Race Report: Philly Half Marathon

I'm baaaack!

Prelude:
- 4 months before: sign up for Philly with Veronica. Run once every 2 weeks during the summer on Pton visits. Did 11 miles once, with WF and campus breaks in between. Legs feel like lead by 11.
- 6 weeks before: sprained ankle during ulty tourney. During the next 6 weeks, I ran six miles twice and one mile once.
- 1 week before: bike accident, banged head, left knee, right shoulder, right hip. Also, one of the craziest weeks of senior year academically means little sleep. Knee hurts intermittently. Trouble biking/putting angled pressure on.
- 2 nights before: 3 hours of sleep because of ulty initiations and excitement about the race.
- Morning before: hurts a lot just to walk on the ankle. No way to even walk to West Windsor. Resign myself to not going. Veronica decided a few days ago to not go either because of hip issues & lack of training. Take a nap. Feels better afterwards. Do test run to/from 2D. Okay except for lower back/hip/butt super tight. Decide to go to at least pick up packets & witness race excitement and possibly run.

Expo:
- Train ride, find my way there. Lots of excitement. Somehow signed up with estimated time 1:35. Even 1:53 would have been generous. Seeded in 1500’s (first wave), but ran with second wave instead. Got shirts – very loose & wide, but that makes it good for layering. Awesome design – black with “Kicked Asphalt” and has race map on back. Material is very meshy and breathable.
- Get free stuff. Samples of Planter’s Nutricious, Smart Start Strawberry MiniWheats, soy milk, Fuze. Bought awesome awesome UA Baltimore Running Festival long sleeve small black shirt. Looks so cool. A steal for $10.
Hear panel of marathoners about RELISHing the marathon experience. (Respect the distance with proper training beforehand and pacing on race day, Enjoy by running with people who 'get it' and enjoy both the journey there and the actual race, Learn about yourself - you're a different person after you cross the finish, Improve - be injury free even with 70-80 mi weeks by 'stealth' running which is very fluid and light with no sound of feet hitting ground or hearing heartbeat b/c that means you’re going too fast and watch shadow for bounding or side to side, Sharing the experience with running partners to make the miles fly by and having fun like wearing tutu to give laughs, Honor the accomplishment with cool race shirt quilt or whatever since <1 br="br" done="done" has="has" marathon="marathon" of="of" population="population">- Wander around looking at products for sale – race belt’s really cool but $20 could hold camera, gloves might be useful because it was so cold & I didn’t bring any, headband has ‘will run for chocolate’ and I didn’t bring my buff and it’s cold. At the Geiko ball drop, the guy gives me a head sweatband, though. I run with it.

Penn:
- I plan to ride the Septa, but they charge $2, except they don’t give change. I tell the guy I’d rather walk. Call Oreo about staying with her because Mommy’s ridiculously worried & keeps calling me and even Nicole. I get in touch with Oreo and we plan to meet. I walk about 30 blocks (maybe 2.5 miles) and get to Penn in the cold night. I stay in the common room for a while. People are wondering who I am and why I’m in there for 6 hours. So different than Pton. I try to sleep but it’s only 7pm, I read race stuff, I watch Nick at Night. I decide to go to Oreo’s to avoid all of the onlookers. Her roommate very concerned about no interruptions in studies goes away to her b/f’s, and I get to sleep on the floor. So cold in Penn unlike Pton so-hot-you-open-windows. The floor is cold and doesn’t retain my body heat that’s transferred through the thin fleece. Not a wink of sleep. At 4am, I give up and start packing for the race, getting my stuff together. I trek out through sketch. Many cabs riding around.

Pre-Race:
- Finally get to the Art Museum where they’re just setting up at 5:30am. I hang with NJ/NY couple for a bit by the gear stash buses. Freeze and eat an orange on the bleachers by the finish. Mommy calls. I stash my gear and in doing so drop and lose my orange NB sunglasses. Very sad. Oh well. I don just the race shirt and the Nike mock turtleneck (and the UA shirt, although I forget that I’m wearing it). I had had 5 layers on and a fleece before.
- I try to warm up a bit, but my feet are unfeeling blocks of ice. Not much use. I stand around. It’s so cold the wheelchair people opt out and decide to do the 8K instead. Lots of anticipation. A flag-flanked road with halfers on the right and fullers on the left. It’s the biggest city-sponsored race in the country. After like a 15 minute delay, wave 1 starts, then wave 2.

Race:
- Mile 1: Slow start with so many people. Go out towards massive and pretty Town Hall. (9:06) – on target for 2:00 even with slowness.
- Mile 2: Gets warmer and take off middle Nike layer but realize the UA’s underneath. Run about ½ mile in limbo with only sportsbra as I try to juggle 3 shirts. Peoples' clothes are everywhere as they shed them and leave them behind. By the bridge right before the water, many guys off to the side. Thought they were stretching at first but they were really peeing. A funny sight with lots of men peeing by bridge supports. (8:21) – flying.
- Mile 3: By the sort of abandoned riverside buildings. People are spreading out more. I start feeling tired. This early on, not a great sign. I’m out of shape. (8:24)
- Mile 4: About a third of the way done! Can I do this two more times? When I get the time of (10:25), I think I’m screwed. Slowed down that much this early! It’ll only go downhill from here.
- Mile 5: Was a mistake. They must’ve placed a marker wrong somewhere because I clock in at (7:41).
- Mile 6: Going down Jewler’s lane in the heart of the city with skyscrapers, many friends and family are cheering. It makes you want to go faster even if they’re not cheering for you. You pretend you have someone cheering for you. Some of them are so enthusiastic it makes you smile. A row of little kids giving high fives, for example. One particular crowd so loud I wince! You run fast and stay strong, motivated by the heart of these fans. (8:46)
- Mile 7-8: They stop posting mile splits for a few miles. A good thing, probably, since you kind of forget and just focus on the run. I go over the bridge and it starts getting chilly. Chris said later that it’s because your body gets tired. I train for 6 miles, so it’s no wonder I start feeling it. Many people start passing me. Just have to do that one more time. The hills start. I get passed especially on uphills, but I do net passing on downhills. Since you don’t have splits, you just keep going. Be optimistic. Start reminding myself to stay loose with the shoulders. It helps efficiency. Go by the zoo. (28:29)
- Mile 10: The park. Big Please Touch Museum and Big statues. Windy part of the course. Can see people ahead/behind sometimes. Keep going. 4, 3 more miles. You can do this. Icy water stop because it’s so cold. Poor line of women waiting for porta potty. Guys have it easy. (10:07)
- Mile 11: Two more miles-ish. Pacer’s coming up right behind me, in front of me. Just keep it up. Probably can’t hold him off. Disappointing, but it’s okay. I’ll be happy if I finish. Knee starts hurting a bit, but it goes away. On the interstate part going back into the city. (9:40)
- Mile 12: Think of it as a simple mile around the track. Give it all you have. Start driving past the 2:00 pacer. Can see the Art Museum in the distance. It’s an uphill, though. So close. Push the pace. (9:31)
- Mile 13: Round the traffic oval with the race tents and porta potties. Kick it. Finish strong. (8:48)
- Mile 13.1: Bring it in at 2:00:19. (0:54).

Post-Race:
- Get my medal and my space blanket. Think about getting the finisher picture in front of the flag, but the lines are huge. I watch some of the half finishers right before the first marathoner comes in at 2:19 (ridiculous – almost same time as me for twice the distance – Chris can do 2:30ish) Before he gets there, though, I cave and go to the food tent, where everything’s already in a bag for you. I also get the most delicious and salty chicken broth with brown rice ever. Such warm and salty goodness. I get my gear bag. I go to the back side of the flags and get someone to take my picture. That’s the way to do it. I go back to the bleachers and stand there for 45 minutes with legs feeling so tight.
- It’s great watching finishes. Very few women finishing among the first group, so I cheer for them. The men and women all look so fit. Some partners cross the line holding hands. I had finished head down kicking it to the end, even though I had strongly considered raising up my hands. Don’t regret it, though, since I was trying hard to break 2:00. One guy gets walked in with family. One guy runs in with daughter on his shoulders. Great looks of victory. One guy takes bows to the audience before crossing the line. One guy barely makes it across the line and collapses. How do those guys fight through such pain to finish? Finally, Chris comes in with his brother Jeff, although I miss videoing it because the time window is so short.
- I meet Chris’s childhood friends and their wives. Very nice people. After all of their group gets in, we go to the cars. After lots of looping around downtown Philly looking for a highway sign, we go home. The more you run, the more you get to eat. You’re hungry and food tastes so good when you run a lot.

5184 Finishers - 1881 M / 3303 F
Michael DiDio - 01:07:02
Kathleen Jobes - 01:16:17

Mar 15

FUEL:
1130: Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Hummusssss; 2 x WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Hazlenuts (v)
345: Protein Bread w/ Hummus; 2 x WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Hazlenuts
515: Mixed Greens w/ Balsamic Vinaigrette, Radish, and Carrots; Three Bean Etouffe; Skim Milk; Green Tea
630: Organic Multigrain Bread w/ Promise Buttery Spread; 2 Glasses of Black Tea
830: Apple
1100: Super Spicy but Super Delicious Tofu in Peanut Sauce; Chana Masala (chickpeas in tomato sauce); Plain Soymilk... mmm
1145: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate

FIT:
Fitness Challenge 2>
Shuttle: 10:15; Situps: 100; Pushups: 46; Height: 20; Mile: 6:22 (splits: 1:29, 1:38, 1:38, 1:35, so I need to keep up the pace on my 2nd and 3rd laps). The weak link keeping me from a perfect score this time was situps, of all things. That can be easily fixed if I practice before the test.
Last time's results: situps (straight hands over kneecaps) in 2min = 126, pushups (no more than 4s rest btwn) in 2 min = 51, vertical jump = 17in, mile run = 6:29... definitely could've pushed harder... next time... quarter splits = 1:31, 1:40, 1:41, 1:37
... so my situps and pushups were a bit disappointing this time. those things can be easily fixed, though. the improvement in the mile's a good sign. that one's usually harder to change. the vert jump can depend a lot on how the "your height" is measured, with arm extension or not, etc.

Mar 14

FUEL:
1000: Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; Black Beans w/ Carrots
1215: WW Double Chocolate Cookie w/ Hazlenuts
215: Turkey; Baby Spinach w/ Hummus, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Feta, and Fine Herb Dressing; Skim Milk; Green Tea... so filling
400: Oreo Outsides
700: Bowl of Yam & Wheat Soba Noodles w/ Broccoli, Garlic, & Peanut Sauce; Black Beans; Plain Soymilk
1100: Dry Roasted Peanuts; JL's Immersion Blender Smoothie w/ Activa Yogurt, Fresh Strawberries, and Milk

FUN:
Rummy, 7-something w/ JL.

Mar 13

FUEL:
1115: Sandy (literally) Spinach Pie; Plain Soymilk; Lentil Patties
1245: 2 x Half-Strength Equala Exchange Hot Cocoa
200: bit of Gogi Berry Juice
300: Plain Soymilk
545: WW Pasta w/ veggies & Peanut Sauce
900: Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Bowl of Black Beans w/ Carrots & Onions; WW Double Chocolate Cookie w/ Hazlenuts
1000: 2 x WW Double Chocolate Cookie w/ Hazlenuts
1030: Can of Tuna (v)
100: Multigrain Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter

FIT:
Wholefoods Run> 3 x Icelandic Dark Chocolate, 82% SB Dark Chocolate (2x as expensive as the Noir Sirius), 70% SB Dark Chocolate, Cereal
Club Fencing> 4, 6, 7 both ways (under better), 8 (across, drop way down). When hitting the side, turn grip in to make the blade bend out.

Sleep is good. When you don't sleep for a semester, it wears on your emotions. One night will do the trick (along w/ a good dose of exercise).

FUN:
Lunch w/ JS.
Phone call from LG to the room.

Mar 12

FUEL:
715: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread... getting sick of this
1130: Apple; Crunchy Peanut Butter
200: Oatmeal Sugar Cookie; WW Pasta w/ broccoli, tofu, carrots, bok choy, peanut sauce; Plain Soymilk
715: Beef w/ Cherry Tomatoes; Mixed Greens w/ strawberries; Carrots; Broccoli; Red Pepper Hummus on Bagel Chips; Banana Chips w/ nuts, craisins, and pineapple; nasty cous cous
845: Banana Chips w/ nuts
1200: Banana Chips

DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mar 11

FUEL:
615: Tofu in Spicy Peanut Sauce; Brown Rice Mushroom Risotto; Plain Soymilk
700: Vegan Brownie
1000: Half an Apple
100: Turkey; Mixed Greens w/ hummus, carrots, mushrooms, red onions, fine herb dressing; Skim Milk; Split Pea Soup
400: Half a Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread loeftover from a while back, haha - very crusty; Half an Apple
515: 2 x Half-Strength Organic Equal Exchange Hot Cocoa
700: Big Bowl of WW Pasta w/ Peanut Sauce, Broccoli, Carrots, Bok Choy, and Tofu; 2 x Lentil Burgers; Plain Soymilk... delectable
745: Vegan Brownie
1030: Vegan Brownie
1245: Plain Soymilk; WW Pasta w/ Peanut Sauce, Broccoli, Carrots, Bok Choy, and Tofu

1 down, 2 to go.

Mar 10

FUEL:
845: Half a Grapefruit
1130: Plain Soymilk; Spinach in Mushroom Sauce; Brown Rice Mushroom Risotto; Tofu w/ onions and five spices powder
200: Multiple Servings of Synder's Multigrain Cheese Puffs - White Cheddar
230: Multiple Servings of Synder's Multigrain Cheese Puffs - White Cheddar... midterm week (v)
530: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
900: Tofu; Plain Soymilk; Vegan Brownie; Brown Rice w/ wheatberries in Spicy Peanut Sauce
100: Orange; Rest of the Big Bag of Snyder's Multigrain Cheese Puffs - White Cheddar... ich hasse studying and sleeplessness

FAITH:
Usually for ulty, I try to incorporate a "thing I learned today." How much more important is it to remember and to continue applying a spiritual or personal "thing I learned today?" So thought process for today: "my head hurts. i don't want to study. this stinks. i'm not worrying, though i'm not doing the opposite of it, which is finding joy in this. this is pain. how do you find joy in this? hmm... in knowing i'm doing work for God's glory. it's like when i feel good amidst pain while running xc, knowing it's helping my team win points, or bearing the cold on the way to help out a friend. ok. let's keep working."

Mar 9

FUEL:
900: 1.5 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
1130: WW Pita w/ Salmon & Tomato; Skim Milk; Strawberries; Potato Wedges & Ketchup
500: Zen Palate Yam Fries; 3 x Zen Burger Slammers (Original vegetable burger served on a whole-wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts and a garbanzo bean spread); ZP Mind Over Muddle (raspberry stimulates blood flow and oxygenation to the brain to enhance focus, concentration and mental clarity); Plain Soymilk; Oatmeal Sugar Cookie... a nice change for the tastebuds (since the same types of spices/ same recipes tend to be used and resued at 2D)
1015: Spinach & Mushroom Sauce; 2 x Oatmeal Sugar Cookie; Crepe w/ Maple Syrup; Mushroom Risotto; Plain Soymilk

FUN:
Catching up w/ TKO over ZP.

Mar 8

FUEL:
945: Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter (v)
1115: Crunchy Peanut Butter
345: Can of Tuna; Apple
645: Olive Garden Salad - the family-sized Bowl; 3 x Olive Garden "make your own" Pizzas (cheese, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, onions)
1045: Brown Rice in Plain Soymilk; Mushrooms in Tomato Sauce
1200: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Crunchy Peanut Butter

FIT:
Ended up driving 8 hours round trip to MD to play just one game of super-windy, raining ulty. We won, though. I scored 3 of our 6 points, thanks to good puts from the throwers.

Mar 7

FUEL:
830: WW Pasta w/ pea, corn, and Tomato Sauce; Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
930: 60% Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
100: Mixed Greens w/ Baby Carrots, Mushrooms, Red Onions, Broccoli, Hummus, and Fine Herb Dressing; Turkey; Skim Milk; 60% Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
645: Bok Choy & Mushroom; Chickpea Salad w/ Red Onions; Tofu
745: 3 x Gingerbread Cookies
1145: Apple; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Buttery Sticks

Mar 6

FUEL:
830: Slab of Bok Choy Pie
1030: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
145: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
530: Lentil and Potato Soup; Plain Soymilk; 3 Bowls of Spinach Broth
900: Pear; WW Pasta w/ corn, pea, and Tomato Sauce
945: 60% Dark Chocolate Coverd Almonds
1215: Brown Rice w/ some wheatberries in Plain Soymilk
130: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Buttery Sticks (v)

FIT:
30 min of Throwing w/ VC - the coolest initials to have in ulty

Mar 5

FUEL:
815: Cape Cod Seitan w/ Wild Rice in Cranberry Sauce; Bok Choy Pie; Broccoli & Bok Choy; Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
1230: Plain Soymilk; Lentil & Potato Soup
715: Bok Choy Pie; WW Pasta w/ pea, corn, spices, tomato sauce; Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; Puffins Corn Cereal
1145: Lentil & Potato Soup; Plain Soymilk; Cape Cod Seitan w/ Wild Rice in Cranberry Sauce
200: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Cruncy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
245: 70% Dark Lindt Chocolate

Mar 4

FUEL:
730: Lentil Soup; Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Buttery Sticks... a proteiny breakfast (v)
1030: Puffins Corn Cereal; Hummus; Protein Bread w/ Buttery Sticks; Green Tea
1200: Clementine
100: Coconut Milk Rice Pudding
300: Plain Soymilk; Lentil & Potato Soup
330: Snyder's Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
615: Hummus; Organic Multigrain Honey Bread
945: Bok Choy & Broccoli; some crunchy peanut butter; Plain Soymilk; Cape Cod Seitan and Wild Rice w/ Cranberry Sauce... FN astounds us with his amazing cullinary skills once again!
1115: Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

FIT:
Stadium Ulty> dump should not catch close and behind the thrower - still stuffed. Instead, cut up, losing defender and gaining yards, or stay out wide, allowing good positioning for throws up the break side.

Mar 3

FUEL:
630: WW Pasta w/ Homemade BBQ Sauce - far better than any store-bought kind I've ever had; Sweet and [mostly] Sour Bok Choy; Homemade Banana Yogurt
945: Protein Bread w/ Hummus (v)
1130: Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; WW Spaghetti w/ Tomato Sauce
345: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & 100% Fruit Spread
545: Snyder's Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips; Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Organic Honey Multigrain Bread
900: Spicy Lentil Soup; some Spicy Bok Choy
1130: Coconut Milk Rice Pudding; Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread (v)

Mar 2

FUEL:
1000: NV Cheesy Quiche; Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread
1130: Puffins Corn Cereal; Snyder's Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips (v)
200: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Crunchy Peanut Butter
545: Skim Milk; Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Fine Herb Dressing; Tea; Lentil Soup
630: Cheese Lover's Munchies Mix (doritos, pretzels, cheetos, cheddar sun chips); few green grapes
930: Homemade Banana Yogurt (quite good - don't know if they added sugar, b/c it was so good!); Snyder's Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips; Daal w/ Potatoes; Sweet & Sour Bok Choy
1130: Apple; Crunchy Peanut Butter

FIT:
Broadmead Ulty> all-star guests from Wicked came. Focus on hip movement rather than disc movement when marking. Stack closer. Don't inch into the open side. Sometimes the best thing you can do it wait to let those who are supposed to be cutting a chance to cut. Raph does craazy-long layout demos. Cut my thigh trying to do a much shorter one.

FUN:
SR YG - Adorondak Seltzer Water Can Chugging Contest - finished in the bottom half but still got a clementine for participating, haha. Gave testimony.

Mar 1

FUEL:
845: Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; Protein Bread w/ Buttery Sticks (v)
1245: Snyder's Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
215: Turkey; Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Grated White Cheese, Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Sprouts, and Raspberry Vinaigrette; 2 glasses of Tea that I guzzled immediately because I was so thirsty from the run; Skim Milk; Oatmeal w/ stewed Blueberries... a good post-run meal that covers protein, calcium, antioxidants, and carbs
445: Apple; Crunchy Peanut Butter
745: Protein Bread w/ Hummus; 2 x Cheesy Tomato Quiche (relaxing guidelines, can't you tell?); Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread... a very proteiny meal... I was starving.
1030: Half a Grapefruit; Snyder's Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
100: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Hummus (v)

FIT:
Run to Mercer Mall to get replacement zipper for the fencing jacket, shampoo, KS binder. Took many walking breaks. Haven't' run in a month. But maybe it's just soreness from fencing lunges and last evening's practice. I think it's being out of shape, though. I've been working on fast twitch to the detriment of my slow twitch.

Bye Beth.

Feb 29 Leap Day!!!

FUEL:
830: Raw Almonds
1145: Turkey; Mixed Greens w/ Mushrooms, Broccoli, Beets, Red Onions, and Balsamic Dressing; Tea; Skim Milk
200: 2 x Organic Honey Multigrain Bread
500: Daal w/ Chickpeas; Non-WW FF Blueberry Muffin; Plain Soymilk (v)
1000: Hummus; Vegan WW Bran Cranberry Muffin
1100: some crunchy peanut butter
1230: Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; Daal w/ Chickpeas; Puffins Corn Cereal (v)

FIT:
Stadium Ulty> always great to have the coaches there, even if we've lost the inspirational BM and JH. Wore Nike batting gloves because of the cold, ended up keeping them on. Ended up playing awesome D with great dives, probably because of the keeper mentality I got from wearing the gloves. I miss soccer. But ulty was great.

Feb 28

Whoa, I just remembered that Feb is short. March is already here!

FUEL:
630: Tahini Bok Choy w/ bit of ww pasta; Plain Soymilk; Daal w/ Chickpeas
945: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & 100% Fruit Spread (v)
1230: Raw Almonds; Green & Black's 70% Dark Chocolate
630: Plain Soymilk; Chickpeas w/ Tomatoes; Tahini Bok Choy w/ WW Pasta; some onion & asparagus
915: Bowl of Daal w/ Chickpeas
1130: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Buttery Sticks; Plain Soymilk (v)
145: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & 100% Fruit Spread

FIT:
Fencing Practice: one of the best yet (granted, I've only been to 4). had stations: 1. tag (no more than 2 advances to touch, no parries, if miss it's the opponent's turn immediately), 2. target practice w/ 5 targets on a posted yoga mat- noticeable improvement within the course of practice - makes deltoid and bit of biceps tired, 3. parry reposte, 4. disengage reposte

FUN:
Made 3-course meal in 1.5 hrs: 1) beans, lentils, and brown rice w/ cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, lemon juice, garlic; 2) herb-roasted zucchini w/ thyme, parsley, garlic, lemon juice; 3) asparagus, mushroom, and onions w/ balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and tarragon... this one had a somewhat strange flavor, maybe too much balsamic

Feb 27

FUEL:
745: Broccoli & Mushrooms; Big Bowl of WW Pasta w/ BBQ Tofu; Plain Soymilk
100: Green & Black's 70% Dark Chocolate; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (vc)
600: Some Crunchy Peanut Butter
700: Tahini WW Pasta w/ Bok Choy; Daal and Chickpea Stew; Half a Portabello Mushroom; Plain Soymilk
1130: Indian Chickpeas w/ Tomatoes; Plain Soymilk; Tahini Bok Choy
1200: 5 x Vegan Shortbread Cookies
115: 2 x Vegan Shortbread Cookies

Feb 26

FUEL:
830: Optimum Rebound Almond-Banana-Flax Cereal (vc)
1030: Planter's Heat Peanuts; Broccoli & Mushrooms; Peanut Butter on a Chunk of Bread
400: Plain Soymilk; 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Buttery Sticks
630: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
930: WW Pasta w/ BBQ Tofu... it was great; Plain Soymilk; Broccoli & Mushrooms
1030: some Optimum Rebound Almond-Banana-Flax Cereal
1130: 2 x Gourmet Pizza w/ Tomato Sauce, Spinach, and bit of Mozerella... if I ate it, ate two, it must be good... thanks CS!

FIT:
Stadium Ulty on wet astroturf, had to wring water out of my shorts at the end

Feb 25

Feels odd calling this a new day, since it had just 2 hrs of sleep, but here goes...

FUEL:
600: Six Cookies of Oreo Outsides; Pack of Goldfish... healthiest breakfast I've had in a while
1115: Black Sweet Rice, Wheatberries, and Brown Rice; Balsamic Mushrooms; Soymilk (v)
1245: Green & Black's 70% Dark Chocolate
200: Fair Amount of Bite-Sized Tostito's; Optimum Rebound Banana-Flax-Almond Cereal
615: Plain Soymilk; Some Optimum Rebound Cereal; Some 70% Green & Black's Dark Chocolate; Some Tostito's... missing fresh-cooked veggies
845: Broccoli & Mushrooms; Sweet Beans
1145: Sweet Beans; Broccoli & Mushrooms; 1.5 Egg Whites

Feb 24

FUEL:
700: Daal; Black Sweet Rice, Hulled Barley, and Wheatberries in Plain Soymilk; Mushrooms, Green Bell Peppers, and Chickpeas
945: Bite-Sized Tostioto's (v)
1230: Plain Soymilk; 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
145: Bite-Sized Tostioto's
500: Apple
700: Strongly Balsamic Vinegared Mushrooms; Cabbage and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce; Black Sweet Rice, Hulled Barley, and Wheatberries in Plain Soymilk
1030: A cup of Goldfish, Peanuts, and Sunflower Seeds
100: A cup of Peanuts and Sunflower Seeds

Feb 23

FUEL:
800: Chickpeas, Green Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, and Mole Sauce; Plain Soymilk
130: Skim Milk; Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, and Fine Herb Dressing; Tea; 2 x Organic Multigrain Honey Bread; Turkey
415: 2 x WW Multigrain Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
730: Daal; Black Sweet Rice, Wheatberries, and Brown Rice w/ Plain Soymilk; 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate; Totally NV, full-fat Zuchinni Quiche; Tofu
915: Brown Rice Risotto w/ spinach and zucchini
1015: Half a Grapefruit
1145: Bite-size Tostito's with Desert Pepper's Chile Con Queso

FIT:
Broadmead Ulty> One of the best ulty practices I've had in my life. In a few inches of crunchy snow, which cut up my knees and bloodied my sleeves when I dove for stuff. Rather than sliding, you kind of sunk in. Did 232 and zone. I love cup. Middle wall is cool too. I still need to figure out the 2 of the 232, though. Handled all day and did a decent job. On the warm-up run, as we went in a line follow-the-leader style, we spelled out PUWF in the snow. It was pretty sweet. And VP bequeathed me the goals shirt for playing stuff I don't usually play and running hard all the time :)

Feb 22

FUEL:
930: Optimum Rebound Banana-Flax-Almond Cereal (vc)
1200: Raw Almonds
300: Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Clif Bar
715: Soy Milk; Spicy Mushrooms, Chickpeas, and Green Bell Peppers; Vegan WW Chocolate Cake; Tomato Sauce w/ a few Potato Wedges
1200: Tortilla Chips; More Tortilla Chips w/ Chile Con Queso... mmm; Brown Rice Risotto w/ spinach, zuchinni; 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
215: Black Beans; Soy Milk; Spicy Mushrooms, Chickpeas, and Green Bell Peppers; 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate

FUN:
NY in slush for ESPN int, going 30 blocks unnecessarily

Feb 21

FUEL:
600: Wildwood Lowfat Blueberry Soy Yogurt; Optimum Rebound Cereal (v)
630: some 70% Dark Icelandic Chocolate
845: Brown Rice w/ coconut milk, dried apricots, walnuts, raisins, plus skim milk
1200: Optimum Rebound Cereal
300: Black Beans; Vegan Mashed Potatoes w/ Chile Con Queso... the latter not a good idea; Dried Apricots
630: Indian Stir-Fried Potatoes and Cabbage (mustard seeds and 1 onion until pop, add 1/2 in diced potatoes and cook 5 min, and 1 small cabbage and cook 30 min w/ 1 tsp each of cayenne, turmeric, cumin, ginger); Vegan WW Chocolate Cake (3 c WW flour, 1 c oil, 1.5 c sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp vanilla, 2/3 c cocoa); FN's Honey/Soy Sauce-Glazed Fried Tofu... this dinner was amazing, one of the best I've had, possibly, if I do say so myself... seriously
900: FN's Honey/Soy Sauce-Glazed Fried Tofu; FN's Brown Rice Risotto w/ Spinach, Zuchinni, and Sauteed Onions... another masterpiece; my vegan chocolate cake
115: Vegan WW Chocolate Cake; Apple w/ Peanut Butter to wash it down

FIT:
Ulty, though the warmup was the most strenuous part of the whole night...

FUN:
1st Interview: ZS

Feb 20

FUEL:
945: Skim Milk; Brown Rice w/ walnuts, raisins
1145: Blue Corn Tortilla Chips w/ Desert Pepper's Chile Con Queso
200: Brown Rice w/ walnuts, raisins, dried apricots, and coconut milk; Skim Milk; Chickpeas w/ Mole Sauce (v)
445: WW Applesauce Muffin by DS; Green Tea
645: Tilapia; Mixed Greens w/ Hummus, Carrots, and Fine Herb Dressing; Skim Milk; Sauteed Zucchini; Cauliflower; Organic Multigrain Bread
945: Raw Almonds; Baked BBQ Chips
1245: Black Beans; Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes w/ Skins; Blue Corn Tortilla Chips w/ Desert Pepper's Chile Con Queso; Skim Milk

FUN:
Catching up w/ JL after 1.5 weeks of no JL, giving no-cut can opener, newspapers w/ her on it, smoothie card, butterfly litho

Feb 19

FUEL:
1030: Black Beans, Brown Rice, Onions, and Mole Saue; Skim Milk; Tangerine
1215: Heritage O's Nature's Path Multigrain Cereal; Pizza w/ tomato paste, tofu, mushrooms, garlic
315: Yellow Split Peas; Black Beans w/ Mole Sauce (as in mol-ay... no accent capabilities); Skim Milk (v)
415: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
615: Favorful Vegetable Soup w/ Green Beans, Onions, and Tomatoes; Brown Rice w/ walnuts, raisins, dried apricots, and coconut milk
1000: Skim Milk; Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
1130: Chickpeas w/ Mole Sauce; Brown Rice w/ walnuts, dried apricots, raisins, and coconut milk (v)

FIT:
Stadium Ulty, though only an hour

FUN:
Practice Case Interview w/ BCG's NL

Feb 18

FUEL:
945: Tangerine; Black Bean, Seitan, Corn, Onions, and Tomatoes w/ Mole Sauce! (v)
1215: Cold Pizza w/ tofu, tomato paste, oregano, mushrooms, garlic; Skim Milk; Heritage O's Kashi Multi-Grain Cereal; some 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
245: Half a Grapefruit
630: Skim Milk; 2 x Stuffed Cabbage w/ Tofu & Mixed Veggies; 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
915: Tangerine
1030: Black Beans and Brown Rice w/ Mole Sauce; Skim Milk; Heap of Black Olive Hummus (v)
130: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread

Feb 17

FUEL:
1130: Some Lox (no longer like it... too salty and unappealing); Sprouts, Broccoli, and Cauliflower; Skim Milk; Oatmeal w/ stewed blueberries & strawberries; Zuchinni, Carrot, Parsnip, and Tomato Soup
1245: 3 x Vegan WW Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies w/ Jam Center
445: Skim Milk; Cinnamon Puffins Corn Cereal; 2 x Stuffed Cabbage w/ Tofu & Mixed Veggie filling
615: Cinnamon Puffins Corn Cereal
930: Giant Bowl of Seitan, Black Beans, Corn, Tomato; Mole Sauce
1030: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate; 2 x Vegan WW Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies w/ Jam Center

FUN:
6 hours of sleep since Friday afternoon

Feb 16

FUEL:
630: Tangerine; Skim Milk
815: Big Bowl of Oatmeal w/ Brown Sugar
945: Savory Tofu w/ mushroom bits; Cabbage Soup w/ Carrots; 2 x Vegan WW Chocolate Thumprint Cookies w/ jam in the center
345: Skim Milk; Chickpeas w/ Eggplant, tomato, zuchinni, onion; Tangerine
730: Crunchy Peanut Butter; Tofu w/ mixed veggies; Pizza w/ mushrooms, tofu, garlic, tomato sauce, and cranberries... the cranberries were a mistake, but the rest was good
1000: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread; 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate (v)
200: Pizza w/ mushrooms, tofu, garlic, tomato sauce; 2 x Stuffed Cabbage (had the tofu w/mixed veggies in it); Skim Milk
230: 2 x Vegan WW Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies w/ wild berry jam

FUN:
KS pickups> BP

Feb 15

FUEL:
1015: Vegetable Chili (multiple beans, zuchinni, onions, carrots); Skim + Vanilla Soy Milk; Cabbage Curry w/ lentils, Carrots, and mustard seeds; Mushroom in savory sauce
1115: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
700: Cabbage Soup w/ Carrots and Beans; Savory Tofu w/ Mushroom bits; Hash Browns; Oven-Grilled Eggplant and Tomato... superb meal b/c it had unique flavors rather than the usual chili or indian food flavors
830: 3 x Vegan Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies w/ Wild Berry Jam Center
1130: Baked Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar Chips
145: Skim Milk; Savory Tofu w/ Mushroom Bits; 3 x Vegan Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies w/ Wild Berry Jam Center; Cabbage Soup w/ Carrots and Beans

FIT:
Broadmead Ulty> new topics learned: stack middle, handler dump swing, screw

FUN:
Ulty meeting.
KS callbacks

Feb 14

FUEL:
945: Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ carrots, almonds; Cabbage Curry w/ Carrots; Vegetable Curry w/ Carrots, Broccoli, Chickpeas; Skim Milk
130: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Crunchy Peanut Butter (v)
530: Skim Milk; Black Beans; Cabbage Curry w/ carrots; Mushrooms in savory sauce
630: 5 or so very thin Heart Sugar Cookies - maybe NV, since it doesn't taste like a cookie I'd normally eat, but I've been relaxing some usual fueling guidelines
945: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Crunchy Peanut Butter
1245: Tangerine; Skim + Vanilla Soy Milk; Mushrooms in Savory Sauce; Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce w/ Zuchinni, Onions, and Eggplant (it was my kind of random, halfway decent creation tonight)
130: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate

FIT:
Club Fencing> the glove drill. the two better players (both guys) spent lots of time teaching the 2 newbie guys, but ignored the 4 girls most of the time, so we just dueled with gloves instead of weapons for a long time. it probably teaches bad technique, since hitting with a glove involves completely different arm movements.
Gym Ulty> poor showing of 6 people, threw and did a couple of speed drills...

FUN:
Offered an interview!!!

Feb 13

FUEL:
945: Cabbage Curry w/ Lentils, Carrots, and Mustard Seeds; Skim Milk; Spicy Indian Rice w/ carrots, almonds; Black Beans
1115: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
145: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
445: WW but probably NV Pumpkin Bread, ate it too quickly to actually enjoy it
645: Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Mushrooms, Hummus, Fine Herb Dressing; Organic Honey Bread End... bread ends are a wonderful thing b/c of the extra crispiness and the extra oats and grains gathered there (once an organic food shop's gave me a whole bag of bread ends for free!); Tea; Skim Milk; Leaf Spinach; Turkey w/ Tomatoes and Red Onions
930: Tangerine
1200: Spicy Indian Rice w/ carrots, almonds; Skim Milk; Vegetable Curry (carrots, chickpeas, spinach, broccoli); Onions w/ a bit of tomatoes
1245: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate

FUN:
Dinner w/ --
Good roomie talks

Feb 12

FUEL:
1030: Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ carrots, almonds, raisins, onions; Black Beans; Eggplant Sans-Parm w/ Tofu, Tomatoes, and Onions
100: Cabbage Curry w/ Lentils and Mustard Seeds; Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ carrots, almonds, raisins, onions; Skim Milk
400: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ 100% Fruit Spread and Crunchy Peanut Butter (v)
830: Vegetable Chili; Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ carrots, almonds, raisins, onions; Cabbage Curry w/ Lentils, Carrots, and Mustard Seeds; Skim Milk
915: White Cheddar Soy Hearts... trying to acquire a taste for it, since I've already bought 2 bags, but it's tough; 2 x Giant Sugar Cookies

FIT:
45 min abs/jumps

Feb 11

FUEL:
845: Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ Almonds, Raisins, Carrots, and Onions; Skim Milk; Baked Onions & Rosemary w/ Whole Peeled Tomatoes; Baked Diced Carrots
1245: Green Tea; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
145: Giant Sugar Cookie; Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread (v)
545: Cabbage Curry w/ Carrots and Lentils; Giant Sugar Cookie; Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ Almonds, Raisins, Carrots, and Onions
900: Eggplant (some crusted w/ cornmeal and fried to perfection) sans-Parm (tofu instead) w/ lots of tomatoes & Onions; Black Beans; Skim Milk
1200: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
130: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Peanut Butter

FIT:
Got my vertical jump to be somewhere around 19 inches, I think, which is up from 17. It's hard to judge, though.

FUN:
KS auditions Round 1

Feb 10

FUEL:
830: Heritage O's by Nature's Path; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar (v)
1215: Strawberries; Salmon w/ Sliced Tomatoes; Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Hummus, Broccoli, and Fine Herb Dressing
345: Daal w/ Tomatoes in Sweet Black Rice; Skim Milk
630: Chocolate Graham Crackers; 2 x Protein Bread w/ 100% Fruit Spread & Peanut Butter
1015: Tofu w/ Carrots; Big Bowl of Spicy Indian Brown Rice w/ Sauteed Almonds, Raisins, Carrots, and Onions; Big Sugar Cookie
1115: Big Sugar Cookie; Half a Grapefruit

FIT:
Club Fencing, taught some parrying drills by H, awesome one-on-one lesson w/ JS, fenced a bout with a girl - lost 2 to 5- glad to get a couple of touches, but the few things I practiced a bit all went out the window when it was no longer a drill but the real thing

FUN:
Watched South Ivy Meet, CD in action, JL coaching.
WRC SrYG w/ JSh

Feb 9

FUEL:
1030: Skim Milk; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
1230: WW Pita w/ Lots of Turkey; Chocolate Graham Crackers (v)
500: Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
715: Crispy WW Pizza w/ Garlicy Olive Oil, Tomatoes, Herbs, and Black Olives; Onions Baked in Tomato Sauce; Daal w/ tomatoes; Black Sweet Rice... superb
1000: Cheese Doodles
1100: Daal w/ Tomatoes; Sweet Black Rice w/ Vanilla Soy Milk; Crispy WW Pizza w/ Garlicy Olive Oil, Tomatoes, Herbs, and Black Olives
115: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate

FUN:
Dinner @ 2D w/ KJ
Manna sing
Roommate Catch Phrase competition, winner picks loser's task. MP swing danced w/ a stuffed animal dog, KJ ate chocolate graham crackers out of a frisbee on the floor with hands behind back, and LG acted out an alligator... and I took pictures, haha.
Sleepover - 4 in 2 combined beds, sharing stories.

Feb 8

FUEL:
1015: Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
1245: Eggplant Rollatini stuffed w/ Black Beans & Tofu, topped w/ Tomato Sauce; Chocolate Graham Crackers; Yellow Split Peas w/ Wheatberries, Black Sweet Rice, and Eggplant
700: Chocolate Banana Brownies; Pakora (deep-fried chickpea flour w/ onions and spinach); Yellow Split Peas w/ Wheatberries, Black Sweet Rice, and Eggplant; Brown Rice w/ Tomato Sauce w/ onions
1145: Yellow Split Peas w/ Wheatberries, Black Sweet Rice, and Eggplant; Brown Rice w/ Vanilla Soy Milk (v)
230: Chocolate Graham Crackers; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar

FIT:
Fitness Challenge 1: shuttle (2 x 20ish feet... very short) ... too much human err to make it worth recording, situps (straight hands over kneecaps) in 2min = 126, pushups (no more than 4s rest btwn) in 2 min = 51, vertical jump = 17in, mile run = 6:29... definitely could've pushed harder... next time... quarter splits = 1:31, 1:40, 1:41, 1:37

FUN:
PFA & PEF performances w/ KS

Feb 7-p

Suh-weet!

FUEL:
945: Almond Butter from the jar; Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Black Beans, Carrots, and Tofu
130: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Buter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
500: Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread
615: Black Beans and Tofu
930: Soy Milk w/ Skim Milk; Candied Walnuts; Lentils w/ Black Sweet Rice, Wheatberries, and Eggplant; Eggplant Rollatini w/ Black Beans and Tofu, covered in Tomato Sauce
145: Chocolate Graham Crackers (v)

200: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate

FIT:
Club Fencing> advance, retreat, lunge, parry4, parry6 taught by Clinton
Gym Ulty> forward, not side lunge on the open side, going diagonalish

Feb 6

FUEL:
945: Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ 100% Fruit Spread; Sweet & Sour Fried Eggplant
1215: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Buttery Sticks
145: Heritage O's by Nature's Path (v)
200: Soy Milk
645: Candied Walnuts; Heap of Red Pepper Hummus; Skim Milk; more of that Hummus on Oven-Toasted Sliced Bagel Chips; Mixed Greens; Marinated Tofu; Lentils, Bell Peppers, Pineapple, Raisins, Onions, and Craisins Salad; Broccoli & Cherry Tomatoes al dente
915: Banana Chips and Nuts and bit of pineapple
1130: Black Beans w/ Onions & Tofu; Soy Milk and Brown Rice

FUN:
Dinner @ Colonial w/ KJ and MP

Feb 5

FUEL:
845: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
115: Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Hummus, and Fine Herb Dressing; Skim Milk; Turkey Breast; Sizeable slab of Carrot Cake
500: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & 100% Fruit Spread
630: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
930: Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto; Carrots; Skim Milk
1030: Vegan Carrot Cake
1100: Apple
100: Optimum Rebound Cereal: Banana-Almond-Flax; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar

FIT:
Ulty in the Stadium... I love life. Popping> triangles... go in, go horizontal for the swing

FUN:
Chapel Watching

Feb 4

FUEL:
1000: Cabbage Pie w/ Whole Wheat Crust, Carrots, Mushrooms w/ extra Cabbage Piled on top; Black Bean Stew w/ Tomatoes
1200: 1/2 Panera Multigrain Bagel
145: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Cabbage Pie
615: Half a 3.5-serving bag of Cheddar Soy Crisps; Banana; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
1200: Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Buttery Sticks; Plain Lowfat Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Vegan Carrot Cake! - got a little mushy in the fridge
130: Chocolate Graham Crackers; 75% Light Vermont White Sharp Cheddar

FUN:
Case interview How-to session...
1st chapel watch shift
1st ks meeting as pres

FAITH: Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

Henry Francis Lyte, 1793-1847

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my All shalt be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends may shun me;
Show Thy face, and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee Abba, Father!
I have stayed my heart on Thee.
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,
All must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me,
'Twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me,
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, 'tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, 'twere not in joy to charm me
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Take, my soul, thy full salvation;
Rise o'er sin and fear and care;
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
What a Father's smile is thine,
What a Savior died to win thee;
Child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

Haste, then, on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith and winged by prayer;
Heaven's eternal day's before thee,
God's own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close the earthly mission,
Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope soon change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

What a song! It's just dripping with sweet truth.

Feb 3

FUEL:
900: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
130: Lettuce w/ Almonds, Oranges, and Tangy Dressing; Multigrain Bread; Vegetable Soup w/ Zucchini, Carrots, Kale, Broccoli, and Rice; Red Grapes
230: Chocolate Graham Crackers
715: Skim Milk; Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew; Mixed Greens w/ Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Onions, Broccoli, and Balsamic Vinaigrette; bit of multigrain bread; Sauteed Cabbage; Super Vegan Carrot Cake!!! w/ Cranberries, Apples, Carrots
930: WW Brick-Oven Pita w/ Almond Butter & Vegan Chocolate Chips; Big Square of Vegan Carrot Cake

FUN:
Re-Lyricsing Billy Joel's For the Longest Time w/ TT
Resume Droppings Everywhere

Feb 2-p

FUEL:
1100: Nature's Path Rebound Cereal (v)
145: Hummus; Tomatoes w/ Rosemary and lots of Black Pepper; Lowfat Plain Yogurt; Cabbage Pie w/ Carrots, Onions, and Lots of Cabbage
300: 70% Icelandic Dark Chocolate
445: Chocolate Graham Crackers... like oreo outsides (my fav) w/o the hfcs!
645: Daal w/ Tomatoes; Lowfat Plain Yogurt; Black Beans
730: WW Pita w/ Almond Butter & Vegan Chocolate Chips
1015: Cabbage Pie; Daal w/ Tomatoes
1115: Cheddar Soy Crisps; 75% Light Vermont Sharp White Cheddar

FIT:
Run to TJX/Ross/Walmart/Marshalls!!! Just discovered the route today during the shopping adventure. I think I can get to Quaker Bridge using the overpass, too. But that's for another day. I'll have to check out the list of stores there to see if it's worth it.

FUN:
Shopping @ Wholefoods & Bed, Bath, and Beyond w/ JJL
Spud's vase completely ran out of water while I was away for the past 6 days, despite my best efforts, but he was still moist, and he's drinking it up again.
Lost Episodes

Feb 1

FUEL:
1115: Turkey Sandwich w/ Tomato; Skim Milk; Instant Oatmeal; Half a Grapefruit
100: Cheese and Egg Bake w/ Zuchinni - delicious
445: Heritage O's by Nature's Path (like cheerios but with 7 grains!)
600: Nature's Path Optimum Rebound Cereal
1100: Nature's Path Optimum Rebound Cereal

FUN:
Making it home alive w/ JJL through snow storm and torrential rains. Praise God.

Jan 31

FUEL:
930: Tangerine; Skim Milk and Frosted Miniwheats
1245: Chunky Peanut Butter & Banana
130: BBQ Chips; Heap of Hummus and Tomato on WW Bread
700: Black Bean Tortilla w/ Sour Cream; Salad w/ Carrots & Cucumbers; Carrot Coins
1115: Cookies & Cream Ice Cream; 2 x Chocolate Fudge Chunk Ice Cream; 4 x Gingerbread Cookies... and then I tried playing a game of ultimate... uncomfy
215: Chunky Peanut Butter... a KJ and JL favorite

FUN:
Brattleboro bead shop, cd/dvd shop, used book store, sports shop
Mafia w/ JJL!!! Doc, Detective, and Townsperson... tons of fun.

Jan 30

FUEL:
930: Blueberry Yogurt w/ Frosted MiniWheats; Half a Grapefruit
100: 2 x WW Pita Bread w/ Hummu (vc)
430: Apple
630: Taco Salad (sour cream, tomatoes, salsa); Rebound Cereal by Nature's Path w/ Skim Milk; 3 x Gingerbread Cookies

FIT:
Circuits w/ JS, EK, JL, plus some jumproping and abs and stuff
PEF/Manna Basketball Game

FUN:
Speed Scrabble
Skits! Yay group 11.

Jan 29-p

FUEL:
645: Half a Grapefruit; Vanilla Yogurt w/ Frosted Miniwheats; Hummus on Lettuce
1245: Turkey Sandwich w/ Lettuce and Tomato; Cooler Ranch Doritos
700: Minestrone Soup w/ Mushrooms, Carrots, Tomatoes, Potatoes; Salad w/ Carrots & Cucumbers; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & Chocolate Chips
1015: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Almond Butter

FIT:
Skiing Greens
Indoor Soccer

FUN:
2 good runs at the very end w/ CS

Jan 28

FUEL:
800: Cabbage; Soy Milk & Brown Rice
100: McDonalds French Fries w/ Ketchup; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Almond Butter
700: Salad w/ Carrots & Cucumbers; 2 x Sprouted Grain and Legume Bread w/ Almond Butter & 100% Fruit Spread
1100: Orange; 3 x Gingerbread Cookies; Red Grapes

FUN:
Life stories w/ CH, JJL, and EK on the way to Spofford

Jan 27

FUEL:
130: Big Heap of Hummus; Skim Milk; 3-Egg White Omlette w/ Mushrooms & Curry Powder; Nature's Path 7-Grain Cheerios (v)
545: GenSoy White Cheddar Soy Heart Crackers (I'm afraid the maker of that product may be vegan, and may have never tried cheddar before, because that doesn't taste like any white cheddar product I've ever had)
715: Skim Milk; Granny Smith Apple; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
1115: Brown Rice w/ Soy Milk; 4 x Gingerbread Cookies - new recipe that's much less complex than the one I've been using, pretty good, no refined sugars; Steamed Cabbage w/ Bragg's Liquid Aminos (like soy sauce but w/o the bad stuff)
1230: 3 x Gingerbread Cookies

FIT:
Wholefoods Run> on the way there (4:30pm), the canal was 1/2 frozen, and half of the Canadian Geese were swimming, and the other half were walking on the ice, which would crack and make a wet-fart sound. One went on thin ice and fell through, but these guys float, so no matter. On the way back, it was dark, so I used the hand-crank led flashlight on the tow-path, which would have scared me had not the sounds of the items shifting in my backpack, my breath, and my steps kept my mind off of it.

FUN:
Pride and Prejudice, BBC, Vol II w/ MH.

Jan 26

FUEL:
1030: Hulled Barley, Wheatberries, and Black Sweet Rice in Soy Milk
1230: Skim Milk; Protein Bread w/ Heap of Garlic Hummus
115: Raw Almonds (v)
530: Brown Rice; Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms, and Onions in Peanut Sauce; Skim Milk
715: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Almond Butter
945: Soy Milk; Heap of Hummus
1200: Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms, and Onions in Peanut Sauce; 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Vegan Chocolate Chips & Almond Butter

FUN:
Lunch w/ BM
Cooking Dinner & Watching BBC Pride & Prejudice w/ MH

Jan 25

FUEL:
900: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
1100: Seasoned Fries
145: Onions in Tomato Sauce; Skim Milk; Cabbage, Broccoli, bit of mushroom & snap pea Stir-Fry
315: Vegan WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookie w/ Almonds; Seasoned Fries
600: Cherries
730: Mixed Greens w/ Mushrooms, Artichoke Hearts, Broccoli, and Fine Herb Vinaigrette; Skim Milk; Frosted Mini Wheats; 2 Glasses of Tea
1045: Green Beans w/ Almonds & Onions (and nasty nutmeg); Black Beans; Soy Milk; Heap of Hummus
1200: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Almond Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Cherries

FIT:
My first BM Pyramid, complete w/ non-stop jogs in btwn. 19 laps total (9 of which was the inter-jogs), plus warm-up/cool-down to/from stadium. Maybe it's that it's no longer hot, meaning more energy could go into running rather than body climate control, but suprisingly, it wasn't so bad... or maybe I wasn't pushing myself hard enough. This is the first time I didn't do it with anybody. It took 39ish minutes. It was 100 off/on x 4, 200 off/on x 3, 200 off / 400 on x 2, 200 off / 800 on x 1, and back down... something like that.

FUN:
KS leadership team meeting
Psych experiment - $24/1.25hr
Dinner & PEF w/ BM

RECIPE: Seasoned Fries

Ingredients:
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cayenne
2 tbsp Olive Oil
6 little Sweet Potatoes or White Potatoes

1. Mix fry-sized potatoes with the oil
2. Mix the seasoning in
3. Spread as a single layer on a big pan and bake at 450 degrees for 20 min.

Jan 24

FUEL:
1230: 2 x Protein Bread w/ Almond Butter & Vegan Chocolate Chips (v)
530: Black Beans; Onions in Tomato Sauce; Skim Milk
715: Seasoned Fries that came out crunchy like potato chips; Cabbage & Broccoli Stir-Fry; Green Beans w/ Onions & Almonds
815: 2 x Vegan WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Almonds
900: 2 x Vegan WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Almonds
200: Skim Milk; Heap of Hummus; Seasoned Fries; Green Beans w/ Onions & Almonds (and nutmeg, a mistake... never use nutmeg) (v)
500: Hulled Barley, Black Swet Rice, and Wheatberries in Soy Milk

I woke up at noon and took two naps by the time I woke up from the second nap at 5pm.

FIT:
Ulty... rando drills, since there were 6 ppl

FUN:
Finished Veritas Conflict.
I wonder what the nutrition facts are for grass. I just ate a piece of Spud (on purpose).

Jan 23

FUEL:
1015: Skim Milk; Onions in Tomato Sauce; Black Beans
100: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
300: Vegan WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookie w/ Almonds; Skim Milk (v)
400: 2 x Moon Gingerbread Cookies... except I made the mistake of thinking it would be okay to not add ginger to the dough, since we didn't have any ginger powder (though we had ginger root), and of adding only about 60% of the recommended suga, making the cookies taste very bread-like
600: 2 x Moon Gingerbread Cookies... barely sweet enough to pass for a dessert
700: Spinach & Chickpea Curry; Black Beans; Onions in Tomato Sauce; Indian Spicy Brown Rice w/ Carrots, Raisins, and Almonds... a delightful meal
730: 2 x Gingerbread Stars (one big, one small)
1100: Hulled Barley & Sweet Black Rice in Soymilk; Bean Stew w/ Corn & Onions; Onions in Tomato Sauce
1230: 2 x Vegan WW Double Chocolate Chip Cookie w/ Almonds

Jan 22

FUEL:
845: Protein Bread w/ Buttery Sticks; Skim Milk; Vegetable Chili w/ Zuchinni, Tomato, Carrots
100: Apple; Whole Grain Goldfish
400: Bean Stew w/ Corn, Onions, and Mushrooms; Skim Milk
715: Onions in Tomato Sauce; Hulled Barley & Black Sweet Rice; Tofu, Peas, and Snap Peas; Vegan Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Cookie w/ Almonds... I made it, and it's delicious.
930: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread & Almond Butter (v)
1200: Vegan Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Cookie w/ Almonds

FIT:
Wholefoods Run - IN HAIL!!! That's a first. (In shorts and a short-sleeve t-shirt, too.) With the canal half frozen.

FUN:
More Veritas Conflict.

Jan 21

FUEL:
945: Skim Milk; 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Honey and Peanut Butter (v)
115: Bean, Onion, Mushroom, and Corn stew; Puffins Corn Cereal
230: Whole Grain Goldfish
730: Organic Multigrain Honey Bread; Mixed Greens w/ Radish, Tomato, Balsamic Dressing, Tofu; Skim Milk; Whole Grain Goldfish; Tea
1100: Apple
1130: Raw Almonds
1215: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Vegetable Chili w/ Carrots & Tomatoes

FUN:
Fitness Team Meeting
KJ and I Papering our Examing Roomies
Started The Veritas Conflict by Shaunti Feldhahn

Jan 20

1.5 hrs of sleep later...

FUEL:
930: Skim Milk
1130: Bit of Salmon; 1/2 of a 1/2 of a Grapefruit; Oreo Outsides; Tea... the salmon seemed not quite fresh, and I didn't have much of an appetite
345: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
700: Seasoned Baked in lots of EVOO Potato Fries; Mushroom & Onion Bean Stew w/ many random spices, since it didn't taste like much for a while; Steamed Snap Peas
1100: Bean, Corn, Mushroom, and Onion Stew; Skim Milk; Seasoned Potato Wedges (v)
1230: Chunky Peanut Butter (the chunky part, mainly); Whole Grain Goldfish

FUN:
Northanger Abbey on PBS @ 28.5

fReE at LaSt!

Jan 19-p

FUEL:
1015: Protein Bread w/ Buttery Sticks; Skim Milk; Protein Bread w/ Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread (v)
215: Colossal Chocolate Chip Cooke from Alternative Baking Co.; Tofu w/ Peanut Sauce (v)
400: Chocolate Fruit (a black-colored type of persimmon that's supposed to taste chocolate-like and is often eaten with milk or used to make ice cream... maybe mine was still a little bit unripe [it's supposed to be inedible when unripe], b/c it was a little spicy/stingy to the tongue)
700: Cream of Broccoli Soup (coconut milk, bit of spinach); Tofu, Mushroom, Snap Pea Stir-Fry in Brown Rice; Skim Milk
900: Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips
1100: Skim Cafe Latte
115: Tangerine; Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
315: Tofu & Broccoli w/ bit of Spinach in Peanut Sauce; rest of the coffee; bit of cranberry cake
600: Whole Grain Goldfish (v)

FAITH: Pressing On

I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.
I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
There's only one thing left to do.
Drop all I have and go with you.

[Chorus:]
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.
My problems fell out of the back of my mind.
We're going and I'm never knowing (never knowing) where we're going.
To go back to where I was would just be wrong.
I'm pressing on.
Pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone.
(pressing on, pressing on)
And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.
'Cause I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door.
And to go back where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressing on.

I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.
I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here.
Adversity, we get around it.
Searched for joy, in you I found it.

You look down on me, but you don't look down on me at all.
You smile and laugh, and I feel the love you have for me.
I think we're going somewhere.
We're on to something good here, and we're gonna make it after all.

______________________________________________________

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on to toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:12-14

Paul makes it a point to say "forgetting what is behind." What's the significance of that? First, it means becoming free from having to carry the burden and guilt of past sins. We are new creations in him, now that we have been reconciled by his grace, with our sins not counted against us (2 Cor 5:17-19). When God looks at us, he doesn't see our sins, but he sees Jesus, whose blood covers and purifies us. Second, we also are not content with past accomplishments, wonderful as they might be. I have not arrived, and I will not while I'm on this side of heaven. No amount of good works could save my wretched self. I live by his grace. Every sin and impure thought reminds me of how I need him. I have nothing to boast about save the power of Christ (Rom 3:27-28). Therefore, past sins and past accomplishments, which would otherwise hold me back from receiving grace, I leave in the dust as I press on.

Jan 18

FUEL:
745: Skim Milk; 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
1145: Chocolate Chip Clif Bar; Whole Grain Goldfish... I want non-processed, warm food
345: Amy's Organic Black Bean & Veggie Burrito; Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Sread
700: Tofu, Mushrooms, Onion, and Broccoli in Peanut Sauce... that hit the spot; Brown Rice
1130: Brown Rice in Peanut Sauce; Tofu in Peanut Sauce; Soy Milk; Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips
1230: Whole Grain Goldfish; 85% Lindt Dark Chocolate

FIT:
Huck & Sprint to Huck Again

Jan 17

FUEL:
830: Onions in Tomato Sauce; Almond/Cinnamon-Glazed Tofu; Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
100: Mixed Greens; Red Pepper Hummus; Steamed Broccoli; Artichoke Hearts; Carrot Sticks; Tofu; Banana Chips w/ few nuts & dried cranberries
200: Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips w/ Chile Con Queso
530: Apple
700: Skim Milk; Mushrooms & Seitan; 2 x Protein Bread w/ Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread
715: Few nuts & Banana Chips
1000: Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips w/ Chile Con Queso
1115: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread
115: Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips w/ Chile Con Queso... now there's no more chile con queso (v)

FUN:
Done with 311 forever!!!!!!!!!! The material was interesting, but the way it was taught could be improved.
Lunch w/ FW.

Jan 16-p

FUEL:
845: Tangy Onions & Tomatoes; Glazed Tofu Cutlets & Another kind of Almondy-Baked Tofu; Skim Milk
1000: some 85% Lindt Dark Chocolate
1230: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread Slathered in Crunchy Valencia Peanut Butter & 100% Fruit Spread
215: Whole Grain Goldfish (c, v)
430: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; bit of Hummus
530: Whole Grain Goldfish
700: Almondy-Baked Tofu; Brown Rice Risotto w/ Broccoli & Mushrooms; Tangy Onions & Tomatoes; Protein Bread w/ Crunchy Valencia Peanut Butter & 100% Fruit Spread
1045: A Fair Amount of Chile Con Queso w/ Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips (vc)
1145: 2 x Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread Slathered in Crunchy Valencia Peanut Butter & Wild Berry Fruit Spread

Jan 15

Dean's Date!

FUEL:
1000: Apple
1115: Plain Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread; Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread Slathered w/ Crunchy Peanut Butter & 100% Fruit Spread
215: Whole Grain Goldfish
445: FRESH KETTLE KORN!!! hahaha. It's actually listed as an interest in my fcbk. The first time I had it was fall dean's date freshman year. I fell in love immediately. Soybean oil, sugar, and salt dumped into one incredible white paper bag. Ohhhhhhh man.
745: Tomato Sauce and Onions; 2 Types of Glazed Tofu; Skim Milk; Brown Rice Risotto w/ Broccoli & Mushrooms... one of the best meals I've had at 2D so far.
830: Kettle Korn


3 things down, 3 to go!

FIT:
Stadium Ulty!!! Yayyyyyyyyyy! Intense marking with BM. Gotta figure out defensive positioning> issues: needing a big buffer for a faster offense, but then she'll go deep. If I get perpendicular, I'll get beat when she goes to the front. If I eave a smaller buffer, I'll get beat. Smaller buffer's probably the answer. Smaller buffer plus more sprint workouts.
LG's good suggestion: it's lose/lose, so best give BM the less dangerous op - let her go in rather than deep

Jan 14

FUEL:
1000: Daal w/ Wheatberries, Hulled Barley, and Black Sweet Rice; FF Plain Yogurt (v)
1100: Whole Grain Goldfish
230: Peanut Chocolate Crunch Clif Bar
330: Most of a Big Bag of Soy Crisps
715: Black Sesame Tofu; Baby Spinach and Mixed Greens w/ Mushrooms, Radish, and Balsamic Vinaigrette; some Wasabi Green Peas; Green Tea; Whole Grain Red Rice
800: Decaf Skim Milk Mocha Frappe, a $4.65 Fair-Trade Small World Coffee, on the class of '09
1230: Rest of the Big Bag of Soy Crisps; Tangerine
230: Roasted & Seasoned Onions, Sweet Potatoes, and Tofu; Daal w/ Black Mustard Seeds & Onions

Ich hasse 311.

Jan 13

FUEL:
830: FF Plain Yogurt; Roasted & Seasoned Mushrooms, Sweet Potato, Onions, and Tofu
115: Smoked Salmon w/ Tomato Slices; Broccoli w/ Fine Herb Dressing; Oatmeal; 1/2 Grapefruit
715: Daal and Hulled Barley, Wheatberries, and Black Sweet Rice Mix; FF Plain Yogurt; Bread w/ Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil; Whole Grain Goldfish (v)
1100: Apple; WW Pita w/ Hummus (tasted not so good, so I don't know why I ate 80% of it before throwing it away); Tofu, Peas, and Onions (also not so good, right out of the fridge)
1230: Optimum Rebound Cereal

Soooooo tired.

Jan 12-p

FUEL:
745: Vegetable Chili; Plain Yogurt
1130: WW Chocolate Chip Cookies; Bread w/ a whole Bulb of Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil (v)
200: Optimum Rebound Cereal
800: Mixed Greens w/ Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots, Raspberry Vinaigrette, Artichoke Hearts; Cooked Carrot Sticks; Stuffed Green Pepper, which didn't really look like a pepper; Wild Rice; Trail Mix; Green Tea; Skim Milk
1230: Baked & Seasoned Sweet Potato, Mushrooms, Onions, and Tofu; WW Chocolate Chip Cookies
130: Hulled Barley in Vanilla Soy Milk; Whole Grain Goldfish

FUN:
8-hr final.
Figaro - awwwwesome!!!
The Best Birthday Suprise Ever.

About the list of 12 things to do b/f I turn 21, I got 11 of them done. The youtube video was the one I didn't do.

Jan 11

FUEL:
1030: Hulled Barley in Vanilla Soy Milk w/ Nutmeg; Vegetable Chilli (carrots, zucchini, beans)
1130: Banana; WW Chocolate Chip Cookies (g)
100: WW Goldfish
400: Heap of Hummus; FF Plain Yogurt; WW Chocolate Chip Cookies (v)
715: Tangerine; Vegetable Chilli
1030: Vegetable Chilli; Hulled Barley in Vanilla Soy Milk
1130: Bread w/ Roasted Garlic, Olive Oil, and Salt

I ate an entire head of garlic. Garlic is awesome. My mouth's going to be dry tomorrow, and I'm going to smell like garlic tomorrow, but that's okay, since I won't be around people all day during the 8-hr exam.

FUN:
PEF w/ JS!
Talked a/b Spud.

FAITH: Spud

Spud is my new friend.

When I completely immersed Spud in water, and then I filled his vase so that he could drink from it daily, a thought came to me. Spud could be a good reminder of how, having been saved, a Christian must drink daily from the Word, if she is to continue growing. Otherwise, she will dry out.

I'm not too much of a "New Year's Resolution" person. I don't remember whether I've ever had resolutions. I think one year I read the Bible. Other than that, not really. But one thing I do want to do this year is read the Bible more (sadly, "at all" would be more appropriate), and memorize scripture more, and not in a going-through-the-motions way.

Spud's water jug says "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).

Spud's little. Even when he's full-grown, he's barely going to be a plant. Maybe one day, JL will think me responsible enough to take care of a real plant, haha. Another verse that comes to mind is "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much" (Luke 16:10a). If I can't do a thing like listen to God for just 10 minutes out of a day filled with so many less important things (in fact, they're all less important), how can I take seriously my "desire" to work in ministry?

Spud will be a daily reminder of how I need to drink from God's Word, and hopefully, I will grow with Spud this year.

Jan 10

FUEL:
1200: Vegetable Chili (zucchini, onions, beans); Black Sweet Rice, Hulled Barley, and Wheatberries in Vanilla Soy Milk; Heap of Hummus
330: Honey Roasted Peanuts
500: FF Plain Yogurt
730: Chickpea & Onion Curry; Hulled Barley & Mushroom Risotto; WW Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with Earth Balance, 1/2 the sugar); Tofu, Pea, and Onion (Matar Paneer)
830: WW Chocolate Chip Cookies; Black Beans; Black Sweet Rice, Wheatberries, and Hulled Barley
200: Optimum Rebound Cereal; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar (v)

FIT:
Indoor Ulty

FUN:
BM over for dinner.
Hatched my new friend Spud.

Oh no! I keep seeing Spud's water bottle and my body goes, "ooh, water!" and I almost start to reach for it. But then I remember that it's not a normal water bottle because of all the words I wrote on it, which is good, because Spud's water bottle has pieces of Spud in it. It's the water he first got bathed in. All the little Spuddies sink to the bottom, so it looks like clear water.

Jan 9

FUEL:
945: Black Beans; Sweet Black Rice, Whole Grain Barley, Wheatberries; Starbucks Skinny Mocha Latte w/ SF Hazlenut Syrup... remembering last time's effects, I was just gonna have a sip, but it was delicious and cool going down my throat (I fridged the other half) (v)
1115: Roasted Salted Soybeans
200: Vegetable Chili (carrots, zucchini, onions, multiple beans); Plain Yogurt; Heap of Hummus
730: Sweet Black Rice, Whole Grain Barley in Vanilla Soymilk; Vegetable Chili
1045: Baked Sweet Potato Chips; Tangerine; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar
200: Optimum Rebound Cereal (v)

FIT:
5X400 w/ activity in btwn each

Jan 8

FUEL:
930: Black Beans w/ Cayenne; Sweet Black Rice & Wheatberries w/ Curry Powder
115: Vegetable Soup; Panera Whole Grain Baguette
200: bit of 70% Green & Black's Dark Chocolate
330: Heap of Hummus; Sambu (like Daal, but slightly different flavor); FF Plain Yogurt (v)
815: Vanilla Soy Milk; Vegetable Chili (spicy onions, green bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and multiple beans); Wheatberries, Whole Grain Barley, and Sweet Black Rice w/ Vanilla Soy Milk - instant and super delicious & easy and healthy and cool Rice Pudding!
845: Planter's Honey Roasted Peanuts
1100: Tofu, Mushrooms, Peas, and Onions in Lemony Sambu Sauce with Mustard Seeds

FUN:
Went to bed 5am, woke up 830am to receive 2D order.
Meet w/ RO @ Panera a/b WRC SrYG.
Meet w/ Preceptor a/b PHI essay.
Some High-Quality Catching up w/ JJL - definitely counts as a check off the 12 b/f 21 list!
Small Group.
BCG Case Interview Info Session.
Frist Essaying Fun!

Wore 4 different outfits today: my usual Adidas "uniform," haha, brown short sleeve polo w/ jeans for RO, casual white tank w/ army green polo and jeans for Preceptor, All-Out Business Casual for BCG, and back to the uniform for some essaying.

Because of the post-dinner coffee (1/2 a Starbucks Venti), I stayed up until 5am last night. I was sooo jittery for the first few hours, and my heartbeat was very noticeably fast for long after. Since it was there, I used it to try to get some outlining done for PHI. It was an intiricate topic (when is it wrong to lie) w/ lots of exceptions, qualifications, etc. to consider, so it was hard to formulate that outline. I got a little done then and worked out the rest in the morning while waiting for the Albert's order.

Jan 7

FUEL:
1030: Apple; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar
115: Roasted Salted Soybeans; Green Tea; 70% Green & Black's Dark Chocolate
430: Green Tea; Optimum Rebound Cereal (vc)
700: Sauteed Zucchini & Squash; Tofu Curry w/ Red Bell Peppers & Red Onions; Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Mushrooms, and Balsamic Vinaigrette; Tea
745: Starbucks Skinny Mocha Latte w/ SF Hazlenut Syrup
845: Organic Multigrain Honey Bread
1145: Roasted Salted Soybeans (v)
115: Orange; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar
415: Multigrain Bread; Whole Grain Goldfish

FIT:
30 min Abs

FUN:
Daily Prayer w/ MH.
Resume Drops.
Time Series and Regression, Essay Outline.
329 Dinner @ Mathey & Starbucks by the Palmer Square Xmas Tree.
Stopping by FBS.

FAITH: Sweeping

I've thought about a certain aspect of sweeping my quad a number of times, but today, I saw in it a useful analogy.

Dorm rooms get dirty. Astroturf, crumbs, and sand and salt for anti-ice gradually accumulates. I can't stand having to kick that off of my feet every time I take a few steps, so I sweep the quad. The dirt doesn't seem to bother my roommates as much, since they don't ever sweep. So a few times, I've considered just sweeping the parts of the quad that I go to, so that when their parts get dirty enough, they'll see why sweeping's a good thing and maybe help out a bit.
But then I realized that it wouldn't work because they would just track dirt from their parts over to the parts that I had just cleaned.

Here's the analogy. God wants us to give over to him every aspect of our lives - our recreational pursuits, our work, our relationships - everthing. I can't even say that I give over most things. I hoard most of the gifts He's given me, and they rot in the darkness of my unpure motivations. But even if I were to hold everything back but one thing, that one thing, the one area where I would continue to serve myself, would inevitably defile the rest of my "quad." God wants us to realize that it must be everything with nothing held back. Why should we give it all to him? Because he knows best how to transform and use my quad to be a place where people can feel loved and welcomed into his family.

Good reading, which is where the idea for this connection came from: My Heart - Christ's Home, by Robert Munger.

Jan 6

FUEL:
730: Chinese Herbal Soup
830: Apple
1130: Hazlenut and Chocolate Pino Gelato - the healthiest gelato you'll ever find, maybe
100: Sticky Rice, Mushrooms, Tarot, and Beef, wrapped in some kind of giant leaves - a wonderful meal for a traveler... the woman next to me on the plane was intrigued
400: Optimum Rebound Cereal (g)
530: Roasted Turkey Breast; Mixed Greens w/ Carrots, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Balsamic Vinaigrette; Skim milk; Tea
630: Whole Grain Goldfish
1015: Orange; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar
1130: Optimum Rebound Cereal
130: Roasted & Salted Soy Beans (vc)

FUN:
Going from CTL to Pton w/ SK.
Dinner w/ MP.
Time Series & Regression.

Jan 5

FUEL:
900: Salted Almonds; Apple; Spicy Tofu & Shitake Mushrooms; Cabbage
1230: Mexican 6-Layer Dip (ff refried beans, ff sour cream, pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, peppers... super spicy), straight; Big Bowl of Optimum Rebound Cereal
430: Carrot; Lemon Pepper Salmon; Red Orange
600: Oreo Outsides; Air-Popped Popcorn; 70% Sao Tome Single-Origin Dark Chocolate; Corn Chips; Dry Roasted Peanuts
900: Low-Fat Cheesecake topped w/ Oreo Insides
1000: Egg White Omlette w/ Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, and Onions
1115: Snyders Tortilla Chips & Mexican 6-Layer Dip, except I avoided the overpowering onions and the waaay too spicy tomato sauce
100: Mexican 6-Layer Dip & Snyders Tortilla Chips (vc)

FUN:
Resume Drops.
Hitch, What Women Want, and Guess Who.
Reminiscing on Buist w/ Pooky> announcements, centers, wooden colored shapes, the computer lab, usine.
Testing each others' French vocab.

Jan 4

FUEL:
100: Low-fat Cheesecake topped w/ Honey; some Almonds (vc)
400: Red Orange; some Almonds
630: Baked Sweet Potato Chips; Salmon; Sauteed Cabbage; Pomegranate Seeds; Spicy Tofu & Shitake Mushrooms... a nutritional powerhouse meal
900: Apple; bit of 70% Sao Tome Dark Chocolate
1015: Chinese Herbal Soup; Sauteed Cabbage; Spicy Tofu & Shitake Mushrooms; Oreo Outsides; bit of 70% Sao Tome Dark Chocolate
1245: Corn Chips; Low-Fat Cheesecake topped w/ Oreo insides... that's resourcefulness

FIT:
3 x Suicides (each one is 4 x 2 legs, markers at 7 and 10m); 3 x 2-foot hops (each one is 3 laps of the 20m course); 3 soccerfield lengths of butt kicks, med-low intensity; 3 sets of 15 Burpees (splits: 46, 47, 48 s - huge improvement from last week, and it was much easier this time - think about it... 45 s of pain last week made a 25% drop in time this week! Yay for adaptation. Go through a bit of pain, and your body does the rest while you sleep.) Some arms work - climbing short fireman pole 3x, some pulling up to vertical position, pivoting from stationary feet, bit of hanging leg lifts. Sandwiched by 0.8 mile warmup/cooldown runs. The workout itself was 30 min including the 1-min rests in between each 1/3 of an event, so it's not as much as this long paragraph makes it out to be.

Jan 3-p

FUEL:
1130: Low-Fat Cheesecake Coated with Honey (b/c the rest of it had basically no sugar); Brown Flax Seeds (straight from the bag) - excellent veg source of Omega 3's (vc)
200: Lean Juicy Beef; Veggie; 1/2 Orange; Baby Carrots; Dried Apricots andn Baby Plums
500: Chunky Peanut Butter; Optimum Rebound Cereal w/ Skim Milk
830: Green Veggie; Soy Sauce- Stewed Fish
1000: Tums (c)
1215: Baked Sweet Potato Chips; 70% Sao Tome Single-Origin Dark Chocolate; Green Veggies; Tofu; Dry Roasted Peanuts
245: 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar

FUN:
Lunch @ KT's.

Jan 2

FUEL:
1215: Chunky Peanut Butter; Turkey Sandwich on WW Bread w/ Spicy Brown Mustard (vc)
300: Chinese Herbal Soup
600: Celery, Carrot, and Tofu; Chinese-Style Egg White Omlette; Green Veggie; Hot Cocoa, JL-Style (Skim Milk, Sun Crystals Sugar Substitute, Cocoa Powder, and Vanilla Extract)
700: Half a Chinese-Style Egg White Omlette; Celery, Carrot, and Tofu; bit of Turkey
715: Tangerine, excellent recovery food w/ vitamin C & potassium
800: Emerald Dry Roasted Walnuts
1030: Garlicy Greens; Low Fat Cheesecake; Pomegranate Seeds; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar; 70% San Tome Single-Origin Dark Chocolate
430: Orange; Chinese Herbal Soup; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar; Optimum Rebound Cereal

Alright, so it's 4am, and I haven't slept yet. My whole body feels out of whack. After the 9-miler, I didn't have a meal for another 3 hrs or so. I ended up going 5ish hours without food for the meal cycle of that workout. I didn't feel particularly hungry at that point, so I thought, why not ride this and hold off on it? Burn more. But no. Big mistake. Right now, my left quad's cramping up, and my legs feel dead overall. I think part of this insomnia is coming from that survival mode find food switch that got turned on because I didn't refuel correctly post-run. And what do you know, look what article popped up from RW's newsletter, at 12:15, which I am now reading after I got a much-needed 4:30 night meal. The whole time I was eating, I was thinking about the optimal post-meal recovery. There are different schools of thought. Body For Life says don't eat in the 1-hr window to maximize the burn. But I'm thinking that's bunk.

Here's the article that I think has it right:
(http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-307-9478-0,00.html?cm_mmc=nutrition-_-2008_01_03-_-nutrition-_-Your%201-Hour%20Window)
"After exercise, especially following intensive or prolonged bouts, the body is primed to reload muscle glycogen," says Suzanne Girard Eberle, M.S., R.D., author of Endurance Sports Nutrition. Wait more than an hour to refuel, and your body's ability to make glycogen out of what you consume drops by an astounding 66 percent. And the longer you wait, the more likely you are to feel sluggish. "Everything runners do is about how well we recover," says Lisa Dorfman, M.S., R.D., a sports nutritionist and marathoner. "That's when the gains from training come."In that crucial first hour, shoot to consume 300 to 400 calories-ideally containing three grams of carbs to every one gram of protein. Your body's already primed to make glycogen out of simple carbs, and a little protein helps repair muscle-tissue microdamage.

I made a big mistake today not refueling properly, and I'll have to take extra rest days and feel it. But, you learn from these things.

Phew, I thought it was cold here, but Pton's 23/15. I'm glad it's warming up by the time I get there. Right now, it's "feels like 19" here, but it's "feels like 7" there.

FIT:
9 miler, almost>1:13:30 for 8.7 mi; 2.9-mi loop splits: 24:05, 24:29, 24:57; Windy; Chilly (40F)

FUN:
Made my first Cheesecake.

Jan 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

FUEL:
1200: Mango; 75% Light Cabot Sharp Cheddar w/ 2 x WW Bread; Chinese Sweet Sticky Rice Four Cake topped with Ground Peanuts (in Chinese, the name of it is a pun - nian means "sticky" as well as "new," so it's sticky cake or new year cake!)
530: Optimum Rebound Cereal w/ Skim Milk; Bit of Green Veggies; Salmon
700: Spicy Indian Cabbage & Onions (cumin, ginger, cayenne, garlic); Crunchy Peanut Butter
845: Salmon
945: Mung Bean Soup
1045: Dark Chohcolate Dreams Peanut Butter
1215: Homemade Kettle Korn; 75% Light Vermont Sharp Cheddar; Pommegranate; Cheese on Wheat Lance Crackers
130: Chinese Herbal Soup