God's little reminders

I woke up this morning and my first thought was “you forgot to wear your road id yesterday when you ran to the Y, don’t forget it again today”. When I went to my closet to get my watch, heart rate monitor, and road id (usually things I lay out the night before but forgot last night) my road id wasn’t there. I know Megan makes fun of me for keeping it in the container but that is how I keep track of it and don’t lose it. I checked the shelf in its entirety, the floor, the catch all basket by my front door, basically anywhere I could think of where I might have placed it or it could’ve gotten hid. Couldn’t find it. Thinking back to the last time I remember seeing it, I realized that I last had it on Monday when I rode my bike. But, I was also wearing my watch and heart rate monitor so they should’ve all been put away together. Just in case, I checked my bike helmet and Nike bag. Not there. My next thought was that maybe it fell out in my car. But then I remembered that I lost my bananas on Monday and if my road id was in the car I should’ve found it when I was searching for the bananas. I was frustrated with myself for not paying more attention and losing my road id. But then I stopped and prayed that God would help me find it. He knew where it was and what happened to it even if I didn’t. And I went back to my closet to check my bike helmet one more time. When I did I saw my cycle shoes sitting on the shelf. I picked the left one up, turned it over, and out fell my road id.

Point of the story: God answers prayers. And, He cares about us and the little things that bother us. Nothing is too small for Him to handle.

Thank you, God, for your little reminders.

Speaking of reminders...

Biblical Truths

1. God is a Sovereign God.

Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

2. His ways are perfect

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

3. His timing is perfect

Ecclesiastes 3:1: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

4. He knows me better than I know myself

Psalm 139: 13: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Who do I think I am/ what gives me the right to question/doubt His perfect will or His perfect timing or His perfect love when ultimately He has it all under control?

Psalm 46:10: Be still and know I am God

workout of the day

****warning: I’m an explainer. If you don’t care about my justification simply read the middle section (the part in bold) and ignore the rest.

Today was supposed to be a speed day, but I slept in. The workout below I made up on the train on the way home while trying to figure out how to motivate myself to run fast while at the same time trying to justify not actually having to push myself too hard or run too fast (did I mention I’m scared of running fast?). And I ended up liking it – as with all first time workouts I’ll make modifications the next time I use it but this is a pretty good base workout.

Notes before I start:

1. I enjoy doing things I’m good at and don’t often find it too hard to motivate myself to them. This includes long(ish) runs and cross training. Not hard. Not painful. Simple and straightforward and usually comes with a sense of accomplishment.

2. I don’t enjoy things I’m not good at and often find myself trying to justify how to not do them. This includes speed work and lifting weights.

a. I don’t really enjoy speed work mostly because I find it difficult to know how hard I should push myself because I’m afraid I’ll burn out at the end. So on the flip side I won’t push myself hard enough and will end up with a feeling of self loathing. Also, if I have to run 4x800 what is the motivation to go fast? The distance is the same no matter how fast I go.

b. I don’t enjoy lifting weights because, honestly, I find it boring and it hurts. Neither of which appeal to me. End of story.

c. Needless to say, I sleep in a lot on these days

d. Yes, I know if I spent more time doing them I would get better at them and possibly enjoy them more. But, once again, I have no desire to get good at them and therefore no motivation.

3. However, as much as I don’t like things I know that to be a well rounded athlete I must force myself to do them. So, I try to package them in ways in that appeal more to me, such as alternating sets of weights with jumping rope.

4. Since I’m training for a half marathon I find it relatively easy to justify turning speed work into more of an interval training since I need to have a faster speed over longer distances not just short sprints. Case in point my speed pyramid (I actually usually acknowledge that this is interval work and do it on a middle distance day and only use it as speed work if I’m truly unmotivated to run fast).

5. I like patterns and workouts that follow patterns because if it isn’t simple I’ll get half way through and forget what I was supposed to be doing

6. I base my “gym time” workouts on an hour in the gym because on days I go that is usually what I’m limited to

Without further ado, my speed work/ interval training of the day:

5 minutes warm up

5 x 10 minute intervals

To do an interval: run a mile at a speed faster than your normal pace but not a full out sprint (unless you want to do actual speed work and then run at an all out sprint). Use the extra time left in your ten minutes to walk/recover before repeating. For example, if you run at a pace of 10 mph, that is a six minute mile, and then you have four minutes to walk.

5 minute cool down

Follow up Notes:

1. Combining distance with time provides motivation to run fast. The faster you run the faster you’re done the more time you have to recover. This appeals to me.

2. For extra motivation, make it a goal to run the last two or three miles at paces faster than the first two or three. For example, run the first three miles at a pace of 6:30 which gives you 3:30 to recover then run the fourth at 6:15 giving you 3:45 to recover before running the last at 6:00.

3. Feel free to modify.

a. If you run to/from the gym or have more time to warm up and cool down add more intervals or if you actually sprint only do three intervals

b. If you need more than ten minutes per interval pick a time that works for you. Run an eight minute mile and then walk or jog for four minutes for a twelve minute interval. The premise is still the same.

my resume

if anybody would like to find me a job that i'm qualified to do which incorporates all the things i'm good at with all the things i enjoy doing, i've posted my resume below...

Things I enjoy:

Making Stuff (manual labor, cooking)

Thinking (problem solving, learning)

Reading

Being outside (running, cycling, hiking)

Challenges (I’m not competitive, I just don’t like to lose)

Kids

Intangible Skills I have:

Talking

Organizing

Teaching

Discipline

Smart

Real Life/Job Applicable Skills I have:

Diploma

i think i found the problem... apparently you need real life skills to pay the bills

McDonalds

Since Brooke posted about McDonalds representing all things evil with fast food, I felt the need to post my feelings on the subject.

I should probably preface this post with this statement: i have never been a mcdonalds fan. it has just never been one of the places i would choose to go. the big mac just invokes visions of fat clogging my arteries and leading to an instant heart attack. then there was the whole controversy regarding the type of oil they use on their fries... whatever. not the point.

However, in McDonald's defense, while we were in Oregon Megan introduced me to the non-fat sugar-free vanilla latte . While it is a little too sweet for my normal coffee preference, it is not only cheaper than starbucks it also has fewer calories and fewer grams of sugar and fat. And, since the McDonalds in chinatown won't invest in the new machine i have to walk to downtown crossing or south station to get one. bonus points for making me work for my drink.
also, they have a newman's own organic new england blend which is pretty good for fast food black coffee.
just beware, do not order the new carmel frappe. while the advertisements are deceptively simple -- a blend of ice and coffee, it is LOADED with sugar and fat. granted, it is delicious.

also, they have a southwest chicken salad that i hear is pretty good and not overly expensive. as long as you are careful with the dressing it isn't too bad for you either. better than most fast food salads.

so, in summary, while i can't recommend everything (or even most things) on the mcdonald's menu, they aren't completely evil...

side note: the one good thing (or bad depending on your perspective) about living up here is that there are not a whole lot of fast food places to choose from. the only fast food place between the train and my house is a wendy's. we have no whataburger, no jack in the box, the kfc closed down, the taco bell closed down, one sonic an hour away, one chick-fil-a an hour away... so, if you're trying to eat healthy it is a little easier because you don't have all of the choices and temptations.

if i were a billionaire...

if i had all the money in the world and was building my dream house there are lots of things i'd like to do. for example, having grown up with three brothers i would like a bathroom that has a separate sound-proof toilet area with a giant air vent at the top (like the hoods in the lab that suck out all the chemicals) and a walk-in shower with two heads and lots of pressure. and, my study would be decorated with dark wood and have floor-to-ceiling bookcases a la beauty and the beast.

here is what i would have in my dream gym to go with my treadmill:

endless pool. counter-current pool that you can adjust the speed

precor 100i. it is touted as "adaptive motion" which pretty much means you can use it as an elliptical or a stairmaster

expresso bike. it is an interactive bike that i am completely in love with. on the screen you can set your scenery, race other riders (or yourself if you've done the route before); the handlebars move side-to-side for more real-life experience/steering; you can shift gears up and down to change your power/resistance; sync your heart rate monitor


on a more practical note... here are two things that i would love to have in my kitchen:

fully automatic espresso machine

kitchenaid mixer

life right now

days like friday make me really like living in boston. although i technically live outside of town, i can totally see myself as a city dweller (minus the fact that i'm not sure i could ever give up my car, i hate winter, and i may have an issue with having to take public transportation to go to the grocery store). i love the hussle and bussle and crowds and the ability to walk everywhere... anyway, the weather was an absolutely gorgeous sunny and seventy with a slight breeze so trupti and i walked to mike's pastry on our lunch break and i had a wonderful espresso cannoli. then on the way back to the office we stopped by the farmer's market and i picked up an eggplant. after work we went over to marilyn's rooftop and hung out. seriously, nothing beats the boston skyline at night. very relaxing. then we went down to the st. anthony's festival going on in the north end and had regina pizzeria for dinner before watching trupti compete in an iron chef competition.

speaking of food, the other day i came across a pasta salad recipe and was immediately drawn back to when my mom used to mix up a huge bowl and leave it on the counter as an every-man-for-himself sort of meal. ever since then i've been dying to make some. i invited some friends over for lunch today and decided it would be the perfect time to try my new recipe. i was a little nervous since i pretty much just put whatever i wanted in there and i made it the night before which i've never done. anyway, i was happy with the way it turned out, so i thought i'd share...

here is my recipe, as much as i can remember (a mix of mom's and smittenkitchen): whole wheat pasta, zucchini (it calls for sliced, but i grated mine), toasted slivered almonds, red onion, black olives, grated pecorino romano cheese, dressing of juice from a lemon mixed with olive oil and pepper.

p.s. this wasn't the only thing on the menu. i also made spicy oven fried chicken and chocolate cake

life is good

the way things are

This story kind of epitomizes the how things work at my job.

To get down into the basement where I work you have to badge in through two sets of double doors. Since there is no way to see through these doors, frequently people get hit by the door when they’re trying to badge in while someone else is coming out. I’ve been hit in the face on numerous occasions and had my coffee knocked out of my hands before. Management acknowledged this was a problem and that someone was going to get hurt. Instead of actually spending a little bit of money and replacing the doors (or cutting a small window for viewing), as a solution, they printed off a piece of paper that says “Please open door slowly, someone may be on the other side” and taped it to the door. Awesome. I love when we acknowledge problems or issues but instead of fixing it the proper way we take the low cost solution and put a band- aid on it.