a group of german scientists recently showed that runner's high is actually a real, chemical phenomenon. they studied a group of runners before and after a two hour run and, using pet scans, discovered that the emotional centers of the brain were more active after the run. in the nytimes article i provided a link to above, they talk about directions for future work, one of which is looking at the difference between newbie runners and those who have been hooked for a slightly longer period of time. i'm not sure i get a runner's high in the completely euphoric sense of the term every time i run, but i can assure that i'm pretty much always in a better mood. the authors of the study mention that this high can be induced by intense or endurance exercise. i've often wondered though if after you've been running for awhile, for example, do you need to go longer to get the same response? kind of like a drug addict wanting a larger dose to get the same effect? and does this mean i have a chemical addiction? i know i have an addictive personality, but this brings a whole new meaning to things. in fact, i feel like i see my life and general athletic endeavors in a new light.
i started running in middle school, so at this point, i've been running for about 14 years (!!) and have covered 10s of 1000s of miles (in high school alone, i was doing about 2000 miles/yr). in college, i was injured a lot from running, put on a ton of weight and did not have the opportunity to race (or run in general) anywhere near as much as i would have liked. i hit a particularly low point my sophomore year, and later in college, looking back on that time, i kind of blamed the unhappiness on not being able to run, but really had no justification for that blame. after graduating, being able to run again and getting back in shape, i can't say that stressful times at school or in life in general have really hit me as hard. i've had an insane schedule for the last year, particularly with moving, and quite honestly, if running is the equivalent of a drug that makes me happy, i'm glad i am able to get my fixes on a somewhat regular basis because i don't know how i'd deal with everything that's going on otherwise. but aside from the chemical benefits, running also just provides an excellent excuse to go outside!
so here's to endurance sports. happy running, biking and swimming all!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
the dinner party
i was feeling particularly domestic sometime last weekend and decided it would be a swell idea to have a bunch of people over for a dinner party. i think the evening was a success, but i did learn a few things that i wanted to share.
1. invitations: an email invitation went out to about 10 people with the thought that there would likely be a few people out of town or have other dinner plans (it was easter)...so in the end, in theory, we'd have a few less than 10 people and, consequently, enough chairs and (real) plates for everyone. well, turns out people were in town and didn't have plans, so a cozy group of 13 or so joined in the fun. it was awesome. i want to do it again. but next time, i think a few extra chairs need to be tracked down so people don't have to stand and eat.
2. shopping: shopping for all the food commenced at 11:30p the night before. i don't think i've ever seen a grocery store that packed at midnight. there were huge checkout lines. that part of the grocery shopping though was relatively uneventful. the amusing shopping came the next day. guys always complain about going shopping with women, but i think that i may have found the equivalent for women to complain about sunday afternoon. we went to wholefoods to pick up a few items, one of which was beer. i should preface what i'm about to say by informing the reader that i am not a beer drinker. the taste just doesn't do anything for me. anyhow, we walk through the produce section, quickly scoot by the sushi (so as to avoid being tempted to buy anything) and arrive at the walk in beer fridge. my co-host then spends the rest of the time we are in wholefoods in this location. at first, i patiently stayed next to him and waited for him to make a decision. after a few minutes it dawns on me that a decision might not be reached anytime in the near future, so i venture into the rest of the store to pick up the other things i need. i return to the fridge, and said co-host is still standing there unable to decide...and then he calls his roommate to ask for his advice. i leave the fridge again and commence getting all of the items he needs and locate the ice so we can pick it up at the last minute. again, i return to the fridge (he's still on the phone). at this point, i decide i'm going root beer shopping--green tea root beer has an interesting flavor by the way. after i secure some rooty goodness, i return again to the fridge, and after awhile, a decision is finally made on beer. we head immediately to the checkout line. i think my experience was what it must feel like to a guy to go shopping with a girl who just wants to try on clothes. you just want to shake them and yell, 'it doesn't matter! just pick something!' of course, the other person would disagree though so it's really a useless discussion.
3. cooking: when my brother came to live with me for a couple months in hawaii, he brought a recipe for pesto that his girlfriend had given him. suffice it to say the recipe was delicious, and i have been wanting to make it again, so i did...just a slightly larger quantity. there wasn't access to a food processor, so we made the pesto in a blender. one of the guests walked in, saw it and promptly asked why it was green (it's pesto?). fortunately, it tastes better than it looks. to make pesto for that many people, you need copious amounts of basil. for dessert, i had my mom send me her recipe for apple pie. fortunately, there was just enough for everyone to have a slice! unfortunately, i think i baked it for a little too long--it looked and tasted great, but the crust was a little drier than i would have liked.
4. cleanup: if you want your house or apartment to be clean, throw a dinner party. the group that came over was awesome about helping cleanup afterwards and the kitchen was cleaner when they left than it was before they arrived.
5. timing: throw dinner parties on nights other than sunday. it's fun to cook with a glass (or more) of wine, but it's not fun to have to get up really early the next morning on not much sleep to go to work.
i'm looking forward to having another dinner party...although at rate the school work is piling up, it might not be until after the end of the term! happy belated easter to all those who celebrate it!
1. invitations: an email invitation went out to about 10 people with the thought that there would likely be a few people out of town or have other dinner plans (it was easter)...so in the end, in theory, we'd have a few less than 10 people and, consequently, enough chairs and (real) plates for everyone. well, turns out people were in town and didn't have plans, so a cozy group of 13 or so joined in the fun. it was awesome. i want to do it again. but next time, i think a few extra chairs need to be tracked down so people don't have to stand and eat.
2. shopping: shopping for all the food commenced at 11:30p the night before. i don't think i've ever seen a grocery store that packed at midnight. there were huge checkout lines. that part of the grocery shopping though was relatively uneventful. the amusing shopping came the next day. guys always complain about going shopping with women, but i think that i may have found the equivalent for women to complain about sunday afternoon. we went to wholefoods to pick up a few items, one of which was beer. i should preface what i'm about to say by informing the reader that i am not a beer drinker. the taste just doesn't do anything for me. anyhow, we walk through the produce section, quickly scoot by the sushi (so as to avoid being tempted to buy anything) and arrive at the walk in beer fridge. my co-host then spends the rest of the time we are in wholefoods in this location. at first, i patiently stayed next to him and waited for him to make a decision. after a few minutes it dawns on me that a decision might not be reached anytime in the near future, so i venture into the rest of the store to pick up the other things i need. i return to the fridge, and said co-host is still standing there unable to decide...and then he calls his roommate to ask for his advice. i leave the fridge again and commence getting all of the items he needs and locate the ice so we can pick it up at the last minute. again, i return to the fridge (he's still on the phone). at this point, i decide i'm going root beer shopping--green tea root beer has an interesting flavor by the way. after i secure some rooty goodness, i return again to the fridge, and after awhile, a decision is finally made on beer. we head immediately to the checkout line. i think my experience was what it must feel like to a guy to go shopping with a girl who just wants to try on clothes. you just want to shake them and yell, 'it doesn't matter! just pick something!' of course, the other person would disagree though so it's really a useless discussion.
3. cooking: when my brother came to live with me for a couple months in hawaii, he brought a recipe for pesto that his girlfriend had given him. suffice it to say the recipe was delicious, and i have been wanting to make it again, so i did...just a slightly larger quantity. there wasn't access to a food processor, so we made the pesto in a blender. one of the guests walked in, saw it and promptly asked why it was green (it's pesto?). fortunately, it tastes better than it looks. to make pesto for that many people, you need copious amounts of basil. for dessert, i had my mom send me her recipe for apple pie. fortunately, there was just enough for everyone to have a slice! unfortunately, i think i baked it for a little too long--it looked and tasted great, but the crust was a little drier than i would have liked.
4. cleanup: if you want your house or apartment to be clean, throw a dinner party. the group that came over was awesome about helping cleanup afterwards and the kitchen was cleaner when they left than it was before they arrived.
5. timing: throw dinner parties on nights other than sunday. it's fun to cook with a glass (or more) of wine, but it's not fun to have to get up really early the next morning on not much sleep to go to work.
i'm looking forward to having another dinner party...although at rate the school work is piling up, it might not be until after the end of the term! happy belated easter to all those who celebrate it!
Friday, March 21, 2008
full moon swimming
not quite surfing at queens at midnight, but swimming at barton springs during the full moon is quite enjoyable...and freakin' cold. there are lights on and the pool is open 9-10p. a group of regulars go for the full moon swim. before diving in, everyone howls at the moon. afterwards, potluck refreshments are served. a group of at least 10 of us from the german haus represented tonight. i think the bravest souls lasted for maybe 20 minutes. and some of us (or maybe just me) had to play the hot game in the car on the way home, then take a really long hot shower and then bundle up in polar fleece. i know people said i'd get used to cold weather but evidently adaptation (or even tolerance) has not yet occurred. either way, next full moon, i'm going again. next time though, one of my roommates and i are running to the swim...with the idea that jumping in will be a much more pleasant experience if we're warmed up from running. look out for werewolves.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
texas weather
i haven't complained about the weather in texas in awhile, so i figured now would be as good a time as ever. what is up with rogue storms here? we got slammed on the last leg of our spring break trip, which i already mentioned. this afternoon, however, the sky got super dark (not due to nightfall) and my labmates and i started wondering if it was the end of the world. then it started hailing and pouring down rain. i had class and by the time i got out the air temperature outside had dropped and it was quite chilly...but not raining.
on a cycling related note, one of my labmates is also a long distance triathlete. she hasn't been doing long rides a lot recently as her next im isn't until florida, but she asked if i would be up for a long ride this weekend. i asked her to define 'long'? and she said, 'well, i was thinking something less than 120 miles.' i replied, 'game on.' i haven't gotten to ride with her yet, but our im times are roughly the same so we should be good. i love having friends that will just up and do 100+ mile rides with me. keep your fingers crossed for nice weather this weekend!
on a cycling related note, one of my labmates is also a long distance triathlete. she hasn't been doing long rides a lot recently as her next im isn't until florida, but she asked if i would be up for a long ride this weekend. i asked her to define 'long'? and she said, 'well, i was thinking something less than 120 miles.' i replied, 'game on.' i haven't gotten to ride with her yet, but our im times are roughly the same so we should be good. i love having friends that will just up and do 100+ mile rides with me. keep your fingers crossed for nice weather this weekend!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
unseasonably hot
so today and yesterday were forecast as 'unseasonably hot and dry.' as i am still in my first year in texas, i didn't really know what this meant...well, it turns out it meant 100 degrees at 6:30p, and temperatures in the 90s for most of the day. yikes! at night, i always leave one of my windows open to get a cross breeze and last night was no different. i'm not a huge fan of bugs and when i started sleeping with the window open (and no screen), i had been a little worried about bugs flying right on into my room. no bug had flown in during the last couple months though, so i thought i was in the clear. that is until i awoke after 8 glorious hours of sleep this morning to the sound of buzzing. there were two huge wasps flying about my room. normally, i don't like getting out of bed quite that fast, but i sprang out of bed this morning and commenced wasp killing. my weapons of choice? a yoga mat and book on landscaping in texas. ironic, huh? i think i need to find some screens to go into my windows!
Friday, March 14, 2008
happy pi day!
first off, i'd like to wish everyone a very happy pi day! if that makes absolutely no sense to you, think about the date and the number pi. it has been the weirdest 8 days ever. in that short period of time, i've averaged less than 6 hours of sleep (if not less than 5) per night so as to maximize all the fun, so my apologies if this blog entry is all over the place.
i may or may not have started seeing someone in the last couple weeks and have been walking around daydreaming with what i am sure is a ridiculous smile on face ever since. spending time with this person has made me realize what a precarious balance my life has been in as far as getting all my work done for school, work or texas 4000. for that i am grateful. priorities have had to be rearranged and sometimes my work has just not gotten done on the timescale i normally demand of myself. i guess what people say is true...if you really want to, you can always find time for someone.
last week was the week leading up to spring break, which meant problem sets due in multiple classes...i had to brush up on obscure integration rules which is always thrilling. it also meant that the time had arrived for the texas 4000 spring break trip. we road from austin to corpus christi over the course of 3 days. we had great riding conditions the first day and camped in schertz, tx (just north of san antonio) that night. five of us (there were 40 total people who went) decided to forgo the tents in favor of a view of the stars. we all hopped into our mummy bags and settled down on a concrete slab on the campsite and commenced starwatching in the rather chilly, but still great out-of-doors. it was the best sleep i've had in who knows how long. it was cold outside and warm in my mummy bag, and the sky was beautifully clear. the next day we had a tough 100 mile ride from schertz to beeville, tx. there was a 30-knot (or more) headwind basically the entire way. only five us actually rode the whole 100 miles. during the second 25 miles, the wind was particularly tough. when i finished that stretch, i was ridiculously hungry, but knew that if the wind was that bad, i had to finish the whole day (the other option would have been to ride sag for a section of the ride, which most people did).
when we got into beeville, the other ride director, the asst. ride director and myself hopped in a car and headed to the grocery store to pick up some last minute necessities. we got back and continued helping to cook dinner and finally got everyone fed by 10 or 10:30p. this day in particular demonstrated (or why) being a ride director will give one a unique experience during the summer trip...the other director and i were the last ones to bed at night and the first ones awake in the morning. and when we're awake, we're mostly doing stuff for other people. we were both exhausted after that 100 mile ride, but were laughing at each other and how tired we looked. both of us were energized by it. i guess that's how we ended up in the positions we're in...and i think we're enjoying ourselves immensely.
the last day of the ride we rode from beeville to corpus. i was riding in the sag car all day since i hadn't driven at all earlier in the trip. it was a gorgeous day to ride--sunny with very little wind. the ride ended at the beach and we started loading the bikes into the trailer and onto cars for the trip back to austin. as we were doing so, over a period of 5 minutes, as storm blew in. the wind was blowing sand everywhere and stung like the dickens as it hit your legs. the trailer was shaking. the temperature dropped very quickly and it started hailing. during all this, we tried to get the rest of the bikes and gear into the trailers...and then realized that we still had 6 or 8 riders on the road...in fact, they were on the bridge into corpus. if what happened next is not a testament to teamwork, i don't know what is. we sent a few people in cars to go 'rescue' the riders and their bikes while finishing packing the trailer and getting all the remaining riders into cars and over to the nearest whataburger. everyone pitched in and volunteered to do whatever needed to be done. i think the 2008 team was tested and they definitely passed as far as i'm concerned. we can always look back and see what we could have done better, but i personally was very glad to be in that situation with that group of people.
the ride back to austin was comparatively uneventful, though involved a session of belting out boyz2men songs at the top of our lungs and getting nostalgic for middle school dances (good music, but boy am i glad i'm not in middle school anymore). a few of us went out for drinks that night with the director of the organization and some of the 2004 riders. it was fun to recount the events of the weekend and see what other people thought about it all.
the next day, i made a spur of the moment decision to head to dallas with one of my housemates...instead of being responsible and going to lab. i spent the night in an area called southlake, which it turns out is the hometown of a bunch of current and previous texas 4000 riders. go figure. and i love meeting friends' families. families are just so cool.
i was only in dallas for a day and got back to austin at around 2a on thursday morning. after less than 3 hours of sleep i was up again and off to work in san antonio. work is going well. i now have data on 9 of 12 subjects for the study i'm presently conducting.
so that has been the last 8 or so days. i'm looking forward to sleeping this weekend...hopefully more than 5 or 6 hours a night. my training schedule has been weird the last two weeks. i need to get into my routine again and be running a bit more. boston is just around the corner and i'd like to be able to qualify there for 2009. i guess we'll see what happens.
i may or may not have started seeing someone in the last couple weeks and have been walking around daydreaming with what i am sure is a ridiculous smile on face ever since. spending time with this person has made me realize what a precarious balance my life has been in as far as getting all my work done for school, work or texas 4000. for that i am grateful. priorities have had to be rearranged and sometimes my work has just not gotten done on the timescale i normally demand of myself. i guess what people say is true...if you really want to, you can always find time for someone.
last week was the week leading up to spring break, which meant problem sets due in multiple classes...i had to brush up on obscure integration rules which is always thrilling. it also meant that the time had arrived for the texas 4000 spring break trip. we road from austin to corpus christi over the course of 3 days. we had great riding conditions the first day and camped in schertz, tx (just north of san antonio) that night. five of us (there were 40 total people who went) decided to forgo the tents in favor of a view of the stars. we all hopped into our mummy bags and settled down on a concrete slab on the campsite and commenced starwatching in the rather chilly, but still great out-of-doors. it was the best sleep i've had in who knows how long. it was cold outside and warm in my mummy bag, and the sky was beautifully clear. the next day we had a tough 100 mile ride from schertz to beeville, tx. there was a 30-knot (or more) headwind basically the entire way. only five us actually rode the whole 100 miles. during the second 25 miles, the wind was particularly tough. when i finished that stretch, i was ridiculously hungry, but knew that if the wind was that bad, i had to finish the whole day (the other option would have been to ride sag for a section of the ride, which most people did).
when we got into beeville, the other ride director, the asst. ride director and myself hopped in a car and headed to the grocery store to pick up some last minute necessities. we got back and continued helping to cook dinner and finally got everyone fed by 10 or 10:30p. this day in particular demonstrated (or why) being a ride director will give one a unique experience during the summer trip...the other director and i were the last ones to bed at night and the first ones awake in the morning. and when we're awake, we're mostly doing stuff for other people. we were both exhausted after that 100 mile ride, but were laughing at each other and how tired we looked. both of us were energized by it. i guess that's how we ended up in the positions we're in...and i think we're enjoying ourselves immensely.
the last day of the ride we rode from beeville to corpus. i was riding in the sag car all day since i hadn't driven at all earlier in the trip. it was a gorgeous day to ride--sunny with very little wind. the ride ended at the beach and we started loading the bikes into the trailer and onto cars for the trip back to austin. as we were doing so, over a period of 5 minutes, as storm blew in. the wind was blowing sand everywhere and stung like the dickens as it hit your legs. the trailer was shaking. the temperature dropped very quickly and it started hailing. during all this, we tried to get the rest of the bikes and gear into the trailers...and then realized that we still had 6 or 8 riders on the road...in fact, they were on the bridge into corpus. if what happened next is not a testament to teamwork, i don't know what is. we sent a few people in cars to go 'rescue' the riders and their bikes while finishing packing the trailer and getting all the remaining riders into cars and over to the nearest whataburger. everyone pitched in and volunteered to do whatever needed to be done. i think the 2008 team was tested and they definitely passed as far as i'm concerned. we can always look back and see what we could have done better, but i personally was very glad to be in that situation with that group of people.
the ride back to austin was comparatively uneventful, though involved a session of belting out boyz2men songs at the top of our lungs and getting nostalgic for middle school dances (good music, but boy am i glad i'm not in middle school anymore). a few of us went out for drinks that night with the director of the organization and some of the 2004 riders. it was fun to recount the events of the weekend and see what other people thought about it all.
the next day, i made a spur of the moment decision to head to dallas with one of my housemates...instead of being responsible and going to lab. i spent the night in an area called southlake, which it turns out is the hometown of a bunch of current and previous texas 4000 riders. go figure. and i love meeting friends' families. families are just so cool.
i was only in dallas for a day and got back to austin at around 2a on thursday morning. after less than 3 hours of sleep i was up again and off to work in san antonio. work is going well. i now have data on 9 of 12 subjects for the study i'm presently conducting.
so that has been the last 8 or so days. i'm looking forward to sleeping this weekend...hopefully more than 5 or 6 hours a night. my training schedule has been weird the last two weeks. i need to get into my routine again and be running a bit more. boston is just around the corner and i'd like to be able to qualify there for 2009. i guess we'll see what happens.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
roommate awkwardness
here is the daily awkward situation for your consideration. a girl goes into her facebook account one day and deletes a whole bunch of information, including her relationship status...this then appears on all her friends' news feeds, and the girl receives lots of questions as to whether or not this means there is now some lucky guy in her life. let's say there does happen to be someone and that he is over later that day visiting said girl. the girl goes to brush her teeth later that night leaving said guy in her room. on her way back to her room, one of her roommates corners her and follows her into her room despite her attempts to get him to not do so. now let's say said roommate doesn't notice the guy in the girl's room and starts to tell the girl how he noticed on facebook earlier that day that...and then he notices said other guy in the room. awkward? you decide. in my opinion--classic.
daily lesson: people read facebook way more than you think you do. be careful what you do or don't delete because everyone notices.
daily lesson: people read facebook way more than you think you do. be careful what you do or don't delete because everyone notices.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Riding my bike vs. thinking of riding my bike
A friend of mine shared the following quote with me the other day.
On Sunday
By: Staaaaan Schmidt!
I would rather be riding my bicycle
on a trail,
on Sunday,
thinking of God
than sitting in church,
thinking of riding my bicycle.
Evidently, he knows me well...
As for the Irish passport--I have dual citizenship between the US and Ireland. I have a US passport, but I haven't gotten my Irish one yet. It makes for ease of travel in the EU if I have/use an EU passport...that and I just think it's kind of cool.
On Sunday
By: Staaaaan Schmidt!
I would rather be riding my bicycle
on a trail,
on Sunday,
thinking of God
than sitting in church,
thinking of riding my bicycle.
Evidently, he knows me well...
As for the Irish passport--I have dual citizenship between the US and Ireland. I have a US passport, but I haven't gotten my Irish one yet. It makes for ease of travel in the EU if I have/use an EU passport...that and I just think it's kind of cool.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
general craziness
after the training camp for texas 4000, the speed of everything seems to have picked up. i submitted an abstract on my research to a conference that i won't be able to attend (i'll be somewhere in alaska) because my advisor wanted me too...but get this, then he sends me an email yesterday asking if i would be interested in presenting it at another conference as well and that he should be able to foot the bill for the travel expensives. the conference is in the netherlands at the end of may :) so it's looking like i may be making a quick trip to the e.u. before i commence my bike ride and also means i need to get on top of getting my irish passport. i have all the papers, but just haven't had time to sit down and fill everything out...or get passport photos taken. fortunately spring break is next week, so i am hoping to add the passport thing to my already ridiculously long list of things to do.
but before any of that list happens, i'm riding my bike to corpus christi. again, this will be with the tx4k crew. it will take us about 3 days and we'll be camping along the way. what happens when you stick 6 tired college age cyclists in a tent on spring break? and make them repeat this procedure for a couple nights in a row? i don't know yet, but we'll be running a repeatability study this weekend, so i'll keep you posted.
in the meantime, i am running another experiment to see just how little sleep i can get and still function. i've been tossing in bedtimes of past 1a, tossing and turning all night and capping it all off by getting up before 7a. at about 9a, yesterday morning, i was sitting at work, having trouble focusing on my computer and thinking that staying up late the night before had been a terrible idea...but by afternoon, when my advisor broached the topic of conferences in europe, i was flying pretty high. maybe the lack of sleep just makes one more susceptible to mood swings...or maybe it just helps you develop the ability to get a fifth or sixth wind.
but before any of that list happens, i'm riding my bike to corpus christi. again, this will be with the tx4k crew. it will take us about 3 days and we'll be camping along the way. what happens when you stick 6 tired college age cyclists in a tent on spring break? and make them repeat this procedure for a couple nights in a row? i don't know yet, but we'll be running a repeatability study this weekend, so i'll keep you posted.
in the meantime, i am running another experiment to see just how little sleep i can get and still function. i've been tossing in bedtimes of past 1a, tossing and turning all night and capping it all off by getting up before 7a. at about 9a, yesterday morning, i was sitting at work, having trouble focusing on my computer and thinking that staying up late the night before had been a terrible idea...but by afternoon, when my advisor broached the topic of conferences in europe, i was flying pretty high. maybe the lack of sleep just makes one more susceptible to mood swings...or maybe it just helps you develop the ability to get a fifth or sixth wind.
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