mmmm...Today's lunch.

So what's on today's lunch menu. It looks like we have a leftover chicken salad sandwich from last night's supper, a bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips, and a banana. To wash it down, a large glass of water that didn't make it into the picture.

Ive noticed that I've been keeping track of what I eat a lot more. I've realized that if I make a conscience effort of tracking what I eat, I end up eating a lot better than if I just put food in my mouth whenever I want. This has been helpful over the past few months, especially during the holiday season.

Im slowly trying to get my race weight down to under 170 lbs for the first time ever. I have about 7 pounds to lose in a month. I know that you may think that losing that little of weight in a month may be easy, but it's not. Ive lost 30lbs and kept it off for 5 years. Now is the time for the last "10lb. crunch." Losing these 10 lbs have been hard. I usually have been racing up around 180lbs, and I just know that is too heavy for me to race competitively. I find that the more weight I carry, the harder the race.

I feel like I have my weight and lifestyle under control and now is the time to push myself a little harder to get in even better shape. Adding weight training to my workout schedule has been a major boost in my overall running conditioning. I'm able to last longer, my legs don't hurt nearly as much after a run or race, and I feel like I can keep a faster tempo longer with a leaner physique. I hope my new training schedule produces positive results in the near future.

Photo Phriday

So I'm declaring Friday as Photo Phriday. Here is the first one in the series. Enjoy.

This is a picture of me and Mrs H. before the start of the 2009 Columbus Marathon taken by my Seester-in-law. What is so special about this picture you ask? Well, I believe that this is the only picture of me with a beard ANYwhere. Also, notice that Mrs H. and I have on matching long sleeve t-shirts. That has never happened either. We declared ourselves as the greatest show in Medina.
I am not exactly sure what I am looking at in the picture...I am probably thinking..."How the hell am I going to get through the last 8 miles with burning quads." I never did come up with an answer for that one...

Happy Friday everyone. I will be enjoying my final Christmas/birthday this weekend with my parents and Sis. I do wish it didn't have to end.

Tempo Run

Tonight's run went pretty well. My best run in quite some time. I felt good after work and I had some extra energy from the day and spent it well. The only small nuisance was that my iPod died half way through my run. Oh well...I just sucked it up and dealt.

I did 7 miles in 50 min which equals out to a 7:12 pace. Im looking forward to getting outside this weekend to do a long run at my parents. They live in the country and it's so refreshing to get out in the country air for a long run and enjoy the vast countryside. 45 more days til New Orleans and I feel pretty confident that I can hit my goal of a low 1:30 half marathon.

Good night bloggers.

Coffee...the sweet addiction.

Coffee. I. Love. It. My coffee addiction really didn't start until after I graduated from college. I never was much into coffee before then. My parents drank coffee and I had tried it from time to time; I just never really considered drinking it. I always thought it had a weird taste, and it did nothing for me. I never gave coffee a chance, a thought, or consideration when I was younger.

And then, I got a real job. I guess I made my first pot of coffee before I went off to work one morning not long after I got my first job. I figured I should give it a try, thinking it may give me an extra boost in the morning that I was looking for. And boy, did it. I liked coffee, but even then, I didn't drink it like I do today.

Now, I drink two cups a day, and maybe one in the evening time. I like flavored coffees, with Dunkin' Donuts being my favorite by far. "One medium French Vanilla with cream and sugar please," I recite with regularity as I pull through the DD drive through. My family realizes my addiction and tends to not curb my addiction, but enhance it. My mother-in-law purchased me a 'VIP' Dunkin Donuts card...for me. And me only. Ok...she put $15 on a DD card and said enjoy. So I did. I blew through the DD card in 3 days. I didn't have the heart to ask her to put more money on the card.

I traveled to Boston recently, and what a heavenly place that is. On every street corner, a Starbucks, and..and...a DD. DD's on every street corner. It was like being in OZ. A magical place full of dwarves and poppies...er...coffee.

I have noticed that before a race, coffee tends to help get me up and going. A cup will do. If I drink more than that, I'll be hittin' the port-a-potties pretty hard in the first few miles. But a shot of caffeine to the system is the wake up call I need...To at least help me get around to get my things together to head out the door.

So what is your favorite coffee? Do you drink coffee? Have you had a long addiction to the sweet nectar of the coffee bean? If so, let me know. I'd like to know that I am not the only addict in the blog-o-sphere.

Just a little painting...

So...tonight was an off night for me in regards to my work out schedule. It was nice to have a night off actually. So I actually came home tonight and did a little housework and took the dogs for a nice walk. It was a balmy 35 degrees out, much better than the teens it has been lately. After walking the dogs, I decided to come home and catch up on some painting.

Not too long ago I stripped the door frame leading to the basement...which looked like this.

and this...

But after one coat of paint, the door frame now looks like this...

and this...

One more coat of paint, and the door frame should look nice. Once I am done painting the door frame, the whole landing to the basement is getting redone. New shelves, paint, and some caulking should do the trick. I am off Monday for MLK day. I know what I will be doing with my time. I'm actually excited to get some house projects off the ground and running.

Now I am off to wrap some Christmas presents then to bed. Yes...Christmas presents. My wife's parents and my parents live 9 hours apart. We flip flop holidays every year. This year, we just haven't found a matching weekend until this one to get together for Christmas/my birthday. So...I get a little more Christmas this year. YAY...

Biggest Loser Blues...

I don't know what is going on with me this season of the Biggest Loser. I am a fan of the show, and I usually watch it religiously, until this season started. I feel out of sorts with this season. I suppose it's because I feel NBC is trying to jam the show down our throats now. Last season ended, and not a week later, there was the new season. I missed the season premiere, and I think that did it for me. I didn't even know this season started, and if I miss a season premiere, that's usually it for me for a show.

I tried watching intervals of it last night, but American Idol was on. So Mrs. H. and I flipped back and forth and I just totally lost interest altogether. I did watch the part where the mother smashed her face on the beam. That was pretty devastating. Not even a tragedy like that could keep my interest. I do hope I come back to the show soon. Maybe NBC needs to give us more time in between? I usually need time to massage one season in my mind and leave it behind before I can move on to a new season. Here's hoping.

A Tasty Treat

Thanks to Monica over at Monica on the Go, I conjured up this little snack for the first time. The pumpkin pudding is quite delicious and it hit the spot as an after dinner alternative to a non-healthy dessert. I suppose you can add or subtract as much yogurt as you'd like.

What started out as this...

And looked like this...

Became this tasty treat...

I must say, after a bit of enhancement with some cinnamon, it turned out very good. I am sure I will be keeping some extra pumpkin on hand just in case of an unexpected snack attack.

mmmmmmmmmm...lunch.

I have noticed lately that I have been eating a lot of meat-less meals. I don't know that I could ever become strictly vegetarian, but the idea has crossed my mind. I've noticed that I substitute a lot of things in my diet for meat. I enjoy my len"teels" as I call them. Len'tells' as the rest of the world calls them, as my wife likes to remind me. Ive noticed that I do in fact try to find my protein needs in other foods besides meat. Could I be vegetarian? I don't know about that. I do enjoy a tasty hamburger on the grill from time to time, but I know that there are other options out there for whenever I just really want to have other choices than beef or poultry.

Today's lunch menu consisted of a grilled cheese and vegetarian minestrone. I like the cafeteria at my work because they do try and offer a lot of different vegetarian options. I've noticed that I am selecting more of those for my diet. Maybe 2010 is the year of giving up meat? Hmmmm... I don't know for sure. It's something to consider.

Winter Wonderland

Here are a few pictures from my run on Sunday. I am so ready for spring now. It was 17 degrees on Sunday when I went out. Enjoy...if you like winter that is.

New Orleans on My Mind.

So the course map has been revealed for the Mardi Gras Marathon. My wife and I are running the half. As we are looking at the course, we have realized that at mile 4, the half-marathoners split off from the group and cut across Jefferson Ave. to hit St. Charles. So, my concern is for the average runners who cut across are most certainly going to end up running into the elite runners of the marathon group. This should be fun. Now I am sure that most of the elites will blow away the course and be far ahead of the half-marathoners, but it should be fun having the faster runners getting mingled in with the slower half-marathoners at mile 7. Im envisioning a bottleneck of runners at the mile 7 marathon mark. In the past, everyone has just run out St. Charles and back, with no confusion of where to go. St Charles is a nice scenic run, and it's always been enjoyable.

This year, the Mardi Gras Marathon is now part of the Rock and Roll Series. I think its a great move for them, bringing more sponsors and people to the New Orleans race. I do understand that the course had to be changed a bit to add some specific details to become a Rock and Roll series race. I just hope this new course is just as enjoyable as past races. I do know the entertainment will be great at the end with Cowboy Mouth performing, a New Orleans band that my wife and I both enjoy and have seen locally here in Cincy.

Monday run.

I like to work out right after work. Fortunately, I work at a place that has a gym. I work for a Community College and we have a work out facility for our sports teams. Its not the greatest, but it's ok. And. Its free. Free to me. So its most definitely worth it. The only issue that I have is that some of the equipment is out of date and its hard to work out in the gym on Tuesdays when the basketball teams come in to work out. Other than that, I have no complaints.

The gym at my work is where I dreadmill. Tonight I did 6 miles on the machine, and frankly, I ran well. I did 6 miles in 42:47. I didn't feel gassed or tired at the end. Actually, I ran the last mile as my fastest at 6:49. So, I had some pent up energy that I needed to get rid of, and that was the way to do it.

My splits:

Mile 1: 7:15
Mile 2: 7:10
Mile 3: 7:08
Mile 4: 7:08
Mile 5: 7:03
Mile 6: 6:49

I am excited that this week is to be warmer so I can get out and run in the evenings at home rather than running on the dreadmill. I do enjoy the machine for some speedwork and pace work, but there is nothing like running outside. It is supposed to be in the 40's midweek, a heat wave after this past week being in the teens. Bring on the heat..er..lukewarmth.

New Tool.

So from now on, this is where most of my blogging will be coming from. YAY. A new 24" iMac. Well, its new to me. I purchased an iMac from the Apple Store. It is a refurbished one. So far, so good. Ive had it for a week now, and I love it. I bought it not just for blogging of course, but for all the extra work I do outside of the office. I am excited. It is a fast computer that really moves through all of the applications I've thrown at it so far. I suggest, if you want a good Apple computer that you can save money on, look at Apple's refurbished computers.

Gone! Thankfully!

I love them. I can't help it.I love Christmas cookies. Sugar cookies are my favorite. Yummy. They are my kryptonite. Just one small one will do. Or 2. Or 4. Or 8. UGH. I have a horrendous sweet tooth. It tends to rear its ugly head during the Christmas season when sugar cookies arrive.

But I fear no more! They. Are. Gone.

The last cookie is gone for the season. I am happy. There aren't many running programs that include sugar cookies in their diets. My diet, no longer includes sugar cookies as well. I am glad they are gone. You little, sweet, succulent, wonderful, tasty, awesome, BASTARDS!

Yep. Still Here.

Hello again and belated Happy New Year. I am back. I am not sure why I take time off from blogging, but I do. I tend to take 6 months at a time off, and then come back to blogging. I would like to believe that it's due to the fact that I am too busy to blog, but that just isn't the case. So I am trying to be more diligent about my writings, and hopefully I will be more consistent with it. It takes 2-3 weeks for a new habit to stick. We will see if blogging regularly sticks.

Training and running have been good. It has been rather frosty here in Cincy. It was 17 degrees yesterday, and I still ran 6 miles. It was hard though. Not only was it cold, but there is still a lot of packed snow on the sidewalks and bridges. Its hard to get your footing on the snow, and I spent most of the time trying to balance myself so I wouldn't fall.

I have been cross-training quite a bit as well. I have added weight training to my schedule, and it has been helping with my running. I can tell that I last longer and am having a shorter recovery time after my runs.

I have signed up for the Cleveland Full for May. I am eager to train for the race. I am holding a grudge from my last marathon, Columbus. My legs gave out at mile 18, and I came in 1 minute slower than my first marathon. I learned some valuable lessons that day, and am incorporating them into my training. Run and lift. Lift and run. Its working.

Mrs. H. and I are running the New Orleans Half again this year. I can't wait. Its the last day of February, and it will be much warmer there than here. I am ready for some warmer weather.

Happy Monday.