I've finished four of the races I need to qualify for the 2012 NYC Marathon! And I'm registered for the other five!
For those unfamiliar, NYRR is the New York Road Runners and they organize races around NYC primarily the annual ING NYC Marathon the first weekend in November. They are a not for profit organization but not every race is related to fundraising. Yesterday's race however was part of the Colon Cancer Challenge since March is Colon Cancer Awareness/Prevention month. So there was a choice when I registered of running either the 4 mile race or a 15k (about 9.3 miles) or there was a non-marathon qualifying 1.7 memorial walk. I take the time to point this out because I do know a Colon Cancer survivor, Joyce Renshaw and so its nice to recognize when races are about more than just running.
My excitement for the race actually started Friday evening when I picked up my number. So the NYRR has so many runners do its races (the Super Bowl Sunday race had nearly 6000 participants) that they do what the big half marathons/marathons do and put you in corals by expected finish time. They do this with the color and first number of your race bib. Thus far, I've always been in the last group with a number 7 and the color purple. I'd told my friend C who runs a lot of these races too, that my goal was to make it to pink by the Brooklyn half. Apparently, I'm well ahead of schedule because Friday, I got handed a pink bib with the number 6! :) I now have to set my sights on blue and the number 5.
The race was actually the coldest one I've run so far, yes even colder than the midnight run on New Year's Eve. The temperature when we started the race yesterday was 28 whereas on Super Bowl Sunday it was 38. Thankfully it was sunny, so about midway through the race I actually tore my gloves off and put them in my pocket. You do get warmer as you run, but there is a fine balance in layering... enough that you don't freeze before you start but not so much that you're roasted before you're done. I will be very happy when my running choices can be shorts and tank tops, it requires so much less thought! (Of course I will probably be complaining about the heat, humidity and how I have to think about properly hydrating but I guess that's the fun of seasons!)
This race felt soooo much better physically than the one I did in early February which followed the same course. Stepping out of boot camp has really helped me as well as actually training for the half marathon. I know compared to some areas of the country, the hills of Central Park might seem small, but they are a very challenging run! The one bad thing was with the cold weather, there were definitely points where I was struggling with my breathing. Normally when I run between the amount I workout and taking yoga and pilates , I can actually breath quite deeply into my chest. However, with the cold air, I could feel my breath sticking higher in my ribs and it annoyed me since I knew I could do better. However, my legs felt great! And that excited me. When I finished the four miles, I did actually feel like I had it in my legs to go further although my lungs were protesting. There was a particularly steep hill where I practiced one of the techniques we use in spin of snapping my leg up in order to get the pedal around. This engages some of the other muscles like the glutes and helps to give more power. It was awesome for my speed, but my lungs and heart rate did indicate that they weren't ready to run that fast yet (eventually they'll have to be as I have a blue bib number that I need to get my name on!).
Yesterday evening, I did another mile on the treadmill too. (I'd wanted to do 2 to have done a total of 6 but unfortunately the very long line at the grocery store meant by the time I got to the gym I had 15 minutes before yoga class.) Today, while my legs feel a little sore in places, I don't feel any more sore than I do after my usual long runs so I'm calling that a victory. My IT band (the band of fibers and ligaments that runs from the outside of your hip to your knee) has not been bothering me (yet) which I attribute to the miracles of the foam roller and I haven't made ibuprofen a vitamin yet so I think training is going well!
I've also gone ahead and registered for my next half marathon in Providence, RI. Since this blog has morphed into a combination of weight loss journey and training blog, I think its only fitting to mention my reason for committing now. I'm now within 12 pounds of reaching my weight loss goal. I am a very goal driven person so I don't want to lose my focus once one goal is attained so I'm setting new ones for the future. I've never been to RI and its less than a four drive from me, plus I think my friend K will end up coming along for the road trip! (Now she has to, since I committed her to it in a blog right? ;))
I'm also thinking quite seriously that I will be doing my first marathon on January 15, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. It seems only fitting that my first marathon should be in the state I was born right? :) It's also got a time limit of 7 hours and 15 minutes which I think should be attainable. It will be 2 years and 2 weeks after I joined Weight Watchers. Here's to going from morbidly obese to marathoner! :)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Pictures Showing How Far I've Come
So, a picture is worth a thousand words... and I've spilled a lot of words on this blog so I thought it would be a good exercise to put up some pictures of how far I've come since joining Weight Watchers.
Christmas Eve 2009
Christmas Eve 2009
New Orleans, Late February 2010
Boston, July 4, 2010
Nassau, Bahamas Late September 2010
W Hotel Hoboken, November 2010
JCF Boot Camp Potluck, March 2010
Before and Current side by side
Consistency and Sustainability
Another great week of workouts and I love, love, love that spring is in the air! Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous (high got to the mid seventies!) and today is sunny and bright although much cooler as we dip back in highs in the low fifties this week. No, you're not reading a weather report but after a winter of more snow than I'd ever seen in my life I'm very excited by spring!
I have been going to my spin classes twice a week for just over a month now, and on Monday night I could really tell how much I've improved. My instructor commented on it too, and one of the other people taking the class told me at the end how her goal was to be me when she grew up. She teaches pilates at the gym and on Tuesday she once again told me her goal was go get to be as good as I was. When she first said it Monday night, I had been taken aback slightly because there is still very little when it comes to working out that I consider myself good at other than making it to my work outs. But as we were walking out of class Monday night, I commented to my spin instructor that I never expected anyone to want to be like me when it comes to working out because I still remember how I was when I started out (meaning last year). He said to me that I'd come far fast (in spin) and that consistency is key.
It reminded me of an Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
And this week I've been battling some self doubt about my running and overall working out abilities, but I think that consistency really is my greatest strength. From the very beginning of starting my workout routine last April, I have not missed a workout for any reason other than sickness or injury. I made everyone of the boot camp classes I was scheduled to attend until September when I went on vacation. Yet even on a cruise, I went to the gym on the boat and took a run rather than a nap at a family gathering. I am not going to be mistaken for a world class athlete any time soon. I still struggle with how much weight I'm capable of lifting (my kettlebell instructor the other night told me my form was off because I needed to be using more weight, I thought he was crazy until he handed me more weight!) and how hard my body is capable of working, but I keep showing up.
And while I do things consistently, its not that I'm happy with the status quo or not challenging myself to get better, its that I get better by doing things often. I can't just show up on May 21st and run my half marathon! In order to get strong enough to run it, I must consistently run before hand. In order to succeed at weight loss, I do not have to get my diet absolutely perfect everday, I just have to consistently make good choices and not beat myself up for my bad ones.
In addition to consistency, the thing I talk about all the time is sustainability which I think goes to the same Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
The last time I got close to my goal weight on Weight Watchers in 2006, I was practicing a lot of behaviors that I could not sustain for the long run. I cannot eat the same 4 food choices over and over again for the rest of my life. I cannot restrict an entire set of food from my eating reprotoire and expect to have long term success. (Yes, I've become vegetarian, but please read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and watch Food Inc. before you tell me that it won't be a sustainable decision for me! :)) So, one of the great things about Weight Watchers is while you're encouraged to use your daily points on healthy foods like low fat dairy, whole grains, lean protein and get 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies a day, you are also given a weekly allotment of points that you are to use for anything you want. If you want pizza or ice cream or beer or wine, you get to have them! They are not your best choice for everyday of the week, but you learn to have them in your diet without having them everyday. I have done this for over a year and not felt deprived or like I need to take a weekend to have whatever it is I want (because often doing that for a weekend becomes for longer) I know that this will work for me for the long term.
The other question of sustainability is can I workout at the level I have been in the long term. I think I found my answer the other night when I realized I actually really like working out. I was afraid that the joy I've found in boot camp might be more from the cammerederie than from working out, but Tuesday night as I stepped off the treadmill I realized I felt really good and that if I hadn't done it I would have missed it. That wasn't about cammerederie with anyone other than myself.
If your big reason for not working out is you just don't like it, loop back to the earlier part of this post where I talk about consistency. I didn't like working out at first either. I have complained that my sedentary lifestyle never caused me to injure my knee or have plantar fasciitis but I kept doing it consistently and my body and now my brain have come to love it and crave the endorphins. (And honestly my being overweight probably contributed to my likelihood of being injured while working out!) Someone at work made the comment that exercise is a form of addiction and maybe to a certain extent that is true, the part I love is probably the endorphins flooding my body much like an addict gets from drugs or alcohol. But my body never took pleasure in sitting on the couch and watching TV (comfort is not necessarily pleasure) so I think I'll stick to the working out thing.
Your body improves amazingly fast! In a week of training, I'm already burning less calories for the same distance and speed of running because I've improved. It was the case when I first started out too, but it was still hard even with improvement so I didn't always notice. The bad thing (and the reason you have to be consistent) is you can lose your hard won improvements even faster. Although if you need encouragement to work out once a week after you've gained some fitness there was an interesting study about how much it takes to maintain fitness here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/phys-ed-if-you-are-fit-you-can-take-it-easy/.
So for the exercise recap of this blog, I have maintained my desired mileage and frequency for the last two weeks and already feel like I've put in more training time than I did when I did my Disney half marathons in late 2006 and early 2007. Today is an off day from my training plan (I've actually been taking 2 days off a week lest you get frightened that I'm overtraining!)
So my plan for this week is as follows:
Sunday- 6 mile run and yoga
Monday - Kettlebell Strength Class followed by Cycle Recovery Techniques (lower HR spin)
Tuesday - 3.5 mile run
Wednesday - usually an off day, I have an event on Tuesday when I'd normally do Pilates so if I'm feeling up to it, I may go to yoga
Thursday - Do some hill training as I know the half marathon course has a pretty hilly first 6 miles, and then pilates
Friday - Spin/Kettle Bell
Satruday - Rest before my 4 mile race in Central Park on Sunday!
Hope you have a great week! Take advantage of the spring weather to get out and move! :)
I have been going to my spin classes twice a week for just over a month now, and on Monday night I could really tell how much I've improved. My instructor commented on it too, and one of the other people taking the class told me at the end how her goal was to be me when she grew up. She teaches pilates at the gym and on Tuesday she once again told me her goal was go get to be as good as I was. When she first said it Monday night, I had been taken aback slightly because there is still very little when it comes to working out that I consider myself good at other than making it to my work outs. But as we were walking out of class Monday night, I commented to my spin instructor that I never expected anyone to want to be like me when it comes to working out because I still remember how I was when I started out (meaning last year). He said to me that I'd come far fast (in spin) and that consistency is key.
It reminded me of an Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
And this week I've been battling some self doubt about my running and overall working out abilities, but I think that consistency really is my greatest strength. From the very beginning of starting my workout routine last April, I have not missed a workout for any reason other than sickness or injury. I made everyone of the boot camp classes I was scheduled to attend until September when I went on vacation. Yet even on a cruise, I went to the gym on the boat and took a run rather than a nap at a family gathering. I am not going to be mistaken for a world class athlete any time soon. I still struggle with how much weight I'm capable of lifting (my kettlebell instructor the other night told me my form was off because I needed to be using more weight, I thought he was crazy until he handed me more weight!) and how hard my body is capable of working, but I keep showing up.
And while I do things consistently, its not that I'm happy with the status quo or not challenging myself to get better, its that I get better by doing things often. I can't just show up on May 21st and run my half marathon! In order to get strong enough to run it, I must consistently run before hand. In order to succeed at weight loss, I do not have to get my diet absolutely perfect everday, I just have to consistently make good choices and not beat myself up for my bad ones.
In addition to consistency, the thing I talk about all the time is sustainability which I think goes to the same Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
The last time I got close to my goal weight on Weight Watchers in 2006, I was practicing a lot of behaviors that I could not sustain for the long run. I cannot eat the same 4 food choices over and over again for the rest of my life. I cannot restrict an entire set of food from my eating reprotoire and expect to have long term success. (Yes, I've become vegetarian, but please read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and watch Food Inc. before you tell me that it won't be a sustainable decision for me! :)) So, one of the great things about Weight Watchers is while you're encouraged to use your daily points on healthy foods like low fat dairy, whole grains, lean protein and get 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies a day, you are also given a weekly allotment of points that you are to use for anything you want. If you want pizza or ice cream or beer or wine, you get to have them! They are not your best choice for everyday of the week, but you learn to have them in your diet without having them everyday. I have done this for over a year and not felt deprived or like I need to take a weekend to have whatever it is I want (because often doing that for a weekend becomes for longer) I know that this will work for me for the long term.
The other question of sustainability is can I workout at the level I have been in the long term. I think I found my answer the other night when I realized I actually really like working out. I was afraid that the joy I've found in boot camp might be more from the cammerederie than from working out, but Tuesday night as I stepped off the treadmill I realized I felt really good and that if I hadn't done it I would have missed it. That wasn't about cammerederie with anyone other than myself.
If your big reason for not working out is you just don't like it, loop back to the earlier part of this post where I talk about consistency. I didn't like working out at first either. I have complained that my sedentary lifestyle never caused me to injure my knee or have plantar fasciitis but I kept doing it consistently and my body and now my brain have come to love it and crave the endorphins. (And honestly my being overweight probably contributed to my likelihood of being injured while working out!) Someone at work made the comment that exercise is a form of addiction and maybe to a certain extent that is true, the part I love is probably the endorphins flooding my body much like an addict gets from drugs or alcohol. But my body never took pleasure in sitting on the couch and watching TV (comfort is not necessarily pleasure) so I think I'll stick to the working out thing.
Your body improves amazingly fast! In a week of training, I'm already burning less calories for the same distance and speed of running because I've improved. It was the case when I first started out too, but it was still hard even with improvement so I didn't always notice. The bad thing (and the reason you have to be consistent) is you can lose your hard won improvements even faster. Although if you need encouragement to work out once a week after you've gained some fitness there was an interesting study about how much it takes to maintain fitness here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/phys-ed-if-you-are-fit-you-can-take-it-easy/.
So for the exercise recap of this blog, I have maintained my desired mileage and frequency for the last two weeks and already feel like I've put in more training time than I did when I did my Disney half marathons in late 2006 and early 2007. Today is an off day from my training plan (I've actually been taking 2 days off a week lest you get frightened that I'm overtraining!)
So my plan for this week is as follows:
Sunday- 6 mile run and yoga
Monday - Kettlebell Strength Class followed by Cycle Recovery Techniques (lower HR spin)
Tuesday - 3.5 mile run
Wednesday - usually an off day, I have an event on Tuesday when I'd normally do Pilates so if I'm feeling up to it, I may go to yoga
Thursday - Do some hill training as I know the half marathon course has a pretty hilly first 6 miles, and then pilates
Friday - Spin/Kettle Bell
Satruday - Rest before my 4 mile race in Central Park on Sunday!
Hope you have a great week! Take advantage of the spring weather to get out and move! :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I'm doing this for me!
One of my favorite work out songs is Eminem's Not Afraid because I identify with it so much. Eminem's problems are/were drugs and alcohol, mine is food and exercise. So as I'm running on the treadmill, I totally feel the lyrics "When I say I'm gonna do something, I do it, I don't give a damn what you think I'm doing this for me." The road to losing weight is not an easy one and I appreciate coaching and support. I have a Weight Watchers leader D, my weekly meeting buddy L, my friends from boot camp, several trainers between boot camp and the gym and I've basically started this blog as virtual support... however, I'm doing this for me... "I'm going to be what I set out to be without a doubt undoubtedly".
I've tried losing weight for reasons outside of me before and it hasn't taken. I've tried to do it quickly or in a way that was unsustainable past the initial 6 months. This time, I've taken over 14 months to lose 87.8 lbs (only 13.6 more to go!) and I have worked out relentlessly. On most days the idea of hitting goal excites me and I believe that my fall back food choices will continue to be those that I've made over the last year and that my default position to working out is fully switched from not doing it to just do it. However, a part of me is also scared to death of maintenance and thinks that this has been a temporary phase and that I will hit something that will send me high tailing it back to the choices and habits that got me to the unhealthy point where I needed to lose so much weight. That's why I'm trying to include people in my journey, people who will help yank me back from the brink if I need it. But no one can do this for me but me. Nobody else is going to hand me fruit and vegetables, or lace up my running shoes, or put one foot in front of the other on the tread mill and if they did I'd probably kick them for trying to do it for me.
And while people have helped me get to where I am, the quickest way to earn my resentment is for them to take credit for my success because nobody cooks for me, nobody sets my alarm clock for morning workouts and nobody pays for my boot camp or gym memberships (been a while since anybody has done this but it has happened). However, by the same token I don't get to blame anybody for my issues or lack of success. I am insulin resistant as a trait of my PolyCystic Ovary Syndorme, I don't get to blame anybody for that even if it means my metabolism is not normal. I have had a tendency to eat my emotions especially stress, I don't get to blame anybody for that. I choose fast, easy, cheap high caloric food (like a lot of Americans) and haven't always thought of the consequences, I don't get to blame anybody for that.
As Bob on the Biggest Loser said last night "the only person standing in the way of your success is you."
We had a conversation about working out at work yesterday where people were offering up excuses for not doing it. And I just reminded myself that I can't return to a place where I offer them up anymore. Then last night at the gym as I was lacing up my running shoes to run on the treadmill after pilates, there was someone taking a tour of the gym. She was overweight and was telling the woman giving the tour, well I don't know about cycling classes becaue they'd be so hard, I would do a boot camp class but I can't do a pushup and I don't know about yoga because it would be so boring what do you do just lie around? Its times like this that I sometimes wish I could wear a sign that said, I used to be a whole lot heavier so I could feel like the person would take was I was about to tell them seriously. I nicely explained that you start any class at your level, its not about being the best and doing it all right from the first day. If you can't do a push up the first day, its something to work toward (side note I've been working out regulary for 10 months and I still struggle with pushups!). I also pointed out the best cycling class for beginners and explained what was involved in a yoga and pilates class. I have no idea if she'll join my gym or any other gym, but I hope for her own sake she stops making excuses because truly the only person standing between her and her success is herself. And I hope I never hear those excuses come out of my mouth although I'm sure they have at some point. And honestly if you're reading this and have been making excuses, this is not meant to be a condemnation as I've definitely done it. I'm just trying to put into words my honest fear that I will return to doing so when I've done an excellent job at not allowing it for over a year. And that I need to remember the only person responsible for my success (or failure) is me and that I need to choose success. (And the same is true for you!)
So on to the more boring part of this post, but I'm posting for workout accountability so let me give a brief synopsis of the last two weeks of workouts.
On Saturday, February 26th, I ran the Al Gordon 4 mile race in Brooklyn in just over 43 minutes improving my time from 3 weeks earlier by 2 minutes and 24 seconds. I hope that my four mile race at the end of March will see a similar improvement! :)
I completed boot camp last week with my last classes there for a while. I will miss my friends greatly, but I feel kind of like I'm graduating. I needed the structure of boot camp when I started to keep me motivated and going, but I've reached a place where I don't need that structure anymore and need the challenge that new workouts will provide. Much like the suggestions you hear that starting out with a workout buddy helps to get you going, I needed boot camp to start me out. However, I've found that I really miss exercise when I don't do it now so I will go even without my exercise buddies.
I've really gotten into my cycling classes at the gym. The instructor is great, is actually a competitive cyclist so I feel like I'm really learning from someone who knows what they're talking about. Maybe when I get this whole half-marathon thing done I'll look for a sprint triathlon to take on next! I also have found they greatly improve my running especially on hills. During the race a few weeks ago on one hill, I just thought of being on the spin bike and pulling my knees up with each stride. It helped both mentally and got me to engage my glutes more making it easier physically.
I've also kept with some yoga and some pilates for the benefits each provide. I love the mind body connection of yoga even if I don't quite have it mastered and I definitely still need a lot of work on my flexibility. I love pilates for the core workout and because it tends to workout all the little connector muscles that other workouts don't focus on. I honestly didn't know what a piraformis was before Pilates but sure can feel the difference of having strengthened it when I run.
And I ran a little over 3 miles last night. So all in all, my activity level is feeling pretty successful! Today is an off day for me, and my plan for the rest of the week is to run 3.5 miles tomorrow morning, go to cycle/kettle bell on Friday morning do a 5 mile run on Saturday and attend yoga on Sunday.
So in closing, do this for you! You're the only person standing in the way of your own success... and I'm going to remind myself that I will do what I set out to do.
I've tried losing weight for reasons outside of me before and it hasn't taken. I've tried to do it quickly or in a way that was unsustainable past the initial 6 months. This time, I've taken over 14 months to lose 87.8 lbs (only 13.6 more to go!) and I have worked out relentlessly. On most days the idea of hitting goal excites me and I believe that my fall back food choices will continue to be those that I've made over the last year and that my default position to working out is fully switched from not doing it to just do it. However, a part of me is also scared to death of maintenance and thinks that this has been a temporary phase and that I will hit something that will send me high tailing it back to the choices and habits that got me to the unhealthy point where I needed to lose so much weight. That's why I'm trying to include people in my journey, people who will help yank me back from the brink if I need it. But no one can do this for me but me. Nobody else is going to hand me fruit and vegetables, or lace up my running shoes, or put one foot in front of the other on the tread mill and if they did I'd probably kick them for trying to do it for me.
And while people have helped me get to where I am, the quickest way to earn my resentment is for them to take credit for my success because nobody cooks for me, nobody sets my alarm clock for morning workouts and nobody pays for my boot camp or gym memberships (been a while since anybody has done this but it has happened). However, by the same token I don't get to blame anybody for my issues or lack of success. I am insulin resistant as a trait of my PolyCystic Ovary Syndorme, I don't get to blame anybody for that even if it means my metabolism is not normal. I have had a tendency to eat my emotions especially stress, I don't get to blame anybody for that. I choose fast, easy, cheap high caloric food (like a lot of Americans) and haven't always thought of the consequences, I don't get to blame anybody for that.
As Bob on the Biggest Loser said last night "the only person standing in the way of your success is you."
We had a conversation about working out at work yesterday where people were offering up excuses for not doing it. And I just reminded myself that I can't return to a place where I offer them up anymore. Then last night at the gym as I was lacing up my running shoes to run on the treadmill after pilates, there was someone taking a tour of the gym. She was overweight and was telling the woman giving the tour, well I don't know about cycling classes becaue they'd be so hard, I would do a boot camp class but I can't do a pushup and I don't know about yoga because it would be so boring what do you do just lie around? Its times like this that I sometimes wish I could wear a sign that said, I used to be a whole lot heavier so I could feel like the person would take was I was about to tell them seriously. I nicely explained that you start any class at your level, its not about being the best and doing it all right from the first day. If you can't do a push up the first day, its something to work toward (side note I've been working out regulary for 10 months and I still struggle with pushups!). I also pointed out the best cycling class for beginners and explained what was involved in a yoga and pilates class. I have no idea if she'll join my gym or any other gym, but I hope for her own sake she stops making excuses because truly the only person standing between her and her success is herself. And I hope I never hear those excuses come out of my mouth although I'm sure they have at some point. And honestly if you're reading this and have been making excuses, this is not meant to be a condemnation as I've definitely done it. I'm just trying to put into words my honest fear that I will return to doing so when I've done an excellent job at not allowing it for over a year. And that I need to remember the only person responsible for my success (or failure) is me and that I need to choose success. (And the same is true for you!)
So on to the more boring part of this post, but I'm posting for workout accountability so let me give a brief synopsis of the last two weeks of workouts.
On Saturday, February 26th, I ran the Al Gordon 4 mile race in Brooklyn in just over 43 minutes improving my time from 3 weeks earlier by 2 minutes and 24 seconds. I hope that my four mile race at the end of March will see a similar improvement! :)
I completed boot camp last week with my last classes there for a while. I will miss my friends greatly, but I feel kind of like I'm graduating. I needed the structure of boot camp when I started to keep me motivated and going, but I've reached a place where I don't need that structure anymore and need the challenge that new workouts will provide. Much like the suggestions you hear that starting out with a workout buddy helps to get you going, I needed boot camp to start me out. However, I've found that I really miss exercise when I don't do it now so I will go even without my exercise buddies.
I've really gotten into my cycling classes at the gym. The instructor is great, is actually a competitive cyclist so I feel like I'm really learning from someone who knows what they're talking about. Maybe when I get this whole half-marathon thing done I'll look for a sprint triathlon to take on next! I also have found they greatly improve my running especially on hills. During the race a few weeks ago on one hill, I just thought of being on the spin bike and pulling my knees up with each stride. It helped both mentally and got me to engage my glutes more making it easier physically.
I've also kept with some yoga and some pilates for the benefits each provide. I love the mind body connection of yoga even if I don't quite have it mastered and I definitely still need a lot of work on my flexibility. I love pilates for the core workout and because it tends to workout all the little connector muscles that other workouts don't focus on. I honestly didn't know what a piraformis was before Pilates but sure can feel the difference of having strengthened it when I run.
And I ran a little over 3 miles last night. So all in all, my activity level is feeling pretty successful! Today is an off day for me, and my plan for the rest of the week is to run 3.5 miles tomorrow morning, go to cycle/kettle bell on Friday morning do a 5 mile run on Saturday and attend yoga on Sunday.
So in closing, do this for you! You're the only person standing in the way of your own success... and I'm going to remind myself that I will do what I set out to do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)