Time to make (eat) the Donuts!

Tomorrow is the Tour de Donut in Staunton, IL.  Last year I crashed and broke my wrist (and still finished).  This year I plan to not crash, eat some donuts and have a great time.  I have a donut eating strategy but I'm not sure if I am going to eat as many as I can or just a few.   

Tapped Out

Streaming video on Netflix is great.  They don't always have the most current movies but what they lack in movie selection the more than make up for with their broad selection of documentaries.  Recently I sat down to watch "Tapped"(2009)a documentary casting light on the evils of bottled water.  I have never been a huge bottled water drinker if it is available after a race I will grab a bottle, but I would never go to the supermarket and purchase a case.  My family has for years used a water filter that attaches to our kitchen faucet to tend to all of our drinking water needs.  I do drink a lot of Gatorade though and once a bottle is emptied it gets rinsed and becomes a water container for the rest of its life, however long that may be.
I have always heard that bottled water was pretty much the same as regular tap water, so I wanted to learn a bit more.  To me the choice not to buy bottled water is a no-brainer, considering the huge mark up in price, the use of fossil fuels to create the bottle and ship the water to where I can buy it, but people love the stuff and can't seem to get enough.

The documentary started out pretty good focusing on one area in Maine where Nestle' was pumping water out of the ground unrestricted.  Apparently the laws in Maine are behind the times and allow the person with the biggest pump to take as much ground water as they want.  Residents of the area seemed to be taken by surprise and could do little to stop their water from being taken, and organized some grass roots efforts to force Nestle' to stop or at the very least cut back.  This part of the documentary was great and I wanted to learn more, instead it took a strange turn.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The remainder of the film was about the dangers of the plastic bottles themselves in the manufacturing process as well as when they are discarded and eventually end up in one of the oceanic garbage patches.  I thought all of these points were valid but it seemed like they were laying these problems at the feet of bottled water.  Water is sold in plastic bottles to be sure but there are hundreds if not thousands of other products that are sold in containers made from the same materials.  I don't recall if they mentioned what was the proportion of water bottles to other containers but it would be an interesting statistic.  Possibly blame was being lain so heavily because lets face it I can get my water from the tap and put it in any container I want, like the stainless steel water bottle a vendor at work gave me, but if I want to drink a Cherry Dr Pepper my choices are more limited.  All it takes is the turn of a faucet to eliminate those bottle from entering the waste stream, a turn of the faucet can help to reduce the negative health effects related to the manufacture of the plastic bottles.  So while bottled water is not solely responsible for all of the problems in the film it is the easiest of the sources to eliminate.  I just wish they would have used that approach instead of the heavy handed one they chose.
They also talked about the health risks associated with Bisphenol A (BPA) a chemical used in the manufacture of some plastic containers.  The FDA claimed that BPA was safe to be used in the packaging of foods but has since (with egg on its face) updated its position.  According to the scientific community BPA is pretty nasty and should be avoided.  I generally don't trust the FDA since they come off as either corrupt or incompetent in all of the documentaries I watch, but I do trust the scientific community, as long as I know who funded the research. If you know what I mean.
There was plenty of other good information in the documentary and I recommend that you check it out.  While I didn't agree with the presentation of the material that doesn't take away from its validity.  I would have also preferred that they spend more time addressing the opinions of the bottled water companies themselves.



I thought this was a pertinent topic considering it is summer, and many of you are going to be out there in the heat running, riding, paddling, etc. and hydration is a key issue.  While you are out there remember to use smart container choices, check out the bottles that you use and make sure they are safe, the manufacturer will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding what your bottles are made from.  Eliminate plastic when you can, but if you are like me try to recycle those Gatorade bottles it may not be the best choice but it's better than nothing.

History through Music

This song has been rattling around in my head since 1989 when I first watched "Streets on Fire", a skate video from Santa Cruz.  This segment of the video features Natas Kaupas.  I had the deck he is riding in the video, it was one of my favorites.  I remember watching these videos, usually at Jeff Smith's house and then going out and attacking all of our local spots.  It was a great time to be alive!

So without further adieu I present to you Natas Kaupas in Streets on Fire with musical inspiration by the band fIREHOSE and the song Brave Captain.  Enjoy!

The Dungeon!

This is where I do all of my workouts.  I don't like going to the gym so it is nice to have a place at home where I can get it done.

Accountability

It's no secret that I am not in great shape.  Many times I have started working out with great enthusiasm only to have my enthusiasm peter out within a week.  This time is different, I call it "New Monday".  So what is different about this time you ask?  Well for starters I am taking things slowly, and not trying to kill myself to get results immediately.  Next my running miles are next to nothing (in the past I would say the workouts affected my running negatively).  Finally I am enjoying myself.  I can see where I am going but I am not in such a big hurry to get there.

So what am I doing and what are my goals?

First my goal is to get to 160lbs (I know blah blah you shouldn't focus on a number).  This is the weight I was when I got out of the army and it is a good weight for me.  When I get to 170 though I will reevaluate where I am and decide if I want to drop the last 10 pounds or not.  If you look to the right you will see my new weight loss widget, currently I have 30lbs to lose.  I will get there, but like I said I am not in a hurry.

In order to achieve my goal I am being more careful about what I eat, I ride my bike, occasionally run, and do P90X.  I think this is a recipe for success.

So now that I have put it out there I am accountable.  It's New Monday and things are about to change.

Goomna 2011 Teaser

Just a short synopsis of the race to wet your appetite for now.  It was good that I had a helper stop by the Adventure Shed to help me clean up while I made this video.



Thanks to Mark (RD), and all of the Volunteers that made this race happen!  It's pretty awesome to have such a great and fun event right in our backyard.

Thanks For Watching!

Expedition Impossible Update (SCOOP).

Way back when you may remember that Chuck, Robin, and I tried to get on a new television show called "Expedition Impossible", and were not selected (boo hoo).  Robin and Chuck have a very strong adventure racing background in fact I think ROCK Racing is currently ranked #1 in the nation for two person co-ed teams.  I may not have as strong of a background as they do but I have the adventure spirit and like new challenges.  We would have been the team to watch.  All that is behind us now since the first season is in the can as they say and the show is going to air on ABC June 23rd (check your local listings), and even though we were dissed by the producers I still encourage you to watch it.  I know I will be watching, and talking smack about how ROCK Racing could have blown away the competition.  Just to wet your appetite you can watch the first 14minutes of the first episode below.  Enjoy!



note:  I was wrong ROCK Racing is 4th in the nation.  Not bad for two people with full time jobs and families!