Oh-Dark Thirty...

My day started off about as early as I can handle, yet I have plenty of energy to sit awake and type all about it now. That's rare for me. I'm usually exhausted by bedtime. Not tonight.

For a change, I awoke ahead of Bam-Bam, meaning 5:30 a.m. I promised my Fortius teammate and friend, Lisa, that I'd do my swim time trial with her. And I really didn't want to flake. Considering it wasn't raining (yet), I had no excuse.

Surprisingly, swimming smoothly as the sky silently becomes light is a beautiful way to wake up. I think I may do it more often. There's something calming about the teal pool water being lit from below while the sky turns from black, to gray, to purple, to blue. All while the steam from below and fog from above swirl together in a hazy mating ritual.

The time trial itself demonstrated one thing and one thing only: If nothing else, I am consistent in the pool right now. Five weeks ago, I swam 1,000 yards in 20:50. Today, I swam 1,000 yards in 20:50. What are the chances of that happening? Probably pretty good for a guy who knows just when to call California Chicken Cafe in Encino when driving from Burbank to pick up my food just as I walk inside the restaurant. When it comes to timing, I have a tendency to operate like clockwork.

But what does this mean? Why didn't I see improvement in five weeks? Or didn't I? I was able to negative split my swim, so the second 500 yards was faster than the first. This didn't happen my first time, but I was only off by two seconds then. This time, it was a bit more pronounced. Is that progress?

Or is progress measured by feeling comfortable in the water? By feeling strong enough to even consider a negative split at the 500-yard mark?

Is progress measured not in seconds but rather by swimming smarter right now, not harder?

I would like to think so.

The rest of the day and evening has been a blur. More to report than I have time to share. Among the highlights, I had a contractor visit my condo to write an estimate for sound-proofing the ceiling. Wow. For the estimated price of remodeling my kitchen, I can have an insulated condo -- with no full guarantee it will eliminate the noise problem. A sizable noise problem, according to the contractor. Further, I got into a nice, heated confrontation with Trudy via phone because the contractor asked me to inquire if her hardwood floors had cork insulation (they do).

We had what some might call a failure to communicate.

Fortunately, the Fortius group brought me back to my Happy Place(TM). We had a group yoga session tonight at Topham Street Gym. It was nice to see everyone in non-cycling, non-running or non-swimming attire. We looked, well, normal! The session was intense but not overpowering. A good precursor to my time-trial run tomorrow a.m.

After the run, the group went for vegan Vietnamese food in Reseda. I was hesitant at first because after my awful-tasting Vega supplement, I was about finished with this vegan lifestyle. Especially considering that I can pretty much eat whatever I want right now within reason! But, I have to admit that this meal rocked! I ordered udon barbecue "chicken" that tasted outstanding. I have leftovers that I can't wait to dive into tomorrow.

Who knows, maybe I'll even put on a pound by then!

All in all, it was a great day. A busy day. A productive day. An insightful day. A satisfying day spent with friends.

A day I'd like to repeat.

309 days and counting.

Diet Right

Few things cut to the core of my insecurities more than when someone tells me I look too thin, or worse yet, "skinny." It brings me back to my younger days when I was downright bony and didn't feel very attractive or confident.

So, the other night when Anat's mom thought my face looked thin compared to the last time she saw me, I got worried.

"Am I gaunt?"

"Am I over-training?"

"Am I hurting myself?"

"Will ladies think I'm unattractive?"

Yes, these are the thoughts that run through my head like a cable car busted loose off the tracks. I'm almost embarrassed to admit it in a public setting, but if a blog can't be a place for honest, introspective communication then what's the point of writing at all?

Fortunately, I already had arranged a meeting with a nutritionist for tonight to analyze my food intake and how I can enhance my performance.

I'm even more fortunate that my nutritionist, Yasmin, is my next-door neighbor. (No, this is not Trudy and Bam-Bam above me!)

The verdict? When it comes to my nutrition, Yasmin said I'm doing everything, literally everything right. She even asked me if I had met with a nutritionist in the past because she was so surprised.

Nope, I've never met with a nutritionist. But, considering I've taken fitness at least somewhat seriously since I was 18, I suppose nearly 18 years of experience since then qualifies me as knowing how to take good care of myself. The proof? Yasmin thought I was 28 years old, and was shocked to learn I'm 35.

Flattery is a very good business strategy.

Needless to say, I'm quite pleased. I'm consuming the right amount of calories (3,000-3,800), within the correct ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats (1/3, 1/3, 1/3) from the right foods and supplements (grains, chicken, greens, fruits, etc.). And if I want to gain a few extra pounds, I can start by drinking a milkshake a week from Mel's Diner, which is practically across the street from me.

Strawberry shake, here I come!

Perhaps the best part of the night though was hanging out with Yasmin and her husband, Tomer, after our meeting. We watched the Lakers game and generally fired up what I hope will become a lasting friendship. Tomer is considering a triathlon and I'm trying to convince him to attempt the Hermosa Day at the Beach sprint triathlon this October. I think it's a fantastic starter event for anyone considering the sport (1/4 mile swim, 10-mile bike, three-mile run).

Now, I'm off to sleep since I need to be up in less than eight hours for a 6 a.m. swim in Calabasas. I promised one of my Fortius teammates, Lisa, that I'd join her for an early session, which will be a threshold-pace test. I'm actually a little nervous! As long as there's no lightning, I'm there.

310 days and counting.

OMG I'm Hungry!

The workout checklist today consisted of hill climbs on my trainer and a fairly intense 45-minute weights workout.

Ate 'em up, spit 'em out.

And had some fuel to spare.

Granted, I was hungry all day. Nothing could shake my appetite, and that was after a foot-long Subway sub (teriyaki chicken and sweet onion on wheat bread) and pound Baja Fresh burrito the night before. Seriously, here's what I ate today... and it was barely enough to suppress my hunger!

-- Banana

(workout)

-- Oatmeal w/ raisins and almonds

-- Recoveride drink and Endurolytes

-- Apple

-- Peanuts

-- Balance bar

(workout)

-- 3 pieces of Chicken, peas and zucchini

-- Vega protein drink (blech!)

-- Wheat English muffin and peanut butter

-- Another banana

-- Lamb chops, pasta, salad and green beans

-- Chocolate yogurt

And, yeah, I could probably eat right now before bedtime.

'Sup with that?

Some days I'm just not that hungry. Other days, I've got a monster appetite. The past few days have been the latter. Yet my weight hasn't changed. Sometimes I wonder if one of these mornings I'm going to wake up and look like Ryan Reynolds in that fat suit from that silly-looking romance comedy movie I never saw... you know, that one? Like all this eating is going to catch up with me. And to be honest, it kinda freaks me out just a little.

But not today. I was just too damn hungry to care.

***

Overall, today was another busy day. Lots of running from meeting to meeting, and a commute to Simi Valley to drop my car off with my parents (my family has owned an automotive repair facility for 30 years). I must admit, the increased quality time with my parents has been a welcome addition lately. It's nice to have that kind of support during tough times.

After being gone since 9 this morning, I literally walked in the door 15 minutes ago. I'm so exhausted that I can barely see straight.

Not one of my better blogs. But, tomorrow's another day.

And that's a good thing.

322 days and counting.

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.