Monthly Archives: March 2011
Push-ups, here I come
April’s non-running goal: 50 consecutive good form push-ups.
This isn’t about how many times I have tried and not completed the 100 push-ups program. This is about setting what I think is a reasonable non-running goal to kick things off in the second quarter of the year.
Tonight I did 28 pretty good push-ups for my initial test, so getting to 50 is a good goal I think. I’ve been doing push-ups once or twice a week for a while now and have a good base for this.
A quarter of lessons
Headed out on a cool, breezy run this Month.
If I ever stop learning while running, I’m going to hang up my shoes and do something else. As the first quarter of 2011 comes to an end, I’m realizing how much of a learning experience the past few months have been for me.
- There are more important things in life than running. Take it away from me and I’ll find something else.
- My core was weak. Very weak. I’ve learned to take better care of my core; now I have to continue to strengthen it and get stronger and stronger. I think I’ve logged more core workouts in the past three months than I did all of last year. Seriously.
- Last year I learned to enjoy running and not complain about it. I’ve learned to appreciate the ability to run even more in the past few months.
- I’ve learned to love the Bosu ball — it’s great for push-ups, birddogs, sit-ups, squats and just standing on, among other things.
- I have learned to block other negative people out. Please people, stop complaining about the hill work or speed work or long run you HAVE to do. No, you don’t have to do it. You’re choosing to run. Don’t tell me that you’re happy with running and then approach it with a sense of dread. I’m actually staying away from Twitter as much as I used to because I’m kind of tired of all the negativity.
- I feel that I am becoming a better runner with my new stride. My foot strikes for a minute the other day were just shy of 90 with one foot. In just a few short weeks, that’s an increase of nearly 10 foot strikes per minute. Surprisingly my normal, everyday comfortable pace is about 20 seconds faster per mile than a month ago. That’s without much intentional speed work. It feels weird, but when I slip into my old way of running, I can quickly tell how bad it was for me.
I have said to many people that injuries are the body’s way to make you stop and think about what you’re doing. I’ve certainly done my share of thinking. I have said to others in the same situation that they’ll come back stronger and smarter. That’s happened to me after every injury.
I’m not afraid to boast about being smarter and stronger, and I feel like I’m right there on the cusp of breaking through some barriers with my running. Whether that translates into PRs this year or just feeling better overall or training for another marathon, I’m looking forward to what the future holds.
Making the Commitment: 2+ minutes of plank
In the rush of things last week, I let core work slip by, except for a few push-ups on the Bosu ball early in the week. Working out — besides a few runs — was the last thing on my mind. In the course of a week, though, I almost lost focus. I really didn’t want to do anything tonight. But then I remembered that goal I set at the end of February to get to a 2-minute plank.
I hit that goal tonight and then tacked on another 7 seconds, nearly a minute improvement since my initial test just a little more than 4 weeks ago. It felt great and I’m looking forward to continue working on my core. Now I need to set a non-running goal for April.
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Since this is a “Making the Commitment” post I wanted to mention my weight, which I haven’t mentioned in a while. Two weeks ago I was 186.4; I didn’t weigh myself last week. Since weight loss still isn’t a primary goal, I’m not overly worried about these numbers. I feel good; my core is stronger; and my summer shorts fit just fine after this winter.
A different race week
With everything that has gone on in the past week — with my grandfather’s death, family coming in and out of town, not always eating that great (still meatless though), not getting nearly enough sleep and even dealing with the crazy weather — it feels weird that I have my first race this Saturday in nearly 5 months. It also seems weird that I’ve been talking about my ITB issues for nearly a half year after my problems started in October.
But it’s here … race week. I highly doubt that I’ll be “racing” the Monument Avenue 10k on Saturday. I will run it hard though. I have to … I need to … for so many reasons. I need to run hard to flush things out of my mind. I also need to run hard just to prove to myself that I can do it.
I obviously have a lot on my mind. Family deaths have a way of weighing on me and pushing me in directions that I’m just not familiar with yet. I need to listen to whatever I’m being called to do.
I started this blog nearly four years ago right after my grandmother’s death on my dad’s side of the family — I never talked about it at the time, but my blog was an outlet for my running thoughts. I had just been hesitant to do something until then.
My grandfather’s death is having an impact on me that I never expected. As I continue to realize more and more how much of a positive influence he had on my life, I want to strive to live my life more like him. Every picture I looked at last week in our family photo albums he was smiling. He was smiling around family, with friends … even at work. It’s not that I’m not happy with my life, but I sure do need to express it more.
I’ve been asked how I can keep a positive attitude with running, even in recent months with my injury. Well, folks, I just laid it out there for you. Having an influence in my life like my grandfather gives me all the reason I need to stay positive.
So, it is with a heavy heart that I have my first race in 140 days this coming Saturday, but I can bet you that I’ll be smiling more through it than I usually do.
A collision of seasons
The beginning of this week had some of the greatest running weather I’ve seen in a long time. Mid-60s in the morning with highs near 80 in the afternoon; it was a bit cool for a Thursday morning run, but still not too bad. Then this morning it was 30 degrees and snowing. I think my body was shocked by it.
Instead of complaining about it being cold, I headed out and just enjoyed being able to run. After a week of many emotions, lots of tears and laughter celebrating my grandfather’s life, this was actually a great way to close out the week. It certainly wasn’t easy to get out and run, but it’s helped me sort out a lot of thoughts.
For my grandfather
On Monday afternoon, my grandfather left this world at age 84. He’s the greatest man I’ve ever known for so many reasons. It has felt like the longest two days of my life — while there are certainly some sad moments, there’s been so much reflecting going on in my house with stories and looking through photo albums. We are truly celebrating his life.
In times like this, I am finding running to be such a great outlet. I took Monday off work anticipating his passing, and did what was surprisingly one of the best runs in a long time. The following morning I ran my grandpa’s favorite walking route — the “loop” in Bedford — and once again had a great run. I’m craving another run in the morning.
The next two days are going to be tough with the visitation and funeral, but I am ready to continue celebrating his life. And to me running will continue to be a way to honor him. My grandfather was the strongest man I knew and he put up the greatest fight you could image in the past five years or so.
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