Running in America
I have heard this guy before. It is a great interview on barefoot running! Very cool information.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
No More Knee Pain- Corrective Stretching
I have knee pain. It is something I have suffered with for as long as I can remember. When I was 12 I was seeing a specialist. When I was doing karate a couple of years ago, it was almost intolerable.
During our CrossFit workouts, my coach and brother noticed how tight the muscles in my thighs and calves and hamstrings are. I have these massive calves and super strong muscles, my best physical traits. He told me that the tightness is what is causing the knee pain.
I decided to get on the internet and do my own research, and here is what I found. It turns out you have this thing called an IT band. It connects glutes to the tibia. It is attaches to the patella or kneecap on its way to the tibia. That causes a problem aka pain in the knee. All of the symptoms match- especially the pulling of the kneecap to the outside when I walk or move my legs up and down.
To fix the pain caused by IT band tightness which turns into Patella Femoral Tracking Dysfunction, I just have to roll up and down on this foam tube. You can check out the videos below for demons and more information. The rolling is pretty painful at first.
The next step is to loosen up my hip flexor muscles. I added a few samples of exercises that I am adding to my routine every day to improve my flexibility. I am having trouble doing all of the exercises in CrossFit due to my in-flexibility. Additionally, inflexibility is a path to injury and chronic pain. Updates to come!
During our CrossFit workouts, my coach and brother noticed how tight the muscles in my thighs and calves and hamstrings are. I have these massive calves and super strong muscles, my best physical traits. He told me that the tightness is what is causing the knee pain.
I decided to get on the internet and do my own research, and here is what I found. It turns out you have this thing called an IT band. It connects glutes to the tibia. It is attaches to the patella or kneecap on its way to the tibia. That causes a problem aka pain in the knee. All of the symptoms match- especially the pulling of the kneecap to the outside when I walk or move my legs up and down.
To fix the pain caused by IT band tightness which turns into Patella Femoral Tracking Dysfunction, I just have to roll up and down on this foam tube. You can check out the videos below for demons and more information. The rolling is pretty painful at first.
The next step is to loosen up my hip flexor muscles. I added a few samples of exercises that I am adding to my routine every day to improve my flexibility. I am having trouble doing all of the exercises in CrossFit due to my in-flexibility. Additionally, inflexibility is a path to injury and chronic pain. Updates to come!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Mountain Bikes are NOT built for speed
Yesterday dear hubby went out and bought me a speed and distance device and attached it to my bike so I can see how fast I am going and how far...So, excited and totally confident in my biking abilities, I mounted my purple mountain bike and set off to break land speed biking records this afternoon. You know all of the triathlon training videos and articles I have been reading have all said to train on your weakest sport. With that in mind, I have been trying to learn how to swim (more about that later). Biking is my strongest sport. I have been riding a bicycle since I was 5 years old and I have the calves and thighs of a bodybuilder...I got this one in the bag.
Dear hubby and two daughters in tow, we approached the park entrance. I had to stop and wait for dear hubby to fix the speed / distance device. While I waited, I read the park rules for decorum posted at the entrance. One line warned cyclists to keep their speed under 15 mph. I thought to myself.."We will see about that. I am training for a triathlon." Besides that the park was strangely empty for a Saturday afternoon.
Once the device was fixed, I pulled out in front of the kids and hubby. I figured I would race out a ahead and take a breather every now and then to allow them to catch up. I pedaled furiously and kept the bike in the lowest gear (or highest...don't know which one it is, but the gear that I am referring to is the second hardest gear...you know the one where you pedal harder and less). I was picking up speed and flying through the park. According to last years' Monster Triathlon times, I need to do 12 miles in about 40-45 minutes to stay in the middle of the pack. So, roughly 15+ miles per hour is my minimum speed. I looked down at my spedometer and to my dismay it was displaying 11 mph. I pedaled faster and got it to 13 mph. I was horrified. Now I know I just started training, but I also know I am in better shape than that. To test my theory (the one that starts with, "This bike sucks...") I pedaled as fast as I could down a pretty steep grade and got it to 14 mph.
I don't think mountain bikes are built for speed. I will keep training on my purple steed until I can raise the funds to buy a real racer, but that may take awhile. A good road bike can cost upwards of a couple of thousand dollars! Oh my.
One thing I did learn today is that one of the techniques I watched on youtube actually works. It is from the Pose technique. I will post the video below. The coach tells you rather than push down on the pedals with your legs, simply lift up off the downward pedal. It really works. When I remembered this technique and tried it, I noticed a huge difference. Cool huh?
Dear hubby and two daughters in tow, we approached the park entrance. I had to stop and wait for dear hubby to fix the speed / distance device. While I waited, I read the park rules for decorum posted at the entrance. One line warned cyclists to keep their speed under 15 mph. I thought to myself.."We will see about that. I am training for a triathlon." Besides that the park was strangely empty for a Saturday afternoon.
Once the device was fixed, I pulled out in front of the kids and hubby. I figured I would race out a ahead and take a breather every now and then to allow them to catch up. I pedaled furiously and kept the bike in the lowest gear (or highest...don't know which one it is, but the gear that I am referring to is the second hardest gear...you know the one where you pedal harder and less). I was picking up speed and flying through the park. According to last years' Monster Triathlon times, I need to do 12 miles in about 40-45 minutes to stay in the middle of the pack. So, roughly 15+ miles per hour is my minimum speed. I looked down at my spedometer and to my dismay it was displaying 11 mph. I pedaled faster and got it to 13 mph. I was horrified. Now I know I just started training, but I also know I am in better shape than that. To test my theory (the one that starts with, "This bike sucks...") I pedaled as fast as I could down a pretty steep grade and got it to 14 mph.
I don't think mountain bikes are built for speed. I will keep training on my purple steed until I can raise the funds to buy a real racer, but that may take awhile. A good road bike can cost upwards of a couple of thousand dollars! Oh my.
One thing I did learn today is that one of the techniques I watched on youtube actually works. It is from the Pose technique. I will post the video below. The coach tells you rather than push down on the pedals with your legs, simply lift up off the downward pedal. It really works. When I remembered this technique and tried it, I noticed a huge difference. Cool huh?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Triathlon Training has begun
I am not sure what sparked this interest in the triathlon, but I am going to give it a shot. I have never seen myself as an athlete, and now I think I can see myself finishing a triathlon. I am doing this to prove to myself that I can be athletic. I was always the big dorky klutz in my family, constantly falling and tripping and what-not. Not anymore. I am going to turn this rugged mess into something smooth and polished. And I have a lot of work to do.
Today I did a Brass Ring Fitness workout:
Max Rounds (do as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes)
20 Minutes
Each round consists of:
10 squats
10 push-ups
10 sit-ups
Sounds easy right? Wrong! I did 10 rounds. Two more than my studly husband and 5 less than my 15 year old football champ son!
After the brass ring, I swam 6 laps. Not much, but I was beat. My swimming is pitiful. I am sure I look like a retarded whale at this point. I have never learned how to hold my breath under water. I have to hold my nose with my hand. And so when I am swimming, my head is all the way out of the water. That is not a very effective swimming technique. So I bought some nose plugs and have been trying to learn how to swim for real. Hmmmm.... The first time I tried to go under water with the nose plugs, I freaked out! What's up with that? So, I have been working on my breathing technique. I watched a cool video ( I will post below) and that helped. So today, it was a few laps and lots of breathing practice. Ok, so no more freaking out, but when I turn my head sideways to breath all I get is hair in my mouth. Time for a super-dorky hat. There is more to this being an athlete thing than meets the eye, that's for sure.
Happy Swimming!
Today I did a Brass Ring Fitness workout:
Max Rounds (do as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes)
20 Minutes
Each round consists of:
10 squats
10 push-ups
10 sit-ups
Sounds easy right? Wrong! I did 10 rounds. Two more than my studly husband and 5 less than my 15 year old football champ son!
After the brass ring, I swam 6 laps. Not much, but I was beat. My swimming is pitiful. I am sure I look like a retarded whale at this point. I have never learned how to hold my breath under water. I have to hold my nose with my hand. And so when I am swimming, my head is all the way out of the water. That is not a very effective swimming technique. So I bought some nose plugs and have been trying to learn how to swim for real. Hmmmm.... The first time I tried to go under water with the nose plugs, I freaked out! What's up with that? So, I have been working on my breathing technique. I watched a cool video ( I will post below) and that helped. So today, it was a few laps and lots of breathing practice. Ok, so no more freaking out, but when I turn my head sideways to breath all I get is hair in my mouth. Time for a super-dorky hat. There is more to this being an athlete thing than meets the eye, that's for sure.
Happy Swimming!
I Think I will run a Triathalon
So, I am going to run a triathlon. I am pretty nervous about it. I have never considered myself an athlete, but I am so excited about this. At the same time, I am feeling a bit anxious too. The thing is that most triathalons take place in a lake or other natural bed of water. I am big on nature and love being near the water, not swimming in it, especially in Texas.... So, I found an event where the water part is in a pool and in my home town of Keller. The Monster Triathalon in October. The training videos and articles I am reading are all saying that I should give myself six months to train. Well, I am giving myself less than that!
Training for the triathlon has begun. We rode 10 miles with Daisy yesterday. It took 70 minutes because we were riding at her running speed. I am going to have to work on my own too. I think the adventure racing and triathlons will help me stay motivated in this healthy new life adventure I am on.
Training for the triathlon has begun. We rode 10 miles with Daisy yesterday. It took 70 minutes because we were riding at her running speed. I am going to have to work on my own too. I think the adventure racing and triathlons will help me stay motivated in this healthy new life adventure I am on.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
3 days at a Water Park!
Dear hubby and I took 4 of our kids plus 2 of their friends to Schlitterbahn this week. I can actually say that the trip was a complete success! We had a blast and dear hubby and I ran the kids into the ground rather than the other way around. Thanks to crossfit, Shakeology and ProArgi9!
I had energy and stamina that I haven't had in years if ever. Lugging tubes up and down hundreds of stairs was a piece a cake. It was awesome. Feeling good is so worth the effort in exercise and the discipline of good eating. I am not at my ideal weight and body condition, but I am on my way and feeling so great. And that is the goal of this journey- chase the feeling!
Keep working out and chasing the feeling good!
All of that being said, after three days on and around the water, I have decided that decorum needs a few new rules:
1) Just because it comes in your size doesn't mean you should wear it!
I had energy and stamina that I haven't had in years if ever. Lugging tubes up and down hundreds of stairs was a piece a cake. It was awesome. Feeling good is so worth the effort in exercise and the discipline of good eating. I am not at my ideal weight and body condition, but I am on my way and feeling so great. And that is the goal of this journey- chase the feeling!
Keep working out and chasing the feeling good!
All of that being said, after three days on and around the water, I have decided that decorum needs a few new rules:
1) Just because it comes in your size doesn't mean you should wear it!
2) There should be a mandatory 7 day waiting/cooling off period to get a tattoo!
3) 3 month old babies don't like water rides.
(all gleaned from my recent trip to the water park)
Monday, July 5, 2010
Burned 1000 calories in 38 minutes!
Ok, totally cool revelation. I burned 1000+ calories thanks to a 38 minute workout. That's right. I bought a calorie monitor and decided to monitor one of the crossfit workouts. We did the "Filthy Fifty" as dictated by my brother the Coach. I am not going to tell you about it yet.
The workout was killer. My heart rate was really high- burning calories baby! I even had to modify because I think I strained a back muscle doing some stupid class at the gym last week. Our little group meets at Bluebonnet Elementary each Sunday morning and does a crossfit workout designed by my brother.
During this workout, I burned 700+ calories, but as you may not know, you continue burning calories at a rapid rate following a vigorous workout. So for the workout and following half hour or so, I burned over 1000 calories. That kicks my usual 600 calories an hour or so resting burn!
So are you dying to hear about the workout? Don't let it scare you off. I am going to list the workout as prescribed and then descibe my modifications. Don't run away yet.
The Filthy Fifty- For time (that means time it to see how long it takes you)
50 knees to elbows (hanging from the monkey bars pull your knees to your elbows)
50 hyper-extnesions (lay belly down on a big ball and pull up with your back)
50 burpees (from standing- jump down to push-up position, do push-up, jump back up)
50 jumping pull ups (stand on a box, jump up to pull up position, lower yourself down)
50 box jumps (jump on a box or curb- extending through the hips for explosive power)
50 double unders (jump rope where rope goes around twice for each jump- or 200 regular jumps)
50 push presses (use dumbells or weight bar and do push presses )
50 walking lunges (get those knees to tap the ground)
50 wall balls (from deep squat throw a medicine ball to the wall)
50 kettle bell swings
Ok, so I did most of that taking a few breathers in between. The goal is to keep the heart rate up and do them as fast as you can. That way you are getting awesome cardio and resistance training. So, yesterday my modifications were these: I couldn't jump because my back hurt, so I did step-ups to an 8-10" curb for the box jump and then an additional 100 step-ups instead of jump rope. Also, since I am not in good enough shape to do 10 burpees let alone 50, my burpee is basically fall to the ground, and get back up again. Someday, I have a dream of doing a complete burpee! For kettle bells, I used a 20 poound weight and my walkking lunges didn't quite make a knee tap.
The cool thing about this workout is that you don't need a gym membership, you don't need much expensive equipment, and you can scale it very easily to meet your physical abilities. My brother the SWAT trainer and competitor was crawling on the ground when he was done. My son, the football hero, was crumpled on the ground in the fetal position. The only way we knew he was alive was his thumbs up when I asked him if he was still alive! They used larger weights and medicine balls and did real burpees!
Why kill yourself like this you may be asking??? Because I burned an extra 1000+ calories from a 38 minute workout. And the most important thing- the feeling you get after a workout like this is amazing. Not only does the body feel great, it does something for the mind. You look at the workout written down and think, there is no way I can do this...then when you finish, even if it is not pretty, that feeling is the best of all.
The workout was killer. My heart rate was really high- burning calories baby! I even had to modify because I think I strained a back muscle doing some stupid class at the gym last week. Our little group meets at Bluebonnet Elementary each Sunday morning and does a crossfit workout designed by my brother.
During this workout, I burned 700+ calories, but as you may not know, you continue burning calories at a rapid rate following a vigorous workout. So for the workout and following half hour or so, I burned over 1000 calories. That kicks my usual 600 calories an hour or so resting burn!
So are you dying to hear about the workout? Don't let it scare you off. I am going to list the workout as prescribed and then descibe my modifications. Don't run away yet.
The Filthy Fifty- For time (that means time it to see how long it takes you)
50 knees to elbows (hanging from the monkey bars pull your knees to your elbows)
50 hyper-extnesions (lay belly down on a big ball and pull up with your back)
50 burpees (from standing- jump down to push-up position, do push-up, jump back up)
50 jumping pull ups (stand on a box, jump up to pull up position, lower yourself down)
50 box jumps (jump on a box or curb- extending through the hips for explosive power)
50 double unders (jump rope where rope goes around twice for each jump- or 200 regular jumps)
50 push presses (use dumbells or weight bar and do push presses )
50 walking lunges (get those knees to tap the ground)
50 wall balls (from deep squat throw a medicine ball to the wall)
50 kettle bell swings
Ok, so I did most of that taking a few breathers in between. The goal is to keep the heart rate up and do them as fast as you can. That way you are getting awesome cardio and resistance training. So, yesterday my modifications were these: I couldn't jump because my back hurt, so I did step-ups to an 8-10" curb for the box jump and then an additional 100 step-ups instead of jump rope. Also, since I am not in good enough shape to do 10 burpees let alone 50, my burpee is basically fall to the ground, and get back up again. Someday, I have a dream of doing a complete burpee! For kettle bells, I used a 20 poound weight and my walkking lunges didn't quite make a knee tap.
The cool thing about this workout is that you don't need a gym membership, you don't need much expensive equipment, and you can scale it very easily to meet your physical abilities. My brother the SWAT trainer and competitor was crawling on the ground when he was done. My son, the football hero, was crumpled on the ground in the fetal position. The only way we knew he was alive was his thumbs up when I asked him if he was still alive! They used larger weights and medicine balls and did real burpees!
Why kill yourself like this you may be asking??? Because I burned an extra 1000+ calories from a 38 minute workout. And the most important thing- the feeling you get after a workout like this is amazing. Not only does the body feel great, it does something for the mind. You look at the workout written down and think, there is no way I can do this...then when you finish, even if it is not pretty, that feeling is the best of all.
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