Started out strong, but hit a wall around mile 5 that pretty much lasted until the finish.  It was tough. Was averaging close to 8:15 miles before that, and slowed to almost 10:00 after.  Thankfully I’d built up enough of a buffer.

Here’s a good shot (not mine) that shows the wicked crown in the bridge.

I was happy to achieve my goal (barely… 1:59:15!) but actually running it wasn’t much fun.  It was definitely a struggle.  Shouldn’t have skipped out on the 10+ mile training runs!  Still, it’s cool to be a part of such a big race.  And San Francisco is a great place to run because of the sea-level elevation (aside from the hills) and cool weather (probably 55-60 during the race).

At they end they were serving Irish coffee.  Drinking Jameson before 8:00am and just after running 13 miles was probably not the smartest choice but hey I wanted everything I was entitled to!

I think I’ll focus on interval training next, which supposedly has more health benefits than distance running, and takes less time.  What’s the workout that will make me hit more home runs at softball?  That’s the workout I need.

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My hypothesis was that watermelon was basically the cotton-candy of fruits: melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, but basically no nutritional value beyond sugar.

What I Found

Turns out watermelon does have some value beyond being a low-calorie way to fill up your belly.  A 1-cup serving (who can eat just 1-cup?) contains just 46 calories, with no fat, no cholesterol, and a negligible amount of sodium.  The calories come primarily from carbs: 1g of fiber and 9g of sugars.  I was surprised to find out that watermelon also contains a small amount of protein.  From the seeds maybe?

For vitamins, watermelon is a very good source of vitamin A and vitamin C.  Who knew?  Even more surprisingly, a cup of watermelon delivers 5% of your daily value of potassium, which is about as much as half a banana.  Watermelons are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant most commonly found in tomatoes.

Researchers have linked watermelon consumption to reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of kidney stones, a stronger immune system, reduced cancer risk, arthritis relief, reduced diabetes risk, reduced heart attack risk, improved night vision, and improved asthma symptoms.  What I thought was just sugar-water is pretty much a miracle food.

Haha those studies were probably sponsored by the Watermelon Farmers Association.

Next up, watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

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Gyms can only successfully exist in a society where four historically rare criteria exist:

• A decent amount of disposable income
• A gross excess of food
• A sedentary workforce
• A culture obsessed with body image

We live in the golden age for gyms, fitness centers, and health clubs.  In fact, gym membership is at it’s highest level in the history of the world.  But, in a seeming paradox, obesity rates (at least in the US) have reached “epidemic” levels.  We’re fitter than ever before and also fatter than ever before.  How is this possible?

The answer lies in the sinfully sweet business model of the gym.  They sell memberships for $5-200 a month, with assorted “initiation” or start-up fees tacked on as well.  Some get creative and sell lifetime memberships ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.  They’re selling access to their state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, to their exercise classes, and to their personal trainers.

But the best gyms are really selling the dream.  The dream of a healthier life and a better body.  And the dirty part is they know the truth: that most new gym members stop coming regularly after as little as two months.  How quickly the dream fades!  Because of this, membership sales staffs are tasked with creating a membership roll that is 1000-3000% the capacity of the gym, meaning if the facility has a 100 person capacity, 3000 people could be members at any given time.

Much like satellite radio, the incremental cost of one additional gym customer is nearly nothing.  They’ll still have to maintain the equipment, pay the same staff, keep the building clean, etc, but as long as all 3000 don’t show up to workout at the same time, each additional membership is almost all profit.

They scan my card every time I go in, tracking me in their system.  Multiply that times hundreds or maybe even thousands of members, and the gym has years of historical data that show how much use the average customer gets out of his membership.  Will you be the outlier that goes 4 days a week for 10 years?  Or will your resolute workout plan taper off after a few months?

Everyone intends to get their money’s worth, otherwise they wouldn’t sign up.  But so few do.  Instead of trying to beat the gym at their own game, you might consider asking what their rates are like for single-visits.  Rather than signing up for a monthly membership charge, you can pay just when you go in.  Or, you can always find ways to workout without the gym: running, walking, hiking, or biking in the great outdoors.

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For example, you could drink a case of Red Bull every day, and it will never “give you wings” like the commercials promise.  If an energy drink can claim a physiological impossibility as their tagline, why can’t other companies?

Instead, other companies are required to list all the possible negative side effects of their product.  Drug ads are the worst.  I swear there was one during 24 this week where the side effects included (in rare cases) death.  Reminds me of a Jeff Foxworthy bit:

There are so many drugs out there. They advertise this prescription stuff, and I swear, nine times out of ten, the side-effects are fifty times worse than what the thing cures. It’s like, “Try new Fluorofluor. For itchy, watery eyes, it’s Fluorofluor. Side effects may include: nausea, vomiting, water weight gain, lower back pain, receding hairline, eczema, seporiasoriasis, itching, chafing clothing, liver spots, blood clots, ringworm, excessive body odor, uneven tire wear, pyorrhea, gonorrhea, diarrhea, halitosis, scoliosis, loss of bladder control, hammertoe, the shanks, low sperm count, warped floors, cluttered drawers, hunchback, heart attack, low resale value on your home… feline leukemia, athlete’s foot, head lice, clubfoot, MS, MD, VD, fleas, anxiety, sleeplessness, drowsiness, poor gas mileage, tooth decay, parvo, warts, unibrow, lazy eye, fruit flies, chest pains, clogged drains, hemorrhoids, dry heaving and sexual dysfunction.” I’m watching it, going, “You know what? I’ll just have itchy, watery eyes…”

I think it all comes down to a little disclaimer you’ll find on 5 Hour Energy, homeopathic medicines, and other herbal remedies:

” * These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.”

On the one hand you have the brutally honest, over-tested, cover-your-ass, federally regulated ad copy.  And on the other, no independent 3rd party testing, which allows the marketing department far more freedom.  “Guys, it’s cool, we can say whatever we want as long as we include the asterisk.”

It’s big business.

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Most of these sneezes are immediately followed by a “bless you,” or a “gesundheit.”  Funny how we’re quick to dole out the blessings even though we’re not ordained or certified to bless anyone.  The origins of this custom go back literally thousands of years, and nearly every culture has their own post-sneeze saying.

• Ancient Roman sneezers were told “Salve” — meaning good health.
• “Gesundheit” is German for health.
• Arabic sneezes are often followed by a “Alhamdulillah,” meaning praise be to God.
• In Russia, the traditional response is “bud zdorov” — “be healthy.”
• Children in China will hear “bai sui,” which means “may you live 100 years” according to HowStuffWorks.com.

The exact origin of the post-sneeze “bless you” is unknown.  A common theory is that it emerged during the Middle Ages in Europe.  Sneezing was seen as an early symptom of bubonic plague, and offering up a blessing was all bystanders could do to comfort the dying.

Other fun explanations:

• A sneeze signified a person’s soul escaping the body through the nose, so a blessing was required to make sure they recaptured it before the devil did.
• On the contrary, a sneeze was a demon spirit escaping the body through the nose, so a blessing was required to protect against re-entry.
• People once believed their heart momentarily stopped beating during a sneeze, so a “bless you” was almost congratulatory, since the person lived through it.
• In some cultures, a sneeze was considered lucky, and sneezers were “blessed” with their good fortune.

The “bless you” tradition lives on, but more out of courtesy or perceived politeness rather than any heartfelt concern for the well-being of the sneezer’s soul.

Sources: HowStuffWorks.com, Snopes.com

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Well that’s my plan anyway.

Yes, cost is one concern.  Freedom to choose your own providers and quality of care would be others.

The world would be a better place.

Hey now, profit isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Competition, innovation, etc.

You must plan on being healthy, and therefore not getting your money’s worth.  But in the grand scheme of things, you could be worse off.

But apparently grammar-check isn’t either.

Higher taxes and warm fuzzies?

Must be an old bumper sticker.  The real cost is much higher, according to CostOfWar.com.

I’m confused by this one.

Clever, but maybe a little dramatic?

Legitimate concern.  No one seems sure of how the details of “Obama-Care” would work.

I find it hard to believe the words “Death Panels” appear anywhere in the proposed legislation.  But I’ve been wrong before.

This was the sticker that I saw while driving that helped spark my interest in the subject.

Technically, they print the money…

Good question.

Is life really the best way to judge the merits of a health care system?  What’s next, determining how good a football team is by how many games they win?

Ahh bumper stickers… there is no greater way to influence policy than to proclaim your politics on the back of your car.  For that one-in-a-million chance when your senator is behind you at a red light.

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I came by for moral support after the sun went down.

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Also, according to CNN, 13,000 people have died so far this year from complications arising from regular flu.  So take that, piggies.

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And neither do approximately 6,777,024,116 other people. (At the time of this writing)

With an infection rate of 0.000005%, is this really a pandemic?  There are plenty of other diseases killing far more people getting much less attention.

Jon Stewart’s take:

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