speedvegan

1. don’t leg press until legs become numb

ok, so those of you who read my blog know that this is one lesson i haven’t quite learned despite many painful episodes. it will probably take a few more to finally convince me but until that day, i will have to pay the price for last week’s workout. i hurt my left hip flexor and haven’t been able to run since last thursday. i was supposed to do my long run (only 5 miles) on saturday, but the pain was unbearable. i ran about 50 feet and WALKED back to my apartment. i tried running again on saturday, but the pain was still very intense. same today. i made it a point to get to the gym only seconds before the spinning class started. this way i was not tempted to lift any weights. i don’t know when i will be able to run again, but i will keep saying to myself “don’t over-do it” until i can.

2. not all car batteries are created equal

after 2.5 years of (ab)use, the battery in my jetta finally died. it was a sad moment. not because of the battery but because it was almost 2am and my car wouldn’t start. fortunately i was with Jose, the car geek, who diagnosed the problem right away. on sunday we went out hunting for batteries. he insisted that i consider getting an optima battery. a what ? apparently this is the preferred battery for performance vehicles. my 2.0 stock jetta is in no way, shape or form a performance anything, but an extra $20 is well worth my (and Jose’s) peace of mind. my car may die someday, but the optima will live on.. YES !

3. eat before 3 hour bike ride in 90 degree weather

duh ? yes. i went for a ride on sunday. i usually try to get out before 7am to beat the heat but i was out partying saturday night (and my battery died) so i didn’t go to bed until well after 2am. i was in a hurry to leave in the morning and didn’t have any protein bars in my apt, so i headed out with nothing but a GU and some gatorade in my belly. i have low blood sugar which means that when i have too much sugar (and no protein), my energy level goes WAYYY up and then plummets to the point where i can faint or worse, go into a coma. fortunately i have never experienced the later, but i have fainted many a time.

i ran into 2 of my cycling buddies on the road and we decided to ride together. one of the girls dropped out at mile 28. the other girl and i came to a stop. as she started to say something, i felt my body go weak and suddenly i was kissing the pavement. as soon as i was back on my feet i fell to the oposite side – right on my friend. at this point i got up, put my bike aside and said “i need to eat something.” luckily she is vegan too and had a cliff bar on her. it hit the spot and i was able to ride for another 14 miles. woohoohoo !!