tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32178074972200146692024-11-08T09:34:08.142-06:00A personal running diary and blog about the Saskatoon running scene.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-83839867627140251312016-10-25T08:48:00.001-06:002016-10-25T08:48:58.278-06:00

Now that I've spent the past few weeks easing into the Bulletproof diet, it is time to head into the ketogenic fire. As a diabetic I suspect I will have an easier time replacing glucose with fat as my primary fuel source. Why? My body doesn't do a very good job removing excess glucose from my blood stream anyway, so my belief is that I probably won't have issues with "brain fog" (essentially

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-68570780432887206302016-10-24T10:57:00.003-06:002016-10-25T08:51:42.335-06:00

What good is any diet if it doesn't have a cheat day built in? It's hard to say, but since going Bulletproof I haven't felt a need to cheat on my diet... and yet, I decided to drive south into the United States of America for an EPIC junk food run! My main goal was to secure American McDonald's for my lovely partner who cannot eat at Canadian McDonald's because of allergy restrictions.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-7601737330891723552016-10-17T11:15:00.001-06:002016-10-17T11:15:09.154-06:00

Day 14 began with my body craving carbs, as apparently I had cut them a little too far.  I had a total of 33g of carbs on Day 13 and 39g on Day 12.  Even Day 11 was low, with only 209g consumed.  Despite this, and despite consuming slightly more calories now than before, my waist has shrunk noticeably. I once again fit comfortably into my size 33 khakis. At any

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-88207665684651258932016-10-13T15:31:00.004-06:002016-10-13T15:47:35.680-06:00

I was perusing the Bulletproof forums the other day and came across two types of complaints about the diet. The first dealt with acid reflux and the other dealt with high cholesterol readings (specifically LDL, which is the "bad" type).  I'll deal with the latter first. The official Bulletproof response to the cholesterol question is here.  BP says "The government of Sweden ... is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-16702457095223557002016-10-12T21:07:00.001-06:002016-10-12T21:07:28.366-06:00

This morning I weighed in at 185.6 and I feel great. My body fat is decreasing while my muscle mass is increasing slightly.  The initial problem I had crashing during runs has been fixed with 1) the addition of more carbs at lunch and 2) GU and an electrolyte beverage pre-run (with 1/4 tsp of Himalayan salt). Pictured here is the Beef Chili recipe from the Bulletproof Cookbook--though it

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-10049862038121795862016-10-11T12:47:00.001-06:002016-10-11T12:47:14.852-06:00

In light of two recent runs where fatigue was an issue--particularly on a 7k last week--there's a BP podcast addressing fatigue. * Mini Bulletproof Diet Update: When I stepped on the scales this morning it was fairly obvious that my body has stored every carb I've eaten this weekend.  This is actually good... since I need the glycogen as I move towards mythical ketosis.  My weight,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-77985819185388966582016-10-10T16:39:00.000-06:002016-10-10T17:16:30.484-06:00

Week one is now finished. Overall I can say this, the Bulletproof diet is working out. But here are my thoughts. I'm going to cover three areas: running, overall well-being and weight loss. There is no doubt about it, I had two bad runs in a row starting with Wednesday's 7k run that under the best of conditions would have been tough. With a reduced carb

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-66709947231390239642016-10-06T14:37:00.000-06:002016-10-06T14:37:19.085-06:00

Well, if you live in Saskatchewan, then you are probably affected by the blizzard-like snowfall that recently occurred.  Not much turnout at last night's run club, but those of us who did brave the elements had the options of test-driving Salomon Spikecross 3 shoes.  That centre pair was mine--post run. I found the shoes to grip the wintry mix of snow and slush very

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-22260679526313003262016-10-05T10:22:00.000-06:002016-10-05T10:23:13.118-06:00

When I stepped on the scale this morning I weighed 4.4 lbs less than I did on Sunday. More importantly, my body fat percentage had come down by nearly a full percentage point, which equates to about 1.5 lbs of fat loss. I'd wager that those other 2.9 lbs are water/inflammation weight as my muscle weight has apparently increased slightly.  I don't expect results like this on a daily (or

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-77009984810800767392016-10-04T16:36:00.000-06:002016-10-04T16:36:07.682-06:00

Just for fun... for the next two weeks I'm consuming a "bulletproof" diet to see what effect the diet will have my health and blood sugar (remember, I'm a type-2 diabetic).  This may seem a bit dangerous, in the abstract at least, but I already have a pretty idea how this is going to go. I'm not going to post everyday with my diet, but I will report any interesting findings. Right now, my

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-26191920011878675012016-10-03T15:48:00.000-06:002016-10-03T15:48:46.153-06:00

So I was at Dad's Organic Market when I came upon actual Bulletproof products. I tend to be a bit skeptical of ... everything... but since I've had my own variations of Bulletproof Coffee I figured I'd take a flyer on a few of the official Bulletproof-labelled products. In those case, I think I took a $60 or $70 flyer, but who's counting? I used half of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-65118789377935621632016-10-01T15:21:00.000-06:002016-10-01T15:21:33.886-06:00

Today's run club meeting was fairly interesting. We hit the trails for a good chunk of our run and I may well have trail fever now. What changed? It must have been about halfway through our first segment when I noticed a lack of impact pressure in my hips--not sure I mentioned that I got a diagnosis of mild hip arthritis recently. I could have run all day on the trails. * I adhere to some fairly

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-77403310791881344372016-09-18T10:21:00.001-06:002016-09-18T10:21:23.979-06:00

Autumn has returned to Saskatoon. Since Autumn is not a particularly long season here it's probably a good idea to log those extra miles before we're all forced to wear spikes again. Thanks to the inevitable malaise, I have't been able to get anything done in the last two weeks, but I have a feeling that's about to change. For starters, I've been able to determine from my Garmin that I have a 48

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-36796198185778492162016-08-05T18:00:00.001-06:002016-08-05T18:00:18.722-06:00

Approaching storm. #meewasin #rain A photo posted by John (@misterspalding) on Aug 4, 2016 at 8:17pm PDT One really nice thing about living in Saskatchewan is the ability to see oncoming storms. It's quite a thing how they approach so quickly, despite looking so stationary.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-4486299841221384952016-07-29T16:31:00.004-06:002016-07-29T16:31:50.172-06:00

In the very recent past, Brainsport began offering coffee for sale at its store on 10th Street East. I make it a point of buying fair trade coffee from local businesses, so in buying coffee from Brainsport I am holding true to my beliefs. I picked up a bag of their beans.  I should say at the outset because neither the weight nor volume are listed on the package, it's hard to make an

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-11669711408694957512016-07-28T22:52:00.003-06:002016-07-28T22:52:49.627-06:00

One of the things I've been aware of lately is just how much of my time I've spent obsessing over upcoming races. Now that my racing season is basically over--regrettably, I've decided to give the Queen City Marathon a miss this year--and I don't have any races in the near future, I've begun to accept that I'm now running for fun. As my body slowly repairs itself from the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-56272800054447441692016-07-10T15:22:00.002-06:002016-07-10T15:22:38.856-06:00

So a few days ago I switched my registration from the 5K to the 10K when it hit me that 1) I wasn't feeling 100%, and thus didn't think a 5K personal best was going to happen, and 2) I haven't run a 10K race in over two years. What made this particular race interesting for me--and yes, the race has been run--is that I managed to get a 10K personal best despite having recently run faster during

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-12680319212030529432016-07-01T12:19:00.000-06:002016-07-01T12:19:43.146-06:00

Members of the Saskatoon Road Runners descending the hill at McPherson Avenue (aka "Big Mac"). If I've learned anything, it's that how the first run after a marathon (or a hard-run half marathon) is going to go is usually a mystery until I've actually begun it.  Such was the case on Monday when I laced up my New Balance 890 V5's and joined the Saskatoon Road Runners

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-1398431241616374112016-06-22T14:09:00.000-06:002016-06-22T14:09:41.334-06:00

3:00am CT -  Marathon Morning Thunder and lightning.  It's apparent from inside the tent that a massive storm is nearing.  My family and I evacuate to our rented mini-van and wait the storm out. 7:00am CT - Start of Race I find that as we get going my lungs need time to adjust to the new environment.  It's been two years since I had run in Winnipeg, so

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-47551880762745876042016-06-15T14:43:00.000-06:002016-06-15T14:43:05.735-06:00

With only a few days to go before we set out for Winnipeg, I'm seeing some interesting camping weather ahead.  Luckily it seems that it won't be bad on Marathon morning!   Here are some interesting statistics and facts relating to my training this year: 741K run / 1,764K combined (cycling/running) Cities: 6 (Saskatoon, Banff, Calgary, Vancouver, Port Coquitlam and Yellowknife

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-45163084419714896762016-05-29T15:20:00.000-06:002016-05-29T15:22:34.052-06:00

A video posted by John (@misterspalding) on May 29, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT We left the house 25 minutes prior to the gun at the 5K portion of the Saskatchewan Marathon. Although we live only a few kilometres from the start line, I really didn't have any concerns about arriving on time.  Yet, as we found Ruth Street blocked at Broadway Avenue, and Ruth Street generally inaccessible, we began

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-75098199958161266692016-05-28T18:46:00.000-06:002016-05-28T18:46:10.148-06:00

Well, it has actually been a year since the last marathon... so here we go.  As you probably know by now, I'm running the Manitoba Marathon in a few weeks (primarily because I fell behind in training for the Saskatchewan Marathon), so tomorrow I'll be running the 5K race--I can't fathom the idea of being in town and not participating in the event. Luckily the race expo was held at

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-53003335131528828042016-05-20T15:58:00.000-06:002016-05-20T15:58:02.492-06:00

With just over a week until the Saskatchewan Marathon, I feel pretty good.  Now, as you know, I've switched from the full marathon to the 5k (as such, I'll be running the Manitoba Marathon in June).  I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel like I was missing out on something special by missing the full marathon, but such is life.  The Saskatchewan Marathon is now the largest

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-82036925163129007382016-05-08T19:27:00.001-06:002016-05-08T19:28:13.620-06:00

In my ongoing effort to run a race in every Canadian province and territory, I ran the Mother's Day Run 5k in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.  In doing so I've discovered yet another wonderful Canadian city.  Yellowknife is unique in that it is situated just outside the Arctic Circle and the tree line.  Winters in Yellowknife are long and cold... much like Saskatchewan (the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217807497220014669.post-18712800727206418042016-05-01T16:36:00.000-06:002016-05-01T16:36:05.310-06:00

Ran a personal best today! The day started off with a 6am wake-up followed by a blueberry Pop Tart and Vitamin Zero Water.  There I ran a half marathon.  Here are some photos! A photo posted by John (@misterspalding) on May 1, 2016 at 9:32am PDT

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0