03.26.08
Posted in Andy's living testimonial at 8:57 am by Andy
I’ve heard that if you hear something repeated enough times, you are more likely to believe it to be true.
The following statement has been issued to me in varying forms from family, Equivita staff, and in the book I just finished (for the second time), Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, by Dean Karnazes:
If we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.
This speaks to me in a way that I don’t think is too difficult for anyone to understand. I can’t speak for every other member of humanity, but I like to think that most people on Earth like to be inspired. If you like inspirational literature that reads easy and quickly, I’d suggest finding a copy of this book at the library and giving it a whirl.
Even if you have no interest in running, I think it would be hard to read about Dean’s feats of endurance (especially the mental journeys associated with the physical ones) and not want to do something great. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to prepare genuine French cuisine; maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to sail; or maybe you’ve always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Me? While it’s not something I’ve always wanted to do, it’s something that is important to me right now. And that’s running a marathon. A damn hilly marathon (click here to check out the elevation profile), one that’s been mentioned as one of the five or so hardest road marathon’s in the country.
It should be awesome.
As for the running itself, I ran back to back days for the first time in quite a while, running on Sunday and Monday. I’ve got a plan for the next twelve weeks done on paper and I’m looking forward to a little structured training.
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03.25.08
Posted in Andy's living testimonial at 12:59 pm by Andy
Running.
It’s really the main component of marathon training, you know. The one essential ingredient. Leaving running out of marathon training is something like leaving eggs out of scrambled eggs.
“So if I don’t run while training for the marathon, it’s like sitting at the breakfast table with salt, pepper, and non-stick cooking spray?”
Yeah, something like that. Maybe some cheese, too.
I’d known for a few days that I was making excuses with myself, but did little to reverse the trend. “It’s too cold, it’s too windy, I’m too tired, the TV is being needy.” I’ve used them all so I didn’t have to put on my shoes and head out for a run. The rational part of my mind knew what was going on, but remained powerless to stop it.
Why?
Upon further reflection and with the help of the friendly staff at Equivita, I’ve determined that I work best with a laid out plan and a goal to aim for. Without these elements in place, it’s very easy for me to rationalize sedentary behavior. I might be okay with this but for the fact that sitting around doing nothing tends to make me a bit cranky and antsy. I’m not one to sit around being lazy, at least not without being an unbearable bastard at the same time (even if it’s directed to no one other than myself).
So this past weekend, I created a plan. One that takes me into mid-June, and has a series of goals along the way I can work towards. Along the path I’m taking the next six weeks, I have the following mini-goals set forth for me:
- A 5 kilometer time trial. It’s like running a race but without other people. Not quite as much fun, but a lot cheaper and more mentally draining.
- A 1 mile time trial. I’ve got a secret goal for my mile time. Right now, I’m not training for this distance, nor am I worried about getting even close to my goal, I just want to know where I’m at fitness-wise at the moment.
- A 5 kilometer race. I will be pacing a friend to finish in under 30 minutes. We tried it last year and missed by less than 20 seconds. This year we should nail it.
- Participating in the Relay for Life. Last year, I completed 13 miles in three or four sessions over the course of 18 hours. I’m not sure what my goal is for this year other than to have fun.
- The last week of the 12-week program I’ve set up, I will be vacationing in South Carolina. With no work, softball, or pesky strength training to bog me down I am going to shoot for six straight days of running. My longest streak so far has been five days in a row.
I know that if I had a gun held to my head today, I could complete a marathon. But it wouldn’t be pretty. I’d like the actual experience to be one that I treasure. I’m sure it will hurt a little, but there’s no point in giving the course any more advantage than it already has.
Here’s to the next twelve weeks. Cheers.
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03.14.08
Posted in Andy's living testimonial at 9:15 am by Andy
A few different areas of life combined in the last two or three days to reinforce a lesson we’re all familiar with but often require reminding: don’t give in.
I had a workout at Equivita on Tuesday. For reasons varying from vacation to mild illness, it had been quite some time since I’d been put through my paces. As a result, I was equal parts eagerly anticipating and quietly fearful of what my power hour would consist of.
Plenty of cardio to get the body rolling, and then a series of exercises that put a generous tax on me in an interesting wave fashion (the intensity/difficulty of what I was doing, or trying to do, would ramp up to a peak and then a brief rest period to recover led right into the next series… like a slow motion version of waves crashing on the beach. Hey… it makes sense to me).
One of the final exercises was a squat series with a towel roll between my knees. Halfway through my set my body began to shut down without my permission, starting with my brain. My muscles no doubt very exhausted, the internal conversation started out of nowhere:
“You’ve worked hard today, these last four reps won’t care if you skip them.”
“You’re so tired… quit now. You will feel much better.”
“I’m making your eyes flutter and your stomach queasy, ready to quit yet?”
I was so tempted to let the voice win. But I remembered that I have a marathon I’m training for, and there is a chance that these thoughts would creep up at some point in the race. I do not want to be at mile 22, hear the voice tell me to quit, and remember a time I said, “okay.” So I told the voice to piss off (or something like that), dug deep and pulled through the remaining reps to complete the exercise.
It hurt. A lot. But physical pain only lasts so long, and I would be okay.
And away from the dumbbells…
I think that sometimes in life, things that you need find you. Or maybe you find the things you need. However you prefer to structure that sentence. Anyway…
I checked a book out of the library last week. I’d heard good reviews (simply, “this is a good book”), but really didn’t know what the story was about. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
In case any of you are or will consider reading the book (which I recommend for anyone who likes reading), I won’t give away any plot details. But I will say that the book highlighted the characteristic of vigilance and never giving in. The characters in the story are put into a situation bleaker than anything I can realistically imagine. Even in the face of some of the scariest things existence has to offer, like physical death or a loss of purpose, they carry the fire and stay strong to the very end.
For me, it was the perfect book at the perfect time. Highlighting the human spirit, and the depths to which one can reach to find strength.
My workout pales in comparison to true hardship faced by individuals all across the world, but for the personal goals I have set in front of me it was a vital hurdle to clear. And the lessons gleaned from the words of Mr. McCarthy show the power of staying true to one’s goal and the meaning of commitment.
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03.11.08
Posted in Andy's living testimonial at 2:55 pm by Andy
Warning: If you’re not a competitive soul, skip this post. It could be offensive to you.
You’ve been warned.
Decent
I love that word: decent.
Not great, not terrible. A little better than good.
From Merriam-Webster: Adjective. 4: fairly good : adequate, satisfactory <decent wages>
When I grew up, we didn’t get participation trophies for showing up. In Little League, if you won the tournament, you got a trophy. If you didn’t, you got nothing but the desire to work harder next time so you would be getting that cheap trophy for your bedroom bookcase. I see nothing wrong with this. You’re either on top of your game, or working to get there. This certainly suits my personality.
I remember when I was doing some coaching about ten years ago, and one of the other coaches told the team that their practice was decent. The kids got mad, and stated that the coaches should be giving them praise instead of berating them with phrases like “decent”. I thought it was funny, but kept my mouth shut (I have moments of SMRTness, you know).
Me? I love the term decent. It means I’m making progress, but I’m not yet at my goal. Some people like to be coddled. Not me. Tell me like it is and I’ll be happy. I may not like what you have to say, but as long as I’m given direction I will work to get better.
If I’m told I’m “good enough” too many times… I’ll start to believe it.
Decent. It’s certainly better than some of the alternatives.
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03.06.08
Posted in Andy's living testimonial at 11:34 am by Andy
Did you miss me?
Between some nasty weather and a vacation, I’ve been a little busy lately. Well, too busy to write, but not so busy that I haven’t made a little time to exercise.
I spent a few days with friends and family down in Florida this past weekend, and got to do a little beach running. This was something I’d never done, and I rather enjoyed it. My body was very happy with the terrain, and my mind was happy with the scenery of the ocean (Gulf of Mexico, whatever) and beach, the sounds of the waves and fighter jets, and the warm sun. I had a good time.
This is something which I’ve made a conscious effort to do more of lately: enjoy life. As far as I know, I only get one. And if I get to the end and I realize I’ve spent my time loathing everything unusual, I’ll probably be a bit disappointed.
Running? Fun.
Workouts? Fun (in the long run).
Laundry? Alright, let’s not get carried away. Not everything can be “fun”, but not everything needs to be dreaded, either.
Warm weather is right around the corner, and this will mean a marked increase in my physical activity. I’m already doing something three or four days a week that would be classified as some form of exercise, but it’s about to ramp up to six or seven days and I can’t wait.
That small dose of nice weather was a good tease for me, and has ignited my desire for Spring to arrive. I’ve got lots of fun stuff planned, and as soon as the snow is gone and the temperature cooperates, I’m there.
I just hope I don’t make myself “sick” with this upbeat attitude in the meantime.
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