As the eastern half of the United States gets buried in snow, those of us in California are being told that we are facing a severe drought. While recent rains will help a bit, we are still seriously behind on the amount of water we need. In the face of one of the worst droughts in California in more than a century, it’s long-past time we got serious about saving water.

It’s true that every drop counts, especially when each drop is hard to come by. So in light of the drought, I’m stepping up my water saving tactics and trying to save as much water as I can.

What I’m doing to save water:

1. Turning off the water when I’m washing my hands. I know it’s a small change, but with flu season running rampant I wash my hands constantly and I try to suds for as long as possible. I have been making a conscious effort to turn on the water, rinse my hands, turn off the water, scrub with soap, turn on the water, rinse my hands, turn off the water. It makes a huge difference in the amount of time the water is actually running.

2. Likewise, leave the water off while I’m brushing my teeth.

3. Only wash full loads of laundry. It’s so tempting to do a quick load of laundry mid week with only a few things in it, but the less I do laundry, the more water I save. And since the largest carbon footprint of our clothing is not from manufacturing but from the water it takes to wash them over and over again, there are extra benefits to holding off. I also use a European front-loading washer that uses far less water than a conventional top-loading washer.

4. Opt for a shower instead of a bath, and make that shower fast. I’m aiming for seven minutes or less (which is huge for the queen of the 10-15 minute shower), and when I can, skip a shower. Showering less is actually good for you, but on days when I get really sweaty I take a quick shower where I don’t wash my hair.

5. Only run the dishwasher completely full and opt for the dishwasher over hand washing for appropriate items. You’ll use up to 35 percent less water than if you washed them by hand. When I do need to hand wash items, I use a bowl or the sink and fill it with soap and water instead of washing each item individually and running the tap.

6. Wash my clothes less frequently. While there are some items that need to be washed after every wear, my sweaters and jackets certainly don’t need to be. I also stretch how long I wear my pants before washing. Not only am I saving a significant amount of water, I’m also saving the time it takes to do the laundry and I’m making my clothes last longer.

7. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. Although it’s really most convenient and least difficult to explain when you have your own bathroom.

8. Avoid meat. Technically not a change in light of the drought since I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly a decade, but avoiding or decreasing meat drastically cuts water consumption. A pound of beef takes nearly 2,000 gallons of water to produce from growing the feed for the animal to the production and processing of the meat.

For more tips on how to cut your water consumption, check out this great list from National Geographic.

With six months to massively drop my half marathon time, I decided it was time to say hello to some speedwork. I had never done a tempo run before (or even run with a real watch, not just my phone). Any time I saw a tempo run on the training guide I was following I would just substitute it for a run of the same distance instead of doing what it said (in what seemed like another language). But this time I decided to actually click on the workout on my training plan and figure out what I was supposed to do.

The workout

1,600m easy warm-up
1,600m at or below my target half marathon pace (8:38)
800m jog at an easy pace (9:30-10 minutes/mile)
1,600m at 8:38
1,600m cool down

Total distance: 4.47 miles

Surprisingly, I actually had fun. I liked having a time to make every lap – it made my workout seem like it went really fast, even though I was seriously running in circles. It also brought me back to when I swam in high school and had splits to hit, which made me feel completely at home on the foreign track.

I made two plans before I started training, one that I thought was 100 percent do-able and another that seemed like a bit of a stretch. After being able to keep up with the second week of the harder plan without any problems, I’ve decided that’s the one I’m going to do from here on out. Hitting every split on the track last night cemented that I can knock out every workout and that my half marathon time goal is possible.

I hate being cold. It is truly awful, and it makes running in the winter an extreme challenge for me. I have always heard that you should start your run cool/cold to avoid overheating later as your warm-up, but that first .5 mile feels like pure torture. There are times where I can’t even make it out the door because of the thought of being cold, even if its only for 5-10 minutes.

When the temperature dipped into the mid 20s a couple of months ago, my appreciation for real cold-weather runners grew exponentially. I am the kind of person who balks at going outside when it’s less than 50, so learning to run on icy sidewalks was completely baffling to me (but good news, I didn’t fall). I finally learned what I meant to be chilly at the start, and thank yourself later. Here is what got me through:

1. I LOVE Runner’s World’s What to Wear Tool. Hot, cold – doesn’t matter. I use it any time I can’t make a decision on what to wear on a run (nearly every day). It’s made a huge difference between me over-dressing or stressing about being too cold. I just have to plug in a few variables and it gives me all of the answers I need. If only they made a similar tool for major life decisions.

2. Fleece headband/ear cover. Super cute, my fleecy monstrosity has made my ears toasty and makes it easier to regulate my temperature on a cold or windy run. The best part, when I get too hot I can wrap it around my wrist or toss it in a pocket.

3. I have embraced the rain. Some runs feel a bit like you are crying (can’t see because your eyes are blurry, water dripping off your face), but I’ve decided I kind of like the cooling aspect of the rain, especially when my raincoat is getting a bit too warm. It’s also wonderfully peaceful. With no one else out running, or really out at all, it’s easy to fall into my own rhythm and enjoy a great run. Check out my previous post on how I handle (or avoid) getting soaked.

4. Warm tights are my new best friend. After the skin on my legs burned during an entire run in sub freezing weather and afterward when I got into the shower, I decided it was time to invest in some winter running tights. Best. Decision. Ever. They are worth every penny.

5. I love zippers. Shirts that zip down to let in more air are an excellent solution to my chronic over-dressing to avoid the dreaded cold problem.

6. Did someone say ‘cuffin’? I know it’s a ridiculous term coined by Lululemon, but built-in mittens are great. I can flip them on and off constantly while running, and I never have to worry about losing them.

7. Hot showers and other rewards are crucial. Did you get soaked today? Did you go for a run when most people didn’t leave their house at all? Were you running before the sun even came up? Then you deserve a cookie (or whatever else you want to reward yourself with). In fact, I deserve a cookie for even thinking about running.

I heard about the SeaWheeze half marathon a week before the race date last year, and since then I have been plotting how I was going to go. Running the half in Vancouver was the first item on my bucket list this year (along with leaving the country and doing my first destination race – 3 for 1!) and I couldn’t be more excited to go.

Image courtesy of SeaWheeze

After two weeks of pure torture, I finally got in! Now it’s time to get speedy, gain some distance, and destroy some hills. Maybe I can knock of one of my PRs from my bucket list as well.

I’ve always loved the rain, and there is something about running in the rain that makes me insanely happy. I know the first thought of heading out and getting completely soaked from head to toe while you try to slog through some miles is an instant “no!” But instead of staying inside and being irritated that it rained all day, I decided to give it a try and get excited to go play in the rain.

I wore my Merrell barefoot running shoes to prepare to get wet. Instead of getting my more traditional running shoes soaked through I decided to forgo socks and live by the “wear sandals in the rain so your feet dry faster” strategy. To keep me warm, even when potentially drenched, I wore my warmest running tights and a long sleeve shirt under my waterproof running jacket. (Plus, how can a run not be fun when you are wearing purple tights?)

The whole run was a blast. I went a few minutes before the start of the Super Bowl and I had the streets to myself. While it was peaceful, it was also the most freeing run I’ve had in a while. I rapped to Eminem, jumped over puddles like a kid avoiding “lava,” and laughed like a maniac.

The whole day the rain went from a light shower to a full on downpour with no notice, so I wasn’t exactly sure how my plan would turn out. I got lucky that for the most part it was only a light drizzle. And when it did decide to really open up and show me what it’s like run in some real rain I couldn’t help but laugh. It was exhilarating to run with the rain hitting my face. Everyone who saw me probably thought I was crazy because of the huge smile on my face (and because I was voluntarily running in the rain, not because of the singing or leaping, obviously). I honestly can’t wait to do it again.

I had hoped that when I was no longer running off to class and trying to live a life around studying and work that I would no longer have to schedule my day down to the minute. Unfortunately I have come to realize that the leisurely, I do whatever I want when I want-lifestyle isn’t going to happen. Between work, working out, and freelance projects I feel like I never get to sit around and do nothing. When people tell me they were bored I genuinely want to know what it was like.

My crazy schedule has led to me skimping on things that are important to me, like taking the time to make a healthy, interesting lunch that is filling and getting to bed on time. By the time the weekend comes around I’m so burned out from running around all week that I just want to lie on the couch and not get up for the entire day, which makes getting things done impossible and your friends and family upset with you.

Instead of giving into the intense desire to lounge all weekend, I have made myself choose a day of the weekend that I am going to use to make food for the rest of the week, do my laundry, finally finish the nagging tasks on my to-do list, etc. and leave the second day completely free of any pressure or tasks. So far (yes, it’s only been one weekend) it’s been working. My lunches won’t be random items from the fridge thrown together at 10:30 p.m. while I dream about my warm bed and I won’t be cursing myself my alarm goes off in the morning. Instead of putting everything off until Sunday night, I was able to have a full day where I didn’t worry or stress about getting something done. I actually relaxed on a weekend, what a novel idea!

It’s not very often that I feel like my training is in complete opposition to each other, but lately I feel like running and CrossFit are clashing horribly. I’ve been going to CrossFit three days a week and running three days a week for more than a year, but as one activity builds in intensity it throws off the other. With the CrossFit Open coming up fast, workouts have been brutal to prepare everyone who is planning to compete. And although I won’t sign up for the open, I plan to do all of the workouts, so I’m trying to hang in there with the increased weights, increased repetitions, etc., but I’m finding myself increasingly exhausted and unable to keep my schedule up.

I had the same problem when I was training for my last half marathon and trying to keep progressing in CrossFit at the same time. I hate to admit it, but sometimes my workout schedule turns against me. I am trying to come back from a winter mileage decrease while keeping up with everyone at the gym, and I have come to realize that what I’m doing isn’t working. Not only am I not able to increase my mileage (or even get my sore, concrete filled legs moving), but I’m not doing my best at CrossFit either.

These past two weeks have been eye opening. I missed runs to instead take a much much needed rest day, but even so I was too tired to run my long run at the speed I wanted to. At the gym there was a workout I would usually crush, and instead I got trampled on. It’s time to take a step back and decide what my priorities are.

While I think about some hard decisions (Do I cut back on running to prepare for the open? Am I willing to get three months behind in running right before jumping into half marathon training? Would I be that upset if I stepped back my weights at the gym and cared less about the open workouts?), I am going to do two important things this week: 1) listen to my body and ease off when I need to and 2) only allow myself a single double day of running and yoga (no more running and CrossFit on the same day). I am also going to make an extra effort to get at nine hours of sleep each night and eat well.

Given the choice between watching TV and reading a book, I almost always choose reading. There is something magical about getting lost in another world or learning something new through a book. And since I am named after a book, I guess it’s only fitting that I am enamored with reading.

Instead of listing all of the books I read this year and telling you why I liked them (or really didn’t in a couple cases), here are my top six must reads:

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void – Mary Roach

By far my favorite book of the year. I read this before Gravity came out, and it ignited a minor space obsession. Roach made the history of space exploration interesting and the science behind it all easy to understand. I laughed through most of this book and felt the need to constantly share quotes from it (sorry family and friends). After reading this Roach claimed my current Literary Hero title. Even if science books don’t interest you, this one is worth it.

A Working Theory of Love – Scott Hutchins

Set near where I work and live, this story brought to life the tech culture of the Silicon Valley in a cleaver way. The main character, Neill, spends his days in a small start-up trying to make a computer more human by feeding it his father’s memories. Despite the apparent daddy issue, following Neill’s attempt to figure out what love really means and what his life is missing is captivating. This is not your Jane Eyre love story (although I will claim there was some insanity at play), it’s real and honest and quite frankly messy.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America – Barbara Ehrenreich

This book was on my list for years after I did a project on Ehrenreich in college. She is solidly on my list of writers I admire and women I hope to model myself after. She took a step back from her comfortable life to live on minimum wage in three different states. Her story, while written more than ten years ago, really hit home for me. I made minimum wage (and much less thanks to “stipends”) through college, and without the support of my family, I never would have made it. She shows what it’s really like to be the 3.6 million Americans who make federal minimum wage, or less, in the United States. And while when Ehrenreich embarked on this disturbing quest she was older than most minimum wage earners, with an average of of 35, she wasn’t all that much older. This is a great, eye-opening read.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan

Anything that has to do with Google and conspiracies is impossible to resist. It has the suspense of The Da Vinci Code mixed in with Google’s mysterious operations and ubiquitous nature. It’s one of those books where you can’t put it down – you have to know how it ends.

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

Less Harry Potter and more twisted love, this read made magic feel real in a very different way. The novel revolves around a competition between two young magicians that have more at stake than they realize. It’s a great balance of fantasy and characters that feel real.

The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making – Alana Chernila

While I may not start making my own crackers, this book has inspired me to ditch as many store-bought items as possible. Her recipes are easy to follow and realistic – you won’t find any four-hour master pieces in here. I am dying to try to the pastries on the cover. The entire book is full of enticing, easy basics that make any meal even better.

Photos curtesy of: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6