February 3, 2009 Spinning Is Hard

February 3, 2009

Hi all, the purpose of this journal is for various reasons, remembering why I am running the marathon, for record on future trainings, entertainment, and probably some others that will come to me later.

So training for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon began on Feb 1, aka the superbowl. I actually didn’t do anything that day except bike a few miles to work and back, but I don’t feel too bad considering the pain and suffering that ensued the following day.

Last night as part of my cross training I went to a spinning class(stationary biking). The teacher is a member of the Stanford racing team, and a few of my coworkers had been raving about the class so I decided to check it out. It’s perfect, being a good cardio workout without any impact, and falls on my non-running day. Then I take the yin yoga class that follows.(Yin yoga is really slow and is focused on the meditative side, it’s pretty fun)

Basically, this spinning class was one of the most difficult things ever completed. At times I actually thought that slowing down and giving up was an option, but it dawned on me that the marathon would be much more difficult than an hour-long biking class, so I just kept on going. I highly suggest trying it out, having never done it before I might have been going a bit extreme on certain parts of it which led to extreme fatigue, so if you’re new to it, start slower. It really is an incredible workout, with almost no impact, perfect for cardio and weight loss.

In other news, one of the main goals for this marathon training is to cut my alcohol consumption to either 1 drink per week, or none at all. After realizing that I have been drinking since around 18, nothing too extreme, but I’ve never taken a big break from it, this is perfect. I can already feel my body functioning more efficiently. It’s been about 2 weeks since my last drink That statement feels like an AA meeting.

Another change is consuming little or no animal protein in my diet(milk, eggs, chicken, beef, etc). I’ve been on this lifestyle change for about 2 weeks now. Eating oatmeal in the morning, Usana bars and apples for brunch, huge salad for lunch, then ending the night with either soup or salad or both.

The reason for the drastic change is a book I am reading. The China Study by T Colin Campbell. It shows the strong correlation between consuming animal protein(western diet) and degenerative diseases(cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and many others). Last night after the yoga class I mentioned this book to somebody employed in natural healing that I speak to regularly, and without getting into detail she was able to describe everything that I had been reading. The information is real, but just not making an impact on the majority of people, either due to skepticism or simply not being exposed.

Waking up today I feel the best of my entire life, other than a slight soreness in my legs, and being dehydrated.

If you’re looking to feel healthier, talk to me, I’ve found a diet and lifestyle that actually makes me feel incredible, increased energy, more drive and passion, happier, and probably nicer as a result. The main objective is to live stress-free, remain positive and eat real food. Basically treating my body the way it should be treated.

Thanks for reading, have a great day,

Ryan

Here’s my typical breakfast if you’re interested.

½ cup oatmeal uncooked

¼ cup grape nuts

Small handful of the following:

• Raisins
• Dried cranberries
• Macadamia nuts
• Almonds sliced
• Flax seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Coconut shavings

And some soymilk

I don’t microwave the oatmeal anymore, the way it’s prepared now is more of a cereal.