Duh!

Weight Loss Clinic Virginia: Diet Remains Key In Weight Loss Battle : idealweightinfo.com

Obesity Rate Swells in 28 States

The problem is people don't care!! Obesity Rate Swells in 28 States

The Anatomy Of A Difficult Run & The Will To Prepare

 The alarm went off, as usual, at 6 am.   Typically, I'm already awake.  Often, I'm already up.  Today it woke me.  It happens.  I wasn't alarmed.  I normally don't feel like heading right out the door.  I like to take some time to wake up.   Today, my usual routine didn't take me to my that feeling of 'alright I'm ready, let's go' that I am accustomed to.    Nevertheless, I headed out the door.

There was no pep.  Okay, I thought, it's going to be one of those days that takes a while to get warmed up.  Not a chance.   I just couldn't get away from the feeling of 'I'm tired'.   Thoughts of turning around early crossed my mind.  It's easy to find a reason to quit.  I kept telling myself to hang in there.  This, too, will pass.  It did but it was a struggle.

The many thousands of miles I've run paid dividends.  I actually did feel a bit better for a few miles after my turnaround, thanks to a cool breeze.  I managed to finish all 13.5 miles.  It took me about 20 minutes longer than usual.   I was thoroughly wasted.   But I survived.

I'm thinking that it helped me prepare mentally for the end of the upcoming marathon.  I'm going to be pretty wasted during the last few miles.  Proper preparation is essential.   Paul 'Bear' Bryant said it well: "It's not the will to win that matters...everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters." 

Persistence

I woke up this morning feeling less than stellar.  I had my mini breakfast and checked my e-mail all the usual stuff hoping to perk up.  I had a full bottle of tea for the caffeine.  Nothing.  Still felt low energy.

Maybe it was time for a day off.  I'm an advocate of listening to the body.  Still, I am reluctant to do nothing.  My next thought was I'll just warm up and stretch.  Nothing seemed to boost my enthusiasm.  I stretched out my warm-up and stretched out my stretching. I nearly called it quits but I thought maybe I'll just do a short routine.
Well, each set got a little easier.  I made it through the workout.  Never felt the best but I did feel better by the end.  I'm still a bit lower energy than usual but I got my workout in.  Persistence paid off.

Wednesday's a travel day and I'll do nothing physically stressful so I'll have time to recover.  Everyone has a best day and a worst day of every week, month and year.   Today was mine but I persisted and got in a workout.

Here's hoping I feel great in the morning and my run goes well.  If not, well maybe I'll go easy or short.  But, then again, maybe it'll be a great run.   Even my easy days are pretty good by most people's standards.  Persistence. I   did well today.

Exercise Lifts Mood, but Does It Work Against Depression? - TIME

Exercise Lifts Mood, but Does It Work Against Depression? - TIME

Milestones & Heavy Breathing

I don't usually run 2 days in a row.  Being on the road presents its challenges.  Unable ride my bike I decided to go for a short run just to satisfy my need to exercise.   While deciding, I added up my mileage since I've been out of town and realized that I was very close to 100 miles for the last 15 days.  That was the clincher.

I was at 93.5 miles since my arrival and 6.5 (you can see where this is leading) miles puts me at 100!  So, I mapped out a 7 miler (always a little extra) and headed out the door.

Sunday's are nice because of the lighter traffic here in California. I was clipping along pretty nicely just before my turnaround when a runner went racing by me going the other way.  It got me thinking about my post yesterday and my thoughts on breathing hard.   I really hadn't done much really fast running that pushed my breathing for a while.  Since I was going only 7 miles and already half-way through that I figured it was time for some speed work.  The runner who had passed me was still in sight so I thought I'd see if I could make up some ground or at least keep him in sight (he was going fast!).

I shifted into high gear and turned on the afterburners.  He was going too fast.... for him not me.  He ran out of gas (I think) and I caught him rather quickly.  Maybe he was just running a short distance.  I don't want to create an impression of superiority.  He didn't know I was trying to catch him.

I had momentum and I wanted to keep it.   I pushed to the end and got some good speed work in.  A great workout really.  All because of a milestone.   Another good reason to keep track of mileage.   I'll rest the legs tomorrow and be ready for a nice long run on Tuesday.   Training is progressing nicely.

The Cost of Obesity

Each year, roughly 39 million work days are lost to obesity-related illnesses, costing employers $142 billion in 2005, including health expenses and diminished productivity. What's more, obesity accounts for the greatest single expense to our health care system, triggering $147 billion in health care costs each year, with half paid by Medicare and Medicaid. These are not minor sums-- they are figures that play a central and very dangerous role in our national spending, something that is a demonstrated priority for American voters.



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