Thursday, July 10, 2008

My Hips Don't Lie

(Sidenote: I am writing this as I wait for my flight home (!!!), and some guy sitting next to me goes 'are you writing a book over there???' I think that's the universe's way of telling me I get too wordy...)

What better airport activity than blog updating?

Yesterday was an absolutely crazy day! It started off with “Hard Core Abs with Benny," then I went straight to spinning where I skipped the cool down in order to be on time for babysitting. The kids I hang out with are really good—but really active! I get pooped… I swear I feel like such an old woman whenever I am done babysitting any kid—no matter how good they are! It’s always fun, though. From babysitting, I boarded IH again to go lift. Ever since I upped my weight on the bench press I have been extra enthusiastic about lifting! It’s always something that I’ve advocated (ever since I learned that the more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism!! .. yes please!) I finished at 6:07pm which was perfect: it left just enough time to eat my pre-packed dinner before the group track workout at 7:00. I was very pleased with how everything worked out time-wise.

The track workout…It was at a very convenient location, just a hop, skip, and a jump from the gym I lifted at. It’s actually where we practiced soccer at North Park! So I moseyed on over and dined with nostalgia as I watched a recreational soccer league compete. I was definitely the first person from TNT there, and a coach came soon after (‘herky-jerky-hip’-coach). I asked him what the workout was, and was familiarly disappointed at the lack of distance. We were going to do a ten minute warm up jog, 5x400meters, and a ten minute cool down. 400 meters is one lap. So my thought: ‘five laps around the track is a workout now?’ tainted my attitude for a couple minutes. My Teammates in Training started to come slowly and we eventually got started. I always get so nervous before any workout—especially if there are other people around. Even if I know that I can do the workout, I know that everything will be absolutely fine, I get crazy butterflies! I decided that if it wasn’t going to be an obviously challenging workout, then I would have to get creative to make it challenging. I then remembered that these aren’t meant to be a crazy long distance, but it’s more an exercise of going fast and then recovering, going fast, recovering, over and over. “It’s an exercise to learn how to pace yourself,” as my coach explained when I wrinkled my nose after he told me the workout. And honestly, it was challenging! Speed has NEVER been my forte in anything (I take it back—in like first grade I got to be on the co-ed relay team for the Jaycee Relays… it was a big deal). But something happened in second grade and any ounce of quickness I once had vanished without a trace. Despite trying every plyometric, strengthening exercise, old wives tale, and tricks in every ‘How to Run Fast’ book, I have remained slow. I justify my slowness with the fact that I can be slow for a while—hence my affinity for endurance activities. So we did the ten minute warm-up lap. Thrilling. Then one guy (who I think is a coach for the ‘Steelhead’ Team’… Steelhead is a half-ironman tri, and that group often trains at the same time as the ‘Chicago Team’ making me feel super cool doing our pansy Olympic-distance workouts…) led us in some typical track drills. Track drills looks goofy even if the most seasoned track athlete is doing them. Getting a bunch of clowns together who have not done these drills in a long time (if ever) and throw them on a track and saying ‘go’ makes said drills even more comical and humbling. Grateful that the drills were over, we started the main set. Here’s what really BOGGLES MY MIND to no end—at all these running things, I wind up leading. I have never ever ever been the leading runner… in anything. I worked my way from being dead last (every track meet my sophomore year of HS—last place, thank you very much) in middle school and early high school, to being comfortably average. In most areas of life I despise the ‘river of mediocrity’ and do everything in my power to avoid it. However, coming from the ‘pits of failure,’ the mediocre river was a big accomplishment. Coming to these TNT trainings and leading the runs is just puzzling. I can almost fathom it for the long distance runs, like the 60 minute run at the lake a few weeks ago. But in the speed runs?! Something is very wrong in the universe. That is what I kept thinking during the five laps—‘Something is seriously wrong if I am in the lead.’ It was a harder workout than I anticipated, and am embarrassed at my snobby attitude of ‘Five laps is a workout now?’ We did a fast lap followed by a recovery lap, then waited for everyone to finish before we could start the next lap. I was under the impression that we would just start our next fast lap once we finished our recovery, but I was mistaken. After all, this is Team in Training… so we waited for our teammates. That was honestly a little frustrating, but I have definitely been bringing up the rear before so I didn’t dare put out bad vibes towards the end of the pack. This did allow me plenty of recovery time, though, which consequently allowed me to really push hard and go fast(er) on the fast lap than if I started immediately upon finishing the recovery lap. By lap five, I was definitely feeling it. My quads and hamstrings especially were fatigued! I purposely did not do leg lifting earlier in an attempt to preserve strength… so much for that.

After the last speed lap, the herky-jerky-hip-coach said to me “Kristin, you need to focus on pushing your hips forward. Your top is leaning too far forward and then your arms start to get a little crazy.” What is it with this man and my hips?! I’m half-kidding... I appreciate the feedback, as again, I have never been in an environment that I’ve been coached in running (minus that dreadful year of high school track which there wasn’t coaching at all aside from the psychological relief warranted by my awesome last-place tradition… literally every race, folks). When he told me to figure out my hips I chuckled. I think he was confused—my last reaction to his hip-coaching was a clenched jaw and death stare… this time I just started laughing at him. Oh to be a wishy-washy female. On the cool down jog I tried to get my hips forward but it was not good. I felt like I was leaning backwards while trying to run forwards. I don’t know, I guess it’s good feedback to keep in mind, but for now I won’t be spending hours on end at the track trying to get my hopeless hips in line.

At the end of the day, I felt good about challenging myself and taking what had potential to be a lighter workout and doing what I could to boost its intensity. I guess the same goes with every workout, though. It’s really up to me how hard it will be and if it’s lack-luster, there’s probably something I could have done to prevent that. Afterwards I climbed on the Iron Horse for the final time that day and returned home thirteen hours after leaving it to start packing!! Because that’s right, I’m going home and I could not be more elated. Wait-- yes I could be— donations elate me more than anything at this point! We’ve climbed up to $795! Another former soccer teammate has stepped up! I have been really impressed with my peers. Students, after all, have a fairly legit claim of being absolutely broke therefore unable to donate. But a handful of my college compadres have been more supportive than I ever expected. So, we now have $1,205 left to go before August 4th! Victory is coming, my friends, one donation at a time. If you have not yet had an opportunity, please go to my fundraising site to make your donation today! Your donation is solely for the purpose of fueling the fight LLS is in against blood cancers and their search for a cure. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again—look at their website! It’s fascinating, especially the research sections. Very worth your while.

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