Aug 7

Aug 7 In the Desert…Weekly Weight Update

The week started out with a bang. I knew I was going to be going out of town for work for the week so I wanted to make sure that I got in a good workout. I woke up and headed over to Orange Theory Fitness first thing on Sunday morning. That workout always destroys me but I suppose that is a good thing. The best part was running into my good friend, Melanie, in the parking lot. She was on her way in while I was on my way out. There isn’t anything quite as nice as running into an old friend.

My friend Melanie and me in the parking lot of Orange Theory

Monday was time to hit the road. I arrived at Dulles International Airport at 4:30am for my flight out to California. It was going to be a day filled with travel, jet lag, and lack of movement. Ten short hours later (including an hour layover in Denver) and I had finally arrived in Los Angeles. I got in my rental car, went over to the LA office of another firm for a few hours of work, then hopped back in the car for a short two hour drive into the deserts of California to spend the rest of the week working.

Since I had to travel so much on Monday (and I was travelling alone for the day), I decided to splurge by grabbing a very tasty sriracha cheesesteak from a delicious place call the Stackz then heading along to Hamilton Family Brewery for a flight of beers while I enjoyed the sandwich. I’ll be preparing a blog specifically on the beers from this trip so I won’t go into much detail other than to say they were local, they were delicious, and a big one came back to my hotel room for later consumption.

Since I never quite got acclimated to California time my days started at 4:30am. That wouldn’t be waking up too early for me (I usually wake up at 5:00am everyday anyway) except that the time difference had messed me all up so I couldn’t fall asleep at a reasonable time. However, waking up this early did have one advantage in that I would take the time to work out in the morning. The disadvantages were (1) I hate working out early in the morning because it makes me feel exhausted the rest of the day and (2) I felt exhausted the entire rest of each day.

Tuesday morning was a 4 mile run through the strip-mall laden streets of Ontario. The area consists of strip mall followed by shopping center followed by strip mall. What was lacking in view regarding architecture and town halls was made up for by the beautiful mountain range just north of the town. I got to watch the sun rise over the mountain tops in the morning and it was quite a sight to see.

On Thursday I was able to get into the local Orange Theory fitness center for the 5:00am class. Like I already said, I hate working out in the morning but I wanted to make sure to get into a class and I was already awake so I might as well take advantage of the situation. That is one of the great things about Orange Theory. They have locations all over the country and if you want to work out while away from your home location all you have do to is call up the Orange Theory where you are and if they have a spot you can get right in.

Orange Theory in Rancho Cucamonga, California

It was a tough workout but I’m glad I got it done. I don’t know if it was the time of day (too early to be exercising) the different gym (you get comfortable with the trainers you work with) or the altitude (it may be only 1,000 feet more above sea level but you’d be surprised how much of a difference that makes while running) but the workout felt much harder then it normally does at home. I was running just as hard if not harder than I would at home but going 2-3 mph slower on my all out sprints. I was completely spent after the workout but I was glad I went. At least for most of the day but I was completely exhausted by the time I laid my pillow down.

What I accomplished with exercise I more than offset with poor eating habits. No matter how hard you try you are going to eat poorly when you have to eat out for every meal. I tried not to go crazy when it came to dining out but if there were local delicacies I could try I wasn’t going to deny myself. The highlight of the trip was finally discovering a little downtown area in the nearby city of Upland with the tiny little burger joint called Daddy-O’s Rockin Café. This hole in the wall is tiny but delicious. The burgers are cooked to perfection and covered with a sauce that I couldn’t identify but could have consumed for the rest of my life. The fries are crinkly and seasoned to greatness. The staff couldn’t have been friendlier. If you are in the Inland Empire region of Southern California I highly suggest making your way over to Upland and getting yourself a burger.

Friday was another day full of travel fun. I spent my day seeking out the healthiest food an airport can offer (not a simple task) and sitting on airplane seats. I didn’t get home until about midnight so my Friday was pretty much shot and I hardly got in any steps in on Friday.

Saturday morning came quickly and another flight was soon to follow. Rizzo, Cece, and I made a drive up to Baltimore to hop a plane down to Atlanta. The plan is to spend some time with Rizzo’s family and checking out some of the Atlanta sites. As excited I am for a few days relief from work (especially after being working out of town for a week) it meant another day of planes and eating out. I’m looking forward to a few days her in the Dirty Dirty (did I do that right?) before getting back home to some normal eating and exercise.

Non-Scale Victory

When one is travelling it is very, very easy to stop exercising. One of my biggest fears is that I’ll take a few days off of my regular exercise routine and never get back into the groove resulting in all the weight coming on faster than it ever did before. That is why regardless of my eating habits I don’t stop my exercise routine even if I’m on vacation. This week I got in a long run through the desert and even found a way to get in my Orange Theory Fitness class while 3,000 miles away. I know that I gained weight because of eating but I’m glad I didn’t give up on my workouts.

Rizzo is training to run a 20K in a few weeks. I spent three days this week sitting on an airplane. I didn’t stand a chance. I mean, I did what I could, but it wasn’t going to be enough. The week began with Rizzo crushing me for the month of July 166.8 miles to my puny 151.8 miles. Just so she could pour salt in the wound she decided to crush me for the week, as well, racking up 39.7 miles compared to my 30.3 miles. Rizzo went and saw Bad Moms for her July victory. I’m never going to get to go out and see a movie again. Maybe I should call Jeff Gillooly.

OK, that is pretty mean. I guess I just start getting in more mileage. That seems reasonable.