Man Push Ups

It's been a while... far too long really, but life got oddly busy, and I somehow lost my desire to write. Suddenly last week, I missed it a lot. I suppose now that Ironman is finished, this blog's purpose is largely selfish. I can write whatever I want, no one even really has to read to it. It will be my online-personal-self-expressive journal (hahaha just kidding - I am definately not that deep!).

As a brief update, regarding my shingles recovery, post partum depression and post ironman recovery: It took a good month for all of the nerve pain to clear up, my doctor perscribed some pain killers specifically for nerve-type pain, but I opted to stick it out like a real Ironman - just kidding - I chose not to take them because I see all the patients at the hospital get super constipated when they take this specific drug and I wasn't ready to do that to my smoothly-running-well maintained-cleaned out daily bowels, nor do I want to gag back psyllium husks! Luckily, it's been 3 weeks since I've felt any pain what so ever, so I'm just going to assume that I am done with that (thank God!). I had a bit of a hard time cutting back on the training, you just get so used to it, that it seems weird not to plan my life around long bikes and runs and fitting in a second work out for the day! I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was out for an "easy and short" 25 km run less than 3 weeks after the race, then straight to the pool after to finish the workout off with 12 x 50 m sprints (however, I may have been the only one doing that while holding my insides together in pain).

I work very well with goals, like for example, completing an Ironman, or qualifying for the Boston Marathon. But then when I complete the goal, I need another one asap to avoid the dreaded postpartum (as mentioned previously). For the first time in a very long time I don't really have a specific goal, and I am happy to say that I think I'm actually doing OK. No irratic, compulsive, psychotic, irritable behaviors (not yet anyways). I am going to run the Vancouver Marathon (Alison is going to do the half!!! Woot Woot!), I'm hoping to have a PB in Vancouver, so I guess it's a pseudo-goal. But I won't seriously start training for that (outside of my usual weekly long runs and speed work) until February, so in the mean time I've picked up a new challenge, and I've started doing a lot of weight lifting, but challenging myself far beyond what I've ever done before.

I've always stayed away from heavy lifting because I'm a runner and runner's don't do that... we run, and to build muscles we run hills, and to get faster we do fartleks and to run longer we do long runs and to look better we get coordinated Running Room Reflective jackets and we run in a herd on Sunday mornings taking up 3 lanes of a 4 lane street. It's what we do, and we do it well! Until recently, my opinion of heavy lifters were that they probably had itty bitty lungs under all that bulk because they never do cardio, that they live off of a trio of rice, soy and whey protein powders as well as various muscle building amino acid supplements, and quite frankly, they spend three quarters of their actual work out too busy checking themselves out in the mirror. I could be stereotyping here... but as a runner, I'm sure I've been a victim of that runner stereotype on more than one occassion, and let's all be honest... it's true. Athletes are all weird in their own little weird way. However.... I have managed to maintain running about 80 - 100 km/week while doing 3 intense heavy weight lifting work outs - and I have yet to ingest a single ounce of weirdo supplements, I don't check myself out in the mirror, and my aerobic capacity has actually improved! I've bench pressed, chin-ed up and push-ed up more weights, more reps and with far more intensity than ever before in my life (and shall I clarify... by bench press, I mean I've moved to 10 lbs plates from my previous "bar only" personal best). A weight lifting workout, if done with a certain technique and designed from an expert in the field, can actually be one hell of a workout! By that I mean, sweating, tears, pain, sweating, aerobic, anaerobic, not walking for three days after and more sweating! It's great, I couldn't be happier!

This brings me to my next point... it makes such a difference to have a expert advice in the field, and I am not refering to the beef-head or dumb blond (there I go, stereotyping again... and there is nothing wrong with being blond) that took a 4 hour online course to become "Personal Trainer". I've always been a big believer in being well informed, hence my many many years of involvement in the Running Room Clinics, as well as having a triathlon coach, it made all the difference for me. How convenient for me that my closest friend from school happens to be a personal trainer with a Bachelor of Kinesiology and quite big into weight lifting herself (which is actually an under statement because I'm pretty sure she could bench 4 x's her body weight if she really tried). Whitney has taught me SO much, my idea of working out has really been transformed. I have learned to fit SO much more in to an even shorter period of time, I've learned about working certain muscle groups and how to optimize it, I've learned about super sets and other great things like that, I've learned that I am far stronger than I ever gave myself credit for (Hello people... I can actually do chin ups!!!), but of far most importance - I have learned that doing a "Whitney Leg Workout" and attempting a long run anytime within the next three days is pure and utter torture (the kind I like)!

Also very interesting to be noted - along with my previous stereotype of girls who do man-pushups, I just assumed this would mean I would "bulk up" and watch the weight on the scale increasing. I always give a chuckle to the "muscle weighs more than fat excuse" even though it's true, I think it's used far to lightly (as in "I haven't lost any weight cause I gained muscle" - possibly, but not usually the case). I'm not a big weigh-myself obsesser, in fact, I generally try and stay away from it. I get myself weighed every year at the doctors office, so I use that as my guide line and try to stick with it. I'll jump on the scale once in a blue moon at the gym, but for no real reason (and for some reason I always get suckered in when people have scales sitting out in the bathrooms at their homes). I was a victim to the scale for FAR too many years, so now, for the most part, if I feel good, then it's all good. We had to get weighed when we registered ourselves the day before the race at Ironman, I was 128 lbs. I had my once-in-a-blue-moon lure to the scale today at the gym and I was 123 lbs - so I guess my stereotype was wrong (not that this had anything to do with weight loss or weight gain, just and interesting observation). Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise to me because Whitney makes me look like a whimp when we work out together, and she is very petite - so I guess bigger isn't really stronger.

It's a fun new project, I love working out with Whitney, we go easily in our 70 minute lunch break at school and then I spend the afternoon in classes sitting by myself in a corner because I am STILL sweating. I still get to run as much as I want(my first love), but I think I'm standing just a wee bit taller (all those core muscles are holding me together stronger!). Don't worry, I have no plans to get super tanned, lube myself in baby oil, clothed in a inny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini and compete in any bodybuilding/muscle-man type competition (that is SO not me!). It's just all for fun...with a 6-pack as the result (however, I have yet to see the 6 pack).