Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Godaiko Again

Godaiko is still one of my favorites, but I never have my camera for the best lunch specials. This one was still good. The soup was spicy with different meats, potato and carrots. The chicken had an Orange sauce and much better than any Chinese restaurant lunch special would make. The Lobster on lettuce was different, which is the reason I go there, but a little too much mayo or just not enough flavor. The last dish is a Tofu dish. I have been avoiding Tofu, but ate this anyways cause I was hungry. They do a warm Plum sauce with it, pretty tasty. I would give this an average rating-for them.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Barefootin'

Took my daughter to the track yesterday for some barefoot running. She and I both ran a mile. She is just seven. I told her to just do two laps, but she didn't heed my advice because she felt it was important to push herself. Mind you, she is pushing herself. I stubbed my toe on the second lap. I ran through it and also did my 100 yard sprints-4 of them. Then we did the bleachers together. Two sets! Back to the stubbed toe. It started hurting yesterday. I figure it will take a little time to heal but I am not too worried. I think stuff like this is natural and strengthens you in the long run. I seem to remember getting a few of these in my youth when I ran the neighborhood barefoot. It also reminded me of something I learned while doing my research. You must pay attention when barefootin. Of course, I have been running barefoot for six months now and got a little too comfortable, especially on the "safe" track. I guess a little throbbing in the big toe for a week should leave a lasting impression.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Training Philosophy

I just read a great blog on Primal Muse called Training Philosophy. It has motivated me to change my whole work out program. While this information is nothing new in the Primal world, it has a direct correlation to my triathlon training and bike riding specifically. Please go to his link for the scientific verbiage, but for the laymen I will spell out what I have done and will change. The CV has always been to put in the base miles during the winter and to train with light to medium weights with higher reps for us endurance athletes. I always considered myself an endurance athlete, but Olympic distance triathlons aren't really that long. Now that I have been reading Mark's blog and following Primal I have begun sprint workouts, lifting heavy things etc., but still worried about the distance. Jamie recommends getting the speed and the power base and throw in the endurance at the end. Naturally, the opposite of CV. But why should I be surprised? If I have learned one thing in the last 6 months, it's that everything I thought I knew, and was so smug about, was wrong. So, it's time to up the weights, shorten the distances, increase the sprints and plan on kicking some butt next year. I move into a new age group next year, 45-49, so I'm pretty excited about that. On the other hand, I have found that the guys my age doing triathlons tend to be pretty serious, so it's no easy task kicking their butts. I am going to set my goal of top 20% in my age group. That would differ from the usual middle of the pack.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Poo or No Poo

That's shampoo, of course. Over three months ago I quit using shampoo, lotion, shaving cream and chapstick. In all cases I believe we have been convinced by years of TV and magazine ads that we need these things. Shampoo-I don't have much hair so that one is a no-brainer, but other bloggers I have followed say that after about 30 days their hair actually gets thicker and more manageable than with shampoo. It just takes a little while for your body to acclimate to the change. Lotion-occasionally I get dry skin, but again my body recognizes this and fixes the situation. I use a loofah pad and scrub hard with just water, so don't think I am dirty or smelly. I think I am cleaner with no residue left over. Even my psoriasis is better, but that is also due to no longer eating grains which trigger my autoimmune disease, but more on that in another post. Shaving cream- I still use this on my head when I shave, but when I run out I will not buy anymore. Not sure what I will do then. Similarly, on my face I am using a non alkaline soap for shaving, can't remember what brand it is, it creates a little bit of a slicker surface but that is almost gone and I will go to just water. Chapstick-this was actually the hardest! I can't remember when I last went without Chapstick. I usually had at least three sticks in rotation at one time for at least the last 20 yrs. My lips cracked and hurt for about a week. Then all of a sudden they were fine and I haven't had chapped lips since. I am still finding old chapsticks in different places. For the record, I do use a crystal for my under arms, which is chemical free and quite effective. I also use cologne which I spray two shots on my bare stomach/chest area. That's something I read in a GQ once. When you get a little warm it increases the smell. Of course, I do that just for the ladies!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Barefoot Running

In honor of the first annual barefoot in NY City I went for a barefoot run yesterday. I love the freedom of just showing up to the park, taking off my shoes and going. I have started wearing regular shorts and t-shirts, just to be more anti-running gear. I especially enjoy passing someone in all their fancy running gear because it really reinforces the fact that the big money advertisers lead us to believe we need all this special gear to get in shape. Yes, I was one of those NIKE from head to toe guys. While I was running a girl, rather attractive I might add, caught up to me and asked if I ever step on pebbles etc. So, let me discuss what I have learned from barefootin. I started at the track. While the track feels like sandpaper, it is forgiving and it is usually around a football field. I started by running one mile, then sprinting 100 yd dashes on grass. I felt that my form came very naturally, meaning I landed on my front pads without thinking about it. I did already have my Vibram five fingers, but did not use then. I also never went back to running shoes, as I did not want to confuse my body or mind. After a month of exclusively running at the track I moved to the park paved trails. What I found was that I was so aware of the ground that even if I did step on something I was able to pull up and therefore did not hurt my feet at all. The only thing that has ever hurt, and in a good way, is my calves. I have always wanted those well formed calves and now I can feel them getting a better workout. The biggest irony, thanks to CW, is that I used to tell my brother-in-law he was landing wrong when all along he was the one running "naturally". I look forward to next spring and getting more mile in. However, now I have to start thinking about where to run in the winter. I think I will go to the indoor track at Whitmore Lake High School, but have to play around with barefoot vs Vibram's.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Cold or Allergies

I am just logging this in for the record. I am pretty sure it's allergies, since I have stuffiness and fatigue. This does seem a little different than last month. It didn't keep me from working out this morning, but it was hard to get out of bed. Of course it was 35° overnight, so that doesn't help either.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Football and Primal Snacks

 GO BLUE!!! I went over to a friends house to watch the Denard Robinson show. Man that guy is fast. Now if the Defense could just tighten up a bit. So I got into the game before I remembered I wanted to take these pictures, but did manage to get two before everything was gone. I made the chicken and Jalapeno slices wrapped in bacon. Pretty simple recipe. I cut the chicken in 1" cubes, add a jalapeno slice and wrap with 1/2 piece of bacon. I skewer these and cook for 30 min @ 300°. I don't think 30 min is necessary, but wanted to get the bacon nice and crispy. I also cut up some celery and broccoli and used ranch for dipping. Add a couple of hard ciders and enjoy the game.