First day of training for summer goal

I set myself a longterm goal with this diet and now I am ready to switch gears to the next phase.  I tested myself today and did a good 7.5 mile hike without one break in a little over 2 hours.  That means I was kicking an under than 20 minute mile pace which is exactly where I want to be.  This was a pretty good hike and had some nice elevation climbs but nothing like I am going to have to do this summer.  The pic above is Rae Lakes.  I am hoping to do a nice backpacking trip there this summer with some friends and that is my longterm goal.  The route is HERE and it looks amazing.  This would be awesome and I am very happy that I was able to kick out a good hike today.  Things are alot easier now that I am about 55 pounds lighter :).

Running and cooking

I was able to run 3.66 miles yesterday and a really good pace which helped me make up for my failings over the weekend.  It is very nice to be able to run again and I think today I am going to get out there for a good hike.

Also I am busting out my tandoori recipe just to make this Protein push a little easier.  Hopefully I will start in on these last 10 pounds this week but I suspect with my extra exercise I might gain a little muscle weight.

backsliding weekend

Well this weekend wasnt the best and I got to post about it.

Saturday I ate a Hamburger at a Burger joint in Santa Cruz that was actually really tasty and I ate some fries.
Then just to be a complete tool I ate some Chocolate Chip cookies that night.
Sunday I ate some flour tortillas with butter which was totally stupid but I craved that for some reason.

Today its back to protein.  I have got to kick off these last 10 pounds.  For some reason I am hovering at 220 forever.

First serious attempt at a run

I headed out a couple days ago to try and do my first 5 mile trail run.  I wasn't really expecting to run the whole deal but I do want to make it up the first hill.   This is a place in San Jose called; QuickSilver, it has some brutal hills but it is gorgeous.  I was able to do the whole trail but I could not run up the entire first hill.  Unfortunately two beautiful girls started running behind me as I was going which got me going a little too fast to keep pace with them causing me to die out after the first .5 miles of uphill.  Then they just motored past me and cruised straight up this brutal hill.  After that ego blast I recovered and got going again, power-walking the hill and then running a good mile until I walked again.  Overall, it was a success since I finished the 5 mile loop and did some serious hill climbs.  I had forgotten how rough it is to actually run on trails compared to the street so this was a good lesson.  I am hoping that I have some time today to sneak out and try another trail but things are pretty hectic. I was happy that I finished the hills, didn't barf and wasnt that sore the next day.  I think the WiiFit even with all its silliness is really helping my knee and ankle strength since I am having none of the old pains I used to have there.

The joy of Vegetable days

For me one of the best things about the Dukan diet is that it has really got me to appreciate other foods.  After surviving a 4-5 day protein push nothing is better than this Brussels Sprouts dish.  I dont use the butter and reduce the oil as much as possible.  This dish is awesome and is from:Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table .  Which is a great cook book and restaurant if you get a chance to go out to eat in L.A..  Even if you hated Brussels Sprouts as a kid this dish just rocks and is worth a try.  This with some steamed chicken and roasted butternut squash just makes an all around awesome dinner.