One more time with feeling

Chugging along nicely

2012-01-25T05:02:00.000-06:00

For the first time in many weeks, I am feeling a bit fatigued this morning. It probably should come as no surprise as I have been working out a lot.

Split session running yesterday:

4 miles easy along Buffalo Bayou in the morning before work with Kathleen, who is well into her Boston Marathon training cycle. She will be doing her first 'long' long run this Sunday - 16 miles.

Three X 1-mile repeats at the middle school track after work, plus 1 mile warm-up and 1 mile warm-down, and 1 mile between intervals = total of 7 miles. So grand total of 11 miles for the day. Not too shabby. Plantar fasciitis seemingly under control, the Superfeet inserts appear to be working.

Also a pretty intensive 50-minute workout with Frank at Fast Results Fitness; worked the shoulders, arms, back and core.

Coming up: 5k on Sunday morning.

100 Days of Weight Loss - Day 32:
How full are you really? Try to gauge it on a 4-point scale:
0 = neither hungry nor full
1: slightly full
2: overly full, ate a little bit too much
3: Totally stuffed like after a Thanksgiving Meal.

Aim to reach a '1' after any meal; discard the rest of the food.

Weight this morning: 171
Body fat percentage: 21%
Total miles week to date: 17
Total miles month to date: 126

More running with the Leopold and Lewis

2012-01-23T19:58:00.001-06:00

Really easy 6-mile run today with 'the boys'; they took a break at the halfway mark to graze on some fresh grass. I opted for water.

100 Days of Weight Loss Day 32: eat every three to five hours to prevent getting too hungry which can lead to even more eating problems. Any time you go more than five hours between meals, you are likely to overeat.

Here are some photographs of me and the dogs:

100+ miles for the year to date

2012-01-22T12:23:00.001-06:00

A solid 44-mile week propelled me to well over 100 miles for the year to date, on target for about 140 for the month. Not a bad start considering that I am still battling with plantar fasciitis in the left foot. I am stretching more and have been using arch support inserts (Super Feet) for the last week or so. Used to run with them regularly a few years ago, don't know why I ever stopped.

100 Days of weight loss day 31: try to figure out if you are not hungry, a little bit hungry, very hungry or famished, before you eat something. Most of the time it is best to have something to eat within about 20 to 30 minutes of feeling the first real signs of hunger such as a growling stomach.

I have been trying out my new Nikon 'toy' camera, an AW-100 which is supposed to be waterproof up to 10 meters (33 feet). Mostly I just want to use it on my daily runs to document some things along the way and - when training with the Striders - get a few candid shots for a slide presentation at the end of the year.

Here are a few which I took today:

A new house in our neighborhood; somehow I think the rock look is a bit overdone

The county authorities have spent several million dollars upgrading this area along Buffalo Bayou where it intersects with Rummel Creek. So far it has not alleviated flooding, in fact it made it worse

Some pretty flowers in our townhouse complex garden

One race at a time

2012-01-21T20:41:00.000-06:00

Last week it was 13.1 miles, this week a rather shorter but also more intense 5K race, the Rockets 5K downtown, from and back to the Toyota Center. This race attracts a lot of beginners or occasional runners. Look around you just before the start and you'll see dozens of race shirts. Veteran runners know that it is a bit of a faux pas to wear the race shirt on race day. I'm fine with it, though - many of these first-time runners will be back for their second or third run soon, how could they not - it is so much fun!

Kath and I both placed second in our age groups, which was nice. Nothing to get too excited about though: very few of the real fast age group runners show up for this race because it is just one week after the Houston Marathon. Hey, you take your opportunities when they present themselves, right?

I clocked a 21 minute something for the 5K but unfortunately that was not a true reflection of my pace which was 7.45 minutes/mile. The course was short by a lot: 2.8 miles instead of 3.1. Must have had a real amateur race director. When you put up a race, job # 1 is to get the distance right.

I took a short time-out from 100 Days of Weight Loss; not that I really wanted to but pressure of work was just too overwhelming this last week. Will pick it up again from tomorrow.

Weight: 172
Body fat percentage: 22%
Jan 20: Rest day
Jan 21: 5 miles total including 5K race

Total miles for the month to date: 99

Here are some pics from the Houston Rockets Run:

Kathleen and me - 2nd place in our age categories! Hardware baby.

A running weekend

2012-01-16T11:53:00.001-06:00

It started on Saturday with the US Olympic Marathon Trials - both men and women for the first time on the same course, same day. Looked like a huge success from where I stood (cold but thrilled to see so many super fast runners zooming by) at the corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway. Tough on 4th place finishers Dathan Ritzenhein and Amy Hastings; hopefully better luck in 4 years time. Of course that is what makes the Olympics trials such a huge thing. They only come around every 4 years. You simply can't afford to run a bad race on the day. And as we all know, it happens sometimes due to circumstances totally beyond one's control.

On Sunday I ran the Aramco half marathon; part of the Chevron Houston Marathon. Despite growing numbers of participants, the marathon committee did a great job of improving the start corral layout and access. I breezed in from the west part of town, parked near the baseball stadium and jogged to the start; could have left the house 40 minutes before the start of the race. Even so it was fun standing in the half marathon corral and chit-chatting with a couple of other participants whom I had never met. Amazing how easy it is for runners to relate. Duh. Organization along the course, at the water stops and the finish line was nearly flawless. A bit of confusion just after the viaduct at about mile 1, when some half marathoners thought they had to switch over to the left side. Caused some near collisions and a few people actually ran back. No need for that, the two roads join up again just around the corner.

The run was a breeze: I took it really easy for the first ten miles (about 8:53 pace) and then cranked it up a couple of notches over the last 3 miles, passing dozens of people and brought the average down to about 8:35, for a finishing time of 1:53 and change. Way off my best half time but I was not really expecting much with this foot injury still hampering training.

The difference between the full and half marathon: minimal soreness today, in fact I will be taking out the dogs for a 4 or 5 mile jog later this afternoon!

Back soon with some photographs from the Olympics Trails.

Swamped

2012-01-12T08:37:00.000-06:00

Going through a very hectic time at work which is fine but it leaves very little time for anything except 'serious' writing. A lot of other things tend to fall by the wayside including blog writing, food journaling and so on. At least I've kept the running going; pretty steady 4 to 5 miles per day every day except on Friday. Also took yesterday (Wednesday) off due to some tightness in my calves. One thing I do remember from an over-training episode years ago is that waking up with chronically sore legs is not normal. If your calves are sore all the time, take some time off running.

The Olympic Marathon Trials are coming up this Saturday and I will probably stake out a spot along Allen Parkway and Waugh Drive to take some photographs. Looks like the temperatures are going to be in the 30's so I will have to dress super warm, not something I am really geared for! Can't miss the opportunity to get some nice pics though.

Day of the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about postponing a decision to start eating snack foods, appetizers, cookies and desserts. Good advice as it is easier not to start, than to stop, with so many of these tempting treats!

Weight this morning: 172
Bodyfat percentage: 23%

January 11 : Rest

Can you see me now?

2012-01-06T08:11:00.002-06:00

A visit to the ophthalmologist earlier this week was fortunately uneventful: the good doctor tested both eyes and gave them the passing mark: peripheral vision fine, retinas and corneas and all the important stuff in shipshape condition, eyeball pressure normal, no sign of cataracts. So why am I getting a slight 'double-vision' effect in my left eye? Who knows, but it can be fixed by adjusting my prescription which we will get around to next week.

It was a week for doctor's appointments: yesterday it was the turn of my podiatrist, Ken Dennis. Kath and I have been going to Ken for at least 20 years and we like his conservative approach. His solution to a (running related) foot, ankle or calf problem is not to immediately prescribe a $500+ pair of orthotics. No. Ken might cut out a piece of thick moleskin and place it strategically under the left side of the foot to arrest a developing neuroma issue. Or - as he did with me yesterday - suggest more stretching, foam rolling and trying a night splint boot instead of a cortisone shot. I'm all for it. The cortisone can wait.

Day 26 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss. What to do if you are eating something and it doesn't taste good or doesn't live up to the expectations you had for it? Stop. Don't keep hoping it will get better because it won't. Too true; I have often found myself eating a piece of cake or a cookie when it really wasn't that great; out of habit or because of some silly old rule. Bottom line: if you don't love it, don't eat it!

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage: 22%

Jan 5
Ran 6 miles at 10+ mile pace with the dogs, lots of mouth-breathing by them, plenty of sweating by me. Very muggy.
Good 50-minute workout with Amy.

Olympic Trials coming soon!

2012-01-05T07:36:00.001-06:00

The US Olympics Trails will be rolling into Houston on Saturday Jan 14 and I am planning to stake out a good spot somewhere along the route to take some photographs of all the speedy men and women athletes who will be zooming by at a pace of around 5 minutes per mile for the guys, slightly slower for the young women. I am trying to decide on the best spot to get some good close-ups, might try the u-turn on Waugh. Very odd course layout.

Here is a link to an interesting animation which shows how the men's and women's race should progress if all goes according to plan: US Olympics Marathon Trial race progression

Making some progress on the 100 Days of Weight Loss program. Dropped a couple of quick pounds due to more diligent food recording, watching portion sizes and being more mindful about treating food as fuel, not filler. Today’s ‘lesson’ is about eating smaller amounts of one’s favorite foods, less often. So for example if you just can’t stand the thought of giving up ice-cream (not an issue for yours truly), then go ahead and have some, but try to limit it to just once a week or so, not a whole half gallon of the stuff in one sitting!

Thursday rant of the week:

First somebody drops off an item which none of us have used in like 10 years and then they call a couple of days later to make sure that we got it? What a waste of time, effort, money and paper. The item? Greater Houston Yellow Pages. I have about as much use for it as a typewriter or telex machine.

Weight this morning: 170

Body fat percentage: 23%

Jan 4: 6 miles along the bayou with Kathy and the dogs. Fairly muggy but ok.

More of what you want

2012-01-04T13:15:00.001-06:00

If bread is what you like, then go ahead and have more this year. A lot more! In his latest newsletter Dr. John McDougall (I am a big fan!) digs up a study from way back in the 1970's.

This 1979 Michigan State University study found that 16 college-age men who added a whopping 12 (twelve!) regular slices of either white or high-fiber bread to their daily diets, lost between 14 to 19 pounds over the next eight weeks. There was no change in their physical activity or exercise. Their health also improved with rapid and significant drops in cholesterol levels.

What to make of this? Starch is your friend, not your enemy. Eat more of it and it will crowd out other unhealthy, fatty and cholesterol-laden animal products. Don’t like bread? The go ahead and add several cups of steamed rice, boiled corned, mashed potatoes (no butter!), baked sweet potatoes, cooked beans, peas or lentils or boiled spaghetti noodles.

I won't be adding that much bread to my diet, but will definitely shift some more calories into either whole wheat or rye or pumpernickel bread. We will just have to see how that works out, I guess!

Day 24 on the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about eating for satisfaction. I often catch myself eating something and then immediately starting to look around for something else. The trick is to eat slowly, pay attention to the bites and to appreciate your food. Chewing properly - a lot more than usual - will also help with this. To appreciate the flavors and to be satisfied, you don't necessarily have to eat a big amount of anything. Just be mindful and actively enjoy the experience, rather than just plowing through it unthinkingly.

Weight this morning: 172
Body fat percentage: 24%

Jan 3:
4 miles easy with the dogs in the am and 3 X 1-mile repeats (around 7:40 pace) at Rice University Track. It was nice being back on the track again. Tyson Gay was there too!! I really miss my weekly mile repeats and will definitely try to make it a regular part of my week this year.

Facing up to reality

2012-01-03T08:46:00.000-06:00

To be honest, I have been spinning my wheels with the 100 Days of Weight Loss program since about Dec 24; so it is time to get serious. On the plus side: I've kept up with logging food intake on Fitday and have managed to avoid - much - weight gain, keeping it steady at around 172. On the negative: way too many 'fun' calories in the form of alcohol, desserts, snacks and the like. So to get back on track I will eat reasonable amounts, be sure to treat food as fuel and not filler, and re-commit myself to long-term goals. This morning I am setting up a visual tracking device to plot progress. Perhaps it will help to take a photograph of this board once a week!

My running partners Leopold and Lewis

Weight this morning: 173
Body fat percentage: 24%
Running: 4 miles easy with Leopold and Lewis along Buffalo Bayou.

Bert's Fitday Journal

6 down 14 to go

2012-01-02T19:18:00.002-06:00

2012 started with a bit of a whimper as I opted out of running the resolution run with the Striders on Monday morning; unfortunately my left foot (plantar fasciitis) was acting up pretty badly after running a pretty fast 9 miles (8:40 average) on Sunday morning. Will try a few slow miles with the puppies later this afternoon.

In the mean time I have found something else to keep me busy: working my way through a list of the 20 greatest cocktails of all time. Just at the right time of the year too! Of the ones not familiar to Kath and I, we've tried (over the last week or so) Sazerac, Manhattan, Gimlet, Cosmopolitan, The Bronx and Negroni. Actually I am quite familiar with the Negroni already... So no surprise there. Sazerac was very exotic (absinthe!!); Cosmopolitan is definitely a ladies' drink but nice to know how to make it; the Manhattan is a bit more 'masculine'; likely an acquired taste, the Gimlet was disappointing (too much Rose's Lime Juice) and The Bronx was our surprise favorite of the bunch. Next week? Sidecar, Old Fashioned or maybe a Whiskey Sour.

The Bronx Cocktail - mint leaves optional

All this hooch is of course no good for the 100 days of Weight Loss. No loss yet this year. Day 22 of the program deals with eating with awareness; slowing down and savoring your food, as opposed to wolfing it down. Guilty as charged!

Weight this morning: 172
Body fat percentage: 22%
Running:
Thursday 12-29: 6 miles with the dogs
Friday 12-30: Day off
Saturday 12-31: 9 miles tempo run with Striders
Sunday 1-1-12: No run
Monday 1-2-12: 4 miles easy with the puppies along Buffalo Bayou

Of weights and weight loss

2011-12-28T13:36:00.000-06:00

More than two weeks into 100 days of weight loss. So far I have not been able to report any drastic weight loss, I'm basically stuck at around 170, but it could have been worse. I think the best thing I have done so far is to start logging food intake again on Fitday - I know that in time, considering my exercise frequency and duration, the weight will come off.

Right now I'm hopefully building some new muscle thanks to Frank at Fast Results Fitness. He has really put me through the wringer lately with some very tough workouts including the '300' workout which was used for the movie of the same name, to get the actors into 100% ripped state. I can see why it worked; my hamstrings were shredded for nearly 3 days after the workout! All the weight-lifting is helping to bulk up the shoulders and pecs, but it is no good for weight loss. Will just have to be patient I guess.

Day 17 of 100 Days of Weight Loss is about turning around the old rule of never wasting food by eating everything on your plate. Rather look at it like this: every time you eat food your body doesn't need, you are wasting it. So you can get rid of leftover food by throwing it away or eating it; either way it is wasted. Of course there is a third option: keep it as leftovers or freeze it for another day.

Weight this morning: 171
Body fat percentage: 22%

Dec 27 recap:
5 mile tempo run with the dogs along Buffalo Bayou
50-minute upper body and arms workout with Frank

Bert's Fitday Journal

Back to work

2011-12-27T12:17:00.001-06:00

Well it is back to work in more ways than one. Back to the office and also back to 100 Days of Weight Loss. What with family dinners, movie outings, pizza nights and so on, I have not been too diligent the last few days, although I have kept up logging all meals on Fitday.

Weight is stable which is about as much as I can expect right now, and running is going pretty well despite on-going issues with plantar fasciitis in the left foot. It does seem to be improving although I don't want to say that too loudly!

Santa brought me another pair of bright orange Saucony Kinvaras - this is my second pair so hopefully the calves have now figured out that the ground is closer than when we ran with the old-school heavy heel support shoes.

Last three days of 100 Days of Weight Loss emphasized the following:

* Don't skip meals or save up calories for a later meal
* If you have a problem with late-day eating (me, me!), take a look at what you did earlier in the day. Eat a proper breakfast and eat a snack sometimes around 3 or 4 pm.
* Taste sensation of food is strongest for the first two bites; you rarely need to eat more than that to obtain maximum value for your taste buds. The rest is just feeding

Day 16 (today) is about the nurturing power of food. When you're feeling stressed or sad or lonely, food seems to make you feel better. It may calm your anger or anxiety and lift your spirit. What is important is that - just like the taste sensation - you will get maximum benefit with just a couple of bites. Two bites of a small chocolate chip cookie is likely all it will take to right your emotional ship. You don't really need to scarf down a whole boatload of them.

To summarize:
10 miles on Saturday, 5 on Sunday and 4 on Monday.
Weight: 171
Body fat percentage: 21%

Bert's Fitday Journal

Fuel or filler food?

2011-12-23T11:19:00.000-06:00

My personal trainer warned me that my weight may actually increase due to the additional (4th) session per week and because we are getting into some heavier weights. I guess he is right; I am up a bit this morning, but bodyfat percentage is the same. Will just have to see how it goes next week.

Day 12 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about checking whether we are taking in quality fuel which provides solid nutritional content with limited amount of fat, sugar and empty calories, or filler which add extra calories but minimal nutrients.

If you do a lot of running and physical training you pretty much 'get' the relationship between quality fuel food and performance. If I don't get my 1100A carbohydrate snack, I often don't have a good noon workout; I might feel a bit weak, even slightly dizzy. And of course the same thing on a long run, just much more pronounced.

My problem isn't emotional eating either, I don't think. Although I must admit to the occasional eating binge when I am stressed or unhappy for whatever reason. My real problem has to do with the so-called 'fun or filler foods': mostly sugar in one or other form, bread, snacks (nuts and peanuts) as well as wine and beer. It is the season and one can't be a total grinch. So there will be a couple of beers here and there, and a few helpings of snacks. They will go on the record on Fitday and I will just have to work them off on the long runs!

Weight this morning: 171
Body fact percentage: 20%

Dec 22:
Running: 6 easy miles with the dogs along the Bayou. Left foot plantar fasciitis still an area of concern. Going for another Airrosti treatment on Dec 23
Personal trainer: 1 hr fairly intensive workout with bench presses, pikes, shrugs, chest, triceps and abs.

Bert's Fitday Journal

Back to calorie counting

2011-12-22T08:39:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love those diet programs which promise massive and quick weight loss seemingly with no effort. Lose weight while you sleep, eat all you want, no exercise required. Sign me up! But wait a minute. If that is all it takes, why am I still seeing so many overweight and obese people everywhere? Why are hundreds of thousands of people resorting to extreme measures such as liposuction and even bariatric surgery? Clearly society as a whole will never wake up to the fact that there is no magic bullet, no little blue pill, no powdery substance and no gadget that gets delivered by UPS, that will shed your pounds for you. It's all you and only you. You and your will-power, you and your motivation. Do you really want to look and feel great, or are you really happier hiding behind an extra 20 or 30 or heavens forbid 100 lbs of fat? Is it just less effort to give in to temptation and eat the whole packet of chips rather than just a few, or maybe none?

Day 11 of the 100 days of weight loss is a timely reminder for me that one should eat for only two reasons, being to fuel your body and to appreciate flavor. The author recommends a minimum of three 'fuel stops' per day, with a couple of mini-stops in-between. Regular planned fuel stops during the day will improve your energy and focus and will help to avoid the deadliest of all diet pitfalls, unplanned snacking.

Although I am committed to seeing this program through, I'm having difficulty figuring out how many calories I am really getting in. Even the tiniest handful of 'healthy' snacks such as peanuts can bump up a day's calorie count by a surprisingly large number. How many? A measly 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts packs a whopping 200 calories. Pita bread and hummus sound like they belong on a serious dieter's plate but watch out: a serving of hummus (2 TB) contains about 70 calories and let's face it, very few of us are going to have just 2 Tablespoons. Add in a few pieces of pita bread and before you know it there's 400 calories down the hatch.

The only way to be sure - or at least get an accurate estimate of daily intake - is to count calories on one of the online programs such as Fitday. It takes a few minutes every day but once you have all your 'regular' foods in the rotation, it is not too much of a hassle. Rather spend a few minutes every day now than hours of exercise and effort next year and the year after, to get rid of excess weight.

So for the last few days I have been getting going again on Fitday; still not quite there but getting back into the swing of measuring and weighing portions and ingredients. If you are really curious, there is a link below.

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage: 21%

Dec 21:
Running: 5 miles with Kathleen and 'the boys' along Buffalo Bayou. Kath is in week 1 of training for the Boston Marathon which will be in April 2012.
Calories consumed: 1,630

Bert's Fitday Journal

There is no luck in being a healthy weight

2011-12-21T07:33:00.000-06:00

Day 10 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss is about appreciating good support. I really don't have a problem with that: when it comes to my weight I am always happy to receive a compliment and to thank the person appropriately. Only because I know only too well how hard it is for most (all?) of us. People can sometimes underestimate the effort by dismissing someone's trim figure by saying something silly like "...you are so lucky to be thin, you never gain weight." There is no luck involved. There may be an isolated case here and there of someone with an overly high metabolism but mostly appropriate weight is a result of a healthy lifestyle with good food choices & quantities and plenty of exercise. Consistent small effort, plugging away day after day. And yes there's going to be an occasional lapse. But just like any other on-going relationship or even a business endeavor, you just have to shake off the occasional misstep and stay focused on the goal.

Last night's run was an easy 4 miles with the two Boxers, from the house across Beltway 8 and then along Buffalo Bayou, turning around at Wilcrest. When it is not wet, I usually take the dirt/gravel trail - much to the dogs delight as it gives them ample opportunity to look for living creatures and to revel in the myriad of smells which they are able to detect. Fortunately my human sense of smell is not nearly as well-developed otherwise the run might not be as much fun. Too many other dogs around.

Weight this morning: 170

Body fat percentage: 20%
Dec 20:

Running: 4 X mile easy
45-minute gym workout, mostly legs (squats), pushups and bench-presses.

Steady as she goes

2011-12-20T08:12:00.000-06:00

Even after just a little more than a week, I am starting to feel a difference. Body fat percentage is down to 20% and my pants are a little less tight around the middle. Maybe I won't have to go back to the tailor to have them all taken out again... Perish the thought.

Day 9 on the program is about what you want in terms of feedback/support from others. I guess most people are reluctant to comment on potentially touchy subject such as body weight, but it is the rare person who does not feel good when complimented on weight loss. Assuming that there is an ongoing relationship of some kind, such as being family, friends or running buddies. Of course us runners can rarely be too skinny: and I'm not referring to just the super elite athletes either. I am sure if you look around in your own running group, you'll notice that the perennial age group winners, the 'runners of the year', the Boston qualifiers etc have several things in common. They love running, they log more miles than the rest of us and they don't carry a lot of extra blubber around.

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage: 20%

Dec 19:

6 mile run with Leopold and Lewis along the Bayou. They love chasing rabbits - it gets hectic when they are trying to do this while I have both of them on a split leash. The trick is for me to see the rabbit first so that I am not surprised when they bolt after it.

1-hr workout with the PT. Plenty of upper-body exercises with weights, resistance bands and machines.

Bert's Fitday Journal

One week and counting

2011-12-19T22:06:00.000-06:00

Day 8 of the 100 Days of Weight Loss means that one week has gone by: 2 pounds down and a few percentage points lower on the body fat scale. Not too shabby.

Of course this is the easy part, the low-hanging fruit. Things are bound to get tough as time goes by but for now I am happy with the progress and thankful for the support. Fortunately I have no one around here who will snatch my plate away, give me a lecture about what I can or cannot eat, and so on.

To the contrary they are quite supportive – my wife is always the first one to hand out a compliment (I could follow her example) and once she figures out that I am on a ‘serious’ streak, she cuts down on the junk food purchases.

We had a really nice dinner tonight – Ribolita Soup - from 1000 Vegan recipes. It is a hearty Italian soup with lots of vegetables including cabbage, kale, carrots, red onion and potato. Hearty because of the inclusion of a couple of cans of Great Northern Beans. It was really excellent – very filling and I am sure not too calorific.

My diet has been much improved the last few days; keeping track on Fitday definitely helps.

Dec 18:

Weight this morning: 171

Body fact: 21%

Running: 4 miles easy with the dogs

Bert's Fitday Journal

Coming soon: 'before' pic

You can do it

2011-12-19T07:03:00.005-06:00

D Day 7 of 100 days of weight loss is all about motivation and affirmation: I can do it! I know I can lose weight – I’ve done it many times before and have gone down to 160 lbs quite often. That of course, is not the problem. The problem is sticking with the program. When you’re on a ‘diet’ you’re doing one the following:

losing weight,
maintaining
or gaining.

Gaining is as easy as falling off a log. Losing can be incredibly hard, even for people like runners who often burn off hundreds of calories a day. Many of us come to think that we have a license to eat pretty much anything we like, because of all the exercise. Of course that is not so. Unless you are an ultra-marathoner who runs 100+ miles per week, you are going to have to watch your intake, otherwise you will be adding weight.

So my job this week will be to make sure that the intake does not exceed the calorie burn from exercise and day to day activities.

Dec 17:

Weight 171

Body fat: 21%

Miles run: 15 easy with Striders

Additional exercise: 40 minutes boxing/abs

Bert's Fitday Journal

Charlize Theron in Young Adult

2011-12-17T18:26:00.000-06:00

South-African born Charlize Theron is excellent in Young Adult, the new Jason Reitman/Diablo Cody movie which Kathleen and I saw at the recently opened Sundance movie theater downtown, last night.

The Sundance will in future be our default movie theater: easy and free parking, good seats, excellent sound quality and unlike the old Angelika we were not steaming hot in there either. I liked being able to buy a decent beer on tap - St. Arnold's Christmas Ale at $6 a pint - before the movie. Yes the movie theater tickets cost a little more but who needs the crowds and the texting teenagers at the mall megaplexes. Best feature: being able to pre-book and pay for designated tickets online, print out the 'ticket' and go straight in. It doesn't make much sense (such as for the River Oaks) to pre-pay for tickets and then still have to go and stand in a huge line and MAYBE get a decent seat. At Sundance you know in advance where you will be seated. Haven't tried the food yet but it looks pretty decent.

But back to the movie. Diablo Cody - who broke through with 'Juno' a few years ago - comes up with another bitingly funny script about a depressed thirstysomething ghost writer who gets into one awful mess when she tries to re-connect with an old high school flame. This is not the movie for your visiting mother-in-law or grandfather. From observing Theron's character Mavis Gary's rather inadvisable personal habits and lifestyle to being in the middle of an excruciatingly painful scene when she has to confront past and present demons, this is a rewarding but certainly not fun movie experience. Both Theron and Patton Oswalt - in the role of a geeky former schoolmate who recognizes right away that Mavis is headed for disaster - deliver standout performances worthy of recognition.

So yes I'd recommend a trip to your neighborhood art house movie to see Young Adult, but only if you are into pitch black comedy and you can handle your laughs delivered with a bit of bile on the side.

It's all about protection

2011-12-17T05:56:00.000-06:00

Day 6 of 100 days of weight loss is about protecting your healthy eating program. Not depending on others to help you be successful, or blaming them when you fail, but to take responsibility and to either evade or manage some of the most common pitfalls on the way to losing weight.

We've all had to deal with mostly well-meaning 'food pushers' who just can't bear the thought that you're not having dessert, or a cookie, or a second helping of whatever is going. The 100 days program advises to tell them that you may have something 'later', not just now. They won't notice if you never do.

A perennial problem I have to deal with is family members buying sweet treats and leaving them all over the house, tempting me with open packets of colorful icing-covered seasonal cookies, chips and other salty snacks. If I open the fridge, there's a half-consumed container of hummus or guacamole, or some other delicacy.

Often there's even better 'junk' such as the 'churro nuggets' which my DW thought would be a nice post-run treat for our running group. And so it was, but here I am a week later drooling over a big package of the stuff. Its #1 ingredient? Sugar. Followed by corn meal, corn syrup, canola oil and molasses. Just one tiny ounce of this sweet, caramel-flavored nothing delivers a whopping 130 calories.

But no worries, this time I will do what I have to do to protect the program. I'm having a cup of white tea instead. Calories? Zero.

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage:22%

Dec 16:
Breakfast: oats with soy milk, banana
Snack:
Lunch with clients @ Escalante - burrito de vegetal with beans and rice, diet Coke, about 5 small chips with salsa
Dinner: Pizza @ Piola's
Running: zero (off day)

My FitDay journal

Plantar fasciitis continued

2011-12-16T06:10:00.001-06:00

I suppose as much as I continue to run I am not giving my left foot enough time to properly recover from the inflamed plantar fascia; racing 5 miles last Sunday probably aggravated the situation. This morning's session with the Airrosti practitioner helped a lot; he took a lot of time applying rather severe pressure to each of the fascia, slowly moving on as the pain subsided in each spot. All in all the experience was still extremely uncomfortable but not as bad as the previous session. I will continue to ice with my frozen can of fava beans, roll the foot (squash ball) and work on the tight calves with a hard foam roller. It will probably be a good idea to reduce the mileage somewhat this week but somehow I don't see that happening. For one thing the dogs won't like it...

For Day 5 of the 100 days of Weight Loss I have to write down some of my favorite foods - to remind myself that I don't have to consume them right away just because I am thinking about them. Rather plan to eat it at another time. Well of course candy would be at the top of that list - I am going to have to postpone that guilty little pleasure until the end of this program. My favorite snack is probably a mix of peanuts and raisins; might have some of that on the weekend after a long run. A glass of wine? Saturday is coming up.

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage: 22%

Dec 15

Running: 4 miles, quite hot and muggy
1 hr PT, mix of abs, triceps, biceps. Hurt my left shoulder in the process but should be ok by Saturday.

Breakfast: oats, soy milk, grapes, slice w/w toast with Marmite
Snack: soy yoghurt
Lunch: Brussels sprouts, steamed red potato, 1 vegan sausage
Snack: small apple, a couple of medjool dates
Dinner: red potatoes, left-over udon noodles with veg, steamed butternut squash, brussels sprouts, chickpeas.
Snack: 1 slice w/w bread with peanut butter & grape jelly.

A Luta Continua - New Year's resolutions

2011-12-15T07:22:00.000-06:00

As the saying goes, the war goes on.. No not that kind of conflict involving bullets and missiles and drones. The internal kind, fought with will-power, perseverance and lots of good intentions. The never-ending self-improvement struggle from about age 14 until you finally don those big-ass pitch black dark glasses that fit over your regular ones, start up the Buick LeSabre or other AARP-approved automobile and shoot across 6 lanes of the Katy freeway, never looking left or right. Until that day - when you officially join the ranks of the elderly and declare yourself immune from peer approval or social opprobrium of any kind - you're probably working on something to make yourself better.

It could be what you wear, how you look, feel or think, there is always something just barely out of reach, that will make us all happy and content. Or at least get us close. Overcoming bad habits, losing weight, getting faster, running a Boston Marathon qualifying time, learning a foreign language, completing the new PX-90 workout program, you know the drill. And of course with yet another new year lurking just one full moon away, our thoughts turn yet again to re-inventing ourselves.

Just not this year, at least not for yours truly. Come January 1 2012 I will be more than two weeks into the 100 days of weight loss program, so that's taken care of. I've already washed my car - first time in 6 months - and donated a bunch of slightly used clothing to Goodwill Inc to resell at a huge profit. Someone is going to get lucky with Hawaiian shirts. My 1/4 portion of the walk-in closet is nicely organized (t-shirts, short sleeve shirts, long-sleeve shirts, jackets, suits, pants - except for the ones that don't fit right now - and running gear). Likewise, socks and underwear are each in their own little compartment thanks to a long-ago purchase from The Container Store. Shoes - ditto.

So I am officially declaring 2012 a resolution-free zone. For once the new me of 2012 is just going to have to be happy with inheriting the old existing me. The physical things that are not organized - did anybody say garage? - will have to wait. I'll postpone any further attempts at harnessing the stuff below the surface - hopes, ambitions, desires, regrets, whatever until I enter a new age group category in May next year. That will be a more appropriate time to take stock than on a new year's day which has the audacity to fall on a Sunday this year.

Weight this morning: 170
Body fat percentage: 23%

Dec 14:

Miles run: 6
Other exercise: None

Breakfast: oats + soy milk, 1 slice w/w toast
Snack: baked tofu
Lunch: red beans and brown rice, fresh orange
Snack: Banana, grapes
Dinner: Udon noodles with vegetables + tofu

Photographs from Cape Town trip, Nov 2011

2011-12-14T22:59:00.000-06:00

Do it anyway!

2011-12-14T09:06:00.001-06:00

That is essentially the message for Day 3 of the 100 day weight loss program. To be successful in the long term, sometimes you have to do the things you don't feel like doing. Exercise. Eating your veggies. Not having wine with dinner. Or whatever. Patently I've never had a problem with exercise. To the contrary, tend to over do it. I do have a problem with portion size and with snacking, so at least for today I will be sure to enjoy smaller portions of what I like, to eat it slowly and to avoid any mindless or even mindful snacking.

As I had anticipated, the food at the country club last night (way out in the burbs) was totally blah: a plate with a grilled sliced vegetables. Really? They couldn't think of anything more exciting? No starch (I had to ask for some rice), no protein. Institutional type cooks have no imagination and no clue: someone is a vegetarian ergo he or she eats vegetables. The only redeeming feature of the meal: it wasn't drenched in olive oil. Also the bread roll and salad was pretty good!

This am: 6 miles easy run @ just over 10-minute pace with the dogs
Breakfast: oats with soy milk, slice of w/w toast with Marmite, small slice of baked tofu.

Weight this morning: 170 lbs
Body fat percentage: 24% - drat

100 Days of weight loss - continued.

2011-12-13T15:44:00.001-06:00

My trusty Honda Accord (113K on the clock but paid for) was a little dirty but working just fine last Friday. Then I took it in for some routine maintenance: an oil change and to fix a leaking air-conditioner inlet pipe. I did not know the specifics in advance, all I knew was the air-con was kaput. Got it back $500+ later, and now the rather alarming 'check engine' light comes on every time I start up. WTF? So now I have to take it back there, listen to some inane apology, and have them fix something that was never an issue in the first place. Shoddy service. Why is it that one has come to expect it in the American workplace nowadays?

But back to more pleasant things.

It's amazing how quickly the body responds to a bit of TLC. One day of avoiding excess calories from sugar and alcohol, and I'm down 2 pounds. No I haven't just fallen off a digital scale. I know it is mostly water weight lost overnight and I will eventually gain it back towards the end of the day. Nonetheless it is nice to start with a bang!

It is very early days yet but I am 100% committed to make this program work: even went on an early run this morning due to a social obligation this evening!

Exercise for the day:
5 mile easy run with Leopold and Lewis. High humidity so I was sweating and they were mouth-breathing big time.
45 minute workout with PT: A few squats and lunges, lots of pushups (4 different types), chest presses, two other shoulder and chest exercises with belt fixed to a stationary resistance machine. Upper arms and shoulders definitely fatigued.

Breakfast: Steelcut oats with soy milk, half a banana; 1 slice whole wheat bread with Marmite. For the B-12, of course. Easiest way to prepare steel-cut oats? Pre-toast 2 cups of steel-cut oats aka groats (not too $$$ when you buy it in bulk from Whole Foods) in the oven for 30 minutes or so and then cook it with plain water and 1 tsp salt in the pressure cooker for about 25 minutes. Voila.

Mid-morning Snack: left-over edamame and corn
Lunch: Brown rice and Cuban black beans
Afternoon snack: Baked Asian tofu

Dinner will be at a country club tonight; I might not get much - if anything - to eat. Maybe salad and rice. Too many restaurants in this town assume that vegetarians must have a lot of grease and cheese on anything: salad, pasta, whatever. Put more cheese on it, load up on the olive oil. Oh and don't forget the bacon.

100 Days of weight loss: Day 2
Weight this morning: 171
Body fat percentage: 22% ugh

100 days of weight loss

2011-12-12T19:18:00.000-06:00

Having whittled down the pounds to 160 by late summer, I let things slip a bit, and then took a long trip to Africa (hardly any running!), with predictable outcome: back to 173 pounds, body fat percentage way up there. I don't even want to look at the bodyfat measuring calipers right now.

So we are essentially back where we started in early April this year. Nice, real nice... :-(

I guess the only way out of this is to get a jumpstart on New Year's resolutions by starting a 100 day weight loss program today. Nothing like the present. So here goes with Day #1.

Pretty decent nutrition with raisin bran for breakfast, a veggieburger for lunch, some leftover udon noodles and edame for a snack, and Cuban black bean stew & brown rice with some steamed corn for dinner. Just white tea and water otherwise.

Plenty of exercise. One hour session (mostly arms, chest & some abs) with the personal trainer and 5.44 miles running (approx. 10 minute pace) with Leopold and Lewis. It is almost a resistance workout running with those two; they are constantly dragging me in the direction of other dogs, rabbits or squirrels. Fortunately not under a bus yet. Have to do something about Leopold's dog-agressive behaviour. He is such a sweet animal, just adorable but must have had a bad experience with another dog sometime in his past. Where is the dog whisperer guy when you need him. I haven even seen him on TV lately. Been watching too many episodes of Dexter.

100 days of weight loss, incidentally, is the title of an e-book I found on Amazon/Kindle.

One of the things you have to do is to write down 10 reasons why you want to lose the weight. Ten might a few too many but I can think of 5:

1) To improve my running speed. In about 5 months I will be entering a new age bracket and it will likely be my last best chance to do some damage in the age group competition. But not if I look like Jared when he was still wearing those big big pants.
2) Fit into my clothes. A couple of years ago I had a bunch of my pants taken in by 2 inches or so. I can't very well go back to the same tailor person now and stupidly ask for them to be taken out again. So suck it up buttercup and drop the elbees.
3) See my abs one last time. Yeah there comes a time when abs disappear for good: unless I uncover them pretty quickly they will go the way of the Edsel and the manual typewriter, or join Jimmy Hoffa in an undisclosed location, never to be seen again.
4) Be able to run without a shirt next spring/summer.
5) Maintain good health. Too much blubber around the middle and my cholesterol is bound to increase beyond acceptable levels, and I definitely do not want to have issues with borderline high blood sugar levels again.

Weight today: 173
Bodyfat percentage: In denial, will check tomorrow.

Hudson Mohawk in the rear-view mirror

2011-11-27T09:21:00.000-06:00

A little late now to belabor events of early October this year, so suffice it to say that I struggled mightily at the Mohawk Hudson Marathon: barely made it in under 4 hours, well off my target time of around 3:45. How come? Mostly stupidity on my part. You'd think 20+ years of long-distance running would have taught me a lesson or two but I guess not.

My biggest mistake was probably to not adjust my goal pace to the higher start temperature. Start temperature was nearly 60F (why does this race have to start so late!) and 4 hours later it was nearly 80F. Even so I stuck with the 8:35 goal pace from the word go and never made the necessary adjustment until it became impossible to maintain. Fatal error.

Even more stupidly, I failed to hydrate properly, despite steadily rising temperatures and sunny conditions. At every water stop - every two miles - I would take just one cup of water and gulp it down on the run, not stopping at all until I was forced to. The sane thing to have done would be to have ingested at least two cups of water every 2 miles. One measly half cup was clearly totally inadequate. Should I have known better? Of course. I brought my own Cliff Shot Bloks and chewed one down every 2 miles. Having done this on many training runs it ought to have worked, but didn't... Simply not enough liquid intake.

End result? A fast half marathon, a pretty good 30K and a dreadful last 10K. Significant dehydration started to set in around mile 18; by mile 20 I was in a death march and it was all I could do not to quit right there and then. I stumbled my way to the end, rallying a little bit towards the end in a futile attempt to sneak in under 3:55 (my BQ time), but it was not to be.

From there things went really south. For the first time ever, I ended in the medical tent with severe cramping, headache, dizziness etc. All classic dehydration symptoms. Nothing much they could do for me (a cold Gatorade and some ice) but 20 minutes or so later I felt better to the point where Kathleen and I walked back to the hotel, about a mile from the finish point. To be honest, I did not do a lot of walking; it was more like shuffling, mostly just trying to stay upright with cramps in both legs, often at the same time. Very painful and very annoying.

Safely back in the hotel room I was persuaded to take an ice bath, but it was not a wise move. Within less than 5 minutes of sitting in a freezing bath amongst the ice cubes, I had gone from severe overheating to a full-blown case of hypothermia. When my tongue starting swelling (or so it felt) and my speech started to slur very badly, I knew I was in trouble. Fearing the worst (a stroke?), we called 911. Somewhere I had read that slurred speech is associated with a stroke. I should have checked a few other symptoms first but really wasn't thinking straight by then.

Long story short: back in bed under the covers, my hypothermia symptoms soon abated, I stopped shivering, speech returned to normal and all was well. Satisfied that I was not going to die on them, the nine members of the Albany Emergency Services team (thank you!!) traipsed out of our hotel room and departed quietly. They had arrived with sirens blaring and lights flashing. I am sure that the hotel management was not at all impressed as it is not good PR for a hotel to have 'medical emergencies'. Fortunately, mine was of fleeting duration and ended well for everybody. Blood pressure, blood sugar level, electrocardiogram readings, all were fine. Slightly dented ego but no permanent damage. A very memorable ending - for all the wrong reasons - to a very poorly run race.

Next up? Houston Half Marathon in Jan 2012.

Bottom line on Mohawk Hudson? I learned a lot about over-heating, dehydration, hypothermia and symptoms of stroke. The latter fortunately just of academic interest. Biggest lesson was that the body performs really well right until and just before dehydration occurs. A bit like a car that runs perfectly, even with just a tiny amount of gas in the tank. Right down to the last few drops of fuel everything works great. And then? Nothing. It stops working. So goes the body including the large muscles of the legs. Until they run out of fuel (fluids and/or glycogen) they feel fine and work perfectly. I honestly thought I was on pace for a PR, until just minutes before I cratered. How wrong can you be.

Last 'long' run of the training cycle

2011-10-02T22:51:00.001-05:00

And so it ends. Week 17 of the 18-week Hal Higdon Intermediate II Marathon Program is history. This morning, I joined a few other Houston Striders on a fairly easy 8-mile run from Memorial Park to Jackson Hill and then Sabine Bridge, round-trip. Ran the last 4 miles at marathon pace of 8:35, just to re-assure myself that I can handle that pace without too much effort, at least for a few miles, in cool to moderately cool temperatures. Which was the case this morning; it was probably in the high 50's to low 60's for the duration of the run.

Barring lousy weather (wind/rain, who knows what) I really should be able to run the Mohawk Hudson Marathon next Sunday in less than 3:55 - which is my Boston Qualifying time. Five minutes under would be good, 10 minutes under would be ideal, and a new PR of less than 3 hrs 42 minutes would be a bonus. With almost no exceptions, the training cycle went off without a hitch, despite record-breaking temperatures the entire summer. Today was literally the first really cool day since 'Week 1' more than 4 months ago. It is about a week out, so things will definitely change but right now the weather forecast for Albany is upper 40s at the start, upper 60's at the end. That would do just fine, although ideally I would like the start temperature to be closer to the mid 40's. We'll have to see how it all turns out!

15 down, 3 to go

2011-09-17T12:46:00.000-05:00

Weeks in the training cycle. 20 miles tomorrow and the taper starts!! Probably the best marathon training cycle - so far - in at least 5 years or so. Of course I haven't run a full marathon since 2009 Boston so not much to compare it with. Most importantly, no debilitating injuries. If you are 59 and you've run for 40 years, you are going to have some niggling little issues here and there: a tight hamstring that talks to you every now and then, some lingering Plantar Fasciitis, a wonky but perfectly fine left knee, and what not. On the plus side of the ledger? Lots of experience and endurance and pain tolerance - all three pretty handy weapons to have in your arsenal when you are racing 26.2 miles.

The pace run this morning ended up being 10 miles at 8:15, which is a good 30 seconds per mile under my anticipated marathon pace of 8:35. Really thrilled with that, and felt good right until the end, despite pretty muggy conditions. I am not used to being 'the guy' who outruns the entire training group, but it has happened a couple of times recently, so I guess I'd better enjoy it while it lasts!

Winning the heat Lotto in Houston

2011-09-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

We are keenly anticipating morning temperatures in the 60's after a simply brutal August with an average temperature of 90.4 Fahrenheit, a new record. And it wasn’t even close. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle the probability of such a significant deviation from the historical average in any given year is 1 in 10,000. We basically won the heat Lotto.

Finished up week 13 (of 18) of the Hal Higdon Intermediate II marathon training program. Twenty miles today at average pace of about 9:20, not bad. Saturday's 10-mile pace run at 8:35 was one of the best runs I've had in a couple of years! For once it was not absolutely stifling out there, and my running partner and I did not linger too long at each of the water spots. This was the second of three 50-mile weeks on the program. One more long week - and two not so long ones - and it is taper time!! The plantar fasciitis on the left foot is still present but under control; stretching, icing and the occasional Airrosti treatment (another coming up on Tuesday) is keeping it at bay.

I am not officially taking a break from my ‘150 or bust’ weight-loss program, but running this many miles per week is making it difficult to reduce calories to the point of additional weight-loss. I am basically stuck at just over 160 lbs, not likely to make much progress on losing the last 10 lbs. until after the marathon. Body fat percentage down to around 15% so at least I’m not regressing.

Where is the speed coming from?

2011-08-18T10:15:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night at Rice University track I cranked out the first of three mile repeats at a pace of 6:29 which is about as fast as I've run a mile in many years. It was nearly 95F so conditions were not ideal, not that it matters that much just for one mile. The other two were considerably slower at 6:38 and 6:51 - clearly by then fatigue was setting in.

Even so, I am thrilled with just one fast mile: something is working. Clearly the weight loss is a major factor but it is not the only one. Strength workouts with the personal trainer is another, as are the Airrosti treatments which include some significant stretching of amongst other the quads. I'm also starting to suspect that the daily 45-minute walks with Daisy (at a very very brisk pace of 15 minutes per mile) is strengthening my upper legs which also boosts running speed. Pure guess on that one, but having run for 40 years I can definitely feel the difference. Of course I'm also in the middle of a marathon training cycle so overall fitness & endurance is much higher than it has been for months.

Almost halfway into Week 11 of the Hal Higdon Intermediate II marathon training program. This will be the first of three 50-mile weeks (week 11, 13 and 15) before the taper starts on week 16. Somehow or other - mostly with the help of running friends who are graciously supplying SAG support on Sundays for the long runs - a few of us are actually training trough this streak of 100F weather which has now reached 17 (probably 18 by the end of today) days in a row, and a few in July as well.

Weight is the same this week as last - 161 - but body fat percentage is down to 15%.

Airrosti treatment for plantar fasciitis

2011-08-10T06:56:00.000-05:00

Had my first 1-hour long session of Airrosti treatment yesterday. In addition to some diagnostics - I already knew what the issue was so the doc pretty much just confirmed it - it consisted of a very intensive massaging/manipulation of the fascia on the bottom of the foot and also the left calf. Extremely painful in both instances. I was given a small 'stress relief' squeeze ball to hold and I practically poked holes in that thing.

The good thing about Airrosti treatment? You do not have to cut down or quit running or whatever type of exercise you are doing. So I went out and ran mile repeats at Rice: on a very hot afternoon (around 90F) knocked off 4 miles at 6:48, 6:50, 6:51 and 6:42. Heart rate in the 150's for each of them, the last two occasionally into the 160's. On a 1-mile time trial I ought be able to get pretty close to 6:20 or so, need to do that one of these days or enter a 5-K. Will definitely do that as soon as the worst of the heat is behind us!

By this morning the foot is definitely much improved. Considerably less pain upon waking up and taking that dreaded first step. Considering the stress I put on it last night with the track workout, that is pretty remarkable. I have to do a few stretches and some icing every day, will go back for a second treatment next Monday.

Weigh-in Wednesday: Down to 161lbs this morning. Total loss since April now 14 lbs, 11 to go to 150. Considering the heavy mileage weeks ahead - several around 50 miles per week - I probably won't quite make it to 150 by Oct 9. If I can be at around 155 lining up at the start of the race that morning, it will be fine.

Week 9 is in the books

2011-08-07T19:38:00.000-05:00

Exactly half way there with Hal Higdon's Intermediate II marathon training program, in preparation for the Oct 9 Mohawk-Hudson Marathon. So far so good: on Saturday the 9 mile pace run went pretty well, and despite awful conditions I managed an 8:35 minute/mile average pace. The first 5 miles ended up being just over 8:20 average due to running with a much faster group of runners, Mark Coleman's KatyFit ATP runners. I will run with them again next Saturday, but will try to keep the mile pace a little more consistent.

Today's 'long' run was only 12 miles but it was hardly easy. Our small group of 4 runners took off at just after 0630A and by then it was already in the 80's, with - of course - high humidity. Fortunately the route was quite shady and we had a sag wagon with cold drinks, grapes, bananas and pretzels every 2 miles. One worrying note: my left heel is starting to act up with more pronounced plantar fasciitis symptoms. More icing and stretching ahead and I will be making an appointment with a podiatrist on Monday

The last few days have been rough on the 'diet' front: too many fun calories, several restaurant meals and a few too many temptations around the house including some really nice peanut butter cookies. I'm thinking my next weigh-in may not be the best; will really have to suck it up on Monday and Tuesday to mitigate the damage.

Weigh in Tuesday

2011-08-02T11:45:00.001-05:00

Body fat percentage is slowly coming down, now at 18% (approximately), which is definitely an improvement on the 25% or so in April. Quite a way to go to single digits but the long 45-minute walks with Daisy, running 30+ miles per week and working out for almost an hour 3 X per week - not to mention the calorie counting - are having the desired effect. Weight today is no different than last week, still 163. Hitting a bit of a plateau but some of it is residual water retention from last Sunday's 17 miler. For some weird reason I 'gain' about 4 pounds after any very long run, especially when it is hot. Just the body's mechanism to protect the bruised/injured muscle cells, I suppose. It takes me a good 4 days or so to get back to normal.

We are now just about halfway into the 16-week Hal Higdon 'Intermediate II' marathon training schedule. 8 weeks done, 8 to go. The heavy hauling is right up ahead. A 9 mile pace run on Saturday followed by a relatively easy 12 miler on Sunday. From then on I will have to complete 4 more very long runs (one of 19 miles and three 20-mile runs) and three 12-mile long runs, as well as five fairly long mid-week runs (10 miles) and several 9 to 10 mile pace runs on Saturdays.

So far, the best thing has been no serious injuries. Still some nagging issues with plantar fasciitis in my left foot but keeping it under control with icing. The worst thing? Definitely the heat! It has been relentless. This evening's mile repeats at Rice will be run with temperatures in the low to mid 90's.

Another great boon has been the support of running friends in our Happy Runners group. There is no way I would have been able to do some of the long runs without some company and a sag station every couple of miles or so with cold drinks, snacks and a smile! Thank you!!

Less 'fun' calories says the dietician

2011-07-28T10:29:00.002-05:00

I received my first feedback from the dietician after having sent her two weeks’ worth of food logs. Everything a-ok except for the percentage of 'fun' calories. You know, the cupcakes, juice, wine, beer, gin & tonics, Cokes, vegan brownies, lemon bars and assorted other sweet treats, etc. I am supposed to limit my 'fun calorie' intake to no more than 100 per day. 100? That is maybe one ultra lite beer (yuk) or a tiny little bag with artificial fruit pellets that even a hamster would frown at.

I have had a love-love relationship with fun calories all my life. I love them and they love me right back, making themselves comfortable in cozy little clusters around my midriff. I only have to look down to see quite a few old friends whom I’ve been taking for a free ride since college days.

In fact, there was a time – my 20’s and 30’s – when I would have been embarrassed to send a food log to a dietician. Fun calories would have been the dominant ‘food group’ on the list, back then. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. At least until I reach my goal weight I am going to have to say sayonara to all those fun calories. Don’t worry guys, your time will come again, after the October marathon. Maybe in Africa in November. Until then, you will have to make way for some 'serious' protein. The dietician tells me that I need about 60 to 69 grams of protein per day. This will help my body recover during training. So bring on the tofu, chickpeas and beans. Let’s see how much fun we can have with that. On the menu for this evening: grilled tofu with chimichurri sauce.

I beg to disagree, Mr. Higdon

2011-07-27T14:41:00.000-05:00

My biggest mistake I ever made running was to try to run hard all the time. For at least one season a few years ago, I turned training runs into races, never ran easy ever and hardly took a day off. It worked for a while – I certainly got faster – but then staleness and over-training ensued and I actually had to stop running completely for several weeks to recover.

So I was really surprised when I saw this on Hal Higdon’s Facebook page this morning:

“TODAY'S TIP: A runner asked how fast he should run on his easy days. Should he run faster than race pace or slower? My answer was, yes! That's the answer--yes--and I was not being facetious. On some days you will feel great and may run fast. On other days, possibly because you ran hard the previous day, you'll feel like toast and will want to run slow and short. It varies from day to day.”

What? Race pace on easy days? I thought the idea with easy days is to take it easy so that you can run fast/race pace - whatever - on 'not easy' days such as track, tempo, Saturday pace runs. If you're going to run race pace or faster on 'easy' days, what is the sense of even having easy days on a schedule?

Hal Higdon is a much revered ‘elder statesman’ of running and his marathon programs are amongst the best; I am actually using his Intermediate II program right now. However, the advice to run at race pace or even faster on easy days is bad. For older & slower and beginner runners, it could lead to injuries and over-training. I think there is a consensus amongst most long-distance running coaches that long runs and certainly easy days should be run at a pace of a minute or more below anticipated race pace. Or if you go by heart rate, at a HR not to exceed your aerobic threshold. Race pace or faster should be used only on tempo runs, track, designated pace runs and races.

Almost forgot: The downward trend continues. 162 lbs today, down by one more pound for the week. Cumulative loss now 13 lbs from the starting weight of 175 and (just) 12 lbs to go to 150. Of course I know I am going to start running into some serious plateaus one of these days. The ‘easy’ weight is gone, now starts the hard part, trying to get rid of the tenacious midriff bulge.

I was not exactly looking forward to last night’s (Tuesday) track run. Some work issues made me late to start with, and it was still very hot – definitely low 90’s Fahrenheit - by the time I started to warm up on the bright blue artificial lanes at Rice University. My first fast mile was around 7:40 or so, I think. After all these years you’d think I can operate the two little buttons on the Garmin, properly. Think again. I did get the last two though: 7:10 and 6:58 pace respectively. Without killing myself, although the heart rate went up to 165 right towards the end. Not too many weeks ago I battled to run the mile repeats at 8:00 pace, so this is quite an improvement!

Eat your prunes

2011-07-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

There appears to be credible scientific evidence out there - such as studies done by Dr. Bahram Arjmandi at Florida State University - that consuming 100g (4 to 5) of dried plums (aka prunes) is a pretty good habit and it has nothing to do with staying regular. Dried plums are rich in protective anti-oxidants, they contain soluble fiber and regular consumption is associated with improved bone density. Very important especially for post-menopausal women. Some other foods which Dr. Arjmandi promotes are watermelon (it improves circulation) and flax seeds (reduces plaque formation) as well as dried apple (improved good cholesterol levels). I'm on the prunes already, watermelon to follow.

Running still going pretty well, although last Saturday's 8 mile 'pace' run was a bit of a struggle in the heat. I took frequent short breaks, hydrated well and took some Cliff Shot gels, and somehow or other managed to eke out about 6 miles close to or under my goal marathon pace which is 8:35. Sunday's long run of 16 miles turned into a steamy slog here in the Bayou City. The first few miles (having started off at just after 6A) were not too bad, but from mile 9 onwards it was tough all the way. In the end I averaged just over 10 minutes to the mile which is not bad, considering the hot, muggy conditions.

It was fun running with several Strider buddies and having a sag wagon with cold fluids, snacks, orange slices and so on, waiting every 2 miles. Our little Happy Runner group is really jacked!

Friday weigh-in & marathon training update

2011-07-22T07:03:00.001-05:00

Still steadily dropping some weight; down to 163, total of 12 lbs since April. Additional long (45 minutes) walks with Daisy seem to be doing the trick. The idea with the walking - at a pace of about 15 minutes per mile - is to increase fat loss without putting too much stress on the leg muscles, bones & joints. Of course I could also increase my weekly running mileage but the risk of injury goes up exponentially, and intensive aerobic exercise like running tends to burn a lower percentage of fat. Running consumes a much higher overall number of calories per time unit, than walking. So ergo, if you run for 30 minutes versus 30 minutes of walking, running is by far the most effective weight loss tool. Up to the point where injuries start being a factor.

Have now completed 6 weeks of the Hal Higdon Intermediate II training program. So far so good. Long runs still very slow but there's only so much you can do under these extreme temperatures. I try to keep my heart rate under 140bpm on the regular training runs, and close to 150 or so on the Saturday pace runs. Completed last Saturday's 7-mile pace run at the planned 8:35 pace overall, even though the last couple of miles or so were considerably slower. Struggled mightily with an 8 mile mid-week run on Wednesday morning; seemed to run out of gas after 6 miles. Pretty dreadful.

Coming up? An 8 mile pace run this Saturday and then a 16 miler on Sunday. At least on Sunday I will be with some other Strider running buddies!

Kikoi pants

2011-07-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

I bought a couple of pairs of these pants (not quite the same color but just as vivid) in a store in Malindi during a trip to Kenya a couple of years ago. They are the most comfortable things I own. Have started to wear them outside the house every now and then lately. It is summer, after all. The woman behind the counter at Specs liquor store said that I looked very 'relaxed' when I walked in there on Tuesday. You betcha.

Kathleen is very envious of my kikoi pants and she will do almost anything to lay her hands on a few of them too. We will just have to take another trip I guess. Can't buy them in Zambia or Botswana or South Africa. We checked. Online? Never really tried it with clothing.

Wednesday Weigh-in

2011-07-14T11:07:00.000-05:00

Just like my weight loss, I am being a bit slow to report... Somehow or other (mostly more running I think!) I managed to eke out one more pound loss last week, so now down to 164. Starting to generate daily logs to send through to the dietician every Friday. It wouldn't look good to have donuts, candy bars and Pop Tarts on there, so I am not having any of them...

Whatever do they put in a 'pop tart' that bumps up the calorie count for that tiny little thing to 200? Sugar, for sure. Which also happens to my dietary achilles heel.

It could be worse; I might have a hankering for old-fashioned hot dogs, the really greasy kind made with an assortment of 'variety meats' and other odds and ends such as nitrates, a suspected carcinogen. Not that it stops people from eating them.

To the contrary. Increasingly over the last few years, the so-called sport of competitive eating has been rearing its gluttonous head with more and more publicity being given to a series of bizarre contests with 'professional eaters' going at it hammer and tongues to outdo each other in scarfing down vast amounts of whatever is put in front of them.

How far have we sunk into the pit of unbridled gluttony when ESPN feels compelled to add a female category to the annual pinnacle of gross eating, also known as Nathan's Hotdog eating contest. I am clearly missing something because thousands of spectators (TV audience) apparently think it is amusing or interesting to see how many hotdogs the invited participants can jam down their gullets in a pre-determined time. Many people have a different take on this and if you find nothing objectionable about this sporting event, so be it. To each his own. Personally I think it is yet another example of what H.L. Mencken said about nobody ever losing money by underestimating the taste of the American people.

Five down, thirteen to go

2011-07-10T22:20:00.001-05:00

That would be weeks in the training program for the October 9 2011 Mohawk Hudson Marathon. At almost one third into the training cycle, there's some reason for optimism, but not too much. I really struggled to complete today's 14-mile run - and my average pace dropped from around 10 minutes/mile (first few miles) all the way to 10:30 average overall, with the last 4 miles at a snail's pace of over 11 minutes each. Clearly it was not just because of my poor conditioning or lack of training to date. To put it mildy, running conditions were hugely unfavorable with the temperature at about 78F when I set off just after 0630A - and humidity at 91% - and heating up quickly to about 85F by 0930A.

Apparently there is now some scientific evidence that running when it is very hot like this is akin to speed training or hill work, it makes you stronger. Duh!

Even so, with 'just' 13 weeks left before the marathon, I am really starting to doubt whether a 3:45 time is a realistic goal. Right now I can't even hold an 8:35 pace for 6 miles, never mind 10, 15 or 26.2...

On the positive side, I have 5 weeks of pretty sold training in the bag, without any major mishaps, illnesses or injuries. Left heel still presenting plantar fasciitis symptoms, but not getting worse. Yet. Will have to do more stretching and foam rolling.

The Whole Foods store in Montrose

2011-07-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

The brand new Whole Foods store on Waugh has a pretty good-sized bar right smack in the back of the store, conveniently placed near the wine racks and beer displays. But of course. Give this a little time to sink in and single women shoppers will have more to contend with than a crowded parking lot, high prices and overly familiar guys with clip boards. Nothing like having a vegan nursing a wine glass leering at you while you select cucumbers... Not that I would be guilty of such gauche behavior...

I've been there several times already and while I enjoy the fact that they have many beers and 4 wines on tap, the wait for service can be interminable, or at least 10 to 15 minutes. Could have gotten a haircut in that time. So I don't have a lot of hair left, ok. Give me a break. But seriously they need to jack up the 'bar-tending', it is not like selling groceries. Well it would be if you added a 1 or 2 item quick checkout line! If I wanted to wait 15 minutes to enjoy a beverage I can buy it at Specs and drive home and have it. To the waitstaff: your tip starts out at $10. Seriously the next time I get immediate service there will be a nice cool $10 left discreetly on the counter.

However, should that not happen and you prefer to have someone in front of me try out 4 different craft beers while endlessly discussing the merits of one over the other, where they are from, how limited the supply is an so on, so be it. Just be mindful that I subtract $1 from the $10 'jackpot' for every minute that clicks by from the moment that I fall in line with my little 'Whole Foods' sack containing some over-priced pearled Farro grain ($6 for 12 oz jeez!) and organic broccoli guaranteed to get limp while I sip on my wine at a tiny metal table overlooking the traffic on Waugh.

All in jest though, we will be back next Thursday after the usual 'hilly Thursday' run. I need some nutritional yeast. And maybe a vegan brownie. Those are the bomb.

Weigh-in Wednesday

2011-07-06T07:24:00.000-05:00

Despite some pretty significant mileage run last Saturday and Sunday combined (19 miles), with some other exercise mixed in, the scale did not budge this week. No surprise there. A couple too many pasta dishes on the menu, an abundance of faux hot dogs and hamburgers over the July 4th holiday weekend, not to mention some cookies and St. Arnold's Weedwacker beer. So I think I was lucky to get away with a 'status quo' instead of going into the wrong direction, this week.

To counteract any 'last minute' diet shenanigans as I approach the 160 pound mark, I'm having a registered dietitian give me weekly feedback in the way of a 'food record review'. The additional accountability will definitely help keep me on the straight and narrow and I'm sure I will learn a thing or two about tweaking my diet to best effect, in the run up to the Oct 9 marathon in Albany.

Running still going well although I have not quite shaken off the nagging plantar fasciitis in the left foot. Not bothering me too much (with regular icing) but will have to re-up on stretching and foam rolling to prevent a flare-up.

Week #4 of the training program included a 6 mile pace run on Saturday; I managed an average pace of 8:40, heart rate around 150 and slightly over, another extremely hot & humid morning. Sunday's 13-miler was quite a slog too, and I had to slow down to an average pace of 10:40 to keep my heart rate at around 130bpm. Yesterday's mile repeats at Rice University track was done with the outside temperature at 95F, but I eked out 3 miles of 7:52, 7:50 and 7:35 nonetheless. Again, heart rate mostly around 150 to 155, and over 160 on the last lap of the third mile.

Recap:

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0
Week 5: -1
Week 6: -1
Week 7: 0

Week 8: -1

Week 9: -1

Week 10: -1
Week 11: 0

Starting weight: 175
Current weight: 165

Loss to date: 10 lbs.

150 or Bust: 79 days down, 94 to go.

Wednesday Weigh in

2011-06-29T10:13:00.001-05:00

It was not by much, but my Tanita scale (the only place where I'm still 54!) settled at 165 this morning, so I am 'officially' 10 pounds down from 175, over the course of just about 10 weeks. The next goal post is of course 160, where I've been a couple of times over the last few years. At the rate we're going, it won't be until the end of July or early August, but that's ok. It would not be possible or even sensible to try to speed up the weight loss process in the middle of a marathon training program. It is tough enough already to maintain the daily calorie intake at 1800.

Recap:

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0
Week 5: -1
Week 6: -1
Week 7: 0

Week 8: -1

Week 9: -1

Week 10: -1

Starting weight: 175
Current weight: 165

Loss to date: 10 lbs.

150 or Bust: 72 days down, 101 to go.

Running is going as well as can be expected in the Texas heat. Completed first 3 weeks of 18-week Hal Higdon program, no hiccups so far. Doing the longer runs at < 140 HR which translates into some pretty slow miles at times, but I have learned that lesson the hard way. 'Race' your regular runs and you've got nothing left for speed work or tempo runs, not to mention increasing the risk of injury or even becoming over trained. Struggled a bit to maintain my pace during last Saturday's 6 mile pace run; ended up at 8:38 instead of the planned 8:35 pace. No big deal this early on. Yesterday's mile repeats at Rice University track were much more encouraging. The first two were at about 7:42 and 7:35 respectively (botched the timing on the last one; it was slower). It was around 94F so I was quite happy with the outcome. Carrying quite a few less pounds around the middle is starting to make a difference!

In defense of potatoes

2011-06-27T10:40:00.002-05:00

Potatoes have lately been buried in a veritable avalanche of bad publicity. First the United States Depart of Agriculture banned it from the list of items that could be bought with a certain type of food stamps, and just last week another research finding (out of Harvard, no less!) blamed chips and potatoes as being two of the leading causes of obesity. Boo and hiss. A pox on both your houses.

Due to the USDA's new policy, needy families are now prohibited from buying potatoes with Women, Infants and Children (WIC) vouchers. They can buy butter, cheese, whole milk, and eggs through the program, but not a single white potato. The result of this short-sighted decision will be that women and children will be 'forced' to get more of their daily sustenance from often overly greasy and cholesterol-laden animal foods, rather than from nutrient-dense low-calorie foods such as plain boiled or baked potatoes.

As for the research study, we are dealing with some very misleading headlines surrounding this. Plain baked or boiled or steamed potatoes (not fried, with butter, sour cream etc) fit comfortably into a well-balanced diet and will not make you 'fat'. Intrinsically the potato is practically a 'super food' being loaded with nutrients. Check it out, a medium sized potato contains a boatload of Vitamin C and quite a bit of protein, amongst others. Unfortunately the spud is often 'abused' by food manufacturers and in restaurants, ending up with an undeserved bad reputation due to all the grease, salt, sugar, cream, cheese, etc. that food engineers and chefs include to make it more palatable.

As for the so-called research study listing all the usual suspects as causing obesity, it is totally bogus. Being and becoming overweight has nothing at all to do with what you eat; it has everything to do with how much of it you consume, and how many of the calories consumed you burn off either sitting around watching TV (very few) or going for a long vigorous walk (quite a few) or a 10-mile run (a ton). We do not need yet another scientific study to point out the obvious. Duh. Bury yourself in a bag of potato chips or scarf down a bacon and cheeseburger with fries every day and see where that gets you. Certainly not into a bikini. Practically any exercise program can be overwhelmed by indiscriminate eating. It can take as much as 45 minutes of brisk walking or 20 minutes of jogging to burn off the calories consumed in one measly candy bar.

So please, aspiring diet scientist: put the blame where it belongs. Lay off the potatoes and go after the Lay's instead. Potatoes rule!

Wednesday Weigh-in

2011-06-22T07:03:00.001-05:00

Weather delay (impending thunderstorm) for my planned 6-mile easy run this morning. May have to postpone until later today or tonight.

Weighed in before my run: down 1 more pound, right at 166. One more pound to go for a solid 10 pound reduction over the course of 10 weeks. So far so good, although I struggled the last few days with sudden urges to snack on raisins and nuts and raid the Girl Scout cookie jar. I somehow or other managed to avoid the worst transgressions. Writing down and logging the calories for everything you consume is crucial at such a stage, I think. Also it helps to have specific calorie goals for each meal. If you know breakfast is supposed to be around 400 calories and lunch 450, there is not too much wiggle room to load up on extra stuff. My problem isn't breakfast or lunch, however. It is at night - early evening - when my 'mindless eating' impulses are at their strongest. Of course doing as much exercise as I am, often twice a day (running and lifting, or working out with the personal trainer) creates a calorie deficit which the body is instinctively trying to correct. My job is to recognize that fact and deal with it. You lose one pound of weight when the deficit reaches 3500 calories. Either you eat less or you exercise more. Preferably some of each, and in the right proportion to effect a healthy and sustainable weight reduction over time.

Recap:

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0
Week 5: -1
Week 6: -1
Week 7: 0

Week 8: -1

Week 9: -1

Starting weight: 175
Current weight: 166

Loss to date: 9 lbs.

150 or Bust: 65 days down, 108 to go.

Grocery store blues

2011-06-19T19:09:00.000-05:00

Once again my neighborhood Randall's (Safeway) decided not to have an express checkout lane open, during a very busy late Saturday morning shopping time. There were several employees assisting other shoppers in the self-checkout lanes. I guess they want to force me to also use the self-checkout lanes, but I refuse. I do not enjoy listening to a disembodied voice telling me that there is an 'unfamiliar object' in the bagging area. And it is not fun struggling to find an item on their badly written search menu. I have a message for Safeway: you can't force me to do anything. Make it difficult for me to buy something from you, and I will buy it from somebody else. Now if only HEB would open up a store a little closer to where we live.

Talking of grocery stores, this video about things "...getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot" is very funny. And true. Thanks to Kevin for the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU&feature=player_embedded

Running is going well, finished up Week 2 of the marathon training program without too much of a struggle. Today's 11-mile run took a toll on my left foot though; just when I thought the Plantar Fasciitis was reeding, it is back big-time. Will go ahead and make an appointment with the podiatrist next week. Better to try and deal with it now than 3 weeks out from Oct 9.

Weigh-in Wednesday

2011-06-15T09:13:00.002-05:00

Completed first week of 18-week Hal Higdon Intermediate II marathon training program. 26 miles total, with Sunday's 10-miler - started a little late so it got too hot - by far the toughest workout. Still waffling a bit on target pace; will likely try for 3:45 which would put the marathon pace at 8:34. I think.

I will be modifying the program just slightly by doing the Tuesday and Thursday runs as mile repeats and tempo runs respectively. Starting with 3 and increasing up to 5 or so total mile repeats on the track on Tuesdays at a heart rate of around 155. The Thursday run will be at tempo pace with the heart rate around 150 or so, depending upon what our group leader Steve has up his sleeve.

I did my first 'Body Pump' barbell workout last night at Rice Rec Center. Light weight, lots of repetition, great fun. It will probably get more challenging as I increase the weight. There were only 4 of us, so it was practically like having a personal trainer!

Weight is down to 167.

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0
Week 5: -1
Week 6: -1
Week 7: 0

Week 8: -1

Starting weight: 175
Current weight: 167

Ten pound loss is within sight!

150 or Bust: 58 days down, 115 to go.

On the right track

2011-06-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was 'Day 1' of an 18-week training program (Hal Higdon Intermediate II) in preparation for the Oct 9 Hudson-Mohawk Marathon. All over the US and elsewhere, thousands of other marathoners and would-be marathoners also put a tick-mark at the end of the first day of training for the Chicago and Portland Marathon and several others. Here we go!

The scale hit just a tad over 168 lbs this morning, which means that I am 7 pounds lighter than I was about 7 weeks ago, at the start of the '150 or Bust' program. Clothes are starting to fit better, the Accu-Measure fat caliper reading at the sacro-ileum is getting close to 20mm (down from 28mm), and we are heading in the right direction. Down!

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0
Week 5: -1
Week 6: -1
Week 7: 0

Starting weight: 175
Current weight: 168

Seven pounds may not sound like an awful lot, but pick up a 7-pound sack of potatoes and ponder whether you'd prefer to run with or without it slung over your shoulder, for all of 26.2 miles. Easy call. Now imagine running that distance with or without three 7-pound sacks!

Running generally has been going pretty well: the calf issues are mostly a thing of the past and the nagging plantar fasciitis seems to be under control. Last week's total mileage was 30.5. For the year to date I just topped 500 miles last Sunday. Also walking quite a bit more; a mile before the daily run and about half a mile or so most evenings, with Daisy.

150 or Bust: 49 days down, 124 to go.

Weigh-in Wednesday #2

2011-06-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

A little bit rushed today but wanted to check in briefly.

Recapping:

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0
Week 5: -1
Week 6: -1

Which puts me at 168 lbs this morning; making progress! I have gone back to FitDay to log my daily calories - it is really the only way to get close to a specific target such as 1800 calories per day. Too much guesswork involved unless you log it pretty obsessively. Takes a bit of time but after a while you just pull the same stuff from history. We all eat a lot of the same foods over and over, don't we... I'm cooking mostly from Appetite for Reduction which has nutritional information for each recipe which helps a lot - it is a real PITA to try to figure out the nutritional analysis for recipes without it.

I seem to be winning the war with the plantar fasciitis, probably mostly because of regular icing, stretching, rolling, and lately also some calf strengthening exercises. Important to stick with it, even when the symptoms disappear. Note to self...

Running is going ok but will have to increase mileage when I start the actual 18-week training cycle (Hal Higdon Intermediate II) next week. Last couple of weeks were 20 and 22 miles respectively. Not gonna qualify for Boston with puny mileage like that... :-)

150 or Bust: 44 days down, 129 days to go.

Weigh-in Wednesday

2011-05-18T09:54:00.000-05:00

It seems like a good idea to establish a weekly progress check, and a Wednesday is as good a day as any other...

Recapping:

Week 1: -1
Week 2: -1
Week 3: -3
Week 4: 0

So as of today I am around 170.

The good news is that the Accu-Measure fat caliper reading seems to be improving: the average of 3 readings at the same sacro-ileac spot is down from 26 mm to 23.5 mm.

Nutritionally speaking the weekend was not the best as we spent several hours volunteering at the Conference USA Championship athletics meet at Rice University - resulting in consuming hefty restaurant portions at Jenni's Noodle House and Field of Greens, amongst others. This coming weekend we will be in Corpus Christi for the Beach to Bay Relay where I will likely face the same kind of issues. Will try to share some main courses with Kathleen.

Racked up a total of 42 miles last week (through Sunday) which was one of my highest for the entire year to date. Will dial it down this week as I am worried about plantar fasciitis and also do not want to overdo it with the calf issues.

30 days into my '150 or Bust' program, 143 days to go.

Why think big?

2011-05-13T11:48:00.000-05:00

I am upping the ante on the weight-loss front. I am thinking less, not more. Small, not big. So the target is now < 150 lbs by Oct 9 2011. 21 weeks to lose 20 pounds. Doable, with a few more miles per week and a handful of calories less per day. October 9 happens to be the day on which the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon will be run from Schenectady to Albany NY. If I stay healthy I will be lining up that morning to race 26.2 miles – first marathon distance since my inauspicious Boston Marathon performance in April 2009. The BQ time for Boston (2013) when I will be able to run in the 60 to 65 age group is 3:55 but to have a decent shot at registering (faster runners are favored) I will shoot for 3:45. All the more reason to shed the excess fat slowing me down!

I am not one to keep meticulous records of miles run per day/week/month etc. but just happened to notice passing the 400 mile mark for 2011 a day or so ago. If it weren't for one really low month (March) I likely would have been well over 500 miles but I'll take it, especially considering the various injury issues. The running is definitely improving, was able to knock of 8 X 200 meter repeats at Rice track last night without completely imploding. On target for about 40 miles this week which is where I want to be.

155 or Bust: week 3

2011-05-09T09:18:00.001-05:00

Finally, the scale is starting to move in the right direction! Down nearly 3 pounds compared with a few days ago, with the needle settling under 170 pounds for the first time in months! 169.8 – yes! You don’t have to be a nutritionist or sports physiologist to figure out why, but both disciplines played a roll. More controlled calorie intake with a conscious effort to limit the # of calories for each meal to a specific number and significantly more calories expended on exercise. That will do it every time!

Since last Sunday I logged about 37 miles running (mostly easy but with one speed session at Rice track on Thursday), a few more miles of walking and four one-hour sessions of upper body, abs, core and leg workouts. Most importantly, the Accu-Measure fat caliper result (average of 3) was 26 mm at the sacro-ileac spot: that is down a significant 4 mm from last week’s reading which was at 30 mm!

Bottom line: 3 weeks into my ‘155 or bust’ program, I am down by almost 5 pounds and starting to feel a lot more positive about the prospect of a long-term good outcome. Still a long way to go but I am encouraged and will step up the dietary control measures this week.

Pretty good running this week: 37 miles as noted with two fairly long 7 mile efforts with Kathleen who is also doing a lot better. Both of us have some incipient issues with plantar fasciitis; so far regular foot rolling and occasional icing is keeping it at bay. The calves are about 90 per cent. Lesson learnt: once you run on Vibrams exclusively, don’t take too long a break from them because the calf muscle clearly will shorten up again when wearing regular shoes. And most importantly, don’t try to get back to running in the Vibrams too quickly, particularly in a very hilly environment.

Measuring progress

2011-05-03T06:45:00.001-05:00

I am now 2 weeks into my '155 or bust' program, and I honestly have not made much progress. On the positive side, I am tracking my calories for most meals (things tend to fall apart by dinner-time...), I am running or at least walk-running 5 or 6 days a week, and I have halted any additional weight gain. Also working out with a trainer regularly, 3 times last week and once already (on Monday) this week. So things are happening and my abs, back and shoulders are definitely getting stronger. I just need to shed a considerable amount of subcutaneous fat for any kind of muscle definition to show up.

The scale can be deceiving. It appears that my weight fluctuates by several pounds on a daily basis, depending on the time of the day, degree of hydration, and so on. So just to add another 'wrinkle' to the mix, I am dragging out my nearly forgotten Accu-Measure set of fat calipers, which trainers use to measure body fat. So as of this morning, before I set off on what will hopefully be a 6-mile effort, the depressing reality is that my skinfold measurement at the supra-iliac (about an inch up from the hipbone) is just under 30mm. This is on the high side of 'average' which means that I am about 2 veggie burgers and fries away from being 'over fat'. Quel horreur!

Weight today: 172
1 mile walk, 1 mile easy run with Daisy, 5 miles EZ along the Bayou
Very little residual pain in the calves.

Finally on the right calorie track

2011-04-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

It took a while but my weight is down by a little more than a pound, and I seem to have the daily calorie tracking process (on a 'per meal' basis) going again. 1800 calories are actually quite a lot, even spread out over 24 hours - provided you don't count the lemondrop martini. Clearly I still have a problem confining the adult beverages to 'weekends only'... It is all about motivation, I am led to believe. What is my motivation? Duh, to lose weight. Or maybe to run faster. By losing some weight. Can't the process be the motivation? I suppose not. You have to have a goal. Ok then, mine is to weigh 155 lbs or less by the end of October this year. So that I can run fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon. There's motivation for you!!

Anyway I have resumed working out with a personal trainer two to three times per week, Monday, Wednesday & Friday - the third session being dependent on my schedule which can sometimes get a bit hectic on a Friday. My trainer Amy is superb: very encouraging with lots of positive reinforcement, a method which was sorely lacking in my younger years. We learned and progressed mostly out of fear or necessity: do this - or else. Let's face it, it is much nicer having someone praise you for doing 20 push-ups than fearing a negative outcome if you fail.

Took a rest day yesterday (it is all part of Sally Edwards' program not to get injured or over-trained) and did a good 40 minute run this morning, including 2 miles in Zone 4 (140 to 158bpm). Will be joining Kathleen tonight at Rice University for a parents function from 6:00 to 7:30 - we will probably get a bite at Jenni's Noodle House afterward. Better yet, I should prepare the Pesto Soup with Gnocchi from Post Punk Kitchen so that we can come straight home and have something that's good and good for you...

Tweaking the weight loss program

2011-04-25T08:58:00.001-05:00

Clearly my weight-loss program is not working - yet. After almost a week of 'dieting' I am still pretty much exactly where I was at the start, stuck at 173 lbs. I am going to have to be a lot more diligent with portion sizes for one thing. A couple or so restaurant meals also bedeviled last week's effots (veggie burger & fries at Beck's, vegan BBQ sandwich & fries at Field of Greens). It is no mystery what needs to be omitted from those orders. On the positive side I am not gaining weight, and my exercise/running program is gathering steam. Did another 5 miles this morning (with 30 minutes in Zone 3) for a total of nearly 15 miles over just three days; the best I've done since before the start of the Africa trip in March.

Tedious as it sometimes can be, I am going to have to start counting calories again. For steady weight loss my maximum daily calorie count should be around 1800 total (400 for breakfast, 200 for a mid-morning snack, 450 at lunch, 200 for late afternoon snack, 450 at dinner and 100 for a snack one hour before going to bed). This is based on a program which a nutritionist designed for me last year. However, by the time I received the program I had already lost the weight I wanted to lose. Hopefully it will do the trick this time!

More vegan cooking

2011-04-24T22:21:00.008-05:00

I tried two new recipes today; both recent entries on the Post Punk Kitchen (Isa Moskowitz) blog. The first one was a Tofu stir-fry with avocado, basil & peanuts and the other a rather different Wheatberry 'Paella' with chickpeas and lentils. Of the two the stir-fry certainly had the most popular appeal (it will definitely have to go into the regular rotation), but in terms of texture and taste, the wheatberry had a lot going for it too.

Kathleen and I saw an excellent Two Part movie at the Museum of Fine Arts over the weekend: Mesrine: Killer Instinct (Friday) and Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (Sunday), both starring the superb Vincent Cassel n the role of Jacques Mesrine ('MAY/rine), an infamous French gangster from the 1960's and 70's. The movies are based on the autobiography of the astonishing life of crime led by Jacques Mesrine, who was assassinated by the French police trying to leave Paris in the late 1970's. Cassel is perfect in the role of this violent, impulsive, narcissistic criminal who escaped from prison four times, seemed to have a never-ending stream of attractive women in his life, yet failed dismally as a son, husband and father. A cautionary tale if there ever was one.

A pretty good 5 mile run today, with 30 minutes in Zone 3 (123 to 140). Calves definitely better, slight tightness left on the right, a round of foam rolling helped. Starting to feel some plantar pain in the left foot (will these injuries never cease...) Will be doing icing regularly starting today, also rolling left foot with special grooved wooden roller.

155 or Bust Day 6: Too much candy yesterday (it is Easter, that is my excuse). Will avoid it today. Oats & almond milk for breakfast, veggie korma for mid-morning snack after running. Stir-fry with tofu over rice for late dinner. I would have to rate today a 3 on a scale of 5, in terms of meeting my long-term goal. Will strive for a 4 tomorrow!

First 5 mile run in a while

2011-04-23T13:23:00.002-05:00

It wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast, but I somehow managed 5 miles this morning along the Bayou, after a half mile warm-up walk with Daisy. In preparation for starting Sally Edwards' Half marathon training program on Monday, I am trying to establish my heart rate training zones. It is proving to be rather difficult especially to nail the actual 'threshold' or T-1 level. Supposedly it is the point at which you find it difficult to keep a normal conversation going, while running. Doing the test this morning, I came up with 140 bpm; will work with that for now and see how it goes. It may be a little bit higher but I really don't want to be testing the limits too soon.

I was disappointed to find that our local Borders store (well actually the one on Kirby, they closed the one near us at Gessner & Memorial) did not have a copy of 'Appetite for Reduction', Isa Moskowitz' new vegan cookbook with lots of reduced calorie and low fat recipes. I've prepared several recipes from the book already (scrounged them from the web) including Bistro Broccoli Chowder (excellent), Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Tofu (will be making it again soon!), 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma (liked it a lot, but will spice it up a little more) and OMG Oven-baked Onion Rings (disappointing, flabby and the bread crumbs didn't stick properly). I also tried a Cumin Lime Tofu recipe which I found on the web (apparently the recipe is from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan) and it was ok, not nearly as good as my 'standby' baked tofu recipe which is the marinated Asian tofu from Veganomicon.

This afternoon we are volunteering at a Rice University Track meet, should be interesting - and hot. It is a scorcher and will likely top out at 90F. With very little to no cloud cover. Should be fun!!

Who knew maple syrup is good for you!

2011-04-21T09:45:00.003-05:00

Day 3 is never quite as much fun as Day 1. At least I started the day off with a good helping of oats - prepared a big batch of steel-cut oats in the pressure cooker so all I had to do was measure out 1 cup, add about a half cup light vanilla soy and a tablespoon of maple syrup. I never knew that maple syrup is positively good for you until I saw a reference to some recent research in an article a few days ago.

In a new study conducted by the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Navindra Seeram discovered that pure Canadian maple syrup contains more than 20 compounds linked to human health. Several of these antioxidant compounds are reported to contain anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties.

So goodbye to the articificial sweetener which I've enjoyed with breakfast until yesterday. Maple syrup it will be from now on.

Getting back into both a workout program and back into running have turned out to be quite challenging. My abs are sore (from some situps and related exercises), my shoulders are aching (lat pulldowns) and my calves remain borderline at best (run-walk) despite regular foam rolling. Physically I am probably in the worst shape right now than I have been in nearly 10 years. There's a lot of work to be done.

Even so, my thoughts have turned to running another marathon, likely the Mohawk-Hudson in upper NY State in October. It will be a long journey from where I am now to being able to comfortably finish a 26.2 mile race, never mind trying to race it. To get the process going I will follow Sally Edwards' half-marathon training plan in her new book 'Be a Better Runner'. I have always been intrigued with the relationship between training/racing and heart rate training zones. Edwards' plan makes extensive use of heart rate data to figure out how easy or hard one's running efforts should be. So from this afternoon I will be strapping on the Polar HR Monitor to establish some benchmarks.

155 lbs or bust

2011-04-19T09:03:00.007-05:00

It's time to start getting serious about dropping some weight. Again. Collars are tight, belts seem to be shorter than before, and the scale doesn't lie. Yes I have added about 12 pounds since reaching 160 just about a year ago when I was in South Africa for my 40th High School reunion. So to start laying the groundwork for what might turn into an attempt to again qualify for Boston at the Mohawk Hudson Marathon in October this year, I need to reduce the mass to 155 lbs or less. This is Day 1. Nothing too dramatic, just cutting out snacking between meals, checking and if necessary measuring portions, reducing fat intake a bit more, limiting wine & beer to weekends only, and keeping a food diary.

My calves are still sore from last Thursday's run so taking it very easy, mixing short 5-minute runs with walking; total of just 3.5 miles this morning. Will add 20 minutes of rowing and some strength workout (stretch bands) after work today.

Looks like I might have to go out and buy Isa Moskowitz' 'Appetite for Reduction', her 'diet' vegan cookbook. I made the Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Tofu on Sunday and it was a big hit. Today I will be making the Bistro Broccoli Chowder. Just what the doctor ordered on day #1 of a weight-loss program! I happen to have some frozen home-made vegetable stock on hand, so this should be good!

Bert's Africa pics

2011-04-12T07:32:00.000-05:00

Still working on my trip report but a selection of my photographs from the Botswana & Namibia trip can be seen on Picasa at this link:

Bert's March 2011 Africa photographs

there are a few good leopard shots, lots of lions, and some really nice Hartmann's Mountain Zebra photographs. They are almost as photogenic as East Africa's Grevy's Zebra. An interesting sequence is the one of the young male lion who had been left behind by his mother, while she was (likely) out hunting. We observed this little chap for the better part of an hour and he acted every bit the pokey little puppy. Looking for mom in every direction - especially in the direction she had walked away - and clambering onto both a termite mound and a tree stump to be able to see better.

Have a look!

Not so good news: My calves are sore from trying to come back too soon, too fast, so I am reduced to walking. Should hopefully be ok by the end of the week.

Really bad news: it appears that our much adored Boxer - nearly 3 year old Daisy - may have suffered irreversible effects from heat stroke. She has been having seizures which culminated in a prolonged episode in the middle of the night (last night) so I have been up since 2am, with a visit to the emergency vet hospital etc. Very traumatic, not to mention expensive ($1,000) and right now the prognosis is pretty grim. We have had awfully bad luck with dogs lately, having had to put our gentle Jake (also a boxer) down about 3 months ago. I really hope we are not going to be faced with the same terrible dilemma with Daisy.

Back from Africa

2011-04-09T07:37:00.000-05:00

It has been well more than a months since Kath and I set off to Paris for a few days, then Namibia (Skeleton Coast Safari) and I went on from there to various other places in Southern Africa, ending with a few days with the family in Pretoria. All this means a lot of work has been piling up here in Houston, but the trip was fantastic.

Skeleton Coast was simply otherworldly, interesting time at Doro Nawas with outings to San rock engravings ; petrified forest, fascinating San interpretive walk, hundreds of oryx, springbok, beautiful black-maned lions at Kalahari Plains, leopards hanging from trees at Tubu, cheetah kill @ Selinda, wild dogs, mating leopards at Dumatau, excellent water activities at Banoka, and vehicles swimming at Duba... And lots of lions everywhere, climbing onto all kinds of things including woodpiles and termite hills.

Here are three of my favorite pics from the trip, so far - haven't even looked at them all yet:

A very relaxed leopard at Tubu Tree Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

A young lion cub at Duba clambered onto this vantage point, awaiting the arrival of its dad, the dominant male lion in the area (Tsaro pride).

These two Hartmann's Mountain Zebras obligingly stood still for just a few seconds right in front of a bush at Desert Rhino Camp in the Kaokoveld region of Namibia.

A baseball game at Rice University

2011-02-20T22:35:00.001-06:00

I spent a few hours today at Reckling Park, Rice University's sparkling jewel of a baseball stadium. If you like baseball - or just being outdoors on a warm early spring afternoon - there are few better places to while away a couple of hours than at Reckling. Comfortable (if somewhat hard) seats, unobstructed views, a most imposing backdrop (Texas Medical Center) and of course, some of the best collegiate baseball to be seen anywhere in the USA. Not to mention some pretty nice looking (I didn't try them...) Prince's hot dogs and hamburgers. And beer.

I'm a big baseball fan but today it was all about getting a few close-up photographs. I took the 200-400mm zoom lens and added a 1.4 extender, making for an effective focal distance of 300-600mm. As it turned out I got more than a few; tough to decide which ones to throw out... Here are quite a few pics of starting pitcher Austin Kubitza, a freshman who seemed very cool and totally in command on the mound. Plus a few others of some of the hitters in action; or at least attempting to produce some hits. On the day the Rice offense did not come through; once or twice they had several runners on base but the crucial hits just didn't materialize. As a result Rice lost to Stanford 6-2.

Buffalo Wallow 6-K Race

2011-02-19T22:09:00.000-06:00

The 2011 Buffalo Wallow 6-K cross-country race was run this morning at 0800 (first round for runners over 40) and at 0900 (for the younger runners). The weather was fairly cool but oppressively humid - so much so that I was sweating heavily even after just warming up for less than a mile. I felt ok during the first two laps - featuring two very steep inclines and one nasty sloping downhill stretch - but by the last time around I had nothing left. By the very end of barely 4 miles I was exhausted. Very little sleep for two nights in a row no doubt played a role, but clearly I have a lot of work ahead of me to get back into competitive running shape. Other Striders which did very well included Sabra Harvey, John Yoder, Chris Adams, Alison Stewart and the Schroeder brothers Doug and Steve.

Here are some photographs I took of the second (younger) wave:

Experienced runner or not?

2011-02-17T10:23:00.002-06:00

Without being too obvious about it, I try to figure out if other people I see running on my regular route are new to the sport or long-time runners. A bit like trying to spot the tourists if you are a resident of Washington D.C. They are the ones with Hawaiian shirts or Tilly hats, clunky walking shoes and fanny packs trying to figure out how to buy a Metro ticket, or asking for directions to the Smithsonian.

It is not quite that easy to separate veteran from beginner runners. Of course if you see any running apparel with the official Boston Athletic Association logo, that puts the matter beyond all doubt. Very thin wearing a singlet in very cold weather? Really dedicated runner. Old, frayed t-shirts sporting the names and logos of races that have not been run for 15 years is another good clue to the owner being of equal vintage status.

Running update: A very cold start to the month of February put a real crimp in my mileage. After 5 consecutive weeks of running 40+ miles, my last three weeks tallied only 20, 21 and 23. Probably just as well; less likely to get injured than if I were to have maintained the (relatively) high mileage. With warmer temperatures having finally arrived last weekend, I'm hoping to get back to the 40's and maybe even an occasional 50 mile week soon!

This Saturday I will be running my first race in many months, a 6-k (3 X 2-k loop) cross-country race, the Buffalo Wallow. No doubt I will chasing some much faster Striders! It should be fun though. I will take the camera to capture a few pics of the open race which starts an hour after us ~~old-timer~~ Masters runners.

Women's tennis at Rice University

2011-02-14T09:37:00.002-06:00

Rice University has an outstanding tennis program and this year's women's tennis team continues the tradition. Head Coach Elizabeth Schmidt and Assistant Coach Yunes Liman can justifiably be proud of these young student-athletes from all corners of the world. On Sunday afternoon Kathleen and I watched a couple of their matches against a somewhat over-matched Texas Pan American team.

The 48th ranked Rice team blanked Texas State 7-0 and Texas Pan American 6-0 in a rare doubleheader at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. Here are a few photographs of the action:

Rice Junior Ana Guzman

Rice Senior Rebekka Hanle in action during a singles match which she won 6-0, 6-0

Little Known Benefits of Running

2011-02-13T08:53:00.002-06:00

We’re all familiar with the major benefits of running: combined with a prudent diet, it helps to control weight; it boosts the efficiency of the cardio-pulmonary system, it may even stimulate a general sense of well-being, aka ‘runner’s high’. This is all very well but rather boring - if you don’t mind me saying so. What about those many little-known, really useful benefits of running? They’re not listed in books or discussed in serious articles, but I bet your non-running friends and family relate to them better than all the high-faluting stuff about improved muscle-tone and all that. During my last long run, I thought of several:

It’s a perfect excuse to get away from boring parties

It’s ten o’clock on a Saturday night and the party is so boring you’d rather be doing anything else, except maybe your taxes. You know you’re doomed when the host takes three minutes to describe just the first tee-shot on what promises to be a numbingly long, minutely detailed marathon golf story. Tomorrow is Sunday so the old ‘have to go in early to the office’ excuse won’t cut it. That’s when you suddenly remember the 7 am start of the annual ‘Run for your Heart’ 5K, or a long-standing commitment for the weekly long run. If you’re anything like a typical runner, all the people at the party will by now know your weekly mileage, how many marathons you’ve run, your favorite Gu flavor, how you clean smelly running shoes and so on. So they certainly won’t mind you leaving early. Trust me. They may even wish you luck.

Running is something you can do without your glasses

Like many other people, I’m pretty useless without my glasses, and my eyes don’t much take to contact lenses. I’m ok indoors, but without glasses I can’t drive, can’t go to a movie, can’t even beat a kid at ping-pong. Sure I can stay home and answer e-mail, get on Facebook or water my herb garden, but that’s about as exciting as it gets. Anything too physical and I perspire to the point where my glasses slide right off my nose. Happily, when I run, it’s a case of ‘no glasses, no problem’. Even at top speed I only cover about one mile every eight minutes or so. Which means that there’s little chance of running into a wall, or a lamp post.

You learn a lot about wildlife

Unfortunately, mostly wildlife of the deceased variety, i.e. roadkill. Even so, it is educational and let’s face it, you’ll never get that close to real live squirrels, raccoons, opposums, armadillos and what have you. Now and then I actually come across something that is alive, other than birds and stray pets. Just a couple of weeks ago there was a huge snapping turtle hunting under a bridge in the Edith Moore Nature Sanctuary. Pity I couldn’t see it too well without my glasses… A running friend once told me about finding a dead copperhead snake one morning, on the road shoulder. When the dead snake recoiled as he leaned down to look at it, my friend belatedly realized that it was not roadkill. Took a few seconds off his usual time for the route.

Complete strangers ask you for directions

Nowadays practically anyone can circumnavigate the globe from a handheld device but that was not always so. Until just a few years ago, people had to find their way around town using a map. Or directions. So they would get lost and stop – usually in the middle of the road – and ask a runner for advice on how to get to the street they can’t find. It used to happen to me all the time and of course I would try to help, even though I might be in completely unfamiliar territory, miles away from home. Not too long ago I persuaded a guy who was looking for a church on Memorial Drive to make a u-turn and go back a ‘few miles’ the other way. I found the church half a block further, in the original direction the lost person was going. Oops.

You pick up all kinds of useful things

Money, primarily. My wife is a lot better at this than I am, for reasons already mentioned. She hardly ever comes back from a run without a few coins. I also consider errant golf and tennis balls to be fair game, unless there is somebody looking for them at that very moment. Sometimes people will even give you things, like a Sunday newspaper. That’s what I got – all five pounds of it – from a street-corner vendor the other day. No, I did not lug it all the way home but it’s the thought that counts, right? I think the strangest item I ever came home with after a run, was a magazine with very few articles. Who knows how it ended up in the muddy ditch on Taylorcrest Road where I spotted it. I suspect it’s the work of a mother who borrowed her son’s car, throwing out a few magazines along the way. Thanks.

You get to use running-related acronyms

Runners use lots of acronyms which are peculiar to running and exercising such as PR, PB, MP, BQ, LSD, DNS, DNF, XT, RICE, ITB, PF, AG, HRM, MHR, WR, OAB, HM, DOMS, ART, SRD and so on. The sooner you get to know these, the better your ability to talk meaningfully to other runners. Of course it won’t help you converse with ‘normal’ people because they don’t talk about things like personal record, personal best, marathon pace, Boston qualifier, long slow distance, did not show/start, did not finish, cross-training, rest/ice/compress/elevate and so on down the list. Normal people just talk about football, family, food, kids, dogs and stuff. Too bad.

You find out about useful products

When you first start running, you might think it is a fairly simple activity for which you need running shoes, socks of some kind (or not), a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, maybe something to keep you warm on a cold day. You would be wrong. As we all know, there is a lot more to it. For one thing, there is a bewildering and constantly changing variety of running shoes. And we’re not talking about the color. You have to pick from motion control, stability or cushioned shoes, depending on whether you have a low or high arch, flat or neutral feet and whether you are a supinator or a pronator. Supinate? Pronate? Can’t we just run? Stick around for a while and you’ll discover special trail running shoes, racing flats and – lately – running shoes that look like gloves for the feet. What?

That is just the start. How many serious runners do you know who run without some kind of electronic timing device? We want to know how fast we are running, the total elapsed distance, average pace per mile, our heart rate, calories consumed and how close we are to the nearest coffee shop. Of course we want to know all of this instantaneously. And be able to download all the information to yet another electronic device to waste even more time poring over the data later. On yesterday’s run I gained a total of 327 feet in elevation. Wow.

Seasoned runners (that would be runners that have experienced several significant running injuries) discover a whole world of paraphernalia to help them prevent, manage or recover from injuries. Don’t know about the Strassburg sock? Ask around. It is a night splint for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Suffering from anything else? Don’t worry, there is a product out there just for you. Knee braces & sleeves, ankle wraps, Achilles tendon wraps, foam rollers, ‘the Stick’, nipguards, Body Glide, compression sleeves, blister patches, shoe inserts and dozens more. We haven’t even mentioned hydration equipment, sunglasses, caps and visors, gels, bars and supplements. Get out the credit card and let’s go running!

You look forward to getting older

Once they reach about 24 or so, most non-runners don’t like to get older. You don’t look so good, some of us lose a lot of hair and it gets awkward when people don’t recognize you at a reunion, or vice versa. Or some kid at the movie theater box office gratuitously offers you the ‘senior’ discount. Thanks. For most people, big milestones birthdays like 40 and 50 are dreaded as much as they are celebrated. That does not apply to runners, particularly the ones who enter a lot of races. They can hardly to wait to turn 40, 45, heck even 60 and 65! Why? Because it gets them into a new age group, duh! Suddenly they are competitive again, maybe even eking out an occasional age group win or place. As the years go by, injuries take their toll and many runners become bikers and then walkers and then - whatever. So keep at it and by the time you are in your 60’s and 70’s, the competition won’t be nearly as tough. By then, you might need shoe inserts, a few splints and braces, and you may already have had a knee scoped or undergone some other orthopedic procedure just to make it to the next age group. New or newly competitive runner? You’ve got a lot to look forward to!

Marathon Nostalgia

2011-02-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

Is it even possible to get maudlin about 'not' running a marathon? I mean really. It is okay to lament your lost youth or the years ticking by, the tiny daily reminders that age and gravity are relentlessly taking their toll and slowing you down. (Not quite so) suddenly not being able to jump over a puddle, dash across the street, bounce up from a prone position. Remembering where you were when JFK was shot but unable to find your car in the parking lot. That is something to feel sad about. Most of us boomers secretly yearn for the years when footwear did not have to be supportive, all clothing seemed to fit beautifully, and you never gave your skin, your hairline or your cholesterol count a second thought. Few of us fret about not having slogged out a footrace of 26.2 miles.

Last Sunday while taking some photographs at the Chevron Houston Marathon, I must confess to having had a flashback or two to the last time I ran this marathon in 2007. Which also happened to be the second last marathon I ever ran, prior to Boston in April 2009. Well I must confess now that a new age group category is around the corner I'm having second thoughts about hanging up the marathon shoes altogether. Perhaps there is one good marathon left in these aging legs, one last hurrah before I finally replace the racing flats with walking shoes. It looks like a bunch of Houston Striders - and likely some Katy Fit members as well - will be revisiting the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon in Albany in Oct. 2012. Something to think about.

Here are a few pics I took last Sunday - don't let anyone tell you that marathoners are a dour, unsmiling bunch...

Cooking the Post Punk Kitchen way

2011-01-27T07:35:00.000-06:00

Made a couple of interesting recipes from the Post Punk Kitchen over the last few days. The Post Punk Kitchen website and Facebook pages are operated mostly by Brooklynite Isa Chandra Moskowitz, a pioneer of fun, creative vegan cooking - beyond veggie burgers and lentil stews. With long-time collaborator Terry Hope Romero she has written several cookbooks including Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan with a Vengeance and more recently Veganomicon, which I use all the time.

The last two recipes I tried were chickpea piccata and quinoa and broccoli with a raspberry chipotle sauce. As is the case with most PPK fare it was good and healthy, not too difficult and relatively quick from 'mise en place' to food on the table. Here are some photographs:

Chickpea piccata over mashed potato and arugula

Quinoa and broccoli with raspberry chipotle sauce. The purple cauliflower is from the Farmer's Market at Rice University - check it out every Tuesday afternoon.

The end of root canals

2011-01-14T17:00:00.000-06:00

It dawned on me the other day that I have only been to the dentist’s office three times in the last two years+ and each time it was for a routine teeth cleaning visit.

What a pleasant change that is. Time was – not so long ago – when I had root canal treatments about as regularly as an avid runner buys a new pair of trainers. I have so many root canals my dental X-rays look like the Mississippi Delta. One – the only? – good thing to come of this is that I found an excellent endodontist in the process. The guy is an artist - I experience almost no pain - and he is fast. In fact I put a stopwatch on him once – with his knowledge – and he finished off a simple one-canal treatment in about 20 minutes. It takes rather longer to do the complicated treatment associated with molars which may have as many as four channels. The piped classical music helps – nothing like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to make you forget that your jaw has been splayed open for 40 minutes plus… Fortunately there is no mirror so I can’t see my Hannibal Lecter–like reflection in it. The doc and his assistant get paid to enjoy that dubious pleasure.

Which brings me to the downside to being on first name basis with an endodontist. The money, as in plenty of mine becoming his. Endodontists don’t work for peanuts. They work for Chateau Margaux. Let’s face it, I've paid several installments on Dr. Zamani’s Maserati. No kidding. That is what he drives. And for what it is worth – he uses all Zeiss equipment to peer into those microscopically small channels inside my teeth. Nothing like the best. He also calls every time afterwards. Better than I've managed with some old girl friends.

All of this begs the question as to why my teeth have suddenly become happy with their situation, compared with earlier years when they would regularly rebel about having to accompany me everywhere. Couple of things come to mind, the one being regular flossing – literally every day – which I only started doing about 3 years ago. Thanks to Christine (for a while our family’s dental hygienist of choice) for getting me on the right path.

Also I think that as a total percentage of my diet, I am consuming far less refined carbohydrates, such as sugar and processed flours. Beans and chickpeas and brown rice and other whole grains as well as vegetables and fruit have largely replaced the pies, cakes, rich sauces and many other culinary ‘culprits’ (puff pastry!) which probably contributed to my previously poor dental health record. Well, it is never too late to make a change for the better. Sorry Dr. Z, you might have to settle for a Benz the next time around.

Chewing & losing weight

2011-01-14T08:06:00.000-06:00

For the first time in years, I am chewing my food properly. A study which I saw in passing the other day, found that people ate significantly less if they chewed their food for 9 seconds (minimum) rather than the more usual 2 seconds. It takes your body a while to figure out if you are full, so eating MUCH slower (which happens automatically when you chew properly) prevents you from 'accidentally' eating more than you need... Also, chewing your food properly improves the entire digestive process and ultimately your nutrition.

I believe it was Gandhi who once said that one should 'chew your drink and drink your food'. I'm not quite there yet but it is worth thinking about

Down 2 pounds this week from 173 to 171. Additional exercise (twice weekly sessions with personal trainer and twice weekly group sessions doing 'abs express' and 'muscle blaster' workouts), are clearly helping. So is keeping a food diary.

First Rice University track workout

2011-01-13T08:35:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday night our running club moved our weekly 'Track Tuesdays' to the brand new artificial track at Rice University. Massive upgrade from Reagan High School, except for the parking. It is a bit of a hike from the free parking at Rice, to the track. Good opportunity to warm up!

But really there is no comparison. Most importantly we now have lights at night, so don't have to stumble around in the dark or worse yet show up at a locked facility as we did recently in the Heights. Also, the track at Rice has more lanes, there are some real professional coaches around (we are going to learn a lot from them, no doubt) and it has a fabulous backdrop (Medical Center). I will take my camera next week.

As it happens, every Tuesday there is an organic Farmers Market at Rice - from 3:30p to 6:30p I think - so it is a great opportunity to stock up on some locally grown vegetables and other good stuff, before going on to the track workout. On Tuesday I picked up some really nice beetroot, cauliflower and Swiss chard.

Part of the deal (for the club to be able to run at the Rice track) is that the Striders will be supplying some volunteers for the three Rice University track meets coming up in the spring. I won't be around for the first one in March but I am looking forward to assisting with the other two. And I will definitely take the camera to capture a few images of speedy athletes!

'Abs Express' and 'Muscle Blaster'

2011-01-12T07:32:00.002-06:00

This is the year to get really lean and part of the plan of action (including of course dropping some weight) is to add some additional workouts to the near daily running. It has become almost a cliche to talk about 'muscle confusion' but based on personal experience there is something to be said for the theory that the body or at least particular muscle groups adapt to certain types of exercise. I am pretty sure that my legs have adapted to running up to 40 miles per week and that they handle this load very efficiently while expending a minimum of energy. So I burn fewer calories covering the same distance at the same speed than would a first time runner of similar weight. Definitely not rocket science.

So what to do to 'shock' the body into burning a few more calories? Surprise it with some new and different exercises. Ergo the 'Abs Express' and 'Muscle Blaster' classes, which are offered by the Rice University Rec Center every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Expect to find me there every Tue. and Thu. until the end of February. In March I will be in Africa. Last night I attended the first two classes. There is no pre-booking or signing up. You pick up a pass up to 30 minutes prior to the start of the class. This makes sense as this reduces no-shows to an absolute minimum.

There were about 20 participants for the 45 minute Muscle Blaster and nearly 40 people for the 15 minutes Abs Express. The instructor, a young guy whom I assume must be a Rice student, was knowledgeable and energetic - he had presented the same classes previously so we got into it right away. The exercises were of the high repetition, low weight variety involving the use of a barbell, several different sizes of dumbbells, an exercise ball, steps and a mat. We did a range of squats, lifts, crunches, bends, calf lifts and stretches targeting all the major muscle groups. Like all exercises of this type, you can work as hard as you care to by increasing or decreasing the weight load. I thought the exercises were very effective and by the end of the hour-long workout I was starting to feel the burn. Adding these workouts to my twice weekly hour-long sessions with a personal trainer on Monday and Wednesday ought to give those pesky muscles something to think about...

On the running front all is going well. My wife bought me a RunLog and I have been using it diligently, jotting down all exercise as well as daily food intake. Not counting calories, just writing down what I consume. Last week (ending on Sunday Jan 10) I managed 40 miles which is about as many miles I've managed over the course of 6 days (Fridays being a rest day) since early last summer. The left knee injury now definitely appears to be a thing of the past but I will continue to use the Capsaicin two or three times a day for another couple of weeks or so. I felt a little calf tightness developing over the last few days (especially after a 14-miler on Saturday) and will continue to use the foam roller twice a day.

Oscar predictions

2011-01-09T09:37:00.004-06:00

We finally saw The Fighter (last night) so here are my Oscar predictions and some comments on my favorite movies of 2010:

Best Picture

The Social Network
The Kings Speech
The Fighter
Inception
Winter's Bone
The Kids are All right
True Grit
The Town
Black Swan

Of these movies the ones I enjoyed most were The Kings Speech, The Social Network, The Fighter and The Town. Inception was good too but it just went on and on... Winter's Bone was beautifully done but a bit dark and depressing. I expect great things from director Debra Granik in future. The Kids are All right was superbly acted from top to bottom and I wouldn't be surprised to see at least a couple of best and supporting male and female actor nominations from it. The Kings Speech had almost no shortcomings and is just a stunning movie from open to close, with great cinematography, an excellent script, and of course brilliant acting by both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The Town was amongst the most entertaining movies of the year with Ben Affleck doing a bang-up job as director, creating some nice tension and capturing bank robbery and subsequent shoot-out scenes with as much impact and realism as I have ever seen. True Grit was enjoyable too but mostly because of Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges. Overall the movie was too wordy for a Western I thought. Nonetheless worth a trip to the theater! If there was one movie I probably could have done without seeing this year, it would be Black Swan. Just a bit too painful to watch Natalie Portman's character implode, in a sense. She is excellent though and so is Barbara Hershey as the over-bearing mother, as well as Natalie's real or imagined rival played by Mila Kunis. 'The Fighter' is a terrific movie which never feels formulaic even though its redemption theme has been done many times before. It shines with several amazing performances including Christian Bale as Dickie Eklund, Mickey Ward's some-time trainer, Mellisa Leo as his controlling mother/manager and Amy Adams as his girlfriend. The hard-edged blue collar neighborhood setting, drug abuse and sordid family squabbles feel all too real. Christian Bale is outstanding.

And the Oscar goes to: The Social Network. Such a good story, brilliant script, plenty of intrigue, great photography & direction, impeccable ensemble acting. There is nothing not to like about this movie. I would be surprised if it does not win.

Best Actor:

I would think Colin Firth as King George VI in The Kings Speech. The man is simply brilliant as the Brits would say. Every bit as good as he was in last year's A Single Man, a stunningly shot and very under-rated movie, by the way. The way in which Firth owns his character's stammer and his palpable emotional and physical struggle to overcome it, is flat out amazing to watch. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) will probably garner a bunch of votes too. Unfortunately for him I think the role of Mark Zuckerberg - who was portrayed in a rather negative light - does not lend itself to acting pyrotechnics, as he is a very low-key individual both on and off screen.

Best Actress:

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore both shone in The Kids are all right. I have to give Ms. Bening the edge though: she was fantastic and displayed the most impressive range of 'genuine' emotion I have seen in years. My nod definitely goes to her. Two other very strong performances which I think merits recognition were Natalie Portman in Black Swan (total immersion), and Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone. In fact if there is a surprise choice, it might very well be Ms. Lawrence. She's definitely got some serious acting chops and we'll be looking out for her movies in the years to come.

Best Actor in a Supporting role:

In my estimation, Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech) has got this one. He was spot-on as the irreverent and unorthodox speech therapist. However Christian Bale (The Fighter) was scarily realistic as the crack-addled older brother; it would not surprise me if he got the nod. Two other strong contenders are Jeremy Renner (The Town) and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network). Garfield was a revelation as Zuckerberg's one-time Facebook founder-partner. Mark Ruffalo had a great role in The Kids are All Right and made absolutely the most of it.

Best Actress in a Supporting role:

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) should be the prodigious favorite. She was mesmerizing in the role of the 14-year old girl intent on finding and bringing her father's killer to justice. Melissa Leo was perfect as the controlling mother-manager in The Fighter. Helena Bonham Carter also did a bang-up job as the wife to King George VI (Colin Firth)

Best Director will likely go to either Christopher Nolan for Inception or David Fincher for The Social Network.

Goodbye and hello!

2011-01-07T16:25:00.007-06:00

Goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011 of course. From a running perspective 2010 was a forgettable year for yours truly due to the knee injury. I was pretty much in a holding - hobbling - phase for much of the summer and early Fall. Pretty solidly back now so time for a few goals for the year:

Post more frequently this year. Over the first two full years of this blog, I posted 73 and 75 times, respectively. Maybe that is my blog writing limit - I hope not. A twice weekly frequency ought to bump that up to near 100. Let's put that down as goal #1.

Set a new 5k PR. I was hoping to give that a shot this year. It never was on with just one good leg. So reset and try again in 2011. The spring will probably be too soon (need to lose some weight first) and I am likely to be in Africa for practically all of March. So most realistic shot would be early Fall of 2011.

Run some different races. That shouldn't be too difficult. Plenty of opportunities around here. Might start with the Rockets Run 5K on January 22.

Pick up on my French language lessons again. It is about time to tackle the Rosetta Stone French lessons again, before the last go-round sinks totally below the level of recall. Perhaps I will finally build up enough courage to join a French conversation group. Don't bank on it.

Add some new cross-training workouts. From next week (Tuesday and Thursdays) I will be doing a 'Muscle Blaster' and 'Abs Express' group program at the Rice University Rec Center. So if I can stick with it at least for January and February (March will be a washout), that ought to be a good start.

Find my long lost abs. I've written about these elusive muscles a couple of times before. It is a matter of uncovering them - I know. So we're really talking about several sub-goals including losing some weight and significantly reducing my bodyfat percentage from the current 22% or so (in my hands the fat calipers tend to give erratic readings?) down to about 12%. Probably too ambitious a goal but it is now or never.

And finally...

Chew my food. One of the most interesting 'diet-related' snippets of information I came across in 2010 was a reference to significantly lower food intake by persons who chewed on a mouth-full of food for 9 seconds instead of the usual 2 seconds. I'm definitely guilty of the latter so I will print out this list to constantly remind me to slow down and give those molars the work they were designed for. I paid the endodontist dearly for most of them anyway (enjoy your Maserati Dr. Zamani) so I might as well get my money's worth!

Best wishes to you and yours for 2011!!

Holiday cooking - and running...

2010-12-30T17:06:00.000-06:00

Still trying out various vegan recipes, most of which turn out pretty well. A couple which we all liked recently included a black bean burger (from 1000 Vegan Recipes) and a very tasty potato dish with white beans and black olives, from Vegan on the Cheap. This is what they looked like:

Black Bean Burger from 1,000 Vegan Recipes

Potatoes with white beans, tomato, olives & lemon from Vegan on the Cheap

On the running front I am thrilled just to be out on the trails again! My monthly mileage is making a comeback too: on target for 140 miles in December. On Tuesday I ran 'fast' for the first time in months - fartleks with a few other Striders up and down Heights Ave (Reagan High School track gate locked). It was exhilarating to push the pace a little bit and to feel my Vibram-clad feet grip the trail surface and propel me forward. Nothing like a good 'fast' sprint (my mind is good at bracketing for age) to make you feel 10 years younger!

California - the wiper blade tour part 2

2010-12-23T23:49:00.000-06:00

I really enjoyed the couple of days in San Mateo, where we started our week-long trip to California. Bill and Debbie live in a fabulous home just off Parrott Drive in a peaceful, green neighborhood. Over the couple of days there I had the opportunity to run several miles in the neighborhood and I was struck by how clean, neat and orderly it seems. Beautiful homes, manicured gardens and side-walks, a 25-mph speed limit in the residential area, some extraordinary shops (Draeger's Supermarket!!) and restaurants - it is no wonder that so many people would like to live in places like San Mateo and other similar neighborhoods in the Greater San Francisco area. Very desirable.

On our fist day, we drove out to Muir Woods National Monument just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. What a fantastic place - even on a cold, blustery day we were completely blown away by the stunning redwood forest, especially the Cathedral area. My photographs do not even come close to illustrating the impact this place likely has on even the most casual of visitors.

Our day outing to Napa Valley was cut short a little bit due to some road work on the 880 (I think) running alongside and eventually right by Oakland downtown. Even so, we managed to spend quite a bit of time at three wineries (St. Supery, Trinchero, Chateau Montelena and Hall), enjoyed a bountiful array of tastings from Chardonnay right through to some luscious Cabernets. A highlight was a tailgate lunch (delicious sandwiches!) in the St. Supery parking lot.

Meals in the area were at a quaint Italian spot in Sausalito and at a very good Indian restaurant on 'restaurant row' in San Mateo. There were some great looking Japanese and Chinese restaurants and too many others to even mention - we really need to return to the area sometime soon. When the weather is better!

The next day we collected a rental car at SFO Airport and set off for Morro Bay on the Central Coast. It turned out to be a long and arduous trip via the Monterey Peninsula and the famous 17-mile Drive through Pebble Beach Resort. From Carmel (we did not have time for even the briefest of stops) the road traverses the Big Sur Region - more than 70 miles of ups and downs, tight left and right hand turns and knee-buckling drops toward the Pacific ocean. This is no place to be texting and driving!

We made several stops to take in the awesome views - a pity that the weather did not cooperate but nothing to be done about that. At least it was not pouring, mostly just a light drizzle with some fog... It was dark by the time we made a welcome stop at Anderson's Inn, a well-run small hotel on the edge of scenic Morro Bay. Our over-the-water room had ample space, a fireplace, spa bath, luxurious double bed and free wifi. Not to mention very friendly owners, a great restaurant downstairs (one of the better vegan meals I enjoyed during the trip) and definitely the best breakfast at nearby Frankie and Lola's. My potato and zucchini pancake was superb. Definitely the way to go if you want to avoid all the more usual egg-laden (cholesterol) choices.

The next morning we pushed on further down the 101, all the way into Los Angeles, and finally down the 405 to John Wayne Airport to pick up our friends. Driving conditions were perfectly horrid with rain squalls and poor visibility constant companions. I was as tense as the steel blades on a new suspension by the time we finally made it to The Montage just off the Pacific Coast Highway.

Within minutes we were relaxing at the bar, with superb views over the Pacific Ocean on our immediate left. Dinner a little bit later at 230 Forest Avenue was excellent. This chic bistro in the heart of downtown Laguna Beach has some of the best seafood in the area, and steak lovers won't be disappointed either. Not really suitable for vegetarians but it really did not matter this evening. The following day we rose late, lingered over The Los Angeles Times (what a paper!) worked out (5 solid miles on the treadmill with view of ocean) and eventually finding ourselves back in a restaurant. This time it was Sapphire Laguna, a trendy spot with a distinct international flavor. I opted for a Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap with tofu instead of chicken, served with Green Papaya-Mango Salad and Peanut & Sweet Chili-Lime Sauce. Fantastic. After lunch we opted to support the local economy, browsing the stores along Forest Avenue and the adjacent downtown area. Lots of art galleries, gifts, shoes, clothing, surfing paraphernalia, a candy store, boutiques and more. The highlight of our dining experience was that evening at The Loft at The Montage. Kathleen enjoyed a trio of sushi rolls, Tom tried a local chili and Gwen did well with a nicely roasted chicken breast. My Israeli Couscous topped with a deconstructed ratatouille was delicious and nutritious - can't beat that combination!

All too soon our California trip came to an end with an adventurous trip back to the airport. Downtown Laguna Beach had experienced significant flooding earlier that morning, and we had to detour into the neighborhood above the Pacific Coast Highway, to later rejoin the PCH, run up to MacArthur Blvd and from there to the airport. Southwest was very late getting out of Phoenix, so we arrived back in Houston that night almost two hours later than planned. A fun and enjoyable trip - made all the more so by special friends and family.

California - the wiper blade tour

2010-12-23T19:13:00.000-06:00

Kathleen and I returned last night from a week with family and friends in Northern (San Mateo) and Southern California (Laguna Beach) After several days in genteel, upscale San Mateo, very tony Napa Valley and oh so sophisticated Laguna Beach, it was comforting to get back to muggy, plain old Houston. Yes our city has a glitzy edge to it, but you wouldn't know it if you had to judge it by Hobby Airport. The place has about as much class as a city morgue. Could they not possibly have built it to look more like a government building? And the security screening process (on the way out on Thursday 16 Dec) was a complete disaster. It took us nearly an hour to stumble our way through a maze of winding lines, like cattle in an abbatoir, being led to slaughter. Honestly, if presented with a choice half way through I might have considered euthanasia rather than 30 minutes more in that interminable line, with no information as to the cause of the delay, no attempt at reasonable communication. Just as well none of the TSA officials in the airport could read my mind, otherwise I would still be in a small cell with no windows. And several guards.

Our first couple of days in San Mateo were fun - it was great seeing Bill and Debbie again and a day trip to Napa Valley was a blast. More about that later. In Laguna Beach we were the guests of our friends Tom and Gwen, sharing a fabulous 2BR suite at The Montage. About as nice a spot as you can find anywhere, with service and food of the highest quality. Even so, as a whole the trip was marred by practically non-stop rain, sometimes of the cold variety. In fact we never saw the sun for the entire week, except standing in the (short!) security check line at the superb John Wayne Airport (Orange County) on the way back yesterday. Friendly staff, exceptionally helpful curbside check-in, even the TSA officials did not have a permanent scowl on their faces. Memo to Hobby Airport management: send someone over to SNA, and take some notes. This is how a small airport can and should be run.

So with the exception of a couple of short excursions in the rain - one to Muir Woods just north of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, and a few short runs in San Mateo, the remainder of the California trip was pretty much as seen from inside a rented white Camry, with wiper blades moving. All my best laid plans for taking some really nice photographs came to exactly naught. I snapped a few pics here and there and tried to make the best of it. The famed 17-mile Drive from the Monterey Peninsula to Carmel just does not quite live up to expectations in the midst of a downpour.

On the positive side we finally made the drive along US Route 1 all the way from Monterey via Big Sur to Morro Bay (where we spent the night in a delightful small inn) and then on to Orange County on Route 101. We picked up a few good bottles of wine at St. Supery and Trinchero, and had a few more shipped from Hall's.

Here are a few pics from the first few days in San Francisco and the Napa Valley.

Recovered from knee injury

2010-12-15T13:34:00.002-06:00

I liked writing the four words in the heading. My left knee has been bothering me - to the point of making running all but impossible - since April this year. December is almost gone and for the first time in months, I am able to run normally. What a relief! The knee has been getting better slowly over the last few weeks, for no apparent reason. I have been running only in Vibrams for the last 8 weeks or so, and I have been applying Capsaicin (pepper extract) to the knee regularly. Who knows - it might just be a case of the reduced running of the last few months doing the trick. Either way, it really feels good to be out there again! I might even enter a 5K one of these days just to test the waters on the racing front.

Month of soup part II

2010-12-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

Today's installment for the 'month of soup' is a Moroccan vermicelli vegetable soup from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. Nothing to it in terms of preparation - a minimum of chopping/dicing required. Plus opening a couple of cans (diced tomatoes and chickpeas). Instead of broth/stock from a jar (I like 'Better than Bouillon') I started with a vegetable broth from scratch. A large onion, a couple of carrots, some celery, half a red bell pepper, some parsley, garlic and a handful of chives from the herb garden. All that roughly chopped and into the pressure cooker with a good few black peppercorns, a bay leaf, a bit of salt and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Boiled it under high pressure for 15 minutes and then reduced it somewhat for another 20 minutes or so, before straining. Practically any homemade broth is going to improve a soup and this was no exception. It just adds another layer of flavor and depth and a bit of color.

The vermicelli (I really like the fact that it comes in a 'use it all' 5 oz package) went in just a few minutes before dinner, with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro on top. Voila - a very satisfying hearty soup loaded with nutrients with zero added fat and of course no cholesterol. The only tricky part was finding one of the ingredients - za'atar - a spice mix. It is optional and probably won't make a huge difference if omitted. Found it a our local Mediterranean/Middle Eastern emporium - Phoenicia Foods. What a place! I picked up some harissa in a tube, black beans, dried garbanzos, fresh pita bread (right off the conveyor belt out of their oven) and had to fight the urge to get some marzipan. Unfortunately this little treat has no place in my 'Bodyfat Blaster' program...

BFB Day 5

2010-12-01T21:52:00.000-06:00

It looks like the sudden rash of aerobic exercise - and more thoughtful dietary choices - are starting to pay off. Weight down to 174 this morning and bodyfat percentage nudging downward at 23.4%. No time for a run with Daisy this morning (teeth cleaning appointment at 0800A), but made up for it later with an easy 6-mile run along Buffalo Bayou.

Starting today, I'm doing a 'month of soup': for the month of December (festive events excluded...) our household will be having a different kind of soup every couple of days or so. What doesn't get eaten will go into the freezer or be given away.

Soup #1: Minestrone Soup with tiny 'meatballs' from Vegan on the Cheap. Verdict: fairly easy to make (not much prep), except for the no-meat balls but they added a nice protein punch and more flavor. The soup was delicious, with good texture and layered flavor. I made the recipe exactly as per the directions, just added a couple of tablespoons of fresh basil just before serving.

This is what it looked like:

BFB Day 4

2010-11-30T06:52:00.015-06:00

Much cooler here by yesterday morning after a cold front blew through. Made for a nice brisk 5-mile run with Daisy along the bayou - heart rate initially around 110, eventually settling around 125 to 130bpm.

By late afternoon, it was off to Rice University's Rec Center for a mix of rowing (just over 7000 meters in 20 minutes), spinning (8 miles) and a mile on the treadmill.

Finally, I joined the Houston Striders for the first Tuesday track event at Reagan High School at 7pm. Warmed up (again) as it was below 50F by then, and managed 12 X 200 meter repeats at about 10K pace, with slow 100 meter intervals.

On the cooking front, nothing very exciting so far this week except a really tasty wheat berry salad; found it on the internet - Ellie Krieger's Wheat Berry Salad. I just lightened up a bit on the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, reduced it to just 1 and added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard instead. I love the 'whole wheat' taste of wheat berries but have not found many good recipes for them. This one is definitely a keeper.

Weight down slightly again to 175 pounds; bodyfat percentage is 24.7%

BodyFat Blaster Day 3

2010-11-29T21:28:00.000-06:00

It may be too soon to tell but my weight is down to 176 this morning, hopefully the start of a downward trend! I don't think I've quite got the hang of the Accu-Measure fat measuring caliper yet; my bodyfat percentage seems to have increased slightly to 26%. For now I will ignore the discrepancy and put it down to 'no change'. According to the analysis at EXRX.net my lean bodyweight is 129 pounds and I'm lugging around a whopping 46 pounds in fat. Ouch!

No time for strength workout today, but got some running in at least. Started off this morning with an easy 5 mile run with Daisy along Buffalo Bayou. Rounded off the day with about 4 miles or so running (monthly pub run) with the Striders. Kept the beer consumption to a minimum!

Good start to Bodyfat Buster program

2010-11-28T20:48:00.002-06:00

I made a very good start to what is likely to be a 12+ week program to get my bodyfat percentage down to 12% or so. On Saturday, Kathleen and I and Daisy ran 5 miles, and 6 more miles today. I added another mile on the treadmill at Rice Rec Center as well as a total of 40 minutes on the rowing machine, about 13,000 meters or so total. And for the first time ever 3.42 miles of spinning: the 'Coastal Run' course on an Expresso spinning bike. Fun! I will definitely be doing more of that in future.

Plenty of strength training on top of that: a mix of rear deltoid and pec fly exercises, shoulder presses, lat pulls, low cable pulls, cable push downs and lower back extensions on Saturday. On Sunday, a mix of resistance band training and ab exercises including catch, reverse crunch, lying leg raises, toe touch, pullthrough, seated ab crunch, open leg balance, bike kicks, quadruped hip extensions and isometric back extensions. All while listening to Grand Funk Railroad and then Emerson Lake and Palmer. There's nothing like a musical nostalgia trip to make the muscles push through the discomfort zone. Try hard enough and you can almost pretend that you're (still) in your 20's... As if.

On the dietary front the two days were mixed, at best. On Saturday I got very close to my self-imposed 1800 calorie limited, until a late night mini-binge, coming home after a late movie. The third and final installment of the Stieg Larsson trilogy: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. What a disappointment. Boring boring, overly long, extremely wordy and totally not worth seeing. A near complete waste of 142 minutes of my life. Watching Noomi Rapace onscreen was the only redeeming feature of a complete disaster of a movie. She is really something.

Sunday was pretty good too (oats for breakfast) but lunch was a slight bump in the road. Kath and I went to Udipi Cafe on Hillcroft for their weekend buffet. Ten bucks get you a superb variety of vegetarian options including a southern Indian version of what South Africans know as 'pap': a stiff maize meal (corn) porridge, subtly flavored and studded (in this version) with nuts. Delicious! We were the only two Anglos in a room of about 25+ Indians and most of them piled their plates with large helpings of this item. Together with naan, some fried 'donuts' of sorts, various curries, salads, chutneys, masala and spring dosai, lentil soup and many others. Both of us overindulged - but hey it's a buffet. You're supposed to stuff yourself, right? I'll be good tomorrow.

Measuring fitness

2010-11-27T09:07:00.000-06:00

How do you measure fitness? Endurance, speed, marathon pace, weekly mileage, race results? As a group, runners probably don't think about this much. We are runners, ergo we are fit. We run marathons or races of some kind, which gives us a license to eat what and how much we want. Not so. There are many runners who suffer from underlying (poor) health conditions mainly because of bad dietary choices. Borderline obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, the same diseases that affect the general non-running public, can and do affect runners who do not pay enough attention to their diets.

You would think that vegetarians or vegans who exercise regularly would be even less likely to suffer from these 'couch potato' diseases. Probably so to a degree, but not entirely. Fat vegetarian is unfortunately not an oxymoron. And vegans don't all have the body composition of waif-like teenage girls. Alec Baldwin is but one high profile vegan who is rather beefy, shall we say. You only need to look around you at a vegan Meetup to realize that an ostensibly healthy diet does not translate into a trim, fit body.

So what is one to do? It would be wise to start with an annual medical checkup. This is where problem areas first identify themselves. Didn't know that you were pre-diabetic? The results of a fasting blood sugar test will make you sit up and take notice in a hurry. So would a realistic look at your blood lipid composition, cholesterol levels and many other indicators. Just as important for us older 'athletes' is a colonoscopy or at least a flexible sigmoidoscopy at age 50 or even earlier depending on whether there is a history of colon cancer in parents and siblings.

And finally, you could invest a few dollars in an inexpensive fat caliper such as the Accu-Measure, to make a really honest appraisal of how 'fit' (or fat) you are. If you are anything like the average American man or woman, your body mass index is likely too high. I know mine is because I checked it this morning. A whopping 25 percent. Which for my age is in the 'overweight' category. Yes I have some excuses, notably not being able to run as much as usual due to a balky knee, but clearly there is more to it than just the running. Despite not eating any meat or dairy products and very little extra fat, my 'calorie in' and 'calorie out' balance is not right. The remedy? Start calorie counting with immediate effect and limit my daily intake of calories to 1800 until I can get the BMI down to 12%. I will be making a few more visits to the gym as well. Starting today!

A 30+ mile week

2010-11-22T06:45:00.014-06:00

First week totalling 30+ miles since July this year! Knee still not 100% but I can detect slow improvement from week to week. I am putting it down to the combination of capcaisin three times per day and running exclusively in Vibrams. Also some foam rolling before and after most runs. Haven't tried to increase the speed yet, all miles done at a very easy 10+ minute pace. Speed can wait. Just happy to be doing some half decent mileage for a change. Hopefully it will help to whittle down the extra 10 pounds or so which I have accumulated around my waist over the last 4 months.

Next on the agenda: Talk to a trainer at Rice Rec Center and set some body fat percentage goals for the end of January 2011. Worked out at Rice for the first time last Thursday and I was impressed with the range of equipment; also the gym was not crowded at all at around 6:00PM which was surprising. Will be back there on Tuesday.

Prepared the Pinto Picadillo from Vegan on the Cheap last night. Interesting flavors but nothing like the real thing I'm afraid. It was quite nice served with brown rice; also did some baked Asian-style marinated tofu. Where do you get your protein? Pinto beans + tofu + brown rice = probably more than we needed.

Lunch yesterday with friends at Goode Company Taqueria on Kirby. Won't be going back there soon. Literally nothing on the menu suitable for a vegan, except perhaps the tortilla chips and salsa. I had to settle for a salad which despite our explicit requests to the contrary, came with pieces of hard boiled egg and feta cheese. Their beans have pork in it, the rice has chicken pieces, they do not have veggie burgers or portabella fajitas, nothing... You'd think that a restaurant owner would try to maximize his/her profits by catering to all segments of the market. Apparently not. I called them this morning and spoke to the manager; apparently they are working on their recipe for portabella fajitas.

Joining Rice Rec Center

2010-11-17T18:11:00.001-06:00

I will miss my trainer - Frank - at the Fast Results Fitness center down the road, but this is a recession. There's no way I can rationalize shelling out from $65 to $85 per 1-hr session for a Personal Trainer, compared with $25 per month to join the Rice University Rec Center, with its superb range of equipment and facilities. And should I need more help with training, a package of 20 sessions goes for $800, i.e. $40 a pop. Sounds more like it.

So as from tomorrow, it is goodbye FRT, hallo Rice. Big advantage to being a Rice employee spouse. Of course it is a longer trip to get there and back, but Kathleen and I are planning to work some gym time into our weekly running schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when we run in the midtown and Heights area. I guess we will see how it works out. It might be fun to run out there on the weekend as well. Maybe stop at Jenni's Noodle House on the way back...

Looking back on my 96 PT sessions (starting in December last year) with several personal trainers, I think the overall program was a qualified success. I'm far from buff, but not a sack of potatoes either. If it weren't for the 20 pounds or so of excess blubber around my middle (mostly) I might actually be able to locate my long lost abs. As I wrote in an earlier posting, they were last seen around 1978. Barring some major change of course, I fear they may never be found, gone forever like gas at a dollar.

Of course hope is central to the human condition. Were it not for hope, and the seemingly inextinguishable belief we all hold that tomorrow is going to be better than today, it would be very tough to face adversity and the daily blows we take to our psyche and our physical selves. So yes, even well into my middle years (pun definitely not intended) I still believe that those pesky itinerant abs are going to see the light of day again. They are there, just waiting to be re-discovered like a species once thought to be extinct. No need for an expedition into the Amazon to find them either. Just some will-power, and several more miles per week running (knee permitting) should do the trick.