Spinach For Strength

A young Liam was a fairly odd fellow. Rarely was I actually just a young Liam, but I instead found myself in character at nearly all times of the day. For a time it was Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh”, then it was Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo and Rafael from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (with corresponding blue, purple, orange, and red arm, wrist, and headbands to go along). For a while I wore a belt so that I could hold swords and daggers and knives and guns on my person at all times. Then a coonskin hat sat atop my head so I could be Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. All of this was fine and dandy, but then I got into Popeye.

I’d squint one eye, curl my lip around a cork pipe, stuff spinach through the small opening in my mouth, and sing: “I’m Popeye the sailor man/I’m Popeye the sailor man/I’m strong to the fin-ich/Cause I eats me spinach/I’m Popeye the sailor man!” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ9SYgTk_hY for reference.)

The looks my Mom got on the street were less than encouraging. But she provided the pipe, and I ate A LOT of spinach, so my iron levels were fine, and life was good.

Sadly, I wont be going to the pictured Popeye Coffee Shop in Amsterdam. It turns out, we are looking for cafés if we want some coffee, which seems a little backwards to me.

The workout on Tuesday ended up being a pretty good one. Ran 2x800 in 2:25 (meant to run 2:30) and then ran 2x4-3-2…going 65 pace the first set and then 58 pace the second set (although I ran a 55 in there and it felt really good to move pretty easily through that). It’s fun running at an Olympic Stadium, especially one from 1928.

We’re about to do some museum sightseeing today...looking forward to it.

Let’s Go!

The sites in Amsterdam

Our coffee maker to avoid the Coffee Shops.