Dec1-7

S: 20,200 yds
B: 4h 53min
R: 4h 42min

Total: 15h 21 min

Oops, a little late. I was a little busy last Monday trying to tie things up at work in the morning before driving down in MAF. Anyway, nothing too exciting, just getting back on the schedule.

Back home

We wrapped things up Thursday evening at MAF and overall had a pretty successful TIM/Kaizan event. There are still plenty of issues which we'll carry as potential cost/schedule risks but at least we have a much better understanding of what they are and how they'll affect production.

One last note on New Orleans, when traveling there and still trying to get a few swims in, I'd highly recommend the facility at the University of New Orleans. The pool is only 25yds long and 4 lanes wide but it is surprisingly well built with an effective draining system. Also, while I was expecting the water to be upwards of 80F due to a sign advertising water aerobics, the water was actually pretty chilly, around 70F. The rest of the facility (weights, aerobic equipment, etc.) is very nice as well, if you are in to that sort of thing.

Now I'm back in the 'ville and after a swim will be watching David Riddle DOMINATE the Rocket City Marathon this morning. His training has been going really well (he dragged me through an 8 mile "easy" run at 6:10 pace last weekend) so I'm confident he'll pull off a great first marathon.

Checking in from the Crescent City- Working, Running, and Eating

Its been a pretty busy last couple of days. Yesterday after working for a bit I had the always enjoyable experience of a 6.5h drive through Alabama and southern Mississippi to New Orleans. This week we've got a technical interchange meeting (TIM) to discuss the manufacturing flow for the cleaning and corrosion protection processes for the Ares I Upper State (US) at the Michoud Assembly Facility. Yep, I'm a dork.

So after sitting in a meeting with the same people all day today, I was ready to get out for a run when I got back to the hotel. However, I'm staying downtown so I was a bit worried where I was going to run. I dont mind running though cities but it gets kind of old when you have to stop every other block when a light changes. Luckily though I stumbled upon St. Charles Ave.

This road runs through the "garden district," the area of town where all the fancy houses are, but the best part about the road is that the trolley runs down the middle. Like a bus, it may only come by a few times an hour. The rest of the time there is a nice dirt trail in the middle of the trolley rails which is perfect for running.

The benefits of running the rails are plenty. First there is the aforementioned dirt trail which provides a welcome reprieve to the usual pavement pounding. Next, the middle of the road provided a nice shelter from traffic. The rails were also well lit and the weather was phenomenal, lows 60s and humidity you could cut with a knife. There was also nice scenery including grand old houses, Loyola University (Uncle Mark's alma mater), and other runners.

Finally, the highlight of the day. Although traveling is always a hassle, I do enjoy the excuse to eat out and to enjoy some really yummy meals. Some places are better than others in this regard but New Orleans has got to be at the top. For dinner tonight I dined at Cochon Restaurant and I must say it was quite delicious. Rather than getting an entree, I got a few smaller dishes. I started with a mixed green salad with grilled onions, satsumas, and chili pecan. Then I had "andouille & sweet potato pie with apple & greens slaw" and "roasted shrimp with ham, chilis, satsumas & cornbread cake." Go here for the menu but both of these dishes were simply awesome. The andouille was just a spicy and smoky which balanced well with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and tangyness of the vinegarette dressing on the apple and greens slaw. Similarly, the savory flavor of the roasted shrimp with ham married well with the appropriately spiciness of the chili-cheesy-creme sauce and sweetness of the cornbread cake. Incidentally, I'm usually not a fan of cheese sauces or creme sauces but this one was delicious. It was not too rich, not too creamy, not too goopy, just right on. To finish off the meal, "gâteau de chocolat with honey creole cream cheese mousse & pears," which was basically a flourless chocolate cake with a light and fluffy cheesecake top. All in all, a kick ass meal.

Now, its time for bed. Tomorrow morning should be another adventure scouting for a pool before another uber-exciting day at MAF. I cant wait!

PS Last night I had dinner at Emril's Restraunt. I started with a salad: "Abita Root Beer Braised “Fresh Bacon” Salad, Abita Root Beer Braised Niman Ranch Pork Belly with Citrus Slaw, Marinated Yucca, Heirloom Radish, Shaved Jalepeno, Goat Cheese and Pork Cracklings" and then had some salmon: "Oyster Crusted Atlantic Salmon with Dill Preserved Yukon Gold Potatoes, Tuna Bacon Asparagus, Fennel, and Cauliflower Bernaise"

TEBOW

I'm not sure if everyone has heard but there is kind of a big football game in Atlanta tomorrow. This little gridiron battle known as the SEC Championship will for the first time pit the top two ranked teams in the AP poll, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators. In addition to determining the SEC Champion, the game will also likely determine one of the two teams which will play for the BCS National Championship in Miami.

There has been plenty written about the game and there will be even more analysis between now and tomorrow afternoon by ESPN's talking heads. Power vs. speed, old school vs new school, Alabama's running attack vs Florida's opportunistic defense, Saban vs Meyer... the story lines are plentiful. However, only one thing really matters. Florida has Tim Tebow, Alabama doesnt.

So, here are a few Tebowisms to get ready for the game tomorrow... enjoy!

Tim Tebow CAN believe it's not butter.

Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite. Tim Tebow laughs at Superman for having a weakness.

When you open a can of whoop-ass, Tim Tebow jumps out.

Tim Tebow always knows the EXACT location of Carmen SanDiego.

Tim Tebow can divide by zero.

Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas.

For other Tim Tebow facts, check out this link.

Too much POWER?????

It looks like its time to retire as it appears I have become too strong for my own good. Tonight as I was loving life on the trainer during a Zn4 effort, my power suddenly plummeted and my RPMs shot up. After some inspection, it became apparent that I had broken my trainer. I have no idea how this is possible but it happened.

While I can't say I was all that upset about having a legitimate excuse not to finish the workout, I can say I'm not looking forward to having to purchase another one of those dreaded machines. What is there to like about having to spend money on a device which will be used solely for self torture??

Regardless of that, though, the night was not all bad. Modern Marvels was about 80s technology and it was cool to learn about some of the history behind some of the devices we take for granted today. I even picked up a couple of tidbits...

Ever wonder why a CD is 74 minutes long? As it turns out a Sony exec was a big fan of classical music and he wanted to make sure Beethoven's 9th Symphony could fit on one CD. Ergo, 74 minutes.

Another Trivial Pursuit answer: 3,333,360. That of course would be the high score in Pac-Man.

Ahh, the 80s...

Freezing rain

Never fails. On the first day in about a month that I actually have to run after work... it is 33F, dark, and frozen precipitation is falling from the sky when I get home from the office. Awesome!! Luckily though the ground was still warm so all of the puddles were in liquid form. Anyway, nothing like a nice start to the training cycle...

Nov24-30

S: 20,800 yds
B: 7h 19min
R: 4h 14min

Total: 16h 45min

Well that was fun. I had a nice week of training while also consuming my fair share of Thanksgiving classics. Top it off with a TON of CFB highlighted by the Gators' domination of the Noles and it was a pretty good week.

Sadly though the fun times are about to come crashing to an end as I'm back to work (aka back on the schedule) this week. Time to start GTWD for next year!

Black Friday

After stuffing myself with some good southern food laden with saturated fat yesterday, it was back to the office today. Office #2, that is.

Yesterday I went over to Atlanta to have Thanksgiving supper at my aunt's house. She prepared a savory meal just like my grandmother used to and wow, it was gratifying. Perhaps that was due to the copious amount of fat in the meal which became apparent upon inspection of the leftovers today...

Because I'm still apparently young enough to be considered "a growing young man," my aunt sent a plate home with me and when I took it out of the refrigerator today the green beans had white spots on them. No, it was not green bean casserole, just green beans. The white spots? Oh, that was just some congealed fat. Yummy.

So while I didnt have to work today and tomorrow looks like it will consist solely of football viewing, I went ahead and got in a 6k swim with the kids this morning before heading out for a 3h15 ride with some roadies. 3 of the 4 of us have power meters so although they were roadies, the ride was nice and steady and solidly paced. There are few things I despise more than going on an "endurance ride" with cyclists that consists of riding 15 mph on the flats with the occasional sprint up the hill. But yeah, its always great amazing how much quicker the time goes by when you have company.

And now its off to Surin for some sake and sushi. Should be yummy.

THE Sergio is THE man

Being the off season, it is the perfect time to go out and play with the roadies and in order to do that more effectively, I've made a couple of upgrades to the road bike. The most important and exciting was a new saddle courtesy of The Sergio. In case you can't tell from the pic, Sergio hooked me up with a white Fizik Arione which has made the last couple of rides quite enjoyable. (Of course now that I take a step back and look at the bike, I think I'm going to need to get some white bar tape as well to finish off the job...)

Other updgrades include a new chain and a set of Dinotte lights. The roadies here do a weeknight ride which, considering the sun is setting around 4:40, requires lights this time of year. While the lights help with the darkness, they do nothing to counteract the cold and for that reason I've resisted in partaking in the madness as of yet. However as long as it is reasonably warm riding outside will still beat the heck out of the dreaded trainer so at least I'll have that option.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Nov: 17-23

S: 22,200 yds
B: 6h 12min
R: 2h 40min

Total: 14h 25 min

Even though it was unseasonably cold this past weekend, I had a great ride on Saturday. It was my first real ride since Clearwater so I was actually fairly surprised with how good I felt. Additionally the temperature was around 50F but I really just wanted to get outside for a bit. After taking about 20 minutes to warm up, I got into a nice grove and powered through a pretty solid 2h. I was certainly ready to be done by the time I got home but there were moments when I was really enjoying being outside and moving fast.

I also got in a nice workout with the kids on Saturday morning where I was once again humbled by a girl who just got her braces off. Fun times.

PB love

This study, recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Science & Medicine in Sports compared the effects concentration of glucose and fructose (and the ratio between the two) in a sports drink in order to determine the optimal concentrations and ratios while exercising. They found that a 2:1 glucose:fructose ratio was optimal, nothing that it "increases GE (gastric emptying)" and "resulted in lower ratings of perceived exertion." So what sports drink has a 2:1 GLU:FRU ratio? How about Powerbar Endurance! The stuff is awesome and this is just another study that proves it. FYI, I prefer the Fruit Punch flavor but the Lemon Lime is tasty as well. Neither is too sweet and both dissolve well. OTOH, I'd steer away from the Sun Tea unless you don't like any sweetness at all in your sports drink.

Title: Multiple transportable carbohydrates enhance gastric emptying and fluid delivery.

Abstract: This study compared the effects of ingesting water (WATER), an 8.6% glucose solution (GLU) and an 8.6% glucose+fructose solution (2:1 ratio, GLU+FRU) on gastric emptying (GE), fluid delivery, and markers of hydration status during moderate intensity exercise. Eight male subjects (age=24 +/- 2 years, weight=74.5 +/- 1.2 kg, VO(2max)=62.6 +/- 2.5 mL/kg/min) performed three 120 min cycling bouts at 61% VO(2max)). Subjects ingested GLU, GLU+FRU (both delivering 1.5 g/min carbohydrate), or WATER throughout exercise, ingesting 2.1 L. Serial dye dilution measurements of GE were made throughout exercise and subjects ingested 5.00 g of D(2)O and 150 mg of (13)C-acetate at 60 min to obtain measures of fluid uptake and GE, respectively. GLU+FRU resulted in faster rates of deuterium accumulation, an earlier time to peak in the (13)C enrichment of expired air and a faster rate of GE compared with GLU. GLU+FRU also attenuated the rise in heart rate that occurred in GLU and WATER and resulted in lower ratings of perceived exertion. There was a greater loss in body weight with GLU corrected for fluid intake. These data suggest that ingestion of a combined GLU+FRU solution increases GE and "fluid delivery" compared with a glucose only solution.

Rock show

Kings of Leon put on a pretty kick ass show last night in Nashville and as a result I've been struggling a bit today. before the show however, Sarah and I had to get some food so we hit up Jack's Bar-B-Que, considered by many to be the best 'que around. It did not disappoint.

Nothing better than 24 oz cans!:

The rock stars:

ISS, Hugh's lucky break, and a trip to the Music City

Fun times at the office this morning as I had to go check out a problem on a piece of hardware that is scheduled to go up on the space station this summer. There was an issue with the coating on a rack loaded with a bunch of experiments so I got called over to diagnose the problem. Fun times...

In other news the folks from People wanted to give me this title but I had to decline. I figure with the struggling economy and all Hugh Jackman's new blockbuster Australia probably wont gross very much and he'll be needing all the free publicity he can get.

Lastly, I'm headed to Nashville for a concert this evening. Thats right, a concert on a school night. Moreover, Nashville is 2h away so it looks like no training after work or tomorrow morning which I cant say that I mind.

Nov10-16

S: 15,300 yds
B: 58min
R: 1h 4min
Pushups: 70
Situps: 200

Total: 5h 52min

I made it to the pool a few times but other than that it was a very relaxing week. I wouldve skipped that too but I'm just not good enough of a swimmer to stay out of the water for very long.

So about those pushups... during the day on Friday I was planning on going for a run after work. However on the way home I pulled an audible and swung by Publix for a Sam Adams seasonal selection 12 pack instead. I was very pleased with my decision but while watching PTI after I got home I decided it would be a good idea to knock out some pushups in hopes of improving my slightly less than massive physique. My initial plan was to do 100 in sets of 20 with 40 crunches in between each set for good measure. I figured the 100 would be tough but was confident I could get through them.

The first set was hard but I completed it with relative ease. The second was was quite a bit more difficult, causing me to take an extended pause before beginning my third set. The third set was admittedly a struggle but after eeking out the last one I realized I was over half way there and just had two more sets to go. I was pumped up and started the forth set with considerably less rest than I had prior to the third set. The result was that I made it to ten before falling on my face, lying on the floor for a while, and watching the rest of PTI without anymore pushups.

The next morning I went to swim with the kids and did a few 400IMs. The combination of those two foolish activities caused my poor chest to be sore throughout the weekend and up to this morning.

B double E double R-U-N

So yeah, this week has been pretty relaxing and very productive. Its amazing how much you can get done around the apartment with an extra 20 hours a week! While I did get plenty of mundane cleaning done, I also made some kick ass banana bread with walnuts and chocolate chips:



As for today, instead of heading home for a run, I swung by Publix to pick up some beer because, well, it is Friday and I have no schedule. The best part though was that when I got in the car for the drive home, this song was on the radio: