Go hard. Go Fast. Go Long.

Today I went fast.
4 miles.
37.28 minutes.



tonight I drink beer.

Checking in

This week has been about forming a schedule and making it work.
I learned something very important about my food schedule. And that is, I like not having a schedule better. I eat when I am hungry, go to the dinning hall when it is convenient, and don't when it isn't. I don't feel obligated, or forced and I really like that.

I like to think that I am an adaptable person, that I don't have to be forced into a routine.
I hope that continues.

On a side note I started swimming this week. It has been a whole other mental struggle for me. Swimming is harder than running, and frankly I am worried about it.

I'm not so sure about the whole triathlon thing, but I am determined to make it even if I am not sure. Great things only happen with dedication, time, and by showing up.

so fuck it, I am going to keep showing up. Keep getting out of bed at 7 am. And I am going to keep going, because I don't have much other choice.

I promise to blog about something interesting again soon.
like hair growth or hamstrings, or politics. Something.

Week 3:
This week really brought with it a lot of surprised and achievements in my workout plan and progression. This was a hard week mentally, and emotionally but I was able to drive all that extra unwanted energy and stress into my workouts. One day, I did find that after only 2 miles of my run I had the overwhelming urge to cry. Instead of pushing this emotion away from me, I left the gym and allowed myself to cry the whole way back to my room, and then made myself tea and took a shower. Afterward, I felt great and even did some push-up and sit-up routines in my room. Not enough to make myself sweaty again though.

Also my body is really starting to show all the work I am putting into it. My running is getting faster, and I am sustain it longer. I am also finding ways to enjoy it more. For example, I downloaded the e-book the Odyssey. Instead of spending countless hours milling over the book. I listen to it while running and biking. It's really a great way to let my mind wonder and create the story as I forget how hard I am working.

And running really is mental. I have found a treadmill that I really like. Mostly because of the way I feel like I am running through the windows when I am on it. However, when I don't have the treadmill I have to revise my mental state when running. It's a bit harder for me. But I am working on it, and doing quite well for myself actually.

I have a lot of former athletes supporting me, and giving me tips as well.
Week 3, you were a hard week. Yet, I made it through stronger more confident and with great looking arms. That's right, I am becoming ever so slightly buff.

Life is absolutely beautifully amazing.

p.s. I am not on acedemic probation, but I do have to talk to my advisers about what happened last semester. I know they will both be concerned, yet understanding. I will also prove to them with this semester that I can be an amazing student again. I've already turned down designing a show, which was hard for me. I know I didn't have the time to do it well and stay on top of my school work in the way that I need to this semester. Still, I feel like I am slowly losing theatre and I want to keep as much as I can in my life.

p.p.s. I am growing up. Whoa.

resistance happens

I have hit a mental road blog in my running process, but I have the confidence necessary to over come it. Indoors in the treadmill I am clocking 3 - 10 minute miles on a low level hill intensity. However when I am outside I can only go about .5 miles until dread and doom infiltrate my brain and cause me pain and anguish in my body.

I know it is a mental thing. I know that I am in shape enough to run the easy couple of miles I am setting in front of me. Somehow though my brain is overriding my physically capability and causing me to fail at said goals.

Now, I have done a bit of reading and almost all signs point to mentality tricking your brain into forgetting that you are running, or focusing on something else in order to not think about running.

I have decided that on the treadmill I am capable of relaxing my mind and simply running because I can not see the goal so I can not fail to reach it. The treadmill will keep going even if I fall off the back too, so I have to suck it up and keep up. Outside however I often decide I will go a certian distance, normally marked by a set course and start finish. Right now in my training I can not focus on starts and finishes. Having a goal just reminds me that I am not always able to reach it.

Thus, I have concluded that tomorrow instead of saying I will do 2 miles outside then weight lift before doing another 2 miles inside. I will say that I will spend 20 minutes running outside, without a set place to run then go to the gym. This way I may spend longer than 20 minutes running and I will hopefully be taken some place in Grinnell that I have never gone before.

Mind over running. I am going to get the mentality of running down. It's just like meditation, and I can't wait to me a meditative runner. It is just going to take a little more patience and time on my part to get all the way there.

First Mile

I am absolutely out of my mind, and yes it is contagious.

Recent Harvard Medical studies have shown that happiness is a virus that spreads through closs social networks, and friend groups. At the same time, habits spread the same way. Smoking, drinking, depression, and obesity are also found to spread through friend groups (luckily not as quickly and efficiently though.)

I have been infected by the workout bug. Although I am not completely happy right now in my life a lot has happened that continues to push me towards a grounded place. For example, today I left the warmth and comfort of the bunker to venture through treacherous winds and snow to work out at the gym. I have never been that person. The only reason I did so well at club sports, is because I was responsible for someone else. Doing something like exercise for myself, was never enough of a motivation

Recently though I was bitten by a very infectious bug, and I went crazy. Crazy enough to be doing a triathlon on May 1st 2010. (113 days from now). It is a Sprint Triathlon meaning 300yd swimming, 15 miles biking, ending in a 5K run. I have spent the last 4 days in the gym testing out all the parts of my body, to see where my strengths and weaknesses lie.

Today was my "chill" day and I went to the gym looking for only a light run and some push-ups. No lifting, or crazy feats of power and endurance. Once I got on the treadmill though I felt this overwhelming urge to disappear into my head and just move. I set the pace at 5.5 mph and went. After 1.7 miles I stoped for a couple sips of water then I just picked back up where I left off. I ended up running 3 miles in 32.47 minutes. I am very proud and impressed with myself, because it was a great pace and it still leaves a lot of room for me to improve. I was pushing it, but not struggling and the first 2 miles just happened without me thinking about them. I probably would have gotten through the 3rd better, had I not then set the goal to make it until 3 miles. Before that conscious decision, I was just running because it felt good and I was still able to.

I placed myself into a sort of meditation. It was amazing because even after the workout I was in a soft dream like state when walking back to my room. I was perfectly content with everything around me, and all that was and continues to be my life.
I was happy, and I haven't been that happy in a long time. I really hope that the gym and the roads continue to bring me great levels of happiness, because now that I've seen them again I am not keen on letting it go.
After the workout I came back to my room, showered, then did some body relaxation meditation.
Needless to say, I have never felt better in my life. My mind and body are so relaxed and ready to kick anyone's ass. Did I mention working out makes me really egotistic? It's sort of an awful trait to harbor, but I hope to work on it.

In Conclusion, my life was really shitty so I started working out and now I'm more excited than I have been in months for something.
Goal 1: May 1st 2010 Siouxperman Triathlon
Goal 2: Chicago Area Summer 5K (more information pending)
Goal 3: Oktoberfest 10K run, Marshalltown September 26 2010 (to qualify for the Boulder, Boulder I need another 10K race under my belt)
Goal 4: Hoffin'It 2010 5K with Kate Baumgartner, Grinnell Iowa
Goal 5: Boulder Boulder 10K, May 31 2011

These are the big things to look forward to in the coming months.