(5K training, week 1, week 2)

Week 3
Day 1 (Wednesday): Supposed to do 2 miles, did 2 miles on treadmill in ~25 minutes.
Day 2 (skipped): Supposed to do 2.5 miles, skipped as I was traveling.
Day 3 (Sunday): Supposed to do 3 miles, did ~4.5 outside in ~65 minutes.

I have signed up for a Toys for Tots 5K in Santa Cruz in mid-December. At this rate I anticipate no problems completing it in good time. Next goal will likely be a 10K.

Seeing my mom for Thanksgiving
Living on the opposite coast, I don’t get to see my mom as much as I’d like. She’s coming out this week for Thanksgiving and I’m looking forward to seeing her.

Dinner with Jen and my mom at Wayfare Tavern
Wayfare Tavern is Chef Tyler Florence’s new-ish restaurant in San Francisco. We’re meeting there for dinner tomorrow night. After a quick look at the menu I’ve already made my selection: fried chicken and mac & cheese.

Thanksgiving dinner with family
We’ll have Thanksgiving at my aunt Ginny’s house in Oakland. I’ll get to spend time with family and eat good food. How can that be bad?

The National Dog Show on Thanksgiving Day
You can’t go wrong with a near-endless parade of dogs showing their best moves.

A long weekend and the official beginning of the holiday season
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday means four days off from work, and for me it’s the actual kickoff of holiday festivities. Decorations can go up, music can be played, eggnog can be consumed.

…might be an exaggeration, but I rely very much on having my Palm Pre around at all times. My calendar, messaging and having the Internet in my pocket are all important to me.

The Palm Pre @ Times Square

Since I've had the Pre, around a year and a half, it hasn't left my side… much. I usually don't carry it while working out, unless it's a run or something else solo. The real problem comes when I can't get a decent network signal for whatever reason. Unfortunately the Pre and its apps just don't really do well without constant connectivity.

The question posed is "Chocolate or Vanilla", which to me implies milkshakes or ice cream. If the question was "Chocolate or not chocolate" then the answer would clearly be "chocolate, preferably dark." But if we're talking dairy products then I have to go for vanilla every time.

Vanilla Bean Dream Shake

Don't get me wrong, I like chocolate ice cream and chocolate milkshakes. I just like vanilla more. Vanilla ice cream is the base for hot fudge sundaes. Chocolate ice cream wouldn't work for hot fudge sundaes, now would it.



Vanilla milkshakes go with anything. Especially onion rings. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! Chocolate milkshakes are pretty much dessert-only items, and while I like them I'm always more likely to go for vanilla with lunch instead of chocolate after.

Perhaps I should just abandon the pretense of training for a 5K and call it “10K training” or “half marathon training”. Reasoning below.

Week 2:
Day 1 (Wednesday): Supposed to do 2 miles, did 1.75 miles on treadmill in 26 minutes. Started slow and ran out of time.
Day 2 (Friday): Supposed to do 2 miles, did 2 miles on treadmill in 27:28.
Day 3 (Sunday): Supposed to do 2.5 miles, did 3.5 miles outside in 41:59 because I missed a turn.

So for two weeks in a row, I’ve run over 5K distance in reasonable time (for me) without stopping to walk.