New Beginnings

Although tomorrow is an important day, it isn’t any longer then any other day and it will be over soon enough, leaving a lot of idle time. I realized these last few weeks while recuperating from my gastroenteritis that health is something that too many of us take for granted. I for one haven’t been treating the old body too kindly these last few years and its time to do something about it. My short-term goal will be to break the 200lb mark on the scale in time for the New Year (roughly 14 lbs). My long-term goal will be to finish a sub 4 hour marathon some time in 2007, thereby beating my time in the Marine Corps Marathon which I completed in October of 1997 at 4:06, ten years ago. (I would have broken 4 hours at that race but had to wait on an unfortunately line for the porto-san somewhere near the Capital building). I have been averaging between 16 and 20 miles per week so I think a marathon is possible if I am very careful about injuries and get the weight off before I start hitting the really long runs. Easier on the knees that way.

I’m also going back to a vegetarian diet. It is ecologically irresponsible to continue to eat meat considering the increasing world population and the amount of grain and water it takes to produce even a single pound of beef. Also, factory farming is thoroughly inhumane and filthy. I’ve been reading a book about how dangerous our food supply is becoming and it is scaring the bejesus out of me. It Was Probably Something You Ate by Nicols Fox looks at the prevalence of food-born bacterial illness in this country and what is causing the marked spike in reported cases of food poisoning by salmonella bacteria, e-coli and a host of other nasty organisms. Illness from food borne pathogens is quite common, striking millions of people and, this part freaked me out, killing thousands annually. About 9,000 per year to be exact. Far more people sustain lasting health problems like crippling arthritis and permanently damaged digestive systems. “Far more serious than a slight discomfort in the abdomen, food-based pathogens can have long-term physical consequences, leaving victims with lifelong impairment of the digestive system and damage to the lungs, ears, kidneys, brain, and heart.” Somewhat unsurprisingly, the most common source of contamination is from meat, eggs and chickens (although bagged salad is also a regular suspect). One scientist who performed a study of supermarket chicken discovered that a full 25% of the dirty birds were contaminated with salmonella. Leave that on the counter and set some other food down on it and you’re screwed.

I was a vegetarian for 10 years and flirted with the diet again this past summer. Didn’t miss the meat too much so I think I’ll give it another go.