Friday, July 22, 2016

Catching up, What's next?, and SLS3 Hydration Vest Sneak Peak.

Hi there!  Long time no post.  It's still hot and it doesn't look like there is any upcoming relief in sight.


For the past few weeks, I have scaled back my mileage.... At the end of May, I was feeling pretty beat up.  Earlier this year I had discussed letting go of my distance base and not worrying about hitting a certain amount of miles each week.  I took that advice for about a week or two and then I just kept on  running the same volume.  By the end of May, my left hamstring and right heel were both feeling tender.  Then the heat turned on in June, and I just naturally needed more days off.  Schoolwork was catching up with me as well.  Currently, I've been averaging about 20-25 miles a week for reference last year I was averaging 30-35 miles a week.



August 8th is when I begin my next training cycle in preparation for the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Marathon on November 13, 2016.  I'm giving myself a 14-week training cycle (16 weeks just seems too long for me).  My goal is to hopefully run a sub 3:40 marathon.   I'm not sure which training program I will use.  Last year I used Hal Higdon's Advanced Training Free online program when I trained for the Deja Vu marathon.  I'm considering using the help of a coach.  But, I'm not 100% sure about that yet.

A few weeks ago I started my third term of my Master's program.  I guess I have gotten used to the grind of graduate school.  Time management is essential, and I don't have as much free time as I used to, but it's not going to be forever.  One of the things that I noticed is that I miss baking.... I used to bake all the time!!! Bread, muffins, tortillas....Baking was the first thing to go when I had to start budgeting my time.  :(
I made these the weekend of the 4th of July. I didn't have
any homework or assigned reading.  It was in between the
2nd and 3rd term.

Runs that were worth mentioning since my last post

Earlier this month I went out to Bootleg Canyon on my lunch break, and it was hot but, manageable.


The following week, I nearly gave myself heat exhaustion..... I ran 4 miles at high noon, and I was really irresponsible that day.  I drove out to an isolated bike path, I ran carrying a handheld bottle, but I didn't bring my phone.  Here is an overhead view of the bike path.
I'm a moron for choosing to run in an isolated area in 100
degree heat.  Shit can go from good to bad quickly. I won't be
heading out here again until it cools down.



I made it back to my car safely that day, but I felt really bad for taking chances in the heat.

Last weekend my husband and I drove to California, to celebrate my 20th high school reunion.  I ended up running twice while I was back home. I did short trail run in the Ventura Mountains,

My kids got to play with their cousin
while I went for a short run in the hills.


And then I ran another 4 miles (tempo) before my reunion.  Here's a picture from that night.

I had a blast catching up with old friends and dancing the night away.  The hardest part was saying goodbye to my family in California (and the weather) and driving back to broiling hot Las Vegas.

Yesterday I had an interesting run...  I'm lucky that I have a gym at my workplace.  However, two of the four treadmills are currently broken.  On my lunch break yesterday I really needed to run.  But, both working treadmills were being used.  I couldn't head outside..... So  I ended up running laps inside an empty warehouse.


 I felt silly the first 5 minutes in but, once I found my rhythm the time/miles went by fast.


SLS3 Hydration Vest
Recently I received an offer from SLS3 to try  out a hydration vest, at a huge discount.   Normally this vest costs about $50, and I received this one to try out for about $9.00 (That included overnight shipping too)
Front.
The vest comes with two
small bottles

Back of the vest

Me trying to get a selfie with a good shot of the vest.

I'm not a big fan of Camelback-style hydration packs.  I don't like drinking fluids out of that straw thingy  and they are pretty expensive. I prefer to carry a handheld bottle so that I can  spray my face with water while I run.   In the summer I wear a waist belt to carry my phone and cash.  But, lately my waist pack has been bugging me, and after that scary run where I didn't bring a phone with me, I figured that I might want to try wearing a hydration vest with pockets.

I took my vest out for a 5 mile run this morning and I can already tell that I really like this vest a lot!!!

I will wait another week or two before I write up an honest review, I also hope that SLS3 will give me a discount code to share with you.


Well, I guess that's all I have for now.

Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

I'm a creature of habit....Deja Vu Much?

This morning I drove out to the Pittman Wash and went for a short 3.7-mile run....





Without me realizing it I actually ran this exact same route/run one year ago.









What's even funnier, is that I still have the same nagging heel pain in my right heel.  I remember it bugged me for a few months, and then I added some arch supports to my dress shoes, and the pain went away.  I think I may need to replace some of the insoles in my dress shoes...

I'm glad to see that my paces are still in the same range.  I don't expect to get faster, I just want to maintain my base and stay healthy before marathon training begins in August.

I just thought this was a funny coincidence.

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

More bitching about the weather, and some Retail Therapy

I started writing this post two weeks ago so please  bear with me.

6/21/16





I took this picture on a Sunday evening. I think this is when the heat really began to get awful.  It was just after 6 o'clock and I needed to pick up some ice...  Monday was a rest day, Tuesday I ran just over 8 miles on the treadmill, Wednesday I went outside for a short 2.5-mile run.  Thursday was a short treadmill run, and on Friday I ran 9 miles on the treadmill.  It ended up being so gross that weekend.  That I didn't run outside at all.....


6/28/16

In the past week, I have gone outside running once, and it was less than two miles.  The dog days of summer are here.   This morning I felt like running, but then I stepped outside, and it was disgusting. There was cloud coverage, but the air was so thick.  FWIW the humidity out here is really low.   It is a dry heat.  So sweat evaporates quickly and if you have a gentle breeze, running outdoors can be manageable.  But, once the humidity goes past 30% you lose the benefits of evaporation cooling, and it just doesn't cool off at all.


This was at 748 in the morning.  The morning low that day was 95 degrees.


I decided to skip the morning run, and at lunchtime ,I surprised myself with a great treadmill workout.  I did  a pyramid  or ladder workout.  I ran 8 miles,  The first 16 minutes were at an easy pace.  Then I did the following intervals 5 min tempo, 4 min tempo, 3 min medium hard, 2 min hard, 1 min spirit, 2 min hard, 3 min medium hard, 4 min tempo, 5 min tempo.  In between each interval, I would run easy for 2 minutes.   Here's the data:




This workout went by really fast, and I think I'm getting better at zoning out on the treadmill.
Tuesday 6/28- No Running, I just lifted weights
Wednesday 6/29 4 Miles progression on the treadmill
Thursday 6/30- Rest-  I still did some stretching and some planks
That night a horrific storm hit the Las Vegas valley.  In a short period of time, quite a bit of rain fell in the valley.  But, it also cooled off the temperature by like 30 degrees!!

Friday 7/1-  Since the temps were nice and cool (mid 70's)  I ran four miles tempo... Looking back on this run, I was full of anxiety.... I had two term papers to finish, and I was just so exhausted and stressed.  This run helped me get out some of that frustration before work.


In other news. I just completed my 2nd block of classes towards my MBA degree.  This program is going by fast, and it's brutal... But, I'm still moving forward!!!!  I start my next block of classes on July 5th.

Saturday 7/2-Rest- I did quite a bit of swimming in the backyard pool

Sunday 7/3-  8 miles total I took my new headphones out for a run, and they weren't charged. Womp Womp!! (More on those headphones later)
I ran about 4 miles on the road, and then I head up into the Sunrise/Frenchman Mountain.  I did a little bit of exploring, and then I headed back out the same way I came.




Retail Thearpy
Even though running conditions have been shitty, that doesn't mean I'm not on the lookout for good deals.....
I also recently recieved a task assignment/bonus at my work... I put most of it away in my savings but I still had a little bit of money to treat myself.




I found these Nike Zoom Structure Flash ID's  on sale and with free shipping these shoes cost less than $60.  They are originally are priced at $120.00

Sports Authority has decided to go out of business, and they are trying to get rid of their inventory.  There is a location pretty close to my work and the first time I went in there, most of the items were not really marked down.  The next time I went in, some items were 20-30% off.  


This was a total impule buy... I was stressed out with the school, and I think the heat is making me a little crazy too.

I purchased a pair of Yurbud Leap wireless headphones.  I got them for 30% off but, even with the discount they were $70.00..... I have mixed feelings on these... When they work, they are awesome, and on point!  They fit great in my small ears, can handle a lot of sweat. and have great sound quailty.

But, when they don't work... Which is about 40% of the time... They suck!!!  I didn't have any trouble pairing them with my cell phone.  But, it's hard to know when I turn the headphones off and on.  You are supposed to press the center button for three seconds and the lights will begin to flash when they turn on.  To turn them off, you hold the button down again for three seconds the lights are supposed to stop flashing, and that doesn't always happen, and the battery will lose it's charge without you realizng it.   I'm also really hard on my electronic devices.  And the buttons on these headphones are teeny tiny....
 I wish there was a simple toggle switch to turn the headphones off and on. Grrrrrr.. 


I also purchased two pairs of compression socks from SL3S.  I purchased one pair at regular price and got the 2nd pair for free, and they gave me a free technical T-shirt too!

I paid $32 for two pairs of socks.  I probably won't even touch
these until September.. It's just too freakin hot!

The shirt is a black techinical tee.  And in Las Vegas I will only be able to wear this shirt outdoors a few times a year.  I don't like black tops, but this shirt is kinda cute/cheesy.

Front
Back

The last peice of gear I wanted to show you is my new MiraCool Cooling Bandana.  I bought a four pack of these little towles on Amazon.com.

You soak the bandana in water and it is filled with substance that reacts with water, and it creates a reusable cooling ice pack/towel.   I wore it today for a short three mile run.  And I think it really helped keep my body temperature lower...  

FWIW: I paid for all of my new running equipment, with my own hard earned cash..... The product reviews are my own, and I am not being compensted for my opinons.


I guess that's all I have for now.  Thank you fo reading!!