Shaking Things Up

   I decided to take a chance this week. I'd been running steadily at 2.55 miles in 20 minutes but it was expelling too much energy and I couldn't see myself making much progress this way. After a bit of brainstorming I decided I should try changing the structure of my run inorder to improve my distances. You see, for many years I've structured my treadmill runs this way; I warm up for two minutes at a jogging speed, then I increase the speed by .5 miles per hour every minute until I reach my target speed for that week, then in the final last minute I increase the speed higher and higher. I devised this training structure to teach myself to always be able to give a full sprint when near the end of a race. It won me a few races, but I also always got the feeling that I was subconsciously conserving energy throughout the race for this final dash instead of running steadily at a higher speed.

   So this week I decided to do my highest speed between minute 9 and 15, then reduce by .5 for two minutes then do a similarly high run for the final dash. Fortunately it worked, not only did I increase my distance by a 10th of a mile but I also finished stronger. So I am pretty happy to blog that I ran 2.65, just a 10th of a mile short of my second target. The challenge is ofcourse keeping it up. It is very easy to fall behind, especially because of school work, but I'll find a way.

  Otherwise, this will be my last blog, for this class atleast. It has been fun; the class AND the blog. Thanks for all the comments which kept me motivated. I'll probably start this up again in the summer so please feel free to check in again. Have a great summer guys.

Last Report: 2.65 miles in 20 minutes

Abs of Steel

   After the elating performance of last week, I decided it was time to get into high gear. So I came up with a new, some-what ambitious work-out schedule. In addition to the longer runs I mentioned before, I'd also attend the 'washboard abs' class at the white building Monday through Thursday, and do upper-body work-outs every day apart from Sunday.

  So Monday I went to attend the 'Abs of Steel' class, as I kept mistakingly calling it. I met my friends there and they promised it would be hard, but I wasn't too worried - what's a few crunches after all the running I've been doing? I greatly underestimated the class!

  After the instructor put on the music and started us off, I did well for the first 5 or so minutes and kept up with my much-more-ripped contemporaries in the room. Then it started going downhill. My abs were on fire, I'd take one of the crunch sets to rest while the rest of the room continued. I couldn't do the holds, I had to keep stopping and relax the muscles. Then, as if to give me an excuse to stop, my neck and shoulders started to ache because of me forcing myself to do more crunches than my abs were capable of. All the while some of the people in the room wore only fierce determination on their faces as they kept up with the inhuman gym instructor.

   If the class had been longer than 20 minutes, I'm pretty sure I would have shed some tears. Not a real cry and wailing show, but just a few 'save me from this self-made hell' tears inconspicuously cascading down my visage. I have a new, profound respect for gym instructors, and I will be back to that gym next week - hopefully all 4 days.

First Target Reached!!!

   2.55. 2.55 miles in 20 minutes. I am ecstatic! When I first started running it seemed like I'd never get there, just doing 2 miles in 20 minutes took all my will power and limited fitness. And as my fitness began to increase slower than I'm used to, it was getting a bit discouraging, but now finally I reach my first target of 2.50 miles in 20 minutes.

   After doing the 2.47, I went to the gym last week and did a frustrating 2.49 mile run. These hundreds of  a mile were beginning to annoy me. Today I decided to try and over-shoot it. The theory seemed sound enough; I kept aiming for 2.5 and falling short so if I aim for 2.55 I can slow down once it passes 2.5 and finally reach my target. However as I drew on 18 minutes, I was still worryingly short of even 2.50 so in a desperate move, I kicked it into high gear and started running at 10 miles per hour. I dared not look at the treadmill distance reading or time reading, for fear that I'd lose concentration or drive when I saw how much time was left. Finally when the treadmill jerked down to a slower speed, I threw a weary glance and thankfully I had actually done the 2.55.

  The result is very encouraging. It is a quantifiable result of the training and hard-work. It also marks the conclusion of the first phase of my training. This phase was simply designed to get me disciplined with gym attendance and to raise my fitness to a point where I could begin training for longer distances without having to move at an incredibly slow pace. The next level is to build up to 7 km runs, I'll do one fast run every week with the aim of getting to 2.75 miles in 20 mins. I'll also do two 30 minute runs while steadily increasing distance. We'll see how it goes...

Progress: 2.55 miles in 30, first target reached!!!

Fear

   I'm glad to announce that my work-outs are proceeding well. I'm no where near my target of doing three 5 mile runs a week and my consistency with my diet could be improved. But overall I think I'm doing pretty well, and my distance has steadily increased. However, as my performance gets better and better, I'm experiencing a strange side-effect; fear.

  Every-time I focus, overcome the wall and finally attain a best distance, I go through the following emotions. First is the relief that it's over. Then as I force air down my lungs I look at the digital distance reading with a mild disbelief. When it doesn't change, I feel proud - proud of myself for keeping going, for achieving something small but tangible - quantifiable. Then later, much later, a fear sets in. I know how hard it was to do this distance, and I know that in a day or two I'll have to repeat the performance or better it. I imagine struggling like that again, but with limbs tired from this day's exertion. Then another fear trickles into my psyche; what if I can't maintain this distance? What if the next time I come into the gym and try keep up the same pace my mind and body locks  and I regress? What will that mean?

   These fears dance around in my head, they slow and quiet until they are just in the background - present but not imposing. And only resurface when I have to go back into the gym. Then I get up there and the cycle continues. I don't know if every person experiences this. This is my first time training systematically enough to notice even minute fluctuations in performance. Do any of you ever experience such feelings?

   

2.47 babyyyy!!!!

   I am pleased to blog that I had a great run this Friday. After Wednesday's fiasco, I went to the gym in two minds. Mainly, I was fiercely determined, I could not allow this work-out to be a repeat performance of Wednesday; so I was determined to infact surpass my best distance in 20 minutes (2.40 miles). But I was also wary. What if I didn't  even make it to 2 miles again? What if somehow my fitness level had regressed? How long would it take to train and get to 2.5? The worry was there in the back of my mind, but I didn't let it have too much play.

  The determination seemed to win over. While my body was begging me to stop at a little over 10 minutes, my legs were cooperative when I insisted on continuing. I had forgotten how hard it is to overcome the wall sometimes, and that you never break through just once; but instead have to constantly battle the crushing desire to stop with every step. I used the same techniques I blogged about before; positive visualization, attaching other goals to this run to add motivation but this time also just looking into the mirror I was facing and reminding myself that I could do this and that however tiring it seemed now, as soon as I finished my run I'd feel rested almost immediately (as usual). It seemed to work. I did my best distance so far; 2.47 miles, just 3 hundredths of a mile short of my first goal. I was very happy.

 This week I'll concentrate on getting to 2.50 miles and maintaining it until it becomes easier. I'll put in 3 gym work-outs and 1 track work-out if possible. If not, I'll sacrifice one gym work-out in lieu of the track work-out with 'Master Yoda'. I hope all your work-outs are going well too!

I Don't Know What Happened...

  Today I had a discouraging work-out. After a good 3 mile run on Monday, I expected to finally reach my first target; 2.5 miles in 20 minutes. I didn't even come close. At 13 minutes and 1.5 miles, I hit the wall. My leg muscles suddenly got really hot, my knees wanted to buckle, and my feet started to drag dangerously on the treadmill. I tried to stay calm, concentrate on my breathing and visualize making it, but my body wasn't having it. My legs were begging to stop and my lungs were getting no relief from the air I forced down them. Before I knew it, I had pressed the stop button and was looking at my out-of-breathe reflection in disbelief.

  I couldn't believe it. I couldn't understand why I was burning out almost a whole mile short of my usual distance. I tried starting the run again immediately, but I barely lasted a minute before I stopped again. Finally after about 10 minutes break, I did the last mile in 9 minutes. I don't have an explanation for this. I suppose these things happen sometimes to athletes. The runner's equivalent to a footballer's bad practice. So I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. I'll call it a bad day and just remember that I at least completed the distance. I'll see how I do on Friday, hopefully this is just a freak burnout.

  Otherwise I'm pretty happy with my progress. I'm eating better habitually; eating salads as part of my lunch and dinner for the first time in my life. I've also maintained a pretty consistent work-out, faulting only during Spring break and the week before. And I've steadily increased mt distances. Mt goals are thus not too far and hopefully on Friday I'll have great news.

Walking on Sunshine

  The temperature was 72 degrees today. I could hardly believe it. This is my kind of weather; warm but not too hot, a gentle breeze with just the right amount of moisture in the air. I was in heaven.

  A friend of mine told me over lunch today about the route he runs. A 5 kilometer run around the perimeter of campus. I just happened to be a running mood, the weather just happened to be perfect for it and the prescribed route just happened  to be almost exactly the distance I'm running in the gym. I'm not a big believer in coincidence and have little patience for the idea of luck, so I took this not so subtle hint from The Big Guy Upstairs and stole half an hour from my schedule for a hearty run.

  It was a great experience. The first part of the route is even ground bordered by trees and lush green on one or both sides depending on the section you're on. The view is beautiful with none of that pesky snow blanketing the grass. People were riding bikes, playing frisbee, playing football and my fellow runners had returned to the side-walk, unharassed by cold wind and invisible layers of ice on the pavement. Perhaps the best thing about the route is that it runs along the extreme ends of the campus where I would have never thought to venture. That way, I got to explore and get to know a little more about my school.

  I over-indulged though; taking 40 minutes to do an ideally 25 - 30 minute run. But at the very least, I found out that I'm much fitter than I was in January. I had little difficulty during the run and so I'm praying it is similarly warm on Wednesday so I can thrush my initial run-time. Hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather.

Progress: Now doing a little more than 3 miles outside.