PT Diaries

My personal trainer deWolf has been preparing physically and mentally for the Subaru Ironman for the last twelve months. I was at the race last year to support my friend Mike who finished his third IronMan. This test of endurance has to be one of the most challenging events know to man, so I wasn’t about to miss seeing deWolf compete.

Once again, Alicia and I packed up my truck and drove out to Penticton. As we cruised down the highway, traffic suddenly came to a dead stop. There we were, in the middle of nowhere, sitting without music (my cd player’s been jammed forever) waiting for a wave from the traffic attendant. “I’d really like some tunes!” I whined pressing the button in frustration. Then just like that, my wish was my command: Chris Martin’s voice came out of the speakers. “Oh my god! I can’t believe its working! That’s crazy!?” Alicia squealed with excitement.

Every year all the hotels in Penticton sell out for this epic athletic event so I was forced to make unconventional arrangements. I’d found an ad online for a rental accommodation and I’d been corresponding with a lady by the name of Shannon. When we arrived at the address she’d provided me, Alicia I sat in the truck for a moment and stared blankly at the house. The front yard looked unmaintained and we both sensed something eerie. We stood at the front door with much apprehension; I rang the doorbell. The door swung open and an unusual looking blond man stood in front of us barefoot.  “Hi PT Girl! Come on in. I’m Charles.” He motioned to us to follow him down a hallway and opened the second door to the left. “Here’s your room girls.” he leered. “I’m making spaghetti! As well I have another guest staying in the basement, he’s doing IronMan. Make yourselves at home” he mumbled as he walked away.

Alicia and I sat on the bed, backs against the headboard gazing at the dreadful sheep painting on the wall in front of us. “Where’s the TV?” Alicia asked. I shrugged, opening a bottled of wine attempting to stay positive. “Is Charles actually Shannon? I’m confused!” I said looking at Alicia as concerns started to brew. “Where in the heck did I have us staying” I thought to myself.

The house, although clean was an empty shell; no pictures, no ornaments, nothing at all to show signs of people living here. “Are we in Charles’s (aka Shannon’s) bedroom?” Alicia asked with a look of horror on her face.  We gulped our wine in silence when all of sudden we heard a dreadful sounds coming from outside our window. I peered out and saw two kids ripping around the backyard. “IronMan brought his family!” I said throwing down the local tourist magazine I’d been flipping through. As fate may have it, the magazine fell open on page 7 and there staring back at me was an ad for the Summerland Lakeside Resort and Spa. “I’m calling!! Someone’s cancelled, I know it! We’ll get in!” Alicia looked at me with hope in her eyes. “Oh, ok… so no lake view… but you have a room? Great! We’ll take it! See you tomorrow!” I hung up.

“O.M.G.  We check in  tomorrow? Sweet!! This bedroom is probably rigged with spy cams.” Alicia laughed. “Let get something to eat, this place is giving me the creeps!” I said grabbing my purse. We ended up over eating and indulging in good wine at Theo’s Greek restaurant. Afterwards we ventured down towards Lakeshore drive to check out the IM festivities. Near the stage where a band was playing we saw Charles; he was eating poutine and dancing by himself a good ten feet away from the rest of the crowd. Alicia went straight up to him “Hey Charles, can we get a key to get back in?” “Nah! You don’t need a key, I leave the place open all the time!” he laughed sinisterly. Stunned, we forced a smile and walked away. “We’re going to end up on Dateline!” Alicia said seriously as we walked into the first pub in sight. We cozied up at the bar and ordered two more glasses of wine. All the bartenders were wearing IronMan 2010 t-shirts “I’m want one of those shirts and somehow before the night is over one of these bartenders will give me their shirt! I said believing myself.  “Ahah! You’re funny!!!! … and we aren’t going to have pay for any drinks either!!” Alicia said attempting to manifest more good luck.

A glass of wine turned into a bottle. The place was hopping and then the bartenders’ decided to mix us some flame shooters. As the liquid courage started to run through my veins I began spouting off to whoever would listen “I’m going to sign up for IronMan!!!” No one seemed to really take me seriously as I sipped from the trough. (The Bartenders specialty; a bucket of all mixed alcohols)

We sat at the bar for hours chatting and laughing with many great, interesting people and as predicted we stumbled out at three a.m. with no bar tab and an IronMan t-shirt on my back! “Oh what a night!”

At 7:30 a.m. we were rudely awaken by the nonstop buzzing sound of a blender and kids yelling at the top of their lungs in the kitchen. I turned over and looked at Alicia. “IronMan is mixing the world larges protein shake!! I’m getting out of here!” Completely sleep deprived we showered, packed up and got the hell out of dodge.

We checked in at the Summerland Resort & Spa and were ecstatic with our new pad! “This is how we roll!” Alicia smiled. Our gorgeous one bedroom suite was equipped with a full kitchen, soaker tub, oversized fluffy bed, 2 TV’s and a huge balcony overlooking the lake. I sighed as we sat on the deck enjoy the sun “Some things are worth paying for… Minimzing the odds of being killed in our sleep; priceless!”

Lakefront view even though they told us there weren’t any available

We took a quick ride back into Penticton to wish deWolf good luck in person. The wind was blowing hard and the lake was extremely choppy “The wind will die down by the morning, I swear it will be calm for your swim” I told him. deWolf was oddly relaxed; not showing any signs of anxiety what’s so ever. “It’s just another day of exercise” he smiled.

The morning of the IronMan race came fast, even though I had another one of my typical sleepless nights. We rushed back into town to see the start of the swim.

deWolf is in there somewhere

As promised the lake was calm

As returning IronMan supporters we were pretty familiar with the bike route and managed to meet up with my trainer about 6 or 7 times along the 180 kilometers stretch. Each time we saw him, he seemed upbeat and looked strong.

deWolf looking good at the top of Richter’s pass

“Could I do this Alicia?” I asked hesitantly. “For sure you could!” she said. “What should I do? Should I sign up or not?” I fretted back and forth all day long, I needed a sign!

We veered off at Keremos to grab a bite to eat. Once we returned to the highway we weren’t able to find him again so we thought best to try and catch him near the start of his marathon.  Standing at the seven kilometers mark the wind picked up and it started to rain. Alicia spotted him up the road and I waved my big homemade sign YOU ROCK!! He ran by us “Shoot me!” he said smiling. I laughed. “You’re doing great!! We yelled and cheered.

“Ok, can we go now??  I’m freezing!!!” Alicia shivered, jumping up and down; so off we went to warm up, clean up and rest up. We returned to the same spot a few hours later. Dusk made it hard to see the runners clearly but I know deWolf’s stride and saw him from afar “Here he comes!” I pointed and dashed to the side of the street. “Run with me.” he said.  As I ran beside him I couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of him! He said his foot hurt but he didn’t even look that tired to me. “You’re doing so great! You’re almost done! You’re a rock star! I said as I handed back his water bottle. “See you at the finish line” I yelled as he took off.

As we waited for him across the finish line I watched the many other Ironman finishers rejoice with friends and family. I couldn’t wait to congratulate him; after all IronMan was the very FIRST triathlon he’d even signed up for and completed amazingly! Crazy, impressive and extremely inspiring!

That night I lay in bed with a slight wine buzz and stared at the ceiling replaying the day in my head. “Are you telling me I shouldn’t sign up?” I asked deWolf as we ran. “This was a great experience!  You should definitely sign up!” he said after swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180 km and at that point being a mere 6 km away from finishing his marathon. My mind was spinning “I’ll regret if I do…but… worse, I’ll regret if I don’t!” That was my answer; I jumped out of bed, pick up my blackberry and texted my friend Mike “I’m signing up!” I typed. “Ok, I’m in!” he replied.

I slid back in bed. “Alicia, Alicia… Are you awake?” I whispered. “I’m going to register in the morning; will you line up with me?” I asked timidly “Yeah, I’ve already set the alarm for 5:30 A.M.” she replied. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and felt incredibly blessed to have such great friends.  Thinking about the journey and challenges that lay ahead, a surreal calm suddenly came over me. “Tomorrow is the start of a brand new year!” I thought drifting sound asleep.

PT Girl xo

I think we all make plans and have these grandiose ideas of what our final destination is supposed to look like.  But life is unpredictable and unbeknownst to us we are often faced with unexpected road closures and we end up in a completely different city; or in my situation country. Where did I veer off wrong? What the F** happened? My recent dilemmas have lead me to wonder how much control do we really have over our lives? How much does fate really play a role?  I wish I had the answer.

I’ve always been a firm believer that we create our own destiny,  that we can manifest anything we truly visualize and that we get back tenfold the good we give out; in the end having true power over our lives. Thus far this way of thinking has served me quite well. Unfortunately, it’s come to my attention that some things are unpredictable and are completely out of our hands no matter how much planning, thought and caution we put in. This is a tad unsettling for someone who tends to be a control freak.

Through it all, over the past few months I have learned that hard times show us who our true friends are; and I can say I am extremely grateful for the ones I have. (You all know who you are …love ya all lots xo) The cream rises to the top and the rest is just mediocrity. Besides my wonderful friends whom mean the world to me, the one constant thing I can always count on is my runs.  In the past few years I have ran for many reasons. I’ve ran to lose weight, I’ve ran to get faster, I’ve ran to prove something to myself  and to others,  I’ve ran because I am competitive and I’ve ran because it just feels damn freaking awesome!  But lately I run because I can be in command of how far I run and how many times I run. It is my sanctuary where no one can touch me; where I tune out the world that is spinning out of control around me.

Why do you run?

PT Girl xo

Can anyone become a faster runner? Well after running three half marathons where each race I finished shy of breaking two hours by 90 seconds or less I am starting to believe that I’m not designed  to run any faster! I decided to run the Okanagan Half Marathon Oct 10, 2010 and am about to embark on a three month training program where the bulk of my energy will be focused on increasing my pace.

The last half marathon I ran was the BMO Half in May; my official race time was 2:00:47; pace of 5:40 per km.

I used to think that I had to run more miles to run faster. I’m no longer worried about the distance of the race, as my Saturday leisurely 17 km run is one of my favorite times of the week (besides Friday afternoon cocktail hour on the patio…of course) I attempted some hill training during my last half training but focused mainly on logging miles; unfortunately running those extra miles at my regular pace didn’t turn me into a cheetah After talking to some friends, discussing with some trainers and a little online research it seems the only way to learn how to run faster is to get out there and run faster!  Here are a few steps that I think will help me:

Step 1

Increase your turnover (turnover refers to the number of times your right (or left) foot hits the ground in 1 minute). Obviously the faster your turnover, the more distance you cover in a given period of time. Count your current turnover rate and then aim to increase your turnover by 5 steps per minute until you eventually reach that magical 80. Elite runners usually clock around 90+ strides per minute but for us mere mortals runner a turnover of 80 is considered pretty decent.

*Note – Don’t let your feet get in front of your body.

Step 2

Push off with your big toe. This will also help to take some of the pounding out of your heels and push your body forward more effectively.

Step 3

Swing your arms forward, not across your body. Moving your arms back and forth across your body will pull your body from side to side. Aim your hands in the direction you want to go; directly in front of you.

Step 4

Incorporate speed workouts into your program. Speed workouts are a great way to increase your pace slowly and steadily over time.

In addition to a long run and a shorter fast run per week, here are the new rules I will be living by for the next three months:

Rule # 1 – Set a clear & realistic goal of a time you wish to beat

I want to run a 1:55 half marathon (5:27 per km) Thirteen seconds per kilometers faster

Rule #2 Use hill training to build muscle & endurance

Hill sprints at least once a week

Rule #3 Yoga & strength training to prevent injury and to increase flexibility and range of motion

Strength training twice week with my personal trainer.

2 yoga classes a month and 1 massage therapy session a month.

Rule # 4 Interval training, using sprints to increase speed as well as lung capacity

To be incorporated in each of my personal training session

Rule # 5 Give your body rest so your muscles can recover and avoid injury

I swear to take a rest day (or yoga day) a week

Does anyone have any other suggestions how this turtle can evolve into a cheetah?

PT Girl xo

It all a distant dream… my girlfriends and I went to Scottsdale AZ for a spa getaway a few weeks ago. Our flight left Vancouver, BC at 7:30 a.m. We landed in Phoenix, got the car rental, stocked up on snacks and bevies and were at the Princess Fairmont pool by 1 p.m. After a few hours in the blazing sun I headed to my first spa appointments; a sixty minute massage is just want I needed to shift into relaxation mode.

“Beep beep beep…” I pushed the snooze button on my blackberry alarm two mornings in a row. CC and I hiked Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak. We figured it would be best to start before it got to hot. Jules was perplexed by the sound of alarm clocks on vacation. “Have fun girls, I’ll be by the pool when you get back.” she yawned waving from her cloud like bed.  By 9 a.m. it was well over 100 degrees but we persisted and kept going even though I was sweating profusely and CC was showing symptoms of dehydration.

The first hike was followed by coffee, a shower and breakfast. I had about two hours of R&R  then changed in my workout wear and headed out to the hotel gym to meet Charles the Personal Trainer for a session. I was strangely energized and ready to give er’. I was also curious to see what I’d get for a $89 +18% gratuity PT session. Twenty five minutes in Charles asked “How you feeling?” “Greeeeat!” I grinned. “Huh?” He seemed surprised then kept insisting I maneuver the most difficult variation of each exercise he presented me. Charles was really nice and was able to quickly determine how hard he could  push me. “You’ve been taught great form” he complimented. We talked about the hike I’d just done and I explained that overcoming the heat was the most challenging part for me. “Camelback is a small hill compared to the Grouse Grind” I told to him. “I’ll have to come to Vancouver and hike this Grouse Grind you speak about.” Charles said. The Fairmont charges $64 for a 30 minute stretch session so it was nice of Charles to include a 20 minutes stretch at the end of my session. He observed the same as every other trainer and massage therapist does “You need to stretch more!” he said. My review of my Personal Training session at the Princess Fairmont was A+. Charles was friendly, personable, knowledgeable and adaptable. If you live in the Scottsdale area or plan on traveling there and would like a good ass kicking I would recommend calling him for a workout.

The week we got back I was swamped at work and only managed to squeeze in one PT session with de Wolf and one climb up the Grouse Grind. Our first attempt of the year was executed at 6:30 a.m.  The only good thing about going that early is the lack of other ‘crazy people’ in our way.  de Wolf  suggested we go up twice but by the time I got my sorry butt to the top there was no way! “I’m not going again, not happening!!” I shouted.  How quickly I forget how hard this hike is. “How did we do this three times in a row?” I asked de Wolf reminiscing of the day last summer we hiked up the Grouse Grind three times in a row before 11 a.m. where I’d actually I finish each climb under an hour and he’d finished his well under 50 minutes each. To me that seemed impossible right now.

This week was way more productive.  I had two PT sessions where abs seemed to be the “core” focus; fitting as bikini season is upon us I also laced up for the first time in seven weeks and did two short seven kilometer runs. Yesterday morning after the best uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep in a very long time, I decided to attempt a real run. Out before 8 a.m. the sun was shining, Stanley Park was all mine as I enjoyed my new tunes and the great West Coast scenery. Nowhere near a record time I was still pleased to complete 17 km with ease after such a long running hiatus. So even though I haven’t been training and will probably not run a personal best I’m thinking of signing up for the Scotia half marathon next weekend. “JUST DO IT!” Right?

PT Girl xo

My life was chugging along quite perfectly … unfortunately perfection is an illusion that cannot be sustained. At some point we all stand at a cross road and face difficult times. I couldn’t allow my state of affairs to affect all parts of my life so it’s my training that was negatively impacted this month; unable to run and unwilling to workout I barely managed 25 km. I canceled personal training sessions, had to continually persuade myself to show up and even bolted mid session on one occasion. I was in state of “blah” that seemed unshakable. But I am pleased to announce (for my sake and for the people around me) I’ve regrouped and I’m back in business!

Determined to find my keenness I woke up at the crack of dawn yesterday and went to a  spin class for the first time in about two months. I was unhappy with the stiffness in my legs but felt fantastic afterwards. This morning I had a Personal Training session with deWolf. Near the end of the session the sunshine poked through the clouds; the blinding rays seemed symbolic of my renewed state of mind as I tried to balance a side plank on the bosu ball.

My left hip is still causing me a bit of discomfort so I’m seeing my chiropractor on Monday for what I hope will be my final visit. I‘ve stocked up on more Acid Zapper pills but most importantly I’ve managed to find my enthusiasm and I’m ready to train for the Scotia Half Marathon on June 27^th.

I have lots on my agenda; two spin classes, one hike and one PT session before I leave for my “Girls Spa Getaway” to Scottsdale AZ early next week. Once there I fully intend on shopping, flopping by the pool, drinking too many alcoholic slushy cocktails and being excessively pampered; yet I can’t resist planning some fitness time. Not having to hurry to get to work or rush home makes working out idyllic.

So between frolicking in the pool, catching up on gossip with the gals, hazy poolside tanning, spa appointments and shopping I’ve booked a “cheat on deWolf” session with Charles the Personal Trainer at the Fairmont, a hike up Camelback Mountain and one (maybe two) fitness classes.

Don’t forget to pack the shades, sunblock and ibuprofen!

PT Girl xo

Yesterday I was consumed with worry. Personal troubles aside, I couldn’t stop thinking about my leg and how my injury has negatively impacted my last three weeks of training. I hadn’t had a decent run in forever “Can you forget how to run?” I kept thinking to myself.

My girlfriend Alicia brought me out for a pre-race meal at the KEG. Filet minion, baked potato and spinach salad! Yum… I tried to fall asleep early but I kept tossing and turning. This was not my usual pre-race excitement but more worry that leg may not carry me to the finish line.

I woke to overcast skies… rain was definitely upon me. Most of you know how I loathe running in the rain. “Just hold off for a few hours” I thought to myself as I stood fidgeting with my iPod in the crowd of anxious BMO runners.

The gun went off and instantly I felt a rain drop. “For f** sakes…PMS, a damaged leg and rain… this is not my race…” I cursed crossing the start line.

Amazingly, 27 minutes in I was right on pace at five kilometers. “Ok, I can do this…” I forced myself to think of nothing but my breathing. Thoughts of current events kept popping in my head and I kept pushing them aside. “Nothing else matter right now…” As I entered Stanley Park, I saw Mike and Michelle, I waved. “Hey…” Mike said starting to run alongside me “You’re doing great!! 2 hour pace bunny is way behind you! Keep it up!” Kilometers ten I was at 55 minutes. I started to brace myself as the hilliest part was coming up: seventy five meters of elevation between twelve and fourteen kilometers and half way up the sharp pulling pain in the back of my leg made a furious return. I slowed down but refused to stop (or walk) “This is not even a hill compared to the UBC!! SUCK IT UP!!!” I yelled inside.

Around kilometer sixteen Mike popped out of nowhere again running with me. “How are you feeling? You want me to run with you?” I gratefully declined knowing I would use him as a crutch. Whenever someone runs with me I automatically start whining “I’m tired, it hurts, omg… blah blah blah…” I was already a bit behind pace “Thanks Mike I’m good… gotta focus!” I pointed ahead. “Ok push it!” he yelled!

Mental battles, trying to ignore my leg pain as I pushed up the last hill under the Granville Bridge. Then my caves started to cramp making me jump out of stride. The finished line was so close. I saw Julie to my left “Go Banana!!!” then Alicia and Chris “CRANK IT!!” and I crossed the finish line…soaking wet, absolutely frozen and wobbling off my left leg.  My Garmin said 1:59:30… I should be happy? But I wasn’t… I knew I didn’t officially make it in less than 2 hours. The damn chip says 2:00:46 (MOFO, Shit… *@%^@ *!&** ….there aren’t enough swear words) Afterward I kept replaying the race in my head …and it came to me…the damn water stations!!  I had pre-picked three stations to hydrate (6km, 11km and 16km) But it tasted so good… I grabbed water five times, coming to a complete stop at the last one…IDIOT! In the end I did shaved off three minutes from last year’s race time,  felt exhilarated from the actual run and was super grateful to be surrounded by great friends.  But  I don’t feel the sense of accomplishment I was hoping for. Luckily I’ve already signed up for the Scotia Half marathon in June to redeem myself!

PS – whoever says the BMO half marathon is flat and fast is full of SHIT!

Regardless of my performance I would still like to give thanks:

Eric of deWolf Training: My personal trainer who has a very unique way of pushing me…wouldn’t have it any other way.

Witch Dr. from 6^th street Chiropractor & Wellness: without him there is no doubt I wouldn’t have been able to run this race. He helped immensely with my ridiculous self inflicted injuries.

Toby from the Sinclair Wellness Center: Female massage therapist who has just the right touch!

Support & self esteem team: Mike and Hank who are always there to listen to my PT and fitness dramas.

Cheering Team: Iron Mike, Michelle, Julie, Alicia and Chris. (Eric the Billy Goat Gruff was under the bridge…but I didn’t see him)

PT Girl xo

The BMO Half Marathon’s gun goes off in 25 days, 16 hours, 41 minutes and 30 seconds and I have officially started to freak out!!!  How many more long runs, hill intervals and speed workouts can I squeeze in before race day?  I figure I still have three full weeks of training ahead of me; giving myself a full week to taper. But will anything seriously make a difference in my performance at this point? Or am I at my full race potential already?

Last Saturday I ran my fastest fifteen kilometers ever. Finishing in 1h22mins (5:28 per km) but during the entire run I kept thinking about what I could have done better during my training. What if I’d run on the rainy Saturdays rather than stayed in bed?  I could have definitely done more hill training and logged more miles! I thought of all the lazy runs I took where I didn’t push myself.  I remembered the countless drinks I consumed in February during the Olympic celebrations which hindered my training for ten long days; and I replayed the training session with de Wolf where I could have honestly given a better effort.

I know I’m stronger this year and there is no doubt I am faster yet I’ve been having anxiety that on the day of the race I’m going to blow up.

I started training for BMO Half Marathon mid January and since then I’ve ran about 300 km and been to over 25 hours of training sessions. But will it be enough? Have I trained to my full potential? Will I conquer my goal finish time?

PT Girl xo

With only 32 days before my race I decided to up my training for the next few weeks. On Monday I followed-up my spin class with a five kilometer run on the treadmill. On Tuesday I was pumped and ready to add a five kilometer run after my personal training session with deWolf. I thought this was pretty ambitious. But I was quickly told differently.  Seemingly I should be putting in a ten kilometer run rather than a measly five. I quote, straight from the “Fitness Lord’s” mouth “Lazy! God forbid if you actually put real effort into your training, imagine what you could accomplish.” I laughed because I knew he was somewhat teasing. This is our rapport, this is how we communicate; we banter back and forth, we mock each other and we argue about everything! Amused I said “Oh pleeeze… stop poking the bear already?!” to which he replied “Haha a bear? You’re no bear! You’re as threatening as a kitten!” Alight, I was ready to rumble; in five minutes he’d called me lazy and unintimidating.

As the training session went on he continued the abuse me, poor PT Girl, calling me untrustworthy with no substantial reasoning. Is the “Personal Training Domain” not a place where the client can share stories, concerns and woes?  This is definitely the case on the Biggest Loser. Where is my compassionate Bob? I know Personal Trainers don’t actual take a PT-Client oath but I assumed it went without saying.  What am I supposed to talk about? The character development of the TV series Lost? Movies reviews? Or the weather perhaps? BORING!!

The session wrapped up and during a stretch deWolf started to snicker. “What?” I asked. “Nothing.” he said. I looked up at him unconvinced and he followed with “PT Girl, it’s not all about you, you know!”Absolutely perplexed I said “WHAT?? …It’s not?” Can someone please tell me what this man is talking about?

I changed into my outdoor running shoes and got ready for my run. Listening to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance my mind drifted and I started replaying the events of today’s session in my head “lazy…kitten… can’t keep a secret… lazy, kitten …it’s not all about you…” As the words ran through my mind I started to laugh and my legs went faster and faster. “Ahhaha, another great workout!” I giggled. I’m looking forward to getting ribbed some more at my next session… Meow!

PT Girl xo

After a three day hiatus I was determined to get back at it today. I was itching to get a long run in but the rain just wouldn’t let up. I checked the Steve Nash Sports Facility website to confirm the spinning class schedule. I could make the 4:30 p.m. session but would have to put aside my extreme dislike of the instructor.  His name is Daniel and although I have to admit he works our butts off during the short 45 minute class, he’s also extremely arrogant and condescending. Twenty minutes into class Daniel walks over to me “Engage your core” he yelled pointing at me. “Are you freaking kidding me?? Calling me out?! ARGH!!” I thought, infuriated.  The class went on and I climbed every mountain he told us to climb and sprinted every time he shouted, getting more and more drenched as the minutes went by. Then out of nowhere “Come on people!! STOP slacking! There’s no point of being here if you don’t do this right! You’re wasting my time and your energy by not efficiently pushing & pulling on the pedals. Besides, you burn more calories by doing it right! I don’t need to burn more calories but I’m guessing some of you here want to…right?” I couldn’t believe my ears!

As soon as the classes ended I grabbed a disinfected towel, wiped down my bike and bolted.  I jumped on the nearest treadmill and started running. I’m told if I’m ever going to attempt a half iron man the most challenging transition is going from riding the bike then switching to running. The first few minutes my legs were a little wobbly but there were no aches or pains.  I felt strong and ran the last ten minutes quicker then usually; pushing until I had nothing left in me. Feeling fantastic I jumped off the treadmill.  “I’m back baby!”

PT Girl xo

Last year I ran my first half marathon falling short of my goal finish time by less than 90 seconds. Determined to run  the BMO Half Marathon under two hours I started a new training program in January with a positive attitude and lots of determination.  I knew I was physically stronger because of all the work I’d been doing with my trainer but my running pace remained unchanged the first few weeks back in training. (I’ve always ran an average pace at 6:19 per km)  Rather than get discouraged I laced up again and thought of my friend Mike (3time Penticton Iron Man Finisher) who always said “The way to become a faster runner is by running!!” Then mid February something changed; one day after work I set out on a short run… and with complete ease I ran 9.1 km in 51 minutes (5:35 per km). I was in shock and honestly thought there was something wrong with my Garmin.  “Where the heck did that come from?” I decided to test myself and my Garmin that weekend and even though I was hung over I managed to run 13 km in 1:14 (5:46 per km). The following week I ran a flat 17 km in 1:38 (5:45 per km) and this past weekend I ran the hilliest 18 km route I could map out and sustained my pace finishing in 1:43 (5:43 per km).  Ok, I know these times aren’t world class by any means but 5:44 per km was my race pace at the half marathon last year and I nearly lost a lung; now I am running this pace without difficulty. So what has changed? How am I gaining momentum? In no particular order here are my theories:

HILL THEORY:

Without fail I’ve been running  my hill intervals once a week mixing it up between doing ten 200 meters up hill & down hill runs in 30 minutes, incorporating five fast 50 meters sprint up a very steep hill at the end of my short runs, as well as mapping out more challenging “hilly” routes on my longer runs.

Compared to running on flat surfaces, hills force the muscles to contract quicker as a result making them more powerful.  While hill training the muscles can develop two to three times as many muscle fibers as running on flat surfaces.

The benefits of hill training:

• Helps stride frequency & length
• Aids develop power & muscle elasticity
• Encourages the proper use of arm action during the driving phase
• Improves strength endurance
• Short hills – develops maximum speed & strength
• Mixed hills – improves lactate tolerance
• Downhill – develops control & stabilization as well as improved speed

PERSONAL TRAINER THEORY:

I’ve been seeing my current personal trainer twice a week for about six months now. We spend a lot of time focusing on strengthening my core. A strong core will improve your posture, making it easier to stay upright and thus run more efficiently. Implementing a weekly core workout to your training is certain to improve your running performance.  Try using the Medicine Balls, Kettlebells, Stability Ball, Bosu Ball or a stability board to keep the workouts interesting and varied.

Strong leg muscles are another key component to running efficiently. One method of achieving stronger legs is by incorporating Plyometric Exercises: a form of exercise that requires your muscles to reach peak force in a very short amount of time.  My training session always involve exercise such as squat jumps,  jump to box, split squat jumps and lateral hurdle jumps to name a few. I’ve been told these kinds of exercises will improve my speed and power. The third component of my training sessions is intervals: sprint intervals on the treadmill (flat and hills) and sprint drills with Resistance Bands (flat and hills).

ACID ZAPPER THEORY:

This natural supplement was introduced to me last year by an associate. I started taking it religiously in January when I started my training.  “Acid Zapper® is a mineral based composition that boosts body alkalinity to systemically neutralize metabolic acids created during exercise, helping athletes train harder and achieve peak performance.” * This product is 100% natural certified drug free. It is said to reduce recovery times, increase endurance and help with minimizing muscle cramping.  I can tell you first hand that Acid Zapper has definitely reduced my recovery time and has completely eliminated the muscle cramps I used to get in my legs.  Although difficult to prove, I believe Acid Zapper has had a huge impact on my over all endurance and performance.

PT Girl xo

* http://www.acidzapper.com/