#Fitness

by Winston Ash on #Fitness

Bad Form = Pain?

Self-diagnosed strained Achilles tendon. I am pretty certain that is what I have. The pain only shows up after I’ve run 3+ miles. When it’s time for my next running session I am barely able to get a mile before it kicks in.

And I will not let this pain beat me. I cannot get injured again. Being on the bench eats at my soul. So, I take it easy for a few days. Let the tendon heal. Add in some intense stretching and foam rolling too. Usually, it works.

The question

How do I prevent this pain in the first place? My initial analysis points to an issue with my form. But that cannot be the problem because my weekly mileage is increasing 🙂 yet the problem only occurs on the long runs.

The second theory is that as I get into the longer runs my form degrades to the point of triggering this problem. This is more likely. Thinking through the issue.

Do you see my dilemma? If theory #2 is correct, how do I prevent this from occurring?

My thoughts:

  1. Better and targeted pre- & post- training stretching
  2. Calf strength training
  3. Review my form by videotaping my next long run

Any ideas would be helpful.

 

 
by Winston Ash on #Fitness

Breakthrough 

Training intensity ticked upwards. 

More miles. Consistent and relentless. 

The breakthrough came at the 1.5 mile mark of a 4 mile easy run. 

No pain, no hard breathing. I enjoyed the act of running. 

And running is fun?!

Wait … What just happened? 

Time for me to do some research. 

I’m reading, “Natural Born Heroes” and just came to the part as far for fuel. 

Maybe, just maybe I’m on to something here. I’ve had this urge to go cleaner. I still crave food. But definitely not like before. 

And now that running is fun I want to run all the time. 

Have I figured out what works for me? 

Stay tuned and find out. 

My first thought – Hell Yes! 

More running, more high fat food – bring on the good times!!

 
by Winston Ash on #Fitness

# Fitness Update

Time to get serious. Health is my priority.

Here are some of my fitness goals for this year:

  1. Weight

    1. Current Weight: 271 lbs.
    2. Goal Weight: 235 lbs.
    3. Action Plan: Lose 36 lbs. by October 8th, 2016 – Weigh-In @ 9:00 AM

  2. Running

    1. Finish 5K
    2. Finish 10K
    3. Finish Spartan Race or Tough Mudder
    4. Complete Endurance Run of 13.1 Miles

  3. Overall Health

    1. Body Fat Percentage under 15%

  4. Diet

    1. No Soda
    2. 3 Day Fast once per Quarter
    3. Limited Sugar Intake
    4. 1 Gallon of Water Daily
    5.  Read more about Ketogenic Diet & Explore other options; Low-Carb, High Protein

All of this is towards the ultimate goal of being healthy. Better than I was each day. Long and healthy life.

 
by Winston Ash on #Fitness

It felt right again. 

After I hit that mile mark I felt good. 

No gasping. Weezing. Or Pain – well not a lot. 

What changed? 

After a few weeks off, Monday was my first day back in the gym. That hurt. 

First, don’t take weeks off from running. I had a rythem. Breathing came easy. Not this day. Everything hurt. 

I blame two things. Time off and not fueling my body correctly. 

On vacation I decided to do January perfect. I’ve done perfect before by hitting all of my low bars. So, let’s do it again. 

Monday hurt, but today get good. 

Why?

I ate right all week. But water is the key. Every day this year I drank a gallon of that clear goodness – hahaha. 

Water cleared my system. It reset my body. I feel invigorated. 

So when I ran today I could feel the water soften the impact. And I realized the key is fuel. 

Feed the body. And everything else takes care of itself. 

Principle #1: Eat right.

 
by Winston Ash on #Fitness

#Fitness: August 2016 Recap

Things I noticed:

  1. I started the month focused on fitness. Then I put more emphasis on my business. And fitness took a hit. Need to adjust my schedule to make both priorities.
  2. Running is getting a lot easier. I am in a good rhythm now. Any day I can jump on the treadmill and push out 3 miles. I am very satisfied.
  3. Need new music, now!
  4. NEW PERSONAL RECORD: On Aug. 12th I ran my fastest mile @ 8:01

Stats:

Start Month – 254.1 lbs.

End Month – 253.7 lbs.

Miles Ran – 21.2

Average Pace – 10:57 min./mi.

Training Schedule:

Cardio – Following a schedule put together on Runkeeper to get me in shape for a 10k. Missed 55% of the scheduled training sessions. However, I made up most of them by doing the work on different days.

Weights – Still not getting back into lifting, yet.

Summary

Overall, it was a mediocre month. I need to do a much better job staying consistent. That will be my key to success.

Grade: C

 
by Winston Ash on #Fitness

#Fitness: Hurt vs. Injured

Each breathe comes faster than the last. And then I hit my rhythm. Two heartbeats per breath. And I can feel my chest thumping. Thump. Thump. Breathe.

And then my left ankle speaks up. You know what I mean. It says “What are you thinking? You can’t do this. I’m in pain.”

And from this convo I learned a trick while running.

Identify the defective system. Sorry, left ankle. No disrespect.

Thank the pain. It means you’re still alive. I say, “Thank you left ankle for letting me know.”

But that is just information.

To decide what to do next I go one level deeper.

Are you hurt or injured?

Why the 20 questions you ask?

To make sure that I know the difference

[Tweet “So I can identify my limit and push it.”]

Because I said so.

Hurt vs. Injured – What’s the difference?

Here’s how I see it. Hurt = pain but I can push through it. Injured = I have to stop and should get medical care.

Those are hard standards. But it has allowed me to push right up against my comfort zone.

So next time your body screams at you to stop. Ask yourself that question.

And if nothing else, you just went 5 more seconds. Sounds win-win to me.