Archive for December, 2008
The Green Girl Has A New iRiver iFP-795T
After the untimely death of my beloved iRiver iFP-390T, my boyfriend generously donated his Creative Zen Plus to me. The Zen Plus has a corporate logo imprint because it was a gift from a friend who works at Microsoft.
The iFP-390T was my very first MP3 player so it held a special place in my heart. I got it back in May of 2003.
I was grateful my boyfriend gave me his Zen Plus but I felt bad he no longer had a player of his own so I called my Microsoft friend to see if he might have a spare MP3 player sitting around. (Okay, I admit it, I am a very cheap Green Girl.)
Much to my surprise, he had a spare Zen Plus but he also had an iRiver iFP-795T! I love that he had 2 brand new MP3 players that were manufactured back in 2005 still in their original packages sitting in his closet.
So my boyfriend now has 2 Zen Plus devices and I have another iRiver. Whoo hoo!
The iFP-795T is almost identical to the iFP-390T except it has double the storage capacity. Yes, the Green Girl can now have up to 110 songs in her running mix!
The Green Girl Goes For A Night Run
This evening, I went out for a night run. It’s been awhile since I ran in the dark.
I’ve been feeling a little bit under the weather so I figured a good run would help. For some reason, when I feel like I’m coming down with a cold, a good workout often makes me feel better.
When I did the Cool Running Couch-To-5k Running Plan, I did almost all my running at night. I was working full-time and attending graduate school at night. I would often run after my evening classes.
Since I live in the city, most of my running routes are well lit but as an added security precaution, I had gotten a pair of reflective armbands with flashing lights.
I started running in the spring so I never experienced cooler weather running until last winter. As an early Christmas present, my cousin, Ann, got me an ASICS Storm Shelter Microstretch Jacket. I love this jacket. It keeps me warm when I’m cold and the fabric side panels allow the jacket to breathe so I don’t get overly sweaty (I sweat a lot!). It also ties easily around my waist when I warm up.
A couple of months ago, I ran across a reflective vest on clearance at Kmart for $6.00. I’m one Green Girl who can’t resist a great bargain.
This week, I was at Tuesday Morning when I ran across a pair of children’s stretch gloves for $2.99. I had been thinking about getting a pair of inexpensive gloves for my Saturday morning runs after Coach Gary Smith suggested wearing gloves to help retain body heat. The gloves worked out perfectly. On my run tonight, I was able to navigate Mr. Green Garmin’s bezel without taking them off. I like how the palm side is rubberized, too.
The Green Girl Hits The Slopes
Whoo hoo! The Snow Gods have finally smiled down upon Southern California. Mt. High received between 18 to 28 inches of snow. And you know what that means – glorious, glorious powder!
I did what any unemployed Green Girl would do and headed straight for the mountains early this morning.
I was pleasantly surprised by the drive out to Mt. High. I assumed I would get stuck in the morning commute since I couldn’t use the carpool lane but I was able to zip along in the fast lane the entire way. As I was driving northbound on Interstate 15 towards Highway 138, I caught my first glimpse of the beautiful, snow covered mountains. The sky became darker as I got closer to Highway 2. It made me feel like winter had finally arrived.
Today was an absolutely perfect day for snowboarding. The weather was beautiful. It was even cold enough for the snow machines to blow fresh flakes onto the slopes.
The powder was amazing. I was in heaven as my board soared over the soft snow. When the powder is really good, I feel like I’m floating on fluffy clouds in the sky.
I overhead quite a few snowboarders talking about how they had called in sick to work today. It made me smile inside. There’s something magical about snowboarding. I’ve been snowboarding for 4 years now. I’m not an expert by any means but I truly enjoy it. Snowboarding holds a special place in my heart because it was my love for snowboarding that sparked my interest in other forms of exercise.
I shared a lift ride with this one snowboarder who told me he works his butt off every summer to save up enough money to do nothing but snowboard through the winter. The fact that he is able to do what he truly loves really resonated with me.
I purchased a 4 lift ticket because I’m usually fatigued after a few hours but I didn’t feel tired at all today. I couldn’t help but think all the exercise I’ve been doing has actually increased my energy level.
I did a lot of thinking today. About my life. About what I truly want. About what makes me happy.
As I drove home, I observed the sun descending into the horizon and the sky erupting into brilliant shades of blue, pink and purple. Cliché as it may be, it was the perfect ending to my perfect snowboarding day.
The Green Girl’s Very First Trail Run
Before our usual training run yesterday, Coach Gary Smith held an hour long Chirunning lesson. I’ve attended multiple Chirunning sessions but I enjoy participating in the classes because I always learn something new.
After the Chirunning lesson, we broke up into the full and half marathon groups to start the run. Since I was diagnosed with runner’s knee, I haven’t been keeping up with my Surf City USA Half Marathon training schedule. I’ve been being really careful with my knee and after going a full week without any significant pain, I decided I was ready to push myself. Instead of joining the half marathoners, I went with the full marathon group. I had attached my patellar strap to my hydration belt in case my knee started to hurt while I was out on the run.
We all set our watches to beep after 55 minutes to indicate the time to turn around and head back. We were given small, handwritten maps to help guide us on our run. I folded the map up, stuck it in my pocket, started Mr. Green Garmin and headed out. My plan was to really take it easy but try to run the entire time.
Coach Steve Mackel passed by and suggested I increase my lean. I was grateful for his advice and concentrated on doing that. I could feel myself getting faster.
Since I’m a really slow runner, I started out with the group but soon I was running all by myself. I pulled the map out of my pocket and tried to figure out where I was supposed to be going but I got really confused. The note in the middle of the map, “If you get lost it’s okay ☺,” made me laugh. I was definitely lost.
I kept running until I reached a dead end. About a block after my turnaround, I saw some runners returning from a side street so I headed over there as quickly as I could. As I neared the end of that street, I realized there was an unpaved path ahead. I took a deep breath, stepped onto the dirt, and continued running. The path headed towards the ocean and then curved to the right. At this point, a cliff overlooking the ocean bordered the left side of the path. The view was breathtaking but the ground was uneven so I slowed down to a jog and concentrated on my footing.
I wasn’t able to run the entire time because some of the inclines were too steep for me and I was terrified of slipping on loose rocks.
On the way back, the sun was shining through the clouds in a way that appeared almost divine. It was absolutely beautiful.
Coach Gary ran by and asked me if I was going to take a picture and blog about it and I assured him I would.
According to Mr. Green Garmin, I did 6.92 miles in 01:47:12. At the steepest part of the hill, I was going down at about a speed of one mile per hour!
The Green Girl Learns About Sun Protection
When I run in the sun, I always cover myself from head to toe with sunscreen and throw on a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes and the sweat off my face. I tried wearing sunglasses but it was really uncomfortable. I felt like there wasn’t enough room for the hat to fit properly when I had sunglasses on. I figured as long as I pulled the cap down as low as possible, I was protecting my eyes and face from the sun’s harmful rays.
A television news segment warning consumers of the dangers of ineffective and potentially toxic sunblocks and sunscreens prompted me to start looking into sun protection options. In my research, I discovered dermatologists recommend wearing both a hat and sunglasses.
After reading this, I started searching for some inexpensive sunglasses with UV protection that would fit comfortably with my running hat. I discovered many frames are much too large for my head. Finally, at Target, I managed to find a pair of Ironman Foster Grant TL2-HVC Triathlon sunglasses. They fit well and I love how the frame is made of a flexible and lightweight rubber material. I tried them on runs both with and without the hat and was pleased with the results.
When it comes to sun protection, you want a product with broad spectrum protection that offers protection from both Ultraviolet-A (UVA) and Ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays. UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin and are known to cause long-term problems such as wrinkles and some cancers. UVB rays, which cause suntans and sunburns, are known to cause most skin cancers.
The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of a product tells how long you may stay in the sun while wearing the sun protection product as opposed to not wearing any sun protection product. SPF essentially measures “time to burn.”
Here’s how to interpret SPF:
- Take the time you would normally burn in the sun without protection. 20 minutes would normally produce redness on a light skinned individual.
- Multiply that number by the SPF factor of your product. Example: with an SPF 15 times 20 minutes of sunburn time = 15 x 20 = 300 tells how many minutes you may stay in the sun without burning. 300 minutes divided by a 1 hour of 60 minutes = 5 hours of sun protection without sunburn.
I discovered there is a difference between sunblock and sunscreen:
- Sunblock – an opaque formulation which absorbs, reflects and scatters up to 99% of both UV and visible light
- Sunscreen – synthetic chemicals that either absorb or deflect damaging ultraviolet rays (specific wavelengths – range of 200-400 nm)
From “Chemical Sunscreens – When Are We Safe?” by Virginia Culler, here are some common sunblock and sunscreen ingredients:
An ideal sunblock would be free of synthetic chemicals, parabens, PABA and nano particles. Synthetic chemicals are man made and do not occur naturally. Parabens are synthetic chemicals used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. PABA is an organic compound that was once widely used as a UV filter. It has been determined that PABA increases the formation of a particular DNA defect in human cells, thus increasing the risk of skin cancer. Nano particles are smaller than anything humans have ever put into commercial products before – a nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The process to break down a substance into a nano particle size significantly changes the characteristics. Sunscreens use nano particles to make them more transparent. Some manufacturers erroneously claim their “micronized” particles are not nanoparticles.
With my new found knowledge, I scrutinized the ingredients of all the sun protection products I own. I discovered I didn’t own any sunblock and all my sunscreens contained oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is an organic compound that is commonly used in sunscreens (obviously my collection supports this fact). This ingredient absorbs UVA rays but also has been shown to penetrate into the skin where it acts as a photosensitizer. In othe words, oxybenzone increases photosensitivity of an organism and actually makes your skin more sensitive to the sun’s rays. This makes this substance a likely photocarcinogen.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested nearly 1,000 name-brand sunscreens to gauge their stated UVA protection, potential health hazards and stability in sunlight. They posted their results here.
It took me about a month to find a suitable sunblock replacement for all my ineffective sunscreens. Based on my research, I knew I wanted something that was free of parabens, PABA and nano particles, was at least SPF 30 and contained at least 7% titanium or zinc oxide.
I went to multiple Kmart and Target stores and every single product they sold contained oxybenzone. Countless drug stores had a few products that contained 3% titanium or zinc oxide but I couldn’t find anything with at least 7%.
The only store that carried sunblocks that came close to meeting my requirements was Whole Foods. They carried a number of EWG’s top 10 sunblocks. They also all had a price tag over $20. I have yet to find a sunblock that does not contain micronized titanium or zinc oxide. I understand the reason why they want smaller particles is so that the product doesn’t leave a heavy white residue and can be more sheer but what about consumer safety?
I wish my sun protection post had a perfect fairy tale ending but for now, I’m not willing to pay that much for my sunblock. Instead, I settled for Trader Joe’s $3.99 house brand sunscreen lotion SPF 30+ which contains 7.5% octinoxate, 5% octisalate, 2.5% oxybenzone and 10% micronized zinc oxide. Yes, micronized. This sunscreen was reviewed by the EWG. My logic is that the 10% zinc oxide will block the UV rays before they can get to the oxybenzone and start creating cancer. It’s not too greasy and has virtually no scent. I’m going to email Trader Joe’s and ask them to consider making an oxybenzone free product with a non-micronized oxide.
Oh, I’m also going to try to eat plenty of dark green, red, and yellow fruits and vegetables, to keep my skin healthy and less prone to skin damage.
Techno Sweat – Music At Your Speed
I was reading the October issue of Self Magazine and the “fitness flash” section mentioned this web site, TechnoSweat.com:
I did what I always do when I see something cool – I took a picture of the magazine page.
I knew right away that I was going to pick a New Kids On The Block song. I love the New Kids and I have a hard time running to most of their music. When it comes to running, I’m a fast hip-hop/techno kind of girl.
One of my favorite New Kids songs is off the “Step By Step” album, “Where Do I Go From Here?” Joey McIntyre was my first love crush and that song just makes me melt.
I knew “Where Do I Go From Here?” was slow but I wasn’t sure how slow. Techno Sweat warned changing speeds up or down more than 25 beats per minute (bpm) can cause vocal distortion. I had a feeling speeding up this song might be a stretch but since it’s only $0.99 per song, I went all out and asked them to make it 150 bpm.
After you upload the original version of your song and place your order, there is about a 72 hour turn-around. I made my purchase Friday evening and received the link to download my customized song last night. Per Techno Sweat, the original speed of the song was 74, speeding it to 150 bpm caused expected distortion.
I probably should not have picked such a slow song but I wanted to see what the result would be. The song sounds really rushed and poor Joey does have that Chipmunk sound at times. So basically, it sounds exactly like what you would expect if you fast-forwarded a song. Ha.
I’m going to try again using a faster song.
Watch The Brooks Dream Video To Help Fight Breast Cancer
Brooks is donating five cents to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for breast cancer research each time their Dream video is viewed between November 13, 2008, and December 21, 2008.
Please Accept My Apologies, Mr. Green Garmin
Mr. Green Garmin, I’m sorry for blaming you for the inconvenient sleep mode incident yesterday.
With that being said, I am going to be stubborn and still insist that despite the fact that I had not disabled sleep mode, you should have acknowledged the fact my Green Girl body was still in motion and continued calculating away.
When I read over the list of fixes included in the software update from version 2.10 to 2.20, I realized one of the items was:
- Added timeout setting to the Training Options menu that disables the automatic timeout to power save mode when the watch is in training mode.
Because I care about Mr. Green Garmin, I had already applied this software update the day I got him.
Now, I realize we might be getting into semantics here because I believe this feature was designed to allow a user to navigate to the appropriate Training Option in preparation for a run without having the device automatically go into sleep mode after 5 minutes. I believe disabling this setting should fix my problem because if Mr. Green Garmin is not supposed to time out while on any of the Training menus, actually using the Training feature should constitute as one of the Training options.
I tested this setting out today. I put Mr. Green Garmin on the screen I’d start on for my run and left it there for over a half hour. He faithfully remained on the screen and didn’t time out. I’m keeping my fingers crossed this is the fix.
