Stefanie's

Stefanie · January 8, 2011, 6:08pm

Νοt quite, I’ll post one here tomorrow I think !!

Today was a good day, overall…

Saturday, Jan.9th, 2011

15min run
some drills
5 x 150m hills (ouch) slowww walk back recoveries

here’s my hill :o (it’s a real TOUGHIE…).
I know one might comment on the asphalt surface, but I really have no problem with it. I have problems with other things, but not this wonderful hill !!

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[i]Brief notes:

This has been a very diffucult week, with family matters.
Training-wise, I came to the conclusion that perhaps training with a bunch of people who all are watched by meticulous coaches’ eyes, creates feelings of envy. But regardless of how much I hate my solo Milan-training sometimes (and this comees to mind because I’m travelling there again soon), I also enjoyed my solitary hill session today, and felt free as a bird, while accomplishing something higher than what the average club-athlete does. My task is more difficult, and demands more respect, in the end… Not that I expect it, but deep down I know.
I think my middle sister is the best person on planet earth, and I wish the best for her with all my heart, but life never gives her all that she deserves, and that is frustrating to me.
Parents are very frustrating also, sometimes. To the point of wonder.
I got engaged today! I feel really peaceful and happy about it. I’m not the most stable personality when it comes to feelings of devotion and ‘eternal love’, but I have come to understand things better, and I’ve found that when you give your best to someone, it rebounds right back. There’s no better means of self-improvement and self-balance… really. And I do love Dejan. :o
I accepted an apology today by a person who hardly ever apologizes to anyone (my mom) and that felt …hm, nice and relieving? But it felt uneasy and bad at the same time, because I understand that she felt regret and guilt about what she did that made her apologize… And I don’t like the feeling of knowing that my mom feels so bad about something… even though she apologizes… Love is a strange and complicated matter, afterall.
But it’s a good day, afterall… [/i]

John · January 8, 2011, 8:16pm

Just over a week in and already probably what will be your understatement of the year :rolleyes:

CONGRATS on the engagement,can’t say I’m hugely surprised as you and Dejan appear to have been very content for a while

I actually meant that seems a lot of foot contacts assuming you do
4 x single =400
4 x double = 200
TOTAL 600

5 x 150m hills with walkback :o

What do you mean creates feelings of envy

Congrats again

nycjay01 · January 9, 2011, 12:36am

I would say about 3 or 4 weeks of 2-4 sessions a week. I went from 8.5 feet to just over 9 feet. I hit mostly my quads glutes and low back. I have not built up the courage for hamstrings yet. for quads (with legs straight) I can go up to 55miliamps up to 75 on glutes (in a sitting position) and upto 50mA on erectors (in a sitting position).

Hurts like hell… but it does work. The effects fade quickly if you stop using it for a few weeks.

Stefanie · January 9, 2011, 4:53am

Thanks John :o

Perhaps stairs sound like a lot, but I feel good improvement of form when I transfer myself on the track!

What I meant by “feelings of envy”, was that I get jealous when I see athletes of my level being coached every day. I want the same, but can hardly have it, due to my constant moving around.

Thanks again

nycjay01 · January 9, 2011, 10:18am

Forgot to mention CONGRATS Stephanie. All the best.

Nikoluski · January 9, 2011, 11:39am

Congratulations, Stef!

Stefanie · January 9, 2011, 12:10pm

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Stefanie · January 10, 2011, 3:29pm

Monday, Jan.10th, 2011

(indoors)

15min warm up
static stretching/dynamic
3 x 30m A skips
3 x 30m B skips
2 x 30m running As
1 x 40m scissor kicks
3 x 30m low Charlie skips
2 x 70m strides
7 x 60m sprints (about 8’ recoveries)

Gym:

3 x 10 lateral pull downs
3 x 10 chin downs
3 x 10 three-way shoulder raises
3 x 25each donkey kicks
3 x 25each fire hydrants
4 x 15 hip raises w/swiss ball
numerous abs
3 x 10-8-8 leg curls

Stefanie · January 11, 2011, 12:58pm

Tuesday, Jan. 11th, 2011.

This is pathetic; I feel sleepy every moment of the day, today i felt super tired, I feel like I have no strength and I’m just not “sprinting”
(yesterday was much better)

No, I do not have a virus or any other symptoms.

It’s just that my 300 times are worse every week.
Or I’m lacking the motivation.
I’m actually lacking the right training, because the things I did in Milan that made me feel really good when I came back, form-wise, have gone down the drain here, and I am dragging myself.

My here-teammate told me that I run like I’m chasing butterflies (hopping rather than ‘going’). The coach has been telling me this for years now.
But I have found ways to improve it.
It’s just gotten back to where it used to be, here in Thes/niki, and I know it’s the lack of special things I do that help me with this…

If I’m not making sense, I can’t bother with it now… I’m not re-reading this post, or editing it either… I’m flying tomorrow, I’m super tired, life-wise (SO Many things have happened lately, that I’m psychologically DRAINED). and I’m frankly, disappointed, training-wise, here.

I weigh less, but for the first time, I think this is bad, as I’m lacking strength. Obviously.

2 laps warm up
stretching
3 x A skips
3 x B skips
2 x running A skips
3 x scissor kicks
2 x 60m strides w/trainers
2 x 60m runs w/ spikes
1 x 40m run w/ spikes
3 x 300m (rests: 10’, 12’)
@47, 49, 50. This is so pathetic. No lactic acid whatsoever, this time.
I just don’t know how to run these days.

Travel tomorrow.
While in Milan, I will seriously concentrate on getting my strength/form back, because I have done training, but am lacking the Stef-fundamentals.
I was too busy trying to do what my team was doing, but obviously, their style is not for me. :o

And I’m so very tired… from everything.

I’ll be in Milan for one week now (then again beginning and end of February), and since my second meeting got cancelled, I will see to schedule a trip somewhere in Lombardy that I haven’t been yet.
Look around, wonder, and draw…

10hrs of sleep, daily, are not enough…

John · January 11, 2011, 5:32pm

I suspect all those things are related and you just need a chance to relax and chill. I also suspect the weather isn’t helping your mood, you really appear to struggle with the cold and wet. Are you supplementing with Vitamin D?

vedette · January 11, 2011, 7:17pm

I’m with John. If you are mentally and emotionally drained then you are also likely to be physically drained. Too much going on, too much travel, too much stress. Maybe too much training. Give yourself a break.

Stefanie · January 15, 2011, 3:41am

No Vitamin D exclusively, but I started taking multivitamins again and I’m not sleepy all the time since I arrive to Milan =) So that’s good!

Wednesday, Jan. 12th, 2011
travel day

Thursday, Jan 13th, 2011

30min biking
30min biking (going back from somewhere)
15min warm up jog on grass
dynamic stretching
few drills
abs/glute exercises

home

Friday, Jan 14th, 2011

30min easy run

Perhaps today I should do something more intense :o But I decided I’m taking it easy until Sunday anyway, so…

notes: I’m on the third floor in Milan, versus the second from before, and I like it better up here =) I wish I went higher.
Much much work these past two days !
I need to find a cheap gym to go to, while being in Milan, for next time. Definately.

p.s. John, which hand is the engagement ring on, in Kiwi-land?

Stefanie · January 15, 2011, 2:14pm

Saturday, Jan.15th, 2011

10min warm up
12 x 150m grass tempo
abs/glutes

EMS

2 x calves relaxing massage (slight problem again)

note: Inspired by a friend (girl) who decided to go back to practicing boxing seriously (at ~32yrs) and become professional, while still working (as a lawyer).
Stories of ‘differences’, and not ‘what is usually done’, is what I love in life, really.

John · January 15, 2011, 4:44pm

I’d have thought a multivitamin would be a minimum, what is your iron level like?

Here is some stuff on Vitamin D
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind/

Good call re taking it easy till Sunday.

Engagement and wedding rings on left ring finger. If you are Greek Orthodox then I’m guessing may have it on the right?

Stefanie · January 16, 2011, 4:33am

Mmmmm I don’t know !! I have mine on the left, but in Italy I’m told that it’s worn on the right, and also in Greece (?) .
Anyway, details…

Stefanie · January 17, 2011, 5:44pm

Thanks for the info John =) I think my iron level intake is not ideal, as most people’s, and needless to say that all track athletes I know in Greece take iron supplements! When it comes to supplements, I (at this point of my life) see it as a whole chain of things one needs, and if I start, I’ll just end up spending amounds I am not willing to spend on things that could be improved in other ways. If I were a professional, I’d supplement on anything to get the job done, but the way I’m training now, I have so much room for improvement (training/nutrition/rest), that supplementing is not what I find the ideal solution.

(I’m under the unfluence of fragolina tonight. It was a studying-drinking-movie night with my stressed out friend. p.s. I actually felt her heart rate, one hour after her stressful meeting with her adviser, and it was scary. I helped her calm down. Such kind of stress is not needed in life).

I’m stressed about everything together, on the other hand, which makes things a bit less stressful, overall. If you know what I mean… Obsessing on one single thing is never healthy, (while being nervous about it, that is… )

I had decided in the beginning of 2011 to make one drawing/painting/complete sketch every 5 days, and I did very well for the first 3 times, having something to show on the 1st, the 5th and the 10th, but I didn’t complete anything for the 15th, which makes me feel like an underachiever.
:rolleyes: Ok, not quite… But I’m just saying. It would have been nice.

I’ve been given to edit english text written by italians, and I must say that I have never felt such despair trying to understand english sentences, let alone correct them and put them in order… Before this, the toughest thing I had ever read was original english Shakespear, on my first year of american high school, after 9 years of total greek schooling. That was tough.
But this is tougher!!

Not to beat the matter to death… but what bothers me so much in this educational experience of mine here in Italy, is the realization that Italian culture in general is the exact opposite of the Spartan point of view.
While my american teachers and professors taught me to always speak to the point, laconically and beautifully at the same time (when needed), the speeches that I hear and the essays that I read in italian are so loaded with useless phrases and repetitious concepts expressed in 25 different ways in one single paragraph, that honestly… I feel like my i.q. is dropping sometimes because of this.

It’s good to always find reference points in life and not become lost in experiences.
I have good reference points to hang on to, which I am grateful about.

What bothers me, is that I haven’t found a good, brand new reference point for a long time now. Meaning, it’s been a while since I’ve met someone really strange and interesting, to teach me new mysterious things. Such people are rare, and perhaps its better this way. Otherwise, one might go crazy in the end.

I’m flying on Wednesday morning and I wish I went straight to Athens to see my man, but I have some things to do in Thessaloniki, and of course I always love being with my family. But it feels so nice to know that I have a second family in a different city, as everybody loves me so very much there

Concerning training, I can’t say that I feel strong. But I can’t say that I’m feeling un-trained either. I just feel like I’m ‘being steady’, which is not good. (for me) I could feel more like a superhero, but perhaps I’m still struggling with my reference points…

Sunday, Jan. 16th, 2011

random push ups throughout the day
random glue exercises throughout the day
4 sets of 150rebound reps (upper body) > in the end of these, I pulled something ( a tendon??) , and felt an extremely sharp pain in my left shoulder that folded me in half and then I was jumping up and down for 30" because the pain wouldn’t go, but then it backed off. :o) Strange. Then I was completely fine again.

Monday, Jan. 17th, 2011

2 sets of 150 rebound reps (upper body) (no pain whatsoever).
glute exercises
15min warm up
10min dynamic stretching
4 x 40m A skips
3 x 40m B skips
10 x 40m hills (slow walk back recoveries)
4 x 20contacts right-right-left-left (I was going to do more, and then grass sprints, but I had a right shin irritation that requested from me to head home…).
2 x 50m Charlie’s skips

Stefanie · January 19, 2011, 5:38am

Tuesday, Jan. 18th, 2011

-15min warm up

-long tempo
100+100+100+
100+200++100+100+
100+200++200++100+
100+200+100+100+
100+100+100

Issues with right shin and low back, but I’ll fix myself soon. I know how, this isn’t new

(p.s. I seem to be quite fit doing these, it’s just that I have functional problems these days, with some strange pains in areas mentioned above).

(Wednesday now, been up since 4am, and am now in Thessaloniki, very tired, but doing work nevertheless :o )

Stefanie · January 20, 2011, 3:49am

Wednesday, Jan. 19th, 2011

15min warm up
quick stretching
2 x 50m uphill strides
4 x 150m hills (slow walk back recoveries).

Shin pain again, where I’ve never had it before, so I must take it a bit easy now.

EMS

3 x 20min relaxing massage on calves

Stefanie · January 23, 2011, 4:50pm

Thursday, Jan. 21st, 2001

OFF (shin recovery; issue right in the middle of the right shin, on the top)

Friday, Jan. 22nd, 2001

OFF again.

Saturday, Jan. 23th, 2011

20min warm up
few drills and stretching
11 x 100m hills (walk back recoveries)
3 x 100stairs (all doubles)

note: all fine

Sunday, Jan. 24th, 2011

25min warm up
8 x 100 stairs (all doubles)

note: all fine

Stefanie · January 27, 2011, 1:05am

Monday, Jan. 24th, 2011

too many things to do and then when it was time to train I was starving, so I ate instead and didn’t train. :o

Tuesday, Jan. 25th, 2011

train trip to Athens (blahhhhh). Humangous headache afterwards.
42min run
stretches and few drills
3 x 8 deadlifts
abs

Wednesday, Jan. 26th, 2011.

20min warm up jog
stretches
3 x 20m A skipos
3 x 20m B skips
2 x 20m running A’s
2 x 50m strides
10 x 30m hills (slow walk back recoveries)
11 x 100m hills (slow walk back recoveries)