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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

No pain, no gain

The title sounds so cliché, doesn't it?

But many people don't realize that sacrifice and pain is sometimes necessary to reach a goal.

As I began to run farther distances, I learned that there are typically two ways people deal with longer runs. One is by distracting themselves from the run ... listening to music, carrying on conversation, or even daydreaming to get to another place. Others focus on the run itself ... the way their body feels, the ache that comes with the longer distance, and create a connection. Of course a third breed can do both at once.

I started running by distraction, but found that when I focused on the run itself, I began to receive better results. Running for 4 hours is painful for me, but I found if I kept trying to run away from the pain, my runs were a struggle. When I embraced it as part of the process, I began to enjoy the challenge and was able to accomplish more.

It's like that with nutrition and weight training. I noticed that everyone is running to the gym and even taking a stab at eating healthier now that we're in the second week of January. Of course, most of the resolutions have vanished into thin air because many people never truly made The Decision. Those who have, though, commonly ask, "Is it normal to be this sore?"

Whenever you begin a new training program or dramatically change your training, your body is unprepared and often will become much more sore than usual. This is fairly normal, and some people swear it is a sign that you are building muscle and receiving results.

The question really becomes, however, are you going for "Good enough" or are you looking to make a truly, extraordinary change?

If the answer is the latter, then be prepared to put in an extraordinary effort. I always smiled when people would say, "You trained too hard" because I could barely walk ... I'd silently remind myself, "No, I trained well enough." Inevitably the questions would come, "How did you lose so much weight? How do you stay so lean?" I smile and reply, "By training too hard." Some people have that "ah-hah" moment and clicks, others reply, "I could never do that." Which really means, "I don't really want to get in the best shape of my life."

That's fine. But the double standard can get annoying. It comes back to the decision. Don't say you're going to make a difference, and then have a dozen excuses right out of the gate. I work 60 - 80 hours a week building a software company, then sprinkle in another 5 - 10 helping my daughter with Lizzie Marie Cuisine and adding content here. I also spend a few hours every day with my family and of course devote the weekends to my family. I have not been as consistent in the past, which is why this isn't to be condescending ... but I hadn't made a true decision, either. Now that I'm committed, it's up at 5am to train. That's the only way it works. Does that mean I need to get to bed earlier? Of course. Maybe I have to sacrifice some evening beers or an hour of slouching in front of the television system asking to be programmed by someone else's thoughts and beliefs ... but then it's a question of priorities.

Hey, I know the reality. There are some shows I like, so the sacrifice is that I'm a lot more tired when that alarm sounds. If I hadn't made the choice, it would be just another excuse to hit snooze. Otherwise, it's "get up and do it" and don't complain, or else get to sleep earlier.

Not to sound harsh, but too many people want to go through live with their silver spoon and comfortable little cushioned pillow to help them glide along. I'm not saying living healthy should be a chore or "tough" your entire life. Who wants to go through live not enjoying their meals or doing workouts they hate?

But sometimes you have to step into the flames to temper and shape your resolve. Sometimes you have to realize that it takes an extraordinary effort to make an extraordinary change. Some of your know that it takes pushing yourself to the limit and going "beyond" to understand who you really are. How can you remove limits if you don't push the barrier?

So I'm excited this week that I've been sore every day. It was funny because at one point I could barely lift my arm because my chest ached so bad. No, I didn't overdo my training ... I trained just enough. See, I'm not looking for mediocre run-of-the-mill "oh, I've been training for 5 years so I should be in shape but why don't I have the lean, ripped physique I really want" results. I'm looking to build muscle, shed fast, and do it not too fast, not too slow, but right on time. I still have a marathon to run ... and then an ultramarathon ... and my body deserves to do it with less fat and more muscle. So when I'm in the gym, it's all about 110% effort ... some people may think I'm rude when they want to chit-chat and shoot the bull, and I ignore them because I'm focusing every ounce and iota of energy on the next repetition.

Let me ask you this ... what is more of an effort? Some people do it halfway in the gym, "just good enough" and, "Hey, at least I showed up" and then struggle the entire day with the guilt of not getting to where they feel they deserve to be. Others give it 110% ... do you know what that feels like? Imagine coming home after a long day, settling down into a chair, and really ENJOYING your relaxation because you know you earned it ... not just because you "worked hard for the boss" but because you took care of YOU first. How cool would that be?

I earn my rest every morning with my workouts and don't have to feel guilty about not being where I want to be ... because I'm getting there. I'm moving forward. I'm not dwelling on "now" but I'm building "then." Our actions today echo our reality in the future.

So ... it's normal to be sore and if you really want to see an extraordinary change, you'll fight for the right to be sore each and every day. I don't belong to the camp that believes you must be sore to see results ... but I am a firm believer you must give it everything, and then a little more, each and every time to see results. Doing "just enough" is actually moving backward.

So I take that one segment of my day ... less than an hour ... block the rest out, and hit it hard.

If you want to follow my exact workouts and nutrition, I am posting to my 2008 fat loss journal. I'll share my thoughts here and throw the sets, reps, weights, and food items there.

Thanks for listening.

Jeremy Likness

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posted by Jeremy Likness | 7:06 AM | 0 comments


Saturday, December 02, 2006

Best Training Run Yet

Today's Run: 5.03m
Run Time: 47:25
Total Miles to Date: 141.3

Thoughts on the Run:

Today was the best run yet, by far.

I woke up and stepped outside. It was COLD. It was in the low 30s. I decided to have breakfast and run after the sun was a bit higher so it would warm up.

Breakfast was two Kashi whole-grain (7 grains) waffles with blackberries and raspberries (no syrup). I also brewed some coffee in the French press. I took my multivitamin pack and then relaxed with my wife for about an hour.

For gear, I decided to try my shorts with the long running pants over them. I debated what to wear up top, and then decided just the long sleeve whick would be fine - nothing over it. I knew I would warm up and where I usually make my mistake is by overdressing and then trapping all of the sweat.

The only deviating from my standard routine was that I decided to take a Succeed! cap before the run. I sweat A LOT ... friends and family joke that just thinking about exercise causes me to sweat - so I figured even on the shorter run it would be a good test of electrolyte balance. Each cap has 341mg of sodium and 21mg of potassium.

I stepped out and started the run. It was COLD. My hands were freezing but I was out in the sun fairly quickly. I also chose and out-and-back route that would lead me up a rather long incline to warm-up quickly. I felt great and knocked that first mile out in 9:29 despite the uphill.

The second mile went faster due to more uphill. Ironically, this was a mile I stopped at. About 3/4 into the mile, I had a sharp pain in my knee - the right knee that I had complete reconstructive ACL on. I identified the pain immediately. It's what happens when I do what I call "lazy running." Basically my joint there is reconstructed and part of the problem is that the quad muscle helps cushion the fall - there is a "teardrop" muscle that wraps around the joint and can help stabilize and cushion the joint. "Lazy running" means running without engaging this muscle. I stopped and walked for about a block, focusing on contracting that muscle and engaging it. Then, I took a few tentative warm-up steps and finally broke back into a full run. The pain was completely gone and did not return. I knocked out that mile, even with the walking, in 9:06.

The third mile was half a mile downhill next to a park down the road, then turning around and coming back up. The uphill was a little daunting but I just focused on keeping a steady cadence and easily climbed it in 9:31. I was feeling great. It was at this point that I noticed two differences with the run. First, my uphill efforts almost always cause a little stomach distress and I felt none this time. Second, I was barely sweating! Here I was going up a hill and in direct sunlight and while I was sweating, it was a mild, light sweat and not the "totally drenched and dripping water" sweat I'm used to.

The fourth mile had me ascending Goliath. Again, I focused on a steady, consistent run. I knew I would slow down going up the long hill, but also felt I had enough energy to make up for it on the backside. It took me 10:31 to finish that mile. I then picked up the pace for a strong finish. As I anticipated, the last mile made up for it and was finished in an 8:36 pace - a negative split!

The end of the run was warm - it was in the fifties but felt like the seventies.

Finished the 5.03 of the run in 47:25 for an average pace of 9:26. That's my best training pace (short of paced runs on the treadmill).

Very excited about the results. I can't attribute it to any one thing yet, but needless to say I was pleased. Now we'll see how I fare on my first back-to-back run, knocking out 10 miles tomorrow.

After the run I cooled off far more quickly than I normally would have and stretched for 20 minutes with my yoga routine.

I'd say the caps may have had an impact. It also helps that I've overcome the upper respiratory problems I was having and seem to simply be improving overall in training. I'm sure the 5 pounds I've shed also helped lighten the load on the run.

Until tomorrow,

Jeremy Likness

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posted by Jeremy Likness | 12:18 PM | 0 comments



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