Good evening!
I am pleased to report that our run today went very well! We covered just over six miles at a ten-minute mile pace and I felt great the whole time. Granted, with my FiveFingers I was a little cold but aside from that, I was able to keep warm and moving. B-May does an excellent job setting a comfortable pace whenever we run. I admit that when I set out by myself I end up going too quick for my own good and am often left breathless and walking amid a sea of swear-words. I should be able to maintain my own pace without someone holding my hand. Well, sometimes that's not terrible at all but I would like a little more autonomy of pacing. That was a weird thing to say.
My calves are a little sore and I expect to feel the effects a bit more tomorrow, especially at work. My feet are feeling strong and I am excited to take advantage of the warmer weather - or at least this period of the year devoid of snow. It's hard to run barefoot (more or less) without shoes. B-May is looking forward to a half-marathon in the Great Bay area this March or April and at present I would just like to be able to run five miles a day. Speed will come with the consistency, or so I think. I have a buddy who runs 7, 7:30 minute miles and I feel like I can't run with him anymore. I sometimes worry about going faster, being able to cruise at 8 minute miles but it's not worth the cramps and ragged breathing right now. Perhaps I'll take my occasional 5K's more seriously but if beer remains the prize, I doubt that I will.
Note to self: figure out definitively if a license in New Hampshire is critical or at least not a terrible obstacle so I can swim in the city pool. I. Really. Need. To. Get. In. The. Water.
Later!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Run Tomorrow
Alrighty!
B-May and I are planning a "big" run tomorrow. It's the first time we've set out for more than five miles in quite a while. I snuck in a little jog on Christmas morning - 1.5 miles to dampen the effects of the vertiable banquet that would follow. I should note that I did over-do something on that run as my left foot was KILLER the rest of the day. Now that's two days later, I am doing a lot better and gearing up for the six miler. I argued with myself that it was not the running specifically that plagued my foot but an over-extension or I simply stepped on something that freaked out the ball of my foot. The evidence, to me, is that my other foot did not hurt. So there, fore-foot strike is still the way to go.
On a related note, my unintentional evagelization of the forefoot strike produced another convert: a buddy from college grew tired of shin splints developing as he labored on a treadmill and gave running on his forefoot a shot: shocker! it worked like a charm. He said that he was breathing better and the pain in the front of legs subsided quickly as he pressed through his workout. Sweet!
Our food choices have been less than stellar - cookies in ABUNDANCE but we did have a wonderful butternut squash risotto for dinner tonight. It was excellent and I think there's a little leftover that I plan on skipping on sharing.
So I just wanted to post a little something before a more detailed post come tomorrow afternoon.
'Till then, later!
B-May and I are planning a "big" run tomorrow. It's the first time we've set out for more than five miles in quite a while. I snuck in a little jog on Christmas morning - 1.5 miles to dampen the effects of the vertiable banquet that would follow. I should note that I did over-do something on that run as my left foot was KILLER the rest of the day. Now that's two days later, I am doing a lot better and gearing up for the six miler. I argued with myself that it was not the running specifically that plagued my foot but an over-extension or I simply stepped on something that freaked out the ball of my foot. The evidence, to me, is that my other foot did not hurt. So there, fore-foot strike is still the way to go.
On a related note, my unintentional evagelization of the forefoot strike produced another convert: a buddy from college grew tired of shin splints developing as he labored on a treadmill and gave running on his forefoot a shot: shocker! it worked like a charm. He said that he was breathing better and the pain in the front of legs subsided quickly as he pressed through his workout. Sweet!
Our food choices have been less than stellar - cookies in ABUNDANCE but we did have a wonderful butternut squash risotto for dinner tonight. It was excellent and I think there's a little leftover that I plan on skipping on sharing.
So I just wanted to post a little something before a more detailed post come tomorrow afternoon.
'Till then, later!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Terrible Run!
For the rest of the day, I will be followed by the ghost of this morning's terrible run. The plan was simple: dress warm, (5 degrees out) and jog for an easy 3.1 miles. I did it last Sunday in Somerville without trying and averaged sub 9-minute miles. Understandably, I thought I could stand up to the elements today and I straight could not.
Seriously! What the hell! I am a good runner! Though in light of the day's disaster, perhaps I should specify that I am a good "barefoot" runner. (For the record, I do not run barefoot but my many times aforementioned FiveFingers give the same idea). And what I did today was "dress warm" and kept my socks on for a run for the first time since August. Clunky and heavy-footed, always concentrating on my stride on the uneven shoes, refusing to give in to the heel-strike I've rejected in my training and I forgot about breathing. I cramped up three times and was forced to walk, unable to conquer the demons with mind over matter. I swore when I sweat through my first layer and did a strange cult-like dressing and removing my hat and gloves as various parts of my body began to go numb.
I wanted to score three simple miles for the winter training log but it seems I have much to learn. The plan tomorrow then is to reduce my mileage and dress slightly lighter than I'd like the second I walk outside. I don't anticipate Portsmouth remaining in the single digits like this all winter but I want to be prepared for the times it does. I also need to find a suitable winter alternative to my FiveFingers.
When I started this blog, I concentrated a lot on the foods I was eating, demonstrating and often illustrating my healthy choices in the stead of starchy, sugary - or both type of foods. I have come to realize that I will never rid myself of my ice cream cravings and that a beer or three every once in a while is nothing I intend to give up for a decade or so. But with these exceptions, I consistently and more importantly, voluntarily ingest more fruits and vegetables than ever. Consider yesterday's lunch: whole wheat cereal with almonds and fat-free yogurt. Dinner was a tall vegetable pizza made from whole wheat dough. Two nights ago, B-May and I dined on a wild mushroom fricasse with tempeh. It's what we shop for and what we eat. Once the Halloween candy is gone and the holidays have passed, we'll be out snowshoeing or running or swimming or whatever burning more calories than we can eat! Well, hopefully not but the picture looking to 2010 is that of health and frivolity be it on a trail or at a bar with friends. I look forward to keeping my diet, standing out from my friends and brothers during the Christmas break and maintaining a consistent and strong running schedule. Triathlon season will be here soon and I'm determined to be ready for it!
Later!
Seriously! What the hell! I am a good runner! Though in light of the day's disaster, perhaps I should specify that I am a good "barefoot" runner. (For the record, I do not run barefoot but my many times aforementioned FiveFingers give the same idea). And what I did today was "dress warm" and kept my socks on for a run for the first time since August. Clunky and heavy-footed, always concentrating on my stride on the uneven shoes, refusing to give in to the heel-strike I've rejected in my training and I forgot about breathing. I cramped up three times and was forced to walk, unable to conquer the demons with mind over matter. I swore when I sweat through my first layer and did a strange cult-like dressing and removing my hat and gloves as various parts of my body began to go numb.
I wanted to score three simple miles for the winter training log but it seems I have much to learn. The plan tomorrow then is to reduce my mileage and dress slightly lighter than I'd like the second I walk outside. I don't anticipate Portsmouth remaining in the single digits like this all winter but I want to be prepared for the times it does. I also need to find a suitable winter alternative to my FiveFingers.
When I started this blog, I concentrated a lot on the foods I was eating, demonstrating and often illustrating my healthy choices in the stead of starchy, sugary - or both type of foods. I have come to realize that I will never rid myself of my ice cream cravings and that a beer or three every once in a while is nothing I intend to give up for a decade or so. But with these exceptions, I consistently and more importantly, voluntarily ingest more fruits and vegetables than ever. Consider yesterday's lunch: whole wheat cereal with almonds and fat-free yogurt. Dinner was a tall vegetable pizza made from whole wheat dough. Two nights ago, B-May and I dined on a wild mushroom fricasse with tempeh. It's what we shop for and what we eat. Once the Halloween candy is gone and the holidays have passed, we'll be out snowshoeing or running or swimming or whatever burning more calories than we can eat! Well, hopefully not but the picture looking to 2010 is that of health and frivolity be it on a trail or at a bar with friends. I look forward to keeping my diet, standing out from my friends and brothers during the Christmas break and maintaining a consistent and strong running schedule. Triathlon season will be here soon and I'm determined to be ready for it!
Later!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Going into the Weekend
Good morning!
It's finally starting to cool off in December. Yesterday was unseasonably hot outside. Well, not hot but certainly spring-like and that's just weird. As such, I will soon be taking off for a run this morning after my oatmeal settles in my stomach. What makes this oatmeal worth mentioning however, is that we added our first servings of Flax-Seed to the mix. While I did not taste any nutty flavor promised by the package, I do feel slightly healthier for having ingested it. I think.
So I would normally rewind a bit and review my past runs but I haven't got many to review. The last time I ran was Sunday night with headlamps. That really was fun and enjoyable to out when it was so quiet, even before dinnertime. The air was cool but not uncomfortably so and we kept up a good sub-10 minute a mile clip. Like I said, nothing fancy or fast but comfortable.
It's worth noting how motivation from upcoming events, even in the very recesses of our thoughts is critical to our simply getting out. Our next "race" (read: fun run) is December 13 and since it's a 5K we're not sweating it at all. I suppose we could train harder and look to increase our times but that would be contradictory to all the rants we tend to spill on people who do just that: take a fun run and aim for a PR. I'll admit that I run these events quickly, often sacrificing B-May's company in the process, but I never go absolute balls-to-the-walls looking for the time of my running career. I was speaking to a co-worker about this the other day and we agreed that individuals timing themselves and picking up water at aid stations on 5k (5K!) runs are straight up silly. It's not an insult to their fitness, but a valid point that demonstrates people aren't having fun with running. I try to keep up a pace that is brisk enough to haggle my breath but still easy enough so I can smile throughout. It sounds cheesy but the point, I think, is clear. We shouldn't be out running for the obligation of it - leave that to the Catholics. No, we should run because it's enjoyable and a great social community. This is where Somerville gets it right: after the run, there's beer. What better social magnet than booze? On a Sunday no less!
Anyways, we're looking forward to that though bumming it's officially sold out and none of our friends we've been trying to recruit will be able to join. Alright, that's enough of a rant for now. Besides, I'm pretty sure if I checked through older entries I would find a similar tirade.
Later!
It's finally starting to cool off in December. Yesterday was unseasonably hot outside. Well, not hot but certainly spring-like and that's just weird. As such, I will soon be taking off for a run this morning after my oatmeal settles in my stomach. What makes this oatmeal worth mentioning however, is that we added our first servings of Flax-Seed to the mix. While I did not taste any nutty flavor promised by the package, I do feel slightly healthier for having ingested it. I think.
So I would normally rewind a bit and review my past runs but I haven't got many to review. The last time I ran was Sunday night with headlamps. That really was fun and enjoyable to out when it was so quiet, even before dinnertime. The air was cool but not uncomfortably so and we kept up a good sub-10 minute a mile clip. Like I said, nothing fancy or fast but comfortable.
It's worth noting how motivation from upcoming events, even in the very recesses of our thoughts is critical to our simply getting out. Our next "race" (read: fun run) is December 13 and since it's a 5K we're not sweating it at all. I suppose we could train harder and look to increase our times but that would be contradictory to all the rants we tend to spill on people who do just that: take a fun run and aim for a PR. I'll admit that I run these events quickly, often sacrificing B-May's company in the process, but I never go absolute balls-to-the-walls looking for the time of my running career. I was speaking to a co-worker about this the other day and we agreed that individuals timing themselves and picking up water at aid stations on 5k (5K!) runs are straight up silly. It's not an insult to their fitness, but a valid point that demonstrates people aren't having fun with running. I try to keep up a pace that is brisk enough to haggle my breath but still easy enough so I can smile throughout. It sounds cheesy but the point, I think, is clear. We shouldn't be out running for the obligation of it - leave that to the Catholics. No, we should run because it's enjoyable and a great social community. This is where Somerville gets it right: after the run, there's beer. What better social magnet than booze? On a Sunday no less!
Anyways, we're looking forward to that though bumming it's officially sold out and none of our friends we've been trying to recruit will be able to join. Alright, that's enough of a rant for now. Besides, I'm pretty sure if I checked through older entries I would find a similar tirade.
Later!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
An Experiment
I just got back from a 10 minute run. Boring, I know but insightful. I've recently been of the opinion that you can use kung-fu shoes in the place of Vibram Five Fingers, given their sparse support and super-flat sole. They go on and off quickly which makes me wonder if they'd be a good alternative for the FiveFingers come triathlon time.
Well...I was not overly impressed. I managed to snag a pair from my folks' home this Thanksgiving and my run left me with some tough spots on the sides of my feet and each footfall was louder than any I've ever taken in my FiveFingers. I am not dismissing the idea entirely yet - but it's not looking good. At the end of ten minutes, my attention wandered to barefoot running and I gave it another go on the last two hundred yards home. That was awesome! I kept thinking about a recent article I read about the road being like a massage for one's foot. I don't entirely agree but it was MUCH easier than I expected. I'll definitely do that some more - perhaps tonight on a night-run with B-May.
Back up a little: on Thanksgiving, B-May and I entered the Feaster Five Road Race in Andover and we crushed it. We both did the 5 mile distance (as did her sister from Somerville) and I finished at 43:20 and she was about two minutes behind that. I was moving and felt great the entire time. Though it wasn't very cold, my toes got numb and by mile four, I regained complete sense of them. Oh well!
Food updates: Thanksgiving x2, given my family and B-May's family. We hit them both. Been snacking on leftovers since. Lunch, which is soon to follow is probably some sort of turkey sandwich if I am good like that. Dinner tonight is predicted to be leftovers as well but will be wonderful after a cool, 4-mile run to the Newcastle Cemetary and back!
Later!
Well...I was not overly impressed. I managed to snag a pair from my folks' home this Thanksgiving and my run left me with some tough spots on the sides of my feet and each footfall was louder than any I've ever taken in my FiveFingers. I am not dismissing the idea entirely yet - but it's not looking good. At the end of ten minutes, my attention wandered to barefoot running and I gave it another go on the last two hundred yards home. That was awesome! I kept thinking about a recent article I read about the road being like a massage for one's foot. I don't entirely agree but it was MUCH easier than I expected. I'll definitely do that some more - perhaps tonight on a night-run with B-May.
Back up a little: on Thanksgiving, B-May and I entered the Feaster Five Road Race in Andover and we crushed it. We both did the 5 mile distance (as did her sister from Somerville) and I finished at 43:20 and she was about two minutes behind that. I was moving and felt great the entire time. Though it wasn't very cold, my toes got numb and by mile four, I regained complete sense of them. Oh well!
Food updates: Thanksgiving x2, given my family and B-May's family. We hit them both. Been snacking on leftovers since. Lunch, which is soon to follow is probably some sort of turkey sandwich if I am good like that. Dinner tonight is predicted to be leftovers as well but will be wonderful after a cool, 4-mile run to the Newcastle Cemetary and back!
Later!
Monday, November 23, 2009
I Earned my Burrito Today!
So I skipped lunch today. I think it was because of a spoiled Clif Bar that I ate anyway. Rewind: last night after a wonderful dinner of fettucine and turkey-meat sauce, I emptied out my camping gear box. It was full of finds and garbage and things I should have considered garbage. I wasn't exactly ruthless with what I should have thrown away and consequently kept a couple Carrot Cake Clif Bars. These are normally excellent and I was excited to re-acquire, as it were, a stock of them before my morning of bouldering! So this morning after a breakfast of oatmeal with a banana, cinnamon, syrup and brown sugar, (plus a chocolate chip muffin and coffee from Dunks - gotta stop...) I set off for a 20 minute approach with a work buddy for the best bouldering the Seacoast area has to offer: Pawtuckaway State Forest.
It's a strange forest with multiple accesses and the guys I climbed with today had no idea where the nearest ranger station was. It's crazy how big this place is and the quietness sets in with a healthy dose of solitude. This allowed me to concentrate on the rock before me but also led to my dwelling on my soft and strained fingers. All in all, I was pleased with my performance today. I'm just starting out on the climbing sport and I dived in with enthusiam. I stopped when I knew I should and didn't trick myself into any really uncomfortable places - like freezing half-way up a particularly high climb. My friends are strong climbers but encouraging guys who enjoy climbing with beginners and I appreciated their return enthusiasm. I struggled but I sent (read: got to the top of) a couple problems and, like I said, was pleased with my performance. We were out for four hours. At the end of those four hours, downed 5/6ths of the aforementioned Clif Bar and thankfully the sore stomach did not settle in until my next great achievement: a 5K at 8:01 pace!
I decided on my ride home that I would go to bed tonight with a 100% sore and tired body. Well, that is pretty much how I feel right now. I popped in my tunes and bolted. I jogged faster than light to my start and took off. I felt a little heavy-footed but I cruised and my haggard breathing was covered by the blasting of punk rock. It was unhealthy to run with my tunes but I needed to disengage from the difficulty of what I was doing. In the end, I finished at 24:58, which according to runningahead.com, works out to a pace of 8:01. I was pumped!
But then my stomach hurt from the Clif Bar and I didn't even finish my Nuun. That should tell one something! Showered and after a quick trip to the library, I am totally ready to chill out 'till B-May gets home and then totally pysched for Dos Amigos $5 Burritos. Up yours, Subway - Burritos are where it's at!
It's a strange forest with multiple accesses and the guys I climbed with today had no idea where the nearest ranger station was. It's crazy how big this place is and the quietness sets in with a healthy dose of solitude. This allowed me to concentrate on the rock before me but also led to my dwelling on my soft and strained fingers. All in all, I was pleased with my performance today. I'm just starting out on the climbing sport and I dived in with enthusiam. I stopped when I knew I should and didn't trick myself into any really uncomfortable places - like freezing half-way up a particularly high climb. My friends are strong climbers but encouraging guys who enjoy climbing with beginners and I appreciated their return enthusiasm. I struggled but I sent (read: got to the top of) a couple problems and, like I said, was pleased with my performance. We were out for four hours. At the end of those four hours, downed 5/6ths of the aforementioned Clif Bar and thankfully the sore stomach did not settle in until my next great achievement: a 5K at 8:01 pace!
I decided on my ride home that I would go to bed tonight with a 100% sore and tired body. Well, that is pretty much how I feel right now. I popped in my tunes and bolted. I jogged faster than light to my start and took off. I felt a little heavy-footed but I cruised and my haggard breathing was covered by the blasting of punk rock. It was unhealthy to run with my tunes but I needed to disengage from the difficulty of what I was doing. In the end, I finished at 24:58, which according to runningahead.com, works out to a pace of 8:01. I was pumped!
But then my stomach hurt from the Clif Bar and I didn't even finish my Nuun. That should tell one something! Showered and after a quick trip to the library, I am totally ready to chill out 'till B-May gets home and then totally pysched for Dos Amigos $5 Burritos. Up yours, Subway - Burritos are where it's at!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Work, work work!
Good evening,
I shouldn't complain but I think I might. I have been very work centered and have had little time to enjoy life's pleasures. I've been eating leftovers from the fridge - no pasta shall expire in this house! - and I've been trying to sneak in runs whenever I can. For example, yesterday morning I got up early to run with B-May but also be ready for my Dad to pick me up en route to Maine to visit my grandmother. It was worth the trip not only to see my grandmother but also to retrieve my car that she has been driving for a while now. It's good to have my wheels back but I haven't rode my bike since Thursday morning to work. It's Saturday now. Ooops!
Back to the subject of the run: it wasn't too fast or far at all - two miles - but it was a nice wake-up call that kept the coffee at bay. As I get older coffee is becoming more enticing each morning and I make strong efforts not to drink much and develop the headaches that some of my co-workers do. It would be awful to be addicted to caffeine and not know it until your head hurt. That's messed up. So I find that running or riding my bike to work really helps with that and keeps me from needing the pick-me-up. It's in the ride and the run!
Today was a basic eating day, perhaps dinner will hold more interest though if I make it, I doubt it. For breakfast I put together an egg sandwich of oatmeal bread, a fried egg and a slice of cheese. I enjoyed a corn muffin on the side with liberal amounts of butter and because I drove, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way to work for a small black coffee. I don't wanna get addicted but I'm not going to let any sugar or milk dilute it either! Lunch was PB and J with leftover Sun Chips which are losing their appeal over time. When I was eating my sandwich however I multi-tasked and threw two kayak racks on my car for B-May and my's upcoming paddling adventure scheduled for tomorrow - weather pending. I'm looking forward to a picnic lunch somewhere on the bay and an afternoon of kayaking, getting to know our area better.
Here's to tomorrow!
I shouldn't complain but I think I might. I have been very work centered and have had little time to enjoy life's pleasures. I've been eating leftovers from the fridge - no pasta shall expire in this house! - and I've been trying to sneak in runs whenever I can. For example, yesterday morning I got up early to run with B-May but also be ready for my Dad to pick me up en route to Maine to visit my grandmother. It was worth the trip not only to see my grandmother but also to retrieve my car that she has been driving for a while now. It's good to have my wheels back but I haven't rode my bike since Thursday morning to work. It's Saturday now. Ooops!
Back to the subject of the run: it wasn't too fast or far at all - two miles - but it was a nice wake-up call that kept the coffee at bay. As I get older coffee is becoming more enticing each morning and I make strong efforts not to drink much and develop the headaches that some of my co-workers do. It would be awful to be addicted to caffeine and not know it until your head hurt. That's messed up. So I find that running or riding my bike to work really helps with that and keeps me from needing the pick-me-up. It's in the ride and the run!
Today was a basic eating day, perhaps dinner will hold more interest though if I make it, I doubt it. For breakfast I put together an egg sandwich of oatmeal bread, a fried egg and a slice of cheese. I enjoyed a corn muffin on the side with liberal amounts of butter and because I drove, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way to work for a small black coffee. I don't wanna get addicted but I'm not going to let any sugar or milk dilute it either! Lunch was PB and J with leftover Sun Chips which are losing their appeal over time. When I was eating my sandwich however I multi-tasked and threw two kayak racks on my car for B-May and my's upcoming paddling adventure scheduled for tomorrow - weather pending. I'm looking forward to a picnic lunch somewhere on the bay and an afternoon of kayaking, getting to know our area better.
Here's to tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A Productive Day Off
Good afternoon,
Just doing what I do after a good run: downing a Nuun. I've written about these before but they're worth mentioning again. It's a simple electrolyte replacement that gives me my soda fix but are only the size of Alka-Seltzer tablets that - bonus - come in a recyclable container. They're awesome!
This means that I just got back from a good run. Indeed! A little 4.1 mile jaunt down to Newcastle and back again at a 9:17 mile pace. I can be happy with that indeed! I have been reading Zen and the Art of Running recently over lunch - an uneventful grilled cheese on soon-to-expire bread with an egg on top - and read about pacing. This seems like a very good idea as a means of getting faster, which I want to do but I am content at present with what I can already do. This is also in perfect congruency with the pattern of my running - content with 1 mile, all of a sudden doing 2 - and so forth. So check in for faster runs, haha.
Breakfast was oatmeal, something I have truly fallen in love with since our move up North. It's been a reliable and filling and wholesome meal that I fall back on frequently when I'm without eggs, or pancakes or something similar. Okay, this brings me to the reason for my post:
Stuffed acorn squash. There are some asparagus above in the oven tray which complemented the garden veggie quite nicely. B-May put together a mixture of diced corn muffins, Craisins, pecans, onions, spinach and peppers for a crunchy filling even before we dived into the squash itself. Acorn squash comes apart easier than grapefruit - and without the shooting citrus - and, no surprise here, tastes like squash. I liked it a lot. I was quite full and remained during almost all of our movie last night, Fistful of Dollars, a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western classic. Actually, I was hoping to catch a different plot than the one I ended up seeing but I was glad that B-May stayed awake and attentive throughout. Always a wonderful way to spend the evening.
Off to shower as my stink is getting into the computer I feel...
Later!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Post 40!
Good morning,
Though it is a lousy morning...B-May and I went for a short, two mile run today. It was drizzling the whole time and we were sore from life I guess. I put in a fast 5K yesterday (translation: 8min miles) and felt a little tight as a result. Our next event is the annual turkey trot in Andover, MA - the Feaster Five. Unlike last year, we will be running the five mile run, not the 5k. One could say we've graduated. Actually, this was a goal of ours and now that we can regularly put down five miles, or more we're excited for a good result.
We have agreed to a grocery ban for the remainder of November. There are some exceptions: milk, bread and other perishables. But the point is that for the most part, we are not visiting the grocery store for much at all. This is an effort to save money but also to be a little more creative with what we have. Call it an Advent awareness or something. So for example, yesterday at work, I had Annie's organic macaroni and cheese with tuna mixed in. It was excellent and filling and I barely had room for half a brownie.
I should note where this brownie came from: B-May's sister who ran the Somerville 5K with us came up for the day to shop with her sister and before I had to go to work, we all went to Ceres Bakery in town. Excellent sandwiches! Wow! I had a tofu on ciabatta with sprouts, spinach and a tomatoes with a rich horseradish drizzled on top. Incredible.
Today I made pancakes to keep up a semi-tradition of pancakes on Sundays. They were excellent compared to the last time I screwed up nearly an entire batch. Chocolate chip pancakes, plain pancakes and banana pancakes - I covered them all! I've been trying to incorporate power foods - to me, ones that are found at the end of a race on giant tables - into my meals. Here's another example: after my "fast" 5K yesterday morning I mixed up my usual oatmeal with peanut butter, syrup, cinnamon and a banana. This was very filling and I could feel a very present pick-me-up after having it all. And that was without milk! We ran out for a while so I had to make do with water. Never a bad thing. Water is my favorite drink.
Last big note: Friday night B-May and I along with another couple, Robbie and Christina, took part in Portsmouth's restaurant week. It was a fantastic excuse to eat monstrous amounts of food with a pittance of a check compared to its usual rates. I had a seafood cocktail trio of crab, lobster and jumbo shrimp for an appetizer, a Longboard beer to wash it down. For my entree I enjoyed a massive slab of swordfish swimming in a light lentil soup and topped off the meal with a chocolate mousse before heading out to catch some jazz with a couple beers to end the night. It was indeed filling and I think that sheer amount of food kept me from running any faster when I did my "fast" 5K.
Another website worthy of note: runningahead.com This is a neat online training log that allows users to map out usual routes and input them as part of workouts. I have since saved a number of my routes and being able to recall them quickly makes choosing a distance easier than ever. I usually end up trying to retrace an old run trying to distinguish one turn-off from another before giving up and inventing something new. While I am a little hesitant of abusing certain routes, I have been able to use the program to see when I getting bored and use their map software to spice things up.
I have a dude-day ahead of me: a college buddy is coming up from Boston and the plan is to drink coffee and beer and listen to records with some errands such as picking up another PS2 controller also on the docket. So off I go!
Though it is a lousy morning...B-May and I went for a short, two mile run today. It was drizzling the whole time and we were sore from life I guess. I put in a fast 5K yesterday (translation: 8min miles) and felt a little tight as a result. Our next event is the annual turkey trot in Andover, MA - the Feaster Five. Unlike last year, we will be running the five mile run, not the 5k. One could say we've graduated. Actually, this was a goal of ours and now that we can regularly put down five miles, or more we're excited for a good result.
We have agreed to a grocery ban for the remainder of November. There are some exceptions: milk, bread and other perishables. But the point is that for the most part, we are not visiting the grocery store for much at all. This is an effort to save money but also to be a little more creative with what we have. Call it an Advent awareness or something. So for example, yesterday at work, I had Annie's organic macaroni and cheese with tuna mixed in. It was excellent and filling and I barely had room for half a brownie.
I should note where this brownie came from: B-May's sister who ran the Somerville 5K with us came up for the day to shop with her sister and before I had to go to work, we all went to Ceres Bakery in town. Excellent sandwiches! Wow! I had a tofu on ciabatta with sprouts, spinach and a tomatoes with a rich horseradish drizzled on top. Incredible.
Today I made pancakes to keep up a semi-tradition of pancakes on Sundays. They were excellent compared to the last time I screwed up nearly an entire batch. Chocolate chip pancakes, plain pancakes and banana pancakes - I covered them all! I've been trying to incorporate power foods - to me, ones that are found at the end of a race on giant tables - into my meals. Here's another example: after my "fast" 5K yesterday morning I mixed up my usual oatmeal with peanut butter, syrup, cinnamon and a banana. This was very filling and I could feel a very present pick-me-up after having it all. And that was without milk! We ran out for a while so I had to make do with water. Never a bad thing. Water is my favorite drink.
Last big note: Friday night B-May and I along with another couple, Robbie and Christina, took part in Portsmouth's restaurant week. It was a fantastic excuse to eat monstrous amounts of food with a pittance of a check compared to its usual rates. I had a seafood cocktail trio of crab, lobster and jumbo shrimp for an appetizer, a Longboard beer to wash it down. For my entree I enjoyed a massive slab of swordfish swimming in a light lentil soup and topped off the meal with a chocolate mousse before heading out to catch some jazz with a couple beers to end the night. It was indeed filling and I think that sheer amount of food kept me from running any faster when I did my "fast" 5K.
Another website worthy of note: runningahead.com This is a neat online training log that allows users to map out usual routes and input them as part of workouts. I have since saved a number of my routes and being able to recall them quickly makes choosing a distance easier than ever. I usually end up trying to retrace an old run trying to distinguish one turn-off from another before giving up and inventing something new. While I am a little hesitant of abusing certain routes, I have been able to use the program to see when I getting bored and use their map software to spice things up.
I have a dude-day ahead of me: a college buddy is coming up from Boston and the plan is to drink coffee and beer and listen to records with some errands such as picking up another PS2 controller also on the docket. So off I go!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
9.3 Miles!
Good afternoon!
I just finished an eventful morning of errands that I kicked off with a 9.3 mile run! My plan was to set off for a loop I knew but apparently I forgot the distance. I did not anticipate that distance at all. So...sweet! I was able to run along the ocean through the roads that bisect Odiorne State Park and feel the mist of the water. I have been talking about getting down to the ocean to fly a kite with B-May for some time now but weather has always cancelled our plans. Today though, I flew down the roads that racked me with pain the first time B-May and I attempted (and completed) a half-marathon distance. I should add that I walked for three VERY brief stretches. Since I started running on my forefoot and finding some real pleasure in running, I have had difficulty running when it really hurts or when I'm really panting for air. So, in three instances on my run today, the run was simply not fun. As soon as I realized this, I took it easy for 20 paces or so and then the spirit was with me again and off I went! As an added bonus, the wind was blowing the remaining leaves off the trees I ran by, enabling me to keep occupied with the task of catching one as it fell to the ground without stopping my run. Honestly, fun!
I have noticed another interesting pattern about these long runs: I skip (though not entirely) my breakfast. I never skip breakfast! I can't function without breakfast! Yet when I run these longer distances, I find two slices of toast, one with butter the other with peanut butter to be sufficient. It's kind of bothering me how the long run can throw me off so much.
So like I mentioned, I ran and did some errands and just finished polishing off a bowl of pasta with a sprinkling of butternut squash and onions. Leftovers, of course. Now I should be off retrieving a boiling pot to make some hot cocoa for this cloudy day!
I just finished an eventful morning of errands that I kicked off with a 9.3 mile run! My plan was to set off for a loop I knew but apparently I forgot the distance. I did not anticipate that distance at all. So...sweet! I was able to run along the ocean through the roads that bisect Odiorne State Park and feel the mist of the water. I have been talking about getting down to the ocean to fly a kite with B-May for some time now but weather has always cancelled our plans. Today though, I flew down the roads that racked me with pain the first time B-May and I attempted (and completed) a half-marathon distance. I should add that I walked for three VERY brief stretches. Since I started running on my forefoot and finding some real pleasure in running, I have had difficulty running when it really hurts or when I'm really panting for air. So, in three instances on my run today, the run was simply not fun. As soon as I realized this, I took it easy for 20 paces or so and then the spirit was with me again and off I went! As an added bonus, the wind was blowing the remaining leaves off the trees I ran by, enabling me to keep occupied with the task of catching one as it fell to the ground without stopping my run. Honestly, fun!
I have noticed another interesting pattern about these long runs: I skip (though not entirely) my breakfast. I never skip breakfast! I can't function without breakfast! Yet when I run these longer distances, I find two slices of toast, one with butter the other with peanut butter to be sufficient. It's kind of bothering me how the long run can throw me off so much.
So like I mentioned, I ran and did some errands and just finished polishing off a bowl of pasta with a sprinkling of butternut squash and onions. Leftovers, of course. Now I should be off retrieving a boiling pot to make some hot cocoa for this cloudy day!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Bouldering and Beers
(Originally supposed to be posted on Monday...)
Bouldering and Beers: Well, not in that order but both did happen within the past 24 hours. I just finished hosting a friend from study-abroad on a blundersome morning of driving around central New Hampshire looking for the parking lot of site we thought we'd try. Turned out to be a little harder than expected and we only got a chance to climb for about 30 minutes. That was a bummer. It made all the beer we'd drank last night even harder to swallow (literally: I still have hot-burps, a rude reminder that PBR in excess is never without consequences). For breakfast beforehand, we had some bagels from The Works, a small chain presence in town and I had a VitaminWater XXX to feel somewhat human again.
Another departure from the blog has left me wondering what I've been eating or doing with my life lately. Nothing particularly interesting actually. I did have a wonderful chicken pot pie that B-May made from scratch.
It was excellent. Heated up a good portion for leftovers at work and now it's all gone. It's always sad when a good food is no longer in your refrigerator. As such, I've been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! I forgot how good these things are! B-May is a faithful customer of Trader Joe's peanut butter which is the crunchiest peanut butter I've ever had. Excellent with a grape jelly that even though it contains high fructose corn syrup is still enjoyable.
At some point I went to Panera because I figured we didn't have any lunch foods in the apartment (which B-May quickly corrected me on and let in on PB&J's, etc.) I got the usual for me: smokehouse turkey panini with a slice of french baguette. Oh! And a Jones organic soda which was tasty.
Got a couple runs in too, and am still pumped about the race in September. Just need to find four other events to make it a strong season. Off for another run perhaps?
Bouldering and Beers: Well, not in that order but both did happen within the past 24 hours. I just finished hosting a friend from study-abroad on a blundersome morning of driving around central New Hampshire looking for the parking lot of site we thought we'd try. Turned out to be a little harder than expected and we only got a chance to climb for about 30 minutes. That was a bummer. It made all the beer we'd drank last night even harder to swallow (literally: I still have hot-burps, a rude reminder that PBR in excess is never without consequences). For breakfast beforehand, we had some bagels from The Works, a small chain presence in town and I had a VitaminWater XXX to feel somewhat human again.
Another departure from the blog has left me wondering what I've been eating or doing with my life lately. Nothing particularly interesting actually. I did have a wonderful chicken pot pie that B-May made from scratch.
It was excellent. Heated up a good portion for leftovers at work and now it's all gone. It's always sad when a good food is no longer in your refrigerator. As such, I've been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! I forgot how good these things are! B-May is a faithful customer of Trader Joe's peanut butter which is the crunchiest peanut butter I've ever had. Excellent with a grape jelly that even though it contains high fructose corn syrup is still enjoyable.
At some point I went to Panera because I figured we didn't have any lunch foods in the apartment (which B-May quickly corrected me on and let in on PB&J's, etc.) I got the usual for me: smokehouse turkey panini with a slice of french baguette. Oh! And a Jones organic soda which was tasty.
Got a couple runs in too, and am still pumped about the race in September. Just need to find four other events to make it a strong season. Off for another run perhaps?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Bricks and Bowls
I am officially signed up for Lobsterman 2010. It's crazy! Olympic distance triathlon? No big deal. At least it better not be after nearly an entire year of training. Enter the first session: I biked for five miles and ran for almost one. The problem: I forgot to take off my helmet after dismounting the bike and jogged a quarter mile without noticing and was forced to carry it the rest of the way. Foolish rookie mistake.
Quite good and not overly filling. I had milk to drink and snacked on three cookies we made with applesauce instead of butter and a whole wheat flour. As B-May says, there are only so many things one can do to change a cookie. Lesson learned.
I also had trouble breathing. Since I've been landing on my fore-foot, I have not worried about breathing - in fact, it comes that much more naturally. Really, a wonderful thing. After getting off the bike however, bricks truly did become a different animal: I was strapped for air and the generous swig of water I downed in between sports left me feeling quesy and with a rolly stomach. It was that strange, uncomfortable feeling where one wants to burp and clear their throat but can't because the body needs oxygen. I'll get better though.
So let's go backwards: during my lunch today, I watched Castaway. I haven't seen this movie in a long time and given my frequent viewings of Man vs. Wild I was intrigued to see how many survival techniques were employed by Tom Hanks' Chuck Noland. Turns out, quite a bit. I digress. Lunch was organic! It was also painfully simple; macaroni and cheese. Annie's from BJs that B-May picked up yesterday.
Quite good and not overly filling. I had milk to drink and snacked on three cookies we made with applesauce instead of butter and a whole wheat flour. As B-May says, there are only so many things one can do to change a cookie. Lesson learned. For breakfast, I ate a meager bowl of Oats and Almonds from Hannaford before my misadventure of a brick. Afterwards, I sat in Popovers for a couple hours and in the course of that time, had an egg and cheese sandwich on Texas toast instead of a bagel with an orange juice. And then I couldn't resist a cup of coffee. Organic Bali!
Last night we hung out with some work friends and snacked on two fish tacos with chips and guacamole and a Corona at Dos Amigos Burritos in Dover. For dinner, B-May made me this delicious stir-fry of veggies with a bed of rice. 
Excellent dinner! I just didn't eat enough and had the appetite for fish tacos.
Excellent dinner! I just didn't eat enough and had the appetite for fish tacos. BUT LAST NIGHT, before I forget we saw Christopher McDougall speak at UNH. He's the author of Born to Run the mantra of my running cadence. As one audience member pointed out, it's not about the barefoot runners nor the fore-foot strike: the book is about loving running as a natural activity, the one pursuit that connects all humans. Good speech and the Q & A session was even better.
For lunch at work I had the leftovers of my dinner I made for B-May. It was, as promised, the Southwest stir-fry. It was served in a bowl and thus forms the theme of this post. Here's a picture:
Now that I'm back from the past, I am off to have dinner with my parents. We're thinking "Radici" in town. Hooray!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Weeks from Serious
Good evening,
I am far from a professional blogger. I have no photos to share and no appealing itinerary of foods. I will say that I ate well but am in no way capable of accounting for even the good stuff. That will have to suffice for a sorry excuse for my departure from the regularity of blogging.
Yesterday, B-May and I went to the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. It was sort of insane. I have never encountered so many vegetarians in one place. And they were all in that one place - we're talking wall-to-wall people. I sampled some wonderful foods, slurped a terrible green mixture that I should have refused and pocketed a number of coupons and interesting brochures. We were joined by friends, Dave and Chelsea and later ventured into Cambridge for some beers at the Cambridge Brewing Company and then for dinner at Veggie Planet in Harvard Square. See the theme there?
Not all of the vendors were preaching vegetarianism but most were. Some were trying to hit passers-by over the head with messages on loving all animals and just eating plants. The punk-rocker in me wanted to spite them for taking such a close-minded view. I don't often get to experience the other extreme (opposite the folks sipping porter on Beacon St) but it was not the happiest nor most positive series of encounters. This is not to say that people were hostile because they were not. Rather they utilized every square inch of the soapbox provided to them by the festival to let their messages ring among the crowd. Most vegetarians though seemed just as selfish and cheap as myself and skipped out on the fanfare for the free food.
On an exercise note, I ran 6.5 miles with a buddy always good for introspection on Friday. We kept up a good clip and did a decent lap of Newcastle before breakfasting at Colby's in town. Enter a slew of breakfast staples: chocolate chip pancakes, home fries, and scrambled eggs plus one radical: veggie sausage for a wonderfully filling post-run meal. I haven't run since but I rode my bike to work today and that was cold but worth it.
I am about to cook a warm supper for B-May who is feeeling slightly under the weather today and it looks to be a southwest chili fettuccine or something of the like. I didn't have all the ingredients I hoped for but am confident I can make do for now.
I guess that's it for now, I'll make a conscious effort to photograph it and keep up - strike that - begin, the good work. OH! Before I forget, I'll be signing up for the 2010 Lobsterman that I saw Brad compete in this year. I am officially entering into the sport of triathlon. Sweet!
I am far from a professional blogger. I have no photos to share and no appealing itinerary of foods. I will say that I ate well but am in no way capable of accounting for even the good stuff. That will have to suffice for a sorry excuse for my departure from the regularity of blogging.
Yesterday, B-May and I went to the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. It was sort of insane. I have never encountered so many vegetarians in one place. And they were all in that one place - we're talking wall-to-wall people. I sampled some wonderful foods, slurped a terrible green mixture that I should have refused and pocketed a number of coupons and interesting brochures. We were joined by friends, Dave and Chelsea and later ventured into Cambridge for some beers at the Cambridge Brewing Company and then for dinner at Veggie Planet in Harvard Square. See the theme there?
Not all of the vendors were preaching vegetarianism but most were. Some were trying to hit passers-by over the head with messages on loving all animals and just eating plants. The punk-rocker in me wanted to spite them for taking such a close-minded view. I don't often get to experience the other extreme (opposite the folks sipping porter on Beacon St) but it was not the happiest nor most positive series of encounters. This is not to say that people were hostile because they were not. Rather they utilized every square inch of the soapbox provided to them by the festival to let their messages ring among the crowd. Most vegetarians though seemed just as selfish and cheap as myself and skipped out on the fanfare for the free food.
On an exercise note, I ran 6.5 miles with a buddy always good for introspection on Friday. We kept up a good clip and did a decent lap of Newcastle before breakfasting at Colby's in town. Enter a slew of breakfast staples: chocolate chip pancakes, home fries, and scrambled eggs plus one radical: veggie sausage for a wonderfully filling post-run meal. I haven't run since but I rode my bike to work today and that was cold but worth it.
I am about to cook a warm supper for B-May who is feeeling slightly under the weather today and it looks to be a southwest chili fettuccine or something of the like. I didn't have all the ingredients I hoped for but am confident I can make do for now.
I guess that's it for now, I'll make a conscious effort to photograph it and keep up - strike that - begin, the good work. OH! Before I forget, I'll be signing up for the 2010 Lobsterman that I saw Brad compete in this year. I am officially entering into the sport of triathlon. Sweet!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Four Days Later and a Short Post
Good afternoon!
It is truely gorgeous outside. I saw the temps rise to 60 degrees today and I just got back from a four-mile run on the bay. Plugged in, I cranked up some tunes (though only at 60% of max volume, B-May) and took in the wonderful views. Felt good to get some miles in on a day that was made for miles. That being said, I am snacking on some rich desserts - the remnants of the weekend. But I'll get to that in a second.
Friday morning I pulled the 9-5 at work and finished off the tostadas for lunch. I brought along some desserts - congo bars - and washed it down with the usual seltzer water. When I got home, I found B-May laid up on the couch, and feeling quite sick. Something had been bugging her I remembered in the morning and apparently that fatigue or whatever remained throughout the day. Having just got off my bike from the ride home, I was eager to eat some dinner! But when I found B-May like this, I thought of running instead. I owe this inspiration to some mulling over a new book I'm reading, Zen and the Art of Running. It's quite fascinating and while my grasp of the subject is elementary at best, I can already see myself applying its practices. Clear of any negative connantations of running in the dark, I did just that. As soon as I stepped off the deck and onto the curb I started running. As it turns out, I was moving! I set a new PR, finishing a 5K distance in under 24 minutes. This works out to be my first run at a 7-something mile pace. It was awesome!
I kept my excitement to myself and whipped up some black bean burgers while B-May prepared sweet potato fries. This was a wonderful dinner and a pleasant and healthy way to spend Friday night. I also had a couple PBRs for dessert with dessert. That's not a typo.
Saturday I made disastorous chocolate-chip whole wheat pancakes. I called them "the Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Only two pancakes came out as I hoped they would. They were not photographed. Afterwards B-May and I walked about in the rain and sipped a coffee from Breaking New Grounds and went birthday shopping for my mom and B-May's cousin. Neither of these intiatives proved to be very successful but we enjoyed ourselves. With a tuna melt and a slice of apple for lunch, I was out the door and off to work. Staying late, I finished the remaining black bean burger and tried an entire Chobani vanilla flavored Greek Yogurt. I was quite thrown by the tart-ness of this yogurt and did not enjoy it nearly as much as I did the Stonyfield. When I got home, B-May had been baking some sweets for my mom's birthday: pumpkin, chocolate swirl brownies with cream cheese frosting. I had four. Then we went to a Halloween party and down two beers from a Long Hammer IPA keg before heading home.
What I ate on Sunday would take too long to list so it will suffice to say that after leaving brunch at the Colonial Inn in Concord, MA, and indulging at B-May's cousin's birthday party, I was uncomfortably stuffed. For the record, nearly everything was vegetarian - thank goodness chocolate does not have meat - and while we ate in extreme excess, there was cause to. B-May got a run in before the morning started. I did not.
Today, I headed up to Maine for some fall cleaning with my parents for my Gram and beforehand I enjoyed a big bowl of oatmeal and sipped another coffee on my ride up to South Portland. After a couple hours of chatting, cleaning and raking, we went out to Applebees where I had tortilla chips with their spinach and artichoke dip before my chicken fajita roll-up. Water for a drink!
Well, I cut out quite a bit there, but I'm all caught up and looking forward to a more routine eating week while upping my mileage on the runs.
Later!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Pizza, Pie and Polenta!
Good evening! 
I have much amazing food to report! But first, I realize I have been negligent of my exercise reporting. B-May and I have gotten back into the swing of running. I think that she has run just under 15 miles this week and while I only have six miles under my belt week to date, I enjoy feeling the tightness in my calves and cadence of running again. Don't know how we got away from it but it's nice to be back.
Okay, so at the end of my last post I was eagerly anticipating dinner and dessert. It was worth it! B-May whipped up a fresh pizza dough from scratch! The whole wheat dough was soft and crunchy on the crust. We absolutely covered the pie with vegetables - eggplant, peppers, zucchini, spinach and tomatoes. Covered it! A liberal soaking of tomato sauce and and many handfuls of mozzarella cheese later we had a delicious vegetable pizza.
AND while it was cooking we mixed some sugar and cinnamon and other pie ingredients with some freshly skinned apples from earlier that day and made an ENORMOUS apple pie. (Notice the fork and how high the pie piles up in comparison!)
It was an evening of insanity but I have no regrets. As soon as the pizza finished cooking we put in the pie and when we finished the pizza the pie was done! Everything was delicious.
So yesterday morning I finished the remainder of the french toast and tried a little Kashi with half of a banana all tossed in some yogurt! I continue to enjoy eating the newest healthy food for me. Then I headed back to Massachusetts for some dental work but first tricked my mother into buying me lunch at one of my favorite sandwich shops in town, The Ultimate Perk. I enjoyed a spicy Thai chicken wrap while my mom had "the best veggie wrap ever." As the feeling returned to my mouth from the local anaesthetic, B-May and shot some hoops at the park. It
was pretty cool and I look forward to more nights like that!
Okay, so for dinner last night, we made tostadas! We used tortilla wraps broiled first which served as the base for a turkey and veggie mixture. Sprinkled some more cheese on top and baked the whole lot for four tostadas. Excellent!
Last night was reading night so after dinner, we sat and read for two hours. Awesome! I finished the book I wanted to - Devil in the White City - which was quite good and read the newspaper and a couple magazine articles I wanted to finish. At the end of our two-hour block we had a piece of pie each - mine twice the size of B-May's - and I enjoyed a couple scoops of ice cream as well.
This morning I kind of rushed out the door. As such I didn't finish my oatmeal nor my corn muffin. Bummer! Good breakfast though.
At work, I was treated to a cup of coffee by a co-worker and snacked on raisins with water. Good snack, huh? During my break I enjoyed the remainder of the tostadas and two congo bars with a seltzer water for lunch. After work, I stopped at Flatbread for a couple beers - one organic - before settling in for the night with a plate full of freshly made ratatouille and polenta! 
I have never had anything like it and it was quite good. I tip my hat to B-May and the various cookbooks she employs to keep me well, well, well-fed.
Now I'm all updated. I just had another slice of pie, a small (seriously!) scoop of ice cream and got rid of the Reese's Peanut Butter cups residing at the top of the cupboard by eating them. I'm still hungry so I might eat something else. Not sure. It's a mystery!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Today was a Day for the History Books!
But not yesterday. Yesterday was a slew of chains: Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (egg and cheese on a plain bagel with a black coffee), Panera Bread for tea (earl grey), and Friendly's for lunch with friends (TurkeyClub SuperMelt with very little fries and a giant chocolate Fribble, a.k.a., frappe). For dinner B-May and I whipped up a quick stir-fry of rice and veggies. I had seconds! And drank a PBR. Which was awesome.
This brings me to the yogurt experience which was magical and to dinner which I will post either later tonight or tomorrow. Hooray for yogurt being in my life!
Unfortunately, I have no pictures of any of those things. Friendly's and the stir-fry of course, I regret failing to do so. I have an unconditional love for the sandwich I ordered at Friendly's, a New England staple and so have to have it every time I go. This time, was in the face of everything I learned from Food Inc. and every thing I promised to do in my last entry. Which brings me to my next point: I bought Odwalla Organic super-berry mixture (of sorts) and a Stonyfield yogurt, black cherry. The Odwalla I have not consumed, though I tasted it and loved it. It's only a matter of time. As for the yogurt, well...not only is it organic but is amazing!
I officially love yogurt! This was a wonderful afternoon snack that has filled me up and satisfied my sugar craving for that part of the day. It's not correct that one gets one sugar craving a day. Rather, they come in frequent waves. (At least for me.)
So today B-May and I made pumpkin french toast, which came out excellent and was delicious. I was surpised how full I got from this breakfast. I can usually put down six or seven slices but I think the combination of whole wheat bread and pumpkin puree set my intake limit slightly lower. Milk for a drink!
During the course of the morning, B-May and I headed down to Applecrest Farms for a pumpkin to be a jack-o-lantern and a peck of apples.
We got both despite nearly all the apples had been picked from the orchards. For lunch we returned to the apartment and I smushed a tuna sandwich to make a tuna melt and enjoyed some almonds before as a snack. I also had some chips and salsa with my tuna and two congo bars for dessert.
This brings me to the yogurt experience which was magical and to dinner which I will post either later tonight or tomorrow. Hooray for yogurt being in my life! Sunday, October 18, 2009
Portsmouth Film Festival Continues and Ends
When I last posted, I eagerly anticipated breakfast. Unfortunately it was far from a grand affair: I fried one egg white and put it on two toasted slices of bread with some oatmeal. 
For dessert, I wolfed down a granola bar - Chocolate Chunk, etc. etc. - and gave in to a Clif Bar. This last treat I nibbled on for the last hour of work before B-May picked me up. That was nice of her!
This lasted me until just before noon when I went to Weathervane with my grandmother, her sister and my aunt. For a greasy seafood restaurant I managed a (somewhat) healthy avenue of fried haddock sandwich with veggies instead of fries. One could argue it was all in vain as I downed an entire fountain soda, negating any benefit from the veggies.
Okay, so now I'm at the exciting part!
Regrettably, I finished the whole bowl. So now I'm craving, truly craving, a cold glass of water. I'll go get one.
Water was my beverage as we ran out of milk. These things never happened when my folks bought me food but alas, I am an adult now and have to reconcile that I occasionally fall a little short and forget to buy a steady supply of milk.
In the morning, I walked down to the Moffatt-Ladd warehouse and saw a short documentary on Ethiopian women who suffer from childbirth injuries and their proximity to care. It was disturbing, yes, but fascinating and truly eye-opening. Google "fistula" for a topic not to be covered here but one that should not be ignored.
After the film, I was invited up to a swanky club of the rich and famous as an extension of B-May's work and we dined on fresh salmon, pasta with veggies and a sip or two of fine cider. It sounds so unfair to the food to simply qualify it as "pasta with veggies" but I will never eat there again so it's not worth considering any further. I did not carry my camera with me for this event. Another point about food bloggers: it must be easier (if not, less conspicuous) to be a female blogger, owing to the purse or handbag in which to conceal and carry a camera....I digress.
While I managed an eventful morning, I still had to go to work. Before though, I slurped down a Hannaford chicken noodle soup which lacked any semblance of flavor. Never again. I rode my bike despite the cold again (woot!) and snacked on raisins and two Nalgenes worth of water. When I took my break I had (yet another) serving of the veggie mac and cheese and few bars of the granola with apricots B-May made I think before I started this blog.
For dessert, I wolfed down a granola bar - Chocolate Chunk, etc. etc. - and gave in to a Clif Bar. This last treat I nibbled on for the last hour of work before B-May picked me up. That was nice of her! We bought a bottle of wine and half gallon of ice cream. It was a perfect Saturday grocery purchase. At home, we uncorked the wine - something red - and I had two glasses before deciding that a bowl of ice cream was absolutely necessary. (It rarely is.)
Now to today! For breakfast, I enjoyed a warming cup of Breaking New Grounds coffee and an onion bagel with cream cheese.
This lasted me until just before noon when I went to Weathervane with my grandmother, her sister and my aunt. For a greasy seafood restaurant I managed a (somewhat) healthy avenue of fried haddock sandwich with veggies instead of fries. One could argue it was all in vain as I downed an entire fountain soda, negating any benefit from the veggies. When I got home, I poured a tall glass of milk and snacked on three cookies, trying to get rid of the temptation, bit by bit.
Okay, so now I'm at the exciting part!Tonight we saw Food Inc. This is a mind-blowing movie. Its delivery is original and the topic is particularly gripping: where food comes from. The film manages to cover all the angles - grocers, farmers, businesses, and organics - in less than two hours. Part of it was hard to watch (reaffirming my abstinence from meat) but the rest was so educational I'll have to watch it three more times to retain the parts needed to win an argument for organic. A special treat was a Q and A session immediately afterward with the Stonybrook CEO. My takeaway: "There are thousands of reasons to eat organic, but only one not to: price." The man knows his stuff is expensive but his infiltrating Wal-Mart helps reduce the prices of his signature yogurts and make the healthy stuff more accessible to all Americans. It was not my intention when I started this blog and recording what I eat to actively pursue eating organic, but with the influence of this movie and B-May's resilience for the products, I will start.
With this new information kicking out our heads, we scoured the cupboards of our apartment for foods with ingredients we could not pronounce. Still we ate a fine turkey chili with corn muffins and chips and salsa for dinner. We also sipped some more wine. It was lovely!
I must report, I felt another instance of necessary ice cream and did just that.
Regrettably, I finished the whole bowl. So now I'm craving, truly craving, a cold glass of water. I'll go get one.Saturday, October 17, 2009
Serious Moonlight
Good morning! 
Even before I enjoy some breakfast, I wanted to post my supper! B-May, who has been working at the Portsmouth Film Festival yesterday and all day today and tomorrow, got home around 645, 7. Like I said before, I was waiting for her to feed me, and I was glad I waited. She took some cheese tortellini from Buitoni and layered it in pie dish with spinach, sauce, and more cheese. It was an interesting presentation of this typical pasta! She thought the sauce needed to be boiled first but I thought it came out fine.
Then we went and saw one of the premiere movies of the Festival: Serious Moonlight. It starred Meg Ryan, Tim Hutton and Kristen Bell with a strange appearance of Justin Long as well. We really enjoyed this movie and hope that it circulates wider as it is worthy of much bigger audiences! Perhaps the highlight however, was catching a few glimpses with Brett Cullen - better known to me, at least, as Goodwin from LOST. He's starring in one of the films here and is apparently hopping about and catching some others. We didn't get his photo or anything. Oh well!
Breakfast awaits: later!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Successful Taming of the Craving!
Good evening!
I just got back from my bike ride from work and on the way felt two things: a headache and after seeing a bag from Wendy's, a strong craving for fast food. Then, I got to thinking: I am dehydrated! I don't think I drank enough water at work and the Wendy's wanna-treat was actually craving the salt! Well, now I'm sitting comfy watching a little Cash Cab and sipping some cranberry pomegranate juice while dipping some Food Should Taste Good: Olive chips in a garlic hummus. An excellent alternative!
A little catching up: For dinner last night, I enjoyed a small bowl of B-May's macaroni and cheese (how much of this stuff did we make anyways???) and a handful of the aforementioned chips I picked up at the grocery store during my break. Oh, and two Reese's, dark chocolate. I don't know if they make me healthier but I wanna believe that they do.
So in over-preparation for my cold bike ride today, I loaded up on probably unnecessary energy: eggs - without yolks -, whole wheat toast with peanut butter slathered on top, and a bowl of oatmeal. With milk. What was I thinking? I wasn't about to take off for a killer run or something and I got hungry at work like I would anyways. What gives?!
For lunch, I nuked a canned veggie soup from Hannaford that loaded me up with more sodium than I'll need for the rest of the day. Not that I need sodium. Isn't that bad for you? After my warming soup, which it wonderfully was, I snacked on a cheesecake slice with cream cheese and pumpkin that B-May made for her work and this tiny box of Multi-Grain Cheerios from CNN we picked up in Chicago at a health fair.
As I watch the idiots of Cash Cab I'm waiting for B-May to get home and feed me. Wish I was kidding!
Later!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Winter is Coming!
Oy vey!
So when B-May and I were preparing for our trip to Chicago we finished off all perishables, which given our lunch and dinner tendencies, that was nearly everything. I had dry cereal and the one remaining slice of whole wheat bread with crunchy peanut butter with a glass of milk for breakfast.
This morning I was productive in cleaning the apartment, dodging jury duty owing to my move to New Hampshire and paid some bills. To reward myself for these efforts, I took a walk into town and stopped in at the Works on Congress St. for a Thai Chicken wrap. As I recall, there were sprouts, onions, red peppers, chicken of course, and a spicy thai peanut sauce. They called it "hot" but it was not "hot." Slightly disappointing but I enjoyed it much-ly.
It's getting cold outside! I feel a little head-cold coming on and a cough that brings up the nasty reminders of phlegm and...winter. Granted, I am totally psyched for skiing, snowshoeing and winter backpacking. I can't wait to welcome the warmth of hot cocoa after a day of sledding and the coming holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fall is definitely my favorite season so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. Accordingly, I will be biking to work today, tomorrow and every other day I can until the snow falls. Perhaps when that happens, I'll run to work on Micro-Spikes or something.
So when B-May and I were preparing for our trip to Chicago we finished off all perishables, which given our lunch and dinner tendencies, that was nearly everything. I had dry cereal and the one remaining slice of whole wheat bread with crunchy peanut butter with a glass of milk for breakfast.
This morning I was productive in cleaning the apartment, dodging jury duty owing to my move to New Hampshire and paid some bills. To reward myself for these efforts, I took a walk into town and stopped in at the Works on Congress St. for a Thai Chicken wrap. As I recall, there were sprouts, onions, red peppers, chicken of course, and a spicy thai peanut sauce. They called it "hot" but it was not "hot." Slightly disappointing but I enjoyed it much-ly.
Knowing work will prevent me from eating for another four hours, I snacked on three of the peanut butter blossoms which are actually not peanut butter but a chocolate base with pumpkin Hershey kisses in the center. A B-May original, I might add.
Off to layer and prepare for work! A cold bike ride awaits!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Chicago Recap!
Good evening!
B-May and I just got back from a three-day vacation in Chicago, visiting my brother. We did not stop. It's almost too much to bullet-point the entirety of our trip - we got a complete experience. The "integrity" of the food went from bad to good, but B-May mostly kept me on the straight and narrow. Highlights included the requiste Chicago Deep Dish Pizza with vegetarian toppings (pictured below), a black bean burger with guacamole and sweet potato fries from local organic grocery Fox and Obel, pub fare of pulled pork and fresh beer from Goose Island Brewery and two light breakfasts of coffee and bagels from two prime bakery/shops less than five minutes from my brother's apartment.
We flew in on Saturday night, just in time to wake up early for the Chicago Marathon. We met up with my uncle, a multi-marathon veteran, for color commentary and true runner insight. While we didn't run, we did walk just about everywhere.
We flew in on Saturday night, just in time to wake up early for the Chicago Marathon. We met up with my uncle, a multi-marathon veteran, for color commentary and true runner insight. While we didn't run, we did walk just about everywhere.
On Monday, we headed down south of the city for a look at Hyde Park, the neighborhood with the University of Chicago and Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. I'll do my best to satisfy the historic preservationist in B-May by adding that the Robie house provides a clear demonstration of Wright's signature prairie style.
Behold the standard tourist photo of Millenium Park's Bean with city skyline. Despite the type of gawkers it attracts, it's still pretty cool.
Perhaps the most unique visit of our whirlwind tour was an hour-long trip north to the suburb of Wilmette, home of North Ameria's only Baha'i House of Worship. It's a place of devotion for the members of the Baha'i Faith, a fledgling independent religion exported from Iran in the mid-1800s, whose beliefs are an inclusive amalgation of nearly all major faiths throughout the world. I'll post a good sized bite about it sometime. Really, a beautiful building.
Oh! We also bought a bottle of wine from 7-Eleven. Yellowtail Merlot though, so it was legit.
Proper food and strength training updates to resume tommorow!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Lots of Room for Improvement
Good evening!
I have very little good to report. Truth is, I took a two-day whirlwind tour of New York City and ate terrible things - McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, two NYC pizza joints, etc. - and visited a few too many bars. I even had cheeseballs at one of the bars. Regarding my training, it was a GIANT step backwards. Not that I have to make up the difference, it was just unnecessary. I had fun but there were many moments I was wishing I was asleep, running, or eating vegetables. Actually, those moments happened quite a bit. To be fair, I should note that during my visit, my friend and I walked just under 100 blocks on the island of Manhattan. It works out to be seven miles. We were severely dehydrated however and I wonder if it just made my headache worse.
MOVING ON.
That's the theme of my life and training lately. Moving on. Today I woke up and had two fried eggs and a couple slices of toast with a tall glass of cranberry/pomegranate juice. At work, I sipped a medium sized coffee and enjoyed a big handful of raisins before lunch. I haven't got a photo but I will soon. Before my trip, B-May experimented with a pot pie of sorts of mushrooms, brussel sprouts, spinach, peppers and whatever other veggies we had in the house. Tacked on four little oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for a filling and redeeming meal. Seltzer water for a drink.
Dinner was excellent! This was a huge step back towards Taming the Craving. Gnocchi with roasted cauliflower. B-May whipped up a cream sauce to hold it all together and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. 
Okay, so now for What I Learned Today: I would rather be moving than sitting on a barstool past midnight. It was immature taking the trip I did - though it comes with some good stories - and the fact that I still have hot-burps from lousy beers is a telling sign. There's fun to be had in going out on a bender but it's no good maintaining that as a lifestyle, even if it's just two nights in a row.
Ironically, B-May and I are contemplating a beer out on the town tonight or ice cream. Speaking on rare occasion, my liver, says ice cream.
Later!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Uh...Half marathon? Yes!
There's been nothing subtle about my life lately.
To project a self-fulfilling prophesy, I brought my friends to Dos Amigos Burritos for the namesake burritos. I ordered a fish burrito with guacamole (for an extra dollar) and sipped a Coke for lunch. I have never been to this staple of Portsmouth dining but it was amazing. I'll be back very very soon.
To project a self-fulfilling prophesy, I brought my friends to Dos Amigos Burritos for the namesake burritos. I ordered a fish burrito with guacamole (for an extra dollar) and sipped a Coke for lunch. I have never been to this staple of Portsmouth dining but it was amazing. I'll be back very very soon.
After they left B-May and I took a walk and debated on dinner. It didn't take long to decide on a vegetable calzone which we started on as soon as we got back. The pictures tell the story and one can easily deduce that it, too, was amazing. (B-May also allotted some of the dough taken from the enormous calzone and worked it into three breadsticks we eagerly dipped into a olive oil concoction on par with Not Your Average Joes).
For dessert I had a couple more of the bites (see last post).
This morning was sort of epic. First of all, we woke up at 6 30am. Then we each ate half of a bagel with some peanut butter. Then we ran 13.1 miles.
13.1 miles! That's a half marathon! I felt pretty good during miles 1-8 and 10-13.1. Miles 8-10 were a different story. I developed a devil of a blister on my left foot and my legs gave up the whole running thing. What I Learned Today: run like B-May. I need to slow down my pace when I put on the big miles. She did amazing. She said her legs were sore too - after all, she is human - but for the most part, when I needed to walk, she never stopped running. Very impressive girlfriend!
Our run ended right next to a convenience store and I quickly downed a quart of Gatorade, B-May half that much. I wolfed down a couple waffles and tall glass of milk before running a quick errand (no pun intended) to Maine, during which I sipped a Diet Coke.
At work, I had one of the portions of our macaroni and cheese with veggies. Like before, I added a bag of Wheat Thins and four of the bites. Not completely awake at work, I picked up a Coke and got the necessary caffeine kick to get me through.
When I got home, B-May and I celebrated the completion of our run with a beer each and generous bowl of ice cream. Typically, I'm sheepish to share a photo of one of my favorite snacks but given the serious mileage we put in today, I don't mind posting this sweet snack on the blog.
I am thoroughly exhausted. Bedtime.
Later!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A Run and a Regret
Before I wax poetic on why I can't seem to bring myself to blog a regular basis, I have to boast about these amazing waffles!
Afterwards, we were treated to a post-race BBQ of sorts put on for runners by a couple local restaurants in Somerville, chief among them, Anna's Taqueria supplied grilled chicken and grilled veggie breakfast burritos. These were of course excellent.
I can honestly say (and B-May can testify) that I made these all by myself. One step towards autonomy! Granted, I followed a recipe from Betty Crocker, but made it my own by adding a banana and a solid handful of almonds! Excellent breakfast that I had to wait for because we didn't have eggs, among many other things needed at the grocery store.
So back up a little: Shortly after my previous post B-May and enjoyed a simple but veggie-licious take on macaroni and cheese. We made excess macaroni and cheese. Seriously, there are three tupperwares in the fridge, and three in the freezer. It was out of hand. Four types of cheeses and peppers and mushrooms. Filling but, given the whole wheat macaroni base, it ranked on the healthier side of things.
For dessert, we baked oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies. Lots of good things there. Strangely, the recipe did not call for an egg which is probably why they look like bites and not traditional cookies. Triple (or quadruple?) the number of bites here to arrive at my total consumption that night.
Breakfast the next morning was next to nothing. We stopped for coffees and chai lattes, respectively at Caffe Killim in town. This was at 6 30am because we were headed back down to the Commonwealth despite the rain for the Somerville Homeless Coalition 5K. I've already said it was our first race exactly a year ago. As such, we've been eagerly awaiting to see our improvement since then. At press time, I have not been able to dig up the official times but I recall something around 26:25 for myself, and B-May just 30 seconds or so behind. That's five minutes better (at least) than our times in 2008. And I ran it in my Five Fingers!
Afterwards, we were treated to a post-race BBQ of sorts put on for runners by a couple local restaurants in Somerville, chief among them, Anna's Taqueria supplied grilled chicken and grilled veggie breakfast burritos. These were of course excellent. And there was mixed fruits and corn bread. I ate a lot of corn bread.
Soon after, I was back in New Hampshire for work and during work enjoyed leftover macaroni and cheese and some of B-May's homemade applesauce - despite not having a spoon. I just finished fishing out the pasta with my fingers like a Beudoin when a generous co-worker offered me spoon for my applesauce. It was good timing.
Work proved to be particularly stressful and so a co-worker joined me for a couple of beers at the Coat of Arms in Portsmouth. I had a Black and Brown - Guiness and Newcastle and a Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Both were pleasant treats I slowly sipped.
All caught up! I have friends from college arriving soon - I forsee burritos at Dos Amigos - and other hearty portions in my immediate future.
Later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
