Typhoon is almost here in Japan.
It was rain all day to day badly.
I was scared if my car would float in the water on the street..
I could see my car parking from outside of my office through window next to me.
I was hurrying up and coming home after work today.
I didn't forget to stop by gym to take sauna and bath though, otherwise I cannot sleep well.
Now, I am relaxing at home and listening music in a bed.
First off, my Goddess.
After only five and a half hours of sleep, she got up at 4am with nary a cross word, helped pack the car, stayed awake on the drive to the lake, saw me off, moved the car to the transition area after the park opened, had my refill of bottles ready when I finished bike loop 1, was there again when I finished the bike, helped me transition to the run by making sure my bottles were ready, then smiled at me when I was done. Seven and a half hours, parked in empty parking lots, then later surrounded by some of finer specimens that America has to offer. Not a peep of complaint, just encouragement. She even drove home. My Goddess rocks!
On to the workout. It was to be eight hours, with the full 112 mile bike ride for my upcoming race, followed by the balance running. Didn't work out that way. "Only" 7:20, but discretion is the better part of surviving.
The bike ended up being 114.5 miles, mainly because I had to tack on an extra mile and back to get to my Goddess at the end of loop one for a refill.
From the beginning, a good breakfast of 650 calories two hours before the start. In the parking lot, I did what I do best - sabotage myself. I thought that a PowerBar would be a good choice to top things off right before I took off. A PowerBar and a sip of water. Fifteen miles into it and the GI distress started. Good job, Bill! Luckily I caught it immediately and was able to have things sorted out and back on schedule by mile 40. Lap 1: 3:17:17.
By the start of lap 2, the wind had picked up. That meant grinding into a stiff headwind. But before that stretch of the loop, I had to cross the bridge. My God, the bridge. About 7 miles from the transition area, we have to cross Lake Barkley, which is actually a wide part of the Cumberland River. The Cumberland is a working river, which means large coal barges must travel past. So this bridge is tall, some 80 feet off the water in the middle. It's a 1930's vintage design, so there's no shoulder, just the white line, then a waist high railing. Mind you, I'm not afraid of heights. But this bridge unnerved me. Never mind that traffic starts backing up, because I'm going to take my part of the lane right down the middle, thank you. Oh, and that part about avoiding Zone 5 at all costs during an endurance event? So much for that. Had to cross the bloody thing four times today. Luckily the drivers were considerate.
Lap two was more interesting. The typical stages of an Ironman ride worked their way through my body. Miles 75-90 were definitely uncomfortable. But then it started looking up again. Loop 2: 3:23:36. A bit slower, but I'll take it.
Total ride: 114.45 miles, time: 6:49:26 (including my 6 minute stop between loops and a 3 minute stop at mile 100 to fill my water bottles).
Now, the time's not fast, but it'll definitely do for my race day. What that doesn't show is the climbing. This route has a some hills. Only one's a wall, and that's at mile 111 for race day. Total climbing for the route is a whopping 7,158 feet! Have a look at the route and the elevation slice.
By comparison, the longest standard ride that I take from my house is 76 miles with a "measly" 1,541 feet of climbing.
So taking into account the climbing, I'm quite pleased with the time and my performance. Outside the GI distress in the early parts, my nutrition was spot on. My average heart rate for the entire ride was 129 bpm, well entrenched in Zone 2 for the majority of the ride, with some time in Zone 3, less than 13 minutes in Zone 4, and only 3 minutes in Zone 5 (bloody bridge). I finished the ride ready for the run.
Given the effort on the ride, I decided to scale back my run. I was shooting for 8 hours total workout, but that was only so I could "rescue" my weekly hours and make up some time I lost missing my two swims this week due to work commitments. Since I had plenty of time to think about it, I realized that the best thing to do was to fall back on 's original plan for this day, which was the 112 mile ride followed by a 4 mile run. Nothing more.
So the run starts out just like it did for my Half, straight up. In the first .8 mile, the climb is 219 feet, which is an average grade of 5 percent. However, it's not a steady climb; there's actually some flat parts and a downhill stretch. So in parts the grade is a fair bit steeper, probably in the 9-10 percent range. So I already figured my race strategy for my marathon - walk the first mile. After that there are a couple of fairly steep hills, which I'll likely walk. Otherwise, it's rolling for the entire run. Manageable, but I suspect there will be quite a few walkers out there.
Quite a bit of words for just one workout, eh? I'll do it again in a month, then do the whole thing in two months time.
But between now and then, I've got some work to do in the hills.
Postscript:
On the ride I had plenty of time to add to my "tagged list":
Shows I enjoy:
Guilty Pleasures:
I tagged Karl, who managed to tag me as well with a slightly different list. Someone's got to get this under control! ;)
Hope all is well with you.
I was wondering exactly how much a protein costs. Every time I work out or exercise, I think of the best way to get protein, but what is the most cost effective way of getting it?
I decided to go to and check out some prices and protein content of 31 different foods.
Before I show you what found I should discuss a number of (big) factors I did not consider:
Inclusion criteria was simple: A product that I have bought before for its protein content, or products that I regularly see or hear about people eating for their protein content.
Here are the results:
Interesting to note:
Saturday food & exercise:
I skipped the gym today. I ended up going shopping with my sister - she likes the way I dress her & I have much more patience for scouring the clearance racks for finds. By the time we were done, there was no time to hit the gym & shower before dinner with friends.
Breakfast: Bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch w/ Silk Vanilla Soymilk PLUS Fiber. This is my first time trying soymilk with fiber added. I expected it to taste differently from the regular stuff, but it doesn't (I'm happy to say). Since it has 5 grams of fiber per 1 cup serving, I think I'll start buying it from now on.
Lunch with all the girls of my family (mom, sister & daughter): Chick-Fil-A Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap w/ light Italian Dressing and Diet Coke. The wrap was also new to me. I'd never tried them before, but I had a coupon to get a free one that was about to expire, so I took the plunge. It was so-so - probably nothing I'd order again. I admit to being picky about my salad veggies - I love raw spinach but am not fond of lettuce. So lunch was a bust and I ended up leaving a lot of it uneaten.
Dinner with friends: We went to a Japanese Steakhouse (their choice, not mine, although my daughter was thrilled). I ate a few pieces of sushi from a shared platter - 2 pieces California roll, 1 piece each tuna and yellow tail. Dinner was standard fare - clear soup, salad w/ ginger dressing (I left most of this because it was iceberg lettuce, which I dislike), small amount of hibachi shrimp for an appetizer, onions & zuccini, fried rice, and my entree, hibachi rib-eye w/ mushrooms.
Snacks: Baked tortilla chips w/ fat free refried beans and salsa - I was starving after my botched lunch and an afternoon of shopping. I'm also in love with this new salsa I've discovered - Peach, Pineapple and Chipotle. It's Sam's Choice brand from WalMart and it's absolutely delicious with a great sweet-spicy flavor. It's also cheap - $1.99 for a big jar. And since it's full of chunky fruits and veggies, I see no reason why 1/2 cup wouldn't count as a fruit/veggie serving. For a late-night snack I had a reduced-fat ice cream sandwich. Plus Crystal Light, water, and Diet Coke to drink all day. Diet Coke at lunch because I had to buy a large drink to get my free wrap (terms of the coupon). Crystal Light at home. Water with dinner, and more Diet Coke at the bar we went to afterward. All in all, I drank more Diet Coke and less water/Crystal Light than I would have liked, but it's not anything I'm going to stress over.
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As I mentioned, my daughter and I went to dinner with friends from out of town. Joining us were friends of theirs - a woman I've known for years as a friendly aquaintance and her 19 year old daughter, whom I'd never met.
I just couldn't take my eyes off the daughter - she was an absolutely beautiful girl. And she was also a big girl. About 5'10", broad-shouldered, buxom and curvaceous, wearing about a size 16 - 18. Her general body shape and size reminded me of this year's AI winner.
I commented to my friend (not the girl's mother) about what a stunningly beautiful girl she was. My friend's response both surprised and disappointed me. She said, "Yeah, I always thought she could model if she just lost weight."
I responded, "She could be a plus-sized model right now, without changing a thing."
It was such an offhand remark and I know my friend didn't mean to be disparaging, but it still made me a little sad. Here was this gorgeous girl, the picture of health and happiness. Yet she was still being judged for not meeting an ideal that, for her, would be unattainable - being model-thin.
We are a group of concerned individuals, working together under the collective pen-name 'Just Ducky'.
With no illusion of grandeur, we share what we know and then write & publish here without any compensation or support from outside sources. There is no grand conspiracy, there is no organized attack, there is no naked or wrinkled Oz behind the curtain.
No, here we simply lay out the facts and leave it to you, our intelligent readers, to understand the danger that is the Kimkins Diet.
Unlike Kimmer, we do not want your money.
Unlike Kimmer, we do not need fame nor attention to feel real.
Unlike Kimmer, we have no desire to have anyone obey our commands, lest they fear our disdain and banishment.
Unlike Kimmer, we take no particular pleasure encouraging anyone starve to lose weight, nor do we enjoy watching her revel in such behavior on her site.
We want and need the truth to prevail, therefore we shall continue to provide what we know about the Kimkins Diet and the woman behind its creation, Kimmer. The diet and the woman are dangerous.
We will show you why.
We will implore you to tell your friends and family to beware of this and other diets like it.
We will provide resources you can use to make a difference and educate others too.
Any and all comments are welcome and will be published, save for those which are profane or blatantly untrue.
Please share with us and the world what you know; only by working together to expose the dangerous diet Kimkins, can we hope to banish it from existence.
We know you're out there, dear readers. Our traffic yesterday was phenomenal without any announcement from us that we launched the blog. That was to be done today, but is now unnecessary thanks to the 5,000+ of you clicked over here!
We'd like to keep that momentum, so please feel free to share a link so others know we are here. The more we reach and educate, the more likely our success to educate the unaware about the dangers of Kimkins Diet. Together we are stronger than one woman or one dangerous diet.
Egg Beaters:Nutritionally, egg whites are packed with protein and have almost no calories in them. Sounds great right? Wrong. Apparently the yolk also contains any iota of flavor you would normally find in egg dishes. You could easily mix in some garlic, basil, and ground black pepper to spice it up a bit, but I have been trying something else recently. Try getting some pre-sliced jalapeno peppers and green olives at the store, then mixing them in when you make your scrambled eggs. These give every fork-full of egg whites the flavor they are so sorely lacking.
Sandwiches:
For me, kicking these up a few levels is all about the grilling. Almost anything tastes better when its crispy and warm. If you have a george foreman grill (or copy) or a nice toaster oven you are set. If you look at a sandwich, Most of the calories really come from the bread and the cheese, so try and limit these items. Get bread in smaller slices and pile on the meat. Leave the cheese off, or replace it with some low-fat american cheese instead. Mustards are a good way to add variety to your sandwiches. If you stick with the "normal" bottle of yellow mustard all the time, try something else! Also look for low-cal toppings at your grocery store. Feel free to all banana peppers, cucumbers, or whatever you prefer. These are basically "free" flavor.
Tuna Pasta Salad:
I absolutely love pasta. My friends joke that the two things I have no self control with are pasta and ice cream. I sadly admit that this is true. The key to enjoying pasta is making sure you keep the portions down. With this salad, mix in carrots, bell peppers, celery, and canned tuna with a little bit of mayo. All those veggies add a lot of volume and not a lot of calories. This meal will fill you right up.
Salads:
This is another area where you get a lot of the volume from very low-calorie foods. I personally am not a big fan of most leafy greens, but I do love spinach. Lucky for me since it's probably the best for you! Since spinach has a lot of fiber and only a few calories per serving we can splurge on some other ingredients. Hard-boil some eggs and slice them up into your salad, or grill some chicken and use it the same way. Then add some chopped carrots and tomato and use your favorite salad dressing (in moderation!) and you have yourself a meal.
Green Beans:
This isn't a meal, but I want to fit it in somewhere! There are these awesome steam bags of frozen veggies at the stores these days. You literally throw them into the microwave for about 5 minutes and the veggies come out all nice and steamed. Doesn't get much easier than that. The main problem with frozen veggies is they can get a little watery. I like to dump mine onto a paper towel before they go on the plate. Toast up some almonds and toss them in with some lemon juice and you have a tasty AND healthy side dish.
Feel free to post any meal tips you have here! I am always desperate to find a new meal.
Don't Be a Fool-Eat For Fuel!
Welcome brothers and sisters, come in and make yourself comfortable. Breathe deeply and set your cares aside.
Today I want everyone to focus on relaxing and enjoying the moment. I found this lovely video meditation called , provided by the where the focus is on "living the wonder of it all".
Take a moment each day to remember what is important and breathe. As you make healthy eating choices, don't forget to make healthy choices for your environment as well - surround yourself with images, books, music that nourish your mind, heart and soul. Getting healthy isn't just about food - it's about the whole YOU.
Brothers and sisters may your days be filled with health and happiness, Lady Rose
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A new study on obesity and social environment shows we are heavily influenced by not only our family members but our friends when it comes to developing obesity.
Click on , then "Is obesity contagious?"
Reported results:
If your sibling is obese you have a 40% chance of becoming obese, your husband / wife means only a 37% chance, yet your friend increases the risk of you becoming obese by 57%.
Choose your wisely.
(In honor of the Simpsons Movie this weekend)
I woke up very early and took the dog out and came back to bed and fell asleep, woke up again at 7 and then fell asleep and woke up at 9:10 -- WW meeting was at 9:30. I got myself up and at 'em and weighed in.
No suspense here, it was up 0.6 and I crossed the line that I didn't want to cross: 240.4
I know you guys will say, it's JUST 0.4 and you're right. I don't need to get hysterical but I also don't need to slosh along and pretend that I'm "doing okay." Doing okay is maintaining or maybe even a pound or two on a bad week. Let's face it, this is my fourth week weighing in and it's been creeping up (slightly) and it's a Sign.
So I did accomplish getting a lot of sleep today (albeit in bits and pieces), I went to WW and weighed in, I did go to the gym and do 10 minutes of elliliptical (I would have done more except MY tv was tuned to the new rookies of NASCAR and my knee was saying, "You know, let's not overdo it, silly."). I also did some weight machines for my knees (some together and some for my right knee solo)* and 20 minutes on the bike at level 3 random. (This tv showed bullriding and they particularly loved showing replays of the bulls stepping on men's backs, groins, and close-ups of lacerations. It must have been the S&M Sports Channel for Men.)
*My therapist said if I did leg presses, I did not have to do wall squats at our last meeting. Since when I do wall squats, I get to hear my good knee make very loud crunching noises, this pleased me to no end. I also loved doing leg press weights. I'm also doing some solo weights in the hopes of getting the Giant Angry Knee to be in as good a shape as Left Slim Normal Knee (aka Slim Shady, ha ha) so I'm symmetrical at least. Although I'm hurting when I leave the gym, the next day I am able to walk around a lot better with less pain. No pain, no gain, I suppose.
I did slip up with the drive-thru. I went to McDonald's tonight after walking Mr. Billy in the humidity and got a 3 point ice cream cone. But that's a venial, not mortal sin.
Food today: 2 slices of huevos rancheros (they were 3 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick) with salsa on it for brunch. I guess I had a piece of cantaloupe and a piece of pineapple at Whole Foods along with probably an ounce of cheese (overestimating most likely). Lunch was 1/8 c. of dried tomato cheese stuffed ravioli (about 5 pieces) with basil and pine nuts.
I stupidly put 3 ounces of four-year-old Grafton cheddar in my cart from Whole Foods and ate most of it in the afternoon. I thought about it and gave the rest of it (one slice left at that time) to Billy -- I didn't want to deal with it and I felt foolish for buying it. (There's one advantage to having a dog around.) Dinner was 0.60 ounce of lean hamburger with steamed broccoli and one light whole wheat English muffin. And the cone. Around 11 o'clock, I also had one of those miniature bags of popcorn (110 calories).
I also "walked" for about 20 minutes this evening with the dog.
Today was good. I don't know what tomorrow will be like but I will try. I know we can't be perfect all the time. I don't have anything inspirational to say tonight. I've been careless but we all get careless at times. The trick is to not let it be permanent and I hope I haven't done that.
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