Tuesday, November 30, 2010

10K Training Week 4 Day 2

I ran the same route as Week 3 Day 3 this evevning. I was not sore this time so I did it 4 minutes faster. I only averaged a 12 minute mile. I think I am slowing down but it could be the big hill or my less than optimal diet the past 5-6 days. I have been gaining weight since I started running outdoors.

Monday, November 29, 2010

10K Training Week 4 Day 1

Today was crazy. I ate unhealthy. I did not jog/run. My friend gave me the P90X DVD set on my birthday. I had originally planned to start P90X November 8th but started this 10K training instead because I could not get the videos in time. My plan was to run a 10K on December 18th but now I don't think I can get the info to sign up. I found a 10K on January 15th. I don't know when I will start P90X. The best plan would be to start January 17th.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

10K Training Week 3 Day 6

I got back into town late last night. Today is my 27th birthday and also the last UNT home game of the season. Next season UNT will be playing in a brand new stadium. I had planned to run before tailgating the game at noon but I did not get out of bed on time.

Friday, November 26, 2010

10K Training Week 3 Day 5

I woke up this morning and felt rested and ready to run. I don't know this area well so I just kinda mapped out a simple route on my phone that had the least amount of street names to remember. It was a cool morning and a hilly run. Being out of town I realize that I don't encounter many steep hills on my runs. I ended up with 3.55 miles. The tail end of my run was all downhill and I got going pretty fast. I wish I could run that fast all the time.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

10K Training Week 3 Day 4

Today the weather dropped from 77 deg to 54 deg in less that two hours. I mapped out a route to run but decided to just enjoy Thanksgiving diner and rest from the last two days of running.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

10K Training Week 3 Day 3

Today I ran a longer version of Week 2 Day 4's run. 4.7 miles in about an hour. I was sore and slow after yesterday's 5.5 mile run. I got a blister on my left big toe and it feels like it need to pop like I jammed it or something.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

10K Training Week 3 Day 2

After work I did not feel like going for a run. I got in my car and started to head home. I started looking at the leaves blow and people walking down the streets. I decided I did not want to put another X on my calendar so I passed the freeway and went to the park. I ended up running 5.5 miles. My previous longest distance was 4.7. I am right at my goal of adding a mile a month.

Monday, November 22, 2010

10K Training Week 3 Day 1

I did not get to jog/run today because I had to go to the AT&T Device Support Center to replace my phone.

Samsung Chat Support

Chat Information Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.

Chat Information You are now chatting with 'Diana'

Diana: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?

Visitor: My touchscreen does not work

Diana: I understand that you are having a power issue with the touch screen, am I right?

Visitor: The screen lights up but does not respond to pressure

Diana: I'll do my very best to assist you on this issue.

Diana: Could I please know the model code of your mobile?

Diana: You can find the model code at the rear side of the phone behind the battery.

Visitor: A877

Visitor: SGH-A877

Diana: Thanks.

Diana: Okay, let's try performing a soft reset and check if that resolves the issue.

Diana: To perform soft reset, remove the battery and then wait for 30 seconds. Then reinsert the battery and turn the phone ON.

Visitor: Ok

Diana: Thanks.

Diana: Please update me once done.

Visitor: It is done

Diana: Please check if the issue still persists.

Visitor: It still does not work. The responsiveness of the the touch screen has slowly gone out.

Diana: May I know since when are you facing this issue?

Visitor: Over the past 2-3 week the touch screen has sloly gone out. It starting in one corner then half the screen and as of 2 days ago the whole screen is unresponsive.

Diana: Okay, do you have a protective screen cover on the display?

Visitor: No, one was not provided with the phone in the box.

Diana: Okay, in this situation I may suggest you to perform a hard reset as that may resolve the issue, is that okay with you.

Visitor: I just did by typing *2767*3855#

Diana: Okay, did that help you on this issue?

Visitor: Actually it just made my phone unuseable. It is asking to tap to calibrate which does not work because I can't tap. I cannot bypass this so my phone is now locked.

Diana: In this situation I request you to contact our next level of support for advance troubleshooting steps on this issue.

Visitor: Does a hard reset erase pictures and text messages save to the phone?

Diana: I suggest you to contact Samsung Technical Support at 1-888-987-4357, Mon-Fri: 7 AM - 9 PM (CST), Sat: 9 AM - 6 PM (CST). where you will be able to speak with our agents in regards to this issue.

Diana: Yes, the result of this process will delete all your data installed or stored on your phone.

Visitor: Well now I do not need help. I will buy an unlocked blackberry and boycott samsung. I needed the files and was not aware of this.

Visitor: I cannot contact them because now my phone is unuseable. Atleast before our conversation I could make phone calls

Diana: I apologize of the inconvenience this may have caused you.

Visitor: I am sorry I tried to get help. I will go thru at&T to replace this unuseable phone

Diana: let me see what best I can do to assist you.

Diana: Please open the link below for assistance on the issue.

Diana: http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa/jsp/faqs/faqs_view_us1.jsp?SITE_ID=22&PG_ID=0&AT_ID=151382&PROD_SUB_ID=0&PROD_ID=558

Diana: From the link above I request you to check the data transfer via memory card.

Diana: Can I help you with anything else?

Visitor: Is there any way to contact the next level of support via email? If the hard reset erased my data then what data is there to transfer?

Diana: It will only erase the data on the phone, the memory card will not get erased with the hard reset.

Visitor: The 9 unread text messages I had where stored on the phone internal memory and the reason for conversation.

Diana: I am sorry the next level is a voice support and cannot be available in e-mail .

Visitor: I will just go through AT&T. Samsung is not able to provide the support that I need.

Diana: I apologies, is there anything else that I can assist you with?

Diana: I am positive that this is the best we can do in the present situation.

Visitor: Then I will just have to accept being unsatisfied. I will save this conversation.

Diana: I am sorry,we at the chat support provide the basic troubleshooting information for our products,our agents in the voice support provide the next level of support for further assistance.

Visitor: Chat support disabled my ability to contact voice support.

Diana: This is the reason I recommended you to contact our voice support.

Visitor: I will contact Voice support at 8PM (CST) when I am able to make a phone call.

Diana: Thank you.

Diana: It was a pleasure assisting you. Thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. If you have a minute, please click on the blue “X close” button to receive a transcript of your chat and fill out a brief survey to help us serve you better. Have a wonderful day!

Chat Information Chat session has been terminated by the Samsung Agent.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

10K Training Week 2 Day 6

Today I lifted weights for the first time in 17 days! With all the running I have been doing I have neglected my resistance training routine. It hurt so good. I had not lost too much strength and the break was a nice rest to get rid of any over training that might have occurred. On the plate loading decline chest press machine I was able to lift 250 lbs (2x45, 25, and 10 on each side)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

10K Training Week 2 Day 4

After work today I went for a jog/run. I had a route planned out but after talking to a co-worker I realized it was on narrow roads with no sidewalks. Since it gets dark early so just kinda halfway planned out other route. I ended up only running 3.3 miles but now I know a new area to explore...

Quote of the Day

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

Today's Top News?

Palin says she can beat Obama (Palin can't handle the criticizm that comes with being President.. "Today Predsident Palin declared war on England because The Sun made fun of her in their headlines") Celebitician? Polebrity?
Donald Trump 'thinking about' taking on Sarah Palin in presidential bid (Atleast he has done something with his life)
Jobless Claims in U.S. Increase Less Than Forecast (Isn't that like saying "Dallas Cowboys Lose By Less Points than Expected?")
Why The Beatles' arrival on iTunes matters (So Steve Jobs and Paul McCartney and Ringo, or the Jackson Family Can make more Money?)
FDA: Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks Are Unsafe
(Mixing Uppers and Downers is a Bad Idea? Blackout drunk but still standing?)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

10K Training Week 2 Day 3

Tonight I decided to leave work early so I could get to the gym in time for Spin Class. I did spin for an hour with my friend Amy then went did an our of yoga. I think I will sleep well tonight...

Quote of the Day

"Everything you know
Somebody else has taught and told you.
Deep within yourself if you're
Yourself are you that person?"
Frequency by Tantric

10K Training Week 2 Day 2

Yesterday was a short run (3.2mi) I ran after work to catch the last bit of sunlight for the day. I went out for dinner for my Aunts 60th birthday. We went to a Mexican Seafood restaurant called La Isla. I ordered the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo. (Shirmp in Garlic sauce with Brown rice and a Salad without dressing). I have been there during a challenge and it was the most approved item on the menu.

Monday, November 15, 2010

10K Training Week 2 Day 1

I decided to knockout my run after work while it was still light out. I mapped out a 3.9 mi route. I added an extra .1 to make it an even 4.0. The street I added to had some loud strange sounding birds in one yard. If I had to guess I would say they were peacocks (4 males).


Saturday, November 13, 2010

10K Training Week 1 Day 6

I took off yesterday because of the snow. Today was suppose to be a non-running day but I wanted to make up for yesterday. Around 5pm I realized I did not have much light left. I measured out a 4+ mile route. I borrowed my future father-in-laws GPS sports watch and took off running. The first mile took 9:30. I hit one of my landmarks at exactly 2 miles. Towards the end of my run I added in about 5-6 extra blocks. My total distance was 4.67 mi (a new pr) 47:38 mins with a max speed of 7:40 and an average speed of 10:08.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

10K Training Week 1 Day 4

My car has been in the shop since Monday. I dropped it off so it would be in the shop while I go out of town this weekend. Tuesday I got a call saying it would be done by Thursday. This created a problem because I am flying out of town tonight. I now need to return my rent car because I dont think the insurance while cover it over the weekend since the repairs are done. On my lunch I called the rental place a found out I can return it to any of their locations. I work 45 miles from home so this worked out great for me. Luckily I am getting a ride to the airport. In order to get my run in for the day I decided to do a route I setup a while back to my Aunts' house from work. I dropped off my luggage at their house on my lunch break. I dropped of my car in my running clothes and jogged to their house.
My parents came to pick me up. They took their single cab truck expecting to drop me off using my rental. Opps, forgot to tell them the new plan... Luckily my Aunt let us borrow her car.

Quote of the Day

“MOTIVATION is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Ryun

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

10K Training Week 1 Day 3

Last night I found out my friend Amy goes to the same gym as me. My 10K training program calls for weight lifting or yoga on day 3 and 6. Tonight I went to Yoga class with Amy and it really helped my back which has been hurting for a few weeks.

10K Training Week 1 Day 2

Today I went to a Regional GIS meeting. Two of my old classmates and fellow GIS professionals asked me to go for dinner and a drink afterward. Being that is was only day 2 of my 6 week 10K training I didn't want to skip out on a run. I told them I would drive home then jog to meet them at my favorite hangout. I raced home and threw on my running clothes and headed out. Along the way I had a car pull up and ask me for directions. On a downhill part I tripped and fell on a sidewalk but avoided scrapes or burises bouncing back up quickly. I measure out the run later and it came out to be 4.4 mi.

Monday, November 8, 2010

10K Training Week 1 Day 1

I went to the gym and used the treadmill tonight. I used the 5K program. I slowly increased my speed even 5-8 minutes. I reached 3 mi in 29 minutes then did a cool down.

Friday, November 5, 2010

BMI: Body Mass Index (Quetelet index)

I found BMI charts to be misleading when it comes to assessing an individuals weight and giving a healthy weight range.

I have kept a spreadsheet of my fitness goals and weight and body fat percentage that I make an entry into weekly. My thought process is if I am always tracking it then how can I left myself slowly slip back into being out of shape. One column I had in my spreadsheet I entered my BMI but as I reached my "goals" I realized that being in the "normal" range of under 25 was not really the normal healthy goal for me. Once I got under 192 I was no longer considered obese (I had felt comfortable in my own skin at about 205) I am currently in the overweight range for my height. I think to be in normal range I need to be under 160-165. When I was eating strictly on a healthy diet and working out 6 days a week I managed to get down to 173 but I have a large rib cage that stuck out. Since then I added muscle mass and stayed between 179-184.

I am not a fan of BMI which is what the healthy industry uses in statistics and recommending ideal weight. It was designed to measure an entire population and not individuals. Waist to hip ratio and body fat percentage are better tools to determine at risk people.

Here is 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus

1. The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual.

The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He was a mathematician, not a physician. He produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population to assist the government in allocating resources. In other words, it is a 200-year-old hack.

2. It is scientifically nonsensical.

There is no physiological reason to square a person's height (Quetelet had to square the height to get a formula that matched the overall data. If you can't fix the data, rig the formula!). Moreover, it ignores waist size, which is a clear indicator of obesity level.

3. It is physiologically wrong.

It makes no allowance for the relative proportions of bone, muscle and fat in the body. But bone is denser than muscle and twice as dense as fat, so a person with strong bones, good muscle tone and low fat will have a high BMI. Thus, athletes and fit, health-conscious people who work out a lot tend to find themselves classified as overweight or even obese.

4. It gets the logic wrong.

The CDC says on its Web site that "the BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people." This is a fundamental error of logic. For example, if I tell you my birthday present is a bicycle, you can conclude that my present has wheels. That's correct logic. But it does not work the other way round. If I tell you my birthday present has wheels, you cannot conclude I got a bicycle. I could have received a car. Because of how Quetelet came up with it, if a person is fat or obese, he or she will have a high BMI. But as with my birthday present, it doesn't work the other way round. A high BMI does not mean an individual is even overweight, let alone obese. It could mean the person is fit and healthy, with very little fat.

5. It's bad statistics.

Because the majority of people today (and in Quetelet's time) lead fairly sedentary lives and are not particularly active, the formula tacitly assumes low muscle mass and high relative fat content. It applies moderately well when applied to such people because it was formulated by focusing on them. But it gives exactly the wrong answer for a large and significant section of the population, namely the lean, fit and healthy. Quetelet is also the person who came up with the idea of "the average man." That's a useful concept, but if you try to apply it to any one person, you come up with the absurdity of a person with 2.4 children. Averages measure entire populations and often don't apply to individuals.

6. It is lying by scientific authority.

Because the BMI is a single number between 1 and 100 (like a percentage) that comes from a mathematical formula, it carries an air of scientific authority. But it is mathematical snake oil.

7. It suggests there are distinct categories of underweight, ideal, overweight and obese, with sharp boundaries that hinge on a decimal place.

That's total nonsense.

8. It makes the more cynical members of society suspect that the medical insurance industry lobbies for the continued use of the BMI to keep their profits high.

Insurance companies sometimes charge higher premiums for people with a high BMI. Among such people are all those fit individuals with good bone and muscle and little fat, who will live long, healthy lives during which they will have to pay those greater premiums.

9. Continued reliance on the BMI means doctors don't feel the need to use one of the more scientifically sound methods that are available to measure obesity levels.

Those alternatives cost a little bit more, but they give far more reliable results.

10. It embarrasses the U.S.

It is embarrassing for one of the most scientifically, technologically and medicinally advanced nations in the world to base advice on how to prevent one of the leading causes of poor health and premature death (obesity) on a 200-year-old numerical hack developed by a mathematician who was not even an expert in what little was known about the human body back then.

Category BMI ranges:

Severely underweight less than 16.5

Underweight from 16.5 to 18.4

Normal from 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight from 25 to 29.9

Obese Class I from 30 to 34.9

Obese Class II from 35 to 39.9

Obese Class III over 40

I guess if I really cared about BMI I could shed some muscle mass and get thin to conform with what the CDC and health industry considers normal/healthy. A formula that only considers height and weight should not be valid

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Horoscope

Under most circumstances, you're the most affable, reasonable and benevolent creature on the planet -- under most circumstances. When it comes to other situations, however -- say, for example, when someone is being unfair to someone you love, whether they're two or four-legged -- well, that definitely brings out an entirely different side of you. The side someone who's been mean is about to see right now, for example. Don't even bother apologizing. If they hadn't earned this, they wouldn't be seeing it.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Healthy Snack


1 oz (about 26) Unsalted Dry Roasted Almonds

170 Cals
15g Fat
0 Sodium
210mg Potassium
5g Carbs
3g Fiber
1g Sugar
6g Protein


6oz of Strawberry Nonfat Greek Yogurt

130 Cals
0g Fat
75 Sodium
220mg Potassium
15g Carbs
0g Fiber
14g Sugar
14g Protein

Total
300 Cals
15g Fat
75 Sodium
430mg Potassium
20g Carbs
3g Fiber
15g Sugar
20g Protein

10K Training