chill it, don't spill it

coconut water was the new food/drink of the month for march. to be honest...i wasn't too excited at first. i didn't know what to expect, so i was caught assuming it'd be bad. i pictured it to be dirtier than what it was, and taste really bitter.

it was actually quite the opposite. it wasn't clear like water, but pretty darn close. it sorta looked like salt water? i should have known it'd be good by the words "chill it, don't spill it" on the jug. it turned out to be really sweet and it actually reminded me of coconut milk or almond milk...but not as thick.

coconut water: 

-would i recommend it? yes, and i'm actually going to try it as an alternative to sports drinks when running

-easy to prepare? shake it, open it, chug it
-availability? we found it at fresh market
-health benefits? low calorie, sweet, natural, high potassium, and here's a fun fact: one cup of coconut water actually has more electrolytes than most sports drinks

marathon training (week thirteen)

with almost thirty days left until the marathon i really thought my training would be a lot different than how it's been going the past few weeks. to be completely honest...it's been hell. i almost can't put it into words how frustrated i am with myself over this. i know some people will find it ridiculous that i'm so hard on myself...and some days i'd agree, but those days are rare.

let me fill you in on what's been going on (in a nutshell). my training was going great and right on track and then three weeks ago i landed a sweet promotion that i had been waiting for for almost four months. then, the stress of this new job got the best of me. i used to be able to run apx. thirty miles a week in the middle of summer after working a nine hour day as a lawn tech (fyi - lawn tech work involves walking around eight-ten miles a day treating lawns). so i know i can push my body physically. up until a few weeks ago that's all i had to do. now, i have all of this mental stress (added on to my "normal" mental stress) and it's been really tough to get into a new routine. i've blown my diet, missed major runs, haven't seen the gym in weeks, and to top it off i tend to dwell on these things over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. and then some more.

i'm really determined to get back on track and figure out a routine, so tonight i'll do what i should've done a long time ago. i'm getting out the notebook and pen and doing some writing. i'm cancelling the pity party where i'm the only one invited and the party is so lame that i don't even show up and i'm gonna start doing life. life is way too awesome and short to be so worried about these little things. i know how to do all of this stuff and i know how to do it well, so i'm going back to where i started: way off track but determined and motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to reach my goal!



one thing i learned/re-learned this week in regards to running: life is hard for everyone. my life is probably not as hard as yours so why am i complaining? but if i find out my life is in fact harder than yours and you're complaining...i'm calling you out.

week thirteen numbers:

starting weight: 185


monday - 9 miles / 01:20:17 (8:56)
tuesday - 4 miles / 34:00 (8:30)
wednesday - rest
thursday - rest
friday - rest
saturday - rest
sunday - rest

total mileage for the week:  13 miles

ending weight: 188

total weight loss/gain: +3

random

have you ever been sitting around and randomly thought, "it'd be so awesome to _________________!"

well...i do. all of the time. here's how this one went down:


me: (while eating a banana) it'd be so awesome to wing this banana at that mirror right now.

emily: (being awesome as usual) you totally should!

me: (with evil grin that's there most of the time on his face wings banana)

mirror:

me and emily: (laughing hysterically like we're both eight years old)

THE END.

marathon training (week twelve)

i'm getting there. trying to get into a new routine with this new job and the new hours has been a little harder than i thought it was going to be. i was a little worried last week/going into this week that i wasn't going to be able to figure out a new routine, but i think it's going to work. i mean...it has to, right?

i'm making it a goal this week: week thirteen is going to be awesome. i'm going to get all of my runs in and get my diet back on track. i'm gonna freakin' rock it!



one thing i learned/re-learned this week in regards to running: it's the best feeling in the world to finish a run.

week twelve numbers:

starting weight: 181


monday - 4.5 miles / not timed
tuesday - rest
wednesday - rest
thursday - rest
friday - rest
saturday - 12 miles / 01:40:30 (8:23)
sunday - rest
total mileage for the week:  16.5 miles


ending weight: 185

total weight loss/gain: +4

marathon training (week eleven)

wow...what a week. it was my first official week as service manager and it was a doozy. when i was just a lawn tech last year i rarely ever worked over forty hours. going into the winter, being inside doing shop work, i was stuck working forty hours...and i thought that was bad. turns out, being a manager you work more hours. who would've thought?

here's how it affected my running this week: i didn't run once. (WHAATTT!?!) i know...i'm thinking the same thing. i know taking some "time off" now and then is a good thing, but not when you're more than halfway into marathon training. i had a big week planned this week. over thirty freakin' miles, man! needless to say, i'm bummin this week to an eleven (ironic that it's week eleven in training, huh?)

on a more downer note, it was is really hard for me to not feel lazy about not running or going to the gym. it didn't help that this week i got completely off track with my diet and ate like total trash. it was what some would call a perfect storm. good thing is...storms pass and then comes the super rad sunshine after. yikes, that was pretty cheeseball writing. sorry about that.



one thing i learned/re-learned this week in regards to running: i am not a machine. i need rest and cannot push myself harder and harder each week. my body literally shut down on me this week forcing me to realize that resting and rejuving (think i made that word up) are nothing but good things.

week eleven numbers:

starting weight: 178


monday - rest
tuesday - rest
wednesday - rest
thursday - rest
friday - rest
saturday - rest
sunday - rest
total mileage for the week:  00 miles


ending weight: 181

total weight loss/gain: +3

marathon training (week ten)

running...i feel like i talk/think about it too much. i've started to realize this from facebook. i have a couple of 'friends' on fb that only update their status about one thing. it's usually some hobby or something that they specifically care about. sometimes i feel like i might be like that. i definitely don't want to turn people away because i talk about a hobby too much. is it an addiction? yes. i'll admit it. i am addicted to running. since i admitted it though no one can give me grief, right?

this week wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. let me rephrase that...this week was tough, but my times were really good (for me). i actually felt like i got stronger this week. i realized that my breathing was great during all of my runs and my legs aren't doing too bad either.

then the fifteen miler rolled around...what. the. cuss!? i'll just say this...it was predictable. it was what you'd picture running for fifteen miles being like. then add in eighteen mile per hour winds from the north, ginormous snow flakes, and dehydration and there you go!



one thing i learned/re-learned this week in regards to running: talking to a fellow runner is about the best motivation you can get. a corporate guy was at our branch today (03/01/11) to talk agronomics with us for the upcoming season and i found out a while ago he's a runner. naturally, i felt compelled to bring it up to build a little rapport with him. turns out, he's done around five marathons. chicago, nyc, one in seattle, and even the infamous boston! say whaa!? anyway...it was awesome to talk with him about my training and getting all of the advice/tips from him. he really pumped me up and gave me the whole "i think i can really do this" type of feeling...which is always nice!

week ten numbers:

starting weight: 180


monday - rest
tuesday - 3 miles / 21:47 (7:16)
wednesday - 4 miles / 32:49 (8:13)
thursday - 7 miles / 56:16 (8:03)
friday - rest
saturday - 15 miles / 02:26:25 (9:46)
sunday - rest!!
total mileage for the week:  29 miles


ending weight: 178

total weight loss/gain: -2

"The benefit to complaining is that you are never alone." *

the great wise musician, joe walsh, once said, "i can't complain, but sometimes i still do." i have to start this entire post by saying this is strictly my own personal opinion. oh, and also, i complain a lot.

how do you feel when you hear someone complaining? you might say, "well, tony, you good looking dude...it all depends on what they're complaining about." for the most part i would agree. for me, i can't stand it when people complain about things out of their control. here are a few examples of what i'm talking about:

-the weather
-gas prices
-traffic
-taxes
-growing old
-democrats
-republicans
-justin bieber

complaining about things that are IN our control is a totally different story that maybe i'll get to someday, but what are we to do when we hear people complaining about the uncontrollable types of things? nothing, right? nah. i say we start a freakin' revolution. i think we can make a difference. what if during these scenarios we react like this:

The Weather Complainer:
weather complainer: man...this weather is horribly cold. i mean...i can't believe how cold it is. i shiver. i hurt. i don't breathe normal. i can't feel my fingers. i have to scrape my car windows EVERY single morning and i have to watch where i step or i might slip and fall on ice! there's even snow on the ground! ugh...can you believe this weather??
new optimistic/anti-complainer: (while smiling) unfortunately...i can believe this weather. statistically, this season we're in is normally like this. (pull out paperwork with statistical graphs and fancy color-coordinated pie charts) see (point at paperwork), last year we had this type of weather and the previous year we did, too.
weather complainer: you're right. after seeing those statistics/charts...it's just plain silly to complain about the weather. it doesn't do anyone any good. it's just something that happens, and if i truly have a "problem" with it...i should move somewhere where the weather is predictable and a kind of weather that i enjoy. thanks for your help, friend!

The Gas Price Complainer:
gas price complainer: DUDE! $3.45 a gallon!?! what the cuss!?! back in my day...gas was a nickle. just a nickle....not even per gallon. you just pulled up and took as much gas as you wanted/needed and gave the guy a nickle! you know, this is all obama's fault!?
new optimistic/anti-complainer: although it's easy to point fingers at who's fault this is...i don't know if it's worth it. plus, my mom always told me it's not polite to point, but you know what we can do? we can opt for purchasing fuel efficient vehicles. or better yet...we can commute to work if you're lucky enough to live close to your work and you could walk or ride a bike. what about setting up a carpool? in my case...i just suck it up, pay the $3.45/gallon and try to drive less or budget for it!
gas price complainer: oh...well...it still sucks and what you say is true. although i can't afford an electric car or have an opportunity to carpool, i think i'll start budgeting my money better to be able to afford these gas prices. maybe then i won't have to waste as much breath/energy complaining. thanks for your help, friend!

now these are just a couple of scenarios and obviously unfortunately each one won't go this way, but you get the point i'm trying to make, right? what if each and everyone of us (including me) just try to complain less (or try to neutralize negative conversations)! i'm at least going to make an attempt to complain only about the stuff that is in my control. if i'm complaining about things that are in MY control, then guess who can change these things for the better....







*the quote from the title was said by byron pulsifer