Character is what you are in the dark

The title is a throw away non-sequitor from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension but it has stuck with me as a fundamental truth.

How do you act when you have an excuse? What do you do when you know people will forgive you anyway? I was thinking about that a lot over lunch. The start of my week wasn't so good. I usually refuel on Sunday after my run but I went a bit further than usual. Last night I caved to a burning need for Mexican and I ate the hell out of it. It's very probable that I'm not going to lose any weight this week. I know full well that everyone would remind me that I've done so well so far and that I shouldn't be worried about a small gain.

That's one of the biggest things I've learned through this whole process. There is such a fine line between holding you accountable and beating you up more than darn few people are willing to go there...I don't blame them, when in doubt I default to cheerleading mode too. Bottom line: The only person who is going to hold you accountable all the time, is the one that can see you in the dark.

I put down the menu and ate what I brought with me...no one will see it on the scale this week but I know what I did.

Well that didn't suck

I posted another weight loss this weekend (two for two now) and I refused to let the Florida levels of humidity win so I ran on a treadmill. Since I mentioned it before, I'm all happy that my new Road ID arrived (we cancelled our land line service) and life really couldn't be better.

One more darn Disney thing to do...

Doreen and I started with an innocent check of the Fantasmic! schedule and ended up having a few Disney geek moments. We were talking that maybe at some point, we should think about sucking it up with the crowds and doing a Christmas there. She says "I would have really liked to have done the Candlelight Processional with Edward James Olmos reading the Christmas story." As with most things, YouTube delivers.

"Stirring" is such a small word but now I feel a need to bake, decorate and wrap.
Joy To The World.

The OTHER reason my gear is important

I didn't want to admit this when I spoke about what I carry on a run or in reporting my most recent run on fb but there is a second reason why I like a consistency in most of my gear: It puts my mind in the right place for what I'm about to do.

As I was packing my gear for Tuesday's run, I couldn't recall where I had taken off my Road ID. So not wanting to be late for work, I dashed out and ran without it. I got the run done but it messed with my mojo. Mark's guest bloggers on writers' creative spaces, combined with this silly unease caused something I read a while back to gel in my head.

It's not just creative things that need some manner of sacred space to be at your best, physical pursuits are that way as well. In "To Be A Runner" the author mentions that he views pre-training stretching as very important not because it has any physical benefit but it gives the athletes time to transition their minds from their day-to-day lives to being athletes. So it is with me and changing into my gear.

Oddly the least of my gear is the most important to me mentally. Even if I'm wearing nothing more than shoes and enough clothing to keep me from getting arrested, I wear my Road ID. If something were to happen (and it has happened to people younger and fitter than I), it ensures that the emergency responders will have a bit more knowledge about me and my family will be contacted. So the first thing I do after I exit the shower on the morning of a run day is to put on my Road ID. The pretense on my wrist keeps me mindful of what will be expected of me today.

I did find it when I came home that day, hanging on the handle of my bike to dry out, in plain view and today, it's on my wrist. It reminds me that I have some tempo running to do tonight and it will be hard and it will hurt but I'll get it done. Because I'm a runner.

and the huge reason I love my Amphipod...

I realized that I really should have gone on about why I'm buying the next version of what I admitted to being a flawed product. Being able to add stuff to the belt at will is just the best thing since sliced bread.

Not only do I have the 20 oz. main bottle (almost always filled with water), the 10 oz snap bottle...which is very literal, it snaps on to and off of the belt (and is usually filled with Gu Brew) and the smaller 6 oz. snap flask is typically filled with GU Rocktane gel on runs that go substantially over an hour.

Gear!

A recent conversation with Katy regarding my running GPS made me realize that since I've moved...and in the hopes that one of them offers me a lucrative endorsement deal, here is what comes with me on my runs. Obvious stuff like a cell phone and shorts is left off the list. Funny that almost none of it is REQUIRED. A cheap pair of shoes from Target and a runner could be out the door. It's just that the longer I spend running, the more I treasure the few bits of gear that make the experience more enjoyable, both during and after.

Brooks Ravenna 2 - My latest tweak on running shoes. They are a compromise shoe offering some motion control while staying light and responsive on my feet.

Superfeet Green - The firmer foam in these things just eats up the impact.

Balega Enduro Socks -  These things are magic. They can evaporate an 8 oz. glass of water in five seconds flat.

Amphiphod Full-Tilt - There is a lot I like about this bottle but one thing I don't. It moves around too much. It's getting replaced by the Full-Tilt AirStretch Velocity at the end of the season.

Garmin Forerunner 305 - I can't gush enough about a single piece of gear. Not only does it remove the tedium of a training log but it can be programmed to coach you through technical workouts and in a pinch has helped me navigate out of a trail run gone bad (sudden darkness and driving rain). I would replace it with one of the newer/cooler models but it simply refuses to die.

Apple iPod Shuffle (2nd Generation) - It's an old cheap iPod.

Road ID - Emergency contact and medical info on your wrist. It's so obvious that they should almost be compulsory.

Buff - I sweat buckets and this is about the only headgear that is able to keep the sweat out of my eyes.

Body Glide - I ALMOST didn't mention this but really, it's the one thing that's coming with me even when I run without the Garmin and the music. If you sweat for an extended period, sweat is going to evaporate, leaving salt. Salt that will abrade your skin to the point of drawing blood...and that's about as fun as it sounds.

First, let me get this out of the way: I've re-re-re-rejoined Weight Watchers. I've finally gotten okay with the notion that discarding "good" because it's not "perfect" is kinda silly. Yes, not everything they tell you is correct, yes some meetings are still soul destroying, yes the program isn't a perfect fit for my life. And yet... it fucking works. Week one, -13 lbs. It's really tough to argue with that. Of course there was the usually dismissive "because he's a man..." bullshit in the meeting...and as usual I was having NONE of that. "No, it's because I earned it. I work HARD for my loss. How many activity points do you have this week? I already have THIRTY." That kinda ended that line of discussion.

It was a decent week for running. The hamstring still isn't right but it keeps feeling better and I got 20 miles in this week. I'm going to have to take a look at my training schedule and make some changes. With the hamstring injury the 2:00:00 half just isn't going to happen. Not really a big deal, I just need to tweak the training and dump some of the speedwork for the next few weeks since that seems to aggravate the injury.

We picked up another bike for Doreen. She wanted to use her road bike from when she was a girl to start thinking about a triathlon but the problems are huge: It doesn't fit her, it's old enough and obscure enough that parts are a serious problem and it's in ROUGH shape. This weekend someone on Craigslist curb dumped a bike similar to hers but newer/better/in better condition so we drove by and picked it up. It needs cleaned, new brake cables and new tires/tubes but other than that, it's a fine example of an old school ladies 10 speed road bike. We should be able to put that back on the road for well under $100.

It's gonna be a rough week at work but so it goes. Speaking of, time to get back to it.