i think i left my ipod at the gym last night, now it is MIA. i’m pretty pissed about that.
went out for a track run this morning:
-WU, mobility, sprint drills
-8x100; set up as: run 100m-25 situps-100m-25 back ext-100m-pushups-100m-calf raises. rest 2 min, do it again. rest 3 min.
-4x50m (5-hurdle) 5-step runs, walk back btw
-5x200m, walk 200 btw.
so it works out to the same meterage as if i had done 10x200, but this way i got a bit of different work in, including hurdles since my coach said i could start going over a few to get the feeling back.
feeling alright today, I slept an ok amount and have laid off the caffeine.
really i never thought i’d say it, but i just want to go home :o i want to relax and wrestle with my dog and not have to be in a worry frenzy all the time over school.
my lower legs are pretty shot today- i realized that when i go to model now they put this firm mat down on the platform for me to stand on, which is nice because then my feet don’t fall asleep so easily. however, if i have to balance my weight anywhere off-center, which i almost always do for variety, then my feet have to grip the mat to keep my balance the whole time and alllll those muscles start to get pretty tired. it was sort of embarassing, my left leg actually started having a spasm while i was in a standing pose and was twitching and shaking, i was totally sure they were going to say something or ask me if i needed to move… which they didn’t, and i never bail out on poses, so thank god it was only 15 min.
anyway, went for my longer run-
-5 min WU jog, 25 min steady and harder, with a couple longer (5 min) faster intervals and a couple hills (3 min.) 5 min CD
It was one of those days where i felt like i could have gone on forever, but i spared my shins and ankles the anguish and ended on a high note instead. Running without my music is actually kind of nice, it’s a different kind of focus. Iced my right shin and ankle.
I am moving the lower lift to tommorow, I think my legs could use a rest from pounding, so I will be able to lift hard. There was a bit of soreness and tiredness in them today so tommorow might be more productive. However I do seem to have bypassed the usual awful hurdle pain, i am hoping that easy the volume up very gradually over the next couple weeks will help keep that away. Starting next week we have a new lifting program- just one upper and one lower lift per week, longer lifts, presumably to each be done twice a week. I will be squatting again, finally.
I have been feeling pretty good, I have been focusing on procrastinating less and getting my work done, also getting more sleep and detoxing on the caffeine. It all seems to be working very nicely.
and with that, i am off to celebrate the (very likely) cancelled classes tommorow
-5 min bike, 10 min core
-dead-lifts on box: 7x45k, 7x50k, 7x55k, 2x5@60k; 100s btw
-DB lunges 2x7 (each leg) @55, 2x7 @50; paired with
-leg curls w/5s negative, 4x6@65 (i think). 90s btw
pressed for time, so i made the last two pairings into one big set-
-3x12 hanging garhammer, paired with
-3x8 glute-ham raises w/10lb plate. 60s btw
during the 60s btw each of those, i added in
-3x12 (each leg) calf raises, and 3x12 tibia raises @15.5 lbs.
I was pretty done after all that, but it was a good and efficient lift and I made some progress in just about everything.
the management is tough, but i am cracking down harder of myself with getting rid of all the procrastination and making the most of the free time i come across- for instance, if i get home from running and i have half an hour until dinner, i could just chill out and screw around… or i could get 30 pages of reading done. its a useful skill
i am talking about primarily adult work when i talk about filming- a lot of photo modeling and occasional videos.
did 10x1 min on 1 min off w/jogging rests between all of them, plus jogging WU and CD. sometime later did 10 min core circuit because i was cold. this is very good- i told my producer that i was getting upset about not working out on weekends while we’re working, and he woke me up this morning to go to the gym so i feel better about having gotten something done.
thanks
swamped with work and running low on sleep… this week is a tough one. It’s always hard to start the week out without sleep, because then it just builds… and then I get concerned about my hamstrings and shins and workout quality.
Assuming the fatigue is not so severe that I would actually pull a muscle, I am still unclear at what point pushing myself through a workout tired is actually harmful. Instinctually I would just drag myself through it for the sake of getting the work in, but sometimes (like today, on 2.5 hours of sleep) I decide that it’s just not worth it. I guess there’s not really a point in fretting over it, since when the season starts in a couple weeks I won’t have a choice either way anyway.
You sound a lot like me. I am the master and ruler of pushing myself through workouts, even at times when I should just lay low and rest. If you are running on low sleep, I would do just as you suggested and go very easy on the workouts even to the point of skipping a day’s workout. Your body will thank you and reward you by coming back stronger/fresher when you do get a chance to catch up on rest. On the other hand, if you push yourself too hard on too little sleep, your body will just break down and you’ll be more vulnerable to doing further damage to your hamstrings, shins, etc. and you’ll be more prone to illness. I’m sure you already know all this though, so please don’t take this as my lecturing you or anything. I’ve just been through it many times myself. I always think that I’ll be ok if I can just squeeze in my workout, even though I know that my body is a “less is more” type.
I’ve had my best races/pr times and best weightlifting comps when I am coming off of long rest, often to the chagrin of my coaches. They would get soooo pissed when I would skip workouts, then go to the meet and run my best 400m or nail a great long jump. Coaches and I got into some huge arguments over this. I just told them that I know my body and that pre-planned workouts don’t always work for the best. This was especially true in my competitive weightlifting. You have to allow some flex time for those days when you just don’t feel right or when you know that you would just trudge through a workout with a piss-poor effort. A day off here or there would go further toward progress than forcing a workout you’re not ready for. If you just can’t make yourself rest, then “active” rest day would suffice.
Still, I catch myself, even on days when I don’t feel good, saying, “if I can just fit in this workout…” It really is hard to find the balance between just enough and over-doing it. I think many of us are trying to find that thin line. The positive in all this is that we tend to persevere where others would give up. It looks like you have the "stick-to-it-tiveness…track training is very tough after all.
Your life sounds a bit hectic, are you actually getting any time to relax? It’s a bit concerning when you are hard on yourself about chilling out for 30 minutes - everyone needs some time to relax to be healthy (as well as regular sleep patterns of course long term). Take care you don’t keep doing too much or you might reach burnout stage, I’ve been there, and it started with some of the things you have described (basically some of the symptoms of general anxiety, I was irritable, unable to relax and had physical symptoms as well though).
Take care, good luck with your program, you deserve to do well as you are obviously very dedicated. Hope this doesn’t come across as rude or patronising.
thanks for the great reply
I have always been about more more more, and it has taken me a couple years to really appreciate the value of rest and regeneration enough to actually follow through with it. I think I respond well to high running volume when a couple tempo days function as rest days. I can manage high lifting volume without getting too flat, but that boundary is pretty thin.
About a year and a half ago I rolled my ankle and kept running on it because there wasn’t really any swelling, and after 10 weeks it hurt so much I was limping up the the starting line and limping away at the finish. My coaches used to have to force me to go home when I was sick because I would try to do workouts with a fever. When I refused to take a day off for my ankle, a coach told me straight out that I was being stupid and risking my career, so since then I have been better about taking time off.
did a quick upper lift, lots of tri’s:
-10 min bike
-incline bench 4x6-8, paired with
-sternum chins 4x2-4 w/30s negs
-pushups 4x9, paired with
-RR to neck, 4x6-8
-reverse curls 3x6, paired with
-behind head tri’s 3x6-8
I guess there is some improvement, its still a bit frustrating. Now off to work late into the night… last night it was 2:30am, tonight won’t be much better.
At this very moment it is SNOWING and it is only OCTOBER :eek:
Snow? You’ve got to be kidding! I have not seen real snow in three years and I hope yall keep it up there. Southerners don’t handle snow and cold very well. Here, it is windy and 60 degrees and we’re all freezing. Today, I even broke out the jacket and did my workout in long sleeves. Anyway, try to get in bed earlier tonight.
-5 min wu jog
-5 min on-5 min jog- 4 min on- 4 min jog, etc for 3, 2, and 1, then a few minutes of steady at the end to cool down.
This was pretty nice. I’m not sure what I’m going to do today yet, it’s pretty cold (today it’s still under 40) so I have been staying inside as much as possible while I can… I know in two weeks I will be running up hills and around golf courses in the pitch black and cold.
before i even write down my workout, i just want to note this horrifying fact: I had to stick a crayfish in ice until it couldn’t move, and then CUT IT IN HALF WITH SCISSORS while it was STILL ALIVE and twitching!!! I actually refused to do it and got one of the lab assistants to do it for me… there MUST be another way to study neuroscience. ewwwwww
countdown to track: 16 days
my run today:
-5 min wu jog
-16x 1 min on, 1 min off. For the on’s i started at a comfortable 7.6, worked up by increments of .2mph to 9.4, then came back down. It was nice, not too difficult. I jogged the rests for the first 10 because I was expecting to do 10-12 and use the last few to cool down, but I just sort of kept going. CD jog to finish out 40 min.
-300 abs and some shin/calf raises.
I am doing my lower lift tommorow, because tonight I have a paper to finish plus a bunch of other work and I don’t want to be exhausted and hungry while I am writing. I am concerned about my grades, I am not failing out of school or anything but I have been having a hard time finding the motivation… and taking 5 classes often causes a pileup of big assignments all at the same time so that it becomes difficult to do my best on ALL of them at once. I will be so glad when the semester is over.
I am starting to get bored with my workouts, I think I have been doing this set of work for about a month, ever since my coach outlined it for me. I will ask him if I can start doing hills yet, and maybe vary the track work.
It is freezing out, i had to wear one of my winter coats and gloves today… it’s not even november yet
I feel your pain on the assignments. What you said brings back some memories from my undergrad and masters programs. I once took 19 hours in one semester and lived to tell about, so I think you’ll get through it. Just keep plugging away and don’t compromise on your assignments.
As for the training program. I totally agree with what you suggested with wanting to change things up a little. At this point in the season (or off season) you probably should be adding some hill work into the mix. Just be straight forward with your coach and tell him/her what you think. After all, you know your body better than anyone and you probably have a good idea of what you can take on right now. Don’t worry about confronting the coach. Now, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t abide by their plan, but I would use it as a general guide and allow for some flex time when you have too much homework or days when you aren’t well rested, etc…how far along are you in being ready for indoor season?
stayed up until 4am working on this paper and a bunch of other stuff. I was having a lot of trouble concentrating because it seems that some work of mine has escaped and is circulating around campus.
I’m not embarrassed and I’m not ashamed of myself or anything that I’ve done, but it is worrisome… it’s unlikely that the football team sees this as any more a game, and they don’t care about the implications. I just hope my coach doesn’t find out, since he seems to find out everything.
I just got up from a two hour nap and now am feeling like i might go for the long run i had planned but was way too exhausted to do earlier.
because the football team has the hugest mouths on campus, i am worried about my coach getting into my business and flying off the handle.
i tested the waters by emailing him a training question completely unrelated to anything of this personal stuff, and he hasn’t gotten back to me after 2 or 3 days now. This is the guy who checks his email so often that i usually get replies within minutes, so this is Not Good.
However by the same token, his tendency is to confront things head on, and I would fully expect that if he knew something he didn’t like he would haul me in and yell at me until I cried, as he did last year.
anyway, i still stand by what i said- i am not ashamed of myself and no one will get me to feel that way… all i want is to be able to run. :o
had an anxiety attack, have to stay up to write a paper. hopefully i will sleep enough for tommorow to be a good lift.
so i feel better about having gotten something done.