Five things I learned this week. 3.3.13
Posted: March 3, 2013 Filed under: What I learned this week | Tags: birthdays, food, friends, learning, weather Leave a comment »Here are five things that I learned or was reminded of this week:
1. I loathe long stretches of overcast days.
2. Tomorrow I will be a wise old sage.
3. My friends are the best friends.
4. My girlfriend rocks.
5. My favorite birthday meal is crab legs.
What did you learn this week?
Things I think about while running. (September edition)
Posted: September 28, 2012 Filed under: life, running | Tags: athletes, chipmunks, dedication, exercise, food, learning, life, motivation, movies, predator, road racing, running, sports, star wars, story, tacos, wookies 4 Comments »
I often have deep, random thoughts while I run. Here are a few from this past month:
1. I shouldn’t have eaten so many tacos last night.
2. Carbs are good for me.
3. Hot sauce is not good for me.
4. This is not a race. Take it easy.
5. I can’t catch that person in front of me.
6. Yes I can.
7. Predator mode. Claws out.
8. Hello, ma’am. Goodbye ma’am.
9. Watch out for the chipmunk!
10. Alvin. Simon. Theodore.
11. I don’t prefer animated movies.
12. That guy should wear a shirt.
13. Wookies.
14. How does Han Solo know what Chewbacca is saying?
15. I’m tired.
16. The force is not with me.
17. I need more tacos.
What do you think about while running?
Five things I learned this week. 8.19.12
Posted: August 19, 2012 Filed under: What I learned this week | Tags: athletes, endurance sport, exercise, food, health, healthy choice, learning, life, muscles, olympics, running, softball, travel, vacation 2 Comments »Here are five things that I learned or was reminded of this week:
1. Softball can be an endurance sport.
2. I have muscles in places that I did not know existed.
3. Vacations are great but they are like a vapor. They tend to go quickly.
4. Healthy choice dinners are simply not enough for dinner.
5. If there is such a thing as Olympic withdrawal, I’m having it.
What did you learn this week?
Things I think about while running. (June edition)
Posted: July 6, 2012 Filed under: running | Tags: athletes, butterflies, clouds, dedication, encouragement, exercise, food, grass, marathon, night vision, road racing, roadkill, running, sports, sun, sweat, training, weather 9 Comments »
I tend to have these random thoughts that jump into my brain as I run. Here are a few deep thoughts that I had while running last month:
1. I wish there were a headband that wouldn’t leave a tan line.
2. If I had night vision, I’d run in the dark.
3. These people need to cut their grass.
4. Why are there so many beer cans on the side of the road?
5. How does one get the job of cleaning up road kill?
6. Opossums aren’t smart.
7. I hope they don’t ever have to clean me up off the road.
8. Running on busy roads may not be so smart.
9. I’m craving fried chicken.
10. Whose idea was it to put KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in the same building?
11. I’m craving chicken tacos.
12. Why is this butterfly following me?
13. I feel light on my feet.
14. I wish the clouds would block the sun every now and then. The sun is bright.
15. The future is bright.
16. I need to race.
17. I need to win (my age group).
Had any random thoughts lately?
Waffle House Culture
Posted: March 12, 2012 Filed under: faith, life | Tags: christian, christianity, coffee, culture, faith, food, God, grits, waffle house Leave a comment »If you don’t live in the south, you may not know what the Waffle House is. If so, then you are missing out on a true staple of southern cuisine.
For someone who has never heard of it, let me assure you that it is not a building made out of breakfast pastries. It’s not a magical place where elves live and happily create magical waffles while singing and dancing.
It’s a place where humans live. It’s where we go to have feel good food. Food like greasy bowls of grits. Hash browns that are loaded with everything under the sun. Mediocre cups of coffee and golden brown, buttery waffles.
It’s where we go to step into a different culture. The Waffle House culture.
The Waffle House culture is unique. Waffle House people like to stick together. You’ll often see the same people there every time you visit. It’s where they congregate. People who work at the Waffle House will often hang out at the Waffle House, even when they are off duty. People even get married at the Waffle House.
The Waffle House is not for pretty people. If you want to see pretty, perfect people, then you might want to drive on by. The Waffle House culture consists of imperfect people. Real people. People that are full of life but have flaws and hang ups. Waffle House people will accept you for who you are.
I once chatted with a Waffle House cook. He talked about his family and how he and his son were estranged but he always had a smile on his face. And when I asked how his day was going, he always answered “Blessed”.
“The food was great”
“Bless you.”
“Where did you learn to cook?”
“I was blessed.”
And when all the food was cooked, he would slide into a booth by himself with his big King James bible and a pack of Marlboro’s.
Thats the Waffle house culture in a nut shell and it mirrors our own culture.
We don’t want to fellowship with perfect people because perfect people are fatally uninteresting. To be perfect is to be fake. It’s an impossible achievement.
We surround ourselves with imperfect people like ourselves. People that struggle. People that have hurts and deficiencies. People that we can learn from and rely on.
There was only one perfect person in this world and He didn’t come to be with perfect people. He came to be with imperfect people.
If he were to visit today, I’m sure you would find Him at the Waffle House, drinking a cup of coffee and munching on a piece of chocolate pie. Because that is the kind of culture He came to be a part of.
And just like the cook that I met that day, we would all be blessed by His presence.
You are what you eat.
Posted: February 15, 2012 Filed under: life | Tags: athletes, calories, exercise, food, fuel, health food, learning, running, snacks, training 4 Comments »If that saying is true, then I am a chocolate glazed donut. I am a Zaxby’s chicken finger plate with a large coke Zero. I am a pack of chewy sweet tarts. Thank goodness we are not what we eat.
One of my many flaws is that I don’t have the best eating habits. As a runner I should probably be eating steamed vegetables and a grilled chicken breast everyday but instead, I enjoy cheeseburgers and french fries with lots of ketchup.
I’m not a glutton. I don’t eat these foods everyday but it’s what I prefer. I find it hard to resist the cravings. Snacking is where I keep it healthy. A protein bar or an apple will satisfy me during those in between meal times. It’s lunch and dinner time that I fail to eat healthy all the time, because typical health food just doesn’t seem to fill me.
When I think of health food, I envision rice cakes and broth. I think of celery sticks, kashi bars and skim milk and none of these foods appeal to me. I’d often rather go without.
So if you are reading this, I could use your advice. What healthy things do you eat? What tastes good but has low calories? What fuels you?
