Type: Tempo Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 30:30
Average Pace: 7:38 min/mile
Average Heart Rate: 158 bpm
Great run this morning. I really was feeling fantastic and thought I could push the pace a little. I did the first mile at about a 8:30 pace and just cruised. To do a tempo run properly, you really should pick a pace that is close to your lactate threshold. You really shouldn’t be able to hold the pace for more than about three miles. So I think of it as my 5K pace. I have to tell you, I think I could have gone faster, but this was the pace I thought I could hold for the entire three miles. I held about a 7:20 pace for the three miles and it felt good. I feel like I am progressing to the point that I may be hitting my 5K goal in January.
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Cleaning up Your Clothes
I know we all have a problem with the way that our clothes smell. After spending hours outside sweating and working your butt off (literally and figuratively) your clothes can have a smell that would drive even a teenage boy away. I know sometimes I have come in from a century ride in the middle of the day and even my dog would bail on me. That beagle was offensive. He would roll around in stuff that I couldn’t identify when it was the two of us walking in the woods. For him to walk away it was a big deal. Forget coming in from a 20 mile run — I could win awards for the stank my clothes carry.
And technical fabrics for some reason do not help in any way. Some of my technical running shirts REALLY hold a stank. I have a couple of shirts that we have thrown away because they have the STANK. I mean, talk about turning off my wife in a significant way. No matter how good I may or may not look after working out, when I have that STANK, it is all over. Some of the shirts even can smell after you wash them.
I have been on the search for years to find the answer of how to get the STANK out of my clothes. Dryer sheets don’t get rid of the smell — they just cover it up. Tide and other detergents only do the same. But some of the harsher solutions really tear up my bike shorts and shirts. But there are a couple of solutions.
I have tried with success pre-soaking my clothes in OxiClean before I put them in the washer. I can’t remember off the top of my head the exact ratio of scoops to water, but I think I added like one scoop to a full of warm water and it got most of the STANK out of my bike jerseys. I also had some success with putting vinegar in the fabric softener slot of the washing machine. The problem is both of those solutions are a little harsh and really rough on my technical gear. I don’t use the OxiClean because it significantly shortened the life span of my gear.
But for my everyday stink, I use WIN Detergent. I know you have seen the ads all over the net webs, but I really like the stuff. It isn’t too heavy and does not leave a residue in my clothes. In short, this stuff really works. I know there are lots of products out there that claim to work on the stinkiest of STANK, but WIN has always done the job for me. I literally buy a three pack every time I order the stuff. Once I get into my two-a-day workouts, I swear I go through the stuff quicker than a high school senior and cheat sheets.
It definitely isn’t the most economical way to get your clothes clean, but with as much as I spend on exercise clothes, it may be the best.
I know everyone else has the same issue that I do, so what do you use?
I have been participating in running and triathlons for 10 years and love the feeling that training provides. You may not agree with me, but you know you just can't look away...
My wife also hates the smell of my workout clothes. We’ve tried a lot of different things (haven’t tried “Win” yet though), and thus far the most effective thing I’ve found is adding regular white vinegar to the washer (along with detergent).
Jesse it is definitely the most economical solution and may be one of the best.
I’ve tried win, and really liked it, although nothing seems to get it ALL out…I’ll have to try presoaking in oxiclean…
I’ve thought about trying a special detergent.
The best thing I’ve found so far is just getting the clothes into the wash RIGHT AWAY. Also getting them from the washer to the dryer or hanging them up ASAP seems to really help, too. I think leaving things sitting in a pile before getting washed/dried is a huge culprit in the smell problem.
That being said, my clothes still do start to stink eventually…so WIN might be the way to go.
Thanks for the tip – maybe now people won’t shy away from me at the gym
j/k!
I have a washer that generates silver ions and I don’t have the residual stank problem anymore. It’s evidently bacteria acting on the sweat that produces the awful smell, and they just can’t get a foothold in the clothes with the silver ions, I guess.
I know I certainly smell foul after a workout – and my sons are at home going to college, and it works on their stanky clothes too. But that is a bit more expensive than your solution, I’m afraid!
Tell me where you buy this magical washer. It may be worth exploring…
nice tempo! luckily most of my workout clothes don’t retain a smell after washing (or i just don’t care enough to notice haha!) so i just try and keep my dirty laundry as far away from myself and other people as possible!
i do agree with julie that getting clothes out of the washer immediately (all clothes not just workout ones) is key to not having a musty icky smell
Here’s a link to information on the Samsung washing machine. http://www.samsung.com/silvercare/3steps.htm – I really am happy with mine. It was not cheap, but we tend to use appliances ’til they fall apart, so if you look at it spread over 10 or 15 years, it wasn’t so bad.
Thanks Terri! We will definitely look at this one when we need a new machine.
thanks for the tip! I was always wondering what the febreeze sport detergent was like?
Stephanie I have’t ever tried Febreeze Sport. Anyone else?
I had a brother in law who used to wash his running clothes with Pine Sol. Of course he just ran in t-shirts and shorts, not tech gear. His wife was NOT impressed.
I found washing in the hottest water my machine puts out plus Tide Sport with Febreze has helped. In the summer I dry all our workout gear on a line in the sun. Not an option during the rainy winter. But those two/three things made a significant difference for me.
I haven’t tried any of the sports detergents yet. Truthfully, I sweat like a hog, but my clothes don’t hold the stink. Maybe Tide really works.
As a lady – it’s not polite to discuss such unmentionables in a public forum HOWEVER – I literally had to throw my best tech shirt away after running it into the STANKVILLE GROUND this summer. 4 months of training in 95+ degree temps led that sucker to smelling like (hmmmm, what noun dare I use here. . . you pick one for yourself).
I’m going to try Win, and tidesport, and any other suggestions you all have!
Thanks!!!!!!
Try the white vinegar too Lisa. I think it may be the best solution.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen Win out here in Canada. It really is annoying that tech shirts are my most smelly, yet they’re the ones I can’t use softener with when I wash. I’ll definitely check and see if I can find something similar to Win over here.
I have one sports bra that I CAN’T get the stank out of. I’ve tried vinegar,baking soda,line drying,etc. Looks like I will need to look into the Win. (Or stop being so cheap and throw the bra out)
I have Win in my laundry arsenal right now. It has worked great so far. Everyone who lives with me is thankful for that.
Try using Woolite.