Now, when I say I need to lose weight, it's not just for health reasons. I want to lose all the excess weight in order to run faster. Sometimes, the weight that we don't need for running just needs to go if you want to compete. Although it may be a lot of muscle, the thing is, when running, it doesn't matter what you have, if you don't need it, then it's just extra things you could get rid of. Of course, it's important for me to lose some of the fat, but I can't segregate. I need to make sure that I mold my body into the most running efficient shape. Only with the 'perfect' body can I have the 'perfect' speed. Less weight is more of a side effect, rather than the main point. Most people tend to think of losing weight as the main goal, instead of chiseling their body. Make sure you do that, focusing on your true goal, instead of your side effects.
Now, in order to step towards my goal, it's important that I lose weight, and I do aim at correcting my weight in various ways. One is diet, the other is activity. With those two things, I can alter my body size and shape, and am able to run at my best.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The 7.6%
This year, for the Western States 100, there was only a 7.6% chance for me to enter. Of course, I tried out for it, and today, as I waited for the names to be called... out of the 275 names, my name was not a part of that. For a moment, I heard Knoxville TN being called and my heart started beating really fast. Unfortunately, it was someone else. I had hoped that I might get lucky, but that was not the case. Maybe I wasn't really ready for it anyway. Either way, I'm not going, and I'll have to try again next year. We'll see where that goes.
The thing is, 7.6% is an awful small chance, but there are a lot of people that took that chance and won. Next year, should I try again, my chances would double, but we'll see what happens when that time comes. Trying is always better than not trying. Although you know what the results are, there's a big difference between 7.6% and 0%. I would always choose the 7.6% because having a chance is more than not having a chance.
To take that chance is the strength you need. Finding strength to attempt to do something that you might not achieve is something noteworthy. Now THAT is truly what strength is.
Find that strength, make that leap of faith, and go for your dreams. You may get it, you might not... but the fact is, you tried, you went for it... and that itself is a huge accomplishment.
The thing is, 7.6% is an awful small chance, but there are a lot of people that took that chance and won. Next year, should I try again, my chances would double, but we'll see what happens when that time comes. Trying is always better than not trying. Although you know what the results are, there's a big difference between 7.6% and 0%. I would always choose the 7.6% because having a chance is more than not having a chance.
To take that chance is the strength you need. Finding strength to attempt to do something that you might not achieve is something noteworthy. Now THAT is truly what strength is.
Find that strength, make that leap of faith, and go for your dreams. You may get it, you might not... but the fact is, you tried, you went for it... and that itself is a huge accomplishment.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Stretching Yourself
There's a fine line between stretching yourself and straining yourself. Straining implies that you've put a little too much into what you're doing while stretching implies that you're going just a little further. Stretching helps you get better while straining destroys you. Now when I talk about stretching yourself, I'm not just talking about the importance of stretching before and after your runs, I'm talking about putting yourself slightly beyond what you're used to doing and training to improve. On Tuesday, I went out for the hard run where I pushed myself hard. Now it seems as if the right thing to do would be to take a rest the next day, but instead, I opted out and decided I'd stretch myself just a little bit and go a medium distance. I went out, and gave myself a minimum of 40 min to a maximum of 1:20 of running. During the run, I thought about how I wanted to grow, and decided that I needed to get my longer distances down if I was going to train for an ultra marathon, so I went with the 1:20, running out 40 minutes and hoping I can run back faster. Of course, I didn't go all out and try to run hard both ways the day after running a speed work out. Instead, I went pretty easily. Altogether, I ran 9.9 miles in 1:16:21, an average of 7:42 min/mile.
Stretching yourself enables you to grow, and you only grow the direction you stretch yourself. Knowing that, it's important to know the directions you want to grow, so that you can stretch yourself. Also, it's important to not stretch yourself in multiple directions at once because in doing so, you can stretch yourself too much in different directions so that you don't stretch too much at all, becoming a jack of all trades and masters of none. Focus on what you want to be and stretch yourself in that way, and you will grow fast.
Stretching yourself enables you to grow, and you only grow the direction you stretch yourself. Knowing that, it's important to know the directions you want to grow, so that you can stretch yourself. Also, it's important to not stretch yourself in multiple directions at once because in doing so, you can stretch yourself too much in different directions so that you don't stretch too much at all, becoming a jack of all trades and masters of none. Focus on what you want to be and stretch yourself in that way, and you will grow fast.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Unlimited Running
When I run, I enjoy running how long I feel like running... how fast I feel like running... when I feel like running. I have these guidelines that I put on myself that I more or less follow. With these guidelines, I have the general idea of what I'm going to do. Sometimes, mid-run, I change my mind and I go off and do something else. Although my running may seem somewhat random, there is some sort of purpose with each run I have. The hardest part about my running is that sometimes, I become lazy and think to myself, "Tomorrow, I'll run long, so today, I won't go too hard." and start off my run like that. However, what tends to happen is that I would change my mind and decide to work harder or run longer and tomorrow decide how my run would turn out to be.
In giving myself the freedom to choose my own workouts and how much I do, I give myself a potential of an unlimited amount of running. Usually, because of my passion towards running and the yearning I have to become better, I tend to push myself just hard enough that I run further and get better. The thing about letting go of my limits and following how I feel is that it allows me to grow further than I would have, had I limited myself to a certain sort of work out. A set workout will control your growth, however, it limits your growth to your plans, not allowing you to stretch further.
My idea of unlimited running only works if you're mentally prepared to push yourself as much as you are able to after understanding yourself. Most people who start running shouldn't do this because most of the time, they won't feel like running and will be more likely to skip work outs because they'll try to deal with themselves. However, there will always be the exceptions which will do just fine with this sort of training. In actually understanding the concept of unlimited running, you will be able to push yourself as far as you can without hurting yourself.
Being able to put yourself through the unlimited training, and you can perform amazingly. In order to improve yourself, it's all about not having any limitations that keeps you from performing at your best. At times, things we set out to do pushes us too much... and at times, it pushes us too little. Only in pushing ourselves enough do we improve the most effectively. Find that point where you can improve at your best, and push forward.
(today, I did a 3 mile warm up, then 800 meters at 80-85 sec per lap, then a 400 meter jog. I repeated that 4 times altogether, and then did a 3 mile cool down. It was nice to push myself on that 800 meter... my original plan was to run 400 meters hard and take a break and repeating that. Finding out that I could go beyond that and enjoy it as I pushed myself, I changed my mind mid-run)
In giving myself the freedom to choose my own workouts and how much I do, I give myself a potential of an unlimited amount of running. Usually, because of my passion towards running and the yearning I have to become better, I tend to push myself just hard enough that I run further and get better. The thing about letting go of my limits and following how I feel is that it allows me to grow further than I would have, had I limited myself to a certain sort of work out. A set workout will control your growth, however, it limits your growth to your plans, not allowing you to stretch further.
My idea of unlimited running only works if you're mentally prepared to push yourself as much as you are able to after understanding yourself. Most people who start running shouldn't do this because most of the time, they won't feel like running and will be more likely to skip work outs because they'll try to deal with themselves. However, there will always be the exceptions which will do just fine with this sort of training. In actually understanding the concept of unlimited running, you will be able to push yourself as far as you can without hurting yourself.
Being able to put yourself through the unlimited training, and you can perform amazingly. In order to improve yourself, it's all about not having any limitations that keeps you from performing at your best. At times, things we set out to do pushes us too much... and at times, it pushes us too little. Only in pushing ourselves enough do we improve the most effectively. Find that point where you can improve at your best, and push forward.
(today, I did a 3 mile warm up, then 800 meters at 80-85 sec per lap, then a 400 meter jog. I repeated that 4 times altogether, and then did a 3 mile cool down. It was nice to push myself on that 800 meter... my original plan was to run 400 meters hard and take a break and repeating that. Finding out that I could go beyond that and enjoy it as I pushed myself, I changed my mind mid-run)
Monday, December 3, 2012
Fit to Run
So on Saturday, I went on that epic journey (aka stupid run) of almost 22 miles, and for the next couple of days, my shoulders and back was a little sore from the run. That showed me that my upper body was not at the place it needed to be for long distance running. I needed to work on them in order to be able to run at my best.
Today, in order to combat that problem, I devised a really simple workout. It would incorporate building strength in the upper body and lower body but without gaining muscle. I did 4 sets of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 20 squats, 40 calf raises, and after that, did some shoulder exercises. I feel that by doing that and continuing to do that every day would help me grow.
You have to be fit to run long distances, and it's more than just your legs. Some people don't realize how important it is to train your upper body too. There's more than meets the eye...
Today, in order to combat that problem, I devised a really simple workout. It would incorporate building strength in the upper body and lower body but without gaining muscle. I did 4 sets of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 20 squats, 40 calf raises, and after that, did some shoulder exercises. I feel that by doing that and continuing to do that every day would help me grow.
You have to be fit to run long distances, and it's more than just your legs. Some people don't realize how important it is to train your upper body too. There's more than meets the eye...
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Find Your Niche
We all have different passions and different niches. We like certain foods, different places, and we have our preferences in what TV show we watch. We are all unique, different... and because of that, we have different groups of people we associate with.
I'm kind of crazy. I like running. I like music. I like food. I like people... and because of all the things that I like, I find it easy to just mesh with people. Obviously, my passion for running is outstanding and because of that, people kind of get to understanding how much I'm crazy about running... but I make sure to tone it down to not scare them away.
Finding your niche is important because it helps you stay comfortable, being in a place where you belong. Being in a place where you don't belong is going to wear and tear you up (or down...) and it's just not healthy for you. It's important to find that community of people who share your passions and preferences and associate with them. Common ground is what people need because it gives reassurance and stability.
I find that because of my love for running, the friends that I made while running encourages me to run further and to run faster... to keep on going because I have people with me that back me up and support me. Having that niche helped me find a good community, though they may be in different states... or even countries, and they've pushed me more than I could have pushed myself.
Finding a community that shares what you believe in, that understands you, is important because of the encouragement and strength they give you. Finding that niche helps you work towards your goals.
Go find your niche.
I'm kind of crazy. I like running. I like music. I like food. I like people... and because of all the things that I like, I find it easy to just mesh with people. Obviously, my passion for running is outstanding and because of that, people kind of get to understanding how much I'm crazy about running... but I make sure to tone it down to not scare them away.
Finding your niche is important because it helps you stay comfortable, being in a place where you belong. Being in a place where you don't belong is going to wear and tear you up (or down...) and it's just not healthy for you. It's important to find that community of people who share your passions and preferences and associate with them. Common ground is what people need because it gives reassurance and stability.
I find that because of my love for running, the friends that I made while running encourages me to run further and to run faster... to keep on going because I have people with me that back me up and support me. Having that niche helped me find a good community, though they may be in different states... or even countries, and they've pushed me more than I could have pushed myself.
Finding a community that shares what you believe in, that understands you, is important because of the encouragement and strength they give you. Finding that niche helps you work towards your goals.
Go find your niche.
Being Smart
Sometimes, you make dumb decisions. But just because you make them doesn't mean that you're going to mess up your life. The decisions might have not been the best, but you can still learn and grow from the decisions you made. It's important that you know you can do something about it.
Today, I went out for my long run, and my original plan was to go out for an hour and a bit and then come back. I went out, and kept on going, and by the time I was suppose to go back, it seemed like I could probably find a way that I could go around in a circle. Bad idea... I only had a banana and a glass of water before I left, and when I decided I would do that, I went out for 3:21:18, running 21.81 miles, which was a 9:13 min/mile pace. Now I didn't run the whole thing that slow. What happened in the run was that I was running about 7-8 min/mile pace, and felt pretty good. When I decided to keep on going, I kept up that pace til I was about 14 miles into the run. Then I looked at where I needed to be and figured out that at my current pace, I wouldn't be able to make it... especially without water and the proper amounts of energy inside my body.
If you make a dumb decision, you can make the most of it by using your brain. First of all. I made a dumb decision by running without eating breakfast and taking water. I also decided that I'd be running a long run. Now, if I kept on making dumb decisions, then I would have ended up on the side of the road, dehydrated and without energy. Knowing the cards I've dealt myself, I needed to make the most of it. That meant that the last 7 miles would need to be a smart 7 miles. I chose to walk some of it because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it by forcing myself to go on. I also decided to continually check my pulse to make sure it wasn't too high so that I would be able to tell if I'm using too much energy from carbs rather than from fat. I also made sure to breath out with my nose to insure that I wouldn't lose too much water from the water vapor that would come out of my mouth. Breathing in and out through the nose protects you from losing too much water. (works great in survival situations too!)
People make mistakes... that's a sad given. However, just know that the mistakes are not your undoing. Learn from it, rise from it, and make the right decisions to go forward in the right direction.
Today, I went out for my long run, and my original plan was to go out for an hour and a bit and then come back. I went out, and kept on going, and by the time I was suppose to go back, it seemed like I could probably find a way that I could go around in a circle. Bad idea... I only had a banana and a glass of water before I left, and when I decided I would do that, I went out for 3:21:18, running 21.81 miles, which was a 9:13 min/mile pace. Now I didn't run the whole thing that slow. What happened in the run was that I was running about 7-8 min/mile pace, and felt pretty good. When I decided to keep on going, I kept up that pace til I was about 14 miles into the run. Then I looked at where I needed to be and figured out that at my current pace, I wouldn't be able to make it... especially without water and the proper amounts of energy inside my body.
If you make a dumb decision, you can make the most of it by using your brain. First of all. I made a dumb decision by running without eating breakfast and taking water. I also decided that I'd be running a long run. Now, if I kept on making dumb decisions, then I would have ended up on the side of the road, dehydrated and without energy. Knowing the cards I've dealt myself, I needed to make the most of it. That meant that the last 7 miles would need to be a smart 7 miles. I chose to walk some of it because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it by forcing myself to go on. I also decided to continually check my pulse to make sure it wasn't too high so that I would be able to tell if I'm using too much energy from carbs rather than from fat. I also made sure to breath out with my nose to insure that I wouldn't lose too much water from the water vapor that would come out of my mouth. Breathing in and out through the nose protects you from losing too much water. (works great in survival situations too!)
People make mistakes... that's a sad given. However, just know that the mistakes are not your undoing. Learn from it, rise from it, and make the right decisions to go forward in the right direction.
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