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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Never Stopping

The important thing about building a habit is the continuation of what you're doing.  This 100 day transformation program that I made is really pushing me hard because I'm not used to doing the amount of push ups, crunches, squats, and calf raises... nor was I used to stretching every day.

Never stopping means that it doesn't matter what happens, you continue to do your thing.  The important thing is to not have excuses.  In order to make sure you don't have excuses, you have to make sure to have the time to do what you're doing.  In my case, it's forcing myself to stay awake, do what needs to be done, and then go to sleep.  I can't sacrifice anything else for it because I'm making sure that I get to my goal.  In this case, it's a 100 day transformation, which means that I have 100 days of hard work and by the time I get through with this, my body would be completely transformed.

Having a 10 step 100 day transformation also means that my body is going to go through one heck of a time with each step I take.  Now that I'm finishing up day 12, I'm dreading the 100 push ups and 100 crunches I'm having to do.  Whining and wasting time doesn't do me any good.  All it does is prolong the time in which I go to sleep...

Today, I had a great time, running a 5 miles in the morning and 7.38 miles in the afternoon.  In the morning, I ran 7/8 of a mile at a fast pace, and then jogged the last 1/8 of the mile... repeating that for 5 miles.  At the end of the day, after 6.5 hours of standing at work washing those dishes, I ran that 7.38 miles in 59:04, an average of 8:00 min/mile.  It was a nice and easy run.  Pretty glad I was able to run this long... but at the same time, noticed that my knees were getting tight.  I'm going to have to make sure to stretch them out a little more so I wouldn't get hurt.  (also, the day before, I ran 3.96 miles in 29:26, an average of 7:26 min/mile)

Never stopping means you gotta make sure to go strong.  No excuses.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Could and Should

I could have not rested yesterday... I should have rested yesterday... I could have run more today... I should have run as much as I did today.... We have a lot of things that we could do.  We also have a lot of things that we should do.  There can be a difference between the two.  For example, today, I could have run twice or even three times.  Instead, I just ran once... and kept it that way.  As today was my little step day for running, I decided that I would run longer and see how much I could do when I went out for 50 minutes.  The return trip definitely was a lot faster.  It turned out that I went a little faster on the return trip, running the whole 12.97 miles in 1:38:17, an average of 7:34 min/mile.

Just like every other day, this run wasn't meant to work on my speed or anything.  This run was for me raising my aerobic threshold.  In order to do that, I needed to run below my aerobic threshold, and continue working on that to push my limit higher.  I wanted so badly, to run at a faster pace and push myself, but I knew that the best thing for my body is to get acclimated to the distance and pace, and raise my threshold.  As I'm planning on running another good lick tomorrow, I don't want to push myself too much today.  There's a lot of things that we could do, but they may not all be something we should do.

Just because we could do something does not make it something we should do.  I could have run another 10 or 20 miles, but instead, I just stuck out with a little less than a half marathon.  The word 'could' only lets the individual know what is possible at that moment, however, the word 'should' goes beyond that moment.  During my training, it's nice to know what I could do, because that helps me gauge where I am.  However, it's more important to know what I should do because it leads me to where I need to go... the path I ought to take.

I could have run an ultramarathon today.  Instead, I chose to do what I should.  Positive training technique.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Just a Mile

Today wasn't my most well thought out day, when it came to running.  Things happened which meant that I had to change plans... and eventually came to running a simple mile with my roommate.  Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to run after work and get 7.33 miles in 56:03 (7:39 min/mile average) but today... work went overtime, I had homework due, and therefore... I just didn't have enough time to get things done.  Fortunately, I still did my 50 push ups, 50 crunches, 100 squats, 200 calf raises, and 20 minutes of stretching... but only did that one mile.

But I ran a mile.

It's not the big victories that makes a difference in your life.  It's the every day small victories that shapes you.  It's sad to see that I didn't run my usual 7 miles... but at the same time, I'm happy that I ran that one.  I could have chosen to not run at all... but instead, was given this opportunity of running a mile.  Don't focus too hard on the things you missed out on, but instead, see what you've done and the little things you've accomplished.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Knowing When to Take a Step

Sometimes, I have a hard time figuring out when to take the next step.  It's those times that I make a mistake and take a few too many steps.  The thing is, I can't afford to take too many steps because that will lay back my plan on getting in better shape and in better health.  A month ago, I was going on about 4-5 miles every time I ran... which wasn't too much.  In January, I was running 4 miles whenever I felt like it... and that wasn't much at all either.  It was mid-February when I got serious and started to take steps towards building up my body in a healthy manner, and because of my decisions, I started taking positive steps.  Starting out with a 4-5 mile base, I started running more consecutive days, knowing that I had to get myself moving in order to get anywhere.  As my consistent running became more of a norm, I waited til I was comfortable enough to jump up and do more.  A few 10 milers came into being, but by March, I was comfortably running a minimum of 5, going up to around 7 miles.  Now, I'm trying to make the norm 7.5 miles and push it towards 10 miles a day.

Running consecutively, if you happen to push too much, you'll end up hurting yourself, which will ruin your training and running career.  In order to take that next step, you have to know for certain that you ARE READY.  If you know you are ready, then that means that you can take that next step.  If you don't know... it's better not to push too hard.  On Saturday, I decided that I would go longer, and in three runs, I ran 16.87 miles.  Today, I ran 7.47 miles in 7:22 min/mile.  Saturday's run might have been a little too much, and because of that, I barely held on today.  My knees didn't feel exactly the best, but at this point, I'm going to stick with around 7.5 miles a day, unless I feel good enough to run 10 miles.  By April, I want to be at a point where 10 miles a day is nothing to me but a walk in the park.  It's not going to happen by just jumping into that sort of lifestyle, but step by step, I believe I'm getting to the right place.  One step at a time, making sure that the area in which I plant my foot is stable, I can get stronger and get to where I want to be.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Rainy Days

Out of all the days in one year... there's going to be a day where there's rain... and there's nothing you can do about it.  In the same way, during runs, I'm going to have my bad days where I'm just not feeling it... but you know?  That's not stopping me.  Just as the day keeps on going, whether it rains or not, I keep going too, whether I'm having a good day or not.

Today... was one of those not so good days.  I was tired, and I didn't exactly feel too good about running... but it needed to be done.  Before work, I ran 4 miles in 29:21 (a 7:20 min/mile pace) and after work, I ran 7.46 miles in 58:30 (a 7:50 min/mile pace).  It was a slow day because I was tired.  But you know, I didn't really mind that.  In fact, I'm glad I had that because that helped me get the break that I needed.  I won't know what my condition will be tomorrow, but I know that I'll need to make sure that I get some miles in, because that's the most important thing at this moment.

Whatever happens, the most important thing is to keep you head on your shoulders, and progress.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Homeostasis

Balance... it's a law.  We are all a part of this law and balance plays a key role in it.  Energy is never lost... why? It's because it's always transferred somewhere else, and goes out in some form... but it never dies... instead it changes appearance or moves further outward.  Same goes with how everything else works.  There is always some sort of balance... an equilibrium that has to... just BE.

In the same way, our body has it's natural balance system.  The water level balances itself, and when we are in need of water, our body lets us know that we need it by giving us this 'thirsty' feeling.  We quench that thirst by drinking some sort of beverage and our body feels satisfied because the thirsty feeling is gone and we've replenished our water supply.  We call this balance of the body homeostasis where the first part of the word, homeo, means 'same' or 'similar' and the second part, stasis, means 'standing still'.  Together, it defines how our body system naturally balances itself out, keeping our whole self regulated in the way it ought to be.

Now although it's important to know that there are so many things in the body that is regulated and made to be balanced (like temperature, calcium level, and many others) I'd like to talk about how your body is balanced according to what you eat and what you do.  Now I've gone off how important it is to watch what you eat and what you do... but here I go again.

Over the past few weeks, I've upped my running into being more of a daily thing rather than a 4 times a week kind of deal.  Although time-wise, it's great to do the 4 times a week, but over the course of my research and studies, I've found that as an ultra runner, it's important to me to make it more of a daily deal and little by little improve myself.  I've also recently added a wonderful 100 day transformation workout, which added a whole lot of upper body workouts that I wasn't used to.  However, I believe that as an ultra runner, it's important to balance your whole body and keep everything strong... which means that my life needs to be dedicated to keeping every part of my body in the best physical while running extreme distances.  If I did not run, the muscles would build and I would definitely build a stronger upper torso due to my training.  However, with the running I've done, my body is more lean, and is now a little more chiseled.  It's nice to see how training affects you, and right now, I've actually lost weight.

Whatever you do, your body will adjust as best as possible and as fast as possible, and work to getting you to where you're capable of handling whatever you're doing.  In doing so, my health level has gone up dramatically.

Today, I was able to go out for an 8.02 mile run in 57:38, an average of 7:10 min/mile.  I was surprised that I was at that point because I didn't really run too hard (til the end...) but where I'm at now, that's a good thing because it means that I'm getting used to this pace as well as this consistent running.  Little by little, I'm turning into a beast.  Little by little, I'm getting to a point where I'll be able to run that 100 mile race.  (afterwards, I played floor hockey for about an hour and a half... kind of was sore, but got through)

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Moving Forward

Rarely do your goals come to you.  That's why you take steps towards your goals.  It's not easy to go to your goals because it requires work... but if you just sat back and didn't do anything, then there's no way that you'll be able to get to your goal.

My wonderful calculus teacher back in high school, Mr. Mhlanga told his class multiple times, "If the mountain does not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must come to the mountain."  It was funny to us, but we knew it meant that if we had any questions, we were to come to him, instead of him coming to us.  If we wanted results, we needed to get out of our seats and go to him and talk to him and ask questions so that he could answer it.  Effort was needed in order for success to happen.

For the past two days, I've been doing my push ups, crunches, squats, and calf raises, and unfortunately, today, I wasn't able to do my run due to a take home quiz I had to do before midnight (which I finished).  This'll mean that tomorrow, I'll be playing catch up and running a little more than usual to get to where I need to be.  One step at a time... and a couple times, I skip steps and go further.  Excited for another day to get closer to my goal.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Weight Loss

It's easy for us to look at what we weigh and look at how much we've gained or lost.  However, weight alone does not account for the health of the individual.  Sure it lets you know how much you've changed... but only with one measurement... a measurement that doesn't really hold too much value.  Considering that muscle weighs about 4 times as much as fat, it's easy to not gain any weight but look skinnier (or vice versa).  Since weight only tells you one thing, it's weight (no pun intended) isn't worth much.  What matters the most is your overall health.

Sure weight can give you a measurement, but it doesn't measure your health, your ability to do things, how efficient you are in movement, breathing, or what your body is made up of.  There are far more important things than weight... yet people are so focused on weight that it hasn't crossed their minds that it may not be something that they should focus on.

I weigh myself almost daily to look at how much I weigh.  However, I do this mainly out of curiosity because I want to know how much I weigh and what kind of weight I'm carrying while running.  Certainly my weight changes depending on what I do that day... but then again, it just lets me know that I'm doing something.  The most important numbers are the numbers that let you know how efficient you are at what you're doing.  To me, the numbers important to me are the numbers letting me know how fast I am and how many miles I've run, comparing all that to how much I've put into that run (whether I pushed myself really hard, or not that hard at all).  I've noticed that I've been able to push myself further now, that I've gotten a good foundation, and little by little, I'm able to do more each day, and fully recovering from it, I'm now at a point where my health is getting closer to my fitness level.

The last few days have been exceptionally busy.  After running for ten days in a row, I had to stop running because I had pushed myself a little too far (with the Wednesday night floor hockey game, my right knee wasn't feeling too good, and I knew that a little more would have sent me to the hospital).  Thursday was a break day for me, where I enjoyed a day of relaxation.  Friday and Saturday, however, was a little more exciting, with a camping trip where I carried a camping pack for a little over 11 miles in the mountains.  It was nice to not run but still get those miles down because they were muscle while not having to worry about putting too much strain on the knees.  Coming back, on Sunday, I decided that I would take another break before starting again on Monday.

I had previously made a new 100 Day Transformation schedule where I would transform myself into becoming a beast, and thought that it would be a great way to start now, so I started working on that (to test and see what kind of transformation program I made) and after work, I ran 7.32 miles in 52:10, an average of 7:07 min/mile.  I wasn't running too hard because I didn't want to hurt myself because I was starting back again, but at the same time, I wasn't slacking either.  Working at this point, I'm able to continuously run and train and raise my health level.  I can't wait to see what this next few days will have in store for me.  Marathon coming up, and I'm training pretty hard core.  Let's look at the important numbers and go for your goal.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

A Time to Rest

In 24 hours, we do a lot.  We walk, we eat, we sleep, we sit, we stand... the list goes on and on.  However, out of that 24 hours, we do a lot of sleeping.  Why do we sleep?  It's because we need a moment to shut things down and take that break.  Breaks are important because they let our bodies recover that little bit.  However, there are times when the overall strain is too much and a day of rest is needed.  Today was one of those days... or maybe not exactly...

Yesterday, I was already tired from the day before's 15 miler, but I ran anyway, finishing 7.59 miles, but today... today was suppose to be a nice and relaxing day.  I had somewhat decided that I would take a break from running, but after talking with my roommate, decided that I'd go for a short run.  Ending up running 5.04 miles in 39:50, I felt pretty good about running it at a 7:54 min/mile average.  I wasn't pushing too hard, but it wasn't exactly a break.  Ideally, it would be amazing if my body got used to this amount for a break day, but this is why I'm trying it now, because towards the beginning of the training, your body is still working on finding what the foundation is.  I'd like my foundation to be 5 miles a day for now, but eventually get to 10 miles a day.

During your rest days, it's important to actually rest because that's when your body is actually 'fixing itself' and recovering from whatever you're doing.  If I'd be running 5 miles on my rest day, I think that my physical health ought to be pretty high.  I wonder what'll happen on the day I reach 10 miles on a rest day... (which also has me thinking... am I going to have a life?).

It's important to me to work towards my goals, and at the same time, not tear my body apart.  Having been running 10 days in a row, I'm feeling pretty good about myself and the rate I'm going... I'm hoping that the trend will continue and I'd be able to get through and make a difference in my life, and eventually, through this, get to my goal.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Transforming Your Body

Everyone at first is like a rough stone.  It takes time and commitment to transform that rough stone into a beautiful gem.  In order to make that transformation occur, there is an 8 step process called a faceting process.  This process is a very delicate process, and can be seen here at:

http://gem-sphalerite.com/faceting-process

Now, you can see the difference between the rough stone and gem is significant, but it's not a simple process.  One mistake could ruin the gem, and cause it to lose it's value, it's beauty... its everything.  It's really interesting to see how the transformation takes place, and it's also really interesting to see that each of us is like that rough stone... and at any time, we could go through a similar process and transform ourselves into a 'gem', whatever that may be.  Sometimes, the gem is not the physical you, but rather the characteristics of the individual.  At other times, it IS the physical... but the thing is, whether it's your physical, mental, psychological, or spiritual self, you can change and you can transform yourself into whatever you need it to be.

The transformation of yourself doesn't occur in a blink of an eye.  It's something that takes time and proper procedure.  Taking the right steps will result in the transformation.  People might only see you at whichever step you are, but they won't see the end result.  We are always a work in process... and even if we do make it to a gem, we still need to keep ourselves polished in order for the beauty to truly shine.

In order to become that gem, you need to have a vision, a goal that you can see yourself achieving, and with that vision/goal in mind, you can take the proper steps to transform yourself to become the gem.  Take the proper steps.... take them one at a time, and you will end up as a polished gem.

Yesterday, I ran twice.  The first time, I ran 7.56 miles in 57:14, an average of 7:34 min/mile, and then that night I ran 7.44 miles in 54:34, an average of 7:20 min/mile.  With that done in one day, today, I'm going to have to make sure to take it easy.  Going through hard days, there's a need for easy days.  This week, I'm planning on pushing myself, but not too much.  I want to transform, but I also don't want to break down.  Taking the right steps, I'm planning on transforming my body into becoming a beast at ultra running.  Let's see what happens...

Monday, March 11, 2013

Trust

Trust... it can be hard to gain, but easily lost.  Sometimes it takes even years to regain that trust, should the situation be bad enough.  You can't lose trust over trivial things, however, should it be over something significant, then that's understandable.  A couple days ago, a few friends of mine led me on to believe a lie where the story was too unbelievable to be true... but had enough elements to it to make it a possibility.  They continued to lead me on this little story, and although I had a hard time figuring out if I should trust them or not, they finally convinced me that it was real, and trusting their words, I felt sorry about the situation and cared for what was going on... until they told me a little while later that it was just a joke.  They thought it was funny... I did not.  It was humiliating and saddening that they lied to me.  I don't know if they understood what they did to me, but it felt pretty bad on my end.

In the same way, it's so much easier to destroy than to build or rebuild things.  Whether it be your own body, your education... or anything else, building takes time and diligence.  When destroying, it doesn't take time at all, because it's just... destruction.  When I build up my body, it takes time and I have to do things the correct way in order to structure it the way I want it to be.  When I destroy it, it's so easy.  All I have to do is just do the wrong things.  When there's only a few right things and a lot of wrong things to do to get or not get to where you want, it can be clear that there are far more wrong choices.  It takes a lot of dedication, discipline, time, consistency.... a lot... to get me to become the ultrarunner that I want to be.  It only makes my life easier if I just gave that all up... but I wouldn't be able to reach my goal.

Trust, is something you build.  And when you build, it takes both quantity and quality to get you to where you need to be.  Don't lose your way, go forward, and build up that trust.  Work to build, and don't let things get destroyed.

Two days ago, I ran 7.8 miles in 57:48, an average of 7:24, while yesterday, I ran 7.37 miles in 49:57, an average of  6:47 min/mile.  Today, I'll be running again but a slower pace.  I need to build myself up slowly and carefully, working to grow and not to destroy myself.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Resolving Conflicts

Ever since my sisters have been born, I believe we have butted heads against each other.  Do I still love them?  Yes!  Why?  Because they're my sisters.  Is it that simple?  Yes!  The thing is, for me, no matter what they've done, they are still my sisters.  As siblings, they do get annoying at times, but the choice is mine whether or not to love them or not... and since the foundation of my relationship with my sisters is a strong one, there is almost nothing that can take me away from loving them as an older brother should.  I have made that choice that as a brother, I would have that unconditional love for my sisters.

Will there still be conflict between my sisters and me?  Heck yeah.  We don't see everything eye to eye, so of course there will be things we don't agree on and argue.  With this in mind, it's important to resolve any conflict between individuals, because having a thorn in between you and another... doesn't feel good and isn't good for the relationship you have with the individual.  Occasionally (more so than not...) my sisters and I don't 'finish' our talk and resolve a conflict, and we're both left in a bitter spot, feeling not so good about each other... and at the same time, not so good about ourselves.  In times like that, usually one of us would go to the other and open up and apologize about the situation (not whether we were right or wrong, but how it all turned out) and in response, the other would also apologize for the situation... so why do we feel bad?  The fact is, we feel bad because deep down inside, we have the relationship with each other that yearns to grow in a positive manner, because we care about each other (unlike what our actions may be).

Let's say that you're running, and you have a pebble stuck in your shoe.  It's just a small pebble so it's not that bad... maybe slightly annoying... so you keep on running.  Gradually, that small insignificant pebble irritates your foot so much you just have to stop.  If you keep going, you'll probably end up with a blister, or having that pebble imbedded in you or something along those lines.  However, if you stop, take it out, and run, you'll feel a lot better.

The same sort of relief comes when you take time to stop, work the problem out, and continue on in life.  Sure, you're not going anywhere when you stop, but in taking the problem out, you're taking care of yourself and are able to move forward without the little things sticking to your side.

Whenever you have some sort of conflict, ignoring the conflict will only worsen the condition.  It's only if you work through the conflict and find the resolution that you can find peace.  Think about the pebbles in your shoe that needs to be taken out.  Take time out of your busy schedule, and stop.  Unburden yourself and start again.  This time, without the irritation, you can go forward at a faster and stronger pace.


(Recap on running:  Yesterday, I ran 4.08 miles in 29:04,  7:07 min/mile pace... and later that night, I went running with my roommate, running a total of 2 miles and walking 1.25 miles.  I didn't time it because the goal was to help him with his running, and mileage was more important than time... but yeah)

Friday, March 8, 2013

Growth

Growth happens when you push yourself.  Pushing yourself too hard will result in destruction, while pushing yourself too little will end with a lack of growth.  The moment I decide to push myself is the moment I work towards growth.  For the past few months, I've been slowly building a proper foundation for my running, and lately, I've been getting to running a minimum of 5 miles a day, while a few weeks back, I would be running a minimum of 4 miles a day (except the days I don't run, of course).  Bit by bit, I'm building myself up, and my goal is to get to a point where I would be able to run double digits every day, easily, but fast.  The only way I can get to that point is by growing slowly but continually.  It's important for me to build slowly because should I build too fast, I would end up injuring myself and I would have to start all over.

Yesterday, I ran 5.07 miles in 38:48, an average of 7:39 min/mile.  Today, I ran 7.36 miles in 1:00:03, an average of 8:09 min/mile.  I'm not too worried about the speed at which I run, but focus more on the distance I run.  Step by step, I'm feeling like I can get to being able to run 100 miles.  I just need to continuously grow.  Grow and mold my body by pushing myself bit by bit.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Who's Fault is it that You're Out of Shape?

Whenever I go to the grocery store to get food to eat, it seems as if all the organic and healthy meals are overpriced and the junk foods are so cheap.  Some people look at it from a financial perspective and see that it's 'better' for their pockets to buy the cheaper stuff and save money that way.

I used to work in the school system and I've seen that Physical Education has gone down quite a bit, now, the children that goes to school aren't required to take as many PE classes as when I was a student.  It seems sad that the physical activity has gone down when the schools try to raise the level of education.

So who's fault is it that you're not in shape?  Who's fault is it that the children of the United States isn't getting their exercise.  Is it the stores that sells the food?  Is it the government and school systems that dropped the exercising in school?

Well, that does have a lot to do with lack of exercise... but looking carefully... it's still your own fault.  Sure it may cost more to by the healthy foods, but in the long run, you won't have to pay doctor's bills to pay for the health problems you'll be experiencing.  Buy the good stuff and eat healthy!  As for the kids getting their exercise... It's really sad for me to see the kids not getting as much exercise as they should, because during school, I think it's good to let out some steam via sports and PE class.  However, school is only a part of the child's life.  They have a life outside of school, but what happens is that kids nowadays stay indoors and get on their TVs and computers, playing games that may work their minds a little bit, but not their bodies.  The world around us has changed and nowadays, children stay indoors and aren't asked to leave.  When there's nothing to do at the house, the first thing that pops into the child's head is to play games.  If it's raining, it's somewhat understandable... but for every single time?  I don't think so.

Lifestyle is a choice, and there's no one else to blame except for you.  Make the correct decision and walk forward.  Live a lifestyle that is healthy and supports you well.

As for today, I was able to go out and run 5.71 miles in 40:14, an average of 7:02 min/mile.  It was pretty fast, but today, I didn't feel like I was using too much energy.  Fortunately, yesterday's slower pace really helped my body recover for this run.  Can't wait to have a lot of fun tomorrow.  Going to run and play hockey... getting both aerobic exercise as well as anaerobic.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Tortoise and the Hare

Everybody (well not really... but anyway...) knows Aesop's Fable about the Tortoise and the Hare.  Basically, the hare is a hotshot who is definitely faster than the tortoise, but because he decided to take a nap, it ended with him losing the race to the tortoise.  Why?  It's because he didn't finish what he started.  He took a nap, losing sight of his goal, and left the race unfinished.  The key to success is to finish what you started... and when you leave things unfinished, you won't succeed.

Since success can only occur when the job is finished, an unfinished job cannot be a success.  In running a 100 mile race, success is finishing the race.  In having a DNF (did not finish) you can't say you were successful.  It shows you tried, but couldn't finish.  In receiving a degree, you can't say that you're successful if you finished all but one required class.  You can only say you were successful once you finished EVERYTHING.

So where am I right now?  I'm in the middle of the race.  I'm training for a big race.  I could stop training right now... but that would impact the race I have in the future.  The most important goal that I've set for myself is to finish the race within 24 hours... I don't know how realistic this goal is... especially since it's my first 100 miler and it's at high elevation... but I think it's worth a shot.  Finishing is my ultimate goal, but if I can finish within that amount of time... it would be amazing.

Whatever you do, don't stop.  Don't give up.  Keep on trucking, because if you continually try, you will make it to the end and succeed.

Today, I was able to get in 5.05 miles in 39:28, an average of 7:48 min/mile.  Again, this is faster than what I'll be running the 100 miler... but as my body gets used to the continuous running, I'll be able to slow myself down and get to a point where I'll be able to continuously run and finish hard core races.  One step at a time, and never giving up, I'm going to achieve my goal by building a body that is capable of handling this ultra marathon.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Being Flexible

Flexibility isn't only about how your body is, but how they are applied are similar.  The more flexible you are, the wider the motion will be.  If your motion is limited because you aren't flexible but are instead rigid, that means that you won't have that range of motion.  It's important to be flexible, but not too flexible.  The balance is always important, as having too much or little stretches you too much or limits you too much.

Limiting yourself allows you to focus on the important things, however, in unlimiting yourself, you can instead spread yourself thin and not accomplish anything.  Therefore, it's important to have that balance... the flexibility that allows you to move enough and effect areas where you can make a positive impact in. 

When you give yourself that flexibility, you're not stuck on one thing, getting tired and stressed.  You're able to move around and do more.  Just like the ants from Bugs Life went around the leaf, flexibility allows the individual to go a new way to get to their original goal.  You aren't stuck with only one thing and one way.  In my training, there isn't just one way for me to get in shape to run this 100 miler.  There are multiple ways.  This means that no matter what comes my way, my flexibility allows me to plod onward towards my goal.

A couple days ago, I ran 10.69 miles in 1:17:26, an average of 7:14 min/mile.  Today, I'm looking at where I am and am not interested in running that far or that fast because there are proper steps I need to take.  My main goal is to have my health level higher than before... not my fitness, and in order to succeed in running this 100 mile race, that is the most important thing for me.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Epic Friday

Last night, I decided before I went to sleep, that Friday would be called Epic Friday (#EpicFriday) and so everything I did that day became epic. 

Here's my Epic Recap

16 min to wake up and get to school (EPIC LVL 2)
Taught my class a song about the ribs (EPIC LVL 1)
Ate Birthday cake while watching CSI and having a really sweet conversation with a good friend (EPIC LVL 1)
Trail-blazed up House Mountain and got bushwhacked (EPIC LVL 3)
Ate 10 pancakes and sides at IHOP (EPIC LVL 1)
20 min nap at Steven's church (not really epic...)
Went to the Gallery in Gay Street and talked to the artists and groups there, building relationships with them, talked about how they got their inspiration and listening to drumming (EPIC LVL 2)
Random happenstance meeting with Lynne and made a new Facebook (and real life) friend, Andrew (EPIC LVL 3)
Sitting at Starbucks with an Apple Chai Latte and on Facebook (EPIC LVL... satisfied)


It was totally worth it.  I had a day filled with so many things.  I was up and moving, I was enjoying life, I was living as I should.

It's important to have days like these in order to remember how to enjoy your life.  Sometimes, we get sidetracked with the many things that we have to do, that we never take time to live life.

The day before, I ran 11.51 miles altogether in 3 different runs.  All business but at the same time, enjoyable because I knew where I was getting myself.  Today, on the other hand, I didn't measure out my miles in the mountain run, but I probably had about 4 miles throughout the whole day.  Running up a mountain was tough and running down was fun.  Walking around Market Square was another little healthy and fun bit.  This whole day was filled with action and events that made me enjoy this day even more.  A productive day is a really awesome day... or rather... an epic day.

Remember to have your Epic Day.