Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Pace and time, are they interchangeable?
During the course of my training for my first marathon, I made the mistake of just focusing on time. I was getting frustrated when I plateaued and couldn't decrease my speed anymore, without thinking of why. What I failed to realize is I was using pace and time interchangeably, inevitably leading to my lack of improvement. I've learned now that my time and speed is a component of my pace, along with many other factors, which I failed to address during my training. These factors included stride, cadence, and breathing. In hindsight I realize I did not address cadence or stride at all. I also noticed how difficult they are to change. I have extremely short legs, so my stride length is naturally short, which also makes my cadence more like the "pitter patter" or scurrying of a mouse lol I've been trying to focusing on longer strides, but it's hard to keep a good cadence when I do. I now see why they say to give yourself at least three months to change. Baby steps. It's not three months to get to the 13 miles, but 3 months to get into a groove along the way. This is something that I could only learn by trying, so time to take it to the course and change it for the next one!
Kicking it into high gear
I've decided to make a few changes to my training regimen to help improve my pace. I realized I never really picked it up during my race, and even when I tried, I didn't have much "get up and go." Because of this, I've decided to incorporate sprints into my training. Below you can see what a difference it made too. The bottom 2 miles were ran doing sprint/jog intervals. I split up the sprints during the mile, doing anywhere from 100-400M, trying to push myself further as I went. The second set of 2 miles were done at a slower jog than my race pace (they were done after my sprint-jog intervals, and I lifted legs the day before, so needless to say I was tired). Regardless, you can see what a difference it made. I shaved an entire minute off my time. My goal is to keep adding miles to the intervals, so I can have my "get up and go" during my race. Hoping to see some improvements soon!
Getting back into it
I haven't updated in awhile, so I decided to back track a bit. Here's my first run after my marathon. I took about a month off to let my body recover. I made the mistake of not doing much cardio on my break.... but surprisingly enough, my time for my first 2 miles was actually faster than my average pace during my marathon. Letting my body heal definitely made all the difference in the world. But then you can see where my stamina dropped off... aka mile 3. It's crazy how fast you de-train. Even though I was frustrated at first, I know it's not that bad considering the break I took. Now I'm ready to get back into it and start making improvements!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
circuits, suicides, and burpees... what's not to love?
For my "off season" training I've been trying to spice things up so I don't get bored or in a funk. I am a big fan of circuits because they are fast pace and work everything in the body. They make me feel like I'm dying sometimes, but it's totally worth it. I noticed from my first half marathon that I don't have much "get up and go" when I'm trying to pick up the pace to decrease my time, so I've decided to incorporate more sprints into my training regimen. I'll list the latest circuit I've been doing below. It's nice because you don't need a gym membership to do them. I did it in the gym, and sometimes I do it in the gym at the high school I work at when all my teams are done for the day or I have gaps between practices when they don't have school. If you're just doing it somewhere outside, and don't have good stopping points/measurements for the suicides, you can always just do straight ahead sprints. Just enough to get your HR up and incorporate quick running patterns in the circuit.
1 set of suicides
10 push ups
20 mountain climbers
20 lunges
20 air squats
10 burpees
repeat 5 times.
It doesn't seem like much, but it's a good workout. I used to incorporate planks and wall sits, but I took them out to do on their own. I don't want any static exercises in my circuits.
As much as I try to avoid social media, as I feel it is a time eater, pinterest is great for finding new, creative ideas for keeping workouts interesting. Once I get bored with a workout it's game over. Finding things you enjoy keep it fun and keep you wanting to go back for more.
1 set of suicides
10 push ups
20 mountain climbers
20 lunges
20 air squats
10 burpees
repeat 5 times.
It doesn't seem like much, but it's a good workout. I used to incorporate planks and wall sits, but I took them out to do on their own. I don't want any static exercises in my circuits.
As much as I try to avoid social media, as I feel it is a time eater, pinterest is great for finding new, creative ideas for keeping workouts interesting. Once I get bored with a workout it's game over. Finding things you enjoy keep it fun and keep you wanting to go back for more.
Friday, February 27, 2015
If you're looking for recipes....
They are all still here:
http://funsized-fierce-fitness-food.tumblr.com/
That was my original blog, while I was testing out if I actually enjoyed blogging. Turns out I do, so I upgraded to here. Unfortunately I'm not very tech savvy so I haven't figured out how to post all of my recipes so they are nicely categorized like they were on tumblr. I will keep trying, so check back soon! In the mean time, they are all still available to view in the other domain :)
http://funsized-fierce-fitness-food.tumblr.com/
That was my original blog, while I was testing out if I actually enjoyed blogging. Turns out I do, so I upgraded to here. Unfortunately I'm not very tech savvy so I haven't figured out how to post all of my recipes so they are nicely categorized like they were on tumblr. I will keep trying, so check back soon! In the mean time, they are all still available to view in the other domain :)
Progress... it's a personal thing
When I had numerous people ask me if I was going to take before and after pictures from my training, I was a little confused to be honest. When I asked why, they simply asked me, well don't you want to see your progress? Hmm. well, I don't exactly have a good answer for that one.
You see, progress is such a personal thing, so subjective. It's not about a physical appearance. When you're doing something to make yourself better, only YOU will know when you finally "see" improvements. For me, it was more about sheer strength and stamina. Everyone has this misconception that the smaller you are, the faster you'll go, and that's not necessarily the case. I grew up in a sport that was surrounded by negative stereotypes and images, and often got a bad rep for itself. I never really understood it, until I got to college.
When I cheered allstars, the extent of size was the littler girls flew, the taller girls backspotted, and the STRONGER girls based. not the "bigger" girls. It wasn't a size breakdown/analysis. It's just how things went. No one got a complex from it, we just knew it was how the system worked. It was literally like a puzzle, and everyone had a piece where they fit, with a very important role to play to hold it all together. Now in college? it was more like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole... or more like trying to squeeze the wrong girl into the wrong uniform. I could now see where the complex came from, and I didn't like where it was heading.
While cheering at SRU,I was always referred to as "the fetus"... which I grew to hate. It was because I was the smallest one, and here once again came a misconception that smaller was better. I knew it was my technique that made me good, but I sometimes got lost in the comments and the crap and eventually was convinced it was my size that made me good. So I stopped lifting, and just focused on cardio. I wanted to stay as slim as my coach needed me to. I didn't want to "bulk up" from lifting, which as an AT, I KNOW that's not how that works, but try letting common sense, and actual knowledge overcome the pressure of a coach. Let me tell you, it's impossible.
Once I was done cheering, it was like an instant light bulb. I finally could see clearly that listening to that crap was stupid. I know it sounds so cliche, but I could finally understand that strong really was the new skinny. Instead of aiming for the skinny, unrealistic body image of someone like a Victoria Secret model, I was aiming to be strong, to let that six pack show, to have people jokingly ask to put my guns away. I finally was aiming for healthy, which in and of itself is subjective, which is where I go back to talking about progress. My goal in all of this was to be strong enough to make it 13.1 miles. It was a mental, physical, and emotional training regimen. I don't run to lose weight. I don't run to "get skinny". I run because I can, because it's something I can do that is mindless and is an escape for me, and is oddly euphoric. I run because it's something that I can do that I only compete with myself. Maybe it's selfish, or maybe it's smart. And more importantly, now I will be doing it to benefit those who can't run. So it's not about "getting fit". It's about being strong. Being able to stay committed to the training, get through the race, and raise some money for those who need it along the way.
I don't just run, I lift. I strengthen my body to be strong enough to withstand the stress and the pounding of running. Yes, I am officially a girl that lifts. You'd be amazed at what a difference it makes in my running. And you know what? I love it. I love being sore, I love feeling myself get better, get stronger.
I did take pictures before and after my training. More so for personal measure than anything. Ya'll make look at this and see no difference in the 3 months I trained, but I can tell you, I FEEL a difference. I feel so much stronger, so much healthier, and honestly? so much happier.
If there's anything ya'll take away from this, I hope it's that you don't compare yourself to others, and that you don't listen to what they have to say. Set goals for yourself, know what YOU are aiming at. Know your milestones, and take pride in them. Even if it's the little things. I celebrated when I ran 7 miles, because it was officially the longest I had run, and then again when I ran 10, because I hit double digits. I celebrated when I officially squatted more than I weighed, considering when I was in college I would never have even thought about squatting with weight.
Know what you want to see, how you want to feel. Tuning out the rest of the world is one of the best things I've ever done, and I can assure you, it will be worth it.
You see, progress is such a personal thing, so subjective. It's not about a physical appearance. When you're doing something to make yourself better, only YOU will know when you finally "see" improvements. For me, it was more about sheer strength and stamina. Everyone has this misconception that the smaller you are, the faster you'll go, and that's not necessarily the case. I grew up in a sport that was surrounded by negative stereotypes and images, and often got a bad rep for itself. I never really understood it, until I got to college.
When I cheered allstars, the extent of size was the littler girls flew, the taller girls backspotted, and the STRONGER girls based. not the "bigger" girls. It wasn't a size breakdown/analysis. It's just how things went. No one got a complex from it, we just knew it was how the system worked. It was literally like a puzzle, and everyone had a piece where they fit, with a very important role to play to hold it all together. Now in college? it was more like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole... or more like trying to squeeze the wrong girl into the wrong uniform. I could now see where the complex came from, and I didn't like where it was heading.
While cheering at SRU,I was always referred to as "the fetus"... which I grew to hate. It was because I was the smallest one, and here once again came a misconception that smaller was better. I knew it was my technique that made me good, but I sometimes got lost in the comments and the crap and eventually was convinced it was my size that made me good. So I stopped lifting, and just focused on cardio. I wanted to stay as slim as my coach needed me to. I didn't want to "bulk up" from lifting, which as an AT, I KNOW that's not how that works, but try letting common sense, and actual knowledge overcome the pressure of a coach. Let me tell you, it's impossible.
Once I was done cheering, it was like an instant light bulb. I finally could see clearly that listening to that crap was stupid. I know it sounds so cliche, but I could finally understand that strong really was the new skinny. Instead of aiming for the skinny, unrealistic body image of someone like a Victoria Secret model, I was aiming to be strong, to let that six pack show, to have people jokingly ask to put my guns away. I finally was aiming for healthy, which in and of itself is subjective, which is where I go back to talking about progress. My goal in all of this was to be strong enough to make it 13.1 miles. It was a mental, physical, and emotional training regimen. I don't run to lose weight. I don't run to "get skinny". I run because I can, because it's something I can do that is mindless and is an escape for me, and is oddly euphoric. I run because it's something that I can do that I only compete with myself. Maybe it's selfish, or maybe it's smart. And more importantly, now I will be doing it to benefit those who can't run. So it's not about "getting fit". It's about being strong. Being able to stay committed to the training, get through the race, and raise some money for those who need it along the way.
I don't just run, I lift. I strengthen my body to be strong enough to withstand the stress and the pounding of running. Yes, I am officially a girl that lifts. You'd be amazed at what a difference it makes in my running. And you know what? I love it. I love being sore, I love feeling myself get better, get stronger.
I did take pictures before and after my training. More so for personal measure than anything. Ya'll make look at this and see no difference in the 3 months I trained, but I can tell you, I FEEL a difference. I feel so much stronger, so much healthier, and honestly? so much happier.
If there's anything ya'll take away from this, I hope it's that you don't compare yourself to others, and that you don't listen to what they have to say. Set goals for yourself, know what YOU are aiming at. Know your milestones, and take pride in them. Even if it's the little things. I celebrated when I ran 7 miles, because it was officially the longest I had run, and then again when I ran 10, because I hit double digits. I celebrated when I officially squatted more than I weighed, considering when I was in college I would never have even thought about squatting with weight.
Know what you want to see, how you want to feel. Tuning out the rest of the world is one of the best things I've ever done, and I can assure you, it will be worth it.
post race recovery
The number one thing I've learned, and I'll say it over and over again, is listen to your body. I was definitely feeling that 13.1 miles the next day. What better way to relax than with a nice bubble and epsom salt bath. And let me just say, our new apartment has a wonderful tub. It's the perfect size for bubble baths! I let myself soak in all the steamy goodness and massaged out some of the soreness.
What better way to work out the lactic acid than by exercising it out! Yep, that's right, I headed back to the gym and got right back into workouts. I don't want to risk getting out of shape, so I headed to the Y and started with a warm up on the cycling bike. I did a mini workout like I do in my spinning classes, varying the intensity to get me moving and sweating. I took it easy on the lifting because I know my body is still healing and recovering. I did a light set of squats to get my legs moving, but I mostly focused on upper body and back, and of course a nice little core workout.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)