New links up on Run4youlife

Just a few new links up on the sidebar. Please check them out.

Road Runners Club of America
2006 RRCA National Convention
HEB Bayou City Classic 10K

Fellow Houston running blogger:
Barbara's blog

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"Although the time and date of the first American thanksgiving observance may be uncertain, there is no question but that this treasured custom derives from our Judeo-Christian heritage. "Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks," the Psalmist sang, praising God not only for the "wondrous works" of His creation, but for loving guidance and deliverance from dangers.

A band of settlers arriving in Maine in 1607 held a service of thanks for their safe journey, and twelve years later settlers in Virginia set aside a day of thanksgiving for their survival. In 1621 Governor William Bradford created the most famous of all such observances at Plymouth Colony when a bounteous harvest prompted him to proclaim a special day "to render thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings." The Spaniards in California and the Dutch in New Amsterdam also held services to give public thanks to God.

In 1777, during our War of Independence, the Continental Congress set aside a day for thanksgiving and praise for our victory at the battle of Saratoga. It was the first time all the colonies took part in such an event on the same day. The following year, upon news that France was coming to our aid, George Washington at Valley Forge prescribed a special day of thanksgiving. Later, as our first President, he responded to a Congressional petition by declaring Thursday, November 26, 1789, the first Thanksgiving Day of the United States of America.

Although there were many state and national thanksgiving days proclaimed in the ensuing years, it was the tireless crusade of one woman, Sarah Josepha Hale, that finally led to the establishment of this beautiful feast as an annual nationwide observance. Her editorials so touched the heart of Abraham Lincoln that in 1863 - even in the midst of the civil War - he enjoined his countrymen to be mindful of their many blessings, cautioning them not to forget "the source from which they come," that they are "the gracious gifts of the Most High God…" Who ought to be thanked "with one heart and one voice by the whole American People."

It is in that spirit that I now invite all Americans to take part again in this beautiful tradition with its roots deep in our history and deeper still in our hearts. We manifest our gratitude to God for the many blessings he has showered upon our land and upon its people.

In this season of Thanksgiving we are grateful for our abundant harvests and the productivity of our industries; for the discoveries of our laboratories; for the researches of our scientists and scholars; for the achievements of our artists, musicians, writers, clergy, teachers, physicians, businessmen, engineers, public servants, farmers, mechanics, artisans, and workers of every sort whose honest toil of mind and body in a free land rewards them and their families and enriches our entire Nation.

Let us thank God for our families, friends, and neighbors, and for the joy of this very festival we celebrate in His name. Let every house of worship in the land and every home and every heart be filled with the spirit of gratitude and praise and love on this Thanksgiving Day."

-Ronald Reagan, Proclamation, 1985

New Article in Stridelines

Please check out this month's [PDF] Starting Line article in Stridelines, the newsletter of the Houston Striders. This is the first installment of a series of articles (by me, humbly) for new runners. Of course, I also highly recommend you scroll to the top and read the entirety of the award-winning Stridelines newletter.

Nutrition, 11/8 - 11/10

Having lost (much to my surprise) about 17 lbs. in the last month and a half, I think I'm going to start recording my meals/snacks again, just to have a record of what I'm doing to lose the weight. As I stated in an earlier post I'm not following any particular diet, per se. I'm just confining my nutrition to Weight Watcher's list of core foods which include lean meats, eggs, lowfat dairy, fruits and vegetables, whole grains. As I mentioned, this is no magic thing. No pills or magic formulas. I'm just trying to choose healthy foods and limit my intake to what satiates me.

Tuesday 11/8

4:00pm (meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
1 egg
3 slices of canadian bacon
small bowl of Whole Oat O's (from Whole Foods)
skim milk
Comfort Zone (after): 4

8:00pm(meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 3
small ribeye steak
salad
tomato
fat free Ranch
Comfort Zone (after): 4
Ribeye's not the best cut of steak for me but that's what I had in the freezer. No harm done

Tuesday 11/8

1:30am(meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 1
chicken parmesan
spinach pasta
broccoli
Comfort Zone (after): 4

7:45am(meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
blueberry parfait with:
blueberries
granola
yogurt
Not the best meal but it was the best they served at UHD cafeteria. I'm sure the yogurt was not lowfat and there was probably a lot of sugar in the granola. Still, I'll be ok. It was better than eating nothing at all and gorging when I finally got home.

4:30pm(meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
Whole Oat O's
Skim milk
3 slices of canadian bacon
Comfort Zone (after): 4

Thursday 11/10

12:30am (meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
breadless turkey sandwich
little bit of cole slaw
Comfort Zone (after): 4

7:00am (meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
apple
Comfort Zone (after): 3

4:30pm (meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
Whole Oat O's cereal
skim milk
Comfort Zone (after): 3

7:00pm (meal)
Comfort Zone (before): 2
salad:
   lettuce
   tomato
   chicken breast
   low-carb ranch (just a little)
2 pieces of fried chicken
OOPS!!! J brought fried chicken home for everyone. That's my weakness. It's so hard to eat right when the rest of your family eats wrong! little bit of cole slaw
Comfort Zone (after): 4

Sprint

I just sprinted to my bus stop. First time in many months that i've been able to do that. Had to text the blog right away.

Cross-training day

For really the first time since I got my new bike, I went for an actual training ride today. No kids. No recreation. Just a straght-up cross-training workout. Very nice ride. I did 5.5 miles. That may not seem like a lot but it is not a road bike. Mine is a mountain bike with those knobby tires. Very slow. Not sure how long the ride took. I forgot to time it. Riding this morning frees me up this evening to study for my test tomorrow. Wish me luck!!!

I hate to mention it but my ankle feels great!!! Also, I've lost about 17 lbs. in the last 5 or 7 weeks. I think I deserve a massage. Maybe Friday.

Out of touch for a few!!!

Thanks to my wonderful wife, I've been out of the rat-race for the last few days as we took a weekend away to ourselves, just us, no kids!!! We stayed in a lovely B&B in Fredericksburg and had an awesome time

I've got a lot of catching up to do, not the least of which is all the weekend running activities. New York City Marathon snuck up on me and I'm anxious to read all about how the bloggers did. Also, I'm looking forwart to reading all theRun with the Saints reports.

For now, I'll just post the stats from my workout today. All is well with the ankle and I've been able to follow my training plan so far without a hitch.

Monday 11/7:
Format: 5x(3R/1W)
Distance: 1.3 miles
Time: 20 minutes

Tomorrow is a rest day but I think I'll try to get a bike ride in. Wednesday I 'graduate' to 3x(6R/1W). Looking ahead (maybe not the best thing to do) to 2 weeks from now, I'll be doing my first 2 mile continuous run in 'I-dunno-how-long'. I'm actually right on perfect track for the Houston Running Bloggers/Run the Woodlands 5K. I will have two 3-mile runs under my belt by then. Hope everyone's still there when I finish. LOL!!!

Weekend get-away

So sorry to just throw a photo up with no explanation. J and I got away BY OURSELVES!!! for the weekend. This is an early morning photo from the porch of the B&B that we stayed at in Fredericksburg. The B&B was actually on a little animal farm/game preserve. These little donkeys came by Saturday and Sunday morning to get some bread. We had a wonderful weekend to ourselves but missed the kids a lot. I did a lot of walking and even some bike riding on Saturday morning before J got stirring. It was a fantastic time.

Cassie, J and I were cracking up at your comment. You were the only one brave enough to ask what in the world that was!!! LOL

Nice Run Today

Memorial park tonight was like the Marine Corps Marathon as described by lisaleese and Doug Spence. Tons of people. No parking. Lotsa weaving. I got lucky and snagged a place right in front of the tennis center.

Not much remarkable on the run tonight. I felt strong and the ankle did fine. I woke up today with this excruciating cramp in the front of my left ankle/foot (the good one). It still hurts tonight. It was like a backwards charlie horse. Wierd. I couldn't get it to stop. I can usually stretch a calf cram out but I just sat there unable to do a thing. I wanted to walk to the kitchen to get some fluids but couldn't. I just laid there in bed till it ran it's course. I hope that doesn't happen again. More fluids at work tonight are in order.

Stats:
Distance: 1.36 miles, 10x(1R/1W)
Time: 20 min (14:42 pace. Could that be right?)
Temp: ~60 F

Coming soon: www.vickaiser.com or www.kaiserinformatics.com