Bonus Time

This morning our phone rang at 5:30 AM. As I ran to get the phone, I could not imagine who would be calling but then as I got near the phone I realized who it was. It was an automated message from Henrico County Public Schools (my employer) alerting us that schools would be opening 2 hours late due to the inclement weather and that included employees. I guess the rain turned into ice in enough places to cause the delay. Bonus Time!

I was glad to get the 2 hours and I used the time wisely. I did a P90X workout-Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X. I usually don't work out in the morning but I had the opportunity. I was not able to bring it as hard as I usually do because I was still half asleep I think. But I did get a quality workout and followed it up with a delicious protein shake.

A good portion of my work day was spent eating and being on the phone with a vendor. When I got to work I had my banana, an orange, and a Lara bar. Later I had some nuts and before you know it, lunch was upon me. I had brought a really yummy salad with leftover salmon on it and some soup. I also tried out my new Ezekiel bread for my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The Ezekiel bread was very different in texture and taste than what I am used to and also very filling. There are many types of Ezekiel bread. I went with the Wheat & Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread that is sweetened with fruit juices. I have never had a problem with wheat or gluten but several trainers and nutritionists recommend cutting it out of ones diet for maximum performance. So I am trying it out. Finally I had my usual apple on the way home from work. It seems like a lot of food but I am really starting to rev up my machine so I will need the fuel.

After work I did a 30 minute cycle on the bike trainer. I had a great workout! I did something called Spinervals which is a DVD that came with the trainer. Basically it is interval workouts where you warm up and then go hard for 90 seconds and then ease up for 90 seconds and then repeat for a total of 7 times. I was a sweating nicely by the end of the workout.

After my cycle, I did a strong leg workout. I have decided to go back to doing my PT exercises to help improve my knee. I always feel really good afterwards and tonight was no exception. After my half our or so of PT, I iced for a bit and then made dinner.

Speaking of dinner, tonight we had something that was off the menu during our diet. You would not think something as simple as pasta would be so good but it was. Earlier I mentioned that I wanted to try to cut gluten and wheat from my diet. However, since we had some whole wheat pasta in stock, we went ahead and ate it. It was delicious! I will probably do some more research on whole grain gluten free pasta and give it a whirl.

I may go back to eating wheat and gluten but I want to experiment to see if I can tweak my diet. In many ways I think that striving for perfect nutrition will give me an advantage in my training. Ultimately, I want to be able to compete at the highest ability possible. I could train really hard and leave it at that. Or I could train hard and smart. Nutrition is part of that process and will help me reach my goals.

Speaking of goals. One of my goals is to be able beat my friends. It does not look like we will be competing against each other anytime soon but when the stars align and we end up doing the same races, I want to be ready to crush them!