Wednesday, August 19, 2015

What Doesn't Kill You

It seems like my life is back to a very strict routine of sleep, eat, run, recover, work, repeat.
Once the weekly mileage gets up to the 70k mark I find that I don't have the energy for anything much more than this. And yet for this marathon cycle I have added more. Because I am a masochist. And because #1 son has sworn to me on his life that the more that I'm doing will reduce the risk of my knee crapping out on me in Melbourne.

This week's session at Bodytrack I unwisely scheduled on Tuesday. I say unwisely because Tuesday's speed day and speed is always a tough workout. This particular Tuesday was even tougher than usual. Probably because Coach Chris could sense that I had a strength session on later and he is a sadist. It was a hellish 9 km of running loops around a steep hilly circuit. Even the recovery involved running up a hill which I mentioned to Coach Chris may actually take the recovery effect out of it but he wasn't having any of it. As I said - he's a sadist!

I finished the session knowing that my glutes had gotten a good workout but also knowing that there was more to come. 

I did what I could to recover in the little time I had. Ate, stretched, showered. collapsed on the bed with the wolf pack on top of me and then I geared up and headed off. And when I arrived I complained to everyone in earshot that I'd already run 11k that day. On hills. At speed. Hoping that whining would get me a slight reprieve. 

Dan, my EP, looked concerned. Possibly at my choice of wardrobe. Then offered a slight modification to my session. We would start with some glute-release stretches before he trashed them again.

Stretching at Bodytrack is pretty awesome because basically I don't have to do any of the work. I just lie there and get stretched. Heaven! The first stretch we did was a hamstring one. Dan was up on the swiss ball with my leg over his shoulder pushing towards me when something that would have been inappropriate in any other setting came out of his mouth.

'Are those tights new? They smell new.'

I am unaccustomed to anyone sniffing my clothing so it was hard to know how to react. I was momentarily grateful that the comment hadn't been 'Did you just fart? Smells like you had beans for dinner' or 'Did you even bother to shower after your run? Smells like you didn't'. And then I realised that Dan is a kindred spirit. I too sometimes let things fall out of my mouth without filtering them first. And I like that feature in others.

As it so happened they were new. I've been making up samples for a client and field-testing them to make sure they do what they're supposed to do. Of course I've opted for the loudest colours I could find. Makes me a little more visible when I'm running in the pre-dawn gloom. 


But back to the session. Dan was very good about me laughing at him and then got his own revenge through a variety of cruel and unusual squats, squats and more squats. With resistance, on a decline board, stepping up, balancing on a bosu ball (and I use the term balancing very loosely - it's intent rather than execution). He even threw in some upper body stuff because he couldn't stand the thought of leaving any of my muscle groups without pain.

Damn he's good! And by good I mean cruel but able to make me smile while I'm hurting.

And he picks on everything! Not one flaw in positioning or movement escapes his eagle eye. I thought I had a flat back before he took this photo and showed me how arched it actually was.


The visual made it easier to correct my form and voilĂ  - the back is flatter.


I left the session shattered but feeling satisfied that there is improvement and that I always get an A+ for plank position. 

Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. I'm 52 and training harder than I did when I was in my 20s. And then I realise that I CAN do it and why not while I still can. I still have goals and goals don't have age-limits.

12 comments:

  1. "Goals don't have age limits" let me tattoo that one to my forehead!

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  2. Nice tights. They look new, too.

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  3. Only 11km... so you were nicely warmed up for your session!
    Love the tights can you send me a pair!

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  4. They smell new. Classic! Wish I were closer, Id be a tights ordering machine. You are killing your training, my friend. Great thoughts about age and goals.

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  5. and I hear there is an even louder pair of tights on the horizon. I know the truth though, and it is not for the pre dawn visibility excuse at all, but more for the 'searching without your glasses on for the loudest, most in your face piece of clothing'

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  6. I think you do it because you love it and enjoy it. There should be more people in the world finding something to do what they love, makes life so much more fun.

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  7. You are just a lean, mean, fighting machine Char. I adore those tights. It's funny how the mouth filter slips when you're with people you're truly comfortable with :)

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  8. I often ask myself why I train like I do too! We must have been dropped on our heads when we were children - I'm last of 5, so I know I probably was! I pinned the tights to my HalfCrazed Pinterest - Love 'em

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  9. I love those tights!! I don't know where you find those fabrics, but you need to branch out into the workout clothes business. Can you make ski tights too? So the next time I go skiing they know where to find my body?

    Also, have you ever had a Thai massage? It's sort of like stretching or yoga but someone does the yoga to you.

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  10. All that work will pay. I am sure you are doing very well. The stretch on the big ball is very useful it solved some back problems of mine.
    Unfortunately when I was 20 my work was harder, I had to play rugby.

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  11. I love the new tights but you continue to amaze me Char.... Your strength and motivation know no bounds!

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  12. You CAN do it in AWESOME tights to boot :-)

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I love hearing from you.