Inspiration.

Just a quote for today:

"You are better than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can."

-- Ken Chlouber, race director of the Leadville Trail 100

Whether you are a runner or not, this quote applies to you.

~ Felice

The week and month ahead.

This is my last week of training for my 5K PR. That's right, folks. At long last, the race that I've been going on (and on and on) about for the past six weeks is almost here. On Saturday we'll know whether I'm really a strong muthah runnah, or whether I've just been playing one here on the Internets.

Cross your fingers for the former!

Here's my schedule for this week:

Mon: rest
Tues: easy 4m
Wed: warm-up, 30 min tempo @ 8min pace, cool-down (about 5 or so)
Thurs: easy 2m
Fri: rest
Sat: RUNNING A 5K PR!!!!
Sun: recovery 4m

Total: about 20

And that's all I can do. I'll make this week count and hope that my hard work pays off on Saturday.

Then, I'll look ahead, which I've actually already been doing. I am planning to run a 15K on November 8th and I may run another 5K on October 25th. I haven't done a 15K in a few years so it will be fun to finally run another one. I don't think the distance will be too much of a problem for me because my Sunday "long" runs have been 6-7 miles so adding on a few after the 5K should be easy enough.

My best 15K time is 1:15:16, a bit over 8min/mile, and I'd like to get that down to under 1:15 -- preferably 1:14:30 or better. So once I'm done with Saturday's 5K, I'll put together a plan for the 15K. I'm already getting excited for that race!

~ Felice

PS: RunToTheFinish is having a salsa giveaway. Check it out here!

Running away from the sickies.

I am very happy to report that the illness that settled in with Owen and Conal did not visit me. And for that, my friends, I credit the run above all else.

Take a look at this article from the NIH that explains the positive relationship between exercise and immunity. It's pretty interesting and something that I've felt for a long time. I remember reading something (either his book or an article) by Benjamin Cheever where he stated that he believes that running keeps him healthy because it "boils the blood."

It sounds weird but it's similar to one of the theories from the NIH study on why exercise helps you ward of simple bacterial and viral infections. The NIH researchers theorize that "the temporary rise in body temperature may inhibit bacterial growth, allowing the body to fight the infection more effectively. (This is similar to what happens when the body has a fever.)" The other theories for how exercise boosts your immunity include (all taken from the NIH site):

• Physical activity may help by flushing bacteria out from the lungs (thus decreasing the chance of a cold, flu, or other airborne illness) and may flush out cancer-causing cells (carcinogens) by increasing output of wastes, such as urine and sweat.
• Exercise sends antibodies and white blood cells (the body's defense cells) through the body at a quicker rate. As these antibodies or white blood cells circulate more rapidly, they could detect illnesses earlier than they might normally. The increased rate of circulating blood may also trigger the release of hormones that "warn" immune cells of intruding bacteria or viruses. . .
• Exercise slows down the release of stress-related hormones. Stress increases the chance of illness, so physical activity could reverse this factor.

I'm a believer!

Whether it's the rise in body temperature, the flushing out of the lungs, the increased antibodies and white blood cells or the reduction in stress-related hormones, running does the trick.

Here's my proof. Owen's been sidelined by an injury recently so he hasn't been able to work out much. He was hit hardest by the illness. Conal, on the other hand, is a pretty active little guy. But, being a toddler, he's germy. So, while he caught whatever Owen had it only lasted a day and it seems that his fever burned it away. Boiled the blood.

I, on the other hand (and knock on wood . . . ) didn't get sick. I'm a runner. I'm not an over-the-top runner, though, just a regular ol', regular ol' runner. And that it what I believe has protected me: Running. Surrounded by Owen's and Conal's germs, I escaped via the run.

Thank you, running. Thank you very much! Now, please, can you keep me healthy for the rest of the year? Great!

Please don't think I'm a nut job -- like I said in my last post, I'm taking in lots of vitamin C and D, and washing my hands, too. Both of those things may have a little to do with not getting sick, I know. But, really, can you blame me for wanting to credit running? And would I be wrong? I doubt it!

As a result of not getting sick, I had two great runs this weekend. On Saturday I went for a 5-mile fartlek run. On Sunday, after a night of mojitos and laughs with friends, I went for a 7-miler. It was hilly but I felt so strong! It was really a great way to end the week.

Happy Monday, everyone!

~ Felice

Stay away, sickness. And a POMx Tea review.

It's a mishmash this Friday!

First, my Friday review. Janny at POM Wonderful recently sent me a selection of POMx Teas to review. After reviewing the regular POM pomegranate juice a while back, I was looking forward to trying out the teas. I was sent four bottles to try:

Pomegranate Blackberry Tea
Pomegranate Lychee Green Tea
Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea
Pomegranate Wildberry White Light Tea

I must admit that I am not the biggest bottled tea drinker. I've had my fair share of Snapple in my day but it's just not what I normally go for. I like brewed and unsweetened iced tea but if a tea tastes fake-ish, I don't like it. Often, bottled teas taste either too fake-ish or too sweet.

Anyway . . . the POMx teas didn't have that problem. The Peach Passion White Tea was my fave. The Blackberry . . . not so much. I didn't love it. But, they all tasted real and not too sweet. Pomegranate is a bit of a strong flavor (which I like a lot) and that came through in the teas. The regular teas are 140-160 calories per bottle and the light teas are 70 calories per bottle (don't be fooled by the "only 35 calories per serving" starburst on the front -- there are two servings per bottle, doubling the calories).

You can read more about the POMx Teas here.

* * *

Now for the sick part of my post. Ha!

I mentioned earlier this week that Owen caught a pretty bad cold and he ended up having to miss two days of work. He slept most of the time that he was home, and he was really in rough shape -- coughing, sneezing, feeling generally awful. Well, when one person in a family gets sick, it is only a matter of time before the others do.

Yup, Conal caught "it" yesterday. He had a fever of 102 (yikes!) and was sluggish and just completely not himself. I felt so bad for him! Luckily, he woke up this morning without a fever and was back to his regular, active toddler self! Oh, yes, that is my little guy jumping off the back of the sofa . . .

As for me . . . well, I am loading up on the vitamins C and D, washing my hands a lot and hoping, hoping, hoping that I can continue to outrun (ha, ha) whatever bug is going around. I've got two big runs on the schedule for this weekend, along with a dinner party tomorrow night. So, yeah, I'm not down with the sickness. Not one bit!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice