How was my run this morning? In a word, Cold.
In 39 words... Not too bad. Kept a decent pace for 36 minutes. Knocked out about 4-5 miles which is reasonable for what was to be a short run. A chilly 31.4 degrees did little to stop my pursuit of half marathon glory.
Sidenotes: Watching Scooter stalk birds is quite funny. Wearing British socks does not make me feel less American. Thinking about doing work is less productive, but more fulfilling, than actually doing work.
April 7, 2012
April 4, 2012
Why I Run
The other day a co-worker challenged the institution of recreational running by stating, "I would never pay to run." Meanwhile, I paid to run in many races, 5K and 10K and 15K and 13.1 miles and 26.2 miles... my initial reaction the comment was defense which was followed many hours later with reflection. Why do I pay for running?
I do not enjoy running. It is okay, and much better than any day at the office except bonus day. The feeling after a solid run is good, but not the runner's high some claim. Maybe I run to stay in shape or to remain good at other sports. But, I do not need to pay to run in a race to achieve those results.
I race because I am bullied into it. I do not run races alone, rather when a friend asks me to run. There are many ways to keep in touch: some write letters, or join a softball team, or enjoy libations, or play poker, or travel, and so on. Running is my way to keep in touch.
And the free t-shirts.
I do not enjoy running. It is okay, and much better than any day at the office except bonus day. The feeling after a solid run is good, but not the runner's high some claim. Maybe I run to stay in shape or to remain good at other sports. But, I do not need to pay to run in a race to achieve those results.
I race because I am bullied into it. I do not run races alone, rather when a friend asks me to run. There are many ways to keep in touch: some write letters, or join a softball team, or enjoy libations, or play poker, or travel, and so on. Running is my way to keep in touch.
And the free t-shirts.
April 3, 2012
September 26, 2010
The Spaghetti Squash and You
Still rocking the paleo diet and noticing some changes. It is odd but just by changing the diet, I am starting to look more defined and gain some more energy during the day. Pictures may follow. There has been some working out but not a terrible amount. However, the workouts were solid. Lots of whole body exercises.
I did want to share tonight's dinner. When you can't have flour, spaghetti is out. But spaghetti squash is an all together different beast. With the the texture of angel hair pasta and a richly carb loaded flavor, it is a great substitute. To complete the dish, a delicious tomato sauce and baked chicken.
Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Sauce & Chicken
The Squash
Spaghetti Squash - One, cut lengthwise
Olive Oil
Salt
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly season the squash with salt and rubs with olive oil. Place the squash on the rack skin side up with a tray underneath to catch any draining liquid. Cook for roughly 40 minutes to one hour. The squash will yield to light pressure. Remove from oven and use a fork to scrap away the flesh from the skin. The squash will tear away in pasta like strands. If the flesh is still damp allow to drain in a colander and lightly salt.
The Chicken
Chicken Breast - 1.5 lbs, cleaned and cut into strips
Pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Place strips on an oiled baking sheet. Lightly season with pepper. Most chicken is already enhanced with salt and doesn't need any extra. Place in oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 165. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken into 1/2 bits.
The Sauce
Small Onion - One, fine dice
Garlic, large clove - One, mince
Zucchini - Half, fine dice
Carrot - Half, fine dice
Tomato Sauce - Large Can (28 oz)
Olive Oil, Mild - 1 TBSP
Oregano - 1/2 tsp, dried
Basil - 1/2 tsp, dried
Salt and Pepper, too taste
In a medium sauce pan, heat over medium high heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for an additional minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium low, add the tomato sauce and rinse can with water to remove residual sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Crumble the oregano and basil in your hand and cook for additional 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the chicken to the sauce. Add the sauce to the spaghetti squash. Add some parm cheese if desired.
Enjoy!
I did want to share tonight's dinner. When you can't have flour, spaghetti is out. But spaghetti squash is an all together different beast. With the the texture of angel hair pasta and a richly carb loaded flavor, it is a great substitute. To complete the dish, a delicious tomato sauce and baked chicken.
Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Sauce & Chicken
The Squash
Spaghetti Squash - One, cut lengthwise
Olive Oil
Salt
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly season the squash with salt and rubs with olive oil. Place the squash on the rack skin side up with a tray underneath to catch any draining liquid. Cook for roughly 40 minutes to one hour. The squash will yield to light pressure. Remove from oven and use a fork to scrap away the flesh from the skin. The squash will tear away in pasta like strands. If the flesh is still damp allow to drain in a colander and lightly salt.
The Chicken
Chicken Breast - 1.5 lbs, cleaned and cut into strips
Pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Place strips on an oiled baking sheet. Lightly season with pepper. Most chicken is already enhanced with salt and doesn't need any extra. Place in oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 165. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken into 1/2 bits.
The Sauce
Small Onion - One, fine dice
Garlic, large clove - One, mince
Zucchini - Half, fine dice
Carrot - Half, fine dice
Tomato Sauce - Large Can (28 oz)
Olive Oil, Mild - 1 TBSP
Oregano - 1/2 tsp, dried
Basil - 1/2 tsp, dried
Salt and Pepper, too taste
In a medium sauce pan, heat over medium high heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for an additional minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium low, add the tomato sauce and rinse can with water to remove residual sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Crumble the oregano and basil in your hand and cook for additional 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the chicken to the sauce. Add the sauce to the spaghetti squash. Add some parm cheese if desired.
Enjoy!
September 19, 2010
Yom Kipper, Canoeing and Cookies
This weekend was a little bit of a challenge for the paleo diet. However, rather than rise to the occasion, I flew too close to the sun and got burned. Friday night was Yom Kipper and Mary made an awesome chicken soup. I made the salad to round out the meal (salad recipe below). Then the fast...
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, I fasted. Overall the fast was not too bad. for break fast, we had leftover soup. The soup was even more delicious than the night before. I will attribute the tastiness of the soup to the flavors marrying together in the stock pot overnight and overlook the 24 hours of not consuming food or drink. I am sure the soup would be just as good if I'd been eating normally.
That night Mary and I went out and I thought I would be ok. I resisted the tempting temptation of pizza. But it would have been rude to decline a homemade cookies so I had one. Overall not the worst lapse in diet judgment.
Today I went canoeing. It was a solid workout. Four hours of paddling and I am pretty beat. I ate right before leaving and thought I would be good until I came home. How shortsighted I was... When the allure of cookies came my way again, I succumbed. Again, not the worst error in judgment, but not the best decision. Not always the easiest thing to decline sugary sweets but a little slip here and there shouldn't ruin a good thing. I am moving on and learned I need to plan better.
As promised, here is the salad recipe. I am intentionally leaving out the measurements as I did not measure anything for this one. Use your judgment. Assemble the salad and drizzle the dressing on top. Enjoy!
Fresh Salad with Lemon dressing:
Mixed Green
Cucumber, sliced
Carrots, julienned
Broccoli stems, cleaned and julienned
Dried Plums, rough chop
Avocado, sliced
Hard Boiled Egg, sliced
Dressing
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, I fasted. Overall the fast was not too bad. for break fast, we had leftover soup. The soup was even more delicious than the night before. I will attribute the tastiness of the soup to the flavors marrying together in the stock pot overnight and overlook the 24 hours of not consuming food or drink. I am sure the soup would be just as good if I'd been eating normally.
That night Mary and I went out and I thought I would be ok. I resisted the tempting temptation of pizza. But it would have been rude to decline a homemade cookies so I had one. Overall not the worst lapse in diet judgment.
Today I went canoeing. It was a solid workout. Four hours of paddling and I am pretty beat. I ate right before leaving and thought I would be good until I came home. How shortsighted I was... When the allure of cookies came my way again, I succumbed. Again, not the worst error in judgment, but not the best decision. Not always the easiest thing to decline sugary sweets but a little slip here and there shouldn't ruin a good thing. I am moving on and learned I need to plan better.
As promised, here is the salad recipe. I am intentionally leaving out the measurements as I did not measure anything for this one. Use your judgment. Assemble the salad and drizzle the dressing on top. Enjoy!
Fresh Salad with Lemon dressing:
Mixed Green
Cucumber, sliced
Carrots, julienned
Broccoli stems, cleaned and julienned
Dried Plums, rough chop
Avocado, sliced
Hard Boiled Egg, sliced
Dressing
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper
September 18, 2010
Paleo Diet and Me
I'm back. There is a new look and new premise to the blog. I hope you enjoy as you read my adventures through life and the challenges we all face being healthy in the 21st century. A new feature which some of you many really like... I will be including recipes as I cook.
I am still running and working out on occasion, but since I not currently training for anything, there are some different focuses. The number one change of late is my diet. I have my lovely wife to thank for it. You might have heard of the caveman diet or primal diet, the paleo diet is another version of these diets. Think what would a caveman have access to and there you have it. Meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts. That is about it!
If you really think about it, it makes sense. You still have some carbs, but way less than what is recommended. The main fuel for your body becomes fat and your body has tons of protein for fuel and rebuilding muscle. You get tons of nutrients and fiber.
There is a learning curve for your body, which I am still in. But after one to three weeks on the diet, you end up with a ton more energy and feeling great. Don't think that because the diet is limiting, you don't get to eat well. Below is a dish I made the other night and I will say it is pretty good.
Chicken with Coconut Sauce
Serves 3
3 chicken breasts
1 onion (cut into slices)
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp shaved ginger
1/2 juice lemon and zest
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut juice
1/2 cup lamp stock (any kind of stock will work)
Salt and pepper (to season)
Coconut oil to coat skillet.
Flatten the chicken so that it cooks evenly. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the coconut oil. Saute the onions until slightly browned. Add the chicken and saute for 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice, lemon zest and raisins. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer. After 10 minutes, flip the chickens. Allow the chicken to come to 165 degrees. Remove from chicken from sauce and let rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, raise the temperature a little in the pan and cook down the sauce.
Serve the chicken with a ladle of the sauce over it.
You can save the sauce and add to other dishes. The chicken ends up very moist because of the poaching method. The sauce really makes this dish work. The raisins are a nice touch and something you don't see in very many dishes. The ginger and garlic are always a winning combination. I hope you enjoy.
I am still running and working out on occasion, but since I not currently training for anything, there are some different focuses. The number one change of late is my diet. I have my lovely wife to thank for it. You might have heard of the caveman diet or primal diet, the paleo diet is another version of these diets. Think what would a caveman have access to and there you have it. Meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts. That is about it!
If you really think about it, it makes sense. You still have some carbs, but way less than what is recommended. The main fuel for your body becomes fat and your body has tons of protein for fuel and rebuilding muscle. You get tons of nutrients and fiber.
There is a learning curve for your body, which I am still in. But after one to three weeks on the diet, you end up with a ton more energy and feeling great. Don't think that because the diet is limiting, you don't get to eat well. Below is a dish I made the other night and I will say it is pretty good.
Chicken with Coconut Sauce
Serves 3
3 chicken breasts
1 onion (cut into slices)
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp shaved ginger
1/2 juice lemon and zest
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut juice
1/2 cup lamp stock (any kind of stock will work)
Salt and pepper (to season)
Coconut oil to coat skillet.
Flatten the chicken so that it cooks evenly. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the coconut oil. Saute the onions until slightly browned. Add the chicken and saute for 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice, lemon zest and raisins. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer. After 10 minutes, flip the chickens. Allow the chicken to come to 165 degrees. Remove from chicken from sauce and let rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, raise the temperature a little in the pan and cook down the sauce.
Serve the chicken with a ladle of the sauce over it.
You can save the sauce and add to other dishes. The chicken ends up very moist because of the poaching method. The sauce really makes this dish work. The raisins are a nice touch and something you don't see in very many dishes. The ginger and garlic are always a winning combination. I hope you enjoy.
June 10, 2010
RedLeg Run
Loyal Blog Fan(s),
I am back and I have been running. After the marathon, I took a little time and recovered. I was still running, but it was sporadic and uneventful. Few miles here, few more there. It was happening though. I started playing Ultimate on Fridays and that has provided some good cardio. It is a little unsettling that I can run a marathon, yet a half hour of sprinting gets me winded. I guess that's what happens when you train yourself to run long distances and a constant pace.
I do have a little story. I ran a 5K this past weekend. I had a goal and did not reach it. But that was my fault. The day before, rather than rest or go on a quick jog, I played Ultimate for longer than ideal. I had fun, but the running had a negative impact on my race times. I finished the race in 25 minutes (8:04 min/miles). The time was a PR, but still a minute slower than what I was hoping to run.
Te setup of the race was interesting. There were two start times. 9 am for the contenders and people that signed up early, and 9:10 everyone else. I was in the 9:10 heat. When the race started the 9 am group took off, but few lined up for the 9:10 start. My friends and I started to make our way to the front and ended up the first people in line. I mean the very first people. The gun went off and so did we. My friends were faster than I am and took off. I knew better than to run with them, but for the first mile I kept them in sight.
I feel it was more subconscious than anything. You see people you know, you try to keep up. Needless to say, I burnt out pretty quickly. Pretty quickly ended up being in one mile. I ran my first mile in 7:23, the second in about 8:40 and finished in 25:01 minutes.
One funny note in the story, when we were lining up for the 9:10 start a gentlemen lined up behind us. He was wearing a suit, a full suit. Dark green suit, dark red tie and dark red hat. He was wearing gray sneakers. He was middle-aged too. Anyway when I took off for the first mile, I didn't think much of him. By mid-way through mile 2, I thought a little more about him BECAUSE HE PASSED ME! I was thinking, "Oh come on!" At first I was in "oh well" mode and started to slow down a little. Then I started thinking, I can't lose to the guy in a suit. He was my rabbit. I kept him in sight, pacing about 50 yards behind him. Mile 3.1 rolled around a I started to speed up. That's right, I had a strategy...
The race was put on by the Cincinnati Reds and ended on the field. The finish line was half way around the warning track. When we entered the stadium that is when I put on the jets and used what energy I had left. I surprised myself that I still had some speed left in me and zigzagged past everyone in path. I past the man wearing a suit and crossed the finish line with seconds to spare.
Next time I will reach my 24:00 minute goal. I might even rest the day before.
I am back and I have been running. After the marathon, I took a little time and recovered. I was still running, but it was sporadic and uneventful. Few miles here, few more there. It was happening though. I started playing Ultimate on Fridays and that has provided some good cardio. It is a little unsettling that I can run a marathon, yet a half hour of sprinting gets me winded. I guess that's what happens when you train yourself to run long distances and a constant pace.
I do have a little story. I ran a 5K this past weekend. I had a goal and did not reach it. But that was my fault. The day before, rather than rest or go on a quick jog, I played Ultimate for longer than ideal. I had fun, but the running had a negative impact on my race times. I finished the race in 25 minutes (8:04 min/miles). The time was a PR, but still a minute slower than what I was hoping to run.
Te setup of the race was interesting. There were two start times. 9 am for the contenders and people that signed up early, and 9:10 everyone else. I was in the 9:10 heat. When the race started the 9 am group took off, but few lined up for the 9:10 start. My friends and I started to make our way to the front and ended up the first people in line. I mean the very first people. The gun went off and so did we. My friends were faster than I am and took off. I knew better than to run with them, but for the first mile I kept them in sight.
I feel it was more subconscious than anything. You see people you know, you try to keep up. Needless to say, I burnt out pretty quickly. Pretty quickly ended up being in one mile. I ran my first mile in 7:23, the second in about 8:40 and finished in 25:01 minutes.
One funny note in the story, when we were lining up for the 9:10 start a gentlemen lined up behind us. He was wearing a suit, a full suit. Dark green suit, dark red tie and dark red hat. He was wearing gray sneakers. He was middle-aged too. Anyway when I took off for the first mile, I didn't think much of him. By mid-way through mile 2, I thought a little more about him BECAUSE HE PASSED ME! I was thinking, "Oh come on!" At first I was in "oh well" mode and started to slow down a little. Then I started thinking, I can't lose to the guy in a suit. He was my rabbit. I kept him in sight, pacing about 50 yards behind him. Mile 3.1 rolled around a I started to speed up. That's right, I had a strategy...
The race was put on by the Cincinnati Reds and ended on the field. The finish line was half way around the warning track. When we entered the stadium that is when I put on the jets and used what energy I had left. I surprised myself that I still had some speed left in me and zigzagged past everyone in path. I past the man wearing a suit and crossed the finish line with seconds to spare.
Next time I will reach my 24:00 minute goal. I might even rest the day before.
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