WORKOUT
- 2/27 14 mile run
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Putting in the Miles
Ran 14 miles with Zack (trizack@blogspot.com) this morning, getting my long weekend run in a day early. The conditions were less than ideal, with patches of ice here and there on the trail and the temperature in the low 20's. We had a couple of close calls with slipping, and had to walk carefully over a few patches, but we did the distance we set out to do, and that is what matters. It's in the books.
WORKOUT
WORKOUT
Monday, February 23, 2009
Two Near-Falls
I only spent one night in Peoria this trip, and with an early morning the next day, only had time for one workout. I'd run seven miles the day prior, and was tired from a long day, so went to the workout room to put in my four miles and be done with it.
I was feeling good, passed the half-way point, when suddenly at the 2.5 mile mark the treadmill jerked and I nearly went over the front end as it ground to a sudden halt! While a better story would be that I burned the machine out, running so fast, the screen displayed that a censor was out of line, or something to that effect. The other tread mill was also out of order, so wanting to get in another ten minutes or so, I went back to the stairs, and did the ten flights twice, as fast as I could.
This was the second time in a week that I nearly flew over the front end of a treadmill! Though this instance has more comedic value.
At the gym on Saturday, running nine miles (since I unfortunately had to miss the Rock Cut Trail Series 15K), it was fairly busy, so the only other treadmills open were the ones on either side of me (I must have forgotten deodorant!). So at about the seven mile mark for me, a guy and a girl walk up to use the open treadmills. The guy sets his towel and water bottle down by the one to my right, then proceeds over to the one on my left, to help the girl... who he clearly has intentions toward. He leans over her as he pushes the buttons to start her running... quite the lothario... and off she goes. The girl gets up to full speed, and then, in some sort of bonehead move, the guy decides to try and hop on with her! Unfortunately for him, he catches his foot on the end of the tread as he tries to hop on. His knee hits the moving rubber, and stumbling to catch his balance, he falls on to the back of my treadmill and is propelled to the ground.
He popped back up immediately, but was visibly shaken, despite his efforts to hide it... had to impress that girl, after all! He got on the other treadmill and started running, though clearly in pain: he was holding his side, his arm and leg red with treadburn. Painful, but funny. As for me, when he hit my treadmill, his weight ground the machine to a halt for a split second, and having momentum, I sprawled over the digital console in front of me, nearly going to the ground myself. It has hard to be mad though, with him clearly hurting. I finished my workout and left, the guy still persevering through his injury like a champ.
WORKOUTS
I was feeling good, passed the half-way point, when suddenly at the 2.5 mile mark the treadmill jerked and I nearly went over the front end as it ground to a sudden halt! While a better story would be that I burned the machine out, running so fast, the screen displayed that a censor was out of line, or something to that effect. The other tread mill was also out of order, so wanting to get in another ten minutes or so, I went back to the stairs, and did the ten flights twice, as fast as I could.
This was the second time in a week that I nearly flew over the front end of a treadmill! Though this instance has more comedic value.
At the gym on Saturday, running nine miles (since I unfortunately had to miss the Rock Cut Trail Series 15K), it was fairly busy, so the only other treadmills open were the ones on either side of me (I must have forgotten deodorant!). So at about the seven mile mark for me, a guy and a girl walk up to use the open treadmills. The guy sets his towel and water bottle down by the one to my right, then proceeds over to the one on my left, to help the girl... who he clearly has intentions toward. He leans over her as he pushes the buttons to start her running... quite the lothario... and off she goes. The girl gets up to full speed, and then, in some sort of bonehead move, the guy decides to try and hop on with her! Unfortunately for him, he catches his foot on the end of the tread as he tries to hop on. His knee hits the moving rubber, and stumbling to catch his balance, he falls on to the back of my treadmill and is propelled to the ground.
He popped back up immediately, but was visibly shaken, despite his efforts to hide it... had to impress that girl, after all! He got on the other treadmill and started running, though clearly in pain: he was holding his side, his arm and leg red with treadburn. Painful, but funny. As for me, when he hit my treadmill, his weight ground the machine to a halt for a split second, and having momentum, I sprawled over the digital console in front of me, nearly going to the ground myself. It has hard to be mad though, with him clearly hurting. I finished my workout and left, the guy still persevering through his injury like a champ.
WORKOUTS
- 2/19 3 mile run
- 2/20 Swim: 100 Techpaddles, 600 freestyle, 100 cool-down
- 2/21 9 mile run
- 2/22 day off (recovery)
- 2/23 4 mile run
- 2/24 7 mile run
- 2/25 2.5 mile run, 2 sets of hotel stairs
- 2/26 day off (recovery)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A Good Spin, Snacks, and a Film
Today, for the first time, I did a workout on my spin bike without doing Pilates first and, wow, what a difference. 20 miles with rpm in the mid 90's, and it was a hard effort, but nothing close to a struggle. This is a nice change from killing myself to make ten miles--after Pilates--and only spinning 75-85 rpm. I was getting discouraged, suffering consistently through these paltry ten mile workouts, and have been finding excuses to avoid my spin bike. Now, however, I am excited to get back in the saddle, and Zack's blog is back up too, providing motivation, so things are looking good.
As a post-workout snack I am eating the greatest yogurt ever made: Blackberry Pomegranate Yoplait Light. It's kind of hard to find at the store, so if you ever see it, snatch it up. It's delicious (and healthy), and you won't regret it. I am eating the yogurt using red licorice instead of a spoon, and have a Nature Valley Almond Crunch bar next in line (also highly recommended). I'm striving to eat healthier and drop some of my off-season weight gain, and these are a couple of my favorite go-to snacks.
As I snack I will weigh in on the Oscars, which are coming up soon. Mandy and I saw The Wrestler on Monday, and have now seen all of the Best Picture nominees and most of the movies with actors nominated, so it's time to make my picks. Today, I'll start with the big one: Best Picture.
The Nominees for Best Picture
Vegas has it as a heavy favorite and, from all the talk, news sources will be shocked if it doesn't bring home the statue. It's a very stylish and informed portrayal of India's poorest communities--the slums, is very funny at times, and has a feel-good ending... which is often hard to find come Oscar time.
With all of this in mind, however, my problem with the movie is that, at its most basic level, it is a love story. And as a love story, it succeeds very poorly. It is completely one-sided... the girl being pursued by the main character is very luke-warm toward him throughout the movie. You just don't feel it from her side, and it just wasn't very believable, from that standpoint, how things ended up. If you are voting for a love story, your vote should go to Benjamin Button... it is the more successful love story of the two (though all-in-all probably the weakest movie of the bunch).
Slumdog is an incredible portrait of the unspoken poverty of India, but to me, it fails as a love story, which is what it is trying to be. For an equally riveting take on this side of India, read The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, this year's Booker Prize winner. It is an amazing novel, fun, and a very fast read.
Who Should Win: The Reader.
The heaviest, but also, by far, the most thought-provoking of the five. The incredible changes in fortune of the characters were difficult, but wholly believable, and the course of the narrative never went toward the expected. I was completely engaged throughout the entire movie. Kate Winslet was amazing, as always, as was the young male lead, David Kross. This movie probably isn't rewatchable beyond two viewings, unlike Benjamin Button or Slumdog, but it leaves a lasting impression.
Frost/Nixon and Milk were both great movies. Obviously, as their titles imply, very character driven... Frank Langella and Sean Penn give award-worthy performances as Nixon and Milk, respectively, but The Reader, for me, was the total package. These two tie for second in my rankings. Of the nominees, Benjamin Button is easily the most fun. It is is consistently funny throughout, the love story between Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt is moving, and the aging special effects are baffling... how did they make the two look so young? The plot is somewhat contrived, however, and just doesn't have that gut-punch of emotion that makes a movie memorable, and in my opinion, award-worthy.
What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't: Doubt.
I saw Doubt on stage in Chicago, with the actress, Cherry Jones, who originated Meryl Streep's role on Broadway, and... it floored me! What a show. There were only four actors in the entire stage production, the sets were very simple and Spartan, but the show's impact... it's ethical dilemma, was enthralling. Intensely memorable. This may have flavored my opinion of the movie version, but I think it should have been nominated. The climactic showdown between Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman was one of the finest scenes of acting I've ever seen. I'm not sure which movie I would remove to make room for it, but I feel it deserved a nomination.
As Tyler Durdan once said, however, (in the role Brad Pitt should have been nominated for)... "but that's just me, I could be wrong."
WORKOUTS
As a post-workout snack I am eating the greatest yogurt ever made: Blackberry Pomegranate Yoplait Light. It's kind of hard to find at the store, so if you ever see it, snatch it up. It's delicious (and healthy), and you won't regret it. I am eating the yogurt using red licorice instead of a spoon, and have a Nature Valley Almond Crunch bar next in line (also highly recommended). I'm striving to eat healthier and drop some of my off-season weight gain, and these are a couple of my favorite go-to snacks.
As I snack I will weigh in on the Oscars, which are coming up soon. Mandy and I saw The Wrestler on Monday, and have now seen all of the Best Picture nominees and most of the movies with actors nominated, so it's time to make my picks. Today, I'll start with the big one: Best Picture.
The Nominees for Best Picture
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
Vegas has it as a heavy favorite and, from all the talk, news sources will be shocked if it doesn't bring home the statue. It's a very stylish and informed portrayal of India's poorest communities--the slums, is very funny at times, and has a feel-good ending... which is often hard to find come Oscar time.
With all of this in mind, however, my problem with the movie is that, at its most basic level, it is a love story. And as a love story, it succeeds very poorly. It is completely one-sided... the girl being pursued by the main character is very luke-warm toward him throughout the movie. You just don't feel it from her side, and it just wasn't very believable, from that standpoint, how things ended up. If you are voting for a love story, your vote should go to Benjamin Button... it is the more successful love story of the two (though all-in-all probably the weakest movie of the bunch).
Slumdog is an incredible portrait of the unspoken poverty of India, but to me, it fails as a love story, which is what it is trying to be. For an equally riveting take on this side of India, read The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, this year's Booker Prize winner. It is an amazing novel, fun, and a very fast read.
Who Should Win: The Reader.
The heaviest, but also, by far, the most thought-provoking of the five. The incredible changes in fortune of the characters were difficult, but wholly believable, and the course of the narrative never went toward the expected. I was completely engaged throughout the entire movie. Kate Winslet was amazing, as always, as was the young male lead, David Kross. This movie probably isn't rewatchable beyond two viewings, unlike Benjamin Button or Slumdog, but it leaves a lasting impression.
Frost/Nixon and Milk were both great movies. Obviously, as their titles imply, very character driven... Frank Langella and Sean Penn give award-worthy performances as Nixon and Milk, respectively, but The Reader, for me, was the total package. These two tie for second in my rankings. Of the nominees, Benjamin Button is easily the most fun. It is is consistently funny throughout, the love story between Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt is moving, and the aging special effects are baffling... how did they make the two look so young? The plot is somewhat contrived, however, and just doesn't have that gut-punch of emotion that makes a movie memorable, and in my opinion, award-worthy.
What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't: Doubt.
I saw Doubt on stage in Chicago, with the actress, Cherry Jones, who originated Meryl Streep's role on Broadway, and... it floored me! What a show. There were only four actors in the entire stage production, the sets were very simple and Spartan, but the show's impact... it's ethical dilemma, was enthralling. Intensely memorable. This may have flavored my opinion of the movie version, but I think it should have been nominated. The climactic showdown between Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman was one of the finest scenes of acting I've ever seen. I'm not sure which movie I would remove to make room for it, but I feel it deserved a nomination.
As Tyler Durdan once said, however, (in the role Brad Pitt should have been nominated for)... "but that's just me, I could be wrong."
WORKOUTS
- 2/17 day off (celebrated Valentine's Day)
- 2/18 20 mile spin
Monday, February 16, 2009
"This Bike is a Pipe Bomb"
Apparently there is a punk-folk band in Pensacola, Florida named This Bike is a Pipe Bomb.
Harmless enough.
A kid in Memphis, Tennessee had a bumper sticker of this band, and decided to put it on his bicycle. (pictured below)
Still harmless enough.
Today, however, he took his bicycle with him to the Memphis International Airport and parked it near the passenger drop-off. A pilot spotted the bike while entering the airport, took the bumper sticker at face value, and alerted police, resulting in portions of the airport being evacuated and the K-9 unit being called in to investigate. The kid was taken into custody and his bike, as a precaution, was destroyed.
Ha! I doubt he expected anyone to interpret the bumper sticker as a brazen threat to national security when he applied it. A reminder that airport security isn't ****ing around! Still funny though. Hopefully it was just a dirt bike, and not a tri-bike the kid was shipping to Langkawi for Ironman Malaysia next week... talk about a costly oversight!
This also serves notice to pipe-bombers around the world: if you make the effort to conceal a bomb within the frame of your bicycle, don't advertise that fact... you will get caught!
Snuck in four miles on the treadmill at the gym tonight. Felt like I was working some kinks out of my feet and legs after an indefensible five-day lay-off. Definitely energized to get back into the swing though. The first work-out is always the hardest.
WORKOUT
Harmless enough.
A kid in Memphis, Tennessee had a bumper sticker of this band, and decided to put it on his bicycle. (pictured below)
Still harmless enough.
Today, however, he took his bicycle with him to the Memphis International Airport and parked it near the passenger drop-off. A pilot spotted the bike while entering the airport, took the bumper sticker at face value, and alerted police, resulting in portions of the airport being evacuated and the K-9 unit being called in to investigate. The kid was taken into custody and his bike, as a precaution, was destroyed.
Ha! I doubt he expected anyone to interpret the bumper sticker as a brazen threat to national security when he applied it. A reminder that airport security isn't ****ing around! Still funny though. Hopefully it was just a dirt bike, and not a tri-bike the kid was shipping to Langkawi for Ironman Malaysia next week... talk about a costly oversight!
This also serves notice to pipe-bombers around the world: if you make the effort to conceal a bomb within the frame of your bicycle, don't advertise that fact... you will get caught!
Snuck in four miles on the treadmill at the gym tonight. Felt like I was working some kinks out of my feet and legs after an indefensible five-day lay-off. Definitely energized to get back into the swing though. The first work-out is always the hardest.
WORKOUT
- 2/16 4 mile run
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