Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday, (new shoes?) and Happy New Year


Ok, I'm about to head-out on my little new year's eve run. I'm so fired-up for a killer 2011. On that note (not that I need them) I'm going to buy a lighter trail shoe.

I'm thinking of trying the Montrail Masochist, the Inov-8 X-Talon 212, or the La Sportiva Crosslite.

Hmmmmm.

So, I forgot my Garmin but had the Highgear, re-set the altitude and hit the trail. Accumulated reads 2512 ft. I ran up and over Cowles Mt., then ran and summitted Pyles Peak, returned, then hit a single-track that goes down towards Santee, and then back up to finish back to the car. My lungs are toast. I found snot where snot should not be allowed.

Mileage was ~10 miles.

Looking at the backside of Cowles, on my way to Pyles.


Getting closer to Pyles, looking back, Cowles in the distance.


On top of Pyles. There's the trail going back.


Yum.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Late Wednesday

Full day of skiing. Wet conditions, meaning a frozen rain that just wet everything. Like a baby.
Never been in those conditions. Haven't skied too much southern California, but it's probably typical. Got in some nice runs solo, with wife after a beer break (terrific draft selection: I had a PBR).

But the best part is watching the 6 soon to be 7 year old learn how to negotiate the snow. The mountain has a GREAT children's program. Jack is loving the snow board (I hear you if that's not old school enough, but he it's too fitting) and he gets to hang with a bunch of other kids and get schooled by a cool young instructor.

Lots of ale.

Wednesday

Fresh snow is falling outside the window right now. Full day of skiing on tap, then one tomorrow.
Glad I'm not super gung-ho on skiing (though I do enjoy it a lot): $$$$.

Yesterday I ran 2 miles. Yip. De. Doo.
This morning I ran 5 miles in the hotel gym.
Now coffee.
An hour or so, we'll be skiing.

Yesterday was a beautifully sunny half-day on the slopes.
Tomorrow's forecast: sunny.

Fresh snow sandwiched between. Very grateful for all that I have and get to do.

Keep running!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Monday

Hit Cowles Mountain with the new Garmin. Ran up the backside, up and over, down to the base of Pyles Peak and back. Only 6 miles with 1500ft. of climbing (some very steep - which I worked-on). First real vertical in awhile and felt good. But I've been running basically everyday for a while. The run took me just over an hour. Might do this 3-4 times. Get my up and down work. Weather was terrific.

Heading to the local mountains tomorrow for some skiing, back on Thursday.

Keep running!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday

8 solid miles on the rain soaked streets of San Diego. That may be it for today. We'll see. Off to some family event then I'm up against beer:30.

With a down week in terms of mileage, I'm jazzed because the efforts are much better, stronger (and easier). I'll get in two solid efforts Monday and Tuesday before heading to the mountains for a few days.

Let's. Get. It. On.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Drinking an ice cold ipa

And thinking about how this is a great time of year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are fun traditions that basically revolve around giving, gratitude and good eats and drinks. Can family be nuts and even toxic? You bet. Mine is nuclear. The heart of my family passed away in 1999. The place is a catastrophe in her wake. Disaster. I may add to that in my own inability to handle my share. Where was I supposed to learn how to do that? Well, I try. Raising my own family is my goal. This has been a great little Christmas.

But as of right now, Christmas night, the next week is freaking cool. Kids are out of school, which means I am too (after all, I'm proudly the biggest kid of all), my wife is taking the week off, we're heading to the mountains for a couple of days of skiing, then back in town for more. . .running and gunning (whatever that means), then New Years, which isn't necessarily my favorite "holiday," but has meaning in that it marks the beginning of the end, the end, and then a new beginning of sorts.

The header pic is from Lucho. I'm pretty sure it's a sunrise (geez, I hope it is for the sake of this riff). This is meaningful. I am coming-up on a new year of running, some races early-on, a big adventure run with a friend and who the fuck knows what happens after that. I'm pumped for some good things running, working, and family - wise.

And I'm starting the post Christmas week off with some freaking cold ipa. Love this!

Saturday

Thought I might get some "volume" today and yesterday. Oh well. I'm still happy to get out and run just about everyday.

A very nice 6 mile spin around noon, sun breaking through, with a fairly empty stomach. Woke-up to a cinnamon roll and coffee (with a little Bailey's ;). But again, felt great to get out and sweat.

Just had some leftovers and am now enjoying a 22oz Hop Stoopid. This is great beer. While I'm on the subject, I got a case of IPA for Christmas. I knew it. Santa's all hopped up.

More Soft Rock

Merry Christmas!

I hope these bring you some warm and fuzzy feelings. . . beyond what Santa left under the tree. Having studied Afro-cuban percussion for years and sat-in on some pretty nice gigs, I do appreciate fine jazz, soul, afro-cuban groove, etc. But the childhood roots are strong.

Here's a classic afro-cuban groove typical of what "we" liked to play.


The lyrics, the trumpet solo, background singers. Major nostalgia...


Chicago. This one is super duper cheese from one killer band.


A little more groove.


Yeah!


Soft Rock Rules. Yeah, I said it.


Back to reality.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Friday

8 miles, over 1200 ft. of climbing and just as I got back to the house I gagged on a bunch of snot. Beautiful. Now I'm dazed and confused, sitting here with the smells of my wife's cooking, watching one of those retro Christmas claymation trippers, drinking a beer.

A friend of mine and I have been "almost" joking around about soft rock. If you're age appropriate, you remember this genre. The lyrics and the instrumentals are so cheesy they're authentic. I'm guilty of a little nostalgia with respect to listening and even enjoying some of these tracks. I think of the beach, summer time, soccer games, sitting in the back of a station wagon, my parents fighting. . . great memories. Kind of tugs at me.

Here's a classic.


Here's what I'm listening to now.


These guys usually make a playlist.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thursday

8 miles that included all kinds of pace. It was a progression run. I feel pretty damn good.
The next couple of days (Xmas eve and Xmas) should be a little volume. That will help limit the damage from holiday food and ale.

Plus I lost 10lbs without even realizing it. That's just consistent running and a predominantly vegetarian diet.

And GZ says he's running Mission Gorge. That would be a great way to start 2011.

Tonight, we're off to The Grinch at The Old Globe Theater. Last year was sensational.
Now it's a tradition.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Tuesday and Wednesday

5 miles each day but they were about as different as I could imagine.

Tuesday was a 5 because I just wasn't feeling it. I have a lot going on right now, kinda fighting the muck of allergies, had a physical, kid's dentist appt., kung-fu lessons. It was a weak 5 miles.

Wednesday I took off and did 5 miles, pushed the pace, had a ton of energy, felt great.

I am sure the break in the rain has a lot to do with my energy. For whatever reasons.
Pumped for the rest of the week, Christmas, some sunshine and some solid work-outs.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday

7 glorious miles this am. I had a lot of energy and just felt good. The rains looks to break in a couple of days so I want to be ready to get out and have some fun.

Courtesy of Darren Rovell of CNBC, a sellout crowd in the NFL buys about 50,000 beers at a game. No beer tonight @ TCF. Obviously the game can't be played at the Vikings' arena, so they are playing at the University of Minn. home field. No beer? Ouch on several fronts.

Macca is a beauty. Here's some footage I guess NBC didn't use during its telecast last Saturday.
A little more about the Macca/Crowie rivalry.




Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Weekend and Discourse

The week ended with a whimper running-wise. I did 5 easy miles on Saturday in the a.m. and the rest of the weekend was pretty packed with activities. I could have definitely done some work, but the family time/seasonal vibe and the general tiredness said, don't worry about it. I really am tired, which might be from the traces of a virus that seems to be going around (at least in my little cabin). Plus I just finished some pretty stiff drugs taken for the work done on my neck. Sounds crazy.

I got a very measly 43 miles on the week. I wouldn't even publish the number but for a tale of the numbers for the coming weeks and months.

There's been a pretty soft discussion going on over on Zack's and one of his buddy's blogs.

It's basically an exchange where all of the other participants really only have their own views from which to exchange. This is understandable, I guess. To each his own. But when the issue and ideology are inseparable, the discussion can sink quickly if there is zero common ground. All that's left are the bubbles (narrow-minded discharges) that superficially go pop. From my experience, the best discussions are those in which people can (even for a second) try to understand another person's view(s), which includes background/history/values/circumstances; to put it another way, some of these topics, believe it or not, are a little more complicated when one considers how the issue might affect others who are not like him or her.

Sticking with the metaphor, what could be a real treasure of an exchange plunges to the bottom of the proverbial sea. For me, in the end, it's like watching guys drown in their inability to see the issue past their own position (their own nose as the saying goes), beyond the world they live in. And since this is a world with many different people, living in many different circumstances with different kinds of backgrounds and education, who are becoming more and more connected through a variety of ways. . .well, the absolutism with which one speaks on such a controversial issue (and this one is definitely controversial) is pretty shallow. It's closed-to-outsiders; it's a kind of club where they all remind each other of how great their views are and anyone else is wrong and doesn't belong. It's weak. Their argument is nothing new; it's evidence of what some call exceptionalism.

I am not necessarily calling their position ridiculous; but instead their approach to the discussion lacks effort, which lacks context and perspective and therefore credibility (which is important if you want it to stand outside the "club"). This is why liberals and conservatives are at such odds. They have so much difficulty seeing some merit in the other's position.

So, you would think that on a blog somewhere where there is generally a ton of perspective accompanied by evidence of solid values, that this would be a place for healthy exchange.

Here's what's going on (and I will make this as short as possible):

Someone is suing McDonald's for its unfair marketing strategies (using toys to entice children).

Some people think this is a ridiculous claim. On the surface, even I agree. Parents need to demonstrate more control over their children.

Taken out of context (in other words, read in a vacuum), this claim reeks of irresponsibility and character; and someone hired a lawyer to go after a company for essentially interfering with the parenting of his/her children? What the fuck. Here's some business trying to market and sell its product in a seemingly acceptable way (billboards, TV, the internet, radio, etc); and someone can't seem to control his/her child (which is a way around saying him/herself) in light of this marketing? It's becoming a problem, affecting the child's health, behaviors, values; therefore, let's sue the company? That does sound a little odd.

If you asked even a six-year-old, the child would say that doesn't seem right.

The only problem with this being a break-away slam-dunk is, well, a lot of things. And I can only summarize these points because, to me, some of them are so obvious. And secondly, I'm not going to spend too much more time on an argument that I know will go no where in trying to move the aforementioned audience. Anyone else reading, who wants to research for a better understanding, go for it.

1) the gentlemen I had this brief discussion with say that the lawsuit is stupid. It has no merit. The claimant and her case lack any responsibility, etc. (what I just said above about a superficial understanding of the issue). Their point is that parents anywhere and everywhere are responsible for their children. Just say no. What's wrong with these parents?

I don't know the background of all of the guys who share this view, but I think they should have considered that not everyone has the same background, set of circumstances, values and education as they. Their education and histories might put them in a position to easily limit the influence of some company like McDonalds. Is it inherent in being a human being that one can easily negotiate in and around this influence? Again, I don't know these guys' backgrounds. If I did, my case would be easier to make. But there are people in this country who are brought-up in so many different ways, with different views. There are people struggling in so many different ways. There a people who culturally (in certain parts of this country) do not necessarily value a "healthy" lifestyle. That's how they were brought-up. It's not necessarily their fault. Certain parts of this country support/encourage an unhealthy lifestyle. Period. Should I assume that these gentlemen have the same kinds of views toward religion? People in many many cases do not choose how they are brought-up to view the world.

Some people are from very disfunctional families. Maybe there's only one parent, extreme poverty, a genuine lack of education with a subsequent value system that promotes a certain lifestyle or discourages the discernment that others have. Are you really ready to say it is their fault for having those histories? Can you call them "stupid" for not having the means to make the same decisions as you?

People are different. To lump your values on everyone else is, well, pretty laughable. Really? This is an holier-than-thou kind of attitude. It's troubling. It's condescending.

Note: I haven't said a word about the power of the marketing.
Just because the marketing doesn't work on you, do not think therefore it should not work on some one else WHO IS DIFFERENT FROM YOU. Jesus.

2) There were some classic "comparisons" to the woman's complaint about the restaurant using a toy. These were in response to my suggesting she might have a case. One said it's like a mountain race using a mountain, or a restaurant using crayons, or like a jewelry store that sells expensive jewelry. Thought this was obvious, but the big problem with McD's and the rest of the fast food industry is that people are developing some pretty serious health issues because of the product. To clarify, there is a correlation being made by people like the Center for Disease Control between fast food and obesity and other deadly conditions. It doesn't matter if you think that claim is bogus. It's become common knowledge. The problem people have (the woman is not alone here) is that the toys entice kids to want to go to that restaurant (probably not even for the food at all) for the toy. Of course, they eat the food.

McDonald's is the largest toy distributor in the world. More than all the stores you're thinking about right now. Look it up. So, all those toys. All those grams of fat. That connection has posed a problem for many people. This is not commentary. I am summarizing. Those are the facts.

If you are having to pay on those medical costs brought to you by the fast food industry, are you still okay with the business going about its business? You probably are.

I guess cigarette advertising is okay? I'm sure, according to you, it is. Holy shit.
This is just the surface math. On to #3.

3) Here's a quote: "I'm not going to talk about any peripheral issues here, because they are irrelevant, such as: where McDonald's makes the toys, how much the workers are paid, whether you think their food is healthy, and what its other policies are. People might not like those policies, or other things McDonald's does, but they have absolutely no bearing on the issue at hand."

That's another way of saying, I want to ignore these other areas because they might (DO) complicate this issue. Really? Irrelevant? That's like me saying I want to talk about the great moral leadership of the Catholic church but I am going to ignore all of the "peripheral issues." Yes, it's the same. Unbelievable. Many have chronicled the various abuses and unethical business practices of McDonalds. This is terribly relevant because many groups, cities and countries have already acted to ban or prohibit McDonalds from doing business. Read a book, google it, ask someone. It's common knowledge. And when there already exists that kind of awareness of the nature of that business (McDonalds), how can it not be relevant? What judge ignores claims against McDonalds at this point?

And you wonder why people still eat there in such numbers? Read #1.

No need to go into this other than to say that several European countries have banned the restaurant or its advertising (especially as it relates to children: see Sweden among others), and the cities of Santa Clara and San Francisco (a fairly large American city) have banned the Happy Meal because of the use of the toy to market that product. Some one criticized this point, saying, "I don't find the fact that San Francisco and Santa Clara have banned Happy Meals to be particularly convincing - it is not hard to find examples of government stupidity and over-reach, particularly at the municipal level." That's not convincing? An individual is suing McDonalds for the use of a toy in its marketing to children; and 2 cities have banned the Happy Meal because of the toy. Fine if you think that is "government stupidity," but it's just sorta sound reasoning to call what those cities did precedent. And sure, suppose the lady loses her case. That does not dismiss that she has a case. To dismiss it entirely? Not enough oxygen, fellas.

Another great quote: "The issue at hand is that of a principle: the inalienable right of an individual or company to engage in a peaceful, non-fraudulent activity; a right that -- unfortunately -- few governments and citizens properly acknowledge."

Back to what has been chronicled at length about McDonalds (and many American companies/industries that flourish under corporate law), to call its business practice here and all over the world "peaceful" is foolish. These statements work in a tree house during a club meeting, but in the big world where people who really care about these issues do a little reading, exploring what is really going on, they are simply uninformed and immoral if you really want to get down.

4) I only have one link in this piece and I could have several. This is the foundation of what is unethical about some of American business. If anyone is really interested, and wants to understand more the history of the corporation, one might see that these are not necessarily benign entities innocently selling their products.

It's more complicated than that. This is not Leave it to Beaver. Open both eyes.

In conclusion, the woman's case seems a little far-fetched on the surface; in the end, it's not.
And I have no trouble acknowledging the complexities in this case. I wish we all had this dialectic approach.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Friday

Another touchdown! 7 more miles. But unlike the rest of this week, I got to push things a little. In other words, instead of HR 132, I might have hit 145. I know, huge. Felt stronger for sure.

What does the weekend have in store?

I have 38 miles on the week. Really can't feel them at all.
The easy miles do that sort of thing. But, hey, they count.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday

7 miles, again, very ez. Still cleaning-out the pipes. But I feel like I'm getting some work done. Weather for the weekend doesn't look hike/trail friendly so I might be indoors putting one foot in front of the other.

I have family members who no longer celebrate Christmas. Here's the problem with that. First, why do you not acknowledge this particular holiday? Because you practice a different faith? If that's the case, you better be really really strict with regards to ALL tenets of your new faith. Slacking-off and enjoying what other Christians and non-Christians do year-round who still celebrate Christ's B-day and/or the red and green holiday of giving and lots of good food and spirits, only to "stick it to us/them" come December, well, that's chicken shit. It says a lot more than "I am of this other faith and by God I will not observe the Christmas holiday, which is a scam." Seriously?

There are so many reasons for families to congregate this time of year. Traditions, exchange of gifts, travel, spending time with family and friends, faith, and oh yeah, THE CHILDREN. If you have kids, especially little ones, they love this time of year. Sure, the cynic says, "they've been conditioned, even brain-washed." That cynic is some sort of "liberal" who has no soul. Fine, tone down the gifts for yourself and others, you jackass; ease-up on the eggnog. But embrace the innocence you once had before you flushed it down the toilet (or legitimately began observing another religion/faith).

The season gives us an opportunity to recognize good traditions (family gatherings/church/gifts) and themes (generosity and gratitude and family). It can be fun. Can it be stressful with so much emphasis on gifts and decorations? Sure. So tone it down. If you're that faithful to another spirituality, fine. But you better watch-out. . . because for those of you (especially in my family) who have gone cold-turkey on the Christmas season: I will be watching you the rest of the year, sure to interrogate the inconsistency of your new found "purity." Jehovah will be watching too.

Another sick video from that Danny MacAkill cat:

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Wednesday


7 miles very ez. Not feeling 100%. But it felt good to put one foot in front of the other.

I will get my Garmin dialed in for this weekend and actually transport both the High Gear and the Garmin. Compare notes. The High Gear, though I thought might have a bad sensor, has spit-out some accurate numbers as of late. When I was in the back country here in SD, the elevation was reading ~4500ft where we ran (which is accurate) and the accumulated read 1600+ft. A friend of mine said, nahhh. His Garmin I think read 900 something, but he later confirmed my data was correct. Good news! And sure there was a lot of descent that day, but we did some nice rolling sections with killer, runnable climbs.

Back to finish my thought on not feeling 100%, I think I'll do some hiking this weekend. Work-on some steady climbing and lovely descending which means basically falling down the mountain. I love descending so long as it's not too steep for too long.

There was a Rick sighting. Very nice to see.

As for my last line, "I hate wealth," it's a disease that Americans especially have. I will continue to define it. Sure it's close to greed, but is more insidious. Aggregating some useful content will do a fine job of paining this picture of which I speak. Everything from numerous credible articles, to videos, graphs, images and my own priceless commentary that I hope only sharpens its Wolverine claw-like apparatus with which I hope to completely annihilate each and every one of the scum bags who feed and nurture their pet snake (the name is wealth), who come into contact. . . with me.

And sure you have to start at the top, which makes my "mission" practically impossible and much more of a rant. I want this mission to be much more than that. It has to have sophistication or I have failed.

A note on the top: Every republican (rich person) I know really can't say a damn thing about the President because the guy just cut a deal to continue cutting taxes for them (the rich). Perhaps he's seeing if the right has a better solution to this economic crisis, or he's doing something strategic for his own agenda. Who the F knows.

"A veteran House Democrat said Wednesday that President Barack Obama is trying to drum up support for his tax cut package by warning lawmakers that failing to pass the deal would be "the end of his presidency."

Read more


The only reason I'm writing about this is that, again, I am on a mission to revive the middle class. It's in the works.

Other missions:
1) run, my friend
2) travel to Europe and attend a top-notch friendly with Rick
3) go to Colorado in the summer and run for beer with friends
4) start a business that's human and environment-friendly

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tuesday and I'm rambling

5 easy miles. Pretty tired, lethargic. The 12 miles yesterday beat me up a little even though they were EZ, I guess. 5 was fine in that I want to get some quality tomorrow. We'll see.

I love that Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies. That along with the Jeter negotiations speak volumes about the state of the Yanks.

I hope a few members of the Jets' coaching staff lose their jobs. That team is circling the drain. Sure they could rise-up and make a run, but it looks like karma is once again rearing its head. Too much talk going in.

I watched part of a Premier league game between Chelsea and Tottham. A Brazilian on Tottham went down and did the typical writhing-in-pain routine. I have no idea if leagues are implementing rules to deal with these pathetic thespians, but this guy (I watched closely) revealed the anatomy of his lie as his hurt knee became his shin, became his ankle or foot (who knows). The camera started to cut back and forth from personnel on the sideline who began to gather the stretcher and probably a first-aid kit of some kind to the thespian, pounding the ground to express his pain, twisting, showing-off his teeth. Someone had already been dispatched to the fallen Brazilian who you knew wasn't that hurt (I played the sport, but anyone should be able to discern a "real" threatening tackle, etc., from a "glance" or non-threatening one); then he started to get up, but this guy was really playing it out. He was really milking this one; it's such a piece of shit, that strategy (make no mistake, it is a strategy).

Suddenly another player was getting warm, getting instructions from the coach. They were going to replace the "injured" player! This was good. Back to the action on the field, the stretcher was no where to be found. The fallen Brazilian was being helped up, and being escorted. Maybe he really was hurt (I wasn't falling for it; and I wasn't buying the new rule theory either. This guy was just plain narcissistic).

And the replacement started toward the field: Yes!

And the injured Brazilian started to walk and then jog back toward the pitch: Piece of shit!

So what happened? The manager who was helping the Brazilian nudged him toward the bench (you're done), and the look on the player's face said he was upset that he'd been pulled, grimacing as he jogged back to the bench.

That along with Chelsea's big stud, Drogba, missing a penalty kick made the whole affair pretty embarrassing. The sport is no fun. Americans don't like it because it's marred by too much finesse. What's too much finesse? Soft. Of course, we have other words for too much finesse, but need less to say, the sport is "out of our league." And despite being a former player and now getting my son involved, I concur with the majority of Americans. It's a bad show.

Enough sports talk. I hope to start railing against American wealth once I can wrap my brain around a good conceptual approach to my fight against an immorality that plagues this country (world for that matter).

I want to start a campaign: Run for the middle-class (and working class, too). But the middle-class is so critical to the perceived and real definition of this country, of democracy. That is going to be a monster to get off my chest.

I hate wealth.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Monday

12 miles. Getting back to normal.

1) Flat and broken into a couple of runs; I took advantage of some time. Went very very easy. Feel pretty good. Still cleaning-out phlegm. Phuck flegm. Today I equaled my mileage of all last week. Redemption? Maybe. A lot of easy miles this week (as many as I can manage).

2) I am slamming a PBR and then having a couple of Drakes' IPA. I had one of Drake's beers last week on draft, a very big ale that was pretty damn good. I give the nod to Cali ale, so I picked-up a 6er of the ipa.

3) When I was checking-out, I asked the guy why Green Flash had gone from 6 beers for $10+ to 4 beers for $10+. He very matter of factly said they had to. To paraphrase: their prices went up. There's a shortage of hops. Other beers' (he gave a nod to my 6er of Drakes) prices will probably be going up soon.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Update: Not too thrilled with the Drake's IPA. Ipa requires big hops and "finesse." There are so many grade B Ipas that taste less than mediocre. On the other hand, there are too many grade A Ipas to make that mistake (of grabbing a B).
So much for experimentation. It's back to the staples. Sorry, not-on-the-list-American-"IPA."

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Uhhhhhhhhhg

About 12 miles on the week.

Had a cyst/infected hair follicle removed from my neck Wednesday after a nice 7 mile run. The run felt great, especially after a couple of days off. After the run, off to the doctor. She numbs me up and then puts a couple of BIG needles in it and basically squeezes a bunch of stinky cottage cheese out of it for about 20 minutes (I think she should have lanced it).

Now I am on two big antibiotics, one for staph infection, just in case. These are DRUGS, so yes I'm doping.

But anyways, I go to bed that night feeling like shit and wake-up with yellow phlem in my chest. I did not have a chest cold. Big WTF.

So I took Thurs - Sat off just to rest and dress my neck wound and sit there and say WTF about this crap in my lungs. Errrrr.

Today, I said fuck it and hiked up Cowles mountain, jogging gently on the flats and downs. About 5 miles and 1000 ft. vert on the money. Had to stop and cough some shit up at one point, but that was it.

I feel much better now. So, week off. Back on the train!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

2011

Who wants a jinx? Not me.

But 2011 is going to KICK ASS. I am so fired-up. Hungry. Thirsty.
If you want to run, drop me a freakin' line.

Let's get it on.

This week I'm 0-2 because of work and today I was looking for a doctor to cut on me.

I will get 60-65 this week.

BUILD.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday

Watching a (hopefully) good game here on MNF. The San Diego Chargers' unfortunate history of futility continues, but I am a huge fan of good sport so having to go else where for great football isn't much of a stretch; in other words, with the feet up, a few cold beers on the take I'm recovering quite well.

Yesterday was my birthday and I went big (for me). I headed out to a section of the PCT with a few ultra folk. Toby, Mike and Sarah were solid running mates; I very much enjoyed my Bday on the trails and a few beers afterwards at Alpine Brewery.

The weekly mileage went like this: 5, 11, 6, 10, 6, 6, 16. I actually thought 62 was in the bag before the Sunday run as I anticipated 18, but it turned-out to be 16+. All in all, a solid week.

Today is strictly recovery. A few beers, a ton of left-over food and I'm going to actually stretch my ass. Literally.

The run turned-out to be 1600ft. vert and over 4000ft. of drop. It's a section of the San Diego area PCT that Toby and Mike hadn't completed, so that was the rationale. I loved it. We were able to run or asses off. Basically it was a very rolling course with some big drops and with the overgrowth (of cactus, etc.) and very rocky trail, there were some really technical sections. Again. Loved it.





Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday - 6 miles MAF

Thursday - 10 miles MAF

Week end I will post a wrap on the week and discourse my old school stuff.
These runs feel so good.

So far 5, 11, 6, 10 . . .

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tuesday

5 miles easy in the a.m.
6 miles easy in the p.m.

My allergies are definitely "in the house" or it's moving toward a sinus dilemma.
So I am going to start running easy, often and longer. I have been running a lot of steady efforts for the past month or so. At this point I am going to back off, do a little HR training and try to run more.

Remind me to keep hiking!

11 miles on the day.

I want 60 this week. All easy.

Like GZ just said (per my previous post), sneak-in a.m. runs.
Thanks, dude. You're exactly right.

I am psyched for some bigger mileage at fat burner efforts.
Cuz I can always lose a few LBS.

Speaking of, went to a little fundraiser tonight for my kid's school.

Had a couple of drafts: Ruination and Lucky Bastard.
I'm stoned!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Monday

I hope everyone had a killer Thanksgiving (the holiday where Native Americans generously gave whitey the bird).

This pic here is pretty clear. I ate meat, but did so with a grain or two of IPA.

Last week was big for me, just going in. I wanted (and talked about) a big week run-wise. I went on the road for Thanksgiving and the Palm Springs area does have some off-road running and some vertical. I was hoping to get in some solid running in the SD area upon our return. I wanted to get some work done!

Final grade: B

Mon - 5 miles
Tues - 6
Wed - 6
Thurs - 8
Fri - 15
Sat - 5
Sun - 9

I get a B mainly because Saturday or Sunday was supposed to be ~12 miles, 3k vert here in the local mountains. Oh well. I had no conception of mileage going in; rather a few quality runs I wanted to get done. 54 miles is good and I want more and need more. I need to train like I am going looooong. More on that in about a month or so. Until then, run for 17 - 25k hilly trail races.

Some pics


A little system moving out on the afternoon we arrived.


The next morning, from the car heading to the trail head. Clear skies.
Thankful.


Going up








_______________________

Monday - 5 solid miles bumping some sweet tunes in the cold Cali afternoon air.

A little recovery:

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Wednesday - Friday


Didn't make the hike yesterday. I was playing it safe because of the little stuffiness coming on that generally makes the entire breathing apparatus disfunctional.

This a.m. I did 6 miles and felt good, really good. I am really keeping the preventative meds going strong, sleeping well, yada yada. That's all for the day. We head down today and I will be doing a face-plant off of the vegetarian bandwagon as I hit draft beers and killer tacos at the greatest taco shop in the world (father-in-law owned). Bring it! I will definitely have pictures.

And then there's Matt v. Turkey. But that's the undercard; the vegetables had better watch their backs! The father-in-law and the wife will be cooking hard. Can't wait. I'm thinking a very aggressive IPA.

Tomorrow begins the quality runs. I have an 8 miler into the mountains that collide with the valley I've done part of before. Steep climb out, levels off, great views (of the valley??) and then a descent I have you to do. It's an 8 mile loop with probably about 1500-2000ft. of vert. I hope to do that Thursday and Friday just because of its proximity to where we are staying.

Friday afternoon and Saturday look to be pretty good too but I'm not sure yet. Bottomline: stay out front of the gnarly phlegm. That's my motto!

I am SOOO Thankful for my health and the chance to spend some quality time with the family. Cheers to all of that goodness.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Tuesday

a.m. 6 miles easy. The stuffiness is there, it's just that I already have the meds to keep at bay the stuffiness.

Taking the boy to work today. Should be interesting.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Monday

Felt pretty blahhh today. My son is off all week so my wife and I split the duties. Went to the gym with him this afternoon. Did 6 miles easy and some core work. Very low energy. Oh, and I got a hair cut, which is like speed-work, no?

When I was in grade school (and doing hill repeats both ways in the snow) we went to school M-W and then had Th-F off. Now they get the entire week off. Damn. Generalizations are a bad habit but Americans are a lazy bunch, wouldn't you say?

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sunday Recovery

My wife has been cooking a bit and my father-in-law who is Eastern European came into town with some of his classics (but most of it is gone so no pics).

Here are some pics.
Sweet potatoes and shallots on top of a red cabbage/green onion salad both of which are next to my wife's chicken noodle soup. It contains organic chicken and yes we ate chicken and yes it was yummy. There are egg noodles in there with a lot of carrots, shallots, celery and herbs. Just plain good.


Here's another chicken noodle soup, but this one has orzo and is tomato based. The orzo seems to be dominating the pic but underneath is a lot of veggie goodness.

Below is my father-in-law's peppers. He grows them, knows where to buy them (he owns theeee most ridiculous taco shop in the world. . . I know pretty sensational, but I'll tell you what: I'll post pictures next week to prove it - at least the look of world classness). These peppers are usually either eaten solo, or put on some fresh baguette with a little feta cheese, or however you want. They're the shit.



Last but not least. Karmeliet Tripel. Beautiful flavor which you may know is basically that spicy Belgian yeast. The carbonation is really nice and the pear and apple hints make this so world class, especially with homemade food! At about $10 a bottle, I can share it and/or enjoy it myself ;) Beats the CRAP out of some domestic IPA with well-groomed side-burns. The Karemiet is about 8.4%. But you don't taste it. It's near the top. It's the kind of beer you bring to a wine party though it dominates any soccer/cyclocross/rugby affair as well. I'm quaffing as I write this blahg post.

Sunday

More rain though unlike Saturday there are bigger breaks between "buckets." I slept-in until ~8:00 and then we went to breakfast per my wife's request. Fortunately, the place has a healthy eating conscience so the food is better than, say, KFC. I wolfed down a stack of blackberry pancakes and a pile of rosemary taters, plus a few scoops of egg-whites. So good and I did not feel stuffed. Hmmmmm. Kinda odd given that I ate about 3 bowls of my wife's soup the night before.

After sitting on the couch, reading and watching a little bit of football, I headed to the gym again. I wanted to do 6 miles and some lifting but ended-up with 5 miles and some lifting. I am good with it though because I am feeling better (context of a throat sensation) and the lifting just feels quality. If I could've done some steadier stuff on the mill, I would've done 6-7 miles, but I wanted to keep the HR in check.

Big week coming-up. I want to basically be blogging next Sunday night with a lot of work on the trail in the books. I am running some gnarly trails in the Palm Springs area this week and when I return I want to hit some local stuff pretty hard. Iron Mountain is the actual target. This week was very easy, too easy though no worries so long as I kill it this next week. Hopefully I keep this blog updated. I need to start focusing a little more so I can dial-in some of these events in Jan - March.

Some supreme recovery is going on, actually as I write this.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Saturday

We are getting some solid rain in San Diego. I love it.

This morning was the final game of my son's first season of soccer/futbol.
The experience has been a massive success. He has begun to learn the secret of the game:
keep the ball in front of you (and use both feet).

He scored two beautiful goals today (the game is 8 on 8 with goalies). His grandparents were in attendance, the rain is going sideways, truly classic conditions and the kid was blowing-up.

After the game, we went home for dry clothes, hit some breakfast, and returned to the field for an awards ceremony that had been canceled. So, we head back towards home, stop-by the store for some soup ingredients and are now sitting in a nice warm room cooking and playing games.

I thought about hitting the gym (tickle in the throat is still there). But then I thought, why? Why not open a Racer 5, get ready to inhale homemade soup and hang with my lovely family?

The tipping-point was walking into the kitchen after returning from the store and my wife says, "make me a martini." Pretty unusual yet impressive.

Cheers.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Friday


A very busy week on the work front and I still have A LOT of work to do before Thanksgiving break (did I read somewhere that some people have to refrain from saying "Thanksgiving" for reasons we don't need to go into other than to say some jackasses need to get lives and either get the hell outa here or shut the fuck up).

Speaking of, I am SO GRATEFUL to have work that I truly enjoy. Just a few more days to get through this "pile."

I have little tickle in my throat. Perhaps a few late nights working did it, or maybe that I didn't run for 2 days? I'm not sure. Today I went to the gym and ran 5 easy miles, did some squats, a little core work and light lifting.

I'll get some rest and hopefully get in some nice running this weekend. Goal: get right for the couple of days in the desert that will yield some solid trail climbing and then we're home for the weekend. I'm getting hungrier and, of course, I'm always primed for a drink:

A little note on the beers above. We have a couple of Belgians that ran me about $9 a pop. My wife requested the Duvel, so who am I to say no. The Karmeliet is highly recommended. I've had Karmeliet. Highly recommended.

The other two gems? Pliny is $4.99 and Racer 5 is $4.50. Not an extreme budget.
Compare nicely to some of the over-priced local micro beers we have here in SD.

I've been talking about a bargain (good) beer post for awhile. I need an itinerary and a crew.

Here's to a killer, productive weekend!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Tuesday

Took Monday off. Slammed at work and Sunday was about 2 1/2 hours and 11+ miles of steady running and hiking Cowles Mt. The mountain in the afternoon kicked my ass.

Today, despite the fact that I actually sat there contemplating my morning run (should I head to work early and get work done?), I ended-up with a nice little work-out. Nothing planned but ended-up about 3 miles warm-up and then about 2 miles of hills that basically consisted of attacking, recovering for 10-20 seconds, attacking, rolling and cooled down for about a mile. ~6 miles 50 minutes.

Felt so good afterward (actually I felt slow but energized) that I ended-up hitting my little beer boutique down in Ocean Beach. I'll post a pic soon, for the record.

I need those kinds of runs. Quality. Doing those hard hills I know pays huge dividends. In my one year of legitimate racing (meaning I entered a few races - 2008), I hooked up with Trevor Glavin. He coached me at the end of the year through The World of Hurt 25k (3000ft.vert) outside Vegas and the 25k in Hawaii. I was pretty healthy in Vegas coming off some solid training with weekly (double?) doses of the Caveman workout. It's basically HARD hill repeats with tempo efforts mixed-in. I remember reeling people in at the end of the race. 100 milers in the mountains? Different story.

So today's morning run was good. It worked-out perfectly, a text-book work-out for some up-coming hilly trail running.

Then, tonight I actually got in another 4 miles. My son started his kick-boxing/sparring class since he got his yellow sash/belt. The class is an hour long, so I ran for about 34 minutes in the dark. I smelled, but felt pretty good afterward. Like I said Sunday, time to ramp things up a bit. Did not plan on getting-in the work today. Psyched.

And I love the fact that I'm a week away from being through a tough go at work, and off to the desert for Thanksgiving. Nice trails down there, nice weather.

Tuesday: 10 miles

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Pumpkin Tacos


Wife got the recipe from Sunset Magazine. They're very tasty and the texture with the slaw makes it a very satisfying meal. We're going to make them again, but are bumping up the amount and heat of the peppers. Great for left overs/snacks. Try them!

The Double Bastard was big. Definitely not a beer I'm swilling. A good one to sip with some good fall flavors, like pumpkin and roasted peppers. Definitely my favorite time of year.



Hydration nudge: go drink a pint of ale.

Some pics of my Sunday recovery beer over there.

Sunday

8 miler this am, flat with a little hill at the end. First 6 were in 46 minutes, which was pretty comfortable though I coughed-up some stuff (had to slow for that) and then a few spots on the way back were just blaah. The crap I coughed is maybe what I would call "the midnight oil" (meaning whatever accumulates in the night while I'm on my back). Bad dreams.

I need to start rampping it up a little. If I'm in town I'm going to participate in (what looks like) a killer 17k trailer in Orange County. A month later is my (so far) favorite trailer and then a month after that a local brutal down the road trailer.

More hiking, more longer runs and some good tempo, track-like fartlekity sessions that make my eyes water and the midnight oil boil

deep inside.

Off to hike Cowles Mt. in a few hours and then some good beers.
---------
I have been thinking a little about karma.
At one end, it's one of the cheesiest concepts
because of its overuse and simplistic cause-and-effect narrative.

But we all know that cliches form because of their truth and the simplicity of it is perhaps another good sign that it's for real.

I just see too many cases in our lives and popular culture (and I have to remind myself and this blog that I may have a misconception of karma, but I think mine works for discussion's sake). It's hard to miss.

Check-out the world of sports. There are millions of examples but the best one now is Lebron James. That guy so screwed a bunch of people (Ohioans, fans in general) that he can't stop the backlash of misfortune. Believe me, he's up to his neck in it.

It just seems obvious the importance of doing the right thing. I guess many millions of dollars were/are made on the back of steroid use, but so many people get caught and asterisked, blackballed, hall of shamed, etc. I'm not sure if they'll get ill physically, but that might in the cards, too. Is it worth it?

I know the conversation is tired, but it just seems so obvious; and fresh examples come forward almost daily. Although there has been some justice done to the evils of finance/banking/investment, I can't wait for that karmic tale to get ugly on some douche-bags. I watched an Enron documentary recently, and my students and I are investigating the ethics of Wall Street/The Corporation (which I'm afraid will only scratch the proverbial bald head of the proverbial Wall Street scum bag).

If you try to take a short-cut, cheat, do something to hurt others, it's going to catch-up to you or your grand children, you moron.

I'm beat. The hike was warm and the hard trail definitely cooked me.

Picture of Jack with South and North Fortunas in the background. The little bit of trail in the distance (just to the right side of his head) is the trail that travels between those peaks. He's done them all in the last week (both Fortunas and Cowles). Time for a beer.


Having a good beer (and the camera was sitting right there!)



And if I say I'm having a pint, I'm having a pint. This pint glass is from England; I stuffed it in my bag when I was over there studying and playing soccer with a bunch of wankers.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Pre Pumpkin Tacos


Just woke-up from a nap that came from a busy morning and a little lunch at The Station consisting of a spicy black bean burger and pint of GF 30th Street Pale Ale.

Having a snack and then wife is making some pumpkin tacos. Here's to a mellow Saturday night, chilling at home with the family.

I have to admit: never tried the Stone Double Bastard. Bottle says 11.25%; BA says 10.5%. Clearly nothing to be concerned about. I can't wait.

Notes on the pumpkin tacos (I can smell the pasilla peppers roasting now!) and Double Bastard coming soon.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Friday

The hike yesterday was awesome. Time on feet. Mixing-up paces. Some nice vertical (carrying a 6-year-old up a few of the last steep grades). Good strength work. QUALITY time with the kid.

The header pic is from the hike: he found a rock shaped like a heart. Oh my.

Today: 4 miles 31 minutes (PE was comfortable, HR crept into the high 150s).

Hiking and running this weekend, with curry and grog recovery!

Vegetable Curry



Jasmine rice
Curry sauce
And a bunch of vegetables

Plus some Braggs, sriracha (which I put on everything)
and 2 PBRs

Best part: a lot of leftovers.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Peace Love and Suffering

The diet ended and I am a vegetarian. I am not a vegan. In fact, that's a whole nother world. Even plantstrong is a little gnarly, but I can aspire to that by being vegetarian. To be honest, we (a key distinction) are not really eating any different than we have. I'm just not eating anything really bad, not hitting the butcher shop, etc. I've always thought dairy SUCKS, so other than really no meat, I'm eating the way I have. I do have to note underscore, though, the commitment to an even healthier approach to food. Reading Pollan's Food Rules now and love the premise.

Simply food.

I'm not going to summarize. Go buy it.

Bottomline, stay away from fat. If you have to have your meat, go lean. Stay away from dairy. Eat vegetables and fruit, especially vegetables.

So, if you're interested, take a stab at the Engine 2 Diet. We did the whole thing, ate well and continue to eat well. Stay away from FAT, especially the raunchy nasty saturated/trans variety. Again, we aspire to be plant-strong but not necessarily vegan. That's gnarly, political, and, well, impossible?


____________________________________________

Ha ha ha. I almost forgot why I wrote that title (2nd Union Jack :)

Check this:
"May all beings be free from suffering. May they be free from pain, grief, & despair. May they be happy, truly"

That's a tweet from someone of the yoga ilk, I think. Hey, I get it. It's all good.

But I think life is lived (only) through pain and grief. Suffering is ugly, and needs to be defined (because some suffering is ABSOLUTELY UNJUST), but those of us who love to "suffer," do so because that experience is very much about getting through a tough stretch. AND IT MAKES US STRONGER. Sounds like a definition of life. Sure, suffering can be tough especially when one is not putting herself through it voluntarily, but such is life. WTF.

Veterans Day


I'm pretty fired-up on our Vets. I grew-up in a staunchly conservative family. My dad, grandpa and uncle have been big history/military buffs. Not me. Interestingly, I have chosen a profession that is, at least in my "neck of the woods," fairly liberal. Either way, I am genuinely grateful and exceedingly appreciative of the sacrifice made by our military men and women. It's fucking awesome. I remember thinking very hard about officers candidate school. I was a sophomore in college. The Navy was non-responsive. So I headed down to the the Marine depot for my "interview." Classic. There I am, pigeon caught in outer space, trying to make myself credible in front of this gunnery sergeant. He gets to the "have you taken any drugs" portion of the application, I pause, try to forget the drugs I've taken while at the same time recall all that I have done, and say, quite convincingly I'm sure, "No." Brilliantly, he took his colored marker and crossed-out that entire page. In blue. Great stuff.
I think I blacked-out after that. In other words, that move there was one of the best highs of my younger life.

So I get home, still "shook," and proceed TO CALL THE RECRUITING OFFICE, TALK TO THE SAME GUNNERY, AND ADMIT THAT I HAVE DONE DRUGS. He said he appreciated my honesty and told me to stay in touch if I was still interested.

I should have stayed in touch. I would, I'm sure, be a much better man for it.
Here's to you all in uniform kicking other people's asses in the name of crazy ass freedom.

Went for a 2 hour hike today. The six year old was a freaking stud. I have to really coach him on some of these (today was BIG) but he's doing BIG hikes. Probably 6 miles, 1500ft of vert. Got a little warm today. He's six years old. And we do a fair amount of running, "One the flats and downs, son."

Last night I ran 3 miles in about 22 minutes. Sure not that fast, but juxtaposed with the hike today, I think I might be onto something. I need some 2 miles of w/u and 2 miles of c/d on that run and kick that pace-up a bit, but the deal with a masters runner who isn't very fast is this: Run hard more often than not. I need to explore this more. And I will.

Now I'm a sipping a Union Jack IPA. At 7.5%, this may be the one. I love this beer.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Things

are good.

Running and beering healthily as work purrs along awfully well.

Rounds of running and recovering of both kinds. To be clear, I have been enjoying good beer and not running if my soul says no. I did my 1:20 on Friday after my nice Thursday evening gym run and lift and was COOKED. The 90+ degree heat was stifling. I took off feeling great just getting things on some flat coastal go go, but may have been hitting it a little hard as I looped around and headed toward some coastal trail and climb. As I started to feel crappy (HRM would have slapped me), I decided to do a little series of short steep hill repeats. The way back to car was wrought with stopping and checking HR, bits of hiking. . . I was nuked. But what can you say . . . 1:20 of death. I love it.

Kicking off SD Beer Week that night was epic. Wife and I tasted some nice IPA (cask and draft tastings), and a great veggie dinner (Warm Seasoned Quinoa, Cumin Scented Veggies, Grilled Haloumi Cheese, Toasted Pine Nuts) with some solid bevvies. Wife thought I was a rookie: "Take me home and put me to bed. .. I am a rookie!"

Tonight I hit a local haunt for Alpine night and enjoyed some Bad Boy cask, Duet (my favorite beer) and the winter Ale Smith YuleSmith winter. I also hit-up BevMo for some solid 22s.

In other words, good beer and good running.

This Sunday was an epic hike with running with the 6 year-old. He is killing it!
And tonight's beers was with some solid trailers/alers. Good times are abounding.

Today: 5 miles and a little lifting (emphasis on little).

Here's to staying healthy and getting things in order.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

TGIF

I had to. The look is for the mid-term elections, the heat here in SoCal, fast-food (way to go, SF ((and I'm not talking about the Giants))), the mainstream American diet, fruity beer, the NFL season so far, traffic and, well, people who won't look you in the eye. . .

I'm writing this with sorta a full belly. Went out and ate like a vegetarian and didn't drink any beer. Because I am waiting until about 9:00 to head to the gym and kick off the weekend with one of those gym sessions I wrote about recently. Warm-up and then go hard (mile repeats ~7 min) and lift in-between. After reading the Fitzgerald article on anerobics over on hang nine, I'm going to mix in a little plyometrics.

This will definitely kick-off the weekend. I have not been running very regularly but when I have the effort has been an hour or so long with some w/u and c/d sandwiching the hold steady (never listen to the band but why not). Basically, I haven't been afraid to push the pace a little.

Tomorrow is ~1:20 and the weekend should be a solid mix of run and hike off road with some climbing. Hoping for a cool down on the weather front. . .November?

Thinking pretty hard about getting a new Garmin Forerunner 305. I've been running a while now without HR and mileage (without elevation +/- too), so with the birthday around the corner, or the executive decision up the sleeve. . . it's about time.

I'm okay with the spotty running at this point. I have been fairly steady for a while now (months) so the less frequent harder efforts are okay. I've been hiking quite a bit, as well. Our local little mountain. So I have that going for me.. . which is nice.

Getting more serious (cue the laughter) will mean running more, period. And putting in the official long run once or twice (maybe) a week. Fortunately, it looks like I have a couple of people I can call on to run those.. . which is nice. I'm psyched to be healthy and running and looking into the crystal ball. . .

I have to give a shout-out to work. It's going well.

It's about time for some beer. Tomorrow kicks-off San Diego Beer Week. If babysitting comes through (95% so it's a go), we're off to a Cask vs. Draft event at The Linkery tomorrow. That should be good. After that were off to Urban Solace for some beer and grinds. Can't wait for the yummy veggie delights and killer craft beer.

Monday it's looking like a few beers at O'briens where the theme is Alpine Beer. I'm getting a taxi.

Beyond that, it's about continuing to get the run on. And time to put that road bike back on the trainer for some work. My little winter early spring event schedule is going to be nice.

Blahg:

I'm happy for the SF Giants. Having been in the city recently, actually right before they went on there little run, took-out my Pads and continued to mow the competition (they ended every playoff series on the road), I felt a little good vibration. Seeing Bruce Bochey get some love was cool too. Bottomline: DEEP pitching and very timely hitting. And some west coast domination.
I bet the Lagunitas and Bear Republic and Russian River beers were doing some work!

I'll update the food blog soon. That diet is done. But it's having lasting effects.

Given the weather, thought I'd throw-in a couple more pics from the earlier Indian Summer.

Me and the boy


The family in the Bu


Oh, and then there's this:

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Day 20 - E2D

Breakfast
Nada
Redbull

10 mile trail run

2 fig newtons on the way home.
Espresso w/soy

Lunch
Vegan albondigas soup and some soy chorizo w/black beans.
Damn that was good.

Dinner
Some potatos
and a couple beers.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Day 19 - E2D

Breakfast
Oatmeal
Espresso

Lunch
Left over veggie saute
Baked chips and hummus

Dinner
Sweet potato fries (baked)
steamed bok choy

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Day 18 - E2D

Breakfast
Really good Sun Harvest oatmeal with banana and hemp milk.
I needed that.
Espresso

Snack
Apple

2:30
Pretzels before my run

4:30
Rice crackers and hummus/some garlic
That rest of that killer veggie saute I made last night

Dinner
Vegan pho (with extra veggies - unreal)
And a handful of baked chips

Keep it going


Although I've mixed-in a few hills, the last week or so has been pretty flat; but today I returned to Cowles Mt. for some off road up and down. To make that worthwhile, I had to run up and over Cowles down toward Pyles Peak. That trail is nice. Cowles, on the other hand, is so rocky and up and down that I suspect too much is flat too much ;-)

The diversity was good, it beat me up, and the view of a "stormy" San Diego county was nice. Life advice (meaning this applies to everything . . . except wives): Diversify. Everything.
Tomorrow's fare? Rolling. . .

1 hr. ~1300ft.

Day 17 - E2D

Breakfast
Espresso

Lunch
Vegetarian burrito
from Chipotle
(Not stoked but it is what it is)

Snack
Cereal

Dinner
snacked on Guiltless chips.
Cooked-up some veggies (new potatos, red bell, red onion, mushrooms)
for fridge so I snacked on that too.

Killer late night workout!

Live It

A few pics of the last few ....months? I forget. I guess these are basically pics of our trip to Frisco (scored a nice deal on the ticks back in June), and then our annual camping trip in Malibu a week later. I was wiped. Too much. Fun.

Here we are on a boat to Angel Island. There was actually a trail marathon going on when we got there. The temps were around 95 - 100 degrees. Brutal. Angel island does host some trail runs via the PCT. We hiked around, about 4 miles which were sandwiched between good beers (this one on the boat and the island had Lagunitas IPA on tap). Good stuff.

The Golden Gate. . .See the fog rolling in? That was the first sign of any kind of marine layer/precipitation. The weather in SF was crazy good, a little unusual. I did two days of running early. The best run was Friday morning, running "out" and checking-out the street folk who were getting around, planning their days; and then on the way "back" seeing the upwardly mobile SF crowd heading to work, getting their shit together. My first run was out and back to the Marina District that looked out at the Golden Gate Bridge (we were staying near the financial district). Sure it was road, but the scenery was great. This pic of the bridge was on our last day, but it's basically what I saw at dawn that day. My second run was through the streets of San Francisco, a lot of hills. Between the two runs, I covered pretty much the whole city. Each early morning run was about 1:15. I followed these up with Pete's espresso and Blue Bottle grinds. What a way to start the day, on vacation. I love San Francisco. The days were filled with killer site seeing, great food, and draft micro brews. There was great draft beer EVERYWHERE. I still haven't hit the Headlands but did get down to visit my sister in Saratoga that has access to the Santa Cruz mountains. In other words, no trails on this trip but the bay area is LOADED. I'm going back SOON.
(EVERYWHERE LOADED SOON ?) I love it.

Then, Malibu.
Just some pics. It was a lot of running and climbing and a lot of "good times." Martinis, PBR and great IPA.

I call this pic "On Target." Hydrate!





Quick note on this week. I've been running shorter this week, each day about 4-5 miles, but pushing things a little. I'm still slammed at work (grading papers that clearly suggest printed text literacy is becoming a thing of the past).

But last night I had a fun workout at the gym. 4 miles on the tready, but each was about 7 - sub 7 pace and between each I lifted, tried to fancy a few pull-ups, etc. It was fun little workout. The miles flew by and my ADHD was facilitated nicely in that I was always doing something different. The added speed element felt good too.

I need to do more of this. I want to get strong and fast. LSD, though an important element, can mess you up!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Day 16 - E2D

Breakfast
2 cups of espresso before my run
(killer run)
Bowl of cereal with 1/2 banana

Lunch
plate of goodies at People's
Veggie Lasagna, killer saucy cauliflower goodness
and some green salad w/kale etc.
Oatmeal cookie with raisins
VEGAN

Dinner
Veggie sushi roll from Spinz (wife had a tough day and needed some love
plus an early evening kung fu sess meant no desire to cook)
vegan cupcake (not a cup cake guy but freakin tasty and VEGAN)

Day 15 - E2D

Breakfast
Espresso

Lunch
Banana/nutter sandwich
Grapes
Apple

Dinner
Vegetarian noodle soup
and some veggie drunken noodles
(all rice noodles from a very legit thai place: Saffron)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Less is More

Feeling like a fine-tuned firetruck on my runs these days thanks to the Engine 2 Diet.

I am shedding unneeded weight, but more importantly can tell my system is just more efficient. If I never have a piece of meat again, I wouldn't care. Although I will probably eat fish and perhaps a very lean bird again, I don't miss meat at all. And that's just me speaking from the surface. I can't wait to have a physical in the next month or two to see how my blood work plays out. Cholesterol (family history), thyroid (borderline hypo), blood pressure (hasn't been a problem), etc., will almost certainly look great.

I guess a lot of this discourse is reflection of what I am reading and focusing on. To others, granted, that might just be evidence of my own little world getting projectiled into the twitterverse/blogosphere. But objectively speaking (and pay attention to the people trumpeting low fat, non-animal diet) eating a certain way will pay huge dividends for one's well-being. HUGE. Your diet can REVERSE a deadly set of circumstances. Just don't eat so much FAT! I will just continue to read and eat this way and get stronger and stronger mentally, emotionally and physically. At some point, the talking has to give way to the living. Give it a shot. That's what I would say. You have NOTHING TO LOSE.

Here's my sense about running right now. I want to get faster. I want to be able to run on flats fast, up hills fast, and even over mountains fast. I know from experience that just running up hills is not very efficient toward becoming a faster runner. You may gain strength and be able to "weather" hills fairly well, but I don't buy it. There was a great "round table" on Rick's blog about this very subject in which some very strong mountain runners shared some thoughts. I guess if you are training for mountain ultras, then yes you need to run a lot of mountains, up and down. A lot. Especially if these are 100s. But that's not me.

I have been running a lot lately, all kinds of terrain, distances, etc. Some flat, some elevation, road, trail, beach, etc. For me, best bang for your buck? 1 hour and a half with about 800 - 1000 ft. of vertical. This kind of run is in the wheel house of a trail half marathon perhaps reaching eventually for a 50k. 800 - 1000ft. means plenty of speed can be had. It also means a little vertical to keep you honest. This works form ME right now. Not for a long run, but for a good quality run that gives me a chance to run up and down pretty hard.

I have been running pretty hard. The last couple of days I checked HR and my avg. HR for AeT (~150 bpm) was around 7:45 a mile so I'm coming along; the harder efforts seem to be doing me just fine. But of course I have been running a lot and this includes months of aerobic stuff.

I don't know what I have in store other than there is some great racing and weather at the first of the year in SoCal. I want to be HEALTHY finally for that. Do I do some road racing to kick my ass? Do I get my bike in gear? I'm not sure what I'm training for, but I am loving the food and running diets as of late.