Making Progress
Last week I was out of town, attending a conference. While there I ran each day, plugging away, determined to get faster. I also learned something key to improving: all movement comes from the core, and in order to get faster, the core has to be strong. Weak core, weak performance.
I've thought about this a lot and decided I'm going to go to work on my core. I've been doing some exercises specifically for core, but after talking with an individual who works with athletes about this issue, I learned I was going about it wrong. I was concentrating on crunches. I was told to scratch these in favor of doing other exercises that work from the inside out. These include breathing exercises while lying on my back, that isolate muscles. They include using a weighted ball and twisting while balancing with my legs raised. I've seen these done by others, but I've never been able to keep my legs raised while twisting. Tonight, though, I found I actually can. I was stunned. Somehow, somewhere along the line of running and working out, my core has been strengthening and I didn't even know it. I was able to do sit-ups with the weighted ball, as well. Talk about a rush.
All of the advice I received last week along with being able to do these exercises have inspired me right when I needed it. I was feeling kind of lost with the running and getting faster, but I really believe it's possible now. I know I can do a 5k under 30, and I found out I was closer than I originally thought at the du. I ran that 5k in 30:59. Yeah, yeah, I know it's 31, but seeing that 30 shows me I'm not that far away. I can do this. I have a little over a month to train for the next tri, one that we're doing as a relay, and I am the runner. At this tri my goal is to do the 5k in 29 or less. I'm hoping the core work over this next month, along with continued training, will get me to my goal.
Sometimes it seems nothing is happening with the body, the whole reshaping, trying to strengthen, and it feels so good to find out good things are actually going on. Progress is taking place.
I've thought about this a lot and decided I'm going to go to work on my core. I've been doing some exercises specifically for core, but after talking with an individual who works with athletes about this issue, I learned I was going about it wrong. I was concentrating on crunches. I was told to scratch these in favor of doing other exercises that work from the inside out. These include breathing exercises while lying on my back, that isolate muscles. They include using a weighted ball and twisting while balancing with my legs raised. I've seen these done by others, but I've never been able to keep my legs raised while twisting. Tonight, though, I found I actually can. I was stunned. Somehow, somewhere along the line of running and working out, my core has been strengthening and I didn't even know it. I was able to do sit-ups with the weighted ball, as well. Talk about a rush.
All of the advice I received last week along with being able to do these exercises have inspired me right when I needed it. I was feeling kind of lost with the running and getting faster, but I really believe it's possible now. I know I can do a 5k under 30, and I found out I was closer than I originally thought at the du. I ran that 5k in 30:59. Yeah, yeah, I know it's 31, but seeing that 30 shows me I'm not that far away. I can do this. I have a little over a month to train for the next tri, one that we're doing as a relay, and I am the runner. At this tri my goal is to do the 5k in 29 or less. I'm hoping the core work over this next month, along with continued training, will get me to my goal.
Sometimes it seems nothing is happening with the body, the whole reshaping, trying to strengthen, and it feels so good to find out good things are actually going on. Progress is taking place.
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