Learning how to strategize through Crossfit

I have been doing Crossfit for a while now and I don’t think I have really talked about my love for Crossfit – partly because I am nowhere near that level of competence where I can really talk about it. One thing I can talk about today are the strategies that I have learnt from Crossfit and adopted into my running training.

The way the workout of the day works is that, you are usually given a time cap to complete the workout. The workout, marked on the whiteboard, always seems impossible to complete. (E.g. I did a benchmark WOD called “Elizabeth” yesterday – 21-15-9 = clean@40kg, ring dips, 12mins cap). 

However, the trick lies in how you pace yourself and how you break down your workout base on your capabilities. I know 40kg is a lot for my slight frame, so I break it down to 5+5+5+3+3, 5+4+3+3, 3+3+3. (ring dips are quite easy for me because I don’t weight much so I just went in 5's throughout and all 9 in one go in the end.) I finished with a healthy 4 minutes of rest time.

So same strategies in my training…say…a 35km run. You break it down in 5km increments. Have a 20 second rest every 5km by all means, and go hard in the last 5km (simultaneously telling yourself…it’s only 5km mate, only-5km….)

It worked for my run in HK, and I will apply the same strategy again in Amsterdam. I am confident it will work for me once again.

yay bring on the barbells!

The awesomeness of training buddies

Something happened recently that still bothers me somewhat, so I thought I vent my spleen here and be gone with my grudge.

I used to have a wonderful training partner whom I met at my running club. She was great: we live close-by and are at a similar sort of pace. Things were going well...until...well  a few weeks ago, where I organised a 20+mile long run, where it was planned I start to run with her after I have done around 8 miles as she was only meant to do 12 miles.

Seriously - all she needs to do was...turn up at this place at this time. Simple, right?

No. Not only she didn't turn up on time (at least 45 minutes late), she also rocked up at the wrong place; and when I called her she has started running...after I have waited all this time for her!

I was livid. I have never felt such annoyance and anger since … god knows when!

Not only this person was not sorry, when she finally rocks up, she coos "Oh great! We are arguing like old married couple now, aye?”  I said: "Look, it’s not that hard to turn up at a place at a set time. I have called, emailed, and texted you confirming the time and place! Jeez!”

Ok – I be frank – there are times where I am late, and I also have friends who are late. I usually don’t get angry about little things like that etc. That’s fine. Just – let me know and I will be happy to wait. It’s too small of a thing to be annoyed about. I accept some people are just late and/or running on island time is the norm. I also understand that people make mistakes, but how can I forgive a mistake when someone don't even have the courage to admit the mistake?

And the, fast-forward a week, this same person fantastically organised our club tent. She was, on time, at the right place, everything was perfectly catered. Everything was done to showcase how responsible she can be! I came to the conclusion that she was just disrespectful towards me.

This incident made me sad. I was quite sad for weeks. I also felt our friendship has been compromised because of this incident. For one I can no longer trust this person. And the foundation of friendship is trust.

I am pretty lucky to be part of an amazing running club, and met and continue meeting, a group of amazingly supportive people who also shares my love for running.  I have spoken to people about this incident, and they said: “You know we also run, right?”

And so while one friend organised a group for my last Sunday long run, another offered to do mid-week runs with me. I needed some motivation to run 4 weeks before the marathon while they needed some motivation to keep running when they are not training for any upcoming events. Mutual benefits. Incentives. Economic theory working in practice.

You lose one, but you gain some. I have now gained myself a new group of training buddies!

http://www.vitalitytv.com/blog/132160/why-it-s-better-to-train-with-a-partner/

I am nervous - 13 days to go

I am quite nervous. The marathon is coming up in less than 2 weeks and I am nervous. I am nervous about injury before race day. I am nervous about stomach upset around race time. I am nervous about my feet hurting at the 5km mark. I am nervous about not getting enough rest and sleep. I am nervous about cramps and stitches (yes I have randomly picked up a side stitch in the last two weeks!). I am nervous I will pick up an injury along the way. I am nervous about the weather being too cold/hot/humid/dry. I am nervous about not carbing up properly.

I am nervous about being nervous about getting another PB and, most of all, I am nervous that I will, finally, break the 4 hour barrier.

I still remembered that magical moment when I broke the 50-minute barrier at the 10K about 5 months ago. I came in officially at 49:33 (my actual time 10K time was actually 48:30 due to a slightly longer course). I worked hard on the tempo runs with my speedy paddling friend. I did intervals, fartleks! And I did it....

I remembered vividly how, at the last 1km I was about to give up. It felt too hard. The pacer who I was following ran ahead...he was so far away! I thought - it's going to be a PB anyway at 50:xx minutes...its ok. Next time...next time. There there don't cry...

My right calf were in excruciating pain due to a nagging injury at the time. My feet hurting. My brain was hurting. But my heart - through its precious beats through my chest, was telling me that I still have the horsepower to do it.

And at that point (around 300m to go) I faintly heard my pacer friend calling my name: "Come on! You have 40 seconds! Come ON!!!!" And I gathered up every single carbohydrate fuel droplets I have left and sprinted to the finish. 49:33. I was overjoyed, and wanted to puke at the same time! Oh that moment!

And I want to repeat that again. And I know I can. Sub-4 hours. Bring it on!

Pacing the Sydney Half Marathon 2014 - 2 hours

A fortnight ago I paced 2 hours at the Sydney Half Marathon. Comparing to Canberra, it was anything but as straightforward as Canberra. Here, where all that that can possibly go wrong, will all go wrong. Here’s what happened.

0-5KM: We got to the start line without an issue - on time and in good spirits. Time to switch on my Garmin!  It won’t register – the GPS simply kept…blinking and it just won’t get any reception! Horror! How would I know I am running at 5:40min/km pace now? A nearby person heard me telling my pacing partner of my watch issue and asked: “how are you going to pace us properly?” I answered…calmly…in my yoga voice. “it’s ok – my partner’s GPS is working  - and mine is just erratic and delayed for now…”

Even though I was freaking out inside! Problem was, I can no longer rely on the average pace function on the GPS (which is what I was relying on at pace training) and I can only use a timer watch which allows me to split/lap when I see the KM marker. Once the GPS works again I can also use the spot pace to give me an idea how fast I am going.

5-10.x Km: As we were making our way down to the 7km mark, my partner was saying that we were 30 seconds ahead of schedule. But I suspect we were going slower than what was registering on his GPS…my spot pace was telling me I was running at 6:20min/k pace! In a moment of confusion, I have no idea what to believe. So I picked up my pace and just started…running by feel! I know that, at my current point of fitness, 6:20min/k pace is my “singing” pace, and at 5:40min/k, I can still whole a full conversation but can’t sing, and that’s where I should be. So I just…ran by feel.

10-15Km: Eventually my partner caught up around 11Km mark and conceded that we might end up coming in late. As we head up to the rolling hills in Pyrmont, I lost him again. At that point I just decided to just keep going – at least one of us is on time (the weight of responsibility)! At this stage of the run, another issue popped up – the KM markers were off – it was…11km, 12km, 13km, 17km! 17km when my (now a bit dodgy GPS) watch reading 14.5km. And it certainly didn't feel like 17km at this stage. I am really thrown into the deep end learning how to run by feel…

16-20K: Forget about the KM markers – they were totally…everywhere! As if they were just placed along the side of the road randomly. For me I just kept going. Talking to, mostly myself along the way, and when my watch goes off at a kilometre, I called out encouragements to the people nearby me. At that pace, my body felt it is a well-oiled machine. This is my comfortable pace at my current condition – not too slow, not too fast. Just a special sweet spot for me. I was, for the first time, running by feel. That-magic-moment-of-enlightenment. Ding!

I also felt strangely alone. My pacing partner went kaput (turns out he was only a minute or so behind me, and he was closer to the 2 hour time than I was!) so I ended up talking to myself like a mad woman. The people who were holding on to me also went kaput. I was alone. Later on a friend of mine, who was looking over the pedestrian bridge at King St Wharf, said there was a MASSIVE swamp of people behind me. I was this…tiny bee with a tiny flag, and a swarm – literally, at least 100 people, were chasing for their PB using me. Me! This tiny Bee!!!

21-finish: When I saw the Opera house, I knew there was about a kilometre to go. I yelled out words of praise to my pace bus. “Well done guys! Just one K to go – don’t give up now. It will be over in 6 minutes!” I spoke to people around me, encouraged walkers to start running again. It was an exhilarating experience once again, and I managed to get PBs for a large group of people. It was the most exhilarating experience! Just getting people their PBs. Amazing!

And bravo to me too – I took them home without the aid of my Garmin. I just ran by feel. And it felt great.

Post-blog comment: One of the strangest comment I received was around the 13km mark where I was saying “great work guys, we are way pass the half way mark”. Two girls turned around and one exclaimed: “O wow there’s the marker person! We are not that slow! And the marker is a GIRL!” Umm…ok…what, girls can’t run? O_o”

Lazy checking her watch...one KM till the finish! Job well done!

how yoga saved me

I don’t know what magical formula yoga has, but......thanks for my hard-headed stubbornness that insisted me to practise at least 4 times a week, my injury has...finally left the building! That's right. Gone. My right calf still hurts on occasions but nothing to the extent of what it was 3 months ago at the start of the marathon program, where I cannot even walk properly ( I was shuffling to and from place - no painkillers in the world could help...)

Anyway 3 weeks to go and I finally feel I am ready for Amsterdam. I am of course acutely consciously aware of all pains and niggles I get now during my runs. But all in all, I have no more pain.

Thank you yoga!

Source: http://www.theironyou.com/2011/03/awesomeness-of-bikram-yoga.html

Reflection

It’s my birthday today, and every birthday I wake up reflecting on…well…life.

I think about what the sports and recreational stuff I have done has taught me about life. Here’s a list:

• Yoga - my very talkative instructor have repeatedly said – “the most important skill in life is to know how to be detached and know how to let go”.  It is the attachment to things that stops you from progressing as a life force. Wise words…from the sweaty one…
• Martial arts – taught me how our body is like jelly, and avoid fighting at all cost. Fighting is so inefficient.
• Paddling – has taught me how to do things by feel – you paddle according to the feel of the water beneath you – the ebbs and flows. It is this innate feeling that will make you move in the most efficient way.
• Ocean swimming – relax and let go of all fear. Fear is what will holding you down.
• Water polo – have a go – even though a ball in your face hurts (my stint at this sport was so short I only managed to learn how to be a broken eggbeater) – I still gave water polo a season…I bail once we were getting into competition mode…
• Gymnastics – awareness
• Running – taught me how to be humble. There is always someone faster than you out there!

In other news…well it’s almost one month till the Amsterdam marathon, and once tapering starts I will blog a bit more.

Anyway – I am proud of being alive and healthy for another year. Happy birthday to me J

back on the training program

Yes. 7.5 weeks to go and I am finally back on the training program thanks to nagging calf injuries which prevented me from following the program in full.

My calves took nearly 12 weeks to heal. 12 weeks! nearly 3 months!

Chiro said...2 weeks....but what he meant was...2 weeks and you might be able to shuffle again. Complete recovery? Who knows how long!

Man, how I regret going overboard with my base building prior to the start of my program...
but you lose some you gain some. I am finally learning to listen to my body now...

Unrelated to my post but my Born to Run arrived in the mail today! Can't wait to read it.