After last week’s Flywheel class I had a minor breakdown. I lost to James again, which I am totally at peace with after 1 full week, but I also finished in the middle of the class. The class wasn’t packed and I left feeling so discouraged. I thought to myself, I work my rear off and there is NO reason to not finish the class in the top 3!
On the way home I phoned my Dad and expressed my concern over not knowing how to push myself. He used to be a coach and always got the most out of his team, I figured he could provide some solid advice. His response, “Paige you run marathons, what do you mean you don’t know how to push yourself?” Bottom line, running long distances has become pretty easy and doesn’t require much extra effort on my part. It’s the nitty-gritty exercises that live outside my comfort zone that really challenge me. November Project, lifting weights, the list goes on…
We came to the conclusion that I need to set short term goals to reach my long term goal. Little baby steps and small achievements go very far mentally and give you something to hold onto at that current time and place. It is tremendously easy to get caught up in ONE bad run if you expect to see your long term goal in short term time. This is something that needs to be avoided before you fall down a rabbit hole that does not lead to wonderland. Set small goals to help avoid these hurdles.
Short Term August Goal – One track workout/one mile repeat workout per week
This sounds pretty easy, right? Negative. It is SO much easier to get outside and coast. Running is typically a one stop shop. Going to the track requires walking to my car, driving, parking, putting on all of my go-go gadget accessories, working out, getting in the car, driving home, parking, walking home, blah, blah, blah, such a process.
Last night I attempted to run to the track for 6 x 800 meters but the running gods had another plan. The track was closed so I had to improvise and do RFK (don’t go after dark – it is a little slim shady) parking lot sprints. Improvise is not a great word for me. I always need a plan. After pouting to myself for a few minutes I found the longest straightaway and got to work. It was very hard to keep track of what I was doing so I let my Garmin run the entire time and analyzed the results after. It is very hard to keep track of distance, splits and recovery time on one watch. Too much math for me.
2.50 mile warm up
+/- .17 sprint – 5:40 pace x 13
Total Mileage – 5.40
Not bad, but not what I had in mind. I am anxious to see how it translates next week when I do a proper long distance sprint workout. Because my distance/paces were ka-plunked last night, my scale for pushing myself was interesting. How close is Paige to throwing up? I know this is not the safest option but it was a good scale for me. I know I am getting a great workout and my heart rate is bumping.
Throughout the past two years I’ve learned a ton about my body and continue to do so every day. I encourage everyone to get out there and push yourself with me and let me know how it goes! I would love to hear your experiences and metrics when it comes to your personal satisfaction after a workout.
Boots Bikes + Barbells 