That Sweetpea: lululemon

10k Training Report: Week One

Sunday, January 13, 2013

I posted my training plan previously (here), but this is a quick view of what my plan was for the week. Basically, anything that says "easy" was supposed to be in the 12:00 min/mi pace, and then speed is kind of just my general walk/run pace which tends to be 10:15-10:45 min/mi.

This is how the week turned out for me:

Monday

Two mile "easy run" at the gym, which ended up being at a faster pace than I intended. I forgot to stop my time, it was actually about 20:40, so 10:20 per mile pace. Then I did 25 minutes on the bike while watching E! Turned out to be about 5 miles on the bike.

Tuesday

Tuesday is rest or easy XT. I did the Jillian Michaels "6 week to sixpack" video followed by 5-10 minutes of free weights. Felt pretty good but man I can't do burpees!

(Shown above: Gracie wondering what is happening in the living room??... below: Adding a little resistance mom!)

Wednesday

Ran 2.08mi in 20 minutes (9:35 pace? Couldn't believe it myself). Then did 3 x 100 meter sprints at a 6:30 pace. Ran at night so I got to wear my new Highgear running light that my brother got me for Christmas. :)

Wearing: lululemon brisk run toque (here); Highgear running light (similar here)

Thursday

Ran at the gym with boyfriend's mom (don't worry, we're buddies). Ran 2.19 miles over 24:31, so a nice 11'10" pace. I think 11:00-11:30 will be a comfortable pace for long runs for me. I felt really great. (besides a weird knee pain, I'm going to roll my knee today).

Friday
Rest day!!

Saturday

"Long" 3-mile run with Jen on campus. We were supposed to go at a slower pace but she's a speedy one so I found myself running at my race pace the whole time. Yikes! Still had a good time and the weather was beautiful (50 degrees) for January. We only ran 3.06 miles at first, and then I took a break and watched my boyfriend run the 3000m at the Illinois open indoor race (he is 26, he ran unattached). Afterward I ran back to my car because it was dark and rainy! I decided to do the Nike+ for that too for fun. I'm starting to think that the Nike+ app is not all that accurate. I sprinted part of the way home and it showed me going at a 7:30 pace (I was sprinting, no way I could sustain that for longer than .2 miles), but then I stopped to walk a bit, and the MPH graph shows me going a steady 9:30 min mile. Not that its a big deal but I guess I just prefer accuracy!!

Sunday
Thinking I'll be taking Sunday as a rest and homework day :)

Ivivva Keep Ur Cool Tank vs. the Cool Racerback

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

I am finally getting to the review of the Ivivva tank that I bought after my last 5k. I figured I would compare it to the tried and true Lululemon Cool Racerback seeing as Ivivva is the sister (read: kid) brand of Lulu. Anyway, I really was impressed with the Keep Ur Cool Racer tank. The luon light fabric is about 80% as thick as the regular luon tanks that I have from Lulu. I read some complaints on the website about the thinness of the luon but it is not that thin in my opinion... and I like having different options of thick/thin depending on how I am layering.

The fit is very similar. I think the Ivivva tank size 12 is the same length as the cool racerback size 4...maybe a half centimeter shorter if anything. The biggest difference that I noticed was the more modest neckline of the Ivivva tank. It makes sense that it would not be as low cut since the Ivivva tank is technically for kids.

Above -- Ivivva Keep Ur Cool tank $$, size 12 (found here)

For size reference, I am 5'3" and about 108 lbs with a pretty narrow build.

Below -- Lululemon Cool Racerback $$$, size 4 (found here)

I would definitely purchase another Ivivva tank if they came out with a wider variety of colors. Right now, the selection is somewhat juvenile and limited. I suppose that this is because it IS a kid's brand AND Lululemon probably doesn't want all of their clientele going for the cheaper tanks! Have you had any experience with Ivivva?