And The Training Has Begun
This week marked the first week of a ten-week training schedule for the mini-tri. I've been running since June and biking since December, but when I went to our first group run on Thursday, I felt like I hadn't been working out at all. The reason--I've been allowing myself to workout at a level that caused no pain, or heavy breathing for that matter. I got so used to running a 12-minute mile and biking an easy 10mph that anything above these put me to the test. I had hoped to complete the training listed for the intermediate level, but I barely finished the easy level.
On top of this failure was my having to watch a woman around my age run faster than I could though she took these teeny-tiny steps. I really concentrate on my stride, on keeping my upper body relaxed, and still she easily out-paced me with her teeny-tiny steps. I set my steps to mimic hers, and I was stunned at how much more ground I covered in less time with less effort. I was under the impression that longer strides cover more ground more quickly. After all, I was a hurdler in high school, and the three-step hurdlers almost always beat the four-step hurdlers simply because they covered more ground with each stride. I'm so confused now as to what I should be doing with my running form.
Yesterday I biked and incorporated some interval training, though not much. I just have to admit to myself I totally misjudged my fitness level and need to start at the beginning. When I began swimming, I knew I wasn't going to be able to swim two or three laps without stopping, and I was good with that. I didn't have the fitness level necessary to do so. I thought I'd do better with the running and biking because I'd been doing it, but now I need to admit I wasn't pushing myself all along. I'm only going to improve by pushing myself, by making myself go out of my comfort zone. I know this is going to be painful, but if I'm going to be happy with my performance at the mini-tri I'm going to have to put in way more effort.
Today is running again. My goal is to do the 15 minute warm-up at 5.5 mph, ramp it up to 6 mph for 3 minutes, 7 mph for 2 minutes, then down to 5 mph for 1 minute and repeat this sequence for a total of 3 sets. Cool down will be another 15 minutes at an easy pace. Hopefully I can accomplish this, and hopefully in a week or so I can increase to 5 sets. Over time, the larger goal is to increase the interval times and speeds.
Just writing this and thinking about the interval training has my body reacting in a very resistant way. I know it's my mind leading the way. The body is just responding to the negative, the idea of pain, the dislike for discomfort. How can I change the mindset?
On top of this failure was my having to watch a woman around my age run faster than I could though she took these teeny-tiny steps. I really concentrate on my stride, on keeping my upper body relaxed, and still she easily out-paced me with her teeny-tiny steps. I set my steps to mimic hers, and I was stunned at how much more ground I covered in less time with less effort. I was under the impression that longer strides cover more ground more quickly. After all, I was a hurdler in high school, and the three-step hurdlers almost always beat the four-step hurdlers simply because they covered more ground with each stride. I'm so confused now as to what I should be doing with my running form.
Yesterday I biked and incorporated some interval training, though not much. I just have to admit to myself I totally misjudged my fitness level and need to start at the beginning. When I began swimming, I knew I wasn't going to be able to swim two or three laps without stopping, and I was good with that. I didn't have the fitness level necessary to do so. I thought I'd do better with the running and biking because I'd been doing it, but now I need to admit I wasn't pushing myself all along. I'm only going to improve by pushing myself, by making myself go out of my comfort zone. I know this is going to be painful, but if I'm going to be happy with my performance at the mini-tri I'm going to have to put in way more effort.
Today is running again. My goal is to do the 15 minute warm-up at 5.5 mph, ramp it up to 6 mph for 3 minutes, 7 mph for 2 minutes, then down to 5 mph for 1 minute and repeat this sequence for a total of 3 sets. Cool down will be another 15 minutes at an easy pace. Hopefully I can accomplish this, and hopefully in a week or so I can increase to 5 sets. Over time, the larger goal is to increase the interval times and speeds.
Just writing this and thinking about the interval training has my body reacting in a very resistant way. I know it's my mind leading the way. The body is just responding to the negative, the idea of pain, the dislike for discomfort. How can I change the mindset?
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