A Year Without...

After going through my tax receipts I realized that in 2007 I gave the Goodwill over 50+ men's shirts. This includes tee shirts, polos, dress shirts, etc. This is crazy. As much as I like donating to charity it is kind of silly that I have that many clothes that I can give away. So this year I am going to try to go the rest of 2008 without buying any new clothes. This should be interesting, as I am a sucker for the sale. We will see if I can do it.

Caveats: I can buy new clothes if any of the following happen - new job requiring items I do not have, lose a ton of weight and nothing fits, gain a ton of weight and nothing fits, some extraordinary event that needs to be remembered (bike tour), some event that has a specific dress code (specific shirt for wedding), or some amazing sports event that demands apparel (OSU making it to the national championship game, Ravens in Super Bowl, Orioles in World Series, etc.) Also getting a t shirt from a race, ride, Muddy Buddy, Urban Assault Race, Oyster, etc. does not constitute buying new clothes.

So that is my plan we will see how it pans out.

Back in the Saddle Again

For the first time this year I went for a bike ride. Woohoo!!! The gray, rainy days of the past few weeks have subsided and today was a perfect day for a bike ride. I have lost tons of my cycling ability but it still felt great to get out there and ride. Nothing major mind you just 15.5 miles at a 16.9 MPH pace. None the less it was still fantastic. Its days like today that remind me why I like riding so much more than running.

Beef...It's What's for Dinner

I can barely wait to have my first steak in 6 years, maybe a little tartar or blue steak is in order...

No, I will show some restraint and wait until the steak is cooked and add some veggies for good measure.
Drum roll please...here comes the first bite, 6 long years disappearing in a mere instant, is it worth it?
In the words of America's former sweet heart, Whitney Houston...Hell's to the Yes

A Great Time, but...

This past weekend I went to Las Vegas with my brother and Dad for a boy's weekend. We all had a great time and Dad and Ryan put a beating on the tables and took home tons of cashola. I on the other hand decide to leave a few dollars there for next time. This was our first real boys trip in a couple years and we all had an excellent time, even though one dealer wondered if my Dad was Ryan's grandfather. Needless to say she did not get any tips.

And now for the but...I am glad to be home. As much as I like traveling it sometimes wears me out. And three trips, one to Dallas, one to Baltimore, and one to Vegas in less than three weeks has really taken it out of me. Thankfully the next trip is not until the end of March.

I only hope it will be as fun as this past weekend's Vegas excursion.

Happy Birthday to Me

Luckily my cake was nicer than the one above. I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out last night for my birthday. From those that stopped by after their rain soaked run to those that went with us to the Draught House for their $2.75 pints to the one that took me to Boomerz for my Word Dojo fix. Thank you.

Wow

This is just sick, the strength that this takes is unreal...

Kettlebell Class

Yesterday I took my first kettlebell class and today I am certainly feeling it. Who thought that swinging a 36 lb (and sometimes a 13 lb) weight would make you so sore. My core is on fire, my shoulders ache, and that is just the start of the "good" soreness I have today. I highly recommend this class to anyone trying to jump start their exercise routine.

You can find out more about this class at crossfitcentral.com.

Goodbye Old Friend

After having to sit out the past three weeks with injury it looks like I am out for the 3M half marathon and the AT&T half marathon. My whole goal of this training season was to PR in the 3M and that goal has been blown away by the injury. Of course I am going back to the doctor on Monday and might be cleared but with this much time off I think the PR is out of reach.

Since that goal is unattainable with only 3 weeks till 3M, I simply do not have the motivation to put in the miles. This is the first time I have been injured due to running and I think I did too much too early in the season. 8-10 mile runs 3-5 months out from my events was simply too much.

So am I bummed:yes, do I hope the weather stays nice so I can get back on the bike:yes.

Hopefully the pain in the calf will continue to dissipate and I can get back to normal soon.

Hello Old Friend

Today for the first time in approximately six years I ate red meat.

I originally gave it up to try to drop some weight when I was training for the marathon back in Winter 2001-2002. I have not missed it until recently when I started thinking why am I depriving myself of something. For the past few years I have not eaten it under the impression that I would get sick if I started eating it again, but after alot of Internet research I learned that is not the case. So today I eased back into the realm of red meat with an open faced roast beef sandwich with swiss cheese and horseradish sauce. Beef is not as delicious as I remember it being but that might all change when I have my first medium rare steak in few days.