Making the Commitment: Focusing on the core
My friend Jeremy started a blog this year — Train to Tri — and has been doing a great job at documenting his training as he heads toward his first triathlon (and, I hope, beyond). It’s very motivating to read his blog for several reasons and I greatly admire his attention to detail with his training.
It makes me realize how I don’t get too detailed with my runs or workouts whether they’re good or bad. I’ve tried before. In the summer of 2008, when I was training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, I regularly posted what my workouts were … then I hurt my tail bone that messed up that whole training cycle. I’m not making any promises that I’m going to immediately change things, but I think it’s important that when I post my goals that I write more about what’s happening in that process. I have to hold myself more accountable.
So … yesterday I set that goal of a 2-minute plank for March. Tonight the march toward that goal started. Among other things, I maxed out my plank at 1:25, 12 seconds better than my initial test last week.
I also did this, with two 15-second reps:
(No, that’s not me. Click on the photo for more details on the Bird Dog exercise.) I somehow managed to stay fairly upright and didn’t fall on my face. Thanks to Steena for suggesting this a couple of weeks ago.
For more details on tonight’s workout, visit my Daily Mile entry.
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STILL LAUGHING. Mmm. Okay. WeeeEEEEeeee. Great start to March, a laughing core workout thanks to you!
As for documenting in real detail like Jeremy does, I find it easy to do that in a notebook than in the blog. I bought that Runner's Training Calendar that fits into my purse that I carry with it. I put in my workouts, duration, time, distance, how it affects my knees, and any other body soreness. It's a good tool to have not only to track your progress, but in the unfortunate incidence of injury it helps to have that log to see what's working and what's not.
Wow, long comment.
I hope this one doesn't bite me in the ass a month from now.
BIRD DOG.
Plank and Bird Dog exercises are great core strengthening exercises! They are especially beneficial in counteracting the effects of postural strain from most desk jobs. Keep up the great work and you will be blowing past your goals in no time.