So let me just put down what I have been doing.
So for the last few months I have been plodding along with weight and strength training at Planet Fitness. On the days I couldn't get outside I would do cardio workouts there as well.
I would chronicle my runs with the Runkeeper app on my phone. Running distances I never thought I could. A year ago I couldn't run down the block. Now I'm running 3, 5 and 6+ mile races.
I ran 4 races in July and August in the NYS Park Summer Run series. With that I learned the importance of proper footwear. It made ALL the difference! The most grueling one was the 10K at Sunken Meadow State Park. It wasn't just a straight up run. It was through many back trails and the dreaded Cardiac Hill. It gave me a good taste of what I was in for.
But I noticed soon after my last entry that the inevitable happened. I plateaued big-time! I wasn't making any gains and could not drop any more weight. I also started to get bored which is certain death for any fitness program. I had come too far and worked to hard to throw it all away now. I modified my diet and tried to cut out carbs as much as I could. To be truthful I couldn't modify it much more without going crazy!
So after I finished my last race I decided to change it up and started going to a new type of gym to see if they could get me over the hump.
There had been flyers at the precinct for a place down the road called CrossFit Lighthouse.
I knew nothing about CrossFit, and as fate would have it I got a call one night to that very same place.
Now you would think that having to respond to this place to pick up someone who is having a medical emergency would put me off from ever joining. NOPE.
As I treated her, I picked her brain about what CrossFit. I knew very little about it and it almost seemed like a cult. It has now gone mainstream because...frankly, it works! But it is not for the faint of heart. If you are the type of person that balks at the idea of being pushed then this is not for you. If you are content with what your workout is doing for you then maybe this isn't for you. But if your like me, and have tried over the years with various different levels of success only to hit a wall...TRY THIS! Try it before you get discouraged and abandon your efforts.
Crossfit is a relatively young style of fitness but it operates off a philosophy that experts have suspected all along. Your body is amazing and eventually adapts to repetitive physical stress. The same thing goes with working out. If you follow the same routine for a while your body will adapt. You will see diminishing returns until the point you don't see any gains at all. Or after a while you will just get bored and quit! To prevent this, Crossfit is a different workout every time you go. It is a combination of Gymnastics, Yoga, Olympic powerlifting, and military style body weight exercises. Although the sessions are an hour, they are BRUTALLY INTENSE! It is by far the most physically demanding workout I've ever experienced. They get you to the point of total exhaustion, hold you there, and then make you give them more. Its not uncommon for people to get nauseous, vomit or pass out when they initially start. I know that sounds barbaric to many of you, perhaps even dangerous but the thing I've learned about being an athlete (boy that sounds weird coming from me) is that the most important thing is that you continue to push. Yes its uncomortable...fuck it, push! Yes your exhauseted...fuck it, push! Yes it hurts...FUCK IT, PUSH! Perseverance, consistency, sticktoitiveness, whatever you wanna call it...JUST DON'T GIVE UP UNTIL YOU FINISH!
The thing I truly love about CrossFit is that its competitive, without the ridicule! When I was growing up the thing that kept me away from any competitive sport is the teasing you would have to endure if you didn't play up to everyone's expectations. I was a poor athlete. I couldn't run fast, or for long distances. I was strong, but clumsy. I couldn't throw a ball worth a shit and don't even get me started on catching one either. And after I got nailed in the mouth with my first line drive, that was the end of enjoying my turn at bat. Football, aside from games I played with my friends on the block or in gym class that was enough from me. The taunting if you fucked up drove me away. Basketball...kept knocking the ball out of bounds when it hit my huge feet while dribbling. I could go on and on about every sport that I've tried and sucked at. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s was pretty brutal for me in Levittown. You were expected to fight your own battles and they're were plenty of bullies to go around. The last thing I want to do is to stirr up all those old emotions of inadequecy in my 40s.
CROSSFIT BUILDS CONFIDENCE!
I'm not saying that before a WOD (workout of the day) we all hug, chant and sing Kumbaya...far from it. The confidence it builds is from the accomplishment you feel after getting through another grueling workout. The only person who is gonna ridicule you is YOURSELF. Thats not to say that the coaches let you do whatever you want. If one of them sees you slacking off during a workout, you bet your ass they're gonna lay into you! But to motivate, not to insult. But you ultimately are the one who is gonna know weather you could have done better or not. You are answerable to your self. But there is no ridiculing of people who are falling behind or not doing as many reps or who may be slower. The key is to NOT GIVE UP. There are all different levels of fitness. The ones like me who are newer to this are inspired by those who have been at it awhile and aspire to be at their level. I totally believe in it and was told by a good friend what change in my personality he has seen.
CROSSFIT PREPARES YOU FOR THE UNEXPECTED!
In everyday life people get injured doing just stupid mundane tasks that we take for granted and we get hurt by turning the wrong way, lifting the wrong way or just not being conditioned well enough. Not only do you get stronger from the workouts, it teaches you how to PREVENT injury. Especially when lifting. Its not about how heavy you go, its about how good your FORM is. It'll prevent injuries from everyday life and will allow you to heal quicker. I sprained my ankle doing that mud run last month. 3 days post injury I was back in the gym. If you let the coaches know you are nursing an injury they will help you work around it until it heals. This way you maintain what you've already built up.
Crossfit is a relatively young style of fitness but it operates off a philosophy that experts have suspected all along. Your body is amazing and eventually adapts to repetitive physical stress. The same thing goes with working out. If you follow the same routine for a while your body will adapt. You will see diminishing returns until the point you don't see any gains at all. Or after a while you will just get bored and quit! To prevent this, Crossfit is a different workout every time you go. It is a combination of Gymnastics, Yoga, Olympic powerlifting, and military style body weight exercises. Although the sessions are an hour, they are BRUTALLY INTENSE! It is by far the most physically demanding workout I've ever experienced. They get you to the point of total exhaustion, hold you there, and then make you give them more. Its not uncommon for people to get nauseous, vomit or pass out when they initially start. I know that sounds barbaric to many of you, perhaps even dangerous but the thing I've learned about being an athlete (boy that sounds weird coming from me) is that the most important thing is that you continue to push. Yes its uncomortable...fuck it, push! Yes your exhauseted...fuck it, push! Yes it hurts...FUCK IT, PUSH! Perseverance, consistency, sticktoitiveness, whatever you wanna call it...JUST DON'T GIVE UP UNTIL YOU FINISH!
The thing I truly love about CrossFit is that its competitive, without the ridicule! When I was growing up the thing that kept me away from any competitive sport is the teasing you would have to endure if you didn't play up to everyone's expectations. I was a poor athlete. I couldn't run fast, or for long distances. I was strong, but clumsy. I couldn't throw a ball worth a shit and don't even get me started on catching one either. And after I got nailed in the mouth with my first line drive, that was the end of enjoying my turn at bat. Football, aside from games I played with my friends on the block or in gym class that was enough from me. The taunting if you fucked up drove me away. Basketball...kept knocking the ball out of bounds when it hit my huge feet while dribbling. I could go on and on about every sport that I've tried and sucked at. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s was pretty brutal for me in Levittown. You were expected to fight your own battles and they're were plenty of bullies to go around. The last thing I want to do is to stirr up all those old emotions of inadequecy in my 40s.
CROSSFIT BUILDS CONFIDENCE!
I'm not saying that before a WOD (workout of the day) we all hug, chant and sing Kumbaya...far from it. The confidence it builds is from the accomplishment you feel after getting through another grueling workout. The only person who is gonna ridicule you is YOURSELF. Thats not to say that the coaches let you do whatever you want. If one of them sees you slacking off during a workout, you bet your ass they're gonna lay into you! But to motivate, not to insult. But you ultimately are the one who is gonna know weather you could have done better or not. You are answerable to your self. But there is no ridiculing of people who are falling behind or not doing as many reps or who may be slower. The key is to NOT GIVE UP. There are all different levels of fitness. The ones like me who are newer to this are inspired by those who have been at it awhile and aspire to be at their level. I totally believe in it and was told by a good friend what change in my personality he has seen.
CROSSFIT PREPARES YOU FOR THE UNEXPECTED!
In everyday life people get injured doing just stupid mundane tasks that we take for granted and we get hurt by turning the wrong way, lifting the wrong way or just not being conditioned well enough. Not only do you get stronger from the workouts, it teaches you how to PREVENT injury. Especially when lifting. Its not about how heavy you go, its about how good your FORM is. It'll prevent injuries from everyday life and will allow you to heal quicker. I sprained my ankle doing that mud run last month. 3 days post injury I was back in the gym. If you let the coaches know you are nursing an injury they will help you work around it until it heals. This way you maintain what you've already built up.
I was going to try and have this blog done at the 30 day mark before the big race but, although I think I am a good writer, I am a lazy writer.
So here I am at the 17 day mark in disbelief that all that time has gone by. I feel I have prepared adequately but I know I could have done more. I look forward to race day but I am nervous. This course it almost a half-marathon and over 30 obstacles. I know I'm not going to break any records, I'm just looking to get through it. Even though this is the realization of a huge goal I set for myself I am looking at it as the start of many such milestones in my journey. And I'm always looking to bring people along.
