Eat your ORGANIC fruits and vegetables

I can't believe it.
I've become a food snob. I read labels. Critically.
I rarely go out to eat because I like cooking at home and I know exactly what I'm shoving down my pie hole. I love grilling out on the BBQ.

So why eat organic?

Public service announcement:

The fruits and vegetables that our parents ate when they were growing up were more nutritious than the conventional model of today. Organically grown fruits and vegetables are proving to have higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals than their conventionally grown counterparts.
A recent study backed up this claim.
The Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin, recently analyzed data gathered by the USDA in 1950 and 1999 on the nutrient content of 43 fruit and vegetable crops. Researchers found that 6 out of 13 nutrients had declined in these crops over the 49 year period (the seven other nutrients showed no significant, reliable changes). Three minerals, phosphorus, iron and calcium, declined between 9 and 16 percent. Protein declined 6 percent. Riboflavin declined 38 percent and ascorbic acid (a precursor of vitamin C) declined 15 percent.

And Beth reminded me that buying local organic is twice better. Hell yeah.

I also hear that a good multivitamin will help fill in the gaps.

Be Well. Eat well.

Splish'n and Splash'n

This doesn't sound like much but I seem to have knocked 5 seconds off my 100 swim pace.
What the FFFFFFandango?
Going from a pace of 1:30 the past 3 years down to a 1:25 this past month has me puzzled
and pleased.

Flashback to my glory days in high school... I was 15 pounds lighter (read as SKINNY) and would regularly stay below a minute per 100 freestyle and had a backstroke PR of 1:04. Neither was good enough to make it to the state finals. So here I am.

I'm older now (much older) and tipping the scales at 155-160 and haven't been running since knee surgery last Dec. I've spent the past few months maintaining with some moderate strength training, swimming and biking. Nothing exciting there.
But, I have tweaked my swim stroke with a quicker catch and focused on maintaining a bent elbow through the stroke with a lot of stroke drills January through March. An old dog can learn some new tricks.
April and May, I upped my swims to a minimum of 3,000 yards per session with a few 4,000's thrown in.
The past 4 Saturday's I've been testing myself with 200 and 300 yard time trials.
The result...
A 1:25 per 100 pace and 1:22-1:23 for 100 repeats. Like I said, WHAT THE eFF!
I don't know how this will translate to an open water swim of more than 1,500 but I'll plan a lake swim soon and find out.


Pre IM Switzerland, 2007.
(check out the goober spit)

My knee is doing well but I still have a ways to go to get my right leg the same size as my left.
I guess it's back to the weight room and more protein.

Bike, Wine, BBQ

Saturday was sunny, warm, and windy.
A perfect day for a bike ride and wine tasting.

An easy 30 miles...with the wind.
Coming back against the wind was a bit of a challenge. Especially with a wine buzz.


Baby grapes






Ready to begin tasting...8 wines.


Post ride grilling and some beer.

This outing may become a monthly event.

Cool commute

Brief rest stop by the river.

It was sunny, windy as hell, and 45 degrees when I started my bike ride commute to work this morning.
Nothing like a cold slap in the face, watery eyes, and a runny nose to wake me up.
When I got to my office, I immediately brewed a hot cup o' joe to thaw out my fingers and toes.
Luckily I was the only one there cuz by the time I stripped off my layers of biking clothes, (socks, knee warmers, shorts, tech t-shirt, arm warmers, jersey, and wind breaker) I was standing naked under my office' hot air vent while sipping that glorious hot liquid and waiting for my cajones to drop out of my stomach. Gawd, the shrinkage and retraction were devastating.
Move along, nothing to see here, move along.
I'm fine now.

Froggy Friday

It's springtime in the north woods and the water is warming up. I'm not quite brave enough to dive in for a lake swim just yet but the warming temperatures means all the seasonal ponds and wetlands are teaming with frogs and toads.
My dog walks through the woods are getting noisy. Not from me or my dog but the sounds of Chorus Frogs,


Song of the Chorus frog.

Leopard Frogs,


Sound of the Leopard Frog.

and the American toad.


Song of the American Toad.

And soon the Spring Peepers


Peep of the Spring Peeper.

and Wood frogs will be puffing out their throats.


Sound of the Wood Frog.

Enjoy the sounds of spring.

Swimming humor

Q: Why did the Boston swimmer with the sore throat try to swallow his TYRs?

A: Because the doctor told him to GOGGLE with salt water!