This post is much later than I promised in my last entry but trust me, it's mainly due to telco connection/ technical issues and not really because I'm slack! Everything is now fixed (hopefully) and so I'm back to recording this journey into the unknown. I'll try not to be cynical about the potential of computer problems re-appearing.
Anyway, enough of the geek stuff, back to the journey. Amongst lots of good training sessions recently, I've been listening to some podcasts and reading books on 'mind training for the endurance athlete'. My goals still seem to be a long way off, still seem improbable. Yet not impossible! The more I read the more I realise how much I have to do and learn, but all that does it makes me more excited......
The Mind Training stuff has reinforced what I've discovered since starting the journey. Over the last few months I've learnt if I keep a positive attitude to my training, if I approach every situation as an opportunity to learn more about myself by pushing myself, if I never let my mind talk my body into giving up before it has absolutely has to, then the Impossible will become the Improbable and then the Improbable will become a reality.
Its a cliche to say 'its all in the mind', to say 'What my mind can conceive my body can achieve' and all the other well known positive affirmations. Yet I've learnt the cliches are also truisms.
As an example, recently I have been concerned with my running. For ages now I have only been able to run for a few minutes at a time. I could fastwalk for hours but only run for a short while before having to stop and walk. This was annoying me but I didn't know what to do.
The podcasts etc suggested it was all in my mind. It said to 'reframe' my mind, to believe my body could do more, and to find a new way to view it. So I decided to enjoy my running. I told myself I love the feeling of being out of breath, of the feeling of tiredness when running. I came up with a running mantra that matched my footfalls. The mantra reminded me to run using good form, to run with relaxed muscles and to love the feeling of running. I said to myself in time with my footfalls - 'Smooth...Relaxed.. I LOVE...distance....running'.
As well, whenever I thought I'd gone as far as I could, I started 'scanning' my body to learn how I was really feeling. How did my legs feel? my lungs? my feet, ankles, glutes, chest, eyes, lips, jaws, throat, shoulders, arms etc etc. I told myself to discover how I felt, and no matter what it was, to enjoy it.
Guess what.
Overnight - and on every run since- I've been able to run HEAPS longer than previously. I went from struggling to run 6 minutes without stopping to running 30 minutes, 40 minutes or more. And I could back it up with more and more running in the same session.
Today I ran/walked about 13kms in 1:21:15. - Started with a 30min run, 5 min walk, 7 min run, 5 min walk, 6 min run, 4 min walk, 11 min run, 3 min walk and finished with a strong 13 min run. Awesome.
Yes, its not as far as I want to run, but that initial overnight improvement was staggering. So yes, the cliche's really are truisms - it really is all in the mind.
Its shown me I must make the next step, I must decide to control my mind to achieve my goals. Can I do it? The answer, of course, is in the day-to-day experiences of this journey! The answer IS the journey.
Other people have done it. The great Percy Curetty, a man who redefined distance running in his 50s (among other great things) said he never believed what his mind told him, he told his mind what to think. When his mind said he was in pain, he told it to enjoy the feeling, to learn from it. By doing this he found he could do things other people said were impossible.
A good lesson to learn. So now its time to see what my body can do, its time to over-ride my mind, to learn, to really live the adventure, its time to discover myself by living the journey.
Wow! Better get going....
More later, journey on....
James
Word Count - unknown.
23 May 2010
Responding to lack of motivaton.
I've started my new job/ work contract and its made 'normal life' very busy. The excitment of getting my head into this new challenge, combined with lots of travel every week has made me a little distracted from The Improbable Dream lately.
And yes, I admit- a little demotivated as well.
But not for long! After three consecutive days of NO training this week (for lots of different reason) I woke up very early in my motel room in Roma Western Queensland Saturday morning (yesterday) absolutely disgusted with my attitude and laziness.
So I went for a pre-dawn run around the street and back lanes. In the cold, in the dark, watched by inquisitive kangaoos sitting in the middle of the roads, and uncaring cows looking at me with big round eyes. It felt good to get the blood flowing! And I was sure the wild life was urging me on and sharing my delight at simple pleasure of 'running into the day'. (There's nothing quite like a sunrise run ot get the day off to a great start.)
Later I flew back to Brisbane and did a good solid weight session in the gym in the late afternoon. A much better day than the previous few.
Two good training sessions yesterday, a hard 40 minutes on the spin bike this morning and a planned Gym Tri this afternooon will get me back into the groove. I feel like I've reconnected with my dream- and it feels good.
I'm also committed to not forgetting about this blog so I will update this log, and my training diary either tonight or tomorrow night. Guaranteed it will be done by the time I go to sleep on Monday!
I'm travelling again this week (4 days in Sydney for a conferenece) but I am determined to get good training sessions in, to keep this my dream foremost in my mind, and to keep my blog up to date.
So, as always (but this time it will be in the not tooo distant future)..... More later, and...
Journey on!
James
Word Count - unknown.
And yes, I admit- a little demotivated as well.
But not for long! After three consecutive days of NO training this week (for lots of different reason) I woke up very early in my motel room in Roma Western Queensland Saturday morning (yesterday) absolutely disgusted with my attitude and laziness.
So I went for a pre-dawn run around the street and back lanes. In the cold, in the dark, watched by inquisitive kangaoos sitting in the middle of the roads, and uncaring cows looking at me with big round eyes. It felt good to get the blood flowing! And I was sure the wild life was urging me on and sharing my delight at simple pleasure of 'running into the day'. (There's nothing quite like a sunrise run ot get the day off to a great start.)
Later I flew back to Brisbane and did a good solid weight session in the gym in the late afternoon. A much better day than the previous few.
Two good training sessions yesterday, a hard 40 minutes on the spin bike this morning and a planned Gym Tri this afternooon will get me back into the groove. I feel like I've reconnected with my dream- and it feels good.
I'm also committed to not forgetting about this blog so I will update this log, and my training diary either tonight or tomorrow night. Guaranteed it will be done by the time I go to sleep on Monday!
I'm travelling again this week (4 days in Sydney for a conferenece) but I am determined to get good training sessions in, to keep this my dream foremost in my mind, and to keep my blog up to date.
So, as always (but this time it will be in the not tooo distant future)..... More later, and...
Journey on!
James
Word Count - unknown.
08 May 2010
No need to panic!
I've been worried all week.
Last weekend, with less than 2 months to the Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon, I decided to start pushing harder with my training. I made this decision even though I was struggling from a big bout of sinus, and this turned out to be a very dumb idea! The consequence of listening to my head instead of my body was I paid the price all week of NO TRAINING. Instead of increasing the training load I was forced to call it off completely.
The sinus attack did not go well with last weekend's 4 hard aerobic sessions and it quickly became firstly infected and then a long lasting, very heavy head and chest infection (URTI). The URTI became worse during the week with 3 long flights, 4 days in a cold and dusty arid zone and a lot of air conditioned sleeping quarters. It's been a miserable week physically and mentally. Not being able to train just made it worse.
I was also worried all week. For five days I struggled to breathe and to get through the work day, and it was clear exercise was a no-go. And this annoyed me. I was sure my fitness was slipping, and I worried I was losing my chance to complete the 1/2 marathon. I was miserable and worried. What a combination.
But good news. Today, despite still feeling the last remaining effects of the head cold I decided to go for a walk (no running!) and see how I felt. I ended up fast walking for 1 hour 48 minutes, including some small hills, and I felt great, I handled the distance and the pace easily. A little tired afterwards but in much better shape than I had expected. Later, I did a short spin session on the stationary bike, and although I struggled for breathe and energy, again it was better than I had feared.
I'll try again tomorrow (Sunday) and then figure out my plan for the week ahead. There's no time to waste BUT - as I've now learnt the hard way- I MUST listen to my body.
More later, journey on
James
Word Count- 325
Last weekend, with less than 2 months to the Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon, I decided to start pushing harder with my training. I made this decision even though I was struggling from a big bout of sinus, and this turned out to be a very dumb idea! The consequence of listening to my head instead of my body was I paid the price all week of NO TRAINING. Instead of increasing the training load I was forced to call it off completely.
The sinus attack did not go well with last weekend's 4 hard aerobic sessions and it quickly became firstly infected and then a long lasting, very heavy head and chest infection (URTI). The URTI became worse during the week with 3 long flights, 4 days in a cold and dusty arid zone and a lot of air conditioned sleeping quarters. It's been a miserable week physically and mentally. Not being able to train just made it worse.
I was also worried all week. For five days I struggled to breathe and to get through the work day, and it was clear exercise was a no-go. And this annoyed me. I was sure my fitness was slipping, and I worried I was losing my chance to complete the 1/2 marathon. I was miserable and worried. What a combination.
But good news. Today, despite still feeling the last remaining effects of the head cold I decided to go for a walk (no running!) and see how I felt. I ended up fast walking for 1 hour 48 minutes, including some small hills, and I felt great, I handled the distance and the pace easily. A little tired afterwards but in much better shape than I had expected. Later, I did a short spin session on the stationary bike, and although I struggled for breathe and energy, again it was better than I had feared.
I'll try again tomorrow (Sunday) and then figure out my plan for the week ahead. There's no time to waste BUT - as I've now learnt the hard way- I MUST listen to my body.
More later, journey on
James
Word Count- 325
01 May 2010
I love weekends!
I love weekends. It's the time when I pretend to be a 'real' athlete, a time when I push myself hard, relax hard, eat well and then reflect on the past week's activities and the journey so far. Its a time of personal challenge, reflection and reward.
With my new work arrangements now in full swing its obvious weekends will become even more special. And critical. I can see I will often be time poor during the working week so fully using my weekend time will be important to achieving my goals. I'll need to reflect on what needs to be done and what I need to do. Sounds like something to think about...... probably next weekend!!! :-)
Anyway, these rambling thoughts were prompted by the events of last weekend - it was a beauty! I woke up early on Saturday determined to complete a long run. I've done some good runs recently but with only 71 days till the Gold Coast Half Marathon it was time to benchmark my running/fitness situation. I knew I had gone too hard too early on recent road hikes (that's I call my long run/walks)so it was time to get smart and see what I could do. All the literature I've read has said to concentrate on time rather than distance; train yourself for how long the event will take you to complete then work on the distance. So my plan for the day was to run for 5 minutes, walk for 5 minutes over a two hour period. I was interested to see if I could maintain the effort over the long haul, and to see how much distance I covered. I thought it was a good achievable plan that would give me my current fitness position.
Well it was, and it did!! In 120 minutes I ran/walked 5 minutes alternate sections and covered a very pleasing 16.4kms. This is exciting. My eventual goal for the 21km 1/2 marathon is 2hrs 15min which is just over 9kph. Today I covered 75% of the distance at an average of 8.4kms (93.3% of target time) and I only ran for half the time!!!
All I need to do now is increase the time (i.e take it to 2hrs 15) then gradually increase the total amount of time I run. So there's the motivation for next weekend ; Increase the running time to 6 minutes, walk 4 then continue this small increase each weekend until I am running the whole way. (By the way, this is also the motivation during the week - do short runs of 6min run/4 min walk as preperation)
Back to last weekend- I was not tired at all when I finished the session, so I had a quick protein drink and a shower then went to my Mother-In-Laws for morning tea, alway lovely! Then as reward for all my recent good efforts, Shirl and I went clothes shopping at David Jones. I bought a pair of very smart looking moleskins, a pair of good jeans and 2 beautiful country-style shirts.
Its an awesome feeling to buy clothes that are seriously smaller than I've ever worn before e.g. medium in place of XXL!! and even better when the reflection in the mirror matches what's always been in my mind. A great reward!!!!
Still on a high and after a short rest, I went to the gym in the late afternoon for a hard 'Spin Tri'- After a long warm up on the rower I did 2 minutes flat out on the spin bike (heart rate in Zone 3, ~140bpm, Level 7, 100rpm) then a brisk 8 minutes on the treadmill (7.7kph at low Zone 2, ~125bpm.). Then repeated this for 30 minutes. Overall an average 123bpm over the half hour, not counting the 20 min easy row.
Afterwards I was exhausted, a little sick from Lactic Acid, and very very leg sore. But boy, was I proud of myself. And pleased. What a day - A brilliant two and half hours of hard exercise, and some rewards. Gotta love weekends!
On Sunday I did another hard 90 minutes of interval training similar to Saturday night. Again, tired but very pleased with myself.
Yep, I love weekends- how long to the next one??
More later, journey on
James
With my new work arrangements now in full swing its obvious weekends will become even more special. And critical. I can see I will often be time poor during the working week so fully using my weekend time will be important to achieving my goals. I'll need to reflect on what needs to be done and what I need to do. Sounds like something to think about...... probably next weekend!!! :-)
Anyway, these rambling thoughts were prompted by the events of last weekend - it was a beauty! I woke up early on Saturday determined to complete a long run. I've done some good runs recently but with only 71 days till the Gold Coast Half Marathon it was time to benchmark my running/fitness situation. I knew I had gone too hard too early on recent road hikes (that's I call my long run/walks)so it was time to get smart and see what I could do. All the literature I've read has said to concentrate on time rather than distance; train yourself for how long the event will take you to complete then work on the distance. So my plan for the day was to run for 5 minutes, walk for 5 minutes over a two hour period. I was interested to see if I could maintain the effort over the long haul, and to see how much distance I covered. I thought it was a good achievable plan that would give me my current fitness position.
Well it was, and it did!! In 120 minutes I ran/walked 5 minutes alternate sections and covered a very pleasing 16.4kms. This is exciting. My eventual goal for the 21km 1/2 marathon is 2hrs 15min which is just over 9kph. Today I covered 75% of the distance at an average of 8.4kms (93.3% of target time) and I only ran for half the time!!!
All I need to do now is increase the time (i.e take it to 2hrs 15) then gradually increase the total amount of time I run. So there's the motivation for next weekend ; Increase the running time to 6 minutes, walk 4 then continue this small increase each weekend until I am running the whole way. (By the way, this is also the motivation during the week - do short runs of 6min run/4 min walk as preperation)
Back to last weekend- I was not tired at all when I finished the session, so I had a quick protein drink and a shower then went to my Mother-In-Laws for morning tea, alway lovely! Then as reward for all my recent good efforts, Shirl and I went clothes shopping at David Jones. I bought a pair of very smart looking moleskins, a pair of good jeans and 2 beautiful country-style shirts.
Its an awesome feeling to buy clothes that are seriously smaller than I've ever worn before e.g. medium in place of XXL!! and even better when the reflection in the mirror matches what's always been in my mind. A great reward!!!!
Still on a high and after a short rest, I went to the gym in the late afternoon for a hard 'Spin Tri'- After a long warm up on the rower I did 2 minutes flat out on the spin bike (heart rate in Zone 3, ~140bpm, Level 7, 100rpm) then a brisk 8 minutes on the treadmill (7.7kph at low Zone 2, ~125bpm.). Then repeated this for 30 minutes. Overall an average 123bpm over the half hour, not counting the 20 min easy row.
Afterwards I was exhausted, a little sick from Lactic Acid, and very very leg sore. But boy, was I proud of myself. And pleased. What a day - A brilliant two and half hours of hard exercise, and some rewards. Gotta love weekends!
On Sunday I did another hard 90 minutes of interval training similar to Saturday night. Again, tired but very pleased with myself.
Yep, I love weekends- how long to the next one??
More later, journey on
James
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