One Magic Mile Down

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Jeff Galloway has created something called the "Magic Mile" as part of his run training programs. What a Magic Mile is meant to do is give you a reasonable expectation of how quickly you can run a 10k, half marathon, or marathon. For a half marathon, you follow a simple formula after getting a few Magic Miles under your belt. 

Jeff has this mile during a 3-4 mile run and places it right in the middle. The goal is to push yourself as hard as you can without huffing and puffing or running in a way that may cause injury. After a few MM's are done, you average that number and multiply it by 1.2. But, in true cart-ahead-of-horse style, I thought I would tell you what my first MM was and what that could mean for the race. OK! 

I ran yesterday in 82 degree muggy heat with a terribly bad stomach ache (note to self, eating strawberry shortcake 2 hours before a run is a BAD idea) but, a determined mindset. I had a goal of running the whole mile and making it a pretty good pace to boot. Well, it was a push and the mile following my MM was not a super fun happy time of magic and rainbows and unicorns cheering me on as I ran, arms open, while singing "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music", but I did it. 

My first mile out of the three was decidedly slow at a 10:31 average pace and a 3:1 walk/run rate. Then, the MM came and I ran the whole deal (plus three minutes) and made it a 9:30 pace!! My pace got as quick as 8:30 and as slow as 10:00. Thankfully though, it averaged out to something that I can be proud of. The third mile, however, was not. That guy ended up being a crawl at 11:14. Ha! 

So, if my average stays around 9:30, my push-pace come race day will be an 11:24 per mile pace. Not too bad! I am hoping to have a 12 min/mile pace come race day with being able to do some character pictures. Also, finishing under 2:30 would be a dream!!!

So, have you done the MM before? And, was it close to your race pace?

RunDisney Lovers, This Will Make You Laugh!

Hehehehehe, I found this while trolling Instagram and immediately began uncontrollably laughing in the middle of a waiting room. It was rather embarrassing, yes, but totally worth it.  One of the recent Mickey Miles Podcasts talked about some of the issues people had with signing up for the Wine and Dine a few weeks ago. Many of my friends ran into the same error screen after putting in their payment information (did this happen to you?) and are out of the race- quite literally. 

This got me to thinking how hilarious it is that 1) runDisney races are the price that they are and 2) that we will take off work, wake up at odd hours, and have the internet equivalent of Thunderdome battles to give runDisney our money. And you know what? I don't even mind!

Maybe that is the crazier part, we all find it laughable, but we will all keep doing it. Because it is a group of people going for the same goal together with some of the most iconic characters of our childhood, nay the world's childhood, at the happiest place on earth. I would say that is a darn good reason- plus the race after party, let's not forget that. 

Yep, I have not even run my first runDisney race but am already planning my second and third. In fact, the chances are pretty high that I will have signed up for another 2016 Florida race and a 2016 California race before even running the Wine and Dine. Sounds a bit crazy right? What if I hate this whole running thing? What if it is about the worst thing I have ever done and I have visions of burning my running shoes in an runDisney fueled hatred of how awful this event is? Well, thankfully, there is no one who can make this race amazing or terrible except myself and what mental attitude I have. Even better, I have made a personal guarantee to myself not to let negativity creep in and to listen to my body for guidance. I will not push past my physical capabilities, but I have every intention of pushing past as many mental ones as humanly possible.

Goodness, we went from Fry yelling to some pretty deep stuff. So true though, our mental fortitude is what will guide our success or failure in most parts of life. Running, yoga, kickboxing, whatever physical activity you do that pushes you past where you are comfortable and into the unknown, it is not just making your body stronger, it is strengthening your mind. And, that is one of the greatest reasons to workout that I have yet found. 

Now, runDisney, shut up and take my money.  

How to Keep and Orchid Alive- and Blooming!

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This may seem like an odd topic for a health and fitness blog, but house plants are proven to increase one's mood and outlook on life. That is, if we can actually keep them alive long enough and not have to slowly watch them shrivel and die. Enter the orchid. Probably, the most thrown away house plant once Easter and spring are over and all those beautiful blooms have fallen.

Thankfully, orchids are really not that hard to keep alive or to keep blooming. Follow a few super simple steps and, chances are, your orchid will be healthy and blooming for years to come! These little fixes have worked for me for years. And now, I have had random people/family/friends who come by ask me how to keep orchids alive. Well, after running through these simple steps so many times, it just made sense to write them down and share them with you. Let's go!

1. Location

Orchids can be fickle little things and having a good location can mean the difference between life and death. For real. To keep your orchid baby alive and blooming (blooming being the key word),  it is best to keep them in a shaded area where they will get mild afternoon sun. Most house orchids like being slightly away from a window with blinds. Direct sunlight is no good.

If your orchid gets brown blotches on it's leaves, that is an orchid sunburn and a sign that it is in too much sun for too long. Direct sunlight is no good. Too little light and your orchid will have dark green leaves- this will not have an easy time re-blooming. A happy orchid should have bright green leaves with no dark brown spots.

2. Feeding

Orchids are super easy to feed, all you have to do is remember! Strange, but orchids LOVE ice cubes. I give each of mine 2-3 ice cubes once a week to keep them happy. This also increases growth and regeneration to make sure they keep blooming year after blooming year (get it, get it??!). Puns aside, orchids should be watered once to twice a week. I give mine about half a cup of water once a week and some ice cubes a few days later as the second watering. If you are seeing lots of water in the catch dish for days at a time, you are probably watering a bit too much.

3. Pruning and Cleaning

This is the most important part of the whole deal. Potting and pruning will mean the difference of an orchid that lives but never blooms and an orchid that blooms annually. If you do this right, your orchid will probably stay in bloom for 5+ months every year!!!

Pruning

An orchid grows by first, having a shoot that produces blooms, then, growing more leaves. Once the last bloom falls, the shoot is no longer necessary and is taking needed nutrients away from the leaves. It is best to cut the shoot a few inches above the base and place some cinnamon on the cut end. The cinnamon cauterizes the wound, so to speak. Give it a few days to heal, then re-pot your orchid and prune some more- but this time, we will be pruning the roots.

Cleaning

The goal of this process is to clean up the roots, check for health signs, and give your orchid more nutrients and space. Like a car, the health of your orchid can only be checked by going underneath. The roots will show you if there is over watering (they will be gooey and white), under watering (they will look dry and shriveled), and if it needs a bigger space (everything just looks packed). 

Once your orchid shoot is cut and healing, you can delicately take it out of it's pot. Chances are, you will need a bigger pot, especially if this is your first time re-potting it. I take my orchid out of it's pot over the sink with the stopper in. It is best to have some water running and clean the roots off. Some wood pieces or moss may get stuck in the orchid roots, be sure to gently remove these.

After the orchid has been cleaned, get your gardening or kitchen scissors (something sharp) to cut away the dead parts of the roots. Dead roots will brown, white and soggy, or black. Be sure to only cut these away. Living, healthy roots will look green and feel sturdy. The living roots are needed to keep the plant healthy. Be gentle and make sure not to break any of the healthy orchid roots. This can be a bit more of a task than it sounds, especially if your roots are packed tight together!

After pruning, I let my orchid sit under running water for a few minutes. This helps get rid of any extra debris and lets them aerate a bit. Then, comes the re-potting!

4. Re-Potting

Depending on how much root you cut away, you may need a bigger pot. The best way to tell if you need a bigger pot is to place the orchid about half to 3/4 of the way down in it's old pot; if roots can be seen over the edge or your are having to push it in at all, you need a bigger pot. If the roots seem to have plenty of room (about an inch between the edge of the pot and the orchid roots) and are not coming up over the sides, you can continue using the pot you have.

Orchid mixes are the simplest thing to use for re-potting your orchid. DO NOT use the old potting mix or regular soil. Orchids needs lots of air, nutrients, and very little water retention. Using regular soil will drown your orchid and using the old potting mix will not give it the nutrients it needs.

Fill the bottom of your pot about 1/4 the way full of the orchid potting mix. Place your orchid in the pot and, slowly, continue filling with potting mix. Be sure that the mix gets between all of the roots. Fill so no roots are showing through the potting mix.

If you really want to go above and beyond, add some packing peanuts to the potting mix. Orchids love packing peanuts as much as they love ice. This will help your orchid stay health and blooming!

Finally, give your orchid some water and place it back in it's happy sun spot. You should have some new leaves start to grow in (1-2 of the old ones may die) and a new shoot begin to form in about 4 months.

Easy Food Logging

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I recently heard someone say that you have no idea what you are eating until it is logged for a month. Honestly, I have never really logged what I ate or seen the importance of it; until hearing this. Maybe, this random person who said that random thing is right, I could be thinking that I am eating healthy, or not-so-healthy, and be completely wrong. Logging every. single. thing. we eat can, for sure, show us things that we skimped over, and more importantly, show us those nasty habits in our eating schedule. 

What I have really found from this is 1) I am a snacker and a person who only eats one big meal a day, and 2) the days I drink more water I have more energy. Although I have not been food logging for an entire month yet, it is very easy to see the rewards in it. What is even more important for a girl on the go like me, however, is the ease of use. I have tried a handful+ of free apps and decided that my absolute favorite is MyDietDiary. Although, MyNetDiary's takes a close second. 

The absolute best thing about MyDietDiary is that it has a bar code scanner. This app takes a picture of the bar code and logs all the nutritional information for you. Of course, it is better if we are not eating foods with bar codes, but snack bars, protein shakes, and even fruits and veggies have them. Chances are, however, that if we are eating something with a bar code (healthy or not) we are a bit too stretched for time to also look up the food we are eating, or worse, have to sit and input all it's nutritional information. Really, could there be anything else less likely to happen on a busy day? Probably not. 

This app is also super pretty and, like most others, calculates how many calories you should eat each day to achieve your weight and health goals. There are also tons of pre-logged activities where all you need to do is select which activity you completed and add the number of minutes. The app will calculate the calories burned. So far, the calculated calories seem to be pretty close to what my HRM says as well! If you have a FitBit, Jawbone Up, or use Run Keeper, you can just connect your devices to the app for easier logging. 

A place where MyNetDiary has it beat is with the interface. If you are all about the bells and whistles and do not mind taking a bit more time to log things, MyNetDiary may be more your style. On MND you can add body measurements, before and after photos,  diet plans, and you can log vitamins. Since I do take vitamins, that is something I seriously wish was on MyDietDiary. 

Both these apps do have charts, calendars, and communities to get support from. Really, either one is a great option, it just depends on how much effort you are ready to put into logging what you eat.