A Fun Day's Night

It's 11 p.m. Usually, I'm exhausted and sleeping already.

Not tonight! It's been a really good day, which started with a rather harrowing (and chilly!) bike ride through Balboa Park (so much for my new "Wind Stopper" Castelli full-fingered gloves). I had a tempo ride for an hour, with a larger gear than normal while maintaining 80-90 cadence. The tempo wasn't the problem, but traffic was. The hardest part of the ride was avoiding cars and trucks mindlessly rushing to work, and slowing down while trying to keep my heart-rate in zone 3 (142-154 bpm). I may need to find a new tempo cycling route, so if someone reading this knows of anything, holla.

Then, I became one of those rushing vehicles on the way to work, barely making it on time. The work day went by quickly, highlighted by my first team meeting of the year. I can honestly say it was fantastic having the group together again, and we collectively enjoyed a productive goal-setting session. I can't wait to get movin' on what we have in store for this year, which truly felt like a collaborative effort. It's especially invigorating when everyone buys into your vision and is excited by it.

Following work, I rushed from Burbank to Venice for a seminar about vegan nutrition and the importance of a plant-based diet when training for endurance events.

On the way, I annihilated a Baja Fresh "Burrito Mexicano"... with lots of chicken.

It was delicious.

The seminar, by pro triathlete and author Brendan Brazier (known for his book, Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide), was primarily about dismissing the notion that "calories out, calories in" is an effective way to replenish nutrients. It can have the opposite effect, Brazier notes, because some foods take longer to process, can elevate stress and force your body to work even harder than it needs.

Enter Brazier's own unique line of vegan-based supplements, Vega. He says they can reduce recovery time between workouts, which is the key to increasing training results.

Like a sucker, I bought a protein powder and Omega-3 oil supplement.

Heck, I'll try anything once. It couldn't be any less effective than the remaining unused bottles of Seven-Plus I bought last year from a high school friend. (Ahh, Acai berry, you are so 2009.)

After the seminar and hanging out with my Valley Coach buddies, I rushed over to my friend Anat's nearby for a post-dinner chat. It was so nice catching up, unwinding and relaxing, and not feeling guilty for having to be elsewhere, checking in, etc.

In short, this was my kind of day. Frenetic, but not chaotic. Busy, but manageable. Scheduled, but flexible. Purposeful. Inspired.

So, this is what being single is like?

Huh.

323 days and counting.