Get On the Bike

Well, the brother of the Fiji chapters at OSU and Michigan did just that.  About 30 hours before the Ohio State-Michigan football game begins, the two fraternities ran the game ball 186 miles from "The Horseshoe" in Columbus to "The Big House" in Ann Arbor for charity. The exchange between Ohio State and Michigan took place in Findlay, Ohio.  My daughter and I got to see them run through town on our way to dinner.  It was very cool and a great thing for two rival schools to work together for a good cause.

You can read more about it: http://therivalryrun.com/osu/

I spend a good amount of time traveling and that means a good amount of time on the plane.  Remember the days when you go the free bag of peanuts?  Well as frequent flyers know, those days are gone and the days of having to pay for everything extra are here.  Here is the challenge, unless you were lucky enough to get upgraded or shelled out the big bucks for first class, you are stuck paying ala-carte for something to eat during a flight.  Most of us can avoid this on short 2-3 hour hikes, but on those 5+ hour flights, at some point you get hungry.  Then along comes the wonderful snack cart.  Mini can of Pringles for $5, bag of trail mix for $6?  Not only are these things ridiculously priced, but most of them are not a healthy choice, especially when you just sit there doing nothing on a plane.  So my advice, before you board grab something in the terminal.  Most places now have granola bars or healthier snack options.  You just have to look past the candy bars.  Grab a bag of almonds (just don’t eat the whole bag) or grab a sandwich to tuck in your bag and take with you on the plane.  Really want to plan ahead, pack your snacks ahead of time.  My laptop bag always has 2-3 granola bars or some dried fruit and nuts.  For longer flights I make sure I grab a meal at the terminal and take it with me to eat mid flight.  No grumbling stomach when I land.  It takes just a few minutes to plan and save yourself some $$ and some extra calories you don’t need.

Well, the brainiacs that designed Aetna’s automatic check system must have deemed it a good procedure to mail me a check for 6 cents that I overpaid.  That’s right, 6 CENTS!  Add to that the postage, the check, the envelope and who knows how many people touched it.  Not to mention the gas it will cost me to go to the bank, stand in line and cash the thing.

Ok, so this is not new, but just getting press now that the products are available on stores.  You can read about The Cookie Diet, but here is the gist of it.  Eat pre-packaged special cookies and 1 “real” meal and lose weight.  So why does it work?  Well, if you limit your calories consumed and increase the calories burned, you will lose weight, regardless what you eat.  All of the fad diets still follow the same principle, eat less calories than you burn.  The difference is what you eat, and who does not like the idea of eating cookies and loosing weight.  The flaw is the nutritional value of these products and while they are pushed by a doctor, the ingredients are processed and and nutritional value is added, not natural.  I mean really, you could do the Twinkie diet eating 2 Twinkies for breakfast, 2 for lunch and a sensible meal, run for an hour and still lose weight.  And no, I am not advocating a Twinkie diet.  The brutal reality is nobody likes to admit the fact that losing weight and keeping it off is hard so we look for an easier way out.  A way that we can still eat the crap we love to eat, but not have to deal with the consequences

So yesterday I made the long trip home.  I was up at 5am UK / 12am ET to head to the airport to catch a flight home.  I knew I was in for a long day, but that is the life of international travel.  It was actually a good day and a good flight.  I got some reading and iPod movies watched the whole way over, they served a very reasonable breakfast and lunch on the plane, I had my granola bars in my bag for snacks, so all was right with the world.  When I touched down at home, it was 64 degrees and sunny outside.  I felt rough and needed to work the cramps out of the legs so I was more than happy to stretch out the legs, so I went for a nice evening run.  Then as a family we went out for a nice dinner and and then about 9pm, I crashed.

Overall, I am really happy with my ability to keep exercising, eating right, but also enjoying some nice food on the trip.  So what did I learn.

There is a perception that food in the UK is not healthy.  FALSE.  There are non-healthy choices, but there are also lots of great healthy choices.  You just have to choose.  Yes, they have things like fish and chips, but when you control the portions, then it is not that bad in moderation.  Portions in the UK are a lot smaller than the US.  Actually, I guess I should point out that the portions in the US are just huge.  If you order a pasta dish they bring you a plate of pasta, not a serving bowl of pasta.  So you an enjoy great food, just not tons of great food.  You also realize that they walk more than we do.  When we need to go anywhere, we get in our cars or in cabs.  While the UK does have a ton of cabs, more people walk and ride bikes to and from places than we do.  “But they drink a ton” you say, and while that was at least true of the group of people I worked with and was with that weak, they trade off.  They don’t eat as much but drink more.  A small sandwich and 4 beers is about the same as 1 beer, a double burger, fries and dessert.  They just make choices, not have everything.

So I had a blast, and can’t wait to go back.

So every morning for breakfast I have not yet had a traditional English breakfast, but had my oatmeal in my room.  By the way, in London hotel rooms, they don’t have coffee pots, but electric kettles to boil water and either tea or instant coffee.  Works out great for the guy that travels with packets of oatmeal and his squishy bowls.  But this morning, I had 2 goals, so I got up at 5am and headed out for a nice long run.  I had a mission and that was to run the Thames.  So I left the hotel, ran down the Mall by the Palace to Trafalgar Square, then to Big Ben, then ran along the Thames and got to see Millennium pier and the huge merry-go-round (London Eye.)  I turned around at 3 miles for 6 back to the hotel, then did another 4 in Hyde Park to give me my 10 mile run.  You can see the 6mile route here.  Why did I do this?  One, I really wanted to run along the Thames, two, it is my last day in London and I knew we would have a few pints tonight, three, I had yet to have a traditional English breakfast.  So this morning, I had poached eggs, black pudding, grilled tomatoes, and toast.  Not actually a bad breakfast because it was just 2 poached eggs, a small portion of the sausage, a whole small tomato, halved and grilled and a small bowl of fresh fruit.  So very reasonable.  For the record, not a fan of the black pudding, but had to try it.

Then off to more meetings and work in the UK.  Darted back out to Eat for lunch and grabbed a sandwich and side salad.  Nice when they have a website to you can look it up, make you choice and then head into battle.

We got done with a long day of meetings and work (you have to jam it in when you only have 4 days) and then hit a nice Thai restaurant for dinner.  I again choose healthy, had a few drinks and we celebrated a great week in the UK. 

I feel really good about the week.  There were plenty of healthy choices if you look for them and you can still have fun and good food if you eat in moderation.  Actually it is easier to eat in moderation because the portion sizes are actually right on.  Drinking reasonable is the challenge.  But I forced myself to get up even in the dark and fog and get my workouts in so I could have those drinks guilt free.

Tomorrow, up at 5am, on a flight home.  Then a weekend to recover.  Not sure how that is going to play out.

Today was going to be a long day.  I was delivered a full day or presentations and we had to be at the British Museum (where the event was being held) by 8am.  That meant if I wanted to get a run it, up and out the door by 5:30am so I was back in time to shower, change and grab a cab to the museum.  It was pitch black, but I headed back to Hyde Park with my LED lights and got a nice morning run in.  Nice and cool, but not bitterly cold.  Not as many runners out that early, but a few.  I am traveling with a fellow co-worker from the states this week and he decided to join me this morning so it was nice to have running partner.  I decided to roll the dice and see what was at the event for breakfast.

And that roll … snake eyes.  We got there and all they had was coffee and croissants.  Not a bad breakfast, but I needed a little more having just run that morning.  Luckily, I threw some granola bars in my bag that morning so I at least had a backup plan.  For lunch it was a very light lunch with a small salad, some scallops and a small apple tart for dessert.  Again, they key I realized was portions.  We finished our event went across the street for a pint and I had just one.  Then a few of us walked around London scoping out the local far and decided on a nice little French cafe where I had a smoke halibut, risotto and carrot soup.  Again, the portions were 1/2 what you would find in the states and that is a good thing.  We walked back to the hotel, called it an early night and I chalked up another great day in the UK.

Day 2 started off rough thanks to 5 pints the night before as the trick for jet lag.  I guess you just trade one problem for another, but a hang over I can deal with.  So I got up and went for an 8 mile run in Hyde Park, showered and headed to the office.

For lunch I did not have a ton of time so I needed to duck out, grab something and take it back.  I had no idea what i was looking for, but I was determined to avoid the McDonalds just down the street.  I stumbled upon a place called Eat.  It was like a deli, but they pre-make everything and you just grab and go.  There were many healthy options and they even printed the nutrition info on the labels.  So I picked a turkey sandwich and a side salad and off I went.  Now I could have also ducked into a pub and chosen a non-healthy option, but it is all about choices, even when you don’t know your way around.

After a long day of meetings, we hit the town to find some dinner.  The choice, a nice little Indian restaurant where I knew I could choose a healthier dish and control my portions.  For example, they brought a huge bowl of rice.  That doesn’t mean I have to eat it all, I just put some on my plate.  They brought and order of naan (Indian flatbread) and I had 1 piece, not all 4.  After dinner the group walked around and saw some sights, hit a bar and I decided to have 1 drink.  A single glass of Italian red wine.  Then called it a night and got a good night sleep.

Overall good day, worked out and ate right.  Just like usual.

Or would that be yank invasion?  Either way, my first day in the UK turned out to be a rough one.  I had flipped to UK time on Sunday, went to bed at 7pm ET / 12am UK and slept the whole flight.  I woke up when we laded at 6am UK time and I was ready to go.  By the time we got through customs, got downtown and to the hotel, it was almost 9am.  We were not able to check in to the hotel yet, so I dropped my stuff and walked over to our UK office to get to work.  My plan was to push through with no crashing or naps.  Mistake one, I immediately went for coffee and started a caffeine jack that would later be my downfall.  I threw down a granola bar and I was good to go.  For lunch we hit wagamama for some Asian cuisine.  Had a reasonable lunch and I felt a little bit better.  I kept up with the caffeine and was determined to make it through the day.  Then at about 3pm, my world turned upside down.  I had either a caffeine crash or overdose or something, but I started to feel like crap.  My fellow brits could see it and knew exactly what I needed to cure this and push through.  Beer, and lots of it.  This was totally counter intuitive and went against everything I believed, but I placed trust and faith into my friends and they had done the jaunt over to the states many times, so they were jet lag experts.  And what goes great with lots of beer?  That’s right, fish and chips, again, out of my realm.  First off, the thought of fried fish and fries (or chips as they are called) seems like a calorie overload.  Many people wonder how the brits can eat that kind of food and still stay thin.  One secret … portions.  Yes, it is fried fish and fries, but it is one piece of fish and a few fries.  Probably the equivalent of a kids size fry in the US.  So after some food and 5 pints of beer, I felt no jet lag, or anything else for that matter.  I got back to my room at 11pm UK time and crashed, hard.  They were right, I made it through the day and pushed through the jet lat.  One small problem …

I woke up this morning with a huge hang over.  Now I typically have a glass of wine every night, not 5 pints of beer.  And not light US beer, European beer with a much higher alcohol content.  And while the fish and chips and beer was good and I had a great first evening in the UK, I did feel guilty about all I drank and ate.  Jet lag gone, hang over and a guilty conscience … check.  Only one thing to do, run.  Sun was up at 7am so I threw my gear on and went for my run.  I am staying right by the Palace and Hyde Park.  It was full of runners and cyclists.  Most of the cyclists were not out for exercise, but on the way to work and they bike instead of drive or take the tube.  There were even runners with backpacks that have their work clothes and will shower when they get to work.  Our office had such a shower.  How cool would that be?  I also ran with my small camera this morning to get some great pictures of the Palace and the park.  What a way to see London.  I got back to the hotel, grabbed a shower and felt 100% better.  They were right, it got me over the jet lag and got me back on track.  Tonight, however, no pints … or maybe just one.

So I just got back from sunny San Diego and enjoyed some great sights, great weather and some great outdoor running time.  This is important to me, because it is fall in Ohio and that equals cold.  So today I head back out, but this time I am going across the pond to London for a week.  It is business so not sure how much of the sights I will get to see, but hoping to see something, even if that means I have to give up sleep this week (I can always sleep on the plane home.)  Now many people that have gone tell me it is hard to eat right in London.  With things like bacon sandwiches and fish and chips I would tend to agree, but since I have never experienced it for myself, I am going to try.  So, can I still maintain the healthy track when traveling abroad?  Well, we will have to see.  Stay tuned.

Watch the video

This week I am in San Diego and I have to say ... happy with the weather.  It was 34 degrees at home and 64 here.  Rough life I know.  I am staying right down on the bay and I really like that.  After my meetings were done this evening, I darted up to my hotel room, threw on the gear and out the door I went.  I had no clue where I was going, I just knew it was warm, I wanted to see the sights and I had 2 good legs to get me there.  I threw some $$ in for dinner and off I went.

And what a way to see things.  On my nice evening run I ran by the BMW Oracle Racing teams center and saw them out working on the racing cat.  I then ran by the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier.  Man, that thing is huge.  I then continued my running tour past the Star of India and the USS Dolphin.  I saw countless yachts that while neat, where a little extravagant.  I then found my way into a little shopping village with some great little outside restaurants.  I grabbed a quick bite to go and walked along the bay eating dinner and enjoying the sights.  I then ran back to the hotel for a nice 6 mile run.

Now that's how to see the sights and get your exercise in at the same time.

Everyone has their favorite running or cycling route, or at least I do.  And every morning I run to a local coffee shop, grab a coffee and then run home.  This morning I realized I probably run that route too often when I walked in the shop and she had my double espresso already waiting.  So maybe it is time to change it up a little and discover new sights in town.

For the LaMee household, it is the day after trick-or-treat and we have candy everywhere.  There is the candy that the kid does not want and then there is the leftover candy that we did not hand out.  You know how it goes, you are slow handing it out at first because you don't want to run out, then halfway through you realize you are going to have too much and hand out handfuls, but to no avail you have a big bowl of candy just begging you to eat it.

And then it taunts you, calls you, "just one piece, you deserve it."  And for those that can stop there, good for you.  I am not one of those people.  I start off with one piece, then two, then the room starts to spin and I wake up in a pile of empty Butterfinger and Reese's cup wrappers and wonder why I feel like I just beached up somewhere.  So what to do with all of the leftover candy?  For me, I have two things that always work:

1) Give it away / Take it to work
Hey, better somebody else than me.  I make my wife take it to work were it is devoured in a day.  I know what you are thinking and it is a dilemma.  I am contributing to the problem.  But this tactic takes advantage of the "survival of the fittest" mentality.  You eat it and get fat so I don't have to eat it and get at.  Now if you have a problem with this strategy then ...

2) Throw it away
There is no rule that says you or anyone has to eat it.  The financial side of us many times cant stand the idea of throwing away something we paid for.  But that $20 loss in candy is nothing compared to the purchase of a new wardrobe, the time you have to spend burning it off, the health costs later down the line.  So chuck it guilt free.  This is actually the strategy I am taking this year. 

It is only $20 and while I will have guilt for throwing $20 away, that guilt is nothing compared to the guilt I would feel putting the weight on and having to start all over again.

At lease in our town, trick or treat night is tonight.  Candy, candy, everywhere.  How to control oneself!  At least for me this is very challenging.  Most years I am the poor sap sitting there with a bowl of candy in my lap handing it out.  We always buy too much candy so it is easy for me to do the "one for you, one for me" approach.  Cut scene and there are a dozen empty candy wrappers lying on the ground, a bunch of leftover candy and then there is the pile that the kids won't eat.  Next thing you know the jeans don't fit and you have to blame the dryer for shrinking them again.  So here is my Halloween survival strategy.

1) Exercise.  I go my run in the morning so at least any candy I do eat, I burned something off.  Also, for me, I am less likely to overeat knowing how hard that run was this morning (mental thing)

2) Don't go hungry.  I make sure I eat before we have to head out.  If I am hungry I want to eat the first thing I see and it is candy.  If I am full, the urge tamed.

3) Choose my reward.  I usually set 1-2 pieces of candy that I want.  For me, the Reese's PB Cup.  Not those tiny mini cups either.  The full size cup at 130 calories a pop.  I save them until the night is over.  I get my treat but I had to push myself through to get them.

4) Out of sight, out of stomach.  All of those leftovers get put away, where I can't see them  .  If the bowl is sitting on the table in arms reach, it is easy to do a drive-by and snag a piece here and a piece there.

So the goal, survive the night.

So today we make the trek for my nephews birthday and there will be cake.  I love cake almost as much as I love ice cream ... and I LOVE ICE CREAM!  I am sure there will be ice cream and cake.  So that meant up this morning for a pre-cake run.  I am sure I will still eat more cake and ice cream than I burned on my hour run, but it is better than nothing.

... Who's there?

Crazy Denver Weather

Crazy Denver Weather Who?

Crazy Denver weather are you kidding me?  It was 75 on Monday and Snowing this morning.  Expecting frogs and locusts tomorrow.

So today I had to head to Denver for a week of meetings.  I got in and the weather was in the 70s.  It is all I was thinking about because it is 30 back home.  I timed it so I could get out for a quick run before dinner and honestly, it is all I thought about.  I finished my meeting, ran back to the room, threw my gear on and I was out the door.  Warm weather and my shoes were all I needed.  I did forget a few things though.  Obviously Denver is a little hillier than Ohio so it made for a great workout and I knew it was a great workout because I was sweating and breathing hard.  After a few miles, my lungs felt like they were on fire.  My heart rate was up and I was really breathing heavy but I was running at my normal pace.  You are already thinking it, "hey idiot, you are running hills in high altitude so you are working a ton harder in thin air."  But I didn't care.  It is going to start to rain later in the week so I was just happy to be outside.  I just failed to pay attention when I looked down and I had already gone 5 miles.  No big deal, but I had to turn around and head back.  So I was not planning on a 10 mile run before dinner, but it made the beer and steak I had worth it.

Salads are always a healthy choice right?  Not always.  You can take a healthy veggie choice and pile on fat and sugar and defeat the whole purposed.  Check out The Top 10 Worst Restaurant Salads.  Who knew a salad could be worse than a double bacon cheeseburger with fries!

Great ad on changing your eating habits.