Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-30

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-30
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.264
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 20:05-21:00
Terrain: flat

Comments: Ran the last 30 minutes at 6.5 mph to challenge myself. I caught up on my sleep today after staying up to complete schoolwork and other bits earlier in the week. Felt great afterward. My heart rate in bpm reached about 138.

Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 10.46 (6.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 435.32 km (280.29 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 76.2 kg (168.02 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Lower left back sore
Foods eaten today:

This Ugly Yet Beautiful World

Dawn and I stopped by the ARC Anime and Games Club last Friday and watched the first four episodes (or 30% of the series). I liked it, but unfortunately due to higher priorities we missed both events this week (Wed, Fri) and there's no class due to Spring Break next week. x_x

Nintendo DS Lite Games for Dawn

Otherwise I'd forget:

• Pokemon Diamond
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
• Pokemon Ranger DS
• Harvest Moon DS
• Animal Crossing: Wild World

There's a theme ^__^

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-29

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-29
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.498
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:18-21:58
Terrain: flat

Comments: Felt tired again this evening during class and exercised at about 75% this evening on the elliptical machine. 14% body fat represents the lowest in a long time.

Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (elliptical): n/a (forgot)
Total Running Distance For Year: 424.86 km (273.79 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.0 kg (169.79 lbs), 14% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Lower left back sore
Foods eaten today:

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-28

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-28
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.381
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:18-21:58
Terrain: flat

Comments: Watched Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, season four, episode 87 this evening, a moving story about contemporary societal violence toward trans-genders.

Exercise Time: 40 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 8.05 km (5.00 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 424.86 km (273.79 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 76.6 kg (168.90 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Lower left back sore
Foods eaten today:

Radio Song

East Haven, Connecticut-based Mates of State's "Separate the People" from their 2003 album "Team Boo" on the Polyvinyl Records label.

And another song that I can't find. x_x Lyrics go something like, "Success is so fleeting, but it makes me feel like I'm winning"....

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-27

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-27
Resting heart rate: 56 bpm (60 second test, evening)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.264
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:05-22:00
Terrain: flat

Comments: Felt exhausted today after getting to sleep late in the evening. Really drained, and Dawn noticed my lack of normal enthusiasm. Tonight I reduced my speed to 5.0 mph and thought, man, this is easy. Afterward we relaxed in the hot tub. I'm getting to sleep early.

Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 7.38 km (4.58 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 416.81 km (268.79 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 76.2 kg (168.02 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Exhausted
Foods eaten today: cinnamon bunches of oats cereal with soy milk, orange juice, bagel, red beans and rice, sweet corn, egg salad sandwich, banana-nut bread, cheese and mushroom quesadilla with salsa

Running Journal, Monday, 2007-03-26

Running Journal, Monday, 2007-03-26
Resting heart rate: 54 bpm (60 second test, mid morning)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2))
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:45-22:15
Terrain: flat

Comments: Exercised on elliptical with Dawn this evening. Went at a level of 18 (out of 25) and felt well-exercised in the upper thighs after finishing. I watched SG-1. Afterward we relaxed in the hot tub. A few people discussed in front of us how their brother beat up his girlfriend for talking smack (their words). x_x I felt uncomfortable around them and the apparent desensitization to the violence.

Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (elliptical): n/a (forgot)
Total Running Distance For Year: 409.43 km (264.21 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.0 kg (169.79 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: cinnamon bunches of oats cereal with soy milk, raspberry yogurt, orange juice

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-25

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-25
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.557
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:45-22:15
Terrain: flat

Comments: 8.0 miles-per-hour for 3.1 miles tonight, and I made it without slowing down like last time. 8.0-mph means a 7:40 mile-pace, so 3.1 miles equals 24:14. This challenged me physically--my heart rate reached into the low 160 bpm range, which represents about 80% of my target heart rate. I napped this afternoon for 3.5 hours after getting up at 07:00 and walking about two miles to help out a local bi-monthly Adopt-A-Highway project. I felt optimistic walking up to the treadmill this evening, but after about one mile I sensed my body straining to keep up with the pace. Taking a cue from a runner I saw about a week or two ago, I lengthened my stride and that seemed to help. I kept my arms extended and my hands swinging near my hips, and this helped lessen strain on my upper body (at the cost of reducing power from my arms). I watched a bit of the 2007 Iditarod before flipping around to other stations. I never really found anything interesting. I felt a lot of relief to finish tonight's run. Afterward I felt strong and alert, a good sign. Perhaps a correlation exists between target heart rate and how I feel afterward? My 6.0 mph runs only get my heart into the low 130 bpm range. Afterward Dawn and I relaxed in the hot tub for 15 minutes.

Exercise Time: 24 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 5.00 km (3.1 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 409.43 km (264.21 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.2 kg (170.23 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Rested
Foods eaten today: fried egg sandwiches with Velveeta and ketchup, cinnamon and oat cluster cereal, orange juice, cranberry cake, cottage cheese, jasmine rice

Running Journal, Saturday, 2007-03-24

Running Journal, Saturday, 2007-03-24
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 23.023
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 18:34-19:15
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Day off today. Dawn and I walked in Ancil C. Hoffman Park this evening at sunset. Afterward we visited the Stolichniy Restaurant on Watt Avenue where we both ate too much--dumplings with mushrooms, borscht soup with sour cream, bread, and garlic dipping sauce for me, and chicken kiev with cucumbers, tomatoes, and French fries for Dawn, then a snowberries dessert with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in a yogurt and brandy sauce. Yum yum yum. ^_^ I felt lonely at first since we were the only couple in the restaurant, a television in the back corner playing Russian pop music videos. After a few minutes, about six or seven people arrived, conversing in Russian. Before we left, the entire restaurant had filled up. Service seemed slow due to one waitress (then two or three at the end), and perhaps one or two cooks, but the food tasted delicious. We'll probably return during lunch hour since it's not far from ARC. The cacophony of Russian voices reminded me of my time in Eastern Europe and Russia in 1997--fascinating and lonely at the same time, separated by language but united by delicious food. Happily the waitress speaks excellent English.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (walking): n/a
Total Running Distance For Year: 404.43 km (261.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 79.0 kg (174.195 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Tired
Foods eaten today:

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-23

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-23
Resting heart rate: 59 bpm (60-second test, morning)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.498
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 20:15-21:10
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Realized tonight that the reason I'm feeling so tired this week is because I ran a marathon on Sunday. It's so obvious but for some reason I haven't been thinking about it like that. I've been continuing to push myself a bit in the maintenance exercise and I think it's caught up to me. I've felt sluggish today. Tonight I went 6.0 mph again watching Pokemon Rangers, The Lost Sea Temple. Cute. It helped the time go by fast. Felt tired in the last fifteen minutes.
Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 8.85 km (5.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 404.43 km (261.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.0 kg (169.79 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Tired
Foods eaten today: fried egg sandwiches with Velveeta and ketchup, leftover home-made stuffing, pizza, cottage cheese, cheese curds, cucumber slices, carrots

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-22

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-22
Resting heart rate: 62 bpm (60-second test, morning)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.557
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 22:50-23:30
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Slow workout on the elliptical this evening. Watched C-SPAN coverage of the senate vote to authorize the use of subpoenas if desired, then the President's remarks about Iraq, then back to the floor of the House. I boosted the level to 20 today since I knew I was going to go slow. Afterward Dawn and I relaxed in the hot tub.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (elliptical): 4.0 km (~2.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 395.58 km (255.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.2 kg (170.23 lbs), 14% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Exhausted.
Foods eaten today: orange juice, blueberry muesli cereal with soy milk, d'anjou pear, crumpet with raspberry jam

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-21

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-21
Resting heart rate: 56 bpm (60-second test, morning)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.615
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 22:50-23:30
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Felt tired this evening. I think because I haven't eaten as much as I need to today. Ran at 6.0 mph for 40 minutes, and watching Futurama made it go by faster. I don't know why, but watching that show makes time go by faster!
Exercise Time: 40 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 6.44 km (4.0 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 395.58 km (255.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.4 kg (170.67 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Tired
Foods eaten today: Mesa Sunrise toaster waffle with real maple syrup, orange juice, oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, fried cheese curds, A&W root beer float, sugar snap peas, corn on the cob, cheese curds, cheesy mac with ground tofu product, chocolate

Detrol LA

On the way to class today Dawn and I saw a license plate frame with the text Got to go Got to go Gotta go right now...Detrol LA

Weird.

California Cheese Curds

Spring Hill Jersey Cheese Company out of Petaluma serves up a traditional Wisconsin specialty--cheese curds. Dawn and I despaired of ever finding the ubiquitous Wisconsin curds anywhere here in California. Then we discovered them (and they're organic too!) at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op a few months ago.

We've tried Mike's Firehouse Curds (my favorite), Garlic Curds (Dawn's favorite), and Spring Hill Curds (plain curds). They don't have quite the same taste as Wisconsin curds but they're close enough to satisfy us.

Wondering what makes a cheese curd? Wikipedia.

UPDATE: Wikipedia points out A&W Restaurants sell deep-fried cheese curds nationwide. Who knew?

UPDATE: We tried them this afternoon. They taste about the same as one might find in Wisconsin (in fact, they use Wisconsin white cheese). At $3.29 for a small container ($5.29 for a larger one) they're not cheap.

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-20

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-20
Resting heart rate: 60 bpm (60-second test, mid-day)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.557
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:25-22:20
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Tonight I turned the television off on the treadmill and thought about assembly programming concepts I didn't have my head fully wrapped around. By the end of the workout, I had worked out many of the things I felt confusion about. I swung my arms the same way I did on Sunday--hands near hips, arms fairly straight--and noticed that the motion stressed muscles I haven't worked before. The movement seemed efficient. My heart rate only reached 133 bpm. Afterward Dawn and I relaxed in the hot tub. Tonight the cool breeze from the passing storm felt refreshing. I left feeling relaxed and peaceful.
Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 8.85 km (5.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 389.14 km (251.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.2 kg (170.23 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Arm muscles near elbows stressed from new movement
Foods eaten today: Mesa Sunrise toaster waffle with real maple syrup, orange juice, blueberry muesli cereal with soy milk, ramen noodles with peas, cheese pizza, veggie sushi rolls, banana-nut bread, cheese curds, cottage cheese

Processing

Today's bad joke is brought to you by GS Technology, LLC.

On Saturday, Dawn and I ordered a new processor for her computer because her chip fan died, overheating the old one (we believe).

So the joke is (brace yourself)...the order status for the processor is currently "Processing." x_x

Dawn adds, "Processing slowly."

Falling Blossoms

Dawn and I watched blossoms falling from ARC campus trees this afternoon in the pouring rain. Dawn thought they looked like snowflakes in the heavy rain.

Running Journal, Monday, 2007-03-19

Running Journal, Monday, 2007-03-19
Resting heart rate: 67 bpm (60-second test, mid-day)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.440
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:05-21:50
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Have felt tired today from lack of sleep. Exercised tonight with Dawn on the elliptical machines. I selected level 15 (out of 25) and went slow. Watched Will Smith's I, Robot. Afterward we relaxed in the hot tub.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (elliptical): 2.3 km (3.7 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 380.29 km (246.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 76.8 kg (169.3 lbs), 14% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Tired today from lack of rest.
Foods eaten today: Mesa Sunrise toaster waffles with real maple syrup, orange juice, banana, peanut butter sandwich, apple slices, cheese and mushroom quesadilla, cheese pizza bagel, sugar snap peas, black beans and rice, anjou pear, CLIF bar

Flavor Enhancing Oxygen

Progressive Technologies' Micro Kettle (distributed at Target in the microwave aisle, at least as late as last week) comes in a package with the claim:

Perfectly boiled water retains more flavor enhancing oxygen thus preserving the natural flavors of hot foods and drinks

I parse this claim as:

1. Water contains oxygen.
2. Boiling transforms liquids into gases until no liquid remains.
3. Heating water just to boiling means more liquid water, which means more oxygen.
   
4. Oxygen enhances flavor.
   
5. Oxygen preserves the natural flavors of hot foods and drinks.
6. More liquid water means more oxygen to enhance flavor, blah, blah, blah.
   

I'm willing to accept the idea that I'm ignorant of how oxygen enhances flavor. It seems a bit too far into the pseudoscience area for me to accept without further information. My gut tells me it's more likely that someone at Progressive crafted a creative way to sell the product rather than the line being a scientifically insightful truth.

Link: http://www.dmturner.org/Teacher/Library/5thText/ChemPart6.htm

Unfortunately, this text doesn't exist on the web site blurb, but I found one Google result for "flavor enhancing oxygen" which probably reflects the actual wording on the box:

Ever boil water in your micro wave and it boils all over the bottom of the oven? No more with the amazing Fuller Brush Micro Kettle™. MicroWhistle sounds at the perfect boil, so hot water tastes its best. Perfectly boiled water retains more flavor enhancing oxygen thus preserving the natural flavors of hot foods and drinks. The Fuller Brush Micro Kettle's patent pending safety boil-stick mechanism brings water to a safe boil.* The soft grip handle is cool-touch and the cup has measurements in ounces, cups and milliliters. 2 cup capacity. Made of plastic and silicone. 5-1/2" H x 4" W. Dishwasher safe.

*Patent pending feature prevents super-heating. Other containers allow super-heating which causes the temperature to exceed the boiling point, even though it does not appear to be boiling. The patent pending feature in the Micro Kettle will activate the boiling of water so the water temperature will not exceed the boiling point.

So hot water tastes its best? x_x

UPDATE: I e-mailed Progressive customer service Monday evening and received this response Tuesday afternoon:

Dear Kevin,
Very good question.
Strange as it sounds, keeping as much of the oxygen content as possible in the water by * briefly* boiling (vs overboiling) Keeps the water tasting the best.

Best regards,
Kathy
Consumer Relations PIC

Radio Songs

Boston-based The Pixies' "La La Love You" from their 1989 album Doolittle on the Elektra Records label. Video.

Shoreditch, Hackney, UK-native William Orbit's "Water From a Vine Leaf" from his 1993 album "Strange Cargo III" on the Virgin Records label. Video.

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-18

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-18
Resting heart rate: n/a
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.089
Weather: n/a
Temp: 22.2 C (73 F)
Time: 14:43-19:27, 18:05-18:50
Terrain: mostly flat, mild hills
Comments: 26 miles today. 23 trail, three at the gym. Felt a lot of exhaustion coming home, I think due to pushing seven miles farther than my previous long run of 19 (plus four walking). The heat played a factor too. The exercise at the gym seems to be paying off--I ran continuously for 5.0-mph the whole way. I felt relaxed and full of energy most of the run. The gu shots helped keep me going, though I have to rethink the 4x-sodium ones. After I finished I couldn't get any water out of my system, which felt uncomfortable. About one mile out on my run, I passed a man who asked, "Going the whole 28 miles today?" I replied I intended to go 26, and he clapped his hands and gave me encouragement. The Parkway runs 23 miles, so I'm not sure what he's talking about. Passed a deer at mile one, watched a ground squirrel almost run under a boy's bike at mile three, passed a flock of 20 wild turkeys (within 10 feet!) at mile 20, and passed three deer at mile 22. I heard the call of the mystery bird at mile eight, and saw its head poking up from the grass. Around mile 9, I passed a bunch of teens running in the shallows and surfing on wakeboards for several feet. On the way back, I passed the lot of them (20?), and one of the drunken ones in front exclaimed playfully, "Hey, a jogger. He must be a Blood." Cute. One of the males in the group hoisted an empty keg over his head. Lots of bikers out on the Parkway until around supper time. By sunset, I passed people rarely if at all outside the parks. The miniature trains were running yesterday--the first time I've seen them, I believe. I enjoyed hearing falling seed pods clattering off the asphalt of the trail like raindrops. I learned that I ran faster keeping my hands near my waist, keeping my arms straighter rather than holding them up near my chest. Another thought that helped was thinking, "Only 12 more minutes until the next mile." I broke up each mile into three running and walking sections this way, and it helped a lot with visualizing each mile. I can get my head around 12 minutes, or three four-minute sections. The sun set at 19:15, and as I walked up to the pedestrian bridge I passed a small group of Slavic teens listening to someone playing an acoustic guitar and singing a song. The sodium light on the other side indicated I calculated the right time/distance to run on the trail. The drive home took 15 minutes, and I walked in and still felt exhausted. Off to the gym Dawn and I went so I might finish the last three miles. I went straight upstairs, where I walked for five minutes, then started into a 5.0-mph pace. I didn't take any walk breaks. After about 40 minutes, I stopped and walked over to Dawn. We left and I drove home shakily. After a glass of Gookinaid and 30 minutes of bed rest, I felt well again. I chalk the exhaustion up to running seven miles longer than my previous longest run of 19 miles, plus the heat. My next long run is 28 miles in three weeks.
Exercise Time: 4:44 (284 minutes). Split at 17:03 (2:20, or 140 minutes). Second half 2:24, or 144 minutes. Overall 12:20 pace (5:23 marathon pace). First half 12:10 pace (5:18 marathon pace). Second half 12:31 pace (5:27 marathon pace).
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 41.84 km (26.0 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 380.29 km (246.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 75.6 kg (166.7 lbs), 16% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Exhaustion. Second toe from the left on the right foot sore.
Foods eaten today: Mini-bagels with cream cheese, fruit assortment, orange juice, pastry, banana, gu shots, powerbar, bean and cheese burrito, blueberry muesli cereal with soy milk, cheese pizza bagel

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-16

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-16
Resting heart rate: n/a
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.440
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:05-21:50
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Spent much of the day shopping so we ended up getting to the gym late in the day. Can't remember what I watched.
Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (elliptical): 8.85 km (5.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 338.45 km (220.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 76.8 kg (169.3 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today:

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-15

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-15
Resting heart rate: n/a
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.673
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:05-21:50
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Watched the appropriations committee markup session this evening on C-SPAN. Saw a number of familiar faces on both sides of the aisle: Jerry Lewis, Dave Obey, John Murtha, and a number of non-familiar faces. One Republican from Kentucky impressed me with his speaking ability. Even though I only read the words, his body language communicated his passion for the topic (asserting the bill amounts to a defunding of the troops). The final speaker, a Democrat from the Bronx, also impressed me with his bluntness, humor, and passion. I exercised at level 15 (out of 25) this evening on the elliptical machine, going slowly. The challenge felt appropriate.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (elliptical): n/a
Total Running Distance For Year: 329.60 km (214.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.6 kg (171.11 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today:

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-14

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-14
Resting heart rate: 52 bpm (60-second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.790
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:05-21:50
Terrain: n/a
Comments: It's getting hard to note anything new happening at the California Family Fitness gym. Every day tends to blur into one another. Watched Dirty Harry, Kings basketball, some BET film, black bears...channel surfing mostly. Relaxed in the hot tub. Drank plenty of fluids today since I have the marathon coming up this Sunday. My weight dropped again today. I'm not eating enough to maintain my weight but I don't feel hungry either. Slept in a bit today to make up for the lost sleep and stress the past few days. Continuing to do taxes and realizing tonight that calculating cost basis isn't hard at all, just time consuming. x_x
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 6.44 km (4.0 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 329.60 km (214.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 78.0 kg (171.99 lbs), 16% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: special k fruit and yogurt cereal with soy milk, blueberry crumpet with strawberry jam, chocolate brownie, pasta with veggie ground round and marinara sauce, garlic cheese curds, frozen tropical fruit and soy milk drink

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-13

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-13
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.849
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 21:28-22:23
Terrain: n/a
Comments: 6.0 mph run. Relaxed in the hot tub afterward. Feeling wiped out after staying up late last night working on assembly programming. Good news: I finished, it's correct, it's submitted, I feel confident about what I've learned. Time for bed.
Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 8.85 km (5.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 323.16 km (210.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 78.2 kg (172.43 lbs), 15% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: special k fruit and yogurt cereal with soy milk, blueberry crumpet, chocolate brownie, peanut butter sandwich, bean and cheese burrito, pasta with veggie ground round and marinara sauce, garlic cheese curds, cottage cheese

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-11

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-11
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.557
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 19:45-20:27
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Speed work this evening at California Family Fitness in Orangevale: four miles at ~10:15 mile pace (4:40 marathon). Considering last night I ran 50 minutes at 6.0 mph pace (10:00 mile pace), 40 minutes at 5.8 mph (10:20 mile pace) went by fast. I decided not to stop and rest between mile repeats since it went so easily. I'm doubtful I can pull off an entire marathon at 10:20 pace right now. My last long run of 23 miles, I ran a 11:08 pace the first 11 miles, then fell to a 14:37 pace in the last 11 (given I felt sick and walked the last four miles). This coming Sunday, I run 26 miles (!).
Exercise Time: 42 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 6.44 km (4.0 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 314.31 km (205.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.2 kg (170.23 lbs), 16% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: special k red berries cereal with soy milk, blueberry English muffin, yogurt, chocolate brownie, quiche, cheese curds, jasmine rice, chocolate

Laptop

This week I spent time hunting down parts to get my laptop working again. Got a system board and keyboard from eBay, a four-port USB hub, an active PS2-to-USB adapter, and thermal grease from Radio Shack, a Torx wrench tool, thermal adhesive, and a passive PS2-to-USB adapter from Fry's.

The hardest thing about tearing down the machine was getting the instructions condensed from 50+ pages to about six (removing all the images). Other bits involved taking the time to separate and label all the various Torx and Torx-Phillips screws. I've seen this done before, but it was a brief channel-surfing stop on the Speed channel one night last week that reminded me of the value of doing this (I think they had a baggy with piston squirters written on it). And it helped a lot.

The keyboard hasn't arrived yet, so I'm using the four-port USB hub with an external keyboard and the active PS2-to-USB adapter, and an external USB mouse. My initial thrifty purchase of the passive PS2-to-USB adapter didn't work with my external keyboard. Apparently this only seems to work of the keyboard has the circuitry on-board to communicate with a USB adapter. Neither of the two extras I have on hand can do this, so I had to purchase a PS2-to-USB adapter with the circuitry in the adapter itself. The easy way to tell if your keyboard has the circuitry on-board is if it came with a PS2-to-USB adapter.

I started tearing down the machine Friday morning but realized when it came time to remove the heat-sink that I didn't have the Torx wrench or the thermal grease. I purchased both of these from Fry's, came home and finished the job close to midnight (overall investment, about four hours). The next day as I prepared to diagnose a separate issue with Dawn's computer, I realized I had applied thermal adhesive to the heat sink and CPU in my laptop. Ugh. Thankfully, I hadn't mixed the two Arctic Silver compounds to create the adhesive compound. This required another tear-down and reapplication of thermal grease from Radio Shack.

So it's been an educational week with laptop issues. Keyboard arrives Tuesday. I discovered that I enjoy going to the computer lab on campus instead of using the laptop in the library during my days at class. That having a port replicator helps a lot when traditional input devices fail. And how much time and energy maintaining a piece of hardware can take. x_x

Running Journal, Saturday, 2007-03-10

Running Journal, Saturday, 2007-03-10
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.732
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Exercised at 6.0 mph this evening. It feels good. :) We arrived around 18:00 and I discovered that the treadmill I selected had a television that had suffered damage from the repeated shocks inflicted by runners. So the closed-captioning came through garbled and the screen distorted with each footfall. As I watched the end of Breakfast at Tiffany's, the song Breakfast at Tiffany's played over the gym background music. Cute. At the end I turned off the television and thought about Dawn's current computer science problem, writing pseudo-code to fill an array with the first n prime numbers, using the code bits submitted by her professor.
Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 8.85 km (5.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 307.87 km (201.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 77.8 kg (171.55 lbs), 17% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: left shoulder sore from increased pace
Foods eaten today: special k fruit & yogurt cereal, orange juice, blueberry crumpet, buckwheat toaster waffle with maple syrup, yogurt, carrots, chocolate brownie, mini raviolis with marinara sauce, cottage cheese

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-09

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-09
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) n/a
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Decided to not go this evening due to other pressing matters (computer repair, shopping, and so forth). Will exercise Saturday instead.
Exercise Time: n/a
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (water running): n/a
Total Running Distance For Year: 299.02 km (195.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): n/a (forgot)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: n/a

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-08

Running Journal, Thursday, 2007-03-08
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) n/a
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Tonight I decided to give water running a try. This involves wrapping a foam flotation belt around the midsection and striding in the water with the same motion used on land. I tride this when I first began exercising at the California Family Fitness gym in Orangevale in December or January (sans flotation belt) and discovered how difficult it was to stay afloat and focus on the running motion at the same time. The running belt provided the extra lift necessary to allow me to focus on the motion as well as the buoyancy necessary to use energy efficiently. After 15 minutes of experimental flailing about, I settled into a rhythm of arm and leg motion. I found that in this particular pool staying near the middle and doing mini-laps worked best. Otherwise I scrape my feet on the bottom. Reading remains to be done on this subject to refresh my understanding of the basic concepts. I enjoyed it the first time. Boring but after 45 minutes, I felt well-exercised, and it's no-impact too.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (water running): n/a
Total Running Distance For Year: 299.02 km (195.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): n/a (forgot)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: left ankle area sore from water striding
Foods eaten today: n/a

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-07

Running Journal, Wednesday, 2007-03-07
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) n/a
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Exercised at 6.0 mph again this evening. Nothing really memorable from this exercise session (writing this on Saturday, three nights later, due to computer failure). Feeling good to run at 6.0 mph. I'm enjoying the challenge.
Exercise Time: 40 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 6.44 km (4.0 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 299.02 km (195.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): n/a (forgot)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: right shoulder feeling sore from increased pace
Foods eaten today: n/a

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-06

Running Journal, Tuesday, 2007-03-06
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 23.083
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: n/a
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Exercised at 6.0 mph this evening for the first time because I want to get my heart rate elevated so I get stronger. Things went pretty well. I felt some boredom because so I began counting down the minutes to go. After I finished Dawn and I went home. I read that BMI might not predict health very well, so I'll probably be looking for other data bits to supplement it.
Exercise Time: 55 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 8.85 km (5.5 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 292.58 km (191.61 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 79.0 kg (174.20 lbs), 16% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?:
Foods eaten today: n/a

Laptop

Blogging this from Dawn's PC tonight as my laptop keyboard bit the dust. x_x Doing minor repair work several weeks ago I broke the plastic clamp on the keyboard cable connector on the motherboard. I put in super glue to hold the cable down, which worked great until tonight. A possibly unrelated hardware failure occurred when I took off the keyboard to fix a stuck 'z' key. After replacing the keyboard I noticed a set of keys didn't work (for example, 'alt', 'tab', 'ctrl', 'a'). Ugh. All I need to replace is this one connector. x_x It might cost less to replace the entire motherboard though, since I imagine every computer expert in town charges $75/hr just to tell me I need a new motherboard anyway. :P The questions I have are 1) where can I purchase such a connector, and 2) where can I find someone to precision-solder it onto the motherboard? It's probably a few hours work to remove the motherboard, perform the soldering, and restore the laptop, so maybe purchasing a new motherboard is the way to go. x_x

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-04

Running Journal, Sunday, 2007-03-04
Resting heart rate: 61 bpm (60-second test)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.907
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 19:55-20:23
Terrain: n/a
Comments: This weekend called for a 5K race, so in lieu of running one I ran 5K at the gym tonight at a 7.0-8.0 mph pace. I attempted to stay at 8.0 mph for as long as possible. After about 2 miles I slowed down to 7.5, then 7.0 in order to relax. Saturday night's cycle ride wore me out. For the last 0.75 miles I increased the speed back up to 8.0 mph. I finished feeling tired and my abs felt sore. I felt happy to run so fast for such an extended period of time. My muscles feel sore yet resilient. I went out to buy something from the store around 22:45 and felt great other than residual muscle soreness.
Exercise Time: 28 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 4.99 km (3.10 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 283.73 km (186.11 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 78.4 kg (172.87 lbs), 16% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Right shoulder and bicep sore from three days of exercise
Foods eaten today: two bowls strawberry special K cereal with soy milk, orange juice, yogurt, bagel with smart balance and cinnamon-sugar, vegetable lasagna, carrots, girl scout cookies, brownie and ice cream, bagel

Running Journal, Saturday, 2007-03-03

Running Journal, Saturday, 2007-03-03
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 23.083
Weather: n/a
Temp: n/a
Time: 19:50-20:35
Terrain: n/a
Comments: Cycled on the upright bike tonight instead of the recumbent since Dawn and I wanted to cycle together. I found it easier to pedal than the recumbent. I set the target heart rate for 140 beats-per-minute and kept it there for the majority of the 45 minutes. The revolutions-per-minute indicator got up to a sustained 125, a new high for me. Although something seems fishy because I keep getting 17.99 miles no matter how many revolutions-per-minute I pedal. I enjoyed the challenge this evening, feeling the sweat pour out of me as the heart rate got into the target heart-rate zone. On television I watched the end of a CSI show and then flipped the channel to Public Access which broadcast a real estate class from Sacramento City College. I learned about how lot placement can affect the price of otherwise similar homes, and how lot placement affects the amount of traffic passing by the home, child safety, noise, yard space, and the number of neighbors. The class seemed to be for aspiring appraisers? And the instructor looked like he wore a polo shirt with Tux the penguin on it. :) Cute. We didn't have time to get in the hot tub tonight since the gym closes early. I read a report recently that hot tubs cause infertility in men. o_O Oh dear. I'll probably continue to use it though since the study reports reversals for men who stop using hot tubs after three to six months. So, lessons learned, get the heart into the target heart range to exercise optimally. Hopefully this won't affect my long runs negatively.
Exercise Time: 45 minutes
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (cycling): 28.95 km (17.99 mi)
Total Running Distance For Year: 278.74 km (183.01 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 79.0 kg (174.20 lbs), 17% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: strawberry special K cereal with soy milk, orange juice, yogurt, bagel with smart balance and cinnamon-sugar, green olives, bagel, gingerbread cookie, spinach nuggets, jasmine rice with lentil soup, chocolate

Taxes

Calculating capital gains/losses of stock for the first time. Fun.

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-02

Running Journal, Friday, 2007-03-02
Resting heart rate: n/a (forgot)
Body Mass Index (BMI): (kilograms/(meters^2)) 22.790
Weather: sunny, 3 m/s winds
Temp: 8-15 C (46.4-59 F)
Time: 10:25-15:21
Terrain: mostly flat, some rolling hills
Comments: 23 miles today, sick. Arrived at the pedestrian bridge this morning sort of groggy. Groggy's not a bad place to be when running 23 miles since it tends to quiet the mind and negative feedback that might arise. Recent rains have swelled the river some, but nothing like the heavy flows from 2006 yet. I haven't been to the Parkway in just under four weeks. I noticed a few new graffiti marks. I remembered everything this time: sunblock, sunglasses, lip balm, food, gloves, correct shoes. Springtime has arrived on the American River. Trees have blossomed, little frogs croak in the water left by recent rains, infant jackrabbits hop chase each other playfully. I realized today how much I missed the Parkway family and saying hello to people as I pass. Sacramento County has replaced the Adopt-a-Parkway signs with new ones for the high-number miles. One name that jumped out at me was the Sacramento Tall Club (6'2" for men and 5'10" for women). :) I went out strong, ending my first 11.5 miles at 2:08, with a headwind. That's the fastest pace I've run in a long time. As before, today's run became an exercise in snot management. Turning back east, my jaw dropped at the sight of the snow-covered Sierra Nevadas. The wind had swept away all of the pollution and they looked magnificent. Based on previous long runs, I remembered to fill up my water bottle today. While this made carrying it a burden due to the water weight, the benefit of having water outweighed the drawbacks. I used bathrooms at the 13.5-, 10.0- (twice), and 13.0-mile markers. I drank water every 20 minutes fairly consistently. When I stopped at the 13.0 marker for a break, I grokked for what seemed like the first time the meaning of thc graffiti. :P Marijuana, lovely. At about the 12.5 mile marker on the return, after passing a woman pushing a baby stroller and another walking woman, I heard what sounded like Caw! Then I heard it again. I heard the whirring and creaking of a bike so I figured someone was cawing at the women as they passed and braced myself. Instead, as the biker passed, he said Hello nonchalantly. He had headphones on, a beard, and wore gray sweats. He rounded the corner and disappeared. A moment later I rounded the corner, and noticed him in front of me by about 10 meters dance-walking next to his bike. He hopped back on his bike, and pedaled down the trail again. Every other minute or so, he exclaimed Caw! How weird, I thought. At mile 13.0, as I stopped to use the bathroom, I noticed he had pulled into the picnic area to the right and gotten on top of the picnic table and was dancing to some unheard music. :) I never felt threatened. Only in California? I continued on my way, never to see him again on the remainder of my run. The cold and the initial strong run were taking it's toll on me by this time. My breath became labored, and I began feeling mentally fuzzy. At the mile 16 marker, I decided I needed to stop running and walk until I felt strong again. I used my last gu shot at the 16.5 marker, and walked the remaining miles back. I felt disappointment, but also knew that I couldn't keep up the 11:08 pace the whole way, and I was exhausted physically. As I walked back along my favorite stretch of trail, mile 18.5, my mind imagined the trees as my elders. I try to stay on the asphalt trail during this stretch so as to not compact the soil any more than it already is. I realized as I walked back that I hadn't taken one-mile walks after completing my long-runs since early in the fall. The walks really help. I also realized that it's important to take out one more gu gel shot than I think I'll need, just in case. Tonight I feel great. I can't believe I ran 23 miles today. Dawn and I went out to eat to celebrate, then went to PetsMart to play with cats. We went to the gym tonight so Dawn might exercise and I might use the hot tub. It's good to be done with today. ;) I can't wait to be done with this cold. x_x
Exercise Time: 4:56 (296 minutes). Split at 12:37 (2:08, or 128 minutes). Second half 2:48, or 168 minutes. Overall 12:52 pace (5:37 marathon pace). First half 11:08 pace (4:52 marathon pace). Second half 14:37 pace (6:23 marathon pace).
Goal Time: 6:00
Distance (running): 37.01 km (23.00 mi) http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=742756
Total Running Distance For Year: 278.74 km (183.01 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 78.0 kg (171.99 lbs), 17% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: head cold, sore throat, left ankle felt sore, back felt sore
Foods eaten today: two bowls of strawberry special K cereal with soy milk, banana, gu gel shots, mizithra, bread and butter, minestrone, vanilla ice cream, chocolate