Biking

This weekend I worked hard to plan some decent meals for the week.  I bought plenty of fruits and vegetables and other healthy snacks that I can use to stock my new dorm fridge at the office.  I'm looking forward to snacking throughout the day on stuff like carrots and hummus rather than having one big lunch.  For lunch tomorrow, I have leftover carne asada steak, grilled red pepper, grilled asparagus, grilled corn, spinach salad, and blueberries.  Minus the spinach and blueberries, and that was my dinner after exercise.

Today I decided to give my legs a break from running, and went for a bike ride instead.  It was one of the longer rides I've taken and I was jello by the end of it.  While my house doesn't sit on a hill, it is higher in elevation than most of the area around me, so unfortunately, the return trip involves a bit more pedaling.  The most exciting part of the ride was a downhill coast hitting 30 mph on a gravel road.  I rode for somewhere between 75 and 90 minutes and averaged somewhere around 15 mph.  I'm also lifting weights (dumbbells) after the ride (or run, depending on the day).  I'm pretty sore right now, but more muscle burns more fat.  So we'll keep it up.

Pics below show dinner on the grill, corn fields, and a panoramic of the Beach Girls sign.  Not sure what really goes on at that place...

Food today:

Breakfast:
Instant oatmeal
Whole grapefruit

Lunch:
Slice of pepperoni pizza and water

Dinner:
Grilled carne asada steak
Grilled asparagus
Grilled red pepper
Half a grilled corn cob
Coke Zero
(all smaller portions)

Snacks:
Wedge of light Laughing Cow cheese on piece of whole wheat naan

A week off

Last week started with a Salmonella contamination incident at the lab, so instead of traveling to MN on Monday like originally planned, I stayed in DSM for two days to help with the investigation and the subsequent client meetings that would ensue.  I drove to Minneapolis Tuesday evening, arriving late.  Put in full days on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, driving back to DSM late Friday evening.  Needless to say, I didn't find any time to go running after Monday.

Food options weren't great while eating out.  I probably could have made better choices, but I gave in to what looked good.  I did take some strawberries and blueberries to snack on, so it wasn't all a loss.

Today I went grocery shopping and bought snacks and some stuff to make meals with this week.  Baby carrots, whole wheat crackers, light laughing cow cheese, red pepper, chicken breasts, grapefruit, and some Coke Vanilla Zero.  I also bought a dorm fridge for my office at work so it will be much easier for me to keep healthy snacks near by.

Tonight I grilled a chicken breast marinated in greek salad dressing and fresh Iowa corn on the cob.  It was pretty tasty.  After that, I went for a jog.  It wasn't pretty.  2.5 miles in 32:47.  My right leg felt like a slab of granite.  However, I could feel some of my endurance coming back.  It wasn't as hard to keep the jog going, albeit a pretty slow jog.

Tomorrow might be a bike ride instead.

August totals:

9.21 miles
14:03/mile avg

Not an option anymore.

Well, friends, it has been quite a while since I've run.  One run in January, two in May.  Pathetic.  And my diet has been the same.  Too much fast food, fried food, carbs, red meat.  Not enough fruits, veggies, and whole grains.  Back in June, I had what I would later find out was a gall bladder attack.  It felt like bad indigestion, but it finally went away.  A week later, it happened again, except this time, it didn't subside.  The pain was so bad, I could barely breathe.  After about 4 hours of that (not knowing what it was at the time), at 3:30am, I went to the ER.  They performed an ultrasound and told me I had some sludge in my gall bladder.  Nothing in particular causes it, but it is aggravated by eating a high fat/high protein diet.  Your gall bladder stores bile and releases it into your intestines to help digest the fat/protein.  The sludge can clog the ducts or cause discomfort when the gall bladder contracts.  There isn't really anything they can do except for removing it (the gall bladder).  They gave me a shot of narcotics to help with the pain, and after a few hours of sleep in the ER, they sent me home with some Vicodin and some anti-nausea meds.  Over the next few weeks, I didn't have any more attacks, but I did have issues with nausea and vomiting.  While fat can particularly trigger an attack, any food can cause a problem.  One day I would eat a Chick-Fil-A sandwich and be fine and the next day I would eat a salad and cedar plank salmon and have to throw it up.  It was really annoying because I had no idea if I'd be able to keep anything down.  This was really crappy when we had a 5 day trade show where we were going out to dinner with clients.  I ended up making a trip to the restroom before and after dinner one night to purge my stomach.  It's not even like a sick feeling, it's just like a ... it's hard to describe.  It almost feels psychological.  It really sucks when you're traveling and have to spend time on an airplane.  I exhausted my supply of Zofran.  I figured I felt sick if I ate a LOT, rather than what I ate.  So I've started eating smaller portions and that's been better.

Anyway, luckily, the last few weeks have been much better.  I haven't chucked up a meal.  However, I still have some close calls.  I had a physical this last week and I talked to my doctor about it, and he recommended we hold off on having the gall bladder removed because it would definitely cause some dietary issues for the rest of my life.  It's not a major surgery, but not something we just want to jump into if it's not 100% necessary.  He gave me some more Zofran, but so far so good.

However, my blood work came back from the lab and... more bad news.  My LDL was high, my HDL was low, my blood pressure was a tad high, and my blood glucose levels were high.  Not to mention, I weigh more than at any other point in my life.  In other words, I'm not on on a good trajectory.  Diabetes, heart disease, clogged blood vessels, etc.  Also, it's frustrating that all of my clothes are a little tighter than I'd like, and I'm not happy with my double-chin appearance.  So basically, I must start eating better and exercising.  My life might depend on it.  I'm not saying I'm going to be dead next week, but I should make changes now while I can.

Early last year (winter/spring 2012), I did pretty well with running.  I was running more than ever before, and I'd lost about 10 lbs.  I was also cooking good food at home.  But then work got busy, it got hot out, and I stopped.  I ran sporadically, but nothing worth writing about.  My diet also reverted back to fast food for dinner most nights.

This week, I've started cooking at home again.  Sautéing veggies and cooking a chicken breast.  We did go to the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, so I had a corn dog and some cookies, but we're going to try to move on from that.  After this 12-pack of Coke runs out, I'm going to try not to buy anymore.  That's my big weakness.  I love Coca-Cola.  Love it.  Hate Diet Coke.  It's just as bad for you anyway.  Goal is more water, more green tea, and coffee in the mornings for my caffeine kick.

My doctor appointment was on Wednesday, so I went for my inaugural run on Thursday, covering 2.12 miles.  It was a pretty crappy run.  Then on Sunday I ran 2.16 mi, and the run was a tad bit better.  Tonight I ran 2.42 miles, and while it didn't feel awesome, it wasn't as bad as before.  I'm going to let tomorrow be a rest day, and then I'll be heading to Minneapolis for work.  I'm going to take my shoes with me and hopefully run on the treadmill at the hotel gym.

So here's where you come in.  They say that running with a friend is a great way to provide accountability.  Seeing as that I don't have a network of friends in Iowa, particularly ones who want to go running, I need you all to hound me about keeping it up.  Hopefully I'll get sucked into it like most of my friends have.  But it takes a few months to get good at it, so I would appreciate any words of encouragement.  Don't let me off the hook.  I need to run and I need to eat better.  Chick-Fil-A is going to have to be a treat for Saturday afternoon rather than dinner three nights a week.

OK, time for a shower, then bed.  Goodnight y'all.

[Insert something specific here]

Hi everyone,

I know I've done a pretty crappy job posting lately, but as always, I've been a bit busy.  I have been doing a decent job with the jogging/biking.  Yesterday I ran my longest time and distance, and that was a day after running my furthest distance.  I've been mixing it up with the biking to keep my legs from hurting too badly.  I haven't lost much weight, but my pants are fitting way better.  Not only am I down a pant size, but now those are starting to feel loose too.  That's awesome.

I'm doing an OK job eating.  I'm not eating as hardcore healthy as I could, but I'm not eating McDonald's for every meal either.  Come to think of it, I haven't had McD's in quite a while.  Yay me.

The weather has been kinda wonky lately.  It's gone from nice and warm (mid 70s) to cold again (high 40s).  Last weekend we had some wicked thunderstorms come through, so I didn't get out Saturday night at all. 

I've got one more month to continue getting in shape before Alaska 5.0!!

It's been a while...

Last few weeks I've been putting in even more time at work, if that's even possible.  I really haven't been in the mood to run.  I went for a pretty long bike ride this weekend, and found a nice grassy field to lay in and watch the sky for a while.  I could feel the stress just melt away.  Until, of course, the time cam that I had to get on the computer and do more work.

Anyway, so yeah.

Mixing it up

So climbing the stairs in my house reminds me that my legs are still hurting from the two jogs this week.  I don't know what the deal is.  I guess I really have to back down on the intensity.

But it was a beautiful weekend, so I had to get out.  I decided to get the bike out and pump up the tires for the first time this year.  I rode all the way to "downtown" West Des Moines.  Probably about 12 miles out and back.  They fixed the trail under I-35, so that was nice.

Tonight I made dinner, and it was properly proportioned between meat, veggies, and grains.  I made quinoa for the first time.  It's interesting.

Other things of note:  I bought the new iPad this last Friday.  It's nice.  The screen is beautiful.  Now my Apple menagerie is almost complete.  I cleaned out my garage yesterday.  Yes, I've only lived here for 8 months, but over the winter, lots of sand and salt accumulated in there, so it was good to pull everything out, sweep it clean, and then reorganize all my stuff.

Anyhoo, sorry.  I know that was really exciting.

Back at it

Winter is over!  At least that's what the weather in central Iowa this week makes it feel like.  I swear, the stars just lined up this week.  Yesterday I got out of the lab at 7, which allowed me to get home while it was still light out.  I was able to go for a jog, run to the grocery store, and cook dinner!  Three things I haven't done on the same day, since, well, I don't know when.

It seems like I wasn't the only one to notice the sun was out.  It really was like everyone has come out of hibernation.  All of a sudden, the sidewalks were crowded with people out jogging.  I could tell I'm not the only one out of shape.  It was the first run I've been on in a month, and it was awkward.  I felt like I weighed 15 pounds heavier than last time, although that's not true.  Perhaps it just felt weird running in shorts and a t-shirt this time.  I didn't have all those layers and underarmor holding everything tight.  After the jog, I took a quick shower and ran to Trader Joes to pick up some fresh groceries.

Dinner was blackened tilapia tacos with broccoli cole slaw and oven baked sweet potato fries.  Warning:  Food Science Joke ahead.  Cole's Law:  Thinly sliced cabbage.

Today was even better!  I left the lab at 6.  SIX!  Like three whole hours before the usual.  6 pm, which is only one hour later than most normal human beings get to leave work.  I ran the car through the car wash to clean off what is hopefully the last of the salt from what was hopefully the last of the snow.  Came home, and put on my running shoes.  There were even more people out jogging today than yesterday.  I still feel like a running walrus, but hopefully that will get better.  I've kept the last two jogs short, just over a mile.  I pushed it too hard back in February, so I'm trying to ease back into it.  One milestone was achieved today though -- 50 miles since the beginning of the year.  That's not super impressive, but I did take the last four weeks off.

Finally, for dinner tonight, I WARMED UP THE GRILL!  Yes, that's right.  It's grillin' season baby.  Tonight's menu included lemon pepper pork loin grilled to a perfect medium, (more) broccoli slaw, and a baked sweet potato.  Didn't mean to repeat the sweet potatoes, but I didn't think about that til it was too late.

It's amazing what a little sunshine will do for the mental health.  Being out of work at a decent time for two days straight is completely unheard of.  Driving home with the sunroof open and actually FEELING THE SUN shine through it.  Awesome.  Having the windows open at home.  Awesome.  I'm actually in the mood to do stuff -- it's a natural anti-depressant.  I gotta bottle this shit up and keep it handy for a rainy day.