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MAF Update:

I know my wife will be happy about this, but I have now finished my after-school running times.  Having the Thanksgiving break from school will allow me to get my work done in the morning.  Actually, I am happy about this, too.  I would rather get everything done in the morning.  In December, I will be switching to bike training with MAF heart rate.  I do that on the trainer, so I will be able to see the heart rate monitor in the garage.  As for the running, it was business as usual this week.  I did not run Wednesday because we had things going on.

Here are my run distances and paces for the week:

Tuesday- 5.01 miles at 7:48 pace

Wednesday- No normal run today

Friday- 2.62 miles at 7:32 pace

Saturday- 7.61 miles at 8:23 pace

Sunday- 2.59 miles at 7:43 pace

Food Highlight:

This week’s highlight is going to be equal parts of what worked and what didn’t work for me with regard to protein powders.  Let’s start with what is working right now.  I have really been into the Orgain Superfood Plant Based Vanilla Protein.  I did notice that more than one scoop in my smoothies gets too sweet, so I have added in some plain pea protein powder from Trader Joe’s.  That combination has given me the added protein I want and not the effects of the protein that did not work for me. 

What didn’t work, you ask?  Whey protein and I did not get along as well as I would have liked.  When it came to protein powder, I used to be all about the chocolate variety you can pick up at GNC.  I didn’t have one brand that I always used so I mixed it up once in a while.  Whey protein did not agree with my system.  I would have pimple breakouts on my face and back.  Also, my wife has commented that my body smells better now.  Not that I stunk, but my natural scent is much better now that I am off of the whey.  There are so many protien powder varieties, you have to find what works for you.

Workout Highlight:

This week, the highlight is a recovery tool I use almost as much as the foam roller.  We purchased a BFGun HyperDrive massage gun recently.  That thing works great for tight muscles.  I hold a lot of tension in my shoulders and this is great for working that out.  My run miles have increases so I have found my hips becoming very tight.  A few minutes with the message gun and the tightness is so much better.  The original reason for purchasing the gun was to help my wife with migraines.  Even though I use it more than her, I do think it is a great tool for that as well.  She gets migraines from tension in her shoulders and these guns really help with that.

Wisdom of the Week:

I am continuing the kindness theme from last week.  This week’s wisdom is to find ways to serve others.  There is no better way to fill your bucket than to serve someone else.  This week we had an opportunity to deliver Thanksgiving meals for our church.  As we drove the meals around, my son spontaneously blurted out “I love doing this.”  I think we have done something right as parents. 

We have another opportunity to serve coming up the day before Thanksgiving.  We are going to ring the local Salvation Army bell.  Talk about seeing the good side of people.  We have done this for a few years and are blown away by the generosity of people.  These are the kind of things you see and feel when you serve.  There are plenty of opportunities out there if you take the time to look.  You can ring a bell near you, or there are places like Feed My Starving Children around.  Take a minute to look and you won’t be disappointed with the wonderful feeling that comes from helping others.

That’s just a bit of my experience.  Have a great week.