cesimpson

Though it is Wednesday, training this morning was done indoors. The rain had been falling steadily here for more than 48 hours. Everything (including many people’s basements) is flooded. Whole towns have evacuated. It’s bad news.

Fortunately, the Y was open this morning, just like normal.

Rowing Ergometer

Warm Up: 1k @ ~2:30/500m pace

4x 500m @

Slow and Steady: 1k @ ~2:30-2:40/500m pace

That was tough. I’ve been doing 2:00/500m. The subtraction of 10 seconds from each work unit was brutal. A much bigger deal than I anticipated. The fourth set completely fell apart at about 250m.

If this turns out to be true, my legs should be enormous after that rowing work. Especially my Vastus Medialis, which seemed to burn more than any other part.

Then Clean & Press

5×5 @ 115#

Short rest periods and really focused on catching the bar deep and exploding out of the hole. Quickness was the name of the game today.

Tabata Thrusters

To put the nail in the coffin this morning I grabbed a pair of 30# dumbbells and attempted 4 minutes of Tabata intervals

That was dumb

For those who are unfamiliar, Tabata intervals are 20 sec. work, 10 sec. rest. Dumbbell thrusters are holding the DBs in a rack position, squatting deep, exploding up and, as you come back to standing upright, push press your arms over your head.

So, to do Tabata Thrusters you do as many thrusters as you can in 20 sec. then rest for 10. Repeat. Do a total of 8 rounds (4 minutes).

That can easily become among the most brutal 4 minutes of one’s workout.

You’ll want to pick a weight such that you can hit about 8 reps per work interval. I did not choose such a weight.

Reps/Interval

1. 11 reps
2. 10 reps
3. 10 reps
4. 8 reps
5. 6 reps (I think?)
6. uh…5 or 6?
7. More than 3.
8. Incapable of counting past 1.

That was the end of my morning. Shower. Shave. Avoided Naked Guy. Off to work.

Eating Meat

Late last summer I had my yearly Dr. visit (an actual medical Dr., not Doc 1%). We spoke about my diet and he encouraged me to start consuming oily fish. I agreed to consider the idea, maybe take it for a test drive.

I did and mostly enjoyed it.

Later in the fall, we found out my son has some pretty serious allergies to eggs, peanuts and soy. Hmmm…those are most of the reasonable protein sources for a vegetarian. I considered my options:

• Keep that stuff in the house and risk sending my son into anaphalectic shock
• Don’t keep that stuff in the house and cease eating any significant amount of protein
• Lose the vegetarian thing

Thanksgiving 2007 I consumed my first piece of non-fish flesh in…I don’t know. A long time.

In the intervening time I have re-tried several different kinds of meat. Here are my thoughts.

Fish

I’ve had salmon and tuna. I’ve had both out of a can, out of a vacuum sealed pouch, and prepared at a restaurant. All are not bad. Obviously, the restaurant was a much more pleasant experience, but the others are quick, handy and of reasonable taste.

I’ve had a few tuna melts on wheat w/ pepper jack cheese. Very good. I’ve also quite enjoyed canned tuna mixed about 1:1 w/ cottage cheese with a bit of black pepper. Just mix it and eat it with a fork. High protein, low fat, super-low carbs.

I’ve also had, once, Chili’s Firecracker Tilapia. Delicious.

New Year’s Eve I had some calamari at a local Italian place. I’ve heard a few people describe it as “the best in town”. I don’t have enough experience, but I will say it too was fabulous.

Turkey

Turkey is among my favorite meats. I’ve had ground turkey in pasta sauce and in tacos; of course, Thanksgiving Day turkey (very good); deli turkey on a sandwich (eh…good, not great); and turkey sausage (awesome).

Chicken

Also very good. I don’t yet have a preference for white over dark or vice versa, though my wife only likes white meat so most of what I’ve eaten have been breasts.

Pork

I do not like most pork.

Had some ham that was tolerable. Also sausage. Everything else, not so much. I’ve had bacon, pork chops prepared in different ways, ribs, pork steaks, and pork roasts. None were very good.

If I never had pork again, I’d be ok.

Beef

This has been the most recent addition to my diet and one I very much enjoy.

I’ve had roast beef, sirloin steak, corned beef, ground beef in Mexican and Italian dishes.

One of the highlights of my new eating of meat has been eating meatloaf for the first time in my entire life. I never had meatloaf when I was a kid (apparently my dad hates it and made its prohibition a condition of marriage) and, by the time I started seriously cooking for myself I was a vegetarian. Well, my wonderful wife made some meatloaf for me recently that was absolutely fantastic.

I did eat one White Castle burger on a challenge at a Super Bowl party. blah. I was expecting more.

I think that pretty much sums the recent additions to my diet. Overall it’s been a much easier transition than I thought it was going to be. I did get sick once, but even that wasn’t too bad.

I’m enjoying the new and like-new experiences of tasting different food prepared in different ways. I get a chance to kinda re-learn my likes and dislikes, figure out what I WANT to eat, not just what’s been habit to eat.