Weeks to the Half: 12
Weight: 300
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
The bad news is I gained 5 pounds. I am definately having a problem with portion control. I am not snacking too much which is good, but I eat too much at my meals. Something I am going to work on this week.
The good news is that my walking endurance is definately going up. I got a blister on Monday, that was not fun. I am chalking that up to “no pain, no gain.”
Dining in California is fun, but if you are going to be in California for a long time it is going to get expensive if you go out to eat all the time. An easy way to get over this is, of course, to go to a super market. California certainly has its share of markets. While there are your traditional national chains (Target, Walmart, etc.), I am going to focus on some California chains.
Trader Joe’s:
Trader Joes is now a national chain, but its roots are firmly founded in California. Trader Joe’s describes itself as a “your unique grocery store.” In it you will find a lot of organic, vegetarian, imported, and unusual frozen food. With its uniqueness comes a “unique” (high) price.
Vons/Pavillions:
The first of the big three, this is a large market that caters to the higher end of the market going buyers. Their prices are higher, but you will find all the best items a market can provide. There will be a deli, in-store coffee house (usually Starbucks), televisions at the register, and even on the shopping carts!
(video here)
Ralphs
Ralphs is Vons’ main competition. The prices are not as high as Vons, but you will still find everything the same as Vons. If you use Ralph’s free membership club card you will almost always beat out Vons.
Albertsons
Is known as number three of the big three. In this store you will find quality produce, but not quite all of the services you will find in Vons and Ralphs. The prices, however, will be lower on average than Vons and Ralphs, so if you don’t mind not watching television at the checkout stand or buying an espresso while you shop this might be your place.
Staters Brothers
Not in the one of the big three, this store got famous for its meat. Most grocery stores these days in California do not have a meat counter, but you can guarantee that Staters Brothers will have one. We have put them to the test with some of our less known cuts and they have always done a good job. Less gimmicks (no club cards, no double coupons, etc.) at this store means that if you a looking for the best deal without already having a coupon this is your store.
Food-4-Less/Winco
These two grocery stores are known as “do-it-yourself” stores. Very minimalist stores, they save on prices by having the least amount of personnel possible. The produce is usually what is considered “category 2” food meaning that it passes inspection, but isn’t going to be the best produce possible. At the checkout you will not have bagger and so you will have to bag all the groceries yourself.
Fiesta Market/Rio Rancho/Cardenas
These are the big three Mexican shopping markets. Being so close to the border, you better believe that we are going to have Mexican style shopping markets. Catering to their Hispanic clientele you will find that these markets will always be the lowest when it comes to Hispanic foods (tortillas, salsa, etc.). Also one thing a lot of people don’t understand is that Hispanic people typically buy produce every day. This means these markets will have the lowest prices on produce, but if you don’t get there at the beginning of the day you might find that it has been picked through already.
Fresh-and-Easy
This is the newest market on the horizon. A British invasion backed by Testco, this store has brought a new model to the supermarket business in California. Touting new low prices, this store simplifies itself by only carrying a limited amount of brands. Everything thing at this store is fresh and in small quantities (no bulk here). When you check out you scan the items yourself and bag them. The computer will tell you how much you owe. This store does not accept any coupons, but if you go there early in the morning you will find many items marked 50% or more off. This store does not like to keep any inventory more than a day.
Anyhow, this is just a primer for some of the stores that you will encounter here in Southern California. It is by no means an exhaustive list. There are several other stores that I have not mentioned. Also, I have listed these stores in their relative cost ranges (highest to lowest), but depending on the item and the day you will find deals at any of them. There are many ways of getting the most from these stores (maybe if I am lucky Denise will write about it one day), but that is for a different blog entry.
California is world renowned for its citrus industry. It all started back in 1870 William Saunders, a horticulturalist at the United States Department of Agriculture, sent Eliza Tibbets a navel orange tree he had received from Bahia, Brazil. The tree got to Riverside in 1873 (not exactly speedy delivery) and it started California’s citrus industry. According to the book, A History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, three tree were planted. During the first year they were planted, one got trampled over by a cow and died. Later President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 transplanted another tree to the Mission Inn Hotel. According to the hotel management that tree died in 1922 (where was the CCC on that one??). In order to protect the last tree the City of Riverside moved it to the corner of Magnolia and Arlington (which back then was the outer limits of the city) and surrounded it by a big fence.
This last tree is still surviving today. In fact on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 we went to go see it. Sure enough, over 100 years later this tree is still doing well. In fact, when we saw it there were plenty of oranges on it. Can you imagine? Over one hundred years and it is still bearing fruit. We cannot say if the fruit was good or not, the fence is still there. No hundred year old oranges for us!
We did make a video however:
There are also some grapefruit that was planted there in 1958, but let’s face it, who cares about 50 year old grapefruit when you can look at 100 year old oranges…
Weeks to the Half: 13
Weight: 295
Longest Distance Run: 5 miles
This week my Scouts decided that they wanted to begin working on their Physical Fitness Merit Badge. Being the leader I try to be I told my Scouts that I would do this merit badge along with them. Big mistake, I earned this Merit Badge 20 years ago. I am sure when I did it I did admirably. I remember winning two ribbons for the amount of sit-ups and push-ups I could do. Times have changed and I am no longer so glorious in my physical fitness endeavors. Injury came when I found myself behind all my Scouts in the rankings. Insult came when they were done they went on to play a game of dodge ball and I sat in a corner feeling all my muscles really sore. Oh to be that age again.
In other news progression on the running front has been slow. I am basically going off the premise that something is better than nothing. I am beginning to feel Mother Nature is against me in that the weather has been really nice on my workdays but horrible on my days off. I’d write a letter, but I know I wouldn’t be able to afford the postage. Despite the weather I was able to do a long (long for me) run on Saturday. When I set out in the morning the weather was pleasant. So much so that I headed out in shorts and a t-shirt. By the time I got to Camp Switzerland (the far side of Lake Gregory) I noticed that these really big dark clouds were rolling in. The temperature dropped rapidly. There is nothing like the impending doom of a snow storm to get you moving faster. At this point I was already more than half way on my scheduled run, so there was nothing left to do other than increase my pace and get home as fast as I could. Needless to say that my time on this run was really good (for me anyway).
Weeks to the Half: 14
Weight: 302
Longest Distance Run: 2 miles
They say “that the road to failure is paved with good intentions.” This is how I feel my week went. I had a lot of good things planned this week as far as jogging goes, but none of them worked out. I was supposed to go on a 5 mile hike on Saturday, but it snowed. I was going to make it up for it on Monday (my early day at work), but traffic got in the way. My only saving grace is that with the traffic I had the presence of mind to go to the mall and start walking some laps while waiting for my ride to pick me up. I could chalk it up to bad circumstance, but I think it was bad planning on my part. This week I learned I need to have a plan B in case plan A doesn’t work out, because I know that plan C is to sit on my lazy butt and do nothing. This is how I got myself to where I am today!!
I also have an issue of after work training. I am a commuter and so I leave relatively early in the morning and I come home relatively late. I am not a big fan of jogging in the dark, but I am going to have to get over that. I guess I am going to have to get a good jogging flashlight or something. It gets really dark at night where I live (not a lot of street lights in the forest).
Anyhow, I am looking forward to a better week coming up. I think with a bit more of better planning I will have some better output. I am always looking for good ideas. What do you do when your plan A doesn’t work out?
If you mention Mexico the first thing you will from most of my friends is a fantasy story of them sitting on beach, lounging in a beach chair, sipping some kind of exotic drink. Mexico certainly has a lot of beautiful beaches, but most Americans in my view have missed the boat when it comes to Mexico. From a traveler’s standpoint, right next to us is a country in which you can explore a 3000 year old archeological dig in the morning, have lunch in a French Colonial building, and go shopping in one of the most modern malls in the afternoon (which is exactly what I did the last time I was in Mexico City). It is because of this diversity that I love visiting Mexico City. It also doesn’t hurt that my dad owns a travel company based in Mexico City and I spent most of my teenage years in Mexico City. Having said that however I have to say that if you haven’t been to Mexico City you should really check it out.
This is a video I filmed in one day. I appologize in advance for the choppy quality, it was on my old camera:
Many Americans I think have been put off by the news of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Virus and the daily reports we get about the drug trafficking trade. All I can say is that I was personally in Mexico last May at the height of the H1N1 epidemic in Mexico and I didn’t see a single person so much as sneeze. The only crime that I saw was committed by then 1 and half year old son who stole some poor kid’s soccer ball in a park. Luckily, my son doesn’t run that fast so it was retrieved rather quickly. I am not going to say that Mexico City is a harmless city. It has its areas you want to stay away from and pick pocketing is something you will have to watch out for in Mexico City, but with most things it is just of matter of being aware of your surroundings. If you look around the neighborhood you are in and you don’t like what you see then it is time to get out of that neighborhood. All of the places most tourist go have high amount of police surveillance anyhow, so the chances of a major crime happening in a tourist area are very slim.
I have to say I am a big fan of Mexico City and I was very happy to hear that Mexico City was named one of the Top Ten destinations for 2010. Mexico City in my opinion definitely deserves this distinction and I hope that because of it, Mexico City will see some more tourists visit the city this year. Due to the economy Mexico City is a real bargain right now. Prices on almost everything are down and like everything else in Mexico, it’s highly negotiable. If you are interested in more advice I would advise you to talk to my dad. His name is Arnold Pedroza and he has been running his travel company for over 30 years now and knows Mexico like the back of his hand. His main business these days is doing tour groups for universities, but he does have tours for the general public. You can check out his main tours and contact him at www.panoramasmexico.com. It doesn’t cost anything to ask him for advice and he likes to give it, trust me I know! If you do talk to him tell him his son John sent you.
As I mentioned in an earlier post I was rooting for Canada and it was just announced that due to some last minute wins and with only a few contests to be decided, Canada will take home the most gold medals in this Olympics. I have to say that for country that has gone for so long with no gold medals in their home country this is a big win on their part. They may not “own the podium” with the highest medal count (that will go to the USA), but this is truly something Canada can be proud of having. For me personally this is the best of both worlds.
My past experiences with Dominos have not been good. My general opinion of Dominos has been it has been slightly above Chuckie Cheese’s which is one step above cardboard with pizza sauce. Not very good. As you might of heard Dominos has been heavily advertising that they have recognized this opinion (it’s about time) and are introducing a new crust. I was skeptical about this claim, but being the capitalist I am in you give me a good deal and toss in a coupon for a free side of cinnamon bread and you get a second chance. Going to the dominos website I was able to find a coupon for a large American Legend pizza for $12.99, searching on the internet I was also able to find the coupon code for a free side of cinnamon bread (the code I used was 9054, should work for anyone buying a large pizza online). The online ordering process was something new for me. They have this feature where you can build your pizza online. In our case we ordered a Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch took off the tomatoes and added onions. When you are done ordering online they have this little tracker app in which you can see your pizza being made online. It’s pretty cool because you can tell exactly at what stage your pizza is being prepared and plan accordingly. For us it meant we knew exactly what time to be at our local Dominos so that are pizza was still hot, but yet we didn’t have to wait for it. The pizza itself was definitely better. I am still more of a fan of Round Table as far as large chain type pizza goes, but Dominos is a lot cheaper than Round Table. I would have to say that Dominos is about par with Pizza Hut now. The crust is a lot more spongier and you can tell that they are no longer cheaping out on the cheese and sauce, which is really important in my opinion. Overall I am bumping up my pizza rating for Dominos from a 1.5 to 3.5 out 5. Not the best ever, but definitely worth checking out.
So, do you have a favorite pizza chain? If so, which one and why?
BTW, I was not paid nor endorsed by any of the companies I have mentioned in any way. My opinions are solely my own and do not reflect in any way the opinions of the companies I have mentioned.
Two years ago I did the Disneyland Half Marathon. It was great achievement for me in that I finished, but it also has become a major hurdle. Just to catch those up not in the know I finished the race in 3:19:35. For most people that is where the story ends, but for me it was just a beginning. First thing you have to know is that three steps after the race I collapsed. When I came to there were two medics helping me into a wheelchair. My blood pressure was up to 150 and they wanted to put an IV in me. The funny thing was I wasn’t going to let them do that until I got my medal. In the end I made a deal with the doctor that if he got me my medal I would let him put in the IV.
Not very rational, but I wasn’t thinking very straight at that moment anyhow. When I finally got home and took off my socks I discovered that I had no skin on the front part of my feet. Luckily, Denise’s mom hooked me up with some special pads they use for burn victims. The skin eventually came back, but I wasn’t able to walk for a week.
So why am I bringing up this? Well, after that race I didn’t do very well in keeping up my running training. In July I am scheduled to go hiking in the Sierras with my Scouts. My Scouts are trying to earn their Hiking Merit Badge. One of the requirements for the Hiking Merit Badge is that they complete a 20 mile hike. I don’t think I am at all ready for a 20 mile hike with my Scouts. After doing the Riverside 5K I know I am not ready for the distance. I will also add to that I am carrying too much weight to be carrying a pack (302 lbs).
So how do I remedy this? Well, I need a goal. The Sierra hike is a good goal within itself, but that is my Scouts goal. I want them to do well, but I need to do something else to help me prepare for that. For me, I need to conquer some of the gremlins that are haunting me from my last half marathon. I am not sure I can explain it well but basically I need to prove that I can do a half marathon and not almost kill myself in the process. So I have decided that I am going to train for the Fontana Days Half Marathon in June.
This is going to take a serious effort. To help me in this quest I am going to have to stay focused. I am going to need some help with this. To help me on this I am going to write about my progress every Tuesday. What I need is if it is Wednesday and you don’t see a blog entry about my progress I need you to email me at johnpedroza(AT)hotmail(DOT)com and tell me to get back on the goal. The progress is going to be slow, but I know if I am consistent I can do it. Thank you in advance for your help.
It was 5:15 AM and I heard the alarm clock go off. Thinking it was Saturday I ignored it. At 5:30 AM I remembered that AJ and I (John) had a race to go to and so I had better get up. Two bowls of oatmeal later (one for each of us) we were on our way to Riverside. The course was described in the literature as a beautiful run with easy lifts. It was beautiful, but there were two hills that I wouldn’t call “easy lifts.” I suppose it would have been easier had I remembered to check the inflation levels on the stroller tires. Oh well, that will be next time. For our $20 entry fee we got a bib with a number on it and a long sleeved t-shirt. The weather was good, it had rained the night before, but this was good because it made it nice and cool for the race. Along the way we got to see many sights. My favorite sights were the houses that surrounded the parks.
After the race we meandered about the little fair they had setup. AJ was happy because they gave him a granola bar. Anyhow, if you are thinking of doing this race I would tell you it is a very fun course to run through. It isn’t the fastest course out there (no PB’s on this course), but it has really good scenery.