Weekend Confessional

In contemplation of my actions this weekend, I feel the stirring need to confess.

Forgive me, blogosphere, for I have sinned...

I watched a lot of basketball this weekend (an action, for the record, I am NOT sorry for), but also ate a lot of junk, and pretty much didn't exercise.  I really meant to, in fact, I was going to punish myself with a long run on Saturday, but my sister was in town and she ruined everything.  Oh wait... this isn't one of those posts where I blame everyone else (don't worry, Emily, you'll get your turn).  For now... the confession:

• I had Chipotle on Thursday, and not the healthy kind... the delicious quac and chips kind (my go-to at Chipotle, bowl with all the fixin's, throw some quac in there, stir it up, and it's an awesome chip-dip.  This is old hat by now, but just thought I'd mention it in case you've not partaken... it's a gamechanger).


• I ate at a place called Flip's on Friday... I had a huge delicious greasy gryo with a side of fries


• On Saturday, I tried to eat healthy... I had a small bowl of cereal, then a salad for lunch, and then some veggies and hummus for dinner.  Success?  Wait for it... then I had some chips and salsa while watching basketball.  And THEN someone (Lindsey Hankins) wanted "something sweet" for dessert and had frosting but not enough eggs to bake a cake, so someone else (wife) suggested graham crackers for dipping in the frosting (funfetti frosting, mind you).  The solution, thanks to my friends/family: dipping chocolate teddy grahams in funfetti frosting.  I must have had half the cup myself, and that was trying to restrain myself AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.  I mean, everyone in the room knows I'm trying to lose weight... and I. just. keep. dipping.  You can almost hear them thinking "Isn't Dan trying to lose weight?  How come he's consumed 250 teddy grahams and half a cake's worth of frosting?  How can any one man be so undisciplined?"


• On Sunday, I had pizza from Gino's East.  This has not been scientifically confirmed, but I am almost certain that there is not a more unhealthy recipe for pizza anywhere in the United States of America (and thus, the universe, since we're #1... U! S! A! U! S! A! U! S! A!)

and did I mention I didn't work out?

Yessir, it was a banner weekend for fat Dan Nicholas.

Unbelievable.

Distance: 0

Food: D

Weight: 230.0 lbs (according to Fat Friday's weigh in.  Saturday and Sunday both weighed in at 230.2)

Madness

Well this is it... the beginning of the best time of year.  Really, March Madness constitutes a high holiday for me.  Especially the first weekend.  It's the greatest weekend in sports, hands-down.  My enthusiasm is only tempered by the fact that I am writing this post a bit retroactively, after my beloved Spartans lost.  Pretty typical for the season really... terrible shooting, not capitalizing, and defense was lacking (at least early).  UCLA tried their best to give it away, and MSU still couldn't pull it off.  The comeback made it only that much more painful.  That said... I still love March Madness.  It's awesome.  (just wish the Spartans were still in the mix)... *sigh*

I ran yesterday and felt pretty good.  Knees still felt okay. Distance: 5k (although zero today)

Food (for the last few days) was pretty good.  Cereal, chipotle, a salad here or there.  Stayed pretty healthy for the most part, with a little cheating here or there.  Food: B-

Weight... first weigh-in since Colorado... frustrating.  231.4 lbs. Didn't really drop any weight with all that skiing.  I think that ancillary snacking hurt me more than I was expecting.  Damn.

Colorado!

This will have to be a multi-day blog, as I am out skiing in the beautiful state of Colorado.  Seriously... how did I come to be a resident of Illinois.  Folly of follies.

At any rate, vacations are always err... "interesting" for diets and fitness discipline.  Here is the goal: always eat healthy at home (and we're staying in a beautiful home, thanks to friends, so we'll be staying in quite a bit), always watch portion sizes, and ski really hard.  When we go out to eat, I'm allowed to be a little more relaxed, although still looking for a healthy option.  As far as beer... it's vacation.  I'm not having tons of beer, but I want to be able to enjoy some good craft brews here and there without worrying about it.  I'm hoping I can keep diet under control enough that I'll be burning significantly more calories on the slopes and have some expeditious weight loss.

---

Okay... That post was from a few days ago.  Ha.  Too busy having fun with friends and skiing to post on a blog... I think we're all okay with that.  Believe it or not I have not been flooded with reader emails lamenting "Dude, where is the blog today?  I've been reading every day, NOW what am I supposed to do?!?"

Anyway, at this point the vacation is wrapping up and I can begin to evaluate my efforts out in the glorious mountains.  Three amazing days of skiing... and I went pretty hard at it.  Chalk up three days of what I can honestly call "all day interval training".  Not necessarily incredibly aerobic... but a great work out.  Distance: ?

As far as eating... I did NOT go with the healthy choice when we went out to eat.  I couldn't find any in-between that looked good, so I just ordered something that I knew I really wanted... beer battered fish 'n' chips, with a Breckenridge Brewery IPA to wash it down.  Delicious.  Not healthy.  Also, I've been snacking a lot at the house, sometimes healthy snacks, but definitely some chips and dip here and there.  Breakfast and slope food were both very healthy... Overall grade: Food: C+

Weight?  At the risk of seeming uncommitted, I didn't actually bring my scale out here.  But I weighed myself on Thursday before I left, and the magic number is 231.6 lbs.

Oddly, I feel like I've actually gained weight this trip, despite the skiing.  I was really hoping to be below 230 when I got home... I guess we'll see...

Exploratory Surgery

I know people that have had exploratory surgery.  Personally, I'm not sure if I can think of anything more horrifying.  Even with all the progress of modern medicine, the concept of a doctor telling me "hey, I'm not sure what's wrong with you, so I'm just gonna cut ya open and fish around until I figure it out... "  No thanks.

And yet... I have tragic news.  I have received word that my beloved Greenzo will be having exploratory surgery.  For those of you not "in the know"... Greenzo is my half-joking-but-caught-on name for my bicycle.  This is a photo from the first day of RAGBRAI... you can probably tell from the photo the inspiration for the name:



and here we are at the Field of Dreams, almost all the way across Iowa...



don't worry... I was having a lot more fun that it seems... I'm just trying not to cry in the picture.   "Dad... wanna have a catch?"

Anyway, I love my bike.  And while that, in one sense, is a silly sentimentality... there is a certain nostalgic emotional connection between a boy and his bike.  When you get your first bike, it opens a whole new world of possibilities.  It is, in a very real way, freedom.  (which I've also been told is apparently "not free")

I recently read this article about the liberty that a bicycle provides... it's not incredibly well written, but hey... neither is this blog.  Clearly you're standards aren't too high.  Check it out.  It's a professional cyclist discussing how owning a bike changed his childhood.  Quote I like:

The ride is still about the adventure, the camaraderie and the sense of accomplishment. Whether it’s a trip to the end of the block, or across the Alps, the sensation is the same

My big trip with Greenzo is somewhere in between "end of the block" and "across the Alps"... it was a ride across Iowa called RAGBRAI (see link above).  I ended up cycling over 530 miles in a week across what is now one of my favorite states.  Yeah, that's right... I just said that Iowa is one of my favorite states.  Go ahead and let that marinate.  But seriously, it was an outstanding experience that I'll never forget.  Also, not our only adventure together.  I rode about 2500 miles in 2010... that's a lot of time in the saddle.  I have rich deep memories, a lot of time alone with my thoughts, and a lot of books on tape... and yes, an irrationally emotion connection to an bicycle.  But here's where it gets nostalgic...

My bike is sick.  There are some small cracks in the head tube.  I've been VERY careful with it (at this point, it's undoubtedly nicer than my car)... but the cracks developed, and I've contacted Cannondale.  I guess I assumed the response would be "Oh wow, hey, sorry about that, the bike is less than a year old and still fully warrantied against frame defects... so let's get you a replacement ASAP".  If I could drop some twit-speak: #assumptionfail



Ironically... or perhaps fittingly, the cracks are all over the Cannondale logo.

Cannondale has informed me that the bicycle is unsafe to ride (carbon fiber can fail rather catastrophically mid-ride... the results of which I'm told are highly unpleasant) and I will need to send it back to them.  Upon receipt they will cut it in half to inspect the carbon overlay in an effort to determine if it was an manufacturing default.  Or to put it more transparently "it's probably not our fault, but we'll pretend to double check in case you ask later."

I think the situation is more poignant and tragic because it's not going to a new owner or something... it's just going to be torn to shreds to "inspect the carbon overlay", and subsequently thrown into some scrap heap.  It's not even really exploratory surgery as much as an autopsy.  And aside from the tinge of nostalgia... there is the acute pain of having to pay for a new replacement frame... a very real possibility... and not a pleasant one considering what this frame cost less than 12 months ago.  Hopefully someone at Cannondale takes some responsibility and is able to replace the frame at no additional cost.

I hope I hope I hope they make it right.  Because I really can't wait to start riding again.  Right now there is no where I would rather be than on an sunny empty country road... churning away those gears... taking in the sights, sounds, smells around me... sweet sweet freedom.  I miss my bike.

---

Rest day today.  Gotta save up knees for skiing, plus no time to work out with YL stuff tonight, and packing/getting ready the rest of the night.  Distance: 0

Food was not great today.  Oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch (delish, still), but Kel had made a (frozen) pizza when I got home so I had a small portion of that (not too much because I know it's unhealthy, but wanted to have some so it doesn't go to waste... cheapness and fitness... battling again).  I will be going to bed hungry, and a little guilty.  Food: C+

Magic number: 233.6 lbs still right there... we're a couple of days from me chopping off a couple fingers just to see a drop.  I mean, still in the 233's... c'mon!

Indecision

If you know me, and especially for those who know me well... you know that I am perhaps the most indecisive person in the history of existence.  I waste hours of research to buy pretty much anything that costs more than $25 (also, those who know me know I'm... err... thrifty?)  At any rate, that research time is compounded when I am looking at something more significant (both in usage and price) like camera gear or a bicycle.

Well, lately the item of my indecision has been running shoes.  Moderate stability?  cushioning?  blah blah blah... I'm sick of it.  In fact, the only person more sick of it is probably my friend Jeff, who I have been bothering on almost a daily basis.  Sorry Jeff.

Anyway, today I finally got some running shoes.  The ones I had been running in were at least two years old (probably closer to three), which apparently is bad, so I was due.  The shoes feel good... grabbed 'em at Dick Pond thanks to Groupon (and the fact that we were out of some stock for an REI prodeal).  I took them for a spin... and ran a good constant 5k with a strong finish.  Actually, a PR... but still slow enough that I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to type the phrase "PR".  Maybe we'll save track-speak until I'm sub-220... or I run a time I'm not embarrassed to share.  Anyway, still... felt good to run, and the knees held up.  Still a bit of a twinge of sorts, but not the significant pain of the past couple times.  Distance: 5k

Food was good... oatmeal, home-made chicken noodle, and stir fry over a 5-grain blend from Trader Joe's which I would *highly* recommend.  Only complaint is that I probably had too many Goldfish as a "side" to my soup.  As the song goes "I love fishes - so delicious.... I could eat goldfish all day, and my mom says that's okay... except when I eat like 400 because I can't stop".  Like just a couple of other things in life: not bad in moderation... probably not a super healthy thing to binge.  Food: B

Weight: 233.8 lbs. Am I plateauing at 233?  Because that would be crazy.  Crazy depressing.  I might work out again tomorrow (I wasn't originally planning on it - lots to do in prep for our flight out to Colorado for skiing... where I'm also hoping to drop some weight). We'll see...

Biathlon

I completed a biathlon today.  No, not the awesome winter Olympic sport (the most watched winter sport in Europe, incidentally).

I am still not running, thanks to the knees, but today I completed the first two lengths of a triathlon.  I got to watch the Bulls sweep the Heat while I spun through 22km (about 13.7 miles... took about 44 minutes... decent pace, actually).  Then I went for a swim.

Unfortunately there really doesn't seem to be a "norm" swim distance for the Sprint Triathlon... I've seen everything from .25km (crazy short) to .75km.  Specifically, the Naperville Triathlon does a 400m swim.  So I swam 500 meters.  In your face Naperville.  But really, that's not very far.  Nothing too crazy.  Eventually, I'd like each "workout" to be the distance of one leg of an Olympic Triathlon ... .75km swim, 40k bike, 10k run.  But not yet (at least not with running, that would have been a nice short bike ride last summer).  Distance: 13.7 mile bike / 500m swim

Food was good today.  Small granola bar for breakfast, big salad for lunch, and amazing home-made chicken noodle soup for dinner, prepared by the remarkably talented @KellyNicholas.  Home-made legit... I'm talkin' noodles from scratch over here!  Deeeeeeelicious!  Food: A-

I'm certainly improving from my Ron Swanson diet (although I did have eggs yesterday):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOzOxPtYFsg&w=640&h=390]

Weight ... 233.4 lbs

The Culprit (Part 1): Girl Scouts

I had a realization today.  I live in America... and as long as I am an American living in America, nothing is my fault.  So, the fact that I gained an embarrassing amount of weight since August can't be *my* fault... it must be the fault of others.  But who?

In this, the first installment of an investigative weblog mini-series dubbed "The Culprit", I will attempt to place the blame of my poor dieting and lack of fitness on other entities to assuage myself of guilt... and after all, it's the American way.

The first Culprit under investigation?  The Girl Scouts of America

That's right.  The insidious clan of pre-pubescent girls who sell impossibly delicious (and arguably addictive) cookies with a merciless efficiency that would turn even the brightest Hitler Youth green with jealousy...

Yes, it's Girl Scout Cookie season.  Or as we call it in my house "another reminder of Dan's inability to exercise will power."  Not only do the Girl Scouts have a fool-proof system of having adorable little kids selling cookies (for $27 a box, or whatever they're charging these days), but the cookies (drugs?) they are delivering (dealing?) are so addicting that the word "addicting" simply does not suffice.  They have a business model that would make Stringer Bell beam with pride.  Notably, they report $700 million profit and some former members have been known to use their considerable cultural and political influence to leverage a lucrative career with non-profit organizations... and the untold fame & fortune that comes along with it.

And I, like Bubbles, simply cannot resist.  When was the last time you had a Samoa?  I submit to you that it is, simply put, the best mass produced cookie in the history of cookies.  Delicious chocolate and caramel, a wonderful cookie crunch (like twix), and just the right amount of coconut.  I think, if left to my own devices, I could eat 7 boxes in an afternoon of watching basketball.  No, seriously, seven.  Somewhere in the high single digits (8 or 9 boxes... approaching that 120 cookie number) I might think "hmmm... this has been a lot of cookies, maybe I should take it easy", but I'd plow through at least the first 5 without even giving it a second thought.  I love cookies.

resistance is futile...

---

Food day was so-so... delicious scrambled eggs for breakfast, Chipotle-lite (last day of the 2-for-1) for lunch, and a healthy frozen dinner from Kashi while working at REI.  Also, I finished the Samoas.  Oops.  Food: B-

I was going to go for a swim today, but got caught up with some errands, watching MSU finish out the worst regular season I can ever remember, and then had to work at REI.  Distance: 0

Weight: 233.8 lbs - probably as a result of not eating much at all yesterday.  REAL hungry when I woke up.  (note: I do not believe starvation is a good/sustainable method for weight loss)...