Day 75

Day 75 is here. 

I keep looking back and recounting to make sure it’s actually true. 

I’ve tried so hard to keep it day by day that I haven’t had a huge sense of build up to the end. 

 

I got up this morning and went to the gym. I did the circuit room and did some upper body work for my shoulders after. 

Some dude was sitting on the bench press machine staring off into space for about 5 minutes. 

He’s going through something clearly. 

He was not looking at his phone and definitely not lifting any weight. 

…

I got in early enough that I could get a shower and head off for work in time. 

I’m thinking about how I want to proceed after today. 

I think I’ll take quite a lot of good from this process. 

My group run got canceled for the heat again so I’ll run tomorrow morning. 

My sweet husband joined me for a 2 mile mini hike after dinner. 

I’m ending in the fields where I started. 

I drank about 82 oz. 

I read a few good recipes and some reviews of cookbooks published by non chefs. 

Mostly they seemed to be money grabs by celebrities. 

The more things change the more they stay the same. 

I saw rose water at the co-op this week. 

I think I’ll get some. 

My current post 75 something plans include working out but not twice a day. 

😁

I did all the things. 

I didn’t cheat on my diet, I took pictures of myself in the mornings, I worked out twice a day, I drank so much water and I read physical nonfiction self improvement books (10 pages) every night for 75 days without interruption,

It was time consuming but I lost weight and gained strength and flexibility. My feet held out and I had some good success staying on top of my headaches. 

That was good.

Day 74

Day 74 was a little odd. 

Our fridge died last week and this morning the new one will be delivered. 

Our original time window was 7:45-11 so I wanted to stay around the house. 

I did Pilates therefore and worked on my water. 

I think I need to do the Pilates at least once a week if I don’t want to lose the core strength and flexibility. I’m already stiffer than the last time I did this. 

In the evening I went for my normal morning walk. 

I saw lots of mountain bikers and got a great butterfly pic. 

 And I saw this cool birds nest on the ground. 

I read tonight about the life of Sir Robert May who was a famous Renaissance cookbook author. When he was 10 he was such a promising cook that the lady of his house sent him off to France for 5 years for an apprenticeship. 

He cooked through Elizabethan times then through James and Charles and Charles 2 and into the commonwealth. 

He was against English Lords hiring French cooks. Apparently that was very in vogue in his day. 

Also I found the easiest of the recipes. 

Trim green onions and soak them in ice water for half an hour. 

That’s it. 

Serve as a salad. 

I drank a coffee this morning and 80+ oz of water. 

Day 73

Day 73 saw me chasing a spotted fawn down this path. 

The poor thing couldn’t quite put together that I wouldn’t follow it if it got off the path. 

I had caffeine yesterday and couldn’t fall asleep until about 2 am and I was sleepy but my legs felt good and the weather was great. 

I forgot my water bottle today so I mostly kept track at work with tic marks.

I was both thirsty and sloshing all day. 

I drank 105 oz and still feel thirsty and sloshing. 

I rode the bike in the evening and watched motorcycles travel backroads of Montana. 

My reading was split between desserts and the feuds between professional cooks and cookbook writers. 

But you must read this crazy factoid that was at the tale end of the almond pudding/tart section. 

 

Day 72

Day 72 started with chores and coffee. Man I love a weekend. I didn’t get to a workout unit around 11. It was warm and people were out. I passed 3 mountain bikers and missed the cool but found something encouraging. 

I felt the weight of the time that I was taking for that morning hike but no weight at all from the distance. 

I felt hot and some of the hills will always be an effort but what was, at the beginning, a real effort in distance is fine now. 

My foot hurts less and my distances are greater. 

I love that. 

In the afternoon we went to the gym and I benched the bar 4 times and got it in and off the bracket myself. 

Tiny but significant progress. 

I had a great time in the circuit room and in the free weight section. 

I’ve decided to use my body weight as a goal for things like leg press and bench press. I’m not sure if that’s a good metric or not but I really should be able to push and pull what is essentially myself. 

A weird thing happened in the evening. 

Because my son started to get a migraine at the gym we left earlier than expected. I therefore had a good bit of energy left as I hadn’t run in the morning. 

So while watching (so much) YouTube in the later evening I got on the bike and just rode for the pleasure of the motion. 

We did normal Sunday chores like laundry and trash but mostly took it easy for the day. 

I drank only 58 oz of water but also 2 big coffees. 

I read several recipes that were so close to looking good like apple puffs and cabbage salad and even some breast but even though they had sugar and cinnamon and ginger they also all had so much egg.

Whyyyyy

C’mon Shakespearean cooks 😵‍💫

Day 71

Day 71 started with a group run. 

We ran up in Untica park and my daughter joined us. 

I’m running slower with her but it’s so nice to have her there. I’m happy because we are doing a thing together and she’s getting fit. 

Yay. 

In the evening I did the stationary bike in front of stage 9 of the Tour.

I read about professional cooks and their movements in the Elizabethan era. Mostly they went to Europe but especially France to learn new recipes and techniques but in one case a pro cook followed his master into prison. 

Sometimes they had catering business on the side and if they were lucky they would hire themselves out when royalty was around to buff up the CV. 

Or the reputation anyway. 

I drank pretty well today. 82 oz of water plus a green tea. 

 

Day 70

Day 70 saw my semi triumphant return to mountain biking. My son and I rode down to the local trail head.

Just as we got there my poor boy got a flat. It was one of those sidewall slips that a tire pump couldn’t fix. They had a bike fix station so at least we tried to fix it.

 

He walked home and I rode around a bit trying out the beginner trails. It was muddy and I was nervous but it went really well and I got the tiniest bit of air. It was glorious. 

I ride home and caught up with him and then went to get his bike. 

That tire is full on flat. 

The evening wokout didn’t even start until 9:45 as I had Bookclub and a Diablo II lan party. 

But I rode the stationary bike and watched today’s Tour highlights.a flat sprinting day today. 

I read a good bit about bread and baking and the various legal issues that came with that he highly regulated staple. I also learned that professional cooks and bakers of Shakespearean times wore blue. 

I drank ok ish today. I did 64 for sure and then some undefined amount because we went out to eat and I drank a bit there but I don’t know how much  plus a glass of juice. 

Day 69

 Day 69 was misty and only 70 something. I walked and saw the owl again. 

I also saw this almost fairy ring. 

I was planning to go try mountain biking for the first time in decades but it started raining just before noon and never really let up. So after dinner I pulled the stationary bike into the office and watched one of my favorite YouTube runnings go through Arizona. 

I read about Oysters and carp and chickens and almost a salad I could make but then as the last second it pulled defeat from the jaws of victory and added hard boiled eggs. 

Curse you Jacobean cooking. 

I drank better today.  72 oz plus a coffee.