It was cold and rainy...not what I was expecting (Texas State Capitol)

Two days later, sun and a dry river bed (Barton Creek Trail)

Related posts:

1. Austin Run
2. Road trip to Memphis
3. Fools 5K 20:09

Some of those views are below of the ETSU Campus…where I worked for the day.

On my last day, I got up early to venture over to Roan Mountain. The plan was to drive 8 miles up to the top, Carver’s Gap, and catch a stunning view of the sunrise. The Appalachian Trail crosses Carver’s Gap which was an added bonus. Halfway up, the fog was thickening and I knew it was going to be too dense. I made it to the top, but all views were a lost cause, I could only see about 15 feet ahead! Oh well, it’ll be an excuse to come back and hike it instead.

Note: Thanks Katie and Jake!

No related posts.

Below are some quotes from the book I like…

“Nothing seems more medieval than dress codes…What buyer has failed to do business with a company because a salesman wasn’t sufficiently fashionable?…when they come to work on weekends, people invariably dress in casual clothes. Because they feel more comfortable. Well, why shouldn’t they feel more comfortable every day?”

So what about the times where it’s nice to dress up? Or what if you want to dress up? Well, he offers a simple solution.

“every responsible adult knows how to dress correctly for these occasions”

I have to agree, we all learned back in middle school before our first class dance how to dress. Even churches let patrons decide what to wear, and that’s the Sunday best!

“Fixed working hours, organizational charts, and policy manuals are all so negative. They strip away freedom and give nothing in return but a false feeling of discipline and belonging. They elevate bureaucrats and ennoble conformity. By all means establish and promote a common goal, but recognize divergence and let people determine their own ways of achieving it.”

“Make time to think. Try blocking out a half day a week on your agenda. I find that Monday and Friday mornings are good, because I can clear away post- and pre-weekend distractions. During this half day, avoid your office. Camp out in an unused conference room or, even better, stay home.”

One of the best pieces of advice I received in college, was from a professor who told us to set aside a few hours each week and not work. Instead, think about how you can make your work easier or more efficient. This was so true at my last job, that I by far made up those “lost hours” by becoming much more efficient at my assignments. I was able to get more done in less time because I sacrificed busy work for thinking. Unfortunately, I was not rewarded for my results nor increases in productivity, but rather judge solely on time spent working. This quickly squashed all my motivation to keep improving efficiencies. Instead, it’d make more sense for companies to reward workers who become better at what they do with the freedom to decide how to use that time saved. Throw in some profit sharing and you’ll have one motivated and efficient employee!

Related posts:

1. National Run @ Work Day

The official description:

This is not just another diet and fitness book. The 4-Hour Body is the result of an obsessive quest, spanning more than a decade, to hack the human body. It contains the collective wisdom of hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of jaw-dropping personal experimentation. From Olympic training centers to black-market laboratories, from Silicon Valley to South Africa, Tim Ferriss fixated on one life-changing question:

For all things physical, what are the tiniest changes that produce the biggest results?

I read the entire book but really only focused on losing weight while still bingeing. Could it really be true?

My Background:

12 months ago, I switched to a vegetarian diet. My main reasons were to eat more vegetables and recover faster after workouts. Plus Bart Yasso is vegetarian and overall a badass dude.

Well, my plan didn’t go very well. Five months into vegetarianism, my energy level was low and my running was the same, if not slower. I could also tell me body was looking weak. I was still the same weight but it had shifted from my arms, chest and shoulders to my mid section. In other words, I was losing muscles and gaining fat.

The “Slow Carb” diet…

The book promotes the slow carb diet, which eliminates simple carbs and promotes more protein. The plan is fairly simple, below is a summary from the more detailed chapter in the book.

For six days out of the week (slow carb diet):

• No white carbs (bread, white & brown rice, flour, white and whole wheat pasta, starch, potatoes, etc)
• No simple sugars (sugar, all fruit, dairy and soy milk, syrup, jam, and ice cream)

For one day a week (cheat day):

• Anything is game! In fact, he says it’s good to overload on the forbidden food to “reset” your metabolism or reassure your body it’s not starving. In theory, without a cheat day, your body would start storing food as fat thinking you were starving and needed the extra supply. Plus, there’s no way I could could go without Pizza, French Fries, and Ice Cream for too long. As most dieters know, it’s impossible to stick to a diet for a good length of time. Sooner or later you end up at a birthday party with pizza, cake and ice cream.

So what did I eat for the slow carb diet?

Beans, Vegetables, Tofu, Nuts, Boca Burgers, Eggs, Protein Shakes and tons of Peanut Butter. It may sound less than appealing but after a couple meals the creativity kicked it. Here are a couple of my favorite meals that I would eat over and over. To this day, I still love them…maybe more than “normal meals”.

• Black beans, onions, shredded spinach, salsa verde and a bit of feta cheese
• Vegetable stir fry with tofu (curry for flavor, red pepper for a kick)
• Pinto and kidney beans, green peppers, onions, chopped up Boca burger and taco seasoning
• Scrambled eggs, spinach, red salsa and Boca sausage (eating this right now as I write)

On my cheat days, I downed cream-filled donuts, pizza, chips and ice cream. I made my self sick about every other week. It was awesome and awful at the same time.

So how did I measure the diet?

First, I tested my body composition. Weight loss alone would not give me a decisive answer because I could be gaining/ losing muscles as well as fat. I needed a test that would tell me how much fat vs. how much lean mass my body was losing. There are many methods out there to test your body comp or body fat percentage. I choose Bod Pod because it’s easy, cheap and readily available. Just put on a pair of tight shorts and swim-like cap before getting into the pressurized pod and 60 seconds later you have results.

March 2011

• Total Body Weight – 167.1 lbs
• Lean Weight – 141.0 lbs
• Fat Weight – 26.1 lbs
• 15.6% body fat

So how did the the 4-Hour Body and slow carb work?

Really, it wasn’t that hard to change my eating habits, once I got into the routine. Grocery shopping became simplified and so did cooking. Never once did I count a calorie. This was huge, because counting calories, eating timed meals is a pain in the ass and not sustainable. Instead, I just ate when hungry and made sure it fit the rules. Cheat days were amazing. I also took green tea extract, garlic tablets, and fish oil 4x a day. I don’t know if they helped, but they seemed like good supplements to have. And for the results…

July 2011

• Total Body Weight – 153.9 lbs
• Lean Weight – 140.0 lbs
• Fat Weight – 13.9 lbs
• 9.1% body fat

Overall, I lost 13.9 lbs, of which 12.2 lbs was fat. Really, this is quite remarkable to lose only fat and not much muscle. I credit the muscle stability to kettle bell workouts, 100 push-up routine and running. I did 2 one-hour kettle bell classes a week, push-ups maybe 2-3 times a week, and run 4 times a week.

Notes:

• I was really hesitant about sharing my experience. I’m not sure why, but after testing the results with others I decided to share.
• The before and after pictures will stay private for now…I’m not that conspicuous.
• Protein shakes in the morning was, by far, the biggest factor that produced the most change for me. I recovered faster from workouts and felt full throughout the day.
• Energy level was sustained, if not increased. I set new personal records in the 5K and 50 mile distance (my first true ultra marathon!)

No related posts.

Note: Michelle and I dominated a Tandem for 10 miles…no pictures to prove it, which may be a good thing.

Related posts:

1. Swimming Practice

This quote is from the main character in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

It’s a great book and movie. One of my favorites.

No related posts.

New Office with a Window

And very soon, I hope to have another office (Pergola) outside without windows.

Related posts:

1. Basement Part 3 (Finished)
2. You’re Welcome, Post Man
3. Austin Running

Wedding Slideshow from John Hackbarth on Vimeo.

No related posts.

*Note: Not pictured was my restroom stop in the bushes on the campus of MIT…I decided to make it quick and not get arrested. They really should have more restroom options in big cities and especially on trails.

No related posts.

Related posts:

1. Views from one of my favorite running routes
2. RAGBRAI 2009 Images
3. My Charles River Run