Tabata Protocol
I read recently about the Tabata Protocol, a way to ramp up a fitness program and help get you in better shape quicker. The idea is to do an exercise full out for 20 seconds with a 10 second breather, repeating this 8 times. I tried to do the Tabata Protocol on the treadmill last night. I lasted through three repeats. At that point, my legs were jelly, my heart felt like it was going to explode through my jog bra, and I thought if I try to do more, I might end up shot off the back of the treadmill and splattered against the garage door. That wouldn't be good.
Though I didn't get the full 8 repeats in, I was happy with what I was able to accomplish. I'm going to do it again in a a week or so and try to get four repeats in, then continue with this once a week until I can do all 8 repeats. It may take months for me to actually get to the 8 repeats, but I'm thinking if I can do at least four or five before the sprint tri, I might have a better time with the run portion of the event. I'm not scared of the swimming or the cycling parts of the sprint tri. I'm terrified of the running. I have such a hard time running.
I realized last night, however, that my pace is increasing. After I finished the three repeats and my heart slowed to somewhat normal beating, I settled in at 5 mph. This actually seemed too slow, so I increased to 6 then to 7 mph to finish off 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, I was just shy of 2 miles. I was basically at a 10-minute mile pace. A month ago, I was certain I couldn't do better than a 12-minute mile. Ever. Now, I know I can, and I'm eager to get out there today to see if I can actually maintain a 6 mph pace without easing up. I'm going to do the run after biking for 20 minutes, so the legs will be shaky when I first start, but I want to simulate what I'm going to face on race day to get an idea of what I'm up against. Hopefully I won't go down in a heap on the treadmill. Hubby will be out there with me, so if I do go down, at least someone can turn off the treadmill to keep me from getting belt burn.
Though I didn't get the full 8 repeats in, I was happy with what I was able to accomplish. I'm going to do it again in a a week or so and try to get four repeats in, then continue with this once a week until I can do all 8 repeats. It may take months for me to actually get to the 8 repeats, but I'm thinking if I can do at least four or five before the sprint tri, I might have a better time with the run portion of the event. I'm not scared of the swimming or the cycling parts of the sprint tri. I'm terrified of the running. I have such a hard time running.
I realized last night, however, that my pace is increasing. After I finished the three repeats and my heart slowed to somewhat normal beating, I settled in at 5 mph. This actually seemed too slow, so I increased to 6 then to 7 mph to finish off 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, I was just shy of 2 miles. I was basically at a 10-minute mile pace. A month ago, I was certain I couldn't do better than a 12-minute mile. Ever. Now, I know I can, and I'm eager to get out there today to see if I can actually maintain a 6 mph pace without easing up. I'm going to do the run after biking for 20 minutes, so the legs will be shaky when I first start, but I want to simulate what I'm going to face on race day to get an idea of what I'm up against. Hopefully I won't go down in a heap on the treadmill. Hubby will be out there with me, so if I do go down, at least someone can turn off the treadmill to keep me from getting belt burn.
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