Odds and Ends III

Gave up the boob tube:   I ditched watching television this week.  I mean really ditched it - I returned the cable box.  I need a little break.  The news has become nothing but political bickering and I've seen my fill of foodie shows over the past few years as well.  It's cycling that I mostly watch, and that won't start up again until next spring.  I've probably gone about half of my adult life without a tele, but I've had one now for the past 7 years or so.  With the advent of the DVR and many more informational shows and channels these days, I don't dislike television as much as I once did.  That is to say, television can be used in a much more productive manner than has been possible before (no commercials, recording shows), although, I suppose, one could also just watch junk on it all day as well.  Same goes for the internet ... it is what you make of it.  I'll reevaluate early next year.

Hammy pull:  I have a slight hamstring strain from an uphill hike yesterday (I'm pretty sure that's what it's from).  I wore my vibrams and had to shorten my stride a little because of the rocky terrain (I do live in the middle of the ROCKY Mountains) and I think that's what tweaked it.  Although, I'm not positive because I didn't feel it until this morning.  Anyway, blah blah blah, my point is that I might not sprint tomorrow, and thinking about it, this will be the first time in 2 years that I might not sprint because of a tweak.  Yes, that's bragging.  No, I could give a toot about a 'streak' or anything like that.  It just made me realize how tweak/injury free I've been the past few years, and how this has mostly to do with my low risk approach to exercise.  As I've mentioned before on this blog, I would get tweaks often enough when I wore a backpack full of weights while doing explosive dips, pullups, or clapping pushups.  Luckily nothing serious, but the potential for injury was much, much higher.  If I can build the same strength in a much safer and efficient manner, why the heck wouldn't I?  Oh, right - I do.

Not sick:  I haven't been sick in over a year.  I don't consciously track things like this, but I recall having a sinus infection last year when I rode up Independence Pass to watch the Pro Cycling Challenge, and since that time, I've started gargling and swishing with salt water every morning and usually a couple of times after I get home.  I can't pin my non sickness solely on this habit of course, but I have a big hunch it has something to do with it.  If people are sick around me at work, I especially take care to gargle a couple of times throughout the day.  Call me lazy for not really caring enough to dig in and see if there's any research on this practice, I'm just running with it because it feels right.  Like it's sanitizing my throat, not to mention my teeth and gums - my toofies are sparkling white!

New shoes:  I just purchased a pair of Altra 'The Instinct' running shoes this week.  But I didn't get them for running.  I got them for work.  They're a new company making shoes with very wide toe boxes, no arch support and zero drop.  Yes, yes and yes.  They feel promising and I'll do a review on them here shortly.

Autumn is here and we're right smack dab in the middle of the changing colors.  This week and the next will be the best viewing and then it'll be on the down slope.  These things happen fast up at altitude.