I ran the club time trial last night which is a good gauge to see how things are coming along. Sometimes you just don't want to face up to facts and imagine your self to be fitter than you actually are. In the past i have thought about the negative side of doing these monthly time trials where going all out for 2.2 miles and not achieving the time i was hoping for results in poor morale and lack of enthusiasm for my next race. But on the positive side it is perfect for seeing exactly how fast i really am and secondly it's as close to a race as i'm going to get and there for it is really good for preparing my system for any up and coming races, especially if i have not raced for some time.
I ran as hard as i could but something wasn't quite right, no matter what my final time will be, the feeling of this is really hard and hurting is always the same. So when crossing the finishing line for all i know i could of just run my fastest time yet, but this time it wasn't to be i was twenty seconds too slow. Oh No ! Disaster ! Was my initial thought. How could this be ? I still don't have any answers but i believe it is right to test yourself to the limit at least now i know exactly how fit i am. Another upside being that i can adjust my plan for the next race.
Today it was back to the gym to break some more of my weight lifting personal bests which is probably where i might be going wrong, too much muscle to be carrying around ? Who knows.
Here are a few of my exercises from the gym.
1. Shoulder Press Machine - 100kg - 14 reps by 3 sets.
2. Leg Extend machine - 110kg - 10 reps by 3 sets.
3. Pec Deck Machine - 70kg - 12 reps by 3 sets.
4. Leg Press Machine - 240kg - 70 reps by 3 sets.
5. Lateral Pull Down - 65kg - 12 reps by 3 sets.
6. Chest Press Machine - 80kg - 12 reps by 3 sets.
7. Inclined sit ups - 50 reps by 4 sets.
Back to the roller coaster ride of being a runner. Monday - on a high, Wednesday - rapid descent to the bottom, Thursday - climbing back up again slowly. Hold on i think there's another drop coming.
Not to worry. " Where there is a race, there is hope. "
Exercise - At first it seems hard but in no time it becomes enjoyable until one day you realise you are addicted. " I am a RUNNER and I am ADDICTED "
1 comment:
I reply to your note on the weight training and your thoughts it may be slowing you down. I was once puzzled by this, as I am a regular weight trainer. I am not an expert on physiology, so I once asked an expert on this and he came up with this very long winded answer.
Muscles are made up of fast and slow twitch fibres. When we weight train we produce muscles which are of the slow twitch type, which tend to be more for strength and not for speed. Also muscles are the 'engines' of our bodies, therefore when we use heavy weights we are basically making a bigger engined 'machine', which will run for longer, but at a steadier pace. With regular speed training you should be able to 'blast' these 'slow twitchers' to make them into 'fast twichers'. However, as your training is centered around the marathon distance the extra strength gained should compensate for slight loss of speed.
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