I did my first 5k race of the season last Sat. I had set a personal goal time of 26:45. This is a time I've been working towards during my weekly runs and the closest I have come is 26:57 so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I did everything on race day that I was supposed to. I did a warm up, stretched a bit and waited anxiously to get started. It's a pretty cool feeling to be standing there with other runners. Unlike last year, I felt like I belonged this year! I was mentally reminding myself not to start off too fast, to watch my pace times, and to have fun. How I can have fun when I'm trying to kill a race I'm not sure but I did think about it. Graham and I decided we'd run our own race as he wanted to really kill his time from last year and I didn't want to hold him back (he did just that too...running it in 23:24, almost 6 mins off his time from last year...way to go Graham!!) so this time I was truly on my own with nobody else to be accountable to. So the gun goes and we're off. I have to chuckle because everyone around me is looking at their watches and then I clued in that they were doing the same thing I was doing, checking their pace on their heart rate monitors. I had paces set for me so I knew exactly where I had to be. I nailed the first km exactly! I was pretty excited about that. It was a great way to start!! Then I had to increase my speed a bit in the second km, which I did. At that point I'm thinking this could be possible but not getting to excited yet. Just before the 3rd km I was running by a much younger lady who looked like she was struggling a bit. I looked over at her and said she was doing well and that we were now over half way done. Sadly I lost her at some point, I hope she did well.. I was now running a pace of 5:10-5:15 and I felt pretty good. As I was coming up to the 4th km I started thinking, hell...I really may be able to do this. I started to think about a motivational video I watched the night before. I played over in my head that I can do this, I have to give it my all, that I can't quit now, that I have to push to the end. Yup, I had lots of time to think as I was running!! Maybe that means I should have been running faster. :) I ran most of the 4th km with a kid and my God he was really moving! At one point I was running at a 5:10 pace and he was just a bit a head of me. No worries though, I blew him away in the end. :) When I seen the finish line, something clicked. I told myself that if I wanted to reach my goal that I had to run faster. I promised to give it my all and it was absolutely time to do it!!! I ran faster than my legs have ever gone. A friend told me to" see the devil" as I was running my last km and then I'd know I was indeed working hard enough. When I was about to cross the finish line the devil appeared. I gave it my all last Sat. and I did better than I had hoped. My goal was 26:45 and my actual time was 26:25. I knocked about 3 mins and 25 seconds off my time from last year. It just goes to show what hard work, motivation and lots of determination can get ya. Bring on the Bluenose and the overall goal of being called a "Fast Chick"!!
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Monday, 2 April 2012
Ok,,,so never challenge me!!
Hey everyone!
Three weeks ago I started training with a different trainer while my trainer was away on vacation. I wasn't sure how it would go as he was someone new who didn't really know me. He is my trainer's twin brother so I hoped the personalities would be close to the same and they are. I did a 5 mins plank for him during our first session and he said he's never seen anyone do that before. I emailed Paul later and told him and he said the same thing which made me feel even better!! :) I felt pretty good about it. When I went in the next week there was a note on a whiteboard saying the name of a client who holds the record of 6:29 sec. for a plank and I said I needed to beat that. I had a sinus infection but still wanted to try. Mitch (the trainer) said to go for 10mins but I was really going for 6:30. :) When I got to 6 mins. he said I made that look easy and not to quit at 6:30. At 8 mins he really started talking to me making me concentrate on other things besides the pain I was starting to feel and by 9 mins he was really coaxing me to get to 10mins. I did it!!! I was pretty tired afterwards but I did it!! I got up and had a full workout session afterwards too. I felt pretty damn awesome!!! So, later in the week I got an email from my trainer (Matt) saying the other girl beat me again. Her time was 10:49. I was mad because I was told my 10min record would be pretty safe!!(good for her for doing it though). SOOOOO...I went in yesterday with the intentions of doing a 12 min plank. Mitch kept saying 15 mins but I thought he was crazy. I wasn't sure I could do it as I wasn't in "the zone" to start but I got there. When Mitch started counting for me (at 5 mins) I thought there is no way I can hold it for that long. Then I remembered....pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever (Paul Plakas) which is something I live by now and have for the last 2 years. My body CAN do this and it will recover but I'll hate myself if I quit!! I asked Mitch to start talking so I could focus on something else and he did. I remember only bits and pieces of the story because I was focusing all my energy on not dropping. He started counting for me regularly for the last min and every second for the last 10 secs. When I rolled over after 15.01 he asked if I was ok, I nodded my head yes, he then asked if I was laughing or crying and I said I didn't know. I was seriously in another land. I can't explain it. I knew I just did something that was WAY out of my comfort zone, my body was exhausted at that split second, but I was so very proud of myself!! I pushed my body beyond anything I thought I could ever do. I'm convinced that is one of the best feelings ever!! Again, I went on to finish my regular session which consisted of 40 pushups (which were tough at this point), 40 pull ups on a bar, 40 one arm rows (20 pound weights), 40 arm raises (8 pound weights...these are tough any time), 40 weighted squats (15 pound weights) and 40 bicep curls with the machine (30-40 pounds) and then a few stretches to cool down. So....there you have it, my plank story. I'm hoping the girl won't beat me this week but you know what...if she does it just means I'll have to dig a bit deeper and find the strength to do a 20 mins plank. I've come this far so I have to keep defending my "Plank Title"!! By the way, the world record for planks is 34 mins. I'm almost half way there!! :)
Three weeks ago I started training with a different trainer while my trainer was away on vacation. I wasn't sure how it would go as he was someone new who didn't really know me. He is my trainer's twin brother so I hoped the personalities would be close to the same and they are. I did a 5 mins plank for him during our first session and he said he's never seen anyone do that before. I emailed Paul later and told him and he said the same thing which made me feel even better!! :) I felt pretty good about it. When I went in the next week there was a note on a whiteboard saying the name of a client who holds the record of 6:29 sec. for a plank and I said I needed to beat that. I had a sinus infection but still wanted to try. Mitch (the trainer) said to go for 10mins but I was really going for 6:30. :) When I got to 6 mins. he said I made that look easy and not to quit at 6:30. At 8 mins he really started talking to me making me concentrate on other things besides the pain I was starting to feel and by 9 mins he was really coaxing me to get to 10mins. I did it!!! I was pretty tired afterwards but I did it!! I got up and had a full workout session afterwards too. I felt pretty damn awesome!!! So, later in the week I got an email from my trainer (Matt) saying the other girl beat me again. Her time was 10:49. I was mad because I was told my 10min record would be pretty safe!!(good for her for doing it though). SOOOOO...I went in yesterday with the intentions of doing a 12 min plank. Mitch kept saying 15 mins but I thought he was crazy. I wasn't sure I could do it as I wasn't in "the zone" to start but I got there. When Mitch started counting for me (at 5 mins) I thought there is no way I can hold it for that long. Then I remembered....pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever (Paul Plakas) which is something I live by now and have for the last 2 years. My body CAN do this and it will recover but I'll hate myself if I quit!! I asked Mitch to start talking so I could focus on something else and he did. I remember only bits and pieces of the story because I was focusing all my energy on not dropping. He started counting for me regularly for the last min and every second for the last 10 secs. When I rolled over after 15.01 he asked if I was ok, I nodded my head yes, he then asked if I was laughing or crying and I said I didn't know. I was seriously in another land. I can't explain it. I knew I just did something that was WAY out of my comfort zone, my body was exhausted at that split second, but I was so very proud of myself!! I pushed my body beyond anything I thought I could ever do. I'm convinced that is one of the best feelings ever!! Again, I went on to finish my regular session which consisted of 40 pushups (which were tough at this point), 40 pull ups on a bar, 40 one arm rows (20 pound weights), 40 arm raises (8 pound weights...these are tough any time), 40 weighted squats (15 pound weights) and 40 bicep curls with the machine (30-40 pounds) and then a few stretches to cool down. So....there you have it, my plank story. I'm hoping the girl won't beat me this week but you know what...if she does it just means I'll have to dig a bit deeper and find the strength to do a 20 mins plank. I've come this far so I have to keep defending my "Plank Title"!! By the way, the world record for planks is 34 mins. I'm almost half way there!! :)
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