Time to move on...

It was another warm day, not so hot as Thursday, but still warm.  This has been a heat wave I can deal with.  There is little humidity, and while it is nothing like the single digit humidity factors out west, 20-40% humidity here makes for awesome warm weather.  When the sun goes down you can feel the air temperature drop, the breeze actually makes a difference.  You can feel the warmth of the air all around you but instead of sticking to you like humid heat does, you are allowed to move through it comfortably.

I had another late run today.  I started again at 8:30 and ran my two miles.  It was a tough start today, but ended well.  There are three things I need to incorporate into my workout regime:

1. I need to stretch.  I needs to become as vital an element of my workout as the workout.  I think doing this will help the beginnings of my runs be far less a shock to my system.

2.  I need to increase my distance.  I could have gone farther today, but I didn't because I felt that I wanted to feel how I felt at the end of two miles.  I was tired, but not gasping for air, in pain, or just barely made the distance with every ounce of my being...no, I felt pretty good.  By those standards, it is time to move on.

3.  I really need to start running in the morning.  This will help on a number of fronts.
     a) It will energize me for the day.
     b) It will help me avoid the native populace which has become an annoyance.
     c) In six weeks when classes begin, I will likely only have time to run in the morning and since I have a good routine in place, I don't want to stop. 
     d) It might help my sleep patterns.
     e) It will help my eating patterns.

So, there we are.  Numbers 1 and 2 are the easy ones...number 3 is gonna take some doing.

The only thing stopping me is me.

"This is the captain. We're having a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then... explode."

Hot...

Larry Miller, in a stand up routine about downhill skiing and hitting a tree, says that "when you hit something that hard and fast, the only thing you ever need to say is, "I hit it."  If you have time, this entire routine is priceless, but for the reference mentioned about, go to the 24:07 mark.

Using the logic garnered above, today was hot.  I managed to make my run, but wow...I sweat like I haven't sweat in years.  It was like the air outside enveloped my like a glove, I could feel it almost press against me as I walked toward my run.  In all honesty, I was excited.  But, boy howdy, was it a rough run today!...I almost called it quits after a mile.  As if the heat alone wasn't oppressive enough, I was made fun of during my run today.  Oddly, it didn't bother me.  As I was running between the half and three-quarter mile mark, I passed a group of three younger girls.  After I passed them, one of them decided to keep pace with me.  I think I did a good job just ignoring her, she didn't try to speak to me and if she was doing anything to further mock me, I didn't notice, nor did I really care to.  Eventually she stopped and all went back to normal...except, I couldn't get out of my head the sound her feet made as she was running next to me.  All I could think of was, "Good God, you're gonna kill your shins if you keep running flat footed like that!"  Meh.  It was over and I was still going...until I came back around for my second lap only find the same group girls walking in opposite direction, which meant they were facing me this time.  It was harder to ignore them as I approached.  I guess it was the same girl as before, but I really don't know which of the three was trying to keep pace with me earlier, so this guess is merely that.  But, this girl started mimicking me as I approached and then made little effort to get out of my way as I passed the group.  I heard them say something as I ran past them.  Whatever.  I was having a hard enough time just running so I didn't really have the energy to give them the rise they were trying to get out of me.  Sorry, girls.

And while it may seem this event really bothered me as I'm devoting almost an entire blog post to it, it really didn't.  It was just the only thing of any interest that happened on my run. 

It does make me wonder why people heckle people who are running.  I've had people yell out their car windows at me that I'm running too slow, or that I'm fat...well, yeah.  Why the hell do you think I'm running?  How am I gonna get faster or thinner if I don't?  Am I running slow?  Probably, but you're just bringing it on yourself that I'm the one that's actually doing something about it.  Any moron can honk a horn, shout obscenities out a window, or find any other way to try to humiliate those of us working to make ourselves better people.  All you do by doing what you do is proving how right we are.  Karma is real, folks.  Be wary of it.

"Start with the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a 90-pound girl 'cause... I don't think that's ever getting old."

It was an odd thing...

Today after work, I crashed. I crashed...HARD.  I got home around 6 and woke up a little after 8!  It wasn't just a nap, it was one of those mini comas that when you wake up from it you aren't quite sure if it's 8 am or 8 pm...I know I dreamt and while I have fleeting memories of what they were, there is no way I could contextualize what went on in my head.  Normally, I don't mind a good, solid nap...the problem with today's is that when I woke up I was supposed to be running.

So I got up, and after a quick inner debate on whether or not I should take the night off, I got into my running gear.  I tried to stretch, but I was so, so stiff from just waking up, everything just hurt to try.  I walked out of the apartment somewhere between 8:20 and 8:30...the sun was setting just enough to not flood me as I ran tonight...maybe the timing was better than I thought. 

I started my run in a haze.  I don't know that I was fully awake.  After a bit, I sort of woke up and realized I had a better than normal pace after the half mile mark.  I almost cursed myself for nearly as soon as I realized that, I had to slow down to my normal crawl...for about the next mile I would speed up and slow down as my body allowed me.  Then!  As I rounded the last corner and headed down the last quarter mile stretch, something happened.  It was an odd thing.  I sped up.  I sped up in a way that happens in dreams.  It wasn't a runner's high, though it was as close to one as I've gotten to in years, but I was running without consequence.  Nothing hurt, my feet didn't impact with the road, but connected with it.  My breathing wasn't labored, but measured.  My stride was good and my pace was solid.  For that quarter mile, when I usually run out of energy, I had all the energy I wanted.  There was no effort in that distance.  I don't know what switch it was that flipped inside me, but I know it's there.  It's like my body had this flashback to 18 years ago when I would run for the sake of running...it wasn't about getting in shape, it was running cause that's what I did.  I remember how good it felt just to go out and run, to go somewhere and come back.  To drive down a road the next day and think, I just ran down this road last night.  I want that feeling again.  I want it back.

I want to do better.

"I am a leaf on the wind - watch how I soar"

Monday...

I feel bad for not blogging last night after my run.  I was dealing with certain household emergencies that involved my kitties, the lack of their using their litter box, Murphy’s Oil Soap, and some elbow grease.  Afterwards, the rest of the night was rather chill.  Except that I’ve been having a hard time sleeping lately.

3 out of the last 4 nights I have been unable to fall asleep until well after 3 in the am.  I’m not quite sure why.  My body is tired enough, I just can’t seem to shut my brain down.  Last night I wondered if it was my later in the evening exercise routine.  I know some people struggle with this, but it has never bothered me in the past and often I used to run as late as 10 in the pm.  It’s been a few years since I’ve been on such a regular exercise routine so it is indeed possible my body has changed.  I can’t really equate it to me eating a lot of sugar or having any caffeine right before bed either…I do go through this from time to time,  so  I’m not really worried about it.  It’s just more of an annoyance.

But my run last night felt great.  I was worried about, too.  I took three days off between runs, not intentionally, but at the same time I wasn’t really trying to push myself to get out there.  Turns out, the break really helped me.  I had a really strong first mile, followed by a normal second.  But, that feeling on that first mile was great!  It reminded me of why I love to run and the more I run the longer I’ll be able to keep that feeling before getting tired and having to slow down.  Progress is wonderful!

This morning I had every intention of getting up, and going to the gym…sadly not falling asleep until almost 4 in the am had me waking up at 10:15…grumble…BUT, I did work out!  I had to go to Ms. Awesome’s  place to tend to her wonderful kitties, so I walked.  It was a beautiful morning, not hot, not cold, with an amazing breeze…on the way back I worked on doing sprints.  I would run a block or so at a good pace, and then walk until I got my breath back…rinse and repeat until I got home.  I was very happy with myself.

So yeah…I’m at work now…munching on some Cheerio’s, gazing longingly at the grapefruit sitting on my desk…nom.

“Half of writing history is  hiding the truth.”

An off night.

I had planned on running tonight, but as circumstances would have it, I was unable to.  This might be ok, though.  I will either go tomorrow or Sunday...I keep saying I'm going to go to the gym and get a membership...one day I'll make good on that, I promise. 

I ended up having to relieve cat-sitting duties from a friend of mine who was taking care of Ms. Awesome's cats whilst she is in Russia.  I think the cats just missed being home, and I really don't mind taking care of them :) 

Pets are an odd responsibility.  Rarely do we think past the cuteness of a pet to what is really needed to responsibly care for a pet.  I, myself, fall into this category.  I have two cats, as I have mentioned before, luckily they are healthy, pleasant, and to some degree get along with each other.  In this habitat, with me, they are just fine.  Outside of this apartment, it's hard to say.  Last year working conditions forced me to take my cats to my parent's for about 3 months.  I am grateful I had that ability.  I don't know that opportunities like that will always be available.  When they aren't that's when the responsibility of being a pet owner really sets in.  There are jobs I cannot take because I can't leave my pets for an extended period of time.  When I got my cats, the type of lifestyle I was living didn't have a need for me to travel.  That may not be the case in the future and is something we don't always see, how can we see lifestyle changes years in advance.  What it does mean is that as a pet owner, we have a responsibility to the animals in our care.  They depend on us for far more than food and water.  If you have a pet you understand that there is an emotional bond, a comfort your pet has with you, regardless of how much you think your pet likes or dislikes you there is a comfort they are accustomed to on both sides of that spectrum.  When we decided to take on the responsibility of a pet, we need to be more aware that our lifestyle will change with the pet and that, like with children, there are certain lifestyles we may not be able to live because of the pets we have.  We need to somehow be able to think things like this through as we stare at those adorable eyes, or watch a young puppy barely able to keep its balance.  Kittens, puppies, fish, animals of all kinds have a power over us that makes us want to take care of them.  This is not a bad thing so long as it does not blind us to their needs as well.  Some might go so far as to say owning a pet is a selfish act, I will disagree with that statement so long as the pet owner looks at the relationship with his or her pet as mutual.  Pets are there for many reasons and as much as we love them, they love us just as much if not more.  Remember that the next time your dog meets you at your door, or your cat purrs as it lays across your keyboard.

I honestly think most people have the best intentions when the decide to take on a pet.  Intentions only go so far though, they must be acted on. 

The above soapbox rant has nothing to do with the treatment of Ms. Awesome's cats by her, our friend, myself, or anyone...this is merely something I rather stream-of-consciously strung together sitting here as I watched Burr stretch out on the floor and as Widget hopped on my desk for her daily dose of chin rubbing.  They are so adorable!!

"He killed me with a sword.  How weird is that?"

Sheer willpower...

...is what it took to run today.  I don't know if other runners, and I lump myself into that category very gingerly, have the same feeling that within the first few steps of a run they have an inkling of how that run is gonna turn out.  In the last 15 years every summer I try to get back into shape by running and at the beginning of almost every run I can tell how the run is going to go.  I don't know what it is, but on Monday's run, I knew it would be a good run.  The first few steps got me into a good groove, a good pace, and everything felt right.  Tonight...I wanted to stop before the first quarter mile mark.  It seemed like each step I took landed me in tar and required more and more effort to get that next step going.  The first mile was the toughest I've run since I've start running again.  The second mile was no easier, but no harder either.  I ended up making bargains with myself...like if I finish the two miles, I can have pizza tonight.  But then, I was done and walking home.  I finished the two miles and while I'm still recovering from it, I do feel great about it.  I like that I have the ability to push myself when no one else is there to push me.  I forget I have that in myself, that drive.  I need to call on it more often.  I have repressed it somewhere deep in me and it seems to find away out of wherever I've buried it when I need it, but I would like to get it to a point where I can reach out and I know right where it is.

Now...the question of the night.  Do I actually make good on my promise to myself?

- - -

Stress

Stress: (/strɛs/), noun. - importance attached to a thing; physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.

Stress is interesting.  We all deal with it in our own ways.  As much as we say we dislike it, I find it interesting how often we actively search it out.  We do.  We might think we don't, but we do.  Look at your own life closely, think about the last time you were encumbered by little to no stress.  What happened?  Certainly there are a multitude of factors that are inherit in our lives that bring about a crushing amount of stress that no one can get away from.  These vary from people to people.  But I'm talking about those few, fleeting times in your life when you have very little on your plate and then all of sudden you realize you do.  It happens.  And I think, unconsciously, we do it on purpose.  I'm not scholar in the field, I have no medical experience, all I have is my own life and the observations of the people around me.  I dare say, when we are at times of little to no stress, we seek out things to keep a certain amount of stress in our lives.

This summer, for me, has been one of the least stressful in years.  That is not to say it is devoid of stress, but compared to the school year I just completed, last year's summer, and the school year prior to that, this last month has been a needed break.  I have been able to relax, I have started eating better, began a workout program, and just had time to unwind.  The problem is, I get bored.  With no outside forces pushing me along I tend to feel like a sailboat in the doldrums...hanging out, just waiting for a breeze.  So, I go looking for one.  The problem is, when I find a breeze that is just enough for the time, it tends to gain strength before it subsides.  I rather like that analogy. <insert shameless pat on the back>  What's the point of this particular ramble?

I think we all are searching for that healthy amount of stress that pushes us along without pushing us down.  When that force that pushes us along, pushes us down, it is then we have the hardest time getting back up.


"Well, our invention exchange this week is just that..."

 

2 miles...

A milestone.  I hit a goal in my running today.  2 miles.  I had planned on hitting this mark nearer the end of this month.  But I think hitting it now is good.  I made it the 2 miles, but it took just about everything I had.  I would like to be at 3 miles by the end of July.  Depending on how long it takes me to get used to running the 2 miles will determine my future progress.  I have roughly 6 weeks to add an additional mile to my run, but I have other things to do as well.  I want to start a workout regime in the Rec tomorrow, and as I start to work on my core I need to prepare myself for days when I may not be able to make the distance on a run I was hoping for.  I also want to incorporate different types of training to up my endurance aside from just running distance.  I want to work on sprints, and other activities to work other muscle groups in hopes that all working together will help push me along.  If I don't start this kind of training soon, I'm afraid that I'll be afraid the impact of starting a different workout plan will hinder my run progress too much and I will just continue to run and eventually plateau out and stop seeing the results I am hoping for.

Today was a good run day.  I will have good and bad days, I need to be just as accepting of the bad days as the good.  All are part of the larger whole.

I saw a picture online a little while back of a large person running.  The caption underneath it read something along these lines, "It doesn't matter where you finish, you're running laps around everyone on the couch."  

La La La

Everyday, a little farther...

I took yesterday off from running, giving me two days off instead of my usual one.  On top of that, I ate out twice in the past two days, bringing my 16 day total up to 4 times (of eating out, not running).  This is still not bad, and I had some interesting experiences, but I'll get back to that in a bit.

Today on my run I pushed myself.  I ended up running 1.75(ish) miles out of a two mile course.  I ended up walking a quarter mile from the 1.25 to the 1.5 mile point.  After that I started running again and finished my route even trying to stretch out my stride for the last eighth of a mile...I feel pretty good.  I've been done almost 45 minutes, showered, and am still trying to sweat. :)  It's been just about three weeks since I've started running in a fashion that I call serious.  In that time I've probably run about ten times.  I have worked my way up from barely making it half a mile to almost two miles...I call that a win.  I'm staying on course for my goal of two miles at the end of June.  I'm really looking forward to those longer runs when I can really start to sweat and get my heart rate up for an extended amount of time.  That plus my diet and my other workout regime, which I plan to start on Monday...we shall see, should start to yield some results by the time school is back in session.  Hopefully, that will help to keep me motivated to stay on track with my training.

I also ate out at Wendy's today.  My first real fast food in over two weeks.  That being said, I had no french fries nor did I have any pop...my meal still topped out at about 1000 calories, but 900 less than the meal I used to eat almost daily.  Yesterday, I went to Slow's To Go and had a beef brisket...there I was extra bad and did have fries.  Oddly enough, the meal was too greasy for me and left me feeling almost nauseous this morning.   I went shopping today as well and got more salad fixings, grapefruit, OJ and other necessities for the week.  I rather like not having to drive anywhere at all during the week.  Every dollar I save is a good one.

Ever since, actually even before, I saw The Avengers I wanted to watch the movies leading up to it.  I had already seen both Iron Men (the first trumped the second, hands down).  Just the other night, I noticed Thor was on Netflix so I watched it.  I enjoyed it.  Sure it was a little corny, but all in all I really liked it.  So, on a whim, today I bought Capt. America whilst I was out running errands.  I am curious to see how it holds up.  I enjoyed Chris Evans' performance in The Avengers, so I have high hopes of it just being entertaining...anything more is gravy.

Dinner tonight will be steamed broccoli and cauliflower with a drizzle of garlic and rosemary infused olive oil...nom!!

Robot roll call!

Weird

Something unexpected happened to me today.  I found myself on the verge of thinking my way out of dinner.  I did, in fact, cook dinner, and it was tasty.  This is about my third week into my 'diet' and I noticed that yesterday and today I have been far more lethargic than usual.  I firmly believe this is because I'm not eating as correctly as I should.  Without doing any research I would say I need to make sure I'm getting more protein.  The past two mornings I skipped breakfast, not necessarily intentionally, it just happened.  For lunch today I had a salad.  When I got home from work this evening, I almost immediately laid down for a quick nap.  After I got up and figured it was dinner time, but I just didn't feel like it.  I didn't feel hungry, and I just wanted to go back to bed.  All of these decisions, somehow, made sense in my head and the thought of not needing dinner was just fine.  In my days I have skipped many many meals, been so busy I've forgotten to eat, but never have I convinced myself that a salad was all I needed for a day, at least not in the way it was making sense to me tonight.  It kinda frightened me.  So, I grabbed a steak and made some instant mashed potatoes...not the greatest meal, but one I was sure was going to stick to my ribs and fill me up.

I'm very happy a little alarm went off in my head and that I was able to hear it.  I have a feeling my body is in a semi-starvation mode, not really where I want it to be, so I'm spending the rest of the night working on a food diary and a calorie chart to work as more of a guide to make sure I'm not hurting myself.

Let's see what we find out...

Accept the pain, Frank!  Accept the pain!

To the beat, or not to the beat...

Well, it's not THE question, but it is a question: When running, is it better to run with music or without?  I do not know.  Why do I ask?  There are many many important people in my life, chances are, if you're reading you are one of them, and don't let the fact that we may not talk, chat, or text each other more than once a year be a basis for how important or unimportant you are.  For argument's sake and the sake of boring many of you with mundane details about my personal life and the friends I have, let me say that there are three people in my most immediate of circles that are of the utmost importance to me; my girlfriend and my two cats.  Yes, I consider my cats people.  If you don't understand why, go get a cat and live with it for 8+ years and you'll understand that the emotion, attitudes and mannerisms of your cat is much akin to a person.  So, I very much consider Widget (the oldest of the two and the introvert) and Burr (the extremely large attention whore extravert) people, or as personified as two pets can be.  Judge me if you like, but if you do you have already lost.

I digress, as I often will in these ramblings.

One of the three people, my girlfriend, who may be referred to by such terms as Ms. Awesome, The Almost Doctor, or whatever term of endearment fits my fancy that day, is studying abroad for this month of June in the year of our Lord 2012.  She is tucked away nicely in the bustling city of Moscow studying theatre at the Moscow Art Theatre School.  As a sort of send off, I lent her my iPod with enough music on it that if she hit play and let it all go, she might get through all the music 4 times while she's away...so, for the month of June I am sans iPod.  I have other devices by which I could play music on my runs, I suppose.  But, I thought this might be a good time to get back to my roots and run like I used to run way back in the day when it was all I could do just to wait for work to end so I could go run.  This was many many moons ago.

What I've found is that my runs seem to be less hectic.  I do admit having music does often inspire me, but I also find that I tend to keep time by songs.  For instance, if I know the course I'm running, and I most often do, and I know where the mile marks are, if I find it takes four songs to get from one mile mark to the next, but five songs for the next, I stop relaxing during the run and start working against myself.  I've only been running now about 3 weeks (that's thinking generously) and I do rather like not being shut out from everything around me as I run.  I like hearing myself breathe.  I like hearing how my feet are hitting the road.  I like hearing the traffic, the sounds, and I think I see more without the headset in or on, if you prefer.  I don't think running with music is at all bad, and I am more than sure I will do so, but I don't think it is as necessary as I once thought it was.  I don't get bored without music, I think.  I enjoy that.

Tonight was a good run.  It was broken up into several different segments.  I ran about 1.75 miles total.  I had to stop when I got to Ms. Awesome's apartment.  I needed to check her mail and make sure all was well with her domicile.  I even weighed myself on her scale...too soon.  We'll touch on that topic much later.  Then I ran back home.  I had to stop twice for traffic, but never for more than like ten seconds of so.  The weather was perfect.  There is almost no humidity out tonight so it was actually brisk in the shade and just warm enough in the direct sunlight.  I have to admit, I almost didn't go for a run tonight, but I'm so glad I did.  I feel really good about it and myself.

Now, dinner and relaxation.  What to have?

Oh, hi everybody, welcome to the Satellite of Love!

What A DAY!!!

Ok...today I did something I've always wanted to do but have never really been able to for some reason or another.  On top of other chores, I went to the Emagine Theatre in Royal Oak and saw three (3) movies today!  Ok...let me start from the beginning:

Got up around 8ish and got on my way to Eastern Market to get some fresh veggies for the week.  Along the way, I stopped by the bank for cash, got to the market did my shopping, even stopped by DeVries & Co. for some yummy cheeses.  After that, is was back to the bank.  I needed quarters to do laundry and when I stopped by the bank the first time it was still closed.  SO...now I'm home and I make what only an anorexic would call breakfast and was off again.  By 10am I was sitting comfortably waiting for Snow White and the Huntsman to start.  I must say, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie.  It definitely had some issues, but on a whole I truly did like it.  Will I go out and buy it?  No idea, but I am happy I saw it in the theatre...

Right after that, I was able to get right into a showing of Prometheus... 

SPOILER ALERT

Prometheus: This movie left me with an overwhelming sense of...meh. I will explain....

First: The human technology was too clean, too cutting edge compared to that of Alien which takes place years later...and while this isn't a prequel in the technical sense, this movie did take place in the same universe, so a certain chronology should be followed.

Second: Never did I get a sense of immediacy. I never really felt that anything was at stake. This may have been too Hitchcockian in that we never knew what the antagonist was, let alone see glimpses of it. That left me wondering what the big deal was. I had an idea of what they could have been up against but for this particular chapter in the Alien universe, sure they all might die, but so what?

Third: I didn't care for any of the characters except a little for Vickers, Charlize Theron. She was the only one that had the possibility for any depth outside David who is supposed to be devoid of any.

Fourth: I dub this the 'Die Hard Sequel Curse'...and this harkens back to my immediacy concern. In Die Hard, you got a real sense that John McClane absolutely positively had to do every single thing he did and you were with him every step of the way...not so much in any of the others...You got a similar feeling for Ripley in Alien and Aliens...I won't give any of the other following movies in that franchise a wasted breath of my precious air.

Fifth: And this is my own personal bias...what a crock of shit that our 'makers' were doing EXACTLY what the Weyland Corporation is doing...looking for and developing bioweapons...so we're all just exactly the same...if that's the so true, if we are so similar, then WHY? WHY LOOK ANY FURTHER? At that point I felt I was being force fed a message of how everything is futile...blah blah blah...

On the positive side...it was well made (except for the 2 minute major surgery machine) and the effects and music were very well done...but that's a total Liz Lemon to Jenna compliment (sorry if the reference escapes you, been on a 30 Rock kick lately).

What I did like was that the alien ship they crashed was not the one from the original Alien movie, and that these 'bioweapons' they made seemed to be a little different, or evolved, on a case by case basis. So the ship that cashed on LV 426 had different cargo possibly meant for a different world.

And, this is a stretch, but it also leads me to believe that the Predators then are a race of mutations from one of these bioweapon cargo ships since their evolutionary traits fall more in line with the toothiness of some of the beasties we say in the movie...That's my attempt to keep everything in this 'universe' together.

That's my take on things...

I give it a C+. I expected more from Ridley Scott.

SPOILER ALERT OVER

After Prometheus I had some time to kill and really needed to eat.  So I went to Barnes and Noble to see my friend Julie that works there and her and I went to lunch at a burger place that left me with the same underwhelming sense of 'meh' that Prometheus did.  Noodles and Co. was right there, but nooooo, I had to go and try something new.  Blerg.  Regardless, lunch was fine and I was happy for the company.  Thanks, Julie!  Now back to the cinema...

I misjudged my time and had a full hour until Men in Black 3 started.  Thank (insert your own appropriate deity) for games on my iPhone...I broke my diet today and had buttery popcorn and a Mt. Dew.  Neither of which I was particularly craving, but I just wanted to see how I'd react to them.  Both were as yummy as I remember but also heavier.  I had heard about pop being syrupy to those who don't drink it often and after a solid week of not drinking it, I can see where this comes from.  So, I had a pop and popcorn, and a burger and fries today.  Again, my diet is about not living in excess, and if I do this once a week, compared to the multiple times a day I used to do it, I call that a huge win.  What made me happiest about the whole food thing today is that none of what I ate I craved like I used to.  That is what made me happiest.

So, MIB 3 was everything it needed to be.  It was even touching in a way I was not expecting. 

The movie experience summed up something like this: I ended up tearing up in MIB 3 when I thought I would do that in Snow White, and I was as frightened and on edge in Snow White as I expected to be in Prometheus, which was supposed to leave me feeling as complete as MIB 3 did when MIB 3 was the movie I expected the least from today...wow.  I kinda like how all that came together. :)

Then, after I got home, I went for a run.  It was a tough one today.  I cramped up a lot, but I managed an extra quarter mile longer than I had planned on going, so again, win!

This, this is how a Saturday is supposed to be spent.

Just another guy in a red jump-suit...

Flat as two day old Mt. Dew...

Detroit that is...I noticed today, during my run, there are no hills in Detroit.  I mean there may be a slight incline here or there, but no real hills.  I'm used to running outside, I prefer it.  When running outside I get a sense of accomplishment by looking ahead and behind to see how far I have to go and how far I've been.  Having a physical goal; an intersection, a building, the top of the next hill (non-existent in Detroit) is far more motivating that running one more lap on an indoor course or making it one more minute on a treadmill...that's how my mind works.  This is a similar reason to why I have issue with gyms at all.  I get bored being in the same room doing the same thing repetitively.  I think this is why I always have preferred running to any other form of exercise, there is ultimate freedom and a drive to complete why you start.  In a gym or on a track if you get tired of working on a machine or lifting weights you can just stop.  If you're running circles around a track if you get tired you stop and you go to your car or home.  If you're running out on the streets and get tired and want to stop...well, if you've gone two miles out, well, it's a two mile walk back.  That's good motivation to keep going.  Sure you can fudge your route to accommodate all sorts of short cuts and what not, but the kind of drive to 'go on' I'm talking about I've only ever experienced outside of four walls.

But I digress...I'm used to running outside, as I mentioned before, and for the last section  of my life I ran the streets of Ypsilanti, Mi...truth be told this is not the worlds hilliest city...in fact, it too is pretty flat...but compare it to Detroit, and it's freaking San Francisco...so my point to all this is while I feel I'm making steady progress with my exercise program, I can't get rid of this tickling in the back of my head that's telling me I'm cheating this time because there are no hills for me to practice on.  This is the same voice that whispers to me, "You ran 2 miles last time, you should never run less than that again..."  If anyone knows how to shut this guy up, let me know.

Till next time:

We've got movie sign!!!

Feeling Good...

For the time, it seems this blog will be about me eating better and getting into some semblance of shape.  I ran again this morning.  It was a good run.  It was a short run.  The running goal is multi-faceted.  I am trying to get in shape, so that's reason #1.  #2 is more of a real life acheivement.  The Detroit Marathon is in October.  No, I am not planning on running the marathon, or even the half marathon...at least, not yet.  What I do want to do is run the 5k.  I should have no problem getting to that point over the summer.  The trick will be to keep my training up once school starts.  Which leads to my #3 goal: to build a habit out of running and eating well that will work itself into my schoolwork.  I have tried this many times, however, this one feels different.  I probably said that last time, too.  But this time feels less 'forced' and has more of that 'hey, it's time' feel to it.

Week #1 Accomplishments:
Ran 4 times: 1 mile each time but each one felt better than the previous.
I had about as much pop over the course of this week as I used to have in one day.
Had fast food: 3 times

Week #2 Goals:
Continue to run the 1 mile course.  I want to be sure my body is aware that this is going to keep up.
No pop, at all.
No fast food.
Drink 2 liters of water a day.

Long Term Goals:
End of June: Running 2 miles
End of July: Running 3 miles
End of August: Running 4 miles
September-Dec: Maintain and add weightlifting and core work. I get my gym membership back in late August

Ok...breakfast and shower!

Hi-Keeba!

I wouldn't call it a diet...but...

It is entirely possible that this whole eating healthy thing has some merit to it...With the exception of a couple days last week, due to mitigating circumstances, I have gone without eating out or drinking pop, soda, coke, whatever you call it in your part of the country, for almost two weeks now.  I have to say, I'm sleeping better.  I've got things done around the apartment that I've been meaning to do for weeks.  I have starting a meager work out program that I actually look forward to rather than dreading.  Now, there are a lot of factors in all of this.  It is the summer and for the first time in a long time, I have a very low stress job, no classes, and enough income to keep me going until fall.  While I'm sure my new found energy towards life is a combination of everything mentioned above, it is worthy to note that for some reason, I'm finding it easier and easier to not eat out than I have in the majority of my adult life. 

Life is full of peaks and valleys, while I'm pretty sure I'm on a peak of healthier (I won't dare say I'm eating healthy) living, I'm sure there is a valley in the future somewhere.  My hope is the next valley won't be as deep as the one I'm climbing out of.  I started this summer with a goal of losing 30 pounds...I think that goals like that are one of the big problems...my new goal is to continue feeling this good about myself.  If I lose the weight, that's a bonus.  I feel that if I continue along this path the weight loss will just happen.  Let's see...

Hit the button, Frank.