Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Running down the gains

In order to keep track of the gains, I weight myself every morning, soon as I get out of bed. It’s really easy to tell if I did not eat enough the previous day, because the drop off the next morning can be a few pounds on the scale.

What is also detrimental to poundage is running. I’ve reincorporated this much loathed cardio exercise back in to the regiment for a few weeks now. Without fail, the day after running, the scale is down a few pounds. All of it water weight, surely. But it’s interesting to see nonetheless.

The weird thing is, I feel completely ravenous after running every single time. And I don’t have reservations about eating as much as I want afterwards. But it seems there’s no amount of food to counteract the weight loss, as measured the following morning. Trust me, I am not going easy on the food after I run. Carbs on carbs on carbs.

I can now see why the weight lifters looking to bulk up as quickly as possible elect to skip cardio entirely. N of me to be sure, but cardio seems to be detrimental towards the weight scale continuously increasing. You can work all week to eat more and lift weights, only for one prolonged cardio section to knock you right back down the water spout. So then you have to do it all over again.

The obvious solution is to eat (even) more. I love food as much as the next person, but there is a limit to how much food to consume before it becomes a tiring chore. We’ve all, at one point or another, have eaten so much that the digestion process afterwards render us immobile. Imagine that feeling, but all the time. No thank you. I’ll keep to my snail’s pace bulking.

Monk mode running

So you’re all psyched up to go on this run. You’re in the car and heading to the running spot. But then you realize you forgot your earphones. What? Running without any tunes - are you crazy? So what do you do? Of course make that u-turn towards home to get the AirPods.

Unless you’re a psychopath like me. For me it’s more important to not waste time detouring home. Just how mentally soft am I if I can’t even go on a 40 minute run without any musical assistance. Lifting weights, I can understand. Sometimes those personal bests are easier to hit with something inspirational in the ear to provide that extra little mental pump. Running, however, it’s one feet in front of the other. Look at it as a bit of digital detox.

I’m slightly sad that I am unable to work on the Golf GTI this weekend. The problem? Parts that are in shipping haven’t yet arrived. The second worst thing for a DIY car enthusiast to see is parts taking a long time to ship. The first worst thing is the part is no longer available. Some enthusiasts dream of a big garage full of variety. I dream of a humble garage, housed with enough spare parts to build a whole other car. Never have to wait for delivery!

One important thing for the DIY wrench head is to have another car at the ready. (Or, like me, don’t have a vehicular commute.) (Two cars - in this economy? Right to privilege jail, right away.) That way you are not under the can-be-severe time restriction of a weekend. Snapping a brake caliper bolt for which a replacement won’t arrive until next week isn’t disastrous at all because you don’t need to use the car you’re working on come Monday.

Unless you’re a psychopath like me who loathes open loops. Yes, I don’t need to drive to work, but that unfinished job is going to haunt my sleep until it is done.

We running it back

In weightlifting, PB - personal best - is when you’ve exceeded what you’ve done previously for the very first time. Either in total weight, or total repetition.

What’s the opposite of PB? It’s got to be PW - personal worst. I had a PW yesterday when for the first time in a year and a half, I did some running. A 10:40 per mile pace is laughably anemic, though I am quite proud of the fact I did not pause once during the 4.45 mile loop around the local lago. Surely I’ll dip back into the eight minutes soon enough.

After chasing putting on more weight on the barbell, the time has come to return some attention to the completely neglected cardio. I don’t have a problem skipping leg day, but rather skips cardio day at the time. There’s simply no replacement for jiggering the heart rate into the 180s (beats per minute). Even the most serious squat day I’ve done, the BPM has only gone into the 160s.

Because the aim for all of this is health. Focusing solely on moving weights is not a long-term play. There were some weight targets I wanted to hit so it made sense to concentrate fully on the barbell. I’ve ran into some level of diminishing returns so the timing was ripe to mix back in cardio. Am I scared that the weightlifting aspect will suffer some? Heck yeah. In the long run however it’s only going to be beneficial.

Just don’t tell that to my leg muscles right now. First run in a year and half means a major case of the soreness. Not fun!

Some people just go bowling

Bowling. Not a sport I would watch in a million years. (I can admire the skill for sure.) However, I think it’s a fabulous sport from a recreational perspective. Gather your mates and go bowl a few games. Maybe one of you might even break 100. About $20 for two hours of fun is way more economical than going out to eat these days. Though you should definitely do that afterwards as well. It’s all about hanging out.

My problem is I can’t seem to get a feel for the game. Of course it’s doubly difficult when I only go bowling perhaps once a year. Therefore every time it’s like relearning how to walk. The hand and wrist just doesn’t get used in that fashion in normal day life. So rather than trying to curve the ball, I end up bowling it straight, hoping the ball goes where I want it to. It usually doesn’t.

Not that I need another spendy hobby in my life. But if I were to bowl somewhat seriously, I’d definitely be taking lessons. I’d also buy a bowling ball of my own, cut specifically to fit my mangled fingers. The standard hole sizings at the alleys aren’t conducive to to proper gripping. Though I’m sure that’s a skill issue on my part as well. A seasoned amateur can probably make strikes with those standard issue balls all the same.

Ultimately, I prefer my hobbyist sport to be more of a complete workout than merely one single limb. Running is an excellent full-body workout, and it can be absolutely free. Less social points than bowling, of course. But that’s why you have the meal afterwards!

13 miles from home

New year, new challenge. Word on the street is the annual Giant Race in 2024 will mark the return of the half-marathon. That race distance has been absent from the event since the pandemic years. I was disappointed in 2023 to see its continued absence, having done the 10K in 2022 and ready for something slightly more challenging. Better late than never: 2024 will be the year I challenge myself to run a half-marathon.

And then that would be it. I have no desire to run a full marathon after that (sorry, SF Marathon). Spending many hours to run 26 miles doesn’t spark any joy in me whatsoever (hashtag Kondo). And the training required would be detrimental to my set schedule. I would have to run almost every single day of the week, at about five miles per run. To prepare for such a long distance, it’s all about getting enough cumulative mileage - you don’t really run marathons to prepare for a marathon. Speed and intensity is secondary.

Training for the half-marathon entails a similar program. I’m going to be running at least 10 miles a week, every week leading up to the event. That is way less onerous of a time commitment, since I already run a little over four miles every weekend. I think I will simply add another day of running to accumulate the necessary mileage.

I am excited to finally tick running a half-marathon off my list. Let’s get it.

Running in the 190s

This past Sunday was the first time running with the Apple Watch, and I have to say it was delightful. To be able to run without the iPhone - either in an armband holder, holding it in my hand, or it sloshing around in a pants pocket - is such a luxury. I preloaded my running playlist onto the Apple Watch, and it alone was able to play music through to my set of AirPods Pro. Don’t need to rely on the iPhone for tunes anymore.

I also don’t have to reply on third-party apps to track my running. The Apple Watch’s native workout app does the job superbly, without selling my information to a third party. (As always: if the produce is free, you are the product.)

What the Apple Watch can do that the iPhone absolutely cannot is heart-rate tracking. It’s interestingly informative to see the stats post exercise. For example, my maximum heart-rate during the run was 191 beats-per-minute (BPM), with an average of 175 BPM. That sure seems like a lot of blood pumping to me! What’s most fascinating is that my heart-rate remained elevated for the hour immediately after running. I was just lounging on the couch watching football! I guess the extremities are still crying for energy delivery, even after the exercise is over.

I’ve become that person now: checking their Apple Watch every now and then during a workout to see the progress. Even during the normal day-to-day, I am moving the left wrist up to see my current step count (got to get the daily 10,000!). I hope this gamification of health doesn’t become obsessive compulsive. The Apple Watch is suppose to assist, not become an albatross.

Finally, the Apple Watch

Here I am on a Thursday evening, super relaxed in knowing that I won't be waking up at 5:00 AM tomorrow morning to preorder the new iPhone 15 Pro. Because I am not making the upgrade this year, as I’ve written yesterday. TLDR: not enough improvements in the 15 Pro to entice me out of my 14 Pro.

The money I am saving by not upgrading will go towards buying the Apple Watch Series 9 (announced alongside the iPhone 15 Pro this past Tuesday). This will be my first smartwatch ever, and I’m excited to do one exact thing: be able to go on a run without my iPhone. I look forward to loading my playlist onto the Apple Watch and playing music off of it. No more clumsily holding onto the iPhone in one hand while I run. It can stay in the car for the duration.

Pro tip: if you’re leaving any computer electronics in the trunk for a period of time, be sure to shut down the device completely before tossing it in. Doing so stops the device’s bluetooth and WiFi antennas from broadcasting, thus preventing detection from thieves. Perps troll around parked cars with signal sniffers - that’s how they know to break into your trunk even though your computer bag isn’t visible.

Obviously, nothing you can do if they actually see you put stuff in the trunk. Eyeballs emoji.

Other than tunes whist running, I am also excited about the Apple Watch’s health tracking capabilities. It’ll be nice to constantly monitor my heart-rate, and get notified when there’s abnormalities (knock on wood). A more accurate step-count, too, will be interesting to keep track of. Just when I thought I was saving some money by not getting the newest iPhone, I go spend that cash on something else. Of course!