Fat Girl Learns To Run

One Step at a Time ---------- Day 162

I got brave this morning and ventured on my treadmill.  This would not be anything to write about except that I have not exercised since my foot injury on Thursday.  I started out at a real slow speed and then increased my speed to 2.8 which is not very fast.  At least I got my body moving.  The good news is that my foot did not give out on me and I didn’t have any sharp pains.  The only negative was that I didn’t break into a sweat.  Sweating is a sign that I have elevated my heart rate which I really didn’t do today.   I plan on walking maybe another day and then give running a try.

On Sunday afternoon I usually go and visit with my parents.  We basically sit around and talk.  When I go there I bring my lunch which is a coffee protein shake.  I have actually turned my mom on to this shake and now she also has one every day. Before I leave, my dad makes me one of his special teas made from one of the oldest herbs on earth.  Since I go there after their lunch, it is food free zone when I am there.  When I get home I have my dinner.  At least I know what my Sundays will be like.  In my opinion routines are good for me.

My plan is to watch the Grammys tonight.  For me it all about what Lady Gaga is going to wear and what she will be performing.

Where to go? ---------- Day 161

After my son graduates this June, I want to take him on a vacation.  He hasn’t gone anywhere on a ‘real’ vacation for several years.  The challenge is deciding where to go that we both agree upon and isn’t that expensive.  When I asked my son where he would like to go, he said that he would like to go to Egypt and see the pyramids.  Well, that is definitely out of the price range.  My son also said that he would just like to go somewhere and relax.  So I spent many hours surfing the internet today looking at various options.  I think that we will probably go to a travel agency and ask for their advice.  Where is Toula when you need her?

When we go on our vacation, it will be in the middle of my half-marathon training.  Where ever we go, I am going to have to work out the running schedule for that week.  Hopefully all my left leg/foot problems will go away and not come back. 

Going somewhere warm for vacation will give me more incentive to get in shape.  The thought of wearing a bathing suit at this point is a scary visual.  I haven’t bought a bathing suit for a very long time.  The last time I wore a bathing suit was on a boat in Maine several years ago.  Most of the time I had on the bathing suit, I had some kind of cover on.  Maybe one day I can wear a bathing suit without feeling so self conscious.

Do Italian Restaurants know how to cook fish? ------ Day 160

Well, my left foot is feeling better but is not healed.  I’m still can’t figure out what happened to me.  I’m glad that I was working from home today since I had a chance to rest my foot.  I’m actually missing not going on my treadmill.  Since I haven’t exercised for three days, my body is really wanting to get some type of movement.  Hopefully, tomorrow my foot will be better.

I was watching an episode of Check Please today and one of the restaurants reviewed was an Italian place on the South Side of the city.  The people who went there, except the person who recommended the restaurant, didn’t care for it.  Both of these people had a seafood dish.  The person who recommended that restaurant suggested that they should have had the pasta or the pizza.  These comments reminded me of my restaurant experience last weekend.  At least I am not the only one lately who thinks Italian restaurants and fish just don't go well together.  From my experiences, it doesn’t seem like the Italian restaurants know how to prepare fish; basically they don’t know how to cook the fish properly (over done) and/or don’t know how to season fish therefore it tastes bland.

This is what I can’t understand about some restaurants; if you can’t cook certain foods well, don’t put them on your menu.  If you have a bad experience because of the dish you chose from the menu, you won’t go back to the restaurant.  Maybe another dish on the menu would have blown you away but you will never know because you will never be back again.  If I don’t have a good experience at a restaurant the first time that I go there, I’m not going back.  It doesn’t matter how large the menu is at a restaurant as long as the food listed is all good.  I think that the shorter the menu, the better the food is since the restaurant can then do a few things well instead of all the food being just okay. 

One of the restaurants that I consider in the ‘okay’ category is the Cheesecake Factory.  I haven’t had any bad food there but there is nothing on the menu that I would rave about either.  As I mentioned last week, I really like Julius Meinl for a quick meal.  The portion sizes are just right and all the ingredients are fresh and tasty.  I prefer having a little side salad with my sandwich inside of French fries any day.   I also like the attention paid to the coffee service; all coffee drinks are served on a silver platter with a small glass of water.  It’s these little things that make a meal special.  My motto on food is quality or quantity.  Who needs to eat these supersized portions anyway?

Twisted ---------- Day 159

The oddest thing happened to me today.  I was working in my office and then I got up to pick up something from the printer which is about 15 feet from my desk.  As I reached the printer, my ankle just gave out.  I have no idea what happened.  I spent the rest of the day at work limping about.  If I stepped on my foot one way, it didn’t hurt but stepping on my foot a different way was very painful.  If I tripped on something or fell, I could understand my foot hurting but this is just unexplainable to me.

Tonight was my night to run but that didn’t happen.  I can hardly walk.  My foot is now wrapped in a bandage in hopes of my foot getting better.  When I physically can’t exercise is when I miss it the most.  It just makes me realize that I shouldn’t waste those days when I feel good.  You never really appreciate your health until it is gone.  Hopefully, my foot will feel better tomorrow.

To Sushi or Not to Sushi ----------- Day 158

I remember the first time that I tried sushi; it was with some co-workers in Los Angeles.  Since that first time, I have continued to have sushi because I really enjoy it.  There are places that you can go for your basic sushi rolls and then there are places that you can go that make really fancy sushi creations.  It all depends on your budget where you go for sushi.  The grocery stores have even gotten into the act and have containers with pre-packed sushi rolls. 

One Saturday I was taking a day-long class at a store that was located in a strip mall.  Since we had a break for lunch, I decided to venture into this sushi place in this strip mall and check it out.  I found out that they had a special where you could eat all the sushi that you want for a set price.  The catch is that if you order sushi and don’t finish all of it, you would be charged 50 cents per piece; which is only fair.  Since my son loves sushi and is a teenager, I took him to this sushi place.  Once my son was introduced to all you can eat sushi, he has since taken his friends and made the pilgrimage (it’s about 45 minutes from our house) to this sushi place.

My favorite type of sushi roll is one made with tuna.  The disturbing information that I found out yesterday was that of all the types of fish used for sushi, tuna has the most mercury in it.  The lowest mercury was found in salmon.  The amount of mercury that a fish has depends on its size; the larger the fish, the more mercury.  Tuna is a large fish (remember Charlie the Tuna?).

All along I thought that I was eating healthy when I had tuna sushi.  I will think twice before ordering tuna sushi in the future.  There are other types of fish used in sushi so I think I will try to stay with salmon and eel. But then again, the tuna sushi just tastes so good.

A Change in Meal Plans ---------- Day 157

I nearly always bring my lunch to work.  Lunch is usually something that I had previously cooked and then froze.  Last weekend after I cooked a turkey, I used some of the leftover turkey to make stir fry.  I ate this stir fry for four days in a row which was too long of a time to eat the same thing.  After hitting the wall with my turkey stir fry, I decided to do something different for lunch this week.

When I went shopping at Whole Foods on Sunday, I picked up three of their pre-made lunch meals which you eat cold. These meals are basically Asian type salads.  I am actually looking forward to lunch time this week.  I just needed to eat something out of the ordinary for a few days. 

To give my son something different to eat for dinner, I bought him some frozen Frontera pizzas.  Just like me, he also needed to eat some other type of food for a few meals.  I asked my son if I should buy some more of those pizzas and he said no.  I think we both felt the same way; you need to shake up your meal plans for a few days to revive your taste for the food you usually eat. 

 

Losing Momentum ---------- Day 156

When I left work today it was snowing.  It was the kind of snow that I hate; blowing, cold and wet.  I was glad to get home and enjoy the warmth in my house.  On days like this it is really difficult to change into my running outfit (shorts and a tee shirt) instead of just putting on sweats and a sweatshirt.  After not getting in much exercising in last week, I realized how easy it is to lose momentum.

First a couple of days might go by, then a week, then a couple of weeks, and before you know it, a month has passed without any real exercise.  It is so easy to go down that slippery slope.  Not wanting to go down that path, I got on the treadmill and did some running today.  I also plan on working out with Jillian again in the mornings. 

I have no outside activities this week so hopefully I can get back on track with exercising and eating right.

A New Week ---------- Day 155

I’m glad to start the upcoming week.  Last week was an unusual week where I was out three nights during the week.  This really screwed up my working out schedule and eating routine.  Also, what didn’t help was eating at that restaurant yesterday.  When I woke up this morning with my stomach crapping, I realized that I must have had a slight case of food poisoning from the restaurant.  The last thing I felt like doing is exercising.  I was just glad to be able to get out of bed and move around.

When I renewed my Runner’s World subscription, I received a running log as a free gift.  I am going to start tracking my running time and speed.  This will get me prepared for the next running session next month.

On a totally unrelated topic, my condolences  to my New York friends since the Jets lost today and therefore are not going to the Super Bowl.

Warning - Do Not Go There ----------- Day 154

I thought that my son and I would have a nice lunch in Lincoln Square this afternoon.  We decided to try this Italian restaurant called Trattoria Trullo.  Going there was a big mistake.  I don’t really remember the last time I left a restaurant feeling so angry.  Let me explain what happened.

I first order some ice tea.  Simple enough.  First it takes them awhile to get it to me that I thought they forgot.  I took one sip of the iced tea and it was a sweet tea.  I can’t stand sweet tea. It tasted just like diet peach Snapple.  I asked the waiter what kind of tea this was.  He said they ran out of tea and they just brewed some.  How can they run out tea when they have been open for less than an hour for lunch with people seated at only a few tables?  Next I get my entrée which was a cold seafood salad.  I have had this type of salad before and never have I tasted one that was so bland.  There was absolutely no seasoning on the salad.  What kind of chef made this salad?  Apparently, he didn’t go the Tom Colicchio School of Seasoning.  The waiter asked how my entrée was and I told him that I would never order this salad again.  He then suggested another dish that had some grilled seafood over spinach and white beans.  It sounded like an appetizer so I ordered it.  The dish, which looked like an appetizer, was better than the salad but just okay. 

When I got the bill, I couldn’t believe the price of this ‘appetizer’ dish.   It was two dollars more than the seafood salad.  I asked the waiter if that was correct.  He said ‘yes’.  My mistake for not asking how much the dish cost.  I felt raped by the prices of the entrees considering the quality of the food was not very good.  By the way, my son’s pasta dish was just okay and also wasn’t seasoned.

As we were leaving the restaurant, I swore that I will never go to this restaurant again.  To try to relieve some of my anger from eating at this restaurant, I had to write this post.  I am also going to go a site where you can post a review about the restaurant. Since I wasn’t able to get back at the restaurant for my lousy meal, my words will be daggers stabbing them in the back.

Walking back to the car, I still was complaining about this restaurant to my son.  Luckily he was the only one watching my melt down.  I then realized that I wanted get rid of the taste in my month from the meal.  The only way to get some redemption from this lunch was to stop at Julius Meinl.  My son and I stopped there and had a small snack that put us in a better place.  You can never go wrong by going to Julius Meinl.  That place understands the concept of serving their customers good quality food no matter what they order.

Now here’s the kicker in all of this.  Last night I was taking out a good friend of mine for her birthday.  We decided to walk down Lincoln Avenue and then decide where to eat.  She saw this Italian restaurant and was thinking of going there.  I told her that we should also check out Bistro Champagne and then decided.  We decided to go to the French restaurant.  I am so glad that we did.  We both enjoyed the food that we ordered.

All I can say is, do not go to Trattoria Trullo on Lincoln Avenue.  If you do, don’t order what I did.

Last Saturday, I was angry about the Toastmaster meeting and today I am angry about this restaurant.  I hope next Saturday will be an angry-free day.

You deserve a Break today ---------- Day 153

When I saw my son after work yesterday, he was heading out to meet some friends.  Their plans were to go out for dinner and see a movie.  Have I mentioned that my son always has something going on?  Going out is not something that my son does during the school week but yesterday was the last day of finals.  He is very excited to have three days away from school and not have to do any homework.  My son is so glad to have a break before the grind begins again on Monday.

I am going out with my girlfriend tonight to celebrate her birthday.  It will be good to see her and catch up on things.  When the two of us get together, we never run out of things to say.  During the week I have so many things going on besides work that is nice to have break from it all once in awhile.