Now I know why I usually drive to the gym-- after running for 30 min, cycling for 45 (I increased the time because I was trying to finish reading an article in my magazine, so I figured I'd just keep pedaling), and then lifting weights for 40 min, I tried to run the mile back to my office. It's mostly downhill, but holy crud, it was one of the hardest miles I've run in a while. My legs were just done. Tired. Not willing to turn over.
I guess that's good practice. I can imagine having a similar feeling during the last leg of a triathlon. So it's good practice now and then to push on, even though hitch-hiking a ride back to the finish line sounds very appealing!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
On a Diet
The last few weeks weren't pretty. I know I've put on some pounds, and I feel flabby. Gotta get those back off. So here's the plan:
6 days a week I'll shoot for ~1400-1500 calories a day, with a good balance of lean proteins (fish, chicken, tofu-- NOT corned beef!), complex carbs (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal-- NOT asiago cheese bagels!), and try to keep the fats low and focused on the good kinds of fats (from nuts, seeds, avocados-- NOT chocolate chip cookies), and I'll keep well hydrated (with water, decaf coffee, and tea-- NOT beer and diet Coke). One day a week I can splurge a little (choose to have EITHER a few beers OR dessert, but NOT BOTH!)
It's not going to be easy at first. I've reverted back to some of my old gobble-it-up-now, worry-about-it-later habits. Well, it's now "later." My first race of the season is coming up in just under 3 weeks, and I really don't need to be hauling these extra pounds down the trail with me. But I
do need to make sure I'm getting enough calories to keep me well-fueled and keep my energy high. So to help with that, I'm going back to my old trick of using Fitday to help me track my intake and output. Here's what I'm doing today:
INPUT:
Breakfast-- oatmeal w/ protein powder, craisins, slivered almonds, and flax seeds (350 cal)
Snack-- apple w/ 1 Tbs peanut butter (180 cal)
Lunch-- mixed greens salad w/ 1 tsp olive oil & vinegar (60 cal); 1 can Progresso light southwestern vegetable soup (120 cal)
Snack-- 2 Wasa whole-wheat flatbread crackers (90 cal)
Dinner-- 1/4 cup (raw amount) quinoa (160 cal); 1 cup steamed broccoli (20 cal); 7 oz broiled salmon* w/ cilantro-chili-lime marinade (350 cal)
Dessert-- cup of hot tea w/ 1 tsp honey (30 cal)
Other-- 1/2 cup skim milk (in my coffee and tea; 40 cal)
TOTAL INPUT= 1400 cal
OUTPUT:
basal metabolic rate= 1420 cal
brisk walk to Target at lunchtime (10 min either way): 60 cal
run from work to gym via circuitous route (25 min, easy pace): 200 cal
cycling (30 min indoors, high revs plus some hills): 210 cal
strength training (45 min-- legs, arms, core): 90 cal
run back to work via direct route (10 min, easy): 80 cal
Total= 2040 cal spent, 640 of which from exercise
Fitday actually tacks on an extra 260 calories for "lifestyle." What this is getting at, I think, is the fact that you move around some during the day, getting coffee, walking up the stairs to your house, washing dishes, etc. These are added to the basal metabolic rate, which is the calories you'd burn if you just stayed in bed all day. So if I add on the lifestyle calories, I come up with 2320 calories burned for the day.
TOTAL OUTPUT: 2320 cal
Okay, so if we take the OUTPUT (2320 cal) minus the INPUT (1400 cal), I've come up with a 900 calorie deficit for the day. That kind of a deficit will be okay for a few days to jump-start my metabolism into a burning mode again, but for longer-term sustainability I'll try to shoot for a 500 calorie daily deficit-- that should keep my energy high enough, but also allow me to lose about 1 lb per week.
So that's the plan. Help me stick with it!
6 days a week I'll shoot for ~1400-1500 calories a day, with a good balance of lean proteins (fish, chicken, tofu-- NOT corned beef!), complex carbs (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal-- NOT asiago cheese bagels!), and try to keep the fats low and focused on the good kinds of fats (from nuts, seeds, avocados-- NOT chocolate chip cookies), and I'll keep well hydrated (with water, decaf coffee, and tea-- NOT beer and diet Coke). One day a week I can splurge a little (choose to have EITHER a few beers OR dessert, but NOT BOTH!)
It's not going to be easy at first. I've reverted back to some of my old gobble-it-up-now, worry-about-it-later habits. Well, it's now "later." My first race of the season is coming up in just under 3 weeks, and I really don't need to be hauling these extra pounds down the trail with me. But I
do need to make sure I'm getting enough calories to keep me well-fueled and keep my energy high. So to help with that, I'm going back to my old trick of using Fitday to help me track my intake and output. Here's what I'm doing today:INPUT:
Breakfast-- oatmeal w/ protein powder, craisins, slivered almonds, and flax seeds (350 cal)
Snack-- apple w/ 1 Tbs peanut butter (180 cal)
Lunch-- mixed greens salad w/ 1 tsp olive oil & vinegar (60 cal); 1 can Progresso light southwestern vegetable soup (120 cal)
Snack-- 2 Wasa whole-wheat flatbread crackers (90 cal)
Dinner-- 1/4 cup (raw amount) quinoa (160 cal); 1 cup steamed broccoli (20 cal); 7 oz broiled salmon* w/ cilantro-chili-lime marinade (350 cal)
Dessert-- cup of hot tea w/ 1 tsp honey (30 cal)
Other-- 1/2 cup skim milk (in my coffee and tea; 40 cal)
TOTAL INPUT= 1400 cal
OUTPUT:
basal metabolic rate= 1420 cal
brisk walk to Target at lunchtime (10 min either way): 60 cal
run from work to gym via circuitous route (25 min, easy pace): 200 cal
cycling (30 min indoors, high revs plus some hills): 210 cal
strength training (45 min-- legs, arms, core): 90 cal
run back to work via direct route (10 min, easy): 80 cal
Total= 2040 cal spent, 640 of which from exercise
Fitday actually tacks on an extra 260 calories for "lifestyle." What this is getting at, I think, is the fact that you move around some during the day, getting coffee, walking up the stairs to your house, washing dishes, etc. These are added to the basal metabolic rate, which is the calories you'd burn if you just stayed in bed all day. So if I add on the lifestyle calories, I come up with 2320 calories burned for the day.
TOTAL OUTPUT: 2320 cal
Okay, so if we take the OUTPUT (2320 cal) minus the INPUT (1400 cal), I've come up with a 900 calorie deficit for the day. That kind of a deficit will be okay for a few days to jump-start my metabolism into a burning mode again, but for longer-term sustainability I'll try to shoot for a 500 calorie daily deficit-- that should keep my energy high enough, but also allow me to lose about 1 lb per week.
So that's the plan. Help me stick with it!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Top O' The Calorie Chart To Ya
Since tomorrow's St. Patty's day, I popped a corned beef brisket into the crock pot this morning so that we can have it with some boiled cabbage for dinner tonight. Corned beef & cabbage is one of Jim's favorite meals, and I don't mind it once in a while. Corned beef usually comes from the brisket of a cow, or the chunk of fat/muscle that's nearly between the front legs, at the bottom of the neck. The meat is cured or pickled in a seasoned brine. According to Wikipedia, "the 'corn' in 'corned beef' refers to the "corn" or grains of coarse salts used to cure it. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the usage of 'corn,' meaning 'small hard particle, a grain, as of sand or salt.'"
As I was putting the meat in the crock pot, I couldn't help but notice all the fat, some of which I was able to trim off, but most still remains on and in the meat. Probably not the best cut of meat to eat if you're concerned about calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, etc.
So I hopped on the internet to find out how my traditional Irish meal would sit in terms of other cuts of beef. As I suspected, it's one of the highest fat & calorie cuts you can find. Good thing we only eat it on rare occasions. The chart below shows some different cuts of meats and their total calories for a 3 oz serving. Remember that 3 oz is a piece of meat approximately the size of a deck of playing cards!
Oh, look-- beef tongue is a much healthier option! As is fried liver! Ugh. I think I'll just have a small portion of corned beef, a large helping of cabbage, and skip dessert.
Last week on the road
This past week finished up my 3 week series of training classes for work. I was in Helena taking a class called "Introduction to Incident Information." Basically, I was learning how to be an Information Officer for wildfires (or other major disasters).
I'm looking forward to being back to my normal work week and workout routine starting tomorrow. And to getting back in the pool, since I didn't have an opportunity to swim this past week. But it was good to get some extra running time in, as I'll be doing my first running race of the season in just a few weeks. I'll be digging through a few more tempo runs and speed sessions between now and then, and also trying to shed some of the beer pounds I'm sure I've put on in the past few weeks. (not looking forward to this Friday's Weigh-In)
While dealing with fires isn't a primary responsibility of my job, I do work for a land-owning agency, so when we have a bad fire season like we did last year, anyone and everyone who can help is asked to do so. It's not required, but strongly suggested, that all employees have some fire qualifications. Plus, it's the only time that I can get overtime pay. Last year I was able to fully fund my trip to NC for the Outer Banks Half Marathon on overtime pay from fires.
There are lots of different jobs within the fire world. Everyone's familiar with the sooty, exhausted firefighter in the yellow shirt and green pants who's been swinging a pulaski all day long. I am fully qualified to do that, and to assist in operating an engine, laying out water hoses, 
etc. But honestly, that stuff sucks. I really don't like wearing long sleeves and long pants and 8" leather boots in 95 degree weather with nothing but smoky air to breathe. As you should know by now, it's not that I'm opposed to hard work. Heck, if it was a 65 degree day with clear skies, I'd be all excited to get a great upper body workout from digging fire line. But I hate heat. And smoke. So I decided to look towards other roles in the fire world...
etc. But honestly, that stuff sucks. I really don't like wearing long sleeves and long pants and 8" leather boots in 95 degree weather with nothing but smoky air to breathe. As you should know by now, it's not that I'm opposed to hard work. Heck, if it was a 65 degree day with clear skies, I'd be all excited to get a great upper body workout from digging fire line. But I hate heat. And smoke. So I decided to look towards other roles in the fire world...So what other roles are there? First, someone has to be the head honcho in charge. This person is called the Incident Commander, or IC. For a small fire, the IC could be a mid-level supervisor on a local crew. As fires become more complex-- bigger in acreage, in tough terrain, threatening property, etc-- an incident managment team will most likely be brought in, a fire camp set up, and more resources (people & equipment) brought in to help. The IC oversees all operations and is basically in charge of coming up with the overall objectives. But that person has several folks working under him/her:
Someone has to feed those firefighters, and make sure they have the tools they need, and that there are showers available, and arrange to get their tires fixed when they puncture one. All those duties are part of Logistics. Then there's the Planning Section-- how do we actually hope to accomplish our mission? how many people do we need to go when and where and do what? do we need helicopters? if so, how many? Planning folks then talk to Operations people. These are the ones that actually get the work done, that are out on the ground directing the yellow shirts where to go and what to do. They also manage the air show. Then there's Finance, which is responsible for paying all these people, and for dealing with claims, and figuring up daily figures of the cost of fighting the fire. There's also a Safety officer who's looking out to make sure the operations are being conducted safely, that everyone wears their personal protective equipment, etc. Dispatchers are needed to call people up and ask them to come help, as well as help man the radio traffic and keep track of what's going on. And most of the time a large incident will have a Liason officer who helps the fire management team stay in contact with local agencies, such as the sheriff's office, volunteer fire department, and other landowners. 
Finally, someone needs to take care of letting everyone know what the heck is going on. That's the role of the Information officer(s). Information is responsible for organizing public meetings, providing interviews and tours for the media, writing press releases, putting up information boards in communities near the fire, etc.
Finally, someone needs to take care of letting everyone know what the heck is going on. That's the role of the Information officer(s). Information is responsible for organizing public meetings, providing interviews and tours for the media, writing press releases, putting up information boards in communities near the fire, etc. That's what I'm most interested in doing-- talking, not digging. So in training last week I was learning to write press releases and fact sheets, I practiced giving phone and tv interviews (our instructors taped us and then played it back to critique us), we ran through a simulation exercise where we had to plan a town meeting, deal with concerned citizens who thought their house was being burned, coordinate with the Sheriff's office about evacuation notices, etc. It was a good class, and I look forward to being able to get some real-world practice later this summer.
In the meantime, I'll just stick with my regular pay check, and appreciate the free time I have to work out and play. And keep myself in shape enough to be able to go out and dig line if I have to! To that end, here's a re-cap of my stab at training this week:
In the meantime, I'll just stick with my regular pay check, and appreciate the free time I have to work out and play. And keep myself in shape enough to be able to go out and dig line if I have to! To that end, here's a re-cap of my stab at training this week:
Sunday: Tempo run in Frenchtown (45 min-- 20 min at ~90% max heart rate)
Monday: afternoon easy run exploring Helena (45 min)
Tuesday: 20 min cycle and 30 min strength (squats, lunges, pushup pyramind) in morning; 30 min cruise run with Allison in afternoon (the first time we've run together in a while-- it was great to have the company!)
Wednesday: 20 min elliptical and Sage's yoga podcasts in the morning (check them out!); 25 min easy run in afternoon (and then a most excellent Thai dinner-- if you're ever in Helena, don't miss Toi's Thai restaurant-- one of the best meals I've had in a long time!)
Thursday: 30 minute easy run with 10 min lunge intervals in afternoon
Friday: 30 minute bike ride and yoga in evening
Saturday & Sunday: rest/cross-training, working with Jim around the ranch
Total- 6 hrs: RUN- 2 hr 25 min; BIKE- 50 min; SWIM- 0 min; STRENGTH/YOGA- 1 hr 25 min; OTHER- 20 min elliptical
I'm looking forward to being back to my normal work week and workout routine starting tomorrow. And to getting back in the pool, since I didn't have an opportunity to swim this past week. But it was good to get some extra running time in, as I'll be doing my first running race of the season in just a few weeks. I'll be digging through a few more tempo runs and speed sessions between now and then, and also trying to shed some of the beer pounds I'm sure I've put on in the past few weeks. (not looking forward to this Friday's Weigh-In)
Friday, March 7, 2008
Fitting it all in
Hi folks. Sorry about the lack of posts this week. What with all of the long work days, the socializing (read: beer drinking), and cramming workouts in at odd hours, I haven't had any time for posting. But at least I've been getting the workouts in. Which is good, because I've been waaay to lax on everything else (read: am seriously going to diet for a few weeks once I'm back to my normal schedule to see if I can't quickly shed off a few of the pounds I know I've put back on in the past few weeks).
So this is nearly the end of my second full week of being in Missoula for work. Usually I'm just here for the weekends, and up in Kalispell for the week. So the dichotomy of living in two different towns has led to a dichotomy in my overall lifestyle. Especially the eating/drinking/socializing. During the week, I usually work, work out, eat a small-ish dinner by myself, and go to bed early. On the weekends I don't count calories as much, drink a few beers, stay up a little later, and basically reward myself for my week's efforts.
The system works fairly well. At least if I'm only here on the weekends. But I've been on a "weekend" for two weeks now, and it's starting to feel gross. I haven't necessarily been going overboard with eating and drinking-- but enough that I can tell a difference in my body. I don't feel as clean or as fit. I've been a little fuzzy-headed from too much beer. And while I've had some good times hanging out with friends and coworkers and Jim, I'm ready to return to my more hermit-like existence!
Unfortunately, I still have one more week of travel ahead of me: I'll be in Helena all next week for work, staying in a motel and having to eat out a lot. Ugh. I've decided to go to the grocery store this weekend and stock up on good things to eat for at least all but dinner. I've been making ziplocks full of my oatmeal-protein mix, and then can just add some water and pop in a microwave. So I'll make some more of those for breakfast. Then for snack/lunch I'll grab a bunch of apples, peanut butter, baby carrots, graham crackers, etc. That should get me through the day, and then I can find a sensible dinner in the evening. The upside is that my friend Allison will be there, too, and she's a great health-conscious buddy to be around. We made sure to book our rooms in a motel that had a pool and fitness room, so we plan to workout together at the motel before work in the mornings. Hopefully we can help keep each other on track for dinners, too.
Wish me luck for one more week. I probably won't write much, if at all. But I'll be trying to make you proud!
Here's what I did this week:
Monday: biked to Frenchtown Pond (10 min), ran 2 laps around the pond (25 min), biked home (10 min); ab work and pushup pyramid
Tuesday: swam 1200 yd at 6:15 am
Wednesday: ran during my lunch break (35 min)
Thursday: swam during lunch break (900 yd); biked with Kev after work (1 hr)
Friday: was supposed to meet Jenny for a run/walk this am, but she bailed; decided to work (aka write my blog!) instead; will do a tempo run this afternoon (it should be sunny and beautiful out, so it'll give me something to look forward to all day!); I should also do some abs and arms!
Saturday or Sunday: I'll squeeze in either a long run or long bike and some yoga
So this is nearly the end of my second full week of being in Missoula for work. Usually I'm just here for the weekends, and up in Kalispell for the week. So the dichotomy of living in two different towns has led to a dichotomy in my overall lifestyle. Especially the eating/drinking/socializing. During the week, I usually work, work out, eat a small-ish dinner by myself, and go to bed early. On the weekends I don't count calories as much, drink a few beers, stay up a little later, and basically reward myself for my week's efforts.
The system works fairly well. At least if I'm only here on the weekends. But I've been on a "weekend" for two weeks now, and it's starting to feel gross. I haven't necessarily been going overboard with eating and drinking-- but enough that I can tell a difference in my body. I don't feel as clean or as fit. I've been a little fuzzy-headed from too much beer. And while I've had some good times hanging out with friends and coworkers and Jim, I'm ready to return to my more hermit-like existence!
Unfortunately, I still have one more week of travel ahead of me: I'll be in Helena all next week for work, staying in a motel and having to eat out a lot. Ugh. I've decided to go to the grocery store this weekend and stock up on good things to eat for at least all but dinner. I've been making ziplocks full of my oatmeal-protein mix, and then can just add some water and pop in a microwave. So I'll make some more of those for breakfast. Then for snack/lunch I'll grab a bunch of apples, peanut butter, baby carrots, graham crackers, etc. That should get me through the day, and then I can find a sensible dinner in the evening. The upside is that my friend Allison will be there, too, and she's a great health-conscious buddy to be around. We made sure to book our rooms in a motel that had a pool and fitness room, so we plan to workout together at the motel before work in the mornings. Hopefully we can help keep each other on track for dinners, too.
Wish me luck for one more week. I probably won't write much, if at all. But I'll be trying to make you proud!
Here's what I did this week:
Monday: biked to Frenchtown Pond (10 min), ran 2 laps around the pond (25 min), biked home (10 min); ab work and pushup pyramid
Tuesday: swam 1200 yd at 6:15 am
Wednesday: ran during my lunch break (35 min)
Thursday: swam during lunch break (900 yd); biked with Kev after work (1 hr)
Friday: was supposed to meet Jenny for a run/walk this am, but she bailed; decided to work (aka write my blog!) instead; will do a tempo run this afternoon (it should be sunny and beautiful out, so it'll give me something to look forward to all day!); I should also do some abs and arms!
Saturday or Sunday: I'll squeeze in either a long run or long bike and some yoga
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
