My lunch.

A closer look at ramp. Ramp tastes garlicky. The vegetable can be sautéed or used as a substitute for scallion, onions, or garlic.

Our commitment to eating healthier and saving money has led us to record what we bring to office for lunch everyday. Spinach and ramp are in season; I sautéed ramp and blanched spinach for my side dish. My entrée was leftover beef stew over rice.

Over the weekend, I participated in Bassman Triathlon at Tuckerton, NJ. I ranked 170 out of 280 competitors. I was disappointed in my performance because I did not beat my goal, under 2 hours 30 minutes. I lacked experience in open water swimming and did not train sufficiently for biking long distance, 29 miles. However, competing in Bassman Triathlon was an extraordinary experience; I found out my weaknesses and strengths. I look forward to adjust my training routine and improve in my next race, Tri for Our Veterans, on May 24th.

Here’s a look of my journey of the first triathlon in 2008 season:

Bike was taken apart and put in the backseat of Nissan Versa (a rental car).

Keeping my diet light and healthy before the race - low sodium turkey sandwich.

Entrance to the race site. I confirmed my arrival and picked up my number.

The water looked calm before the race. Swimming in open water was ten times more difficult than swimming in a pool.

People were working hard and setting up the stage for the race; the gate was the finish line.

A cheap motel off Route 9, but I slept well.

Transition area. I was one of the earlier birds to be there, at 6 am.

My bike. Picking a good spot on the bike rack is important.

And I was off to the race…

People lining up to load up on carbs after the race. I had one and half bagel with peanut butter and jelly, a plate of beef with vegetables, and a banana. Although I was full after the big meal, I was hungry an hour later.

And the season has begun.

Before a triathlon race:

1. Book your hotel and flight earlier for lower price, if you are competing far away from your home.
2. Tune up your bike one or two weeks before the race, include checking tire pressure, tightening the screws and bolts, and lubricating the gears.
3. Make up a week of short but efficient workouts to keep yourself “in tune” for the race.
4. Get proper sleep everyday and don’t change your routine, such as work schedule, to prevent any stress.
5. Pack up all the necessity for the race. I recommend going down the equipment list from swimming to biking, then to running like the order of the race.
6. Study the course by going on to the race website or visiting the race site if possible.
7. Go grocery shopping for few times and stock up healthy snacks, such as nuts and fruits. Make your own granola bars if time allows you.
8. Make up an itinerary, starting from the day before you leave for the race to the end of trip.
9. Call your airline, hotel, and other reservations to confirm your arrival.
10. Go down and check off your packing list before stepping out. And don’t forget to hug and kiss your significant others, relatives, or friends because going away for competition can make athletes nostalgic. (Guinea Pig does get emotional when he hits the road.)

On that note, I am off to Bassman Spring Triathlon.

I am sure many of you have your share of frustration coming from riding the subway or driving in New York City. To avoid traffic, I like to ride my bike to everywhere. I took my bike to the shop this morning for a final tune-up and tested the gears with a nice and relaxing lap around the Central Park. After my lap, I went back to my apartment to gather up my books and laptop for work. I thought about taking the subway back into Manhattan, but knowing that the wait and monotonous ride would waste my time (I hate reading on subway because my eyes get tired from the dimmed lights), I chose to ride my bike.  My ride to the office is approximately 4 miles. I felt productive riding to work because I got to exercise and enjoy the gorgeous weather.

I rode about 20 miles this morning from going to the bike shop, back home, then to work. Here are my routes:

Home to bike shop, to the Central Park, then back home.

To work - nothing beats riding a bike in gorgeous weather.

Bassman Traithlon countdown:  62 hours.

Since I bought a 3 lbs. of beef tri-tip loin the other day, I have enough meat to experiment making other beef dish besides the usual beef ragout ; I chose beef wellington. From watching Gordon Ramsay making beef wellington over and over, I thought that I was ready to make the perfect loaf. However, I unintentionally skipped several steps, such as wrapping the beef in a plastic wrap, chilling the beef and the wellington before baking it. From my lack of experience, my wellington turned out a little slimy at the bottom and the beef was not wrapped tightly by the puff pastry. I felt discouraged; I hate screwing up in the kitchen because I felt like I was wasting food. One positive note is that the beef was baked medium, which left the beef tasted tender. I will improve on making beef wellington.

Any ideas for the other 2 lbs. of beef loin? I welcome any suggestions!

Connor, one of the previous “Sweaty Guinea Pig Discovered” members, made a guest appearance yesterday in the afternoon to run with me. We ran approximately 5 miles and did push-ups and different variations of crunches at the end of the workout. Having Connor running with me was a great motivation to push harder every step. I look forward to workout with him more regularly outdoor since the weather is getting nicer. Of course, I welcome anybody who’d like to join me and be part of the Sweaty Guinea Pig fitness program!

Our route is below:

We walked for a mile after the first 4-mile run to catch our breath and exchange our workout routines.

We worked out for an hour, which was the perfect duration for my tapering for the Sunday’s race.

Every Wednesday, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will feature a fresh individual who will share his or her thoughts and experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Name: Alex Lo
Age: 22
Location: Baltimore, MD
Occupation: Research Specialist, Bartender

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
I’ve been following Joe DiFranco’s Westside for Skinny Bastards program, which helps pack on muscle mass. The workout has one day of maximal-effort for each upper and lower body and one day of muscular endurance training. On the side, I try to do one CrossFit metabolic workout per week and take as many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes as I can.

How did you come up with your current routine?
I’ve always been involved in martial arts and have deluded myself into thinking one day I could be an amateur fighter. To get ready for the next level, I needed to focus on functional strength and endurance. Also, I often work late and need efficient workouts when I am pressed for time.

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
I’d like to see myself gain 5 more pounds, and maybe get more toned for the beach. In the long run, I’d like to start training for martial arts consistently and compete in amateur fight in few years. For personal bragging rights, I’d love to clean-and-jerk 225 lbs. and dead lift 450 lbs. before the end of the year.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
I’d like to get into caveman training because it can make you an incredible athlete. Sledge hammering, tire flips, sand bag carries and rope climbs all seem like a lot of fun

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
I always take a serving of Biotest’s Surge after working out. In addition, I drink protein shake, BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids) and consume sugar spike to recover. After those, my main meal consists of lean protein, vegetables and brown rice.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
I drink a fair amount of alcohol on the weekends. I’m trying to cut down the empty calories though. Outside of that, I love chips, ice cream, fried chicken, cookies, cupcakes, pizza, ribs… you name it, I’ll eat it. My rule is just to not buy it so I won’t eat it.

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
Lift heavy and eat clean; that works for everyone. Heavy means doing compound exercises with complex intervals. In the words of TC, the Atomic Dog: “Anything worth doing is worth doing bad ass.” If that’s too much, you can always start with laying off the soda and taking the stairs.

If you’d like to be featured on Sweaty Guinea Pig Discovered, please e-mail me at reggie.soang@gmail.com. I look forward to discover new Guinea Pigs!

Left: sautéed collard green; Right: sticky lemon pheasant with tomato sauce

I have recently become addicted to making tomato sauce. With pheasant breast meat still sitting in the refrigerator, I decided to tweak Stick Lemon Chicken recipe into a dish with home made tomato sauce. I simmered the meat for about 45 minutes and reduced the sauce until it became gelatinous. My sticky lemon pheasant with tomato sauce was a little sour but carried an aromatic honey odor. The dish might not have been a great invention, but eating home made food just makes me feel healthy and happy.

Every weekend, I will be visiting the green market and buying fresh groceries. I will share my shopping list and the cost with my readers. I hope to promote eating locally and bring back the enthusiasm of hands-on cooking.

Vegetables:
2 shallots and 1 bag of red onions: $2.25
3 carrots: $1.25
9 tomatoes: $8.15
6 shittake mushrooms: $2.75
6 apples: $2.75
1 bunch of thyme: $1.75
1 bunch of onion chives: $1.50

Dairy:
1 tub of organic fat-free yogurt: $3.50
1 bottle of organic skim milk: $1.00 (after returning 2 empty bottles)
1 dozen organic eggs: $3.50

Meat:
1 pheasant*: $18.00

Totale: $46.40

*To check out the pictures of my pheasant, please read Cog Au Vin and Sticky Lemon Pheasant with Tomato Sauce - dishes I made from the bird.

My first triathlon, Bassman Spring Triathlon, in 2008 will take place this Sunday, 27th. To train efficiently before the race, I aim for quality rather than quantity. I jogged in the Central Park with my friends from the swim team on Sunday. Our pace was nice and easy; we were able to talk about different types of beer (how ironic that we were trying to burn off the calories we drank on Saturday night) without being out of breath. Here’s my route:

Distance: 3.5 miles
Total Time: 30 minutes