Well it must almost be June, because my ankles and knees are feeling pretty crunchy. Maybe it's also because I'm 30 now, but I know I'm training hard when my joints sound like there filled with bubble wrap. It's mostly my ankles, but lately my knees are feeling pretty hammered too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not injured at all. It would be nice to be immune to all aches and pains, but in some twisted way I enjoy a little bit of wear and tear. It lets me know that I'm doing the work that's going to pay off in just one month.
I don't want to jinx anything, but I have to say that I'm feeling pretty good about my current level of fitness. I've raced a little less this spring, but I've made the most of what I have raced, and my training has been solid. It's quite amazing that a couple big hard weeks back to back can completely change one's mindset. Just a month ago I was feeling like my training was utterly schizophrenic. When I look back at this month as a whole though, I really feel good about it. I've done long runs of 40, 70, and 34 miles. Each of those runs was preceded a day earlier by hilly threshold runs.
On top of feeling great about running, I've still been managing some quality time in the gym. My sauna sessions are getting longer and feeling more comfortable. The problem is that the sauna at the new gym is always more full than it ever was at my old gym. Therefore, I feel a little awkward doing pushups and jumping jacks in front 2 or 3 other guys. I've continued to hit the weights too, with most of the focus now being on core and legs. On a whim today, I decided to measure my body fat with the goofy electronic hand-held device. I put no stock into it's accuracy, but when I last checked three months or so ago, my body fat percentage was 11%. Today it was measured 7%. So regardless of the accuracy, it still shows an increase in fitness. It's always nice to have some measurable numbers to back up the way your feeling.
In a moment, I'll stand up and grab a glass of water. Inevitably my ankles are going to snap and crackle, but I'll be smiling thinking about the runs I did to get to this point. I love this time of year.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Bubble Wrap
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I'd love to hear some of your favorite gym exercises for core and legs.
Well I like to use a Bosu ball for most of what I do. Curls, overhead press, and rows, I do while standing on the ball. One of my favorite excercises is to take a 12 lb medicine ball and hold it with two hands overhead, while standing on the bosu. I bring the ball down until it is in front of me with arms straight, and then I squat, stand and raise the ball back overhead. Most everything I do is in 3 sets of 12 reps.
For my legs I focus primarily on quads and hamstrings.
Hope that answers a few questions.
I couldn't stand being around sooo many people when I went the sauna. Quick remedy was my Infared Sauna. I really enjoy the sound system too.
Post a Comment