hazard to look out for is to try not to step into this:

Overall, it really wasn't too bad. I did have to be careful not to go out too fast during the 800s. It was challenging to keep the pace up more than 400 meters at a time, though. Each 800 was within goal pace except for the last one which was about 40 seconds slower than goal. I was tired! Maybe, just maybe, some of this speedwork stuff isn't too bad.

Running After Eating

Unfortunately, I don't have more than an hour available for morning runs before I have to be at work and I am not fast enough to complete 8 miles in an hour. Not yet, anyways. Today I was fortunate to have the afternoon off work which gave me extra time for my planned 8 mile run. By the time I got out there, it was about 1-1/2 hour after lunch. Boy, did I feel it. The food I had eaten just sat there in my tummy the whole time, which was very distracting. I didn't expect it, since I recall eating similar food about the same time frame before another run in the past and had no issues. Around mile 6, I actually had to slow down because I felt like my lunch was trying to make its way up. Yea, ewww. Thank goodness, it didn't happen. I slowly finished the run, hesitantly, without any vomiting or other GI issues. Maybe, I'll wait longer next time. On the bright side, I ran by some horse ranches and was able to watch many horses  getting their afternoon exercise. 

Long Runs Are Like a Rollercoaster

Yesterday I completed my long run for the week, a 16 miler. Without my MP3 player to distract me for the run, I was able to really focus on what I was thinking during the experience. I hadn't done that on a long run in quite sometime. Afterwards, I realized my thoughts were pretty much all over the place. Up and down. Just like a roller coaster. Here's an abridged version.

I stepped out of the house when the sun just rose up, casting a wonderful golden glow on the houses and desert landscape. I felt happy and excited. I was looking forward to going on this run and getting some time out there on my legs. I had some podcasts I was looking forward to listening to. Just ready to go!
About 2 minutes into my warm-up, I noticed that my i-Pod wasn't working. The screen was working, but no sound. None from either ear bud, none from the unit, no sound at all. Maybe it's the headphones. Crap! Luckily I was still near the house. I walked back into the house and switched headphones. Still no sound. Great (sarcastic tone). I glanced up at the clock. Blast! I've already wasted almost 10 minutes on this. Just leave the i-pod at home. Don't have to carry the extra weight and get this run done.
I re-start my jog down the hill, disappointed I'm not able to listen to Run Run Live, when I spot a beautiful bird in a shrub. It was a cardinal..a beautiful bright red cardinal! Excited at seeing my first cardinal in real life (not on tv or in a book), I pulled out my cell phone to snap a picture. As I fumbled with getting it into camera mode, the bird flew into a nearby tree. I've got to take his picture! I kept following it with the camera, feeling very inconspicuous in my running gear. That poor bird must've been alarmed at this human (me) wearing a bright red sugoi short sleeve shirt, white hat, and red/black running shorts, aiming a small contraption at it. It finally decided to fly away. No picture. Oh well.
I resumed my run. Okay. Time to focus on form. Head, arms, legs. Focus on breathing. I wonder what's going on with my i-Pod? Did moisture get into it from the rain the day prior? I'll deal with that later. Got to get 12 of these miles at marathon pace. What was that again? Right. Okay. Look at that cute bird singing over there! Is that a warbler? Do warblers live here? Wow, the desert can really be a beautiful place. Is that bacon I'm smelling? Ugh..not a good smell right now.
Beep. Mile 5. Hey the homeless guy is not at the bus stop where he usually is! Where did he go? Is he okay? Hmmm?
Beep. Mile 9. I'm not feeling so good right now. Have to concentrate to keep pace up. Legs feel icky! Fluids. Better run in the shade of these trees. Nice. Much better. I smell fabric softener dryer sheets. Hey, someone dropped a picture on the sidewalk!
Beep. Mile 14. Wow, this training plan must be working..I feel really good! I can go on like this forever! The sunlight feels great!
Beep . Mile 15. Why do I have to work so hard to breathe? I'm getting tired. Sun too bright. Why did I forget my sunglasses. Never mind that. Almost there!
Beep. Mile 16. Whew! Great run!