Low Heart Rate "Zone 2" Training
I've gotten the thought stuck in my head that I need to be doing low heart rate or so-called "Zone 2" training in order to 1) burn me fats off and 2) improve my long distance running time. So I got myself my first piece of finger jewelry, the Oura Ring.
The primary use for this thing is as a sleep tracker (that's the context where I first heard of it on the Sam Harris podcast) but it also keeps track of my heart rate without requiring that I wear an Apple Watch or anything that looks like tech on my body (which I am not a fan of).
This is the result of my first run with the Oura Ring after I received it today -- my usual quick trot around Lake Elizabeth at my usual pace of around 5 minutes per km.
Some formulas out there tell me that my zone 2 heart rate is around 135 to 140 bpm, not 160 average with 180 as a peak high. I may have to reset myself by slowing down and even walking little bits even if I'm more than capable of running all the way.
Doubtful, but hopefully I can make some progress in time for late April's Mountain to Shore marathon down in Santa Barbara!
Crispy Gingery Ground Beef
My latest Carla Lalli Music recipe is also one of my most favorite! I added some diced squash to trick my nephew into getting some veggies.
(I was trying to determine if Carla's last name is actually "Music" and I found her Wikipedia page which reveals that it is indeed Music and she has a much richer history than just the Bon Apetit contributor I used to watch.)
Cassoulet... I think?
I really hope a cassoulet is not supposed to be like this. It was like a confit duck leg in refried beans. Farish House is a nice spot in Phoenix downtown but I'm going to assume I got the bad remnants of the Cassoulet since I arrived just before closing.
Here's how French Cooking Academy makes it, and how I'm going to make it for my FRENZ if I ever entertain again (once I get my house in a less hideous state.)
Why are my fingers so fat?
This is a sizing ring from the sizing kit Oura sends you when you want to buy one of their sleep/health tracking rings. I apparently have plus-sized fingers because I had to use their size 13 sizing ring and this was the largest in the set. And it doesn't even fit properly -- look at all that excess flesh bunched up on the lee side. Maybe I can do finger folds to tighten things up.
Green Coyote Hills
All the storms mean I haven't been able to fly much of late... but I do get nicer views of the Bay Area landscapes thanks to all the rain. Shown here, Coyote Hills, green as can be, from 1,200 feet up (on my flight back from Hayward to Palo Alto -- a short but meaningful journey when learning how to fly).
Flying Everywhere
I think I've finally bored myself with my solo endorsement limitations. Today's flight was 2.4 hours and I landed at literally every airport I'm allowed to land at. I mean look at this flight path:
I also climbed to 10,000 feet for the first time. To do this, I had to get out from under any Class B shelves, and those things are everywhere up here! There is a narrow strip between Livermore Airport and the windmills just to the west of Altamont Pass which removes all Class B shelves and also remains within the 25nm range limit of my solo endorsement, so I went there and spiraled my way up to just above 10,000.
I've actually been higher than 10,000 before when I flew as part of a club flyout to Mt. Rushmore... but that was with a CFI and I didn't know what I was doing back then. Technically, I should be able to go up to 14,500 feet... but I didn't want to risk a heart attack if the engine quit.
One of my biggest difficulties with flying was sharply illustrated when I was so far up today.
That's Livermore Airport down at the bottom above the window latch. It looks like it's right below the airplane but it's actually 5 miles away. It's taken me forever to know where to point my eyes when looking for things in "the distance." A few weeks ago, if you'd told me that Livermore Airport was 5 miles away I'd have probably looked somewhere where Dublin and Walnut Creek are in the above pic, which is waaaay off. This is why I had trouble finding airports in the past during cross country flights, but I think I finally get it...
Boredom will hopefully inspire me to finally push through the remainder of my private license work and Docusign's stock price will hopefully push my finances up so I can buy my Sling TSi then I'll finally be able to begin the airport hopping life that I think I want to live.
Kujirai Ramen
My company had a snack fair today where they let us vote on upcoming snacks and this Hello Kitty cup ramen was one of the winners. I took a few home but instead of making just plain old ramen I decided to fancy it up and the internet pointed me to Kujirai Ramen, which appears to be from some sort of anime.
Spam and eggs I totally get, but I was surprised that American Cheese works so well here!
Mushroom Chickpea Rice
I am not a vegan, not even close, but YouTube's recommendation engine for some reason recommended this plant based cooking channel Yeung Man Cooking and I want to make every recipe! I've made just a couple so far, this mushroom chickpea rice, and an accompanying chili oil.
The rice was great, but the chili oil is now my oil of choice when cooking almost anything.
Secret to Future Marathon Success
I believe that some percentage of my poor marathon performance has to do with poor feet and leg maintenance. These GIANT-SOLED running shoes from Saucony should alleviate some of that. And unfortunately they're probably the only improvement I'm going to have for the upcoming Berkeley Half Marathon and Honolulu Marathon because I've spent the last many months doing hardly lower muscle work. Let's see if it really is the shoes here...
