Dear Blogging and all things Internet community,
I plead from the bottom of my heart to do ONE thing and one thing only from now until January 1st, 2013. PLEASE STOP USING THE WORD EPIC.
Do you even know what it means?
"A long poem, typically derived from oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of..."
The Odyssey is EPIC. The dude was away from his wife for 20 years!!!
What is it that you have done or eaten or seen that is heroic or legendary?
The first time I ever heard the word epic used in a sentence to describe something athletic related was on a climb in Provence climbing from the village of Bonnieux up to the hilltown of Buoux. We passed by what I called "The Grand Canyon of Southern France. It was a majestic view! But not EPIC.
However, this omelette I am about to consume, is TASTY, but alas, is NOT epic.
That 3,000 yard swim I did last night, was HARD and CHALLENGING, but I'm sorry, was NOT epic,
Me beating Michael Phelps in a 100 butterfly race, would be considered IMPOSSIBLE, but still not EPIC. Him eating me for lunch if he were a zombie would be quite horrifying, yet funny, but alas, NOT epic.
Cervelo's new P5 could be considered one of the prettiest things known to man, but is NOT epic.
Di2 is one of the most wanted things I could ever want on my time trial bike, but still does not come close to being Epic.
Bacon in my opinion will NEVER jump the shark.
I thought EPIC could follow in the foot steps of bacon, but as hard as I want it to, it can't. Bacon wins and is above all things EPIC, needless to say.
So if you will oblige my desperate call for what I am asking, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put the word down, for another 11.5 months.
Maybe 2013 will mark the return of EPIC? But in the meantime, I don't want to even think of the word.
Sincerely,
Just a guy who simply says, "Thanks!"
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Tortilla Espanola
and as an added bonus!!!! DESSERT!
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| Nothing like 3 flights of Laphroaig 18, Talisker Distillers Edition, Talisker 18, and some Red Velvet Cake (split amongst 3 people of course!!!) |
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Alcatraz Swim Challenge
So my pool is putting on a challenge, called the Alcatraz Swim Challenge. It's swim 30 miles between January 16th and March 26th and you will be entered into a raffle to win a $200 gift certificate to a nice restaurant here in town. Why they called it the Alcatraz challenge? WHO KNOWS. (isn't it only about 1.5 miles from Alcatraz to shore?)
But swim 30 miles between January 16th and March 26th? Hhhmmmmm, 30 miles of swimming sounds kind of daunting, but! its roughly 10 weeks between January 16 and March 26th. So breaking it down:
30 miles = 158,400 feet
158,400 feet = 52,800 yards
10 weeks = 30 swim workouts for me
52,800/30 = 1760 yards per workout
Um, yeah......considering I usually do between 2500 and 3000 yards a workout, this will be a no brainer. Its not a contest for total yards. Its a contest for reaching 52,800 yards in that period of time and you will be eligible for the raffle. I expect to hit eligibility between and 6 & 7 weeks.
So instead of exiting the pool and heading straight for the locker room, I will take a 15 second detour, log my yardage in the book, and THEN go to the locker room. Pretty tough, eh?
Let's just hope only about 10 people actually follow through with this. Or just me....
Took me only four years. Why was I so afraid of flipping at the wall? Fortunately I had a VERY good teacher and learned in less than 30 minutes. :)
So far I have been doing my entire swim workouts using flip turns. I am forcing myself to NOT do touch turns, even if my flips are sometimes (ok, almost always) absolute crap. But! Each swim the turns get better and better and more and more consistent. Still a few hitches here and there. I am learning that they are easier to do the faster you come into the wall.
But mostly they are tiring me out quicker, but I was warned this would happen at first. But already I am able to increase my yardage again while being more fluid in the water. Mostly the turns have increased my feel for the water, which is something that I constantly struggle with by only swimming 3 times a week.
Now I just need to learn butterfly. Easy, right? ;)
But swim 30 miles between January 16th and March 26th? Hhhmmmmm, 30 miles of swimming sounds kind of daunting, but! its roughly 10 weeks between January 16 and March 26th. So breaking it down:
30 miles = 158,400 feet
158,400 feet = 52,800 yards
10 weeks = 30 swim workouts for me
52,800/30 = 1760 yards per workout
Um, yeah......considering I usually do between 2500 and 3000 yards a workout, this will be a no brainer. Its not a contest for total yards. Its a contest for reaching 52,800 yards in that period of time and you will be eligible for the raffle. I expect to hit eligibility between and 6 & 7 weeks.
So instead of exiting the pool and heading straight for the locker room, I will take a 15 second detour, log my yardage in the book, and THEN go to the locker room. Pretty tough, eh?
Let's just hope only about 10 people actually follow through with this. Or just me....
In other swimming news! I learned how to do flip turns!!!
Took me only four years. Why was I so afraid of flipping at the wall? Fortunately I had a VERY good teacher and learned in less than 30 minutes. :)
So far I have been doing my entire swim workouts using flip turns. I am forcing myself to NOT do touch turns, even if my flips are sometimes (ok, almost always) absolute crap. But! Each swim the turns get better and better and more and more consistent. Still a few hitches here and there. I am learning that they are easier to do the faster you come into the wall.
But mostly they are tiring me out quicker, but I was warned this would happen at first. But already I am able to increase my yardage again while being more fluid in the water. Mostly the turns have increased my feel for the water, which is something that I constantly struggle with by only swimming 3 times a week.
Now I just need to learn butterfly. Easy, right? ;)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Three Things Thursday: Experimenting
1) Counting Calories
I have been counting calories since I finished the cleanse last week. This is a total experiment that has been VERY informative because I am learning a lot about what I am putting into my body vs what I am expending through training and learning about the "value" of foods in terms of caloric expense.
For example, olive oil has a lot of good fat in it, except it is VERY calorie dense and is NOT filling. Go slurp down 3 tablespoons of EVOO right now and see if you are full. That right there was 360 calories. Now go eat 3 servings (small bowls) of cheerios with 1 cup of milk. That's 400 calories right there.
Which is more filling? Which will give you more energy to fuel a workout? FOR ME, the cheerios & milk wins out. That is just an example of how I "value" foods with regard to how they will help me train. I do use EVOO, but a teaspoon at a time, to cook eggs every morning for breakfast.
When I am not using packaged products with a nutrition label, I have been using a food scale to determine weight in grams to figure out its caloric content. I bought the EatSmart Precision Pro for $25 off of amazon. Simple, cheap, can measure in 4 different weight parameters.
So far this has been a VERY informative experiment and I have been enjoying it a lot. Email me if you have any questions about this....
2) Intervals F@#^@&* ROCK!!!
Oh the trainer. Its too dark and too cold this time of year to ride outdoors, so I will be inside on the bike for the next 6-8 weeks. Spinning for 60-90 minutes with a good movie on sort of keeps my brain from going to mush, but I find the BEST way to keep from getting bored on the bike is to mix it up! This is the time of year to be building POWER on the bike, not necessarily endurance. Endurance will follow, but POWER is what you want to be building. GET STRONG! (not fast, but STRONG).
My 60 min trainer this session was 15 min warm up, 12x(90 sec @ 220 watts, 90 sec @ 150 watts), 9 min CD. 60 mins FLEW by!
3) Three Day Weekend!!!
Short work week next week due to the MLK Holiday on Monday! YES! Will be down in The City all weekend saying good bye to some friends, rooting for THE Patriots, and running in Central Park. Its gonna be a busy weekend of training, but I also plan to SLEEP and cook all weekend. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.
I have been counting calories since I finished the cleanse last week. This is a total experiment that has been VERY informative because I am learning a lot about what I am putting into my body vs what I am expending through training and learning about the "value" of foods in terms of caloric expense.
For example, olive oil has a lot of good fat in it, except it is VERY calorie dense and is NOT filling. Go slurp down 3 tablespoons of EVOO right now and see if you are full. That right there was 360 calories. Now go eat 3 servings (small bowls) of cheerios with 1 cup of milk. That's 400 calories right there.
Which is more filling? Which will give you more energy to fuel a workout? FOR ME, the cheerios & milk wins out. That is just an example of how I "value" foods with regard to how they will help me train. I do use EVOO, but a teaspoon at a time, to cook eggs every morning for breakfast.
When I am not using packaged products with a nutrition label, I have been using a food scale to determine weight in grams to figure out its caloric content. I bought the EatSmart Precision Pro for $25 off of amazon. Simple, cheap, can measure in 4 different weight parameters.
 |
| (source) |
2) Intervals F@#^@&* ROCK!!!
Oh the trainer. Its too dark and too cold this time of year to ride outdoors, so I will be inside on the bike for the next 6-8 weeks. Spinning for 60-90 minutes with a good movie on sort of keeps my brain from going to mush, but I find the BEST way to keep from getting bored on the bike is to mix it up! This is the time of year to be building POWER on the bike, not necessarily endurance. Endurance will follow, but POWER is what you want to be building. GET STRONG! (not fast, but STRONG).
My 60 min trainer this session was 15 min warm up, 12x(90 sec @ 220 watts, 90 sec @ 150 watts), 9 min CD. 60 mins FLEW by!
 |
| NOT what I did this morning! haha (I think I did this 3 years ago?) |
Short work week next week due to the MLK Holiday on Monday! YES! Will be down in The City all weekend saying good bye to some friends, rooting for THE Patriots, and running in Central Park. Its gonna be a busy weekend of training, but I also plan to SLEEP and cook all weekend. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Monday, January 9, 2012
NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K Race Report
Gonna do this race report ABC style:
A) I finished in 43:21, a 1:33 PR
B) I haven't done ANY speedwork in a LONG LONG LONG time
C) 10K's still suck, cuz they hurt so bad
D) I had NO idea what was going to happen this morning
E) I set my last 10K PR at this very same race 13 months ago
F) I did a lot of speedwork leading up to the race 13 months ago
G) Do an Ironman. It bakes a certain degree of fitness into your body PERMANENTLY! (I am convinced!)
H) I felt like I worked a LOT harder 13 months ago for a slower finish
I) My average HR was higher during this attempt
J) I hit mile 4 at 28 mins flat, mile 5 at 35 mins flat. This made me happy
K) I remember when I died 13 months ago atop that stupid hill by the boat house on the east side
L) I knew how to tackle that stupid hill this time and survived this time
M) I hit mile 1 at a 7:13 and thought, "How cute! This ain't gonna last!"
N) I wanted to die at mile 4, and again at mile 5
O) Today's Mile Splits: 7:13, 7:07, 6:47, 6:51, 7:01, 7:08, 1:14
P) Mile Splits last time: 7:23, 7:12, 7:02, 7:15, 7:25, 7:04, 1:30
Q) Today's HR Splits: 167, 180, 181, 186, 188, 187, 189
R) HR Splits last time: 169, 180, 180, 181, 182, 181, 185
S) I then went for a 1 hour ride later in the afternoon because it was 60 outside. Its January!
T) My legs were super toasty and sore from the race
U) I won't lie, even though my HR was higher this time, I felt like I worked WAY less hard than last time
Va) I won't lie again, I was in better running shape last March (McMillan says so based off of this 15K!)
Vb) I am excited for what is to come this season!
Vc) I feel like my legs are strong, but my cardiovascular system is lacking a touch
Vd) I am in a good place to start this season!
W) I have made a bet with myself to PR all distances this season (* gulp! *)
X) Sometimes volume and a HUGE base is king
Y) The race turned into a sort of blogger meetup, seeing Jill and Bri, and then Emily (unexpectedly)
Z) I am fired up (and scared) for the Manhattan Half in two weeks.
A) I finished in 43:21, a 1:33 PR
B) I haven't done ANY speedwork in a LONG LONG LONG time
C) 10K's still suck, cuz they hurt so bad
D) I had NO idea what was going to happen this morning
E) I set my last 10K PR at this very same race 13 months ago
F) I did a lot of speedwork leading up to the race 13 months ago
G) Do an Ironman. It bakes a certain degree of fitness into your body PERMANENTLY! (I am convinced!)
H) I felt like I worked a LOT harder 13 months ago for a slower finish
I) My average HR was higher during this attempt
J) I hit mile 4 at 28 mins flat, mile 5 at 35 mins flat. This made me happy
K) I remember when I died 13 months ago atop that stupid hill by the boat house on the east side
L) I knew how to tackle that stupid hill this time and survived this time
M) I hit mile 1 at a 7:13 and thought, "How cute! This ain't gonna last!"
N) I wanted to die at mile 4, and again at mile 5
O) Today's Mile Splits: 7:13, 7:07, 6:47, 6:51, 7:01, 7:08, 1:14
P) Mile Splits last time: 7:23, 7:12, 7:02, 7:15, 7:25, 7:04, 1:30
Q) Today's HR Splits: 167, 180, 181, 186, 188, 187, 189
R) HR Splits last time: 169, 180, 180, 181, 182, 181, 185
S) I then went for a 1 hour ride later in the afternoon because it was 60 outside. Its January!
T) My legs were super toasty and sore from the race
U) I won't lie, even though my HR was higher this time, I felt like I worked WAY less hard than last time
Va) I won't lie again, I was in better running shape last March (McMillan says so based off of this 15K!)
Vb) I am excited for what is to come this season!
Vc) I feel like my legs are strong, but my cardiovascular system is lacking a touch
Vd) I am in a good place to start this season!
W) I have made a bet with myself to PR all distances this season (* gulp! *)
X) Sometimes volume and a HUGE base is king
Y) The race turned into a sort of blogger meetup, seeing Jill and Bri, and then Emily (unexpectedly)
Z) I am fired up (and scared) for the Manhattan Half in two weeks.
How did your weekend shape up?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Three Things Thursday
Resolutioners
Where are they? Maybe they all have rabies and are scared of the water, hence why my pool has been more empty than usual? I will take it....have they shown up at your gym?
Cleansing
At about 4 pm yesterday I almost caved and said "FUCK THIS! THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID! I JUST WANT TO EAT SOME FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!"
Then I thought I was going to die at about 7PM last night, so I dragged myself to the pool (makes perfect sense, right?) and dropped 2500 yards in the pool. As soon as I got out I was shaking and dizzy. (fun!) So I went and made the last drink of the day, the cashew "milk" and maple syrup drink. OMG it had flavor and tasted WONDERFUL!
I then woke up this morning and ran almost 7 miles in an hour. Crazy stuff!
I was also down 4 lbs in 24 hours. Prolly even more after the run. Don't worry, its all water weight! I went to the bathroom yesterday.......A LOT!
Skyline
Over New Year's I was introduced to one of the most amazing cycling routes on the east coast, Skyline Drive out in Front Royal, VA. We then got a reward that was OH-SO-YUMMY!
For those of you who don't know about Skyline, it goes 100+ miles from top to bottom (including 12,000 feet of elevation) before it links up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hello cycling nirvana!
Where are they? Maybe they all have rabies and are scared of the water, hence why my pool has been more empty than usual? I will take it....have they shown up at your gym?
Cleansing
At about 4 pm yesterday I almost caved and said "FUCK THIS! THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID! I JUST WANT TO EAT SOME FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!"
Then I thought I was going to die at about 7PM last night, so I dragged myself to the pool (makes perfect sense, right?) and dropped 2500 yards in the pool. As soon as I got out I was shaking and dizzy. (fun!) So I went and made the last drink of the day, the cashew "milk" and maple syrup drink. OMG it had flavor and tasted WONDERFUL!
I then woke up this morning and ran almost 7 miles in an hour. Crazy stuff!
I was also down 4 lbs in 24 hours. Prolly even more after the run. Don't worry, its all water weight! I went to the bathroom yesterday.......A LOT!
Skyline
Over New Year's I was introduced to one of the most amazing cycling routes on the east coast, Skyline Drive out in Front Royal, VA. We then got a reward that was OH-SO-YUMMY!
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| We climbed up there |
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| Our reward |
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| I only ate 6 :) |
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| click to enlarge |
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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