How Do You Get Air In There?

I couldn't wait to get back out on the bike yesterday. Went out to the garage, took the bike down and got out the trusty air pump. Guy at the bike store said to fill to 120 lbs. before every ride. OK, no problem.

I unscrewed the cap on the stem and looked at it. What the hell is that? This doesn't look like the stem on my old bike. Way thinner. This won't work.

I figured that the little red thing on my pump latch was some kind of fitting to allow me to fill these tires. I played around with the stem and the pump and managed to figure out how to get all the air OUT of the tire. Where's the phone? I call my brother at work. He's on the phone. But, it's an emergency!

Okay, I get a hold of my dad. "Oh, you have the European stems." (I really didn't care if they were from Ethiopia, I just needed to know how to fill the damn tires!) After a few minutes, dad helps me get the fitting on the stem and the air into the tire. Whew!

I get out on the bike and around about 2 miles, just a few blocks from the house, as I'm trying to change the front gear, the chain comes off the gear. This also happened on my Wednesday ride, so I know what to do, I'm now an "expert". I got off the bike and tried to put the chain back on. No go. The chain was completely lodged between the gear and the frame of the bike. It ain't moving. Waaaaaah!

So, dejectedly I start to walk home. My house sits at the bottom of a 1/4 mile hill along a curvy street. From where I was, the ride home is the best. I usually break 30 mph and keep going another 1/4 mile or so without pedaling before I turn back. Having to walk that route really sucked!

This morning, I took the bike back to the shop where they'll fix the chain and give me a remedial lesson in changing gears. The tech told me that gears on new bikes can be a little finicky. I guess so. Can't wait to pick it back up!

L'Chaim!

First Ride

As soon as the kids got home from school yesterday, I took off on my new Trek -- alone.

I only had about an hour so I went out on nearby roads that I had ridden before on the hybrid. What a difference. Much smoother ride, except, of course, when you ride over anything. Then, not so smooth. Used just about every gear on the machine. Hills were tough, but I could get past them. One hill slayed me -- just couldn't get up the short 15% incline (I'm guessing). Tried twice, then walked it up 30 yds or so. I'll keep trying.

I noticed that drivers can be oblivious to bikers. They just don't pay attention. Almost got hit by a woman in my own hood. She made a left turn into my lane of traffic and I don't think she ever saw me. (Believe me, I'm still pretty hard to miss!)

Pretty much residential suburbia, but I'm sure I'll find more scenic terrain. My Garmin tracking is below. (Mike, thanks for the posting hint.)

I think I'll head out again tonight!

Hey, jobrotha, where are we riding this weekend?

L'Chaim!

And now, I have something to ride with Lance. . .

2007 Trek Pilot 1.0

Major Announcement!

Lance Armstrong is coming to Columbia, Maryland in October to benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults in 10 The Event.

Doug Ulman is a Howard County, Maryland native who is a three time cancer survivor. He was first diagnosed with cancer ten years ago, at age 19. Today he is President of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Ulman is bringing Lance to Columbia for a fund raising effort. There are a number of associated events that include 20 mile and 100k rides, as well as a 5k run.

I am joining Lance for the 20 mile ride. I couldn't be more excited as this will be my first organized ride.

Anybody want to join me?

Please consider making a donation to the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Click here.

Monday Update

Happy Monday! Unfortunately, I'm off traveling again (Deb hate's when I go away right after vacation. It particularly sucks when I have to leave on a Sunday night. It triple sucks when I miss the kids first day of school.) I did weigh in yesterday and managed to erase the vacation pounds that I had added.

I've done some resetting of the bar on the scale. What? Let me explain: When I first weighed in on day 1, I was dressed in work out clothes. In oder to keep everything even, I've had to adjust for those clothes ever since. I've now adjusted off the clothes weight from day one and since. With the bar reset, my starting naked weight is now 414.0 and my Sunday weight was 259.0 -- a total loss of 155.0. (Somewhere I picked up a pound in the translation. )

As for exercise, I did get in a session at the gym on vacation and a good gym session on Sunday on the elliptical and weights.

Stay tuned for a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!

L'Chaim!

Belated. . .

I missed a couple of Mazel Tov's (congratulations) while I was gone:

UR

My Uncle Rog (UR) turned 60 last Saturday. Holy crap, how could he be sixty. I mean SIXTY! UR is my dad's younger brother by six years, but he always seemed closer in age to me than my dad. He's also a product of the 60's, which probably explains that (and a lot of other things!) Hanging out with Uncle Rog and Aunt Debbie (not my Deby) is always a blast. Happy Big B-Day, Unc, and many many more.

Triathelete Jill

Our friend Jill raced her first tri last weekend -- the Columbia Iron Girl. It was fun to see Jill when we'd cross paths a few times at a local park when she was training for the tri and I was training for the 10 miler in May. It was her first and, I'm betting, not last tri. She beat her goal time and when we spoke on Sunday sounded euphoric. Congrats, Jill. Deb and I are proud of you!

L'Chaim!

Home from Vacation

Take me out to the board walk;

Take me out to the crowd.

Buy me some Thrasher's and Fisher's, too;

Maybe some ice cream and a hot dog or two.

Deb did a bit of song writing on vacation. I came back to the room with the kids and she had the whole Take Me Out to the Ballgame song rewritten as a tribute to Ocean City.

Before I get to the food part, I'll tell you that this summer has been one of the hottest and driest I can remember in a long long time. So, of course, we had awful weather. It rained EVERY DAY but today, the day we headed home. The thermometer never broke 75. I swear the wind chill on the beach, when we did get out there, was in the mid 60's. To top it off, Deb and I both came down with summer colds just about the time we arrived on Saturday. So, we had that going for us.

Sunday afternoon was temptation central. I pretty much knew that I was going to give in to the fries, but in moderation. As we walked down the boards, we let the kids pick one of their favorites.

Our first stop was at Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard. My youngest picked this. Little did I know that frozen custard is a low calorie treat. Just 130 calories for a small serving. I was all in. That's less than my fat free/sugar free Jell-O pudding treat at home! I had the coffee/dulce de leche swirl. Needless to say, it was not our only visit to Kohr Bros.

My eldest selected Fisher's caramel corn. You can smell Fisher's from two blocks away. As you approach their stand, you see the machines cooking up the hot popcorn with gooey caramel. The sweet smell just pulling you in. We all had a few kernel's of that corn, but just a few.

Next stop: Thrasher's French Fries, aka mecca. You could feel the heat of the fryers as we walked near and smell the hot peanut oil (correction from the earlier post). Not a bad line, just 20-25 folks to be serviced first. Deb bought the medium size order -- about a 32 oz cup. She secured two additional cups to share -- one for me, with vinegar, of course, and one for the kids. How were they? Well, unfortunately, they didn't suck! They were absolutely everything I remembered. Maybe better. Hot, juicy, salty, vinegary, perfect!

From there, we walked the mile and a half back to our hotel. We all felt quite sated, even though had history repeated itself, we would have all had the custard, shared a large popcorn, then shared the bucket size (think large movie theater popcorn) fries. Although it all felt glutinous, it was truly a diet victory, being able to taste all of those great foods without going crazy.

Sunday night, we had a healthy visit to the Phillips buffet. I concentrated on the steamed shrimp, veggies and salad.

We did do some snacking, certainly more than normal, but we were on vacation. Monday night we drove to Kohr Bros. after our dinner out and my youngest insisted that we walk home. Deal!

Wednesday was another visit down the boardwalk. This was not quite as successful as I got my custard fill, my own small Fisher's and some of Deb's fries. We realized as we walked back that it would be our last visit to the boardwalk as old habits were rearing their ugly heads.

In the end, we all had a good time. We didn't have nearly enough beach time, but the kids enjoyed themselves and Deb and I have now both kicked our colds, just in time to return to real life! And, the food was good. It's part of the vacation experience, but just a part.

Tomorrow, I'll nervously step on the scale knowing I'll kick any unwanted change in a few days.

L'Chaim!

Ode to the Fry

My life long weakness has been french fries. I love them. Give me a gallon of Heinz ketchup (I always wondered why anybody else even bothers to make ketchup) and a super sized fries and let me go to town.

As for preference, the thicker the cut the better. Steak fries or country fries are the best. When I was in seventh grade, I'd occasionally walk home from school, about 2 miles, and stop at this dark dingy restaurant/bar and order up a large country fries and a full bottle of ketchup. Man, were those good! Mmmm mmm.

Fast food fries have to give the nod to Wendy's. Ever dip those babies into a Frosty? To die for.

And then, there's the beach. As we pack for our beach trip, my mind wanders to the mecca known as Thrasher's. Thrasher's is an Ocean City, Maryland institution. It's been at the end of the boardwalk forever. Thrasher's fries are fresh cut, about 1/4" sides and maybe 3-4" long. I believe they're fried in vegetable oil until they're crispy brown. It's an unassuming stand right next to some carnival games and the serve fries and Cokes. That's it. (Kinda like the old Saturday Night Live skit about the Cheeburgers and Pepsi's.) I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but on a normal afternoon or evening, the line will stretch out to 100+ hungry beach goers.




You can't see it in the picture, but there is one sign of note on the left wall. In big black letters it says: NO KETCHUP.

What, no ketchup? That's what I said on my first visit when I was about four years old when dad brought me to mecca for the first time.

Nope, the Thrasher's way is to eat them doused in apple cider vinegar. Admittedly, it's an acquired taste, but once you get used it, you learn to enjoy the flavor of the bitter sweet vinegar mixed in with the just-out-of-the-fryer ocean fries. I learned to love them as a kid and now my kids are learning. (No hope for Deb, though, we've always had to have two tubs. One with vinegar, one without.)

I'm preparing myself for our first trip down the boardwalk, probably tomorrow night. As we get to within a block of mecca, and the smell begins to waft over the concrete part of the board walk, what will I do?

Fit Day says one cup of french fries is just 154 calories but Wendy's puts a large fry at 540 calories. I'm sure that a small order of Thrasher's is at least an order and a half of a Wendy's large.

I'm thinking that if we walk the 20 blocks from our hotel to Thrasher's, I'll burn a couple hundred calories on the round trip. (I won't even mention the cost of walking by every crappy t-shirt story along the way and my kids getting a bad case of the I-wanna's.) That doesn't even include all the calorie burning playing in the ocean and in the pool. Logic seems to point to take the plunge.

The problem is the mental part. Over the past 13 months, I've avoided french fries. It was the one item, before South Beach, that I was cutting out. It's not that I've had none in the past year, but maybe just a couple. Certainly no full orders. Certainly none from mecca. So this will be a challenge. I can just about smell them now!

Have a great week all!

L'Chaim!

The New Diet Plan

About a week or ten days ago, I began a new low fat, higher carb diet. It's kind of a hybrid of many of the things that I've read and done. Kinda scary to be going it alone for the first time (well, unless you include the old diet. . . you know, eat until you explode.)

Features of the new plan:

• Low fat -- stick to leaner meats and fish, less beef
• Keep fats to "good" fats as much as possible: olive oil, canola oil, etc.
• Increase carbs significantly -- whole wheat grains, brown rice are good
• Lots more fruit
• About 1600-2000 calories a day

I have definitely noticed that I have more energy than I did, which is one reason I looked to move on. I'm not less tired, just have more energy. (Sadly, I fear the only solution for the tired problem is more sleep or more hours in the day.)

It's been nice to have some new variety, too. The fruit has been great: bananas, cantaloupe, oranges. I've missed them all. Still feels kinda weird to bite into a sandwich. For dinner last night, Deb sauteed a whole pan of veggies: squash, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, and put it over whole wheat pasta. Still do the salad bar at lunch, just cut out the tuna salad.

I'm also tracking my calories using Fitday.com. I thought it would be a pain in the butt to do this, but it's really not as bad as I though it would be. This has worked out really well and has kept me on track, not wanting to put any big numbers up on there. Eating out creates the biggest challenge, but most restaurants have nutritional info on their web sites.

Two surprises so far: the bowl of chicken chili at a local rotisserie place was more than 500 calories. Was supposed to be a snack, not a meal. Then there was the martini at dinner Saturday night -- almost 300 calories with the olives, but it was goooooooood!

L'Chaim!

Monday Stats and Training Update

A good week last week as the scale showed a 2 pound improvement. It's been slow going, but I'm happy with three pounds in the past two weeks, especially as my diet changes have firmed up and so has the new exercise regime.

In the last nine days, I've visited the gym four times. Definitely a lifetime record for me. Actually enjoying the changes in activity and the weights as well. (Okay, no I told you so's necessary.) Still miss the running, but the workouts have been good, especially combined with a bike ride here and there. It'll get me through.

L'Chaim!

A Great Ride

The plan yesterday was to get up early and head out to the gym. Deb had gone outside and came running to tell me how nice it was outside, that I should go for a bike ride.

The weather here has been truly miserable for the last three weeks or so. Really hot (90's to low hundreds) and really really humid (80% plus). I don't think my kids have been in the back yard for the entire three weeks and my straw (formerly known as my grass) gets browner by the day. So it took me about a minute to get my bike shorts on, grab my lonely Garmin and get outside.

It truly was glorious. A perfect day. Maybe 70 degrees, low humidity. Off I went.

This was my first real ride alone -- no kids, no schedule. I had a chance to see how I could do. I wound up riding to my old neighborhood. (Secretly, I was hoping to run into some of my old neighbors to show them the new me. Alas, nobody home.) The ride was pretty hilly, certainly more so that any rides that I had done before. The Garmin was ticking along, showing my HR mostly in the 140-150's with a few ticks over 160 -- perfect! Early on, I got passed by a couple of riders who wished me good morning, then later by another equally polite cyclist. As I was heading back home, a friend passed me in his car and pulled over to say hey.

About 18 miles in 90 minutes. Okay, so I'm not Lance Armstrong. . . yet, but it was a GREAT ride! It set the tone for an awesome day.

So, what did I learn?

1. Gotta think outside the box. If Deb hadn't said anything, I'd have been in my car on my way to the gym. Thanks, Deb!
2. Biking is freedom. On foot, you can only go so far and it takes a long time. On a bike, you can really go some place!
3. When I run, I feel like I'm constantly thinking about stuff, like work. Yeah, there's traffic, but it's different on a bike. You really gotta pay attention and there's nothing like the wind in your face on a steep downhill.
4. When I was riding, I didn't feel jealous of the runners that I was passing like I had been since the ankle injury.
5. I need to buy a bike.

Looking forward to my next two wheel adventure!

L'Chaim!

I Love Rock and Roll

I was driving home from work just thinking abou the day when I Love Rock and Roll came on the radio. I turned up the volume. Louder. No, LOUDER!

When I was in college, one of my buddies, Dave D., was a major Joan Jett fan. Dave had every album and knew every song. I knew I Love Rock and Roll and had heard a few others. I would hear Joan coming out of Dave's room at all hours.

During our senior year, 1987, Joan was in a move with Michael J. Fox, The Light of Day that took place in Cleveland. The weekend of the release, Joan was appearing in a free concert . . . in Cleveland. Dave talked me into going.

As I said, the concert was free and we weren't locals, so we made this eight hour drive without tickets, with pretty much no way to know if we'd be able to score any. I had called the sponsoring radio station to find out if they had any tickets put aside, but no luck.

We left early and got to the concert hall at 3 pm for the 8 pm show. Within half an hour, we were able to score two tickets for 25 bucks. Seemed like a lot at the time, but by today's standards, that was nothing. We waited until the doors opened and were able to get seats in the 5th row.

The show was great. Played all of the songs that I had heard. Crimson and Clover, Good Music, Bad Reputation, Touch. The highlight of the night was the finale when Michael J Fox joined her on stage to sing the theme from the movie.

After the show, Dave and I got back into his truck and headed back to school. We spent 8 hours in Cleveland and 16 hours traveling there and back. Not a bad day!

Dave and I saw Joan ten or eleven times that year. (Did that make us groupies?) (Yeah, I guess so.) We drove to Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Boston and Baton Rouge to see her. We ran into her band all over the place and saw her after a show at U of Delaware in a Howard Johnson's Restaurant where she graciously gave us autographs. She definitely recognized us and we recognized a bunch of other Jett heads that we'd see at different shows.

Dave (left) and me (right) with Ricky Byrd, lead guitar in Pittsburgh.

That year, Dave and I saw about 60 concerts. We saw just about every rock show within a three hour drive of Baltimore from the Dead to Aerosmith to Bon Jovi. Billy Joel, Eddie Money and Bruce Hornsby. Rush, Yes, Boston, Bowie and Pink Floyd. We saw shows in Baltimore, DC, Richmond, Philly, E. Rutherford, NJ, Hershey, PA, Norfolk, VA and more.

I was young and had nothing keeping me home. Ahh to be young again!

L'Chaim!

Tag -- I'm It

I've been tagged by Big Mike, so if I follow his lead, I've gotta tell you a bunch of stuff about me.

Job's I've Held:

High School:

• Dishwasher
• Game Room Attendant

College Years:

• Rent-A-Cop (security guard)
• Public Information Assistant
• Security Dispatcher
• Pizza Delivery Guy

Real Life:

• Controller
• Office Manager
• Collector
• Finance Manager
• Finance Director

Movies I can watch over and over:

• Field of Dreams
• Blues Brothers
• Caddyshack
• Trading Places
• Beverly Hills Cop
• Hoosiers

My Guilty Pleasures:

• Dinner out with Deb
• Watching my kids play ball
• Family vacations
• Sitting in the stands at a ballpark, just about anywhere
• Jell-O fat free sugar free pudding with way too much Cool Whip at about 10pm nightly
• Vegas

Places I Have Lived:

• Baltimore
• Randallstown, MD
• Owings Mills, MD
• Reisterstown, MD
• Somerset, NJ
• Piscataway, NJ
• Ellicott City, MD
• Columbia, MD

Shows I Enjoy:

• M*A*S*H -- it never get's old
• Homicide: Life on the Street -- love to see the Baltimore sights, but it's not on much any more
• L A Law -- can't find this on any more either
• Iron Chef -- the original Japanese version
• Survivor
• Gray's Anatomy
• Top Chef
• Hell's Kitchen
• The Biggest Loser -- okay, I'm addicted to reality tv
• Vegas

Places I've Been on Vacation (longer than a weekend):

• Ocean City, MD
• Phoenix, AZ/Grand Canyon
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Seattle/Vancouver
• Montego Bay, Jamaica
• California -- SF to LA
• South Florida -- Miami, Ft. Lauderdale
• The Big Island of Hawaii
• Melrose, Minnesota (Hi Gayle and Randy!)
• Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Puerto Rico
• Disney World
• San Diego
• Vegas

Favorite Foods:

• French Fries -- love 'em but don't eat 'em any more
• Cheesy Squash
• Onions
• Grilled Anything
• Cauliflower
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Crab Soup
• Deb's Chicken Corn Chowder

Websites I Visit Daily:

• Blogs to the right
• Runner's World Forums
• Hal Higdon's Forums
• USA Today Soduku
• ESPN

Awards I Have Won:

• Company "Shareholder Value" Award
• Lifetime Jaycee International Senator
• Lifetime Maryland Jaycee Major

Nicknames:

• Marsh B. Mellow
• That's all you're getting out of me!

Tag: You're It -- Your public awaits:

Kim from WA

Dan from NJ

Katie from Baltimore

Deb and Dave, you're welcome to post right here!

L'Chaim!

Monday Stats and Training Update (on Tuesday!)

Sorry to be a day late, but I was down a pound last week. Not bad considering only one day of exercise -- on Saturday.

Just got back from the gym this morning. I might be liking this gym stuff! 45 minutes of elliptical and upper body weight.

Hoping for a bigger number next week as vacation at the beach looms a couple of weeks down the road.

All for now.

L'Chaim!

A Hard Day's Work

I had joined a gym almost a year ago and went once. The nice part about this gym is the price, ten bucks a month. For that price, it hits my credit card and I don't even notice it. (I'm sure that this fact is figured into their business plan!) There is plenty of new equipment -- 20-25 treadmills, 10-12 bikes and ellipticals, Cybex weight systems and free weights.

As I've been loafing around for the past couple of weeks since my ankle injury, I finally got off my butt and did something. At Deb's encouragement, I made my second visit to the gym.

After the workout, Deb asked how it was. "Fantastic" was my response.

I had never quite been able to figure out the elliptical, but I did, I suppose out of necessity. 45 minutes there. I was surprised that it only added up to about a mile and a half, but I guess that's about right since my heart rate was consistently around 150.

On to the weights -- did about half of the Cybex machines.

Then 30 minutes on a bike. 11 miles seemed like a lot, but I struggled to get my HR up above 130. I suspect I should have increased the tension. It's not about the miles.

Then, finished the rest of the Cybex machines.

In all, about 2 1/4 hours of workout. Without a doubt, the longest, most intense workout. . . of my life! I felt great!

I spent the rest of the day truly looking forward to the pain I knew I'd feel today and tomorrow. And feel it I do. Woo Hoo! Just about every muscle in my body hurts. Even my little toes! The best part is that my ankle doesn't feel any worse than it did yesterday.

Just so happens, Race Pace Bicycles is just across the street from the gym. What the heck, I'm feeling good and in the neighborhood, I'll check 'em out. I looked at the Trek 1500. Didn't ride it, but it sounded good from what the expert at the store said. Found out later that this is the bike that Jill bought last year. She loves it and is riding it in the Iron Girl in a couple of weeks. No commitment here, but you never know. I'm sure I'll be back!

Off to nurse my pain.

L'Chaim!

May I see your ID, please?

In 2002, my company began to issue employee ID's. With the digital age, the pictures are the same from year to year. Below is my old ID picture from 2002, issued in March, 2007.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the corporate office and ran into one of the HR reps. She couldn't believe how I looked. I asked her to take a new picture and send me a new ID. No problem. Received the ID yesterday with the picture below.

L'Chaim!

The Low Carb Lifestyle

As I discussed in one of my early posts, I have been successful, and unsuccessful on several of the low carb diet plans. I've tried Atkins several times and now I'm on my second pass thorough on South Beach. On each occasion, I have lost a lot of weight. Prior to this time around, an average of about 80 lbs. each time.

Last night, I picked up a book in the library called Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America's Low-carb Craze, by Michael Greger. It doesn't take long to figure out that this guy's goal is to discredit Atkins -- both the diet and the doctor. He also takes aim, though on a much smaller scale, at other low carb diets, including South Beach and Weight Watchers.

Although the book reads like a hatchet job, it is convincing.

He essentially accuses Atkins of ripping off the public with unsubstantiated claims of healthy living while ignoring all scientific facts that may prove otherwise. While Atkins makes many claims in his book, they are broad and unsubstantiated. Greger takes a much different approach -- the 162 pages are comprised of 104 pages of text followed by 58 pages of footnotes.

In short, Greger argues that:

• Low Carb diets are unhealthy and can be dangerous;
• Although many lose weight in the short term, long term results are poor;
• Atkins followers lose weight because they ultimately eat less calories than they burn;
• Atkins recommendation of high numbers of supplements (several dozen pills per day) leads him to the conclusion that the diet itself does not provide nearly enough vitamins and minerals therefore making it unhealthy by itself.

I have certainly seen some periodic reports of questionable healthiness of the low carb plans, but never presented in such a concise format with overwhelming data.

Gerger accuses Atkins of being a snake oil salesman by not acknowledging any conflicting data and writing it all off as uninformed hogwash.

After reading this book and reading some more on the corresponding web site, I can't help but to feel duped from my three visits to the Atkins plan. Yes, it's true that many millions have tried this diet and many others, but so too have many failed. I failed three times out of three on Atkins.

As for South Beach, I believe that my keys to success have been exercise first, diet second. I also believe that South Beach is far better than Atkins, as it does not encourage high fat proteins such as bacon and sausage, but rather lean meats. In addition, it encourages some vegetable consumption while Atkins encourages almost none.

I had been thinking for a while about moving on from South Beach, but now I'm convinced. No more low carb for me. With that said, I don't think a new plan will be that far from what I'm doing now. More fruit, more whole wheat products, more brown rice. Less red meat. Still lots of veggies and no simple carbs. That's a plan I can live with and continue down my weight loss path.

L'Chaim!

Top 10 Reasons I Can't Take Up Biking

I appreciate all of your well wishes from yesterday's post. Jenny and Mike, you guys crack me up -- "a triathlete in the making" and "I smell a bike addiction coming on" -- what about letting me wallow in my ankle pain -- at least for another day! Then there's Neil, aka Jo Brotha. First thing he says to me is "sorry about the ankle, now you can go get a real bike and we can ride together!" I'm suddenly feeling ganged up on!

With all this pressure, I need to share my top 10 reasons why I CAN'T take up biking:

10. No room in my garage for another two wheeled vehicle.

9. I'm a cheap bastard and I've seen how much bikes can cost.

8. I'd be banished from the Runner's World bulletin board.

7. Formerly Fat Biking Guy just doesn't have the same ring as Formerly Fat Running Guy.

6. So much for Neil and I doing a duathlon relay.

5. My doctor absolutely refuses to prescribe EPO.

4. Imagine what it would do to my dad's (aka Jaybird) ego when I whoop him for the first time.

3. What about the big investment (12.5 cents) Deb made in the Hal Higdon Marathon training book?

2. If I bought a bike, I'd have to buy Deb something much smaller, but much shinier. (See number 9.)

1. Even down 150+ pounds, the world isn't ready to see me in bike shorts.

But seriously, I know that the point is to move on and get active in some other way. And that I will! Promise!

Stay tuned.

L'Chaim!

Perspective

Today was a down day. Not in the normal sense, but in another sense that I'll get to in a minute.

The scale was even for the second week in a row. With my ankle problems continuing, I shut down running early last week pending a doctors appointment that I had scheduled for this morning. Ultimately, I look at even this week as pretty good news.

This morning, the orthopedist looked at my ankle, asked me to take off my other shoe and walk across the room. He then commented "Your feet are awful." Well, that's not news. (Just ask Deb.) He took some x-ray's and then said what I had feared -- don't run for "at least a couple of months." He was concerned that I would rupture a tendon. He also prescribed custom orthotics for my shoes. He recommended cycling, spinning or elliptical work -- non-impact activities.

This really knocked me for a loop, but it wasn't totally unexpected. I certainly knew that this might be the outcome. I spent my ride to work thinking "woe is me." Annapolis is certainly out. Philly too.

I got to the office and logged on to the computer. There was a note from a coworker, Tim, in Cleveland. His admin assistant Mary had passed away. I had known Mary for 12 or 14 years. She was a wonderful lady. Always positive, always cheery. When Tim was out sick for a few months two years ago, Mary kept me posted constantly. She was one of those people that I always looked forward to seeing when traveling or calling that office.

About eight months ago, Mary saw the doctor for back pain. Turns out she had a very aggressive form of cancer. Amazingly, she was responding well to chemo and things had looked good. A month ago, as she was preparing to come home from the hospital, she developed a virus. The doctors suspended chemo to treat the virus. Two weeks later, the cancer had engulfed her body and there was nothing more that could be done. Mary was 60.

I called Tim this morning and there was Mary's voice on the answering system, cheery as always. I hope they leave it that way, just a small tribute to Mary's memory for those of us who were honored to have known her.

Suddenly, my ankle feels a lot better.

May Mary rest in peace.

L'Chaim!

Beware Fatty Food in Healthy Clothing

My scheduled 3:40 departure from Providence to Baltimore on Friday was to arrive in plenty of time to make dinner with the family. Even the one hour delay noted when I got to the airport would have me home before seven.

When 4:40 became 5:30, which became 6:30, the family dinner would have to wait a night and I decided to get something to eat.

Just outside my gate was a Wolfgang Puck Express. The "diet friendly" choices, or so they seemed on first blush, were the Chicken Caesar Salad or the Chinois Chicken Salad. I am no fan of Caesar salads -- just don't like them, so I went with the Chinois.

I opened up the plastic box and first I spotted the small bag of Chinese noodles. Not for me. Thankfully, I could just put that little baggie aside. I opened the dressing and gave it a taste. Okay, not too bad, not too sweet. Just to be sure, I drizzled just a bit over the chicken, lettuce, cabbage and carrots. About all that I could identify.

Though the salad had a Friday's date on in, it sure tasted like it had been around for a while. It had absorbed much of the flavor of the plastic container that it was sitting in. Given my "board at any minute" time line, I munched on the small pile of chicken, about a quarter of the veggies and then gave up, knowing that eventually I'd get home for my reheated welcome home dinner.

As I tossed the bulk of the $9 salad in the trash, I noticed the Nutrition Facts on the bottom. Here are the highlights:

Serving Size: 1 salad
Calories: 890
Fat Calories: 460
Total Fat: 51g -- 78% of RDA
Saturated Fat: 8g -- 39% of RDA
Sodium: 2660g -- 111% of RDA
Carbohydrates: 63g -- 21% of RDA

Now, I realize that I probably eliminated most of these calories, fat and sodium content by eliminating the fried noodles and most of the dressing, this is a truly shameful volume of unhealthy crap that many people, no doubt, would eat thinking that they're having a healthy meal.

What is amazing is how this "salad" compares to the poster sandwich for dietetic excess -- the Big Mac. The Big Mac packs 540 calories; 29g from fat; 10g saturated and 1040g of sodium. Pretty scary. Man, I know I'd have enjoyed that Big Mac a heck of a lot more!

Oh yeah, my flight home -- my 3:40 flight left the gate at 7:15. Then, we were the third of three Southwest flights heading to Baltimore, so they had to put 10 minutes between each plane. We took off about 7:35. Since the storm was between Baltimore and Providence, they routed us along the coast, so the 50 minute flight took 90 minutes. I left my Corporate office at 12:45, arrived at home at 10:15 -- 9 1/2 hours after leaving. All in a day's work.

Tell you one thing -- that microwaved meal at 10:30 was awesome! In the end, I had it my way!
L'Chaim!

Tour de Dope

I've been a fan of the Tour de France for many years. I'm talking way before Lance came on the scene. I remember watching ABC's once a week coverage for an hour or two on Sunday's when Greg LeMond beat Laurant Fignon on the tour's final stage in 1989 to win the Tour by 8 seconds.

Each year, as summer approaches, I anxiously await the start of the Tour and check out the Versus Channel my nightly fix.

Thinking about this event, it seems to me that these men are some of the best trained, best fit, best athletes on earth. We're not talking about running up and down a basketball court for three hours or even running a marathon. These guys are in the saddle for 5-6 hours a day for 21 out of 23 days. More than 2000 miles are covered as they traverse France. The mountain stages are simply phenomenal. I am a fan.

The 2006 Tour started off with revelations that nine riders were involved with a doctor linked to doping. These riders were not allowed to race. The Tour concluded with Floyd Landis' positive doping test that remains in appeal. As the Tour struggled to confront the doping allegations, 2007 was thought to be a clean start.

Little did we know that the 07 Tour would ultimately be considered one of the low points in sports doping history as two riders tested positive, leading to the withdrawal of their teams and serious questions about the then leader of the race, Michael Rasmussen, missing a number of pre-Tour tests, leading to his shameful withdrawal and ultimate sacking from his team.

I have steadfastly believed that Lance, who has been accused of doping, but has never tested positive, was a clean rider. I really wanted to believe that Floyd Landis was victim of poor drug handling protocol that led to his positive test.

The more I read, the more I watch, the more difficult I find it to believe ANYBODY in cycling. Is it possible that winning the Tour, which seems a super human feat, really IS a super human feat? Since 1977, other than Greg LeMond's three victories and Bernard Hinault's five, EVERY TdF champion has either admitted, confirmed or been suspected of doping.

While we have Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmiero and Mark McGuire in baseball, doping has not overtaken the sport. In cycling, it certainly has. It's quite a sad state of affairs and it's going to kill a very exciting and exhilarating sport. Cycling has to figure out how to clean up it's act before all the sponsors and fans move on. There is no credibility left.

My eldest son asked lots of questions about Rafael Palmiero when he tested positive. We used him as an example of what not to do. We tell him to do what Cal Ripken did -- drink milk and practice. Today, I don't know how to explain a whole sport with a needle in their arm. I was a fan.

L'Chaim!

Monday Update -- on Wednesday

Weight held steady this past week. Not totally surprised after last week's big loss. Was able to run about 12 miles and bike 28 through my foot/ankle pain.

On that note, my ankle continues to hurt and I've decided to shut it down pending doctor advice. Not happy about the delay, but I'd hate to do more damage.

All for now.

L'Chaim!

Pain in the Foot

It's been a while since I've posted and it's been a crazy week. I've got two or three half started posts that kinda died on the vine. Either didn't have time to finish or wound up not going where I thought that they would.

Anyway, it's been a tough week on my feet. Very frustrated with foot and ankle pain. The left arch pain that I reported last week seems to have disappeared. That's a good thing!

In it's place, however, is some right ankle pain. I've had the pain before, but not in a long time. It has always gone away in a couple of weeks. What I'm not used to, however, is the concern over my training plan. Just 5 weeks until the Annapolis 10 and 8 weeks to Philly.

This week's plan called for 14 miles, including a 5 mile run this weekend. Tuesday was okay, as I completed 3.5 scheduled in a reasonable time. Wednesday the ankle pain kicked in -- I did 2.3 miles in about 30 minutes. Much of it was fast walking. Thursday's 3.5 turned into 2.5 in 36 minutes. Again, too much pain.

I was treating the pain mostly with ibuprofen, but it wasn't helping much. I planned my long run -- scheduled 5 miles -- for Sunday.

Deb suggested that I wrap my ankle with an ace bandage.

I went out this morning as nervous as I've ever been. I was able to run, albeit somewhat gingerly, particularly at first.

For the first time, I kept up a running pace for two miles, a new personal best. Although my pace was off the 12 minutes per mile I'd hoped for, I was less concerned about that, given my ankle problems.

Unfortunately, at about 3 miles, I started to feel more pain in my right foot. I decided not to push it too hard and ultimately completed 4 miles, one less than planned. I think the foot pain was from ace bandage wrap being too tight.

In all, it was a good run. A bit short, but I'm learning about my various pains and feelings.

All for now.

L'Chaim!

Subtle Changes

I’ve been a “foodie” for as long as I can remember. I come by it fairly honestly – my mom enjoyed trying new recipes and puttering in the kitchen and she passed her culinary creativity and expertise on to me. Lesson one when entertaining is bountiful is better and never make your guests feel like you might be running out of food.

Like most families in the 60’s and 70’s, the family dinner reigned supreme. My parents were fairly strict about proper table manners and bountiful might have been better but you were expected to finish everything on your plate. Yup, I often heard about those poor orphans in foreign lands who would be grateful for the uneaten morsels I desired to leave on my plate. I was in my “budding” adolescence when my parents realized that membership to the Clean Plate Club wasn’t a desirable club for their daughter.

I take full responsibility for my weight issues but my mom certainly contributed to my enthusiasm and love of food. In addition to consuming food, I like to read about food and watch television about food. I’m an avid Food TV fan and enthusiastic clipper. I have files of clipped recipes and pictures of creative displays of…FOOD. This hobby comes honestly as well because of course…mom was a clipper too. I not only clip for myself, I clip for others AND, after 12 years of marriage, I’ve turned my husband into a clipper! But I digress!

Yesterday I was sorting and organizing my 6-months worth of clippings -- mostly print-outs from recent Food TV episodes. I generally feel a modicum of guilt for this continued love of food and collecting of recipes. How could a person who loves food as much as I do ever successfully lose weight?? So here I am sprawled out all over the family room floor -- sitting next to me is my previously clipped and filed recipes neatly organized and divided by food category in a 3-ring binder. Then came the realization…the “starch” and generally high fat and sugar category that previously had been one of my favorites was strangely lacking. The salad and vegetable category by comparison was definitely NOT lacking. The recipes I so lovingly clipped with visions of comfort and joy in the past had been replaced with feel good food of a different kind. The kind of food that tastes good, looks good, and is good for you.

I’ve been in terminal plateau for about 6-months now. Most days I’m OK with it, happy with the fact that I’ve been able to maintain my losses and that my quarterly blood work results remain right where they need to be. My subtle discovery brought the big picture back into focus and reinforced the many positive changes I’ve made in my life. Not only am I making healthier choices regarding the food I feed my body, I’m making better clipping choices regarding the food to I want to create in my kitchen and feed my family and friends.

This all might sound a little silly and frivolous – I find Jeff’s blog to be serious, thought provoking and poignant and hesitate to post my subtle realizations but the boss says, “post”! I think he’s just at a loss for words today! J The point is that when you’re feeling down or in a lull, think about all the LITTLE changes you’ve made in your life to produce BIG results.

* Need a recipe??? Try All Recipies.com.

* My favorite Food TV.com personality (for healthy eating!) is Ellie Krieger. She’s a little too
perky for some but I find her refreshing and her recipes life friendly and practical. If I want a good dose of fat, sugar and BUTTER watching, I turn to Paula Deen or Ina Garten.

Buon Appetit!

The Ideal Weight

Some time ago, I decided that my weight goal would be 199 lbs. Why 199? Well, it's just a number, really, one that doesn't start with a 2, 3 or 4. I don't think I've weighed under 200 since probably 6th or 7th grade. I would've been about 11-13 years old. There's just something nice about that number.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that goal, but I wonder if it's the RIGHT goal.

Along the way on this journey, I've set lots of goals. Eventually, I've made most of them so far. I set them monthly, for particular events, for specific dates on the calendar. Now, every so often, the though of hitting the ultimate goal flashes through my mind as I've lost 70% of the weight I set out to lose.

Complicating this question is the diet and exercise component. Lately, I've been feeling a bit lethargic, particularly after longer runs. As I get closer to the Philly race in September, even the short runs get fairly long, at 5 miles, 2x per week. I've attributed this to lack of carbs and have begun to reintroduce them into my diet. At this point, I'll gladly trade slower weight loss for more energy.

I hope to be at 250 by Philly, 14 lbs in 2 months. Definitely doable. Initially, I had hoped to lose 100 in 2007, after 100 in 06. I'm a bit behind there and the pounds will only get tougher to lose. Ultimately, I'm shooting for a marathon weight of 220 or better for next spring. Plenty of time to get there.

I'm not sure that 199 is the right number. I have no idea what excess skin will contribute and if I'm willing to have it surgically removed. Every pound I lose will make running easier and the miles faster, so maybe 180 is the right number. I just don't know.

There is much to figure out between now and then and many decisions to be made. Ultimately, it can't derail what I've already done, but I really need to figure it all out sooner, rather than later.

With that said, I'd rather be where I am than where I was.

L'Chaim!

Monday Training and Stats Update

Really no surprises here. I've already reported my weight loss earlier in the week. No change today.

As for running, completed 13.2 miles this week. 0.8 under plan due to my foot pain on Saturday. Tomorrow will be the test!

L'Chaim!

Garmin ROCKS and so do the O's!

I mentioned a week or two that I had purchased a Garmin 305. I first used it last weekend for two runs and a bike ride. By Sunday, one of the buttons on the thing was inoperable. I was very disappointed.

On Tuesday, I called Garmin. They suggest first that I return it to the retailer -- buy.com -- for a replacement. No deal, I love buy.com for their prices, but speed is not exactly their main attraction -- I'd have to pay for the return, then wait for pony express to deliver. I envisioned a 3 week turnaround.

No problem! Garmin gave me their overnight shipping info and said I'd have a replacement in 5-7 business days. Okay, I can live with that. I shipped out Tuesday and, much to my surprise, the UPS man showed up on Friday with the replacement. NOW THAT'S SERVICE!

On another note, last night, I went to the Orioles game with my kids and an out of town friend and his son. I've been really down on the O's for quite a long time, cause they've spent more time stinkin' up the city than propping it up. I was ready to head out after the 8th inning, down 6-4. Who woulda thunk -- 2 runs in the 9th to tie and one in the tenth to win. It's not gonna get us to the playoffs, but it was an enjoyable win, none the less. Go O's!

L'Chaim!

Good News, Bad News

So, I'm thinking that my body and my scale have begun to conspire against my mind. After all of those days with no loss, then three pounds in two days to hit 150 pounds lost, yesterday's weigh in was even. I was thrilled with that. It seemed to reinforce the three over the prior two days. Yesterday was a good day for dieting, but also an off day for exercise. I got on the scale this morning and was shocked and delighted to see the scale down three more pounds! I can't help but wonder if somebody is playing games! I'll take it, though.

Went for my early run this morning. Five miles scheduled. At about 2 1/2, I started to feel pain in my left arch. It continued to get worse through 3 miles, at which time I could no longer endure running. Walked home about a mile and consulted with "Dr. Deb" who diagnosed plantar fasciitis. At present, I'm sitting with a package of frozen chopped spinach on my foot!

Given my former weight, I feel very lucky that I've not had any athletic related injuries in the past year. My immediate concern is getting set for my next scheduled running day on Tuesday. Ultimately, I can't afford to lose too much time with Annapolis in just 6 weeks and lots of work to be done to get ready to the 2 hr/10 mile cut off time.

All for now.

L'Chaim!

For Better or Worse

It was early morning a year ago, the house was quiet and the kids were still asleep. My man lay next to me with that look of despair and hopelessness I had grown accustomed to seeing, making me feel equally hopeless.

It was time…time to discuss the “F” word. HEY! Not that “F” word (this IS a family blog after all), the OTHER “F” word. Far bigger, far badder than any other…FAT.

You have journeyed through with my beloved but have only heard one side of the story…now for a bit of history about the “other half.”

There we lay…FAT and not so happy. I too have carried quite a bit of an extra load all of my adult life. Imagine my delight finding a wonderful and amazing man who appreciated my “curves” AND shared my passion and enthusiasm for food.

I had been in diabetic denial for a couple of years after the birth of our 2^nd child. My wake up call had come a few weeks earlier when I got rejected for routine hernia surgery. My pre-op A1C # was 9.5, my cholesterol 276 – YIKES!! Something needed to change!

Back to laying in bed in the quiet bliss of the morning… The conversation started out like many before… "we need to do something" but it generally never got any farther than that. Our lives were spiraling out of control and we both recognized that we were “goin’ down” and fast. We both knew that a “diet” was NOT the solution. Where do we start??? What do we do??

So it started with a french fry for Jeff and bread and butter for me – our trigger, shove in your face kind of comfort foods that we could both devour in mass quantities. Deciding on one thing to give up allowed us to take control of our lives and led to our slowly controlling and taking command of other things in our lives that were contributing to our unhealthy life style.

So here we are a year later…our family eats healthier, we participate in local 5K’s for charity, the bikes that sat in the garage for 2 years gathering dust frequently get used, we feel better and definitely look better. The postponed surgery??? In December my A1C was 5.9 and my cholesterol 138 and I’m proud to report that my herniated outy is now an inny again.

A year ago Jeff and I took a vow of another kind…to take control and give up one food that contributed to our unhealthy lifestyle – Happy Anniversary my love. I’m so very proud of you and your many accomplishments during the past year. I’m glad we’re on this journey together and I look forward to a longer life with you because of our pursuit of healthier living.

Happy Health-A-Versary!

Hard to believe it's been a year since I stepped on my treadmill for the first time. 1.01 miles in 22:46. It has been an amazing journey, but I feel like I'm only through writing Chapter 1.

To New York, and Back

Looking back over the year of walking, "jalking" and running, I estimate that my feet have traveled about 405 "exercise" miles. That is about the distance from my town to NYC and back.

The Numbers Game

The most startling of the changes have been my clothes. A year ago, I struggled to button my size 58 pants. Last week, I tried on, then purchased size 42. A drop of 16 inches. Shirts are down from 6X to 2X, or even some XL. In any case, no more "fat-man" stores for this former fat guy.

Then, of course, there is the scale. Up until now, I've hit just about every major goal that I've set. I missed some monthly goals earlier this year, but I'm back on track. While there is certainly nothing wrong with a mere 148 pounds lost, as I wrote yesterday, 150 is such a nice round number.

Between yesterday's weigh-in and today's, I ran two miles and drank at least a gallon and a half of water. Meals consisted of a South Beach breakfast bar for breakfast, a huge salad for lunch, replacing the usual 2-3 oz of tuna salad with grilled chicken, a huge bowl of broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. I just couldn't pass up the freshly made pudding with a dollop of Cool Whip after.

Nervously, I stepped up on the scale and watched the numbers change, seemingly just like they do on the biggest loser. There it was: 267. After one year, I have lost one hundred fifty pounds! 36% of my former body weight -- GONE! I actually got a bit of a chill down my spine and a goose bump or two as the numbers on the scale blinked at me. I looked at that moment like the lights blinking in Time Square. Just an incredible accomplishment.

More to Come

There is much more to say, but I've got to get off to work.

For now, I'll just finish with a THANK YOU to Deb, mom and dad, Neil and Sherri, Dave and Jill, and everyone that has offered support and encouragement that have helped me get to this point. I sincerely believe that I could not have done it alone.

As chapter 2 begins, there is still much to do, and with your help I know I will get there!

L'Chaim! -- To Life

The Hardest Pound

Today, the scale showed that I've lost a pound. Now this wasn't just an ordinary pound, it was, no doubt, the hardest pound I have lost in the last year (less one day). I dropped from 271 to 270 on June 29, 12 days ago. Today, the scale showed 269.

Over the past year, I've been able to account for just about every plateau: I had just come back from vacation, I had been eating too many nuts, I had slacked off on my exercise. In every case, I had been able to overcome those stagnant periods by returning to what has worked.

This pound was different.

As June came to a close and I started to think about the anniversary of my new healthy life, I felt like hitting 150 pounds total loss was a very reachable goal. In fact, I thought it would be a slam dunk, with nearly two weeks to go. In every case, diet and exercise had carried the day, so why would they not again.

Since I lost that pound, I've run 21 miles and biked 47 miles. (Excuse me for a minute -- I'm rereading the sentence that I just wrote and I still can't believe that those miles are in the same sentence with "I". Wow. Okay, back to my story. . .) Sure, I've had a few nuts, but very limited and only to quench hunger, not just because they were there. I've drank gallons of water. Everything that has worked before didn't seem to work for this stubborn little pound. (Well, I didn't try the kidney stone that I got in November, when I lost 9 pounds in a few days, but I certainly wouldn't recommend that way to lose weight.)

One of the comments to Monday's post here suggested that it has to do with my glycogen levels. I'm sure that could be, though I don't completely understand it. I know that at the end of the day, if you put less calories in than you burn, you'll lose weight. I'm sure that I have been doing just that.

I fully expected the pounds to get tougher to lose as my weight decreased, and if this trend continues, I'm up for the fight -- though one plateau is hardly a trend.

So what's in a number, after all? Today is my fat-a-versary -- the last day in my life that being fat was okay. If you'd have told me a year ago today that I'd be down 148 pounds in I year, I'd have said "No Friggin Way!" And, I'd have believed it. So, if tomorrow the scale says 147 or 149, or even 150, it will be a GREAT day to celebrate . . . the rest of my healthy life!

L'Chaim!

Monday Stats and Training Update

This was one of those weeks that really didn't make sense.

I fully expected to come back here today to report a nice loss. Even though I had a big week last week, I felt like I was right on track to hit my one year goal a couple of days early. Unfortunately, my scale had other ideas. When I stepped on this morning, I found a big goose egg -- zero, nada, zilch.

I may have burned more exercise calories this week than ever before. I ran 14 miles this week as the half marathon training plan continues on course with 15 miles planned for this week. On Saturday, Neil and I did another 11 mile loop at BWI with the kids. Much better this week, I thought, as we had all done it once before.

For the first time in my life, I think, I rode with my dad and brother on Sunday. We rode the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park -- our ride was about 25 miles round trip. It was no doubt the longest ride I've ever done and it was fun to do with Neil and dad. Although I had biked the least of the three of us, I held my own on the trail. The last quarter of the ride was tough as it was slightly more of an incline and my thighs and butt were killing me, but the pain subsided and, surprisingly, I'm not feeling any ill effects today. For an "old guy" my dad did really well, even though I think my mom thought we were going to kill dear old dad off, one mile at a time. He and Neil seemed like they could keep going. I was cooked, but I'm looking forward to the next ride!

I was able to use my new Garmin Forerunner over the weekend for my run and two rides and it definitely is a cool new gadget. Unfortunately, one of the buttons is broken and I'll have to return it. Very sad.

With this exercise regimen, I'm quite disappointed with the scale results. I have been thinking a lot about diet lately and I am definitely looking to move beyond South Beach. From all that I've read, I believe that I'm now requiring more carbs to get through these longer runs and rides. It's not simply a matter of carbing up a day or two out, but I think an overhaul may be required. Need to do some more reading and probably consult with a dietitian.

L'Chaim!

The Gaucho Way

A few years ago, we were in Orlando and visited a restaurant called Texas de Brazil -- a Brazilian steakhouse. The refer to their cooking style as "The Gaucho Way" of cooking meat. As we remembered it, the restaurant has a killer salad bar. The main event is just about every type of meat that you can imagine delivered to your table. There are a bunch of guys walking around with different cuts of meat: filet mignon, sirloin, leg of lamb, lamb chops, bacon wrapped filet, etc. It's all hot and all good.

About six months ago, we had heard that one of Texas de Brazil's competitors, Fogo de Chao, would be opening in Baltimore. The restaurant isn't open yet, but there is one in Washington. With the kids at my folks for the night, we booked a reservation and started salivating for the meal.

Deb and I ate very little throughout the day, awaiting the big meal. When we arrived, we were shown the salad bar and the server suggested that we not go too crazy so that we save room for the main course. We did not heed his advice. We are both suckers for a good salad bar and this had really fresh and different items that you certainly wouldn't find at your local Ruby Tuesday salad bar. We had roasted peppers, hearts of palm, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, cucumber salad, fresh asparagus and on and on.

After we downed our plates, we were served the sides of mashed potato, fried polenta and fried banana. Next, bring on the meat.

Between the two of us, we had: filet mignon, leg of lamb, sirloin, rib eye, pork ribs, bacon wrapped chicken, bacon wrapped filet, lamb chops. It may sound like a lot, but each cut was only an ounce or two of meat and we didn't each have all of the above. For the most part, the meats were really good.

What we realized, though, was that we left feeling extremely full, much more so that we're used to and we also didn't eat like we had several years before. For what we paid -- about fifty bucks each just for the food -- we could have done better, much better. We'd navigated buffet's before, most notably in Vegas, where we ate well, ate light, and felt like we got a good deal. In this case, the richness of the meat really overwhelmed us very quickly. We enjoyed it and we ate a lot, but next time around, "The Gaucho Way" won't be our way.

L'Chaim!

Toys and Stuff

I really thought that running was a cheap endeavor. You buy a pair of shoes, lace them up, put on shorts and a t-shirt and get started: left-right-left-right.

Initially, we invested in a really good treadmill. The run-of-the-mill 'mill wouldn't cut it for my former extra-extra-extra-large frame. So we did.

Next I needed some workout clothes. No big deal, I had t-shirts, just needed a couple extra pair of walking shorts that weren't falling apart at the seams. For the first four or five months -- most of last half of last year, things were fairly simple. Mostly new workout wear, which I could find relatively inexpensively.

Then came registration fees. I was able to negotiate a 3 for the price of 4 discount with the Jingle Bell folks, but there was no official discount for the kids. Then another for the Columbia 5k. Okay, I can deal with this.

With the first outdoor runs, I'd need some music too. MP3 player for me. Well, the family would have to have their players, too. Make that 4 MP3 players.

Soon, I found out that the longer the race, the higher the fees. Add up the fees for Delaware, Annapolis and Philadelphia. Oh yeah, time for a new pair of running shoes, too.

When Dave and I were on our Delaware trip, he suggested that I get a lap timer with a heart monitor for outside running. After watching prices for a month, I took delivery this week on a Garmin Forerunner 305. Are there any toys left? Did I mention my new bike stuff?

Hey, who said running was cheap?

The results, though: PRICELESS!

L'Chaim!

Three Ring (Circus)

Over the past year, I have had to replace just about everything I have worn.

I thought for sure I'd be able to continue to wear my 5X polo shirts, but those went to Goodwill about 75 pounds ago. My pants, well, I've dropped through 8 sizes (yes, 16 inches!) and counting.

Even workout wear is way too big. I was so excited when I got my first "technical" t-shirt. A 3X from Reebok. That needs to go, and soon, the 2X UnderArmour "tech" t will join it. Even workout shorts, with the nice pull cord, well, that cord drops below my knees on some pair.

What I wasn't so prepared for was the reduced size of my fingers. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, since just about everything else is smaller. My original wedding band was a size 13 (top, left). As I had lost weight in the past, that ring has slipped off. On my last trip through South Beach, almost three years ago, Deb bought me a size 11 ring (middle, left). (Because of the design of the original ring, it can't be re sized.) I wore it for a time and then she wore it for a time, as we'd rotated our weight enough to share the band.

Somewhere around -100 lbs., I lost the ability to wear that ring. We talked about getting new bands on our trip to Vegas in February. One afternoon, we walked to Fashion Show Mall and looked in at a few jewelry stores. We both found rings that would better fit our more svelte digits. I ordered a size 9 3/4 (lower, left.) I really like the ring, and Deb really likes her new ring as well. Just one minor problem. MINE DOESN'T FIT ANY MORE! Actually, it works okay for day to day wear, but when we were in the hotel pool in Seattle, it was slipping off. That's usually a sign to protect it or lose it. So, I won't be swimming with it any more.

At this point, once it's really falling off, maybe another 20-30 lbs from now, I think I'll wait to get it re sized. We just can't afford to keep any more jewelers in business.

In the mean time, if you know anybody looking, I can give you a great deal on some gold rings!

(Left to right -- new, oldest, old.)

L'Chaim!

That Invincible Feeling

I had no idea where to go today until I read Neil's (Jo Brotha) comment yesterday about how he felt after his bike ride.

It is so very true, and, honestly, one of the things that keeps me going. There is nothing like that euphoric feeling after completing a run or a ride, or any athletic endeavor, I'm sure. You stop running or dismount and think, wow, what a great ride. How good does that feel? I could've gone another mile or five miles.

Whether you're trying to lose weight or maintain or improve fitness, I believe that once you get up off the couch, it's 90% mental. Something needs to drive you to get out of bed a 5 am the next day and start sweating. The first thing you think is "Ugh, just let me sleep 10 more minutes." 10 minutes becomes an hour and you window to burn is gone. Unless you have someone standing over you, we only have ourselves to get us motivated.

Just think about that last really good workout and how good that adrenalin and that pain felt. It feels great and there's nothing like it. How hard is it to find that feeling again? The investment is just another run.

L'Chaim!

Happy Independence Day!

Something a little lighter for the holiday, but first a bit of a rant:

Today is July 4. Everywhere in the world it is July 4. Here in the US, the holiday is Independence Day. So, then, why does everyone wish each other a happy 4th of July? Why not a happy 3rd of July or 22nd of October. Well you get the idea. Happy Independence Day to all!

Below are a couple of posters that I found on the Runners World bulletin board. I assume that they were real, but can't vouch for them. They struck me as funny, so I thought I would share them.

Happy Independence Day!

L'Chaim!

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

My brother Neil and I are two years apart -- he being the younger. Like most kids, (certainly like my kids,) we fought like cats and dogs growing up. (Of course, he won't let me forget the time that I knocked him off the swing set and broke his collar bone.) As time went on, we became much closer. (Picture at right is from December, 2005 -- he's the one on the right!)

Neil visited my college and I visited his. We enjoyed some of the party life at each, such as it was.

After college, we rented an apartment together for a year or two. Soon after, he found his bride and went off to start a family.

Neil fought with his weight until late in high school or early college, when he made a decision to break with the male family tradition and lose weight. I don't really remember how he did it, but he did it and as far as I know, has maintained plus or minus 10 pounds ever since.

Since he got married, he and Sherri have raised a girl and boy. They are terrific parents and have wonderful kids. Neil started his own business shortly after marriage and is a very successful and respected businessman.

Throughout my life, regardless of where I have been or what life has brought, Neil has been there to talk through the good times and the bad. I have in my files some amazingly thoughtful and loving cards that he has written to me.

As I noted in my initial post, Neil even wrote Richard Simmons to help me find a solution to my lifelong struggle with the scale.

This past Saturday and Sunday, Neil and his son, along with my kids, rode about 15 miles on our bikes. We guessed that it had been 30 years since we've ridden bikes together.

It was a very special time. One that I look forward to repeating many times in the future.

Neil is my brother, my best friend and I love him.

L'Chaim!

Monday Stats and Training Update

Happy Monday and Happy July. Last week was a very good week, all the way around. Down 5 from last Monday's post and down 7 from Tuesday's unofficial weigh-in. Worked really hard to keep the calories down and exercise up.

Just 10 days from today is my Fat-A-Versary (or should I call it a Skinny-Versary.) Although I'm not far from it, I would love to be down 150 (or more) on 7/12, the date that will live in infamy. (Wait, I think that line might be already used.) These numbers are getting so big, they're nearly incomprehensible. Anyway, Deb thinks I should do something special. I can't really decide, but I'm thinking it might involve CHOCOLATE! No, no, come on, I'm just kidding. But really, maybe a nice long run? I don't know. Too bad it's a work day -- maybe the company could make it a holiday? I'm sure we'll think of something.

As for training, so far, so good, I'm right on track for the half marathon training plan. Plan was for 12 miles last week, completed 13.3. Same goal for this week. The weekend was absolutely perfect so I got out with my kids and brother for about 16 miles of biking.

All in all, a darn near perfect week! Even finished the week up as the big winner in last night's poker game! Woo Hoo!

L'Chaim!

Seattle Pictures

Sorry for the delay getting these posted. Enjoy!

From the Fremont Fair Solstice Parade. One of many unusual sights.

#2 was invited to hula hoop. We'd never seen him perform like this before. What a ham!

Shannon Falls in Squamish, BC, shortly after our raft trip. Quite a beautiful site.


Still on the way back from rafting. The "other" suspension bridge near Vancouver.



Well, this really made me feel right at home. Not far from here was the sign showing all of the places on the property that people had perished.



Here we are. . . me and the boys midway across the bridge. Now, get me off of here!


Deb and our eldest on the duck tour.


Our Duck Tour Captain said that the Bristol Leader had been seen in one of the episodes of The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel.

The rest of the family from the top of the Space Needle. Seattle and Elliott Bay in the background.

The boys with one of 100 pigs around Seattle. They were all placed here in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Pike Market.

PETCO Park in San Diego.

Questions, anyone? From our Safeco tour.

Mariners vs. Reds -- our last night in Seattle.

L'Chaim!