Lightweight Eats

If you follow me on Goodreads (which you should! send me recommendations!) you'll see that I've been reading a lot. Consider The Shallows a book about why you should read a lot, too. More than that, it's a book about technology and your brain. It asks you to question the technologies we've welcomed into our lives and gives you the tools and knowledge to do just that.

And on top of all that, it's an incredibly well-written book. I'm not sure I can recommend it more highly.

The book ties into a recent theme in my training, as well: sports psychology. Over the summer, we met with a psychologist as a group which I found very helpful. Since then, I've begun to take my brain a bit more seriously.

In The Shallows, Nicholas Carr argues that the internet has decreased our ability to focus for long periods of time. And while it has given us other abilities, like parsing large volumes of information for specific keywords, mental endurance is a key component for rowing. A productive row can require intense mental focus for upwards of two hours. And while not every row requires that kind of focus, more focus means faster improvement, especially on technical issues.

This Runner's World article talks about building mental endurance for PR's in marathons. We row a marathon most weekends, and half marathons almost every day. Shouldn't the same apply?

I don't want to underestimate the value of rapid data processing. During a race, I have to be able to interpret a variety of inputs: heart rate, stroke rate, wind conditions, 500m splits, other boats locations, time elapsed, distance remaining, audio and visual cues from my teammates, audio and visual cues from referees and more. Certainly tools like Twitter and link-heavy online articles help me process those with minimal brain power (important during a race).

But if 95% of the work happens before you arrive at the starting line, I suspect that closer to 95% of my mental training should be focused on improving my mental endurance. And, as Carr argues, the best place to do that is between the covers of a book.

This week I am thankful for...

Dan is visiting his parents while I stay in California to train through the Fall Speed Order. That means I'm eating all of the foods Dan doesn't really like: artichokes, mushrooms, vinegar, tomatoes... the list goes on.

Tonight's dinner also helped clean out my parents' collection of condiments and use up odds and ends of leftovers.. and it ended up quite tasty.

I bought mushrooms on sale from the Berkeley Bowl, and threw them in a pan with a bunch of veggies (kale, bell pepper, pre-cooked squash). When they were nearly cooked, I added about a quarter cup of artichoke tapenade and some green onions. After a few more minutes on high heat, I served the veggies over white rice. Tasty tasty!

I just finished reading "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams. For those that don't know, Scott Adams created Dilbert, that Sunday comic strip I never understood at age 10. His book is equally witty, entertaining and poignant.

Adams' life values are closely aligned with my own, and part of my enjoyment was certainly due to the pats on the back I gave myself every time my habits mirrored those of somebody so successful. Still, most of the books I read are doomed to be returned to the library and perhaps contemplated but not purchased. I think this book might have earned itself a coveted place on our bookshelf.

Of all the stories and advice, one overarching theme sang to me most marvelously: personal energy. Adams' talks about your personal energy levels as the key to being successful at just about everything. The book was filled with his tips for maximizing personal energy.

The conceptualization also helped me identify my own strategies for increasing personal energy, particularly before particularly tough workouts. And it has helped me identify some of the things that drain my energy unnecessarily. For example, an inconsistent workout schedule (i.e. mixing things up) exhausts me. For others, constant repetition (i.e. consistency) may be equally exhausting. Being in pajamas and cold weather also drain my energy terrifyingly fast.

But that's not all the book talks about. You can learn how to win the lottery (hint: it involves living a very, very, very long life), how to eat anything you want and not be fat, and how to cure the incurable. Sound hokey? Well, it really, really isn't. It's well researched, well-written and embarrassingly funny (if you're reading it on a crowded BART train).

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17859574-how-to-fail-at-almost-everything-and-still-win-big

One of the things I learned during our Live Below the Line challenge was realistic budgeting. I've read about a lot of families chasing the elusive $50 grocery budget. Let's break that down:

$50/week for two people. That's roughly $3.50 per person, per day. Let's assume you need to provide each person with 2000 calories a day. That means each nickel needs to buy you around 30 calories, assuming you don't waste any food at all.

What can you afford?

Rice, oats, and dried beans definitely fit into this kind of a budget. Peanut butter, at $3 for a 3000 calorie jar, also fits the budget nicely.

What about meat? A pound of pork tenderloin has about 550 calories. The most you could spend on it and stay on budget? 90 cents. (5 cents times 550 calories / 30 calories = about 90.) Our local Safeway currently has boneless pork on sale for $2/pound. And let's not even talk about sustainably produced, high quality, organic meat.

Fruits and veggies are also questionable. Onions have around 175 calories per pound, so if you can find them for less than 30 cents a pound, you're in the clear. Bananas might fit as well, but you'd have to be looking at 15 cents for a large banana. Of course, going under budget with rice, beans, oats and peanut butter will provide you some leeway, but don't expect to be eating haricot vert, organic apples or hearts of romaine—unless, of course, you grow it yourself.

And packaged foods? Unlikely. If you can get a 2-liter bottle of soda for a dollar, you'd be within budget. But even candy, at 75 cents for a 250 calorie bar, is way out of budget. Crackers and chips are similar.

How about those questionable in-betweens? Like cheese and yogurt? Eggs? Wild rice? OLIVE OIL?!?!

It's easy to calculate yourself.

Want to know the maximum price for something to stay on budget? Take the calorie per unit of the food item and divide by the calorie per penny you have to achieve in your food budget (in this example, 6 calories per penny). There are 248 calories per ounce of olive oil. 248 / 6 = 41.3 cents per ounce. A 1-liter bottle (34 ounces) of olive oil would have to cost less than $14.

Have a price and calorie count? Divide the total calories by the price in cents; if it's more calories per penny, you're in the clear.


What's the practical application of all of this? Well, let's say I'm trying to stick to the budget above. I have a list of items that fall within that budget. Rice, oats, beans, peanut butter, onions, cheap bananas, oil, inexpensive nuts and seeds, etc. These items will have to be the bulk of my food, providing well over 50% of my daily calories.

If your grocery list includes organic kale, an abundance of seasonal fresh fruit, packaged snacks or anything but the most boring of ingredients, you're probably not going to make a $50/week budget. I don't think that's a bad thing.

For our family, good food is a priority. It's a choice we make. BUT, we also choose to buy oats instead of cold cereal so we can put money towards purchasing organic apples and cucumbers. My tips for shopping for quality food on a budget:
- Eat simpler, cheaper, higher quality foods: buy organic peanut butter instead of almond butter, or cabbage instead of kale. eat toast instead of a Clif bar, or use canned/frozen fruit in place of jam
- Shop around and do the math: do you know the best price for organic rolled oats in your neighborhood? we get ours for $1.29/lb. which is cheaper, dried or canned beans? are you sure?
- Know the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen: organic sweet potatoes are expensive, but conventionals show up in the bargain bin regularly; should I buy them? same goes for apples; same answer? we posted the list on our fridge, next to our shopping list, which also helped us make smart swaps on our menu plans.
- Don't waste food: let's not even start on letting things mold because you're too picky to eat leftovers. I'm talking broccoli stems, carrot tops and orange peels. they can go into smoothies, be made into cleaning products, candied, juiced, boiled into veggie stock and so much more.


What's your budget? How did you set it? How do you stick to it?

This is the start of a new series. I read that successful people regularly think about things for which they are grateful. This might be a gross generalization, but it's free and it can't hurt my chances. It only seems appropriate to begin in the month of the Thanksgiving holiday.

This week, I am thankful for...

When I rowed in high school, I had no idea that anybody rowed after college. Clearly, it happens. Rowing has four main categories of athlete: junior, collegiate, open and masters, in approximate age order. Each of these categories has different competitions and seasons.


The junior athletes row for their high school or a local club team. Rules vary, but these athletes are almost exclusively in high school, with a few programs accepting 7th and 8th graders for learn-to-row type programs. Many junior athletes start their fall season in August and September, training for longer head races typical of September, October and November (where weather allows). Others will start rowing in the early spring months.

Junior athletes see the culmination of their season in May or June with regional and national championships, respectively. The best athletes are often invited to Junior National Team camps in the summer to compete for Team USA on the international racing circuit. All of these major races are overseen by USRowing. Many juniors also continue to row for club programs during the summer months.


Although collegiate athletes also start in September, they compete in a different arena. Collegiate programs fall into a wide variety of categories, from club to varsity teams, and with different combinations of genders and weight classes practicing together.

For collegiate programs, there are three major year-end regattas: NCAAs, IRAs and Dad Vails. Only openweight women's programs fall under the NCAA, and the top school from each conference, plus a number of at-large bids, are invited to compete. The NCAA championships have categories for DI, DII and DIII schools.

The IRA championship regatta is the equivalent of NCAA for the remaining three weight and gender classes: lightweight women, lightweight men, and heavyweight men. The event is invitation only, and based on season performance.

For many small and young programs, the Dad Vail regatta marks the season's end, with competitors from all over the country competing. Regular attendance at NCAAs and IRAs precludes crews from competing at the Dad Vail regatta.


Post-collegiate athletes divide themselves into two categories: open and masters athletes. Unlike scholastic athletes, these rowers compete primarily in the summer season.

Although open competition is just that—open to anyone—it has de facto become the racing venue for elite athletes. A number of events key to elite athletes span the seasons, from the October Head of the Charles, to the late spring National Selection Regattas and speed orders. For the top level athletes, the summer is spent on the international racing circuit, competing at World Cup and World Championship Regattas.

The open rowers can be found throughout the country, racing for clubs like CRC, Riverside, Penn A.C, Seattle RC and more. The best of these athletes often also have the choice of training at an official USRowing training center.


Masters athletes also compete year round, with long fall head races and shorter summer sprint races. In fact, the masters racing calendar is the most sensible of all. The year begins in the fall with regional head races and the major Head of the Charles regatta, all long races. Winter is spent preparing for the San Diego Crew Classic, a 2000 meter race. This is followed by a summer of 1000 meter racing, culminating in regional and national championships in mid-summer.

Masters athletes are divided into age brackets. Within each bracket, the oldest boats are given the biggest headstart. For example, a boat with an average age of 64 might race a boat with average age 62, and simply start a few seconds earlier.


Individual regattas choose to include certain classes of athletes. The Head of the Charles is all-inclusive, whereas many local regattas cater to only high school or collegiate athletes. And oftentimes, the "open" category at regattas is populated by master, junior and collegiate athletes looking for better competition. But, for better or worse, that is the lay of the land (water?).