Monday, December 10, 2012

Pushing the Edge with Relentless Faith

This is the 6 word phrase I submitted to the Another Mother Runner blog to describe my running. It came to me easily. I think it's pretty obvious where my head is at.

I just completed week two of my Ultra induction to change the way I train to be supercharged for my first 50mile Ultra—and maybe my last if I don't pull this all together, stay uninjured and become much stronger. There is no way I am going to do this without a significant plan of attack that continuously evolves to more. I have been looking to other Ultra runners for advice in the last couple months and gearing up to stoke the fires. Logging miles, just isn't enough. And so it has begun…

I will be sore many days this year and pounding CherryFlex. I am starting with building core strength while continuing my runs and adding some hill climbing/walking at the end of a treadmill run. Jillian Michaels is killing me. Although, she says I will look "ridiculous"at the end of her "6 Week Six-Pack" workout. I already feel ridiculous compared to the ladies on the video.



My planking shows poor strength and my burpies, well, they are not up to snuff yet and I feel like a floppy fish. I am improving after this two week period however. I am also throwing in a Zumba class once a week, just for some variety and to burn some fat. I have not taken a Zumba class in four-plus years. It was a totally different experience as an already athletic person. Love, love, loved it! Plus, this instructor seems to move quickly and combine a lot of modern dance with classic moves with pop music. I think I did pretty well considering I ran 6 miles two hours before. That's the way it has to be. Ridiculous indeed.

This is what my last two weeks went like this:

Monday: 6-week Abs ~ Jillian Michaels
Tuesday: 6 miles + Zumba
Wednesday: 6-week Abs ~ Jillian Michaels + 6 miles
Thursday: 6 miles (I was pretty tired by this day)
Friday: 6-week Abs ~ Jillian Michaels
Saturday: Long Run 11 miles
Sunday: 6 miles
Repeat.

I finished these two weeks with a winter run entailing whipping ice and snow, low visibility, and a cloudy haze across the sky, which made my winter wonderland gym a little more difficult, dark, cold and painful. A local man passing by in an old pick-up cranked his window down and yelled "You're Crazy!" along with some other comments that I couldn't catch as he was pelted by the icy snow. I laughed. If you only knew…here we GROW!