My New Fitness Toy: Garmin Vivoactive

This is my new toy, a gift from The Mr. for our anniversary:
the Garmin Vivoactive

I'm in love!

For my entire life I've been a techie.  While everyone else was rolling their eyes, snoring, or dying of boredom, my dad and I would be talking form, tech, mechanics, and constantly finding ways to improve every activity from water skiing and downhill skiing.  

Good thing I married right: we still can talk tech till the cows come home.

For an incredibly in-depth review, follow this link to DC Rainmaker.  He's an athlete who buys every fitness tech and tests it extensively.  I like his review because he actually buys every item, rather than getting things for free from manufacturers, which allows him to give completely unbiased and truthful reviews on every product on his site.

I'll give you my little rundown of my experience based on the three days I've had mine.

I love the white.  It's cute and wearable at all times.  Except to church, where it looks a little...meh...like I'm trying too hard.

The touch screen is fantastic; highly sensitive, but I'm getting the feel.  I like that there are only two side buttons.

I adore the steps and "move" reminders.  I get stuck on the computer (I've been prompted twice as I madly try to get some content on this blog) and I like to remember to stop being a stump and get up and walk.  I walked 13,000+ steps yesterday!  Take that...

I ran for the first time with it yesterday, and it was spectacularly fun.  I wore my Garmin heart rate chest strap, and it made my 800m repeats slick and brainless.  I could keep track of my pace and keep it up even when I thought I was going to die, which I wasn't even close to doing based on my heart rate.  Yay!

As far as heart rate monitors go, Garmin invented ANT+ technology, so while there are now many Bluetooth HRMs out there, Garmin is going to promote its own, so for now Garmin devices only pair with ANT+.  There are some wrist strap HRMs that are nice if you don't like the chest strap.  The Vivoactive does NOT read heart rate by itself.  This is my ONE negative mark thus far. 

I love that it pairs with my phone via the Garmin Connect app, and it syncs with My Fitness Pal to keep all my fitness related information on once screen on my phone.  This is huge for me.  All visible in one place.  

Another beautiful feature of the Bluetooth pairing is that I can get notifications from my phone on my watch face.  So when my phone is tightly tucked in to the waistband of my workout pants, and is not easily coming out, I can check my watch to see if the text or call I'm getting is vital enough to stop and remove the phone.  Handy!

And the final icing on the cake is that I can also control the music on my phone from the watch face.  No more struggling through the slow song that came at a most in-opportune moment, I can quickly skip to something more inspiring.  Ahhhh!

I have enjoyed getting data on my sleep patterns.  I am having sleep-performance-anxiety: I have never slept with a watch and it is going to take some getting used to.  I don't flat-line as much as I thought I did.  Why do I feel competitive in this aspect of my life?  I want the stillest sleep of everyone I know.  How do I train for this...?  

The Mr., in a gesture of helpfulness, downloaded an IQ app:  an added sugar tracker.  Just tap the screen to add a gram of added sugar.  After 12 taps and reaching 52% of my daily allowance by 10 am, I have probably given up on this particularly unhelpful and anger inducing reminder of how naughty I am.  Any programmer can create an app for Garmin watches, for many activities and generally fun and useless purposes that aren't on the freshly-unboxed watch.  You can explore them on the Garmin Connect site.  I am excited to do so.

I also love the customized nature of all the screens.  I can pick and choose which telemetries I want displayed and how deep I have to scroll to view them.  I can also set alarms to remind me to drink water and eat, create my own run/walk program, choose which notifications I get on the watch during an activity so I can have less distraction, set alarms based on low or high pace or heart rate.  All this will help me reach the goals I have and spend my workouts focused on working out, not changing music, checking my phone, and keeping track of minutes and performance.  Quality, people.  If you're going to spend the time, make it quality.

So far I'm sold.  I have yet to get out on the bike with it, and I'm excited to do so.  I do like to have my cycle-computer on my handlebars so I don't have to take my hand off to read my data, but luckily Garmin makes a bike mount that I can hook the watch to, so I can have it just the way I like it.

If you haven't seen TIME magazine for July 6-13, 2015, it is called the "Answers Issue", and here's a link to the good bits. Eeeek!  I am a TIME magazine groupie. (Why don't we get heart cancer?  The answer is fascinating!) I saw it at the dentist and was so engrossed that I made them sit me up every chance I could so I could read, and I very nearly stuffed it into my purse to take home, thought about asking, then left it on the table with a sigh of regret and a wave goodbye, with a promise to run to Walgreens and see if I can still buy it.  Let's hope.  The main idea of this issue is that it is possible to have too much information, and I wholeheartedly agree, in some cases.  I removed one screen of telemetrics from my running activity because really, who needs that much info during a run?  How much info is too much?  With the Vivoactive you are grown-up enough to decide for yourself.

I am perfectly content with my new toy, and madly collecting data about my everyday life that really no one cares much about.  But it makes me feel empowered and knowledgeable, and that helps me improve.

Here's to improvement and drowning in data!

Half Marathon Training Plan

I've made a commitment, which is usually the only way things get accomplished for normal people, like me.  I've always had a goal to run a marathon, mainly in conjunction with a full Ironman 140.6, which is 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run.  Sounds fun, yes? Did I mention I wanted to complete it the year I turn 40?  That'd be next year.

With my lofty goals in sight I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for a marathon.  I chose the Huntsville Marathon, on September 26, 2015.  I liked the idea of training over the summer, keeping me accountable, and helping me beat the summer blahs.



Huntsville is quickly becoming very popular because of its downhill terrain, time of year, and beautiful scenery.  As I filled out the entry form, sanity happened, which it doesn't very often, and I entered the half marathon: 13.1 miles.  The only running race I've ever entered previously was a whopping 5k (3 miles).  So this progression made more sense.

I was immediately overcome by panic, and then turned panic into focus.  The only way to accomplish goals is to have a plan.  When I rode the 100 mile Little Red, I had a very specific training plan, and by following it, I beat my own time estimate by 2 mph, and it was pure fun to ride.

Unlike biking, running pesters me with pain and injury.  I have plantar fasciitis in both feet and IT band pain in my left leg.  I feel sluggish, slow, and crippled.  This makes having a plan even more critical.  I started looking up half marathon training programs, of which there are millions available thanks to the internet.  But I was looking for a very specific kind: low mileage, 3 days per week, with varied focus.  This is what I found:

Runner's World FIRST Half Marathon Training Plan.  Not FIRST as in 1st, but as in "Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training".  It is 10 weeks which is the right amount of time to stay focused but not get bored.  Here's what it looks like:

THE PLAN

Week	Tuesday	Wednesday	Sat/Sun
1	4x400	3-mile tempo	6-mile long run
2	4x800	4-mile tempo	8-mile long run
3	3x1600	5-mile tempo	10-mile long run
4	6x400	6-mile tempo	6-mile long run
5	3x1600	4-mile tempo	10-mile long run
6	4x800	8-mile tempo	8-mile long run
7	6x400	6-mile tempo	10-mile long run
8	4x1600	8-mile tempo	12-mile long run
9	3x800	3-mile tempo	6-mile long run
10	4x400	2-mile tempo	Half Marathon

Monday: Speed Work.  Head to the track and do the prescribed 400m, 800m, or 1600m repeats at a super fast pace, based on your projected race pace.  Details and pace calculations are in the link.  I have really enjoyed these workouts.  Think HIITs for running.  Sometimes we get stuck at our comfort pace and forget that in order to increase fitness we must push.  Hard.  The focus is not on mileage this day.  But this week I did 800m's with a warm up and cool down and it ended up being 5.2 miles.

Wednesday:  Tempo Run.  This is a short mileage run above your comfort level.  This trains you to run faster and mentally capable of handling the discomfort, which is what you will be doing if you race your event.  Again, the link has pace calculations for how fast this tempo run should be.  It's not super fast, but only 15 seconds slower than your planned pace.  Very doable.

Friday: Long Run.  This is a slower run than your planned pace, adding 30 seconds per mile.  It should feel comfortable, and builds your mileage so that you are sure you will be able to finish 13.1 miles on event day.

Take a rest day.  ONE.  I rest Sunday.  But cross train the other three days.  This will improve your overall fitness, give you muscle balance, and help you recover.

I do 20 minutes of yoga after every run, to keep loose.  I use the Yoga Studio app.  It's perfect.

I also roll my IT band and calves after every run.  I used to think I should roll right on my IT band which runs on the outside of your thigh from your hip to your knee, but I found this fabulous article and video from ASM Wellness, and it has made all the difference:

 

For cross training I have been swimming with my neighbor ladies, a sort of bob-and-talk, that is super light intensity, but warms and stretches and targets muscles in a very low-impact way.  I also ride a few hours a week.  I need to focus on core and arms more, so am going to add a day of focus for those muscle groups.

So far I have been in less pain, my IT band made it through 6 miles last week, and I feel like my running is improving, mechanically and cardiovascularly.  Taking care of your body and listening to the signs it is sending is vital to a successful event or training program.  Slow down if you feel pain.  See a physical therapist.  Get a massage.  Take your rest day seriously.

Nutrition is another key to feeling good.  Eat healthy & drink tons of water.  One of my goals during this 10 week training program (read: lifetime) is to cut out added sugar.  This is more difficult for me than getting up early and getting out the door, but I know it will make me feel drastically better, lighter, fitter, healthier, and happier.

It is very satisfying seeing improvement in yourself.  Making goals and a plan to accomplish them is how we see progress and change in life.  Taking things one step at a time is a great way to avoid discouragement, baby steps being key.  I'm so glad that I went for the half marathon instead of the full.  Successfully accomplishing the Huntsville Half Marathon will give me the running confidence I need to meet my next major athletic goal: a Half Ironman.

Wish me luck, keep moving, and get outside! 

Summer Catch-up

I've been off the radar, I hope someone noticed...  It all began with a little hernia operation, 4 boring weeks of doing nothing, and four weeks of gradually getting my life back.

School's out (thank the heavens!) and summer has been good to us.  The girls have been spending time at Lagoon with each other and friends, softball under the lights, earning money, swimming, water skiing, going to the zoo, taking piano lessons, crafting, reading, going to the temple, major yard work, serving neighbors, playing night games, running amok, keeping up on the minimum of house work, and generally trying to keep a tenuous cease-fire among all parties.

 One of the things that has kept me sane and productive this summer has been my determination to keep working out every day.  Once my four-week ban was lifted I crept back slowly, and am now at full speed.  My favorite new activity this summer is water aerobics.  I use the term aerobics very loosely.  It's more of a gentle resistance training, which is a perfect complement to my half marathon training.  I have gotten on the bike a couple times, one very memorable and miserable time when it was 100 degrees out.  I'm enjoying fruit smoothies for lunch, and light dinners, taking advantage of summer fruits, veggies, and the heat.

I have found that my sanity stays in tact when I take time for myself, by exercising, sending the kids to friends' houses, dropping them off at Lagoon, or sending them to sleepovers with grandparents.  It's a tough thing to do in the summer when you're together all the time, but even an hour helps alleviate the tension and stress that comes with intense management.

Having big kids is ridiculous amounts of fun, and we are taking full advantage of our new freedoms and abilites.  At 15,13, & 11, they require less supervision, they have more friends and varied interests, their independently-mobile radius is wider, they are more capable & responsible, they are working and earning money so they are financially independent, and their bedtime is later.  They've been nannying, doing yard work, and babysitting, saving for college, girls camp, and enjoying a little spending cash.  It still irks me when they blow a wad on candy or junk food, but it's their cash so they can figure it out themselves.

We've enjoyed two outdoor movies on the screen I made.  We saw "Tangled" and "Jurassic Park" the original.  That movie was a blast, and all I can say is that special effects have come along way, especially in the severed-arm category.  With the long summer nights we couldn't start it until 9:30 pm, which made for a really late night.  I forget how relatively simple it is to set the outdoor movie equipment up, and we'll be showing more, once the nights start a little earlier.

We threw our annual Fourth of July family party again.  It was amazing!  We had doner kebabs, like Greek gyros, french fries, homemade ice cream in a baggie, and fried anything/everything for dessert.  We swam, played frisbee & bocce ball, sat under the misting hose, watched a mini kid parade, and had a GIANT fireworks show.  It was pure heaven.

I hope your summer is as fun as ours has been.  Sometimes we get really stuck on the idea that getting out of town is what it takes to have a great summer, but there are plenty of things to do right at home.  If you're a Salt Lake local, watch for fun (and mostly free) ideas to do with your ducklings, big or small. I'll post details about summer parties, food, and fitness, including some goals and ways to get there.

Sorry I was gone so long!  Thanks for catching up!