Today, my plan stated that I was to run 8 miles, but I didn't feel like running 8 miles, and my shins were telling me that I needed a little break. Instead, all I did was just go to the gym and get some exercise done. I did 24 pull ups, 59 push ups, and cycled for 30 min. After all that, I stretched my legs and went home.
Sometimes, it's just the simple work outs that you need. Sometimes, you have to take a step off your plans and go with what you feel. Change it up, add something new, and most importantly, take care of your body. Most people get injured because they have a hard-core plan that they 'need' to stick too. It's important to be able to let your plans go and taking steps towards your ultimate plan.
When you have a plan towards becoming a professional athlete, would you stick to your running program if you knew it was going to hurt you? No! So if you look at the end goal and don't see that what you're doing right now is helping you along, then don't do it. Take a break. Go off course and make new plans.
In this day and age, we can only survive by adapting, and sometimes, when we adapt, we go against our plans that are 'supposed' to do, and alter our course in order to get to the place where we need to be.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Conditioning Your Body
There's a fine point to conditioning your body and damaging your body. Each person has their own limit to what they can do at a certain point. When we go past that point, our body can choose to adapt and grow stronger (conditioning) or it can choose to not adapt and end up destroying itself. It's important to know your body well enough and know where you are at in order to condition yourself. Before every season, football players have a conditioning session in which they get pushed to grow. Although the sessions are meant to jump start the growth of the individual, assisting in making the individual stronger, sometimes, it can be too much and injuries are likely to take place. The grey area between our limits and our destruction is where our bodies find ways to adapt. When we barely go beyond our limits, our body will slowly adapt, but the adaptation will take long due to the small amount we are going beyond the limit. However, going close to destroying yourself isn't a fun place to be. When training, it's important to know that it isn't just one day that makes you into who you are. In fact, your life as a whole pushes you towards the destruction point while each day you rest helps lower the level you are currently at. If you continuously push, you'll end up at that point, and from there on, it's downhill and you would need a lot of recovery time in order to get to where you need to be.
When you condition your body, you push the limits, forcing the body to adapt. Given enough time, the body will adapt and a new limit would be made, pushing the 'destruction zone' further away. With a good and healthy balance and force, one could improve themselves to become stronger. In the same way, when we work, we adapt to what we do. When we go beyond what we can handle, we might be able to finish our objective, but we would go into a 'burnout' stage where we wouldn't be able to handle simple tasks. Balance is the key to conditioning your body, and the more you know yourself, the better you can be at balancing the amount of work you put upon yourself.
Today, I went for a run, running 7 miles in 52:53, an average of 7:33. I wasn't working too hard, but because of my current body condition, my nice and easy time has slightly improved. After eating a good dinner, I proceeded to go to the gym and work out. I did 22 pull ups, 55 push ups, cycled for an hour (17.4 miles) and did 220 single leg calf raises per calf, and due to how late it was, I had to leave. Because of all the hard work that I have been doing almost every day, I've been able to push into the grey zone without going into the destruction zone. Working towards a goal means conditioning your body to be able to achieve that goal. I can't wait to condition my body to get there.
When you condition your body, you push the limits, forcing the body to adapt. Given enough time, the body will adapt and a new limit would be made, pushing the 'destruction zone' further away. With a good and healthy balance and force, one could improve themselves to become stronger. In the same way, when we work, we adapt to what we do. When we go beyond what we can handle, we might be able to finish our objective, but we would go into a 'burnout' stage where we wouldn't be able to handle simple tasks. Balance is the key to conditioning your body, and the more you know yourself, the better you can be at balancing the amount of work you put upon yourself.
Today, I went for a run, running 7 miles in 52:53, an average of 7:33. I wasn't working too hard, but because of my current body condition, my nice and easy time has slightly improved. After eating a good dinner, I proceeded to go to the gym and work out. I did 22 pull ups, 55 push ups, cycled for an hour (17.4 miles) and did 220 single leg calf raises per calf, and due to how late it was, I had to leave. Because of all the hard work that I have been doing almost every day, I've been able to push into the grey zone without going into the destruction zone. Working towards a goal means conditioning your body to be able to achieve that goal. I can't wait to condition my body to get there.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
To be a Team
I work at a school and I work with Kindergarten all the way to 4th grade. At the first class, I went through the rules, and talked about how each class was a team that worked together. We first formed a circle with out hands to remind us what a circle looked like, and after everyone 'figured out' what a circle was, I gave them 5 seconds to create a circle that would include me. They had a difficult time because it wasn't enough time and they couldn't communicate clearly what needed to be done. After giving them a little more time, I asked whether or not it was a circle. After finally making a circle, I asked them what would happen should someone step out. Would it be a circle? Immediately, they answered no, because a circle is only a circle if everything is connected. Should there be a missing piece, it's not whole, and therefore, not a circle.
It's the same way with running a long distance race, or working in an office... in every day life. You work with people, and you are all part of a team. Should one individual mess up, the whole team is messed up. Every individual counts, and in order to become the best, you have to make sure that each individual is in their top shape and ready to work their hardest.
Today, I played wallyball with my sister and friends, and for 3 straight hours, we played... and I didn't lose a single game. Part of it was because we got lucky, but on most of them, because of the teamwork that my team had, we were able to out-hustle the opponent and win. Now it's a good thing that I'm rather athletic, and the same for my sister, but it was the teamwork that really pulled everything together. With good teamwork, you can do so much, and if that teamwork didn't exist, then it would be more or less chaotic and the team would be a group of individuals with their own specific goals and it wouldn't work nearly as well. Working together, it's not a matter of 10+10, but rather 10X10, improving the amount of output.
Teamwork is what brings people together. Teamwork is what gives us good results. Without teamwork, we won't be able to excel as well, able to produce as much. It is teamwork that helps each individual work together as efficiently as possible.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Catch the Olympians
Once every 4 years, the Olympics picks out the best from each country to represent and compete against each other to find out who truly is the best. After watching the 10,000m race featuring Mo and Galen, winning gold and silver, I was encouraged to make my place on the Olympic team. I have 4 years to get to that speed, which seems like a lot of time, but for someone who doesn't have the same history as the professional runners, it's barely enough time to do so.
In order to be able to compete in the Olympics, the individual has to qualify for an Olympic Trial. Depending on the sport, there is a certain number that can go per event, and as for me, as I want to run the marathon, I need to be able to be the top three American to run that race. This past year, the top three times were as follows:
1. Meb Keflezighi 2:09:08
2. Ryan Hall 2:09:30
3. Abdi Abdirahman 2:09:47
Dathan Ritzenhein, who placed 4th was only 8 second behind Abdi, with 5th place far behind, but it didn't matter. Only the top three can advance from the trials to the Olympics. In order to get into the trials, you needed to qualify:
The Men's Standards
A-Standard
Marathon - 2:19:00 and under
Half Marathon - 1:05:00 and under
10,000 m - 28:30 and under
All this needs to be done in order to participate in the Trials, which determines your entry to the Olympics. Looking at my best time and at the times for the Trials, I would have made last place because of how slow my running is, compared to them. In order to compete and manage to secure a spot on the Olympic team, I need to get below 2:10 and beat the whole field. Having 4 years is a lot of time to build and develop the right kind of strength and endurance for this race. Having a goal in mind, it's easier to take those steps towards that goal. Two specific things I need to take from this. One is to make sure to train for endurance because stamina is a vital role in the running world. The second is to make sure that you get the quick speed and able to run fast. Putting those together would make the perfect marathoner.
Like I said, there's going to be a lot of work needed in order to get there, make sure to give it your all for both endurance and speed. Use your knowledge and catch the Olympians.
In order to be able to compete in the Olympics, the individual has to qualify for an Olympic Trial. Depending on the sport, there is a certain number that can go per event, and as for me, as I want to run the marathon, I need to be able to be the top three American to run that race. This past year, the top three times were as follows:
1. Meb Keflezighi 2:09:08
2. Ryan Hall 2:09:30
3. Abdi Abdirahman 2:09:47
Dathan Ritzenhein, who placed 4th was only 8 second behind Abdi, with 5th place far behind, but it didn't matter. Only the top three can advance from the trials to the Olympics. In order to get into the trials, you needed to qualify:
The Men's Standards
A-Standard
Marathon - 2:19:00 and under
Half Marathon - 1:05:00 and under
10,000 m - 28:30 and under
All this needs to be done in order to participate in the Trials, which determines your entry to the Olympics. Looking at my best time and at the times for the Trials, I would have made last place because of how slow my running is, compared to them. In order to compete and manage to secure a spot on the Olympic team, I need to get below 2:10 and beat the whole field. Having 4 years is a lot of time to build and develop the right kind of strength and endurance for this race. Having a goal in mind, it's easier to take those steps towards that goal. Two specific things I need to take from this. One is to make sure to train for endurance because stamina is a vital role in the running world. The second is to make sure that you get the quick speed and able to run fast. Putting those together would make the perfect marathoner.
Like I said, there's going to be a lot of work needed in order to get there, make sure to give it your all for both endurance and speed. Use your knowledge and catch the Olympians.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Breaking Point
Everybody has a breaking point, the point at which one little thing would break you. At that point, you've already had cracks go all over, and you're not able to maintain your 'shape'. In running and exercising, I've pushed myself considerably, but because of the little rest I've been giving myself, I'm at a point where if I keep on going, I would hurt myself. It's pretty sweet to get to that point and stop and watch yourself recover from all that hard work you've been putting in. It's not the normal soreness that goes away and makes you feel better. This was different. It was where you knew that if you keep on running too much, you'll end up hurt.
Training to the breaking point is very good, but at the same time, it could be pretty dangerous. Knowing where that point is will help you become stronger. Not knowing can be detrimental to your health. Once you know where that point is, you can train to it, pushing your body to the limit, and thus pushing the limits even further when you recover. Now that I know that I can run for 26.2 miles the day after running 11 and then keep on working out for the next few days, I know that my stamina has increased and I still need to focus on speed in order to help me with the 5k that I would be doing in a couple of weeks.
The Breaking Point is where you shouldn't push your body any more, and because of that, I'm glad to say that I won't be doing any running or any sort of exercise for the whole day, the next day. Today, I ran to the gym (3.22 miles in 27:42, an average of 8:46 min/mile) and then did my 20 pull ups, 50 push ups, and then finished off with 30 minutes on the stationary bike and sauna for 20 minutes to loosen my muscles. After that workout, I ran home (1.85 miles in 14:48, an average of 7:59 min/mile. As an easy day, I'd say that that was a good run. Can't wait til my body recovers to run another long run.
Training to the breaking point is very good, but at the same time, it could be pretty dangerous. Knowing where that point is will help you become stronger. Not knowing can be detrimental to your health. Once you know where that point is, you can train to it, pushing your body to the limit, and thus pushing the limits even further when you recover. Now that I know that I can run for 26.2 miles the day after running 11 and then keep on working out for the next few days, I know that my stamina has increased and I still need to focus on speed in order to help me with the 5k that I would be doing in a couple of weeks.
The Breaking Point is where you shouldn't push your body any more, and because of that, I'm glad to say that I won't be doing any running or any sort of exercise for the whole day, the next day. Today, I ran to the gym (3.22 miles in 27:42, an average of 8:46 min/mile) and then did my 20 pull ups, 50 push ups, and then finished off with 30 minutes on the stationary bike and sauna for 20 minutes to loosen my muscles. After that workout, I ran home (1.85 miles in 14:48, an average of 7:59 min/mile. As an easy day, I'd say that that was a good run. Can't wait til my body recovers to run another long run.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
How to Become a Beast
Two days ago, I ran a marathon on the treadmill.... one of the worst decisions in my life, second to running a 50 miler with a month of training. Yesterday, I just worked out at the gym only for a little bit. Today, I went to the gym did 20 pull ups, 54 push ups, and then cycled for an hour before stretching and then going to play indoor soccer. I played hard for the time that I was out there, and although I thought that the marathon would have affected my stamina, I found out that my stamina wasn't too affected by the marathon. This meant that the marathon that I ran was not at my 'best' (probably because I ran the day before, making it so that I didn't feel like pushing hard during the marathon). Because I prepared beforehand and brought a lot of drinks, I wasn't dehydrated nor lost salt, but I was getting closer to losing energy from carbs. I managed to get through without going through my glycogen storage, but I was pretty close. As soon as I went back, I ate a lot of food in order to replenish myself and recover as much as I could, and the next day, I was fine.
Now normally, when a person does a marathon, the glycogen storage is depleted, and the individual is usually dehydrated and doesn't have enough salt in his/her system, but in my case, it was different. I made sure to prepare for it, and accidentally didn't push myself to a point where I wouldn't be able to recover. Considering that I'm training for a 5k, this might be a little extreme, but it certainly showed me that I'm ready to tackle almost anything. I have the stamina it takes to run long distances. I'm building speed to run the short races. As today, I played a lot of soccer, I really pushed myself to improve my speed. It feels so good to be able to run as fast as you can, to challenge another person, to get in the way, to force people to make mistakes, to reach long passes, and to score goals. All these things help me push my body to run fast, to take it up a notch.
How do you reach that? Do you one day wake up and find yourself able to run marathons and play soccer back to back? No. A lot of work needs to be put into it, and the lifestyle of the individual must be geared towards being able to do all that work. Dedication is what brings you to that point. When you keep on pushing yourself, your body adapts to your lifestyle and choices, and little by little, begins to shape and becomes something stronger. Just as every pound from the blacksmith's hammer strengthens the sword, each day of training strengthens the individual as he or she grows. To become a beast, you must train like a beast. When you have a goal and you run towards it, the chances of you making it is considerably higher than when you're only half-heartedly going for it. Keep on strengthening yourself in the proper way and you can become a beast. It doesn't matter if it's a physical beast, or just a working beast. If you really want to become a beast, you'll get there because you'll push and shove til you reach that point.
Now normally, when a person does a marathon, the glycogen storage is depleted, and the individual is usually dehydrated and doesn't have enough salt in his/her system, but in my case, it was different. I made sure to prepare for it, and accidentally didn't push myself to a point where I wouldn't be able to recover. Considering that I'm training for a 5k, this might be a little extreme, but it certainly showed me that I'm ready to tackle almost anything. I have the stamina it takes to run long distances. I'm building speed to run the short races. As today, I played a lot of soccer, I really pushed myself to improve my speed. It feels so good to be able to run as fast as you can, to challenge another person, to get in the way, to force people to make mistakes, to reach long passes, and to score goals. All these things help me push my body to run fast, to take it up a notch.
How do you reach that? Do you one day wake up and find yourself able to run marathons and play soccer back to back? No. A lot of work needs to be put into it, and the lifestyle of the individual must be geared towards being able to do all that work. Dedication is what brings you to that point. When you keep on pushing yourself, your body adapts to your lifestyle and choices, and little by little, begins to shape and becomes something stronger. Just as every pound from the blacksmith's hammer strengthens the sword, each day of training strengthens the individual as he or she grows. To become a beast, you must train like a beast. When you have a goal and you run towards it, the chances of you making it is considerably higher than when you're only half-heartedly going for it. Keep on strengthening yourself in the proper way and you can become a beast. It doesn't matter if it's a physical beast, or just a working beast. If you really want to become a beast, you'll get there because you'll push and shove til you reach that point.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Giving it Your Best
I've read on the news about how different badminton teams were disqualified because they lost on purpose. I'm personally glad that they got disqualified because of that, because I believe that in a competition, the teams ought to do their best to win everything. When a team forfeits a match on purpose, it is for one thing, a very disrespectful thing to do, and secondly, it shows that you don't really have what it takes to be a true Olympian. The thing about the Olympics is that the best athletes have been training for years in order to compete in this event, representing their own country, and attempting to win gold.
It is both an honor and a privilege for the athlete to be participating in the Olympics. Because of that honor and privilege, I believe that each athlete ought to do their best, and to not do so would be a shame, not just to them, but also to their countries. Giving it your best means that until the buzzer sounds, or the time runs out, or there is a pin... anything, you will not stop.
An image is played in my head of a volleyball game. As long as the ball is in the air, the ball is still alive and something could happen. A libero is a defensive specialist, good at both digging and passing. As long as the ball hasn't touched the ground, the libero will dive and roll and somehow get to the ball, helping it so that the team wouldn't lose a point. As long as there's enough space to put a hand under the ball, then there's a chance to keep that ball alive. If there's a chance, there's hope, and if there's hope, there can be a future, if there's a future, you may be able to win.
Today, I didn't run because of a hard day yesterday, but instead, I did 22 pull ups, 55 push ups, cycled for 20 minutes, and worked on my forearms by hanging off a pull up bar. My goal is to do well in this upcoming 5k, and although it's going to be rough, I'm going to push through and without giving up, race at a very fast pace. The same thing for the 50 miler in October, I will give it everything I've got and push on forward to the finish.
Giving it your best gives you hope, and that hope leads you forward.
It is both an honor and a privilege for the athlete to be participating in the Olympics. Because of that honor and privilege, I believe that each athlete ought to do their best, and to not do so would be a shame, not just to them, but also to their countries. Giving it your best means that until the buzzer sounds, or the time runs out, or there is a pin... anything, you will not stop.
An image is played in my head of a volleyball game. As long as the ball is in the air, the ball is still alive and something could happen. A libero is a defensive specialist, good at both digging and passing. As long as the ball hasn't touched the ground, the libero will dive and roll and somehow get to the ball, helping it so that the team wouldn't lose a point. As long as there's enough space to put a hand under the ball, then there's a chance to keep that ball alive. If there's a chance, there's hope, and if there's hope, there can be a future, if there's a future, you may be able to win.
Today, I didn't run because of a hard day yesterday, but instead, I did 22 pull ups, 55 push ups, cycled for 20 minutes, and worked on my forearms by hanging off a pull up bar. My goal is to do well in this upcoming 5k, and although it's going to be rough, I'm going to push through and without giving up, race at a very fast pace. The same thing for the 50 miler in October, I will give it everything I've got and push on forward to the finish.
Giving it your best gives you hope, and that hope leads you forward.
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