Tuesday, April 30, 2013

This Old Knee

Every once in a while, a get a small pain in my knee.  It is usually because of one of three things.  Either I am overdoing it, I need new shoes, or my toenails need to be cut.   I first felt it when I was away last week. I was on the treadmill and I stopped at the first sign. I assumed it was because I was running at that time, 10 days straight in the same pair of shoes.  Usually I alternate between two pairs.  Plus it was on a treadmill. It has been nearly three years since I have ran for longer than a few days on a treadmill.

Once I got back home, I went out again. I was keeping the runs short just to get me back into the routine.  One day, I went for 4 miles rather than 3 and I felt it again.  Sometimes, I will push through it and it goes away after a few minutes.  I was still pretty tired, so that was not an option.

Last night, I changed one of my pairs of shoes. At the beginning of the run, it felt ok, then I started feeling it again.  I knew it had to be my toenails.  If they get too long, they push up again the shoe. This has happened a few times in the past year.  I cut them last night and will have to wait until I get back out there this week to see how they feel.

I am expecting everything to be great.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Yay for Watermelon

On my way home from work, I stopped by the market and saw that they had watermelons on sale for a good price.  The boys really love watermelon.  I knew they would be excited, if I picked one up.  I grabbed a big one. I gave it a big pat and could hear that it sounded hollow.  The bottom was a little yellow.  From the outside, it seemed to be great melon.

I gathered it into my crab and grabbed a melon that also looked good and was on my way home.  When I got home, I told the boys, I got a special treat at the store. This got them all wild as only little kids can do.  They started guessing and when they saw the big bag, they guessed watermelon. 

They got so excited.  Hands went up, they ran over to see it.  I cut it up and I would give it an 8 on a scale of 1-10.  The texture was great.  The flavor could be a little sweeter, but for this early in the season, it was great. 

Which foods do your kids get excited about?

Friday, April 26, 2013

Back Outside

I made it back from my trip and was still in pretty good shape.  Running on the treadmill at a 2.0 incline had no adverse effect on my running up the hills in my city.  I landed Sunday night and went out for a short 3 mile run on Monday morning.  I then took off Tuesday, followed by 4 miles on Wednesday and 3 miles tonight.

Tonight was a tough run. I was not feeling good.  A combination of the jet lag, allergies and the change in the weather is giving me a headache and runny nose.  I pushed through the run tonight. I felt very out of shape during and after my run.  It was one of those nights, I should have skipped, but the weather was perfect and I wanted to go out and enjoy. 

I grabbed the IPOD, put on one of my new favorite pod cats (The Adam and Dr. Drew Show, Remember loveline from the last 90’s?).  I listened to half of this pod cast and will finish it tomorrow either on the commute to work or on the run later that evening.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Lazy Day on the Couch

Being away from home has put in a room with a TV.  I forgot how lazy I get when there is a TV.  At home, there is always something to do.  I get home from work, then I make dinner, make lunches, do laundry, get the kids to bed, then go out for a run, eat dinner and clean up.  Then we go into the bedroom and watch something on the computer. 

Instead after working out at the hotel gym, I come up shower, make a quick meal for dinner and then hang out on the couch for a few hours channel surfing.  Just today, my last day here, I worked out and then I have been on the couch watching movies.  Just enjoying a lazy Saturday.

Does TV impact how active you are?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

13 Straight Days

I did it.  I ran on the treadmill every day of my trip.  13 days straight (one day twice).  Towards the end, I had to cut back my miles each day to about 3 because I started to get a little pain in my knee.  I was not looking for an injury. 

Mostly the last few days were more physiological than physical for going on each day.  Overall, I ran 54.2 miles in 13 days.  That is about 4.1 -4.2 miles a day on average.  This brings the total for the month to 64.2 miles over 17 days.  When I get back, it will leave me 9 days left In the month.  I should have no problem reaching 21 days and over 85 miles for the moth.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Running on the Treadmill

Running on a treadmill is hard.  I am not used to having every run timed and knowing my exact pace.  I have been trying to keep a 9 minute mile pace since that is what I am used to when I run outside. For the first few days, I used my IPOD and switched between play lists, but that stopped working for some reason. 

They have a TV and I keep closed captions on, so I can read what is happening on the TV.  But, lately I have been getting bored.  All I can do is stare at myself in the mirror or glance down to see how far I have gone.

I miss running outside.  I miss not knowing how fast I am going.  I really miss being able to speed up and slow down when I want to.  Only a few more days to go until I am back home.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Running With My Dad

This past weekend, I took a break from my training and went to visit my parents.  I have not seen them in about 6 months, since they last came and visiting me.  It was nice.  They took me out to all my old restaurants we used to go to.

The highlight was when I got to go running with my Dad.  It has been over 3 years since we last ran together.  The last time we ran, he was getting ready to train for his half marathon he ran in 2010.  We would do 5 miles in a walk run interval. 

This time we went out to do 4 miles.  My dad is recovering from runners knee, so we went a little slower.  It was nice.  He kept telling me to go ahead and run faster, but I didn’t mind. I was enjoying running with him again. Maybe one day we will do a race together.

The only thing I didn’t like was his watch.  He uses a fancy running watch that beeps when its time to walk and when its time to run.  I told him to ditch it and go by feel.  Run when his knee feels good and then walk when it doesn’t.  We’ll see if he takes my advice.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Exercise Room

I go to work out and someone is on the good treadmill.  I then go on the next one, it skips.  The one next it to does not go fast.  sigh...  I left and went upstairs and ate dinner.  I go back down about 40 mins later.  My treadmill is open.  I get on and 2 minutes later the top comes off. I try to put it back on and it happens a again. 

There were some girls in there. they told me the screws came out. I was getting upset. I needed this treadmill to work.  what did I do?  I went over to the treadmills that do not work and unscrewed two screws and put them the treadmill that works.  TADA!!!  I have four more days to work out. This treadmill better last.

I think tomorrow, I will make sure to get up and early.  For some reason, the exercise room is empty at 5:00am.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

5 miles on the treadmill

I am still having jet lag. I was up at about 3:00am this morning and tossed and turned until 4:45am.  I got up and decided to go work out.  I down there about 5:15am.  I turned on some news on the tv and turned on my IPOD. 

I had the treadmill up to 2.0 again on the incline and I had the speed up to 7.0 mph for about half the fun.  I was going to stop at 4 miles, but I kept going.  I would up doing 5 miles and averaging about 9 minute miles.
When the run was over, instead of taking the elevator up 14 flights, I walked to add a little extra to my workout.  I am going to do anywhere from 4-6 miles on each of the next few days.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Treadmill

I finally made it to the workout room.  I have been looking forward to using a treadmill again. It has been over 2 years since I have last used one.  I arrived into the hotel work out room and they had three treadmills.  One was broken, ones belt seemed messed up and one seemed just right.  The television was placed about 4 inches in front of the treadmill.  It almost seems like, they wanted to have a big flat screen tv to say they have a big flat screen tv.  Terrible location. You cannot watch it.  I wound up staring at myself in the mirror for the entire workout. 

I started at an incline of 1.0 and a speed of 6.0.  I was still recovering from jet lag and did not want to overdue it.  I did 3.5 miles and stopped. It felt good.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tragedy in Boston

What can you say.  No words can describe the tragic news out of Boston.  Latest reports are 2 dead and over 100 injured.  Very very sad.  What was supposed to be the premier running event in the country if not the world, turned out to be something else.

The explosions came around the 4:09 mark of the marathon.   I just cant imagine running and working that hard and to have something like this happen.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims tonight.  Everyone should give their loved ones an extra hug today.

Monday, April 15, 2013

I have a friend who decided to run a half marathon with minimal training.  He would over due it. He would go 10-12 miles once a week and then not run for 3 or 4 days afterward. I tried to explain to him that is not a way to train for a race.

He did not care, he wanted to finish the distance. I told him finishing is great, but it would be better to finish a shorter distance and continue to be able to run.  Sure enough, the night before his race, he slipped and hurt his leg bad enough, he needed to take a shot during the race with some kind of medicine.  During the race, he made it about 10 miles, before his legs gave out on him and he walked the rest of the way.  The following night he fractured his foot playing another sport and is not done with running. 

While the injuries did not occur during a  run, I think they occurred because his body was in a weakened stated from over doing it.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Arriving

After arriving in my apartment, I put my things and started to inspect the kitchen to see what I have to work with.  There is a microwave, stove, oven, pots but no pans.  I have a full sized fridge and freezer, coffee maker, plats, bowls, cups and silverware.  I will be able to get by. 

I was hungry when I arrived, so I set out to the grocery store, I found. I picked up some cereal and milk, pita and peanut butter, cans of tuna and some fruit.  I will do a little more shopping the next day. I just needed something to get me through the first day. 

I was disappointed when I first arrived, because I thought I would be able to pick up my access card to the workout room.  The front desk person, told me only the day shift person can handle this.  I knew with jet lag I would be up very early the first morning. (and I was, I woke up at 3:30am and could not get back to sleep).  At least he said it would be available when I got back from the office the next day.  He also told me that if I wanted my $10 card fee returned to me, I would have to turn the key on that last Friday. I was hoping to run on Saturday as my flight is not until late Saturday night.  I am sure I can work something out.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Food While Traveling

What a different a few years make since the last time I traveled.  I can remember eating the greasy food at the airport, maybe getting a fancy coffee drink and picking up some kind of sweet like a cookie.  Not this time, I came prepared. Flying is not a time I will experiment with different foods.

I kept it simple.  I took a a couple of pieces of plain pita, 2 bananas and a handful of almonds.  I ate my usual cereal and milk for breakfast, but I was hungry at the airport, I finished 1 piece of pita, 2 bananas and half of my almonds before I boarded my flight. 

I also wanted to stay hydrated before getting on the dry airplane. I drank about a liter of water before the flight and with the few cups of water they give us on the place I was ok. I also asked the flight attendant for a bottle of water, which she was happy to provide. This way I did not have to wait for water if I was thirsty.

The food on the flight was not bad. I ordered a veg lacto meal.  I was hoping for some kind of pasta dish with cheese, but I received beans, lentils and rice for lunch.  For the breakfast meal, I received a yogurt, salad and some bread and cream cheese.  They provided granola for the yogurt.  For the salad, they provided a nut mix. 

These kept me full and I was not starving after I landed. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

At the Airport

I arrived at the airport about 4.5 hours before my flight was schedule to take off!!!  My company arranged the traveling and if I changed the times and missed my flight for some reason, I would have to pay my own way to fly.  It was not worth it to me.

When I got the airport, after getting through security very quickly, I had about 3 hours to wait until boarding.  I did what any person would do if they cannot sit still. I walked for about 2 hours around the airport.  It was too bad, I walk in an out a few stores, but I felt good stretching my legs before such a long flight.

How do you get a little exercise in before a long flight?

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Before You Travel

It was good to prepare yourself before you have to travel whether for business or vacation.  With this trip coming up, I did not want to get into a situation where I put on 10 pounds from eating out every day and not being able run.

I requested a building with a workout room and when they first got back to me, they said the building did not have one and I would be eligible for 1 week free at a nearby health club.  That was unacceptable to me.  I did my own research and saw that the place I was staying does have a workout room.  I was able to arrange access to the gym.   While I am used to running outside, I am not that comfortable running in a place I am not familiar with.  Maybe after being here a few days, I will try an outdoor run.

I also have a room with a full kitchen and cooking utensils.  I spent the other day using google maps to find nearby grocery stores and other places to buy  groceries.  The google street view comes in handy to help see what the stores look like.  I found a grocery store that was about  .3 miles away.  According to their website, they have everything I am looking for and will still be open after I arrive.

How do you prepare yourself before you travel?

Monday, April 08, 2013

Black Tennis Shoes

For my upcoming business meeting, I had to go searching for some clothes to wear.  The office I currently work in is a little more casual than the home office.  I needed to find some nice pants, shirts and ties.  Thank goodness, they fit. I bought most of these a few years ago when I was at a similar weight to where I am now.  
The one thing I could not find was dress shoes. I did find my black tennis shoes that I used to mask as dress shoes.  It’s the best of both worlds if you get away with it.  The shows are very comfortable and allow me to go for a walk at lunch or to walk around the office without having my feet hurt.  I used to wear these all the time and not one of my clients that I met with face to face ever noticed.

Do you wear black tennis shoes or dress shoes?

Friday, April 05, 2013

Business Meeting



I have a business meeting coming in the future.  This means I will be traveling and staying in a hotel for an extended period of time.  I am nervous of how this will impact my weight and fitness.
I have requested to have a hotel with a fridge in the room. I also wanted a fitness room so I can work out either before or after the meetings each day.  The last request was that the hotel is walking distance to the home office where the meetings will be taking place.

My plan when I arrive is to stop by a nearby grocery store and pick up a few staples.  Things like milk, cereal, tuna, bread, cheese, fruits and vegetables.  I also plan on waking up early and hitting treadmill before going to the office each day.  This way if the day runs late or if people are going out after work, I can still be socialable but still get my workout in. 

I am not much of an explorer, but I may go back to the treadmill after work and just walk for about an hour while watching some TV.

Anyone have any tips that they have used when they needed to get away for business?

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Passover Food



We just finished celebrating Passover. When you think of Passover, I am sure the first thing that comes to your mind is Matzo.  The other interesting thing about Passover is how healthy most of the products.  For example, it’s the only time of the year I will eat potato chips.  There are only three ingredients in a bag of Passover chips; potatoes, oil and salt.  Same with kosher for Passover coke, there is no high fructose corn syrup, just plain old sugar.

It makes you think why can’t companies make these kinds of products year round?  It’s probably better, as eating potato chips about once a year is more than enough.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Mac N Cheese

I just read an article about two women who are trying to get Kraft to change their Mac N Cheese recipe.  It seems that the non US version of the product is not made with as many chemical and artificial ingredients as the US version. 

The main reason is the European Union does not allow certain chemicals to go into food products.  Instead of using a color red dye, they will use paprika extract.  Do the companies save that much money by using this fake crap?

What do you think?

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

April 1st, The New January 1st

On January 1st, how many of us set fitness or weight loss goals for the new year and then after a few weeks, we forget about it.  January is too cold to stay motivated to get out there. 

April 1st is the new January 1st.  Set new goals. The days are longer, the weather is warmer.  It is a lot more fun to go out and run in the spring than in the winter.

Here is to a new, new years resolution.

Monday, April 01, 2013

March Stats

For the month of March, I ran 86.6 miles over 20 days.  After January and February of this year, I was happy to get back to 80+ miles over 20 days.  The month started off with my 10k race and I finished strong.  I had a few 7 mile runs during the month.  I did not reach my goals, but I am still happy with my results.

My goals for April are going to be 90 miles over 21 days.  April will be interesting.  I have a business trip that will take me away for 2 weeks. I will be running those days on a treadmill.  Maybe, I will be able to go longer, but I am hoping to just out there and run at least every other day to stay fresh. 

How was your March?