What's for Lunch?

I spent some 15+ years as a desk jockey. Most days were packed full of code and report writing, meeting and managing, pointless PowerPointing, and plenty of office politicking. Some people thrive on that stuff, finding it meaningful and thrilling; to me, it was an energy drain.

So with this jaded outlook, you'd think that lunchtime would be the best part of my workday, right? Well, yes and no. Yes for the days I got to ride my bike. Oh glorious lunch rides! But definitely "No" for the days when I joined ranks with the other thousand automatons making the daily drive to restaurant row. Don't get me wrong, I liked my coworkers and their company. It was the food that was the problem. Chili's, Chevy's, Wendy's, Jack in the Box.... there's really no difference. And more and more, what you get at those establishments can hardly be called food. GMO corn with bacteria genes inserted into its DNA? Freaky!

Some people microwaved frozen lunches instead. Have you seen the ingredient lists on those things?? Should you really need a PhD in Chemistry to understand what you're eating? Some days I'd bring a brown-bag lunch my sweetie made me that morning. PB&J ...again. I'd eagerly anticipate... would it be strawberry or marmalade today? Sigh.

Fast-forward to 2010. I don't work in an office anymore, and I don't eat at those kinds of "restaurants" either. But lunch is still a dilemma sometimes. Strawberry or marmalade? Now it's up to me to decide.

So today I finally tried Organic Living Santa Barbara. I've been hearing the buzz for months... wonderful variety of lunch entrees, made fresh daily from locally-sourced organic ingredients, delivered right to your home or office. They'll even accommodate your vegan, vegetarian, or meat-eater preferences.

Here's what I got today (click the picture to read the label, and you don't need a PhD in Chemistry):


It was delicious! I actually ordered two meals, which was enough for dinner also. Such a tasty and sensible way to solve the lunchtime dilemma. And way more healthful and environmentally responsible than eating at those chain restaurants.

As an aside, today I rode my fastest time up Old San Marcos in at least nine months. Coincidence?? I don't think so.

And Speaking of Bugs

What to do about riding when you're starting to get sick? It's a rhetorical question, but certainly feel free to offer an opinion if you have one. I'll go first...

I don't support the old adage of "Ride if it's above the neck, otherwise rest". If like me, you're vulnerable to sinus infections, then I don't think it's smart to ride at all if you have a full-blown cold, even if it's just in your head. Cold viruses last 2-4 days and that amount of time off the bike is not going to hurt too much. Be flexible, and call it a rest period. Hey, if you're a bike racer, no doubt you've procrastinated a lot of other stuff... use the time off to catch up!

Anyway, Adam Hodges Myerson makes sense in this article and he's a real coach and everything.

The trickier question is what to do when you first detect symptoms of a cold. You should know your body well enough to notice the warning signs--slight throat swelling, minor runny nose, a bit achy--before it hits with full force. Is it possible to head it off, or at least minimize it's impact? I think so. Add a couple hours of sleep, drink a lot more fluids, ...the usual advice. But what about riding? I think it's okay to spin easy and probably also okay to do sprints, but definitely avoid hard anaerobic work and don't spend any time in your higher aerobic zone either.

That's what I'm doing... I'll tell you later if it works.