WHheat…..

Have you seen that Family Guy Wheat Thins commercial?

Our friend was visiting and kept pronouncing the city in which we live, “WHheat Ridge” and would chuckle a few minutes.  Then we would all say “WHheat Ridge” and chuckle for a few more minutes.  Now I can’t get WHheat Ridge out of my head.  And I keep pronouncing WH words with the pronounced WH.  WHhat? WHhere? WHho? 

(Gosh darn you Bosone and your WHheat pronunciation.)

How Old is Too Old to Play Soccer?

I am, and will always be, a soccer player.  I LOVE soccer; I love to play soccer, I love to watch soccer, and eventually I will love coaching my kids in soccer.  But how old is too old to play soccer?

Seattle LOVES it’s soccer too!  Seattle has several adult leagues and I think I tried them all.  At one point while living in Seattle, I was playing on three teams a week (while still training for marathons).  Three days a week playing 90 minute outdoor soccer games takes a lot out of you as an adult.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was really affecting my body.  I was ALWAYS sore and was getting nagging injuries.  Not to mention the amount of money and time I spent…..

Was it worth it?  Definitely.  I met some AMAZING people and gained valuable friendships (I miss you team Chico’s Bail Bonds, esp. Steffanie and Jessica!).  I was also able to do something that I love while releasing a lot of pent up competitive energy and get in some great fitness.

I remember when my older friends started to quit soccer and I couldn’t understand how and why they could quit soccer?!  I thought they were being wimps and that they were just too out of shape to play.  I vowed never to quit!  Now I am starting to see their point.  Even if you are in the best cardio shape, that does not mean you are in soccer shape.  Running does not fully translate to the soccer field; soccer uses a lot of different muscles and movements than running.  

To compound the issue, every year your body reacts differently to various activities.  I am starting to realize this and I am ONLY 30?!?  I have now taken 3 months off of soccer; I am not sore and I do not have the nagging injuries that I was experiencing while playing in Seattle.  Coincidence?  I think not. 

Everyone is different and has a different answer for “How Old is Too Old to Play Soccer.” I definitely will NEVER be too old to play soccer, but I can’t play at the intensity and frequency that I used to (SAD).  I think I will play this summer on a women’s league, but I will not go back to playing 3 times a week against 20-something men like I was doing in Seattle.  My body just can’t handle it anymore :(

In Lieu of Running….

I hit the slopes today!  It was a spur of the moment decision and I am sure glad I did it.  What a great day!
Now I am exhausted and didn’t have the energy to get in a run or work out.  But it got me thinking; skiing counts as a workout, but how does it compare to other activities?
All I could find was the amount of calories burned while doing various activities and found this awesome table from Harvard Health (so its probably legit):
I highlighted the things I do the most and it was really interesting how they compared with each other.  And it also reminded me of all the awesome things you can do to be active…. besides running!  Granted you don’t burn as many calories as quickly, but that is not always the point.  Just get out there and do stuff and you will be doing something.  Plus it is good to switch things up to avoid the running burn out…..

How to Get People to Pay Attention

Every day my company sends out safety tips via email.  Typically I just delete these emails and don’t pay attention to what is actually being said.  One day a coworker told me to re-read the safety email and was hysterically laughing:

I skimmed over the email and didn’t get what was so funny.  Then I looked at the warning picture. Oh my goodness.  This email went to the ENTIRE company!  HAHAHAHA!  The person who sent the email inadvertently used that picture, but I think she did everyone a favor.  Now I pay attention to the daily safety email just in case something funny like this happens again.  And I am getting important safety tips.  You can never be too safe!

San Francisco

I just got back from my trip to San Francisco for work training.  The weather was perfect (even though I spent 75% of the time inside) and I had a great weekend.  The work training was actually extremely beneficial and I got a lot out of it. I was also able to get in a few runs and spent last night in the city.

Friday morning I got in my long run, 8.8 miles at a 7:25 pace, and a shorter run this morning, 5 miles at a 7:35 pace.  Both runs were out-and-backs along the San Francisco Bay Trail.
I felt great…. I love running at sea level!  I didn’t even know I was running hard and just was caught up in the scenery, sun, and warm temperatures.
Friday night was a work dinner at the hotel, but Saturday I was able to head into the city after training let out.  I took the BART train into the city and met up with my brother-in-law who is going to school at San Francisco State University and the in-laws who were in town visiting Matt. 
We had a great dinner at the EPIC Roasthouse (which was adjacent to the Bay Bridge) and it was great to see everyone.  I ordered a whole fish that was brick oven grilled.  They de-boned it for me right at the table and it was DELICIOUS!   We also all ordered dessert and it was soooo good.

San Francisco is a great city and I can’t wait to go back for a longer visit!

What to Wear??

I’m on my way to San Francisco tonight for work training.  I had a bit of trouble deciding what to pack. 

First of all, I work in a male dominated industry.  Secondly, many of the said males are scientifically minded (read: socially inept) and dress in a wide spectrum of fashion choices.  Some wear jeans and a ratty shirt (with exposed chestal hairs, yuck), others wear khakis and a polo, and a few wear button-ups with slacks.  When it comes to fashion, I’m sure all they worry about is whether or not their shirt is inside out and if their fly is zipped.

(source)

Where do I fit into this fashion spectrum, how should I dress??

I don’t want to look too young, wear something too trendy, or look too nice; but I also don’t want to look like a scrub that doesn’t care.  To top it off, many of the “big-wigs” will be at this training so I’d like to make a good impression.  UGH, it is SO much easier to be a guy in these instances!  Why am I even spending so much time thinking about this…..

I decided to go with comfortably nice choices; things I would wear to work but things I could also go out to Happy Hour in.  For example nice trouser jeans and a long sleeved top with flat shoes for one day and a cotton dress with leggings and tall boots the other day.  Oh well, I really can’t go too wrong. I mean, like I said, most of them are all socially inept and won’t even pay much attention to how I am dressed anyway.

Notice I also packed my running clothes.  I hope to get in a run every day because the hotel is really close to the San Francisco Bay Trail that goes on for miles and miles!  Wooo hoooo for running in a different city (and in a city that does not have 20 mph wind and 30 degree weather right now)!

Cheap Wine That Doesn’t Taste So Cheap

I tried another $4.99 bottle of wine last night, but this time it didn’t taste cheap.  It tasted like it was at least an $8 bottle…..

Marcus James, Merlot (no year), $4.99 (Costco), Cork, Spain

The back of the bottle says:
“Abundant sunshine and the right amount of rainfall ensure that the grapes used to create Marcus James Merlot reach their full potential.  Plum and blackberry aromas accomplished by smooth tannins make this wine blend enjoyable alone or perfect complement to savory meat and pasta dishes.”


This wine bottle takes itself a lot more serious than the one I reviewed last week.  First of all, I have no idea what a tannin is?  A little Google sleuthing tells me that is a type of biomolecule that is an astringent and a bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds.  Hmmmm, I guess that is why these tannin things are in red wines and maybe give the bitter taste?  I really need to take a wine class or something, I feel so stupid.  Or maybe I should stop thinking and just start drinking…….

I do know that this wine was pretty good!   It was nothing special so don’t rush out to Costco to buy it, but it was surprisingly tasty for the price.  Jeff is very good at describing what he tastes and stated that the wine was “not to dry, has a sweet touch to it, and a clean finish.”  (Maybe he should write these reviews!)
I noticed that the wine was red, it didn’t make me pucker up (not bitter), it turned my tongue purple, and was gone before I realized that I had started drinking it.  I’m not usually a huge Merlot fan but I would drink this again.