<p>Awful news swdad. </p>
<p>Thanks for the support for D2’s engagement. I am back to my “Shedding for the Wedding” program. Onward! :)</p>
<p>I have totally had those days! In fact, I just ate an order of ka prow fried rice over a two day period. First Thai food in months. But I ran yesterday and I’ll run today. Balance.</p>
<p>Balance.</p>
<p>I just ate a low cal salad for lunch but also just messaged the family and suggested we go out for ice cream for dinner to celebrate D2’s completion of her first AP test. (hey, it’s a spring 80 degree day in Ohio - that SPELLS ice cream!!!)</p>
<p>But I too will run or at least take a hefty walk later.</p>
<p>swdad:</p>
<p>That’s awful. I can’t imagine how your and group feels. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.</p>
<p>I don’t feel safe on a bike. I think it comes from all the crazy intense motorcycle safety/skills courses I took that really take actively defensive driving to a new level. I generally felt safe on a motorcycle because you have the manueverability and acceleration to get yourself out of situations with idiot drivers. For example, when stopped in a line of traffic, I always stopped far enough back and angled to the side so that I could simply drive up onto the sidewalk if somebody came bearing down from behind. Even then, there were traffic situations that I avoided on a motorcycle.</p>
<p>On a bicycle, I feel like a sitting duck. Slow, invisible, unprotected.</p>
<p>swdad - that is just awful, my condolences.</p>
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I’m impressed that someone had the discipline to only eat the first half.</p>
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<p>There are always better idiots out there.</p>
<p>Coworker was driving on a two-lane undivided highway and someone on the other side went to make a left-turn across his path. She apparently didn’t see him or realize that he was there. He wound up pinned under one of the front wheels of her vehicle. Fortunately the guy is in fantastic physical shape. He had a bunch of surgeries and was back out running in 8 months - with pain of course. I think that he’s fixed up enough now so that he can workout without pain.</p>
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<p>There were another 11 in the freezer. Someone is good at buying these without me knowing about them.</p>
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<p>I think from my experience walk/jogging at the state park near my old house, I would probably prefer light trail running if I were to ever take up running. With all the old railbed trail conversions and the number of conservation areas, I can’t imagine too many places in New Hampshire where trail running options aren’t readily available.</p>
<p>BC:</p>
<p>On a motorcycle (and really now in the car, too), I just assume that any car slowing to turn WILL turn right in front of me. Have I left myself an escape?</p>
<p>The one place I really tried to avoid was congested bumper to bumper multi-lane streets where there are just too many opportunities for idiots to drive into you to keep track of them all.</p>
<p>Regarding defensive driving, walking, running, and cycling, I became much more aware of a factor not at the forefront of my consciousness this past weekend. We rented a compact SUV to drive down to the graduation. Visibility in this vehicle was nowhere near as good as in the car I normally drive. It was especially difficult to see what’s happening on the passenger side to the rear. What I learned was that if you have any question whether a driver in one of these higher up from the ground vehicles can see you or not, assume they can’t!</p>
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<p>This was on a bend in the road. I’m not fully sure that the coworker had a lot of time to prepare. I do the defensive driving thing too but there are times when it’s nearly impossible.</p>
<p>There aren’t a lot of trails that I could reach without having to go through a lot of pedestrian-unfriendly traffic. Our neighborhood is bounded by two highways and a busy connector road between the two highways.</p>
<p>So sorry swdad - horrible. I really think car drivers have gotten more brazen. I can’t tell you how often I’ve had someone in the far left lane decide they need to turn right. Most recently I was in the lane to go straight or right, and I was going straight. No right turn lane, but there was a left turn lane, so someone passed me to get into the left turn lane and then proceeded to turn right in front of me! Or just yesterday, I was in the left turn lane, but when my arrow went on, the guy across from me decided to go straight even though he didn’t have his green light yet. Luckily some instinct made me know that guy was going to do that, because I actually waited to see what he was up to before I turned left. I am terrified to ride a bike anywhere around here.</p>
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<p>This has been standard operating procedure in the Boston area for the last 30 years. I guess it’s spread to other cities. Boston is known for unpredictable drivers.</p>
<p>Tried to do a little bit of a workout today at lunch, but saw things in the office that just ****ed me off so I left. One thing I don’t like about working out in the same place as my employment…</p>
<p>After much discussion and some research, this is the heart rate monitor that I decided on [Amazon.com:</a> Polar H7 Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Sensor: Health & Personal Care](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bluetooth-Smart-Heart-Sensor/dp/B007S088F4/ref=sr_1_10?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1368646748&sr=1-10&keywords=heart+rate+monitor]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Bluetooth-Smart-Heart-Sensor/dp/B007S088F4/ref=sr_1_10?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1368646748&sr=1-10&keywords=heart+rate+monitor)</p>
<p>It’s compatible with my iPhone and since I was going to be carrying it anyways this seemed like an ok choice. We will see, I’ll download map my run and if I’m not happy I didn’t cost too much. I also ordered something to carry my iPhone, a fanny pack type. I think I am going to like it. Anyways this is my low cost GPS system. </p>
<p>On my second week of couch to 5k. Going fine so far, this is the easy part.</p>
<p>Looks like it has good reviews Deb. please report back on it !</p>
<p>For some people even week 2 is hard - the fact that you are moving along ok is a good sign for farther down the road (both literally and figuratively !)</p>
<p>Stretch/strength/core</p>
<p>I was reading this Active article and thought #4, the part about strength training, was interesting.<br>
[7</a> Tried-and-True Tools for 10K Training | Active.com](<a href=“7 Tried-and-True Tools for 10K Training | ACTIVE”>7 Tried-and-True Tools for 10K Training | ACTIVE)</p>
<p>3.5 mile walk outside in wonderful 71 degree weather. Took me an hour but that was with a stop to talk to a neighbor so not too bad. Also started tracking my food on LiveStrong again. I am going to try Chris Powell’s Carb Cycling to see if this is better than the low carb way I usually do to drop a few pounds.</p>
<p>Deb:</p>
<p>That looks like a perfect solution for anyone who carries an iPhone (or any smartphone with a heart rate app)! I think you can also get GPS apps for the iPhone. I don’t think they are quite up to the standards of the dedicated watches, but for just general fitness stuff, I would think they would work fine. I know that, then I walk/jog or hike or snow shoe, I don’t really care if it was 3.1 miles or 3.2 miles or whether I walked on the left side or the right side of the road.</p>
<p>swadad, that is terrible! I hope the driver will be punished to the full extent (and most importantly, s/he should be haunted by the accident scene for the rest of his/her life!). So sorry… </p>
<p>I’m on the road today, trying to eat sensibly. Not a single slice of bread or pastry with my breakfast of eggs and sausage. The lady at the nearby table was feasting on a bowl of fat-free, artificially sweetened, slimy-looking yogurt and was periodically looking at my plate with disgust (“cholesterol and fat!!!”). Bummer for her! :)</p>
<p>I just wanted to post & say my surgery went great. I walked to the bathroom & my knee has good flexion.
Plus their food is amazing!
I have a mango slushie, latte & bacon burger with gluten free bread.
;)</p>