DairyKing's Journal, 23 September 2014

Good Morning, FS Warriors! Slept in until 5:00 this morning. Took a rest day. Looking forward to my next run, but not right now. I got my race belt with the pouch and the loops to hold the gels yesterday. I know the race is a long ways off, but you can never be too prepared. Never had a gel pack in my life, so I ordered a box of chocolate peanut butter. Everybody said they were nasty, but you should eat one every 45 minutes or so during a long run. And you shouldn't wait until the day of the race to try one for the first time. Good idea. I tried one. They taste great, but the consistency is yuk! I can understand why they tell you to eat it at a water stop or carry your own water. Although it's only about 100 calories, it's the consistency of molasses and so ungodly sweet. But, it probably tastes pretty good when you're energy reserves start to get depleted. We'll see.

I have come to the conclusion that there is a definite correlation between my exercising and my intake. And it's the opposite of what one would normally think. You would think that, when you exhaust yourself physically, you would be famished and want to eat everything in sight. For me, it's just the opposite. Sometimes, after exercising, the last thing in the world I want to do is eat. On the other hand, if I don't exercise, it seems I want to clean out the refrigerator, the pantry, and the local McDonalds and Burger King all in the same day! I don't know if boredom, guilt, nerves, feelings of a non-productive exchange of carbon dioxide/oxygen, or who-knows-what drives that behavior, but it seems to occur when I don't run or cross train. Therefore, I find that I am much better focused on living a healthy lifestyle, if that lifestyle includes daily activity - and lots of it. I am not a couch potato, but I have been there, and I know how easy it would be to revert back. I refuse to do that, but I find it amazing how I continue to tempt myself, as if subconsciously hoping I'll give in. I feel like a mouse sometimes, because dangling a piece of cheese in front of me is almost enough to make me throw caution to the wind. I doubt a mouse ever feels guilty afterward though.

Well, now that the temps are down into the 40's overnight, the biggest decision I have to make each morning is whether to run inside or out. I know that I have to continue to run outside once or twice each week throughout the year, cold or no cold, to maintain that feel for the road. The treadmill can never entirely replace the training needed for running a race or going the distance. I'll try to make at least one of those runs occur during the daylight though, where I can enjoy some of the radiant heat, and even if cloudy, enjoy the psychological benefits of running in the daylight. I have found that I am able to still work up a sweat, when the temps are down in the teens, even wearing minimal clothing. It does help to warm up a bit before going outside though, if you are as slow as I am. I have always been amazed at how the human body can keep itself fairly comfortable in sub-freezing temps, covered with nothing more than a thin polyester shirt, shorts, and a pair of jersey work gloves. However, don't ever go out so far that you can't make it back while still running. The human body can also cool down very fast.

Well, I have no plans for this evening, other than tinkering in my workshop. Barring any crisis, I will spend a quiet evening organizing my shop, and maybe even making some cabinet doors. I have this big black lab that lies down within two or three feet of wherever I happen to be working at the time. It's cute, and I am honored, but every time I move a few feet, he has to get up and follow me and plop down in the new location. This may happen 20 times an hour. I tell him to stay where he is, but I guess he's afraid he'll miss something, or I am going to leave him. It gets kind of comical sometimes, because the operation may throw a lot of sawdust and cover him from head to tail, and then I have to brush him off. He doesn't care. He's the same way when I mow, either with the riding lawn mower or the big tractor; He gets a workout because he will follow me every pass. It's hard to complain about a dog like that, isn't it?

Well, enough rambling for one day. Hope everyone has a great day! Toodles!