I Make Myself

• It is working! •

Guess who is so SO happy today. Particularly happy.

Yes, it is me and do you want to know why...

Yes, it is running related and YES it is fast-pace related.

Let me brake it down.

Some days ago I wrote about my new strength training routine. This new routine is part of a new fitness approach which included cutting down my running. By cutting down I mean not caring about distance. 

My running activity is down to a daily 30-minutes-fast-pace walk (Heart rate controlled) on the treadmill and a "longish" run of 45 minutes on the weekends.

I started my new routine on July 27th, a little less than a month ago so that means I've only been able to do two weekend's run plus the one I did this saturday.

On my second week I noticed I had run 7km in 45 minutes which is particularly fast for me and then came this saturday.....

I ran 9.7Km in exactly one hour! and that included a 3-minutes  cool down at the end.

IT IS WORKING.

I AM GETTING STRONGER.

I AM HAPPY

SHALANE AND KARA WILL WANT ME AS THEIR TRAINING BUDDY FROM NOW ON.

Whatever it is I am doing it is definitely working and that is why I want you to help me. Maybe someone will be able to give this faster-Ruth phenomenon an explanation.

My week looks something like this:

• Monday: 1 hour of upper body workout + 30 minutes of ab workout + 30 minutes on the treadmill
• Tuesday: 1 hour of lower body workout + 30 minutes of ab workout + 30 minutes on the treadmill
• Wednesday: 1 hour of upper body workout + 30 minutes of ab workout + 30 minutes on the treadmill
• Thursday: 1 hour of lower body workout + 30 minutes of ab workout + 30 minutes on the treadmill
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: 45-minute run. No longer than 45 was the rule. Whenever I hit the halfway mark I have to turn around. Although this run is not meant to be a speed workout I do run faster than my "average" pace.
• Sunday: Off

Even though  I may switch the "off" days from one day to another the basic rule is I workout no less than 4 days a week. The weekend run is not my trainer's idea. I may have added that myself. You see I can workout every day of the week, get a good sweat and feel the burn but that won't help me miss running any less.

This saturday I decided to run for one hour. Sixty minutes seemed fair. No distance in mind just a plain one-hour run.

I ran fast, I ran up hills and I stopped only because I had committed to running a certain amount of time.

I ended up with a new PR.

How can not running get me better at running? Have I overlooked strength training? Could it be that I am mentally relaxed? Could it be the fact that I don't "care" about distance right now?

After my run I was not tired or sored. I had a blister though. A trophy blister.

And you know how I rewarded myself? With a yoga class :)

I can't wait for this weekend to come. I will run one hour again and I will come back with the update.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Have you wanted something you never got only to make you not want it and get it?

 

• My strength training routine •

I wrote a little about this last week but I thought it deserved further discussion.

As I've mentioned before the gym & I were not particularly best friends that is until I discovered circuit workouts. 

Something like three weeks ago I was talking to Heinz and I told him I thought  I needed to do something different. I had heard about people hitting  a plateau but it had never happened to me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I didn't work out until recently in my life.

I keep a clean diet, it is not perfect but I try to keep it as clean as possible. I had started to cut down carbs and as I've said before my sugar intake is pretty low.

Heinz immediately ruled out a diet failure because he has seen the way I eat and the amount of workout I do so he thought it was directly linked to my gym activities.

After I ran my first marathon back in April (it seems so distant now) I wanted to focus on shredding a few extra pounds, toning up and basically building a stronger base. That meant going to the gym, lifting weights and limiting my running to a regular cardio activity (not an endurance "I will run 20-miles" activity)

That is what I have been doing since the beginning of May. It started out great until last month when I realized nothing was happening. When I say nothing I mean zero. Not only was I not losing weight but the gym had become boring again and I didn't even feel I was working out anymore. Everything felt easy.

Heinz suggested I add more weight and even though that choice didn't thrill me I decided to give it a try. A week later I still felt I was going nowhere. I became frustrated and decided to talk to one of the trainers at the gym.

I made an appointment and we sat down to talk business. I explained my situation:

1. I work out
2. I eat right
3. I don't lose weight
4. I'm not toning up
5. I don't know what to do

He asked me about specific goals like what parts I wanted to tone up and where I wanted to lose weight. He said what I was going through was normal -"the body gets used to doing the same excersices over and over"- and that I needed to start isolating muscles. He had me dropped to a minimum weight: 5lbs dumbbells and gave this routine:

Upper body

• Bicep curls and triceps pulley pushdown 
• Frontal shoulder extension (they start at shoulder's height and end with arms raised next to ears)
• Low row and bench row
• Chest press (machine) and pull over
• Rope pulldown and bench dips

Lower body

• Regular Squats
• Lunges
• Leg press (machine)
• Glute (machine)
• Hip abduction and adduction (machine)

Abs

• Frontal and side hyperextenxions

I highlighted with color the new exercises. None of the purple exercises were part of my previous routine. 

These are a few of the exercises for those of you who -like me- don't know their names.

There are two main difference with this new routine. One is the weight and number two is that now I divide my days in upper and lower body.

I end with a 30-minute walk on the treadmill. It is heart rate controlled so I don't go beyond or below the limit.

That means of course that I am not focusing on running distance. 

I love my new routine! and the best part is I am back to being friends with the gym. I am lucky to have this trainer as part of the gym staff because that means he is part of the benefits I get from my membership. I think he is excited to. He keeps asking me about my progress and I keep complaining that my body keeps shaking from the workouts. I mean I am lifting less weight yet everything is way more difficult. It is unbelievable! I end up drenched in sweat.

I am glad I talked to the trainer. I keep asking myself what took me so long and I think what kept me from asking for help is thinking that I could do it by myself. 

Big no-no.

How about you? Have you ever hit a plateau? Do you have any questions about my little-man drawings? Do you want me to make a piece of art for your house? I could :)

• An early start •

Good morning!

It's still pretty early here in El Salvador. I was up by 4:30 AM today and I am proud of myself for that.

We had a minor car accident a couple of weeks ago. Nothing big just some scratches to the car.

Heinz was driving and luckily he was able to avoid a larger collision. The guilty -I'm calling him drunk!- driver drove away. 

After some talks with the insurance company the car is finally getting fixed! That means I will have no transportation for 5 days (give or take).

Now, back to the early start. 

Since we only have one car at the moment I had to drop off Heinz today before 5:00 AM. He had an early call. He works in advertising just in case you were wondering.

I normally have a hard time getting up early which for me is anything before 7:00 AM on weekdays and 9:00 AM on the weekends. I try though- but be warned because I am certainly not a morning person. 

I'm jealous of the early risers! When I do succeed at it I find the day is endless! I used to run in the mornings with my friends (I run in the afternoons now) and I did feel it was the perfect start. I could even skip coffee due to the adrenaline rush I would get out of morning runs.

But bottom line is for me it's not that easy.

Today was a successful early-wake-up day! I mean I kind of had to but regardless of the reason the point is I am up!

Not only did I manage to get out of bed on time BUT I was -strangely- in a great mood!

I think it has to do with the fact that I went to bed before 11:00 PM yesterday...inneresssstinggggg.....

I had planned to go for a run but I woke up with an upset stomach. Spicy food -when am I going to learn?-

I have made a pledge to myself to never EVER run with an upset stomach. 

I don't know about you but I did it once and I almost pooped my shorts!!! 

Not a nice experience.

I had eaten seafood the day before and had schedule a run at 5:15 AM with some friends. Right at the half mark I had to stop and swallow my embarrassment. I had to tell my friends I had to find a toilet really really really bad.

Since we were half way into the route going back was just as useless as finishing! so we looked for a toilet.

The only open toilet was a bus station that had a huge -toilets for costumers only- sign. I didn't even ask. I just said "good morning" and went right in!

God must have been merciful because there was toilet paper in there. I had already made up my mind  that I would be loosing my pair of socks. But no, I didn't.

After that situation. I swore I would never run with a weird stomach. So today, I didn't.

It was okay. After I dropped off Heinz I came back and brew myself some nice coffee, wrapped myself in a blanket and grabbed my book.

Ok, so maybe I didn't run but waking up early was still rewarding. Just look at the sunrise, it's soul warming.

How about you? early risers or sunset lovers? If any one has useful tips for waking up early...I am all ears!!!!!

Have a wonderful mid-week day!

• of life & running •

I've always been a big supporter of running and life allegories. I believe you can learn valuable life lessons from  placing one foot in front of the other. The beloved activity we call running. 

The reasons why a person runs are as varied as the shapes of the clouds. 

One of my friends runs to get toned up legs. Another one because he wants to loose weight. 

There are people who run as part of a training program to back up another sport. There are those who run as a social activity.

Out of running you can get stress relief, a free pass to eating more carbs, freedom, personal time and runner's high.

One thing is for sure: you always get something out of running.

-Always-

And I think I may know why.

Even the ones who claim to run for fun set to do it with a purpose. 

Running will always get you somewhere. Physically or emotionally. Even if you don't want to. It will get you from point A to point B. It's running nature. It's human nature.

I mean even a lousy run teaches you something. Maybe it has to do with nutrition, consistency...it can be time organization for what I know! A run gone bad can certainly be humbling. 

I've decided to start something new on this blog. It's called "of life and running"

It will include everything. From silly thoughts to motivational quotes. The only requirement is that it comes from running.

It can be mine and it can be yours too. If you want to share your thoughts, lessons, reasons, anything except from hate mail can be shared here! Email me or  tweet with the #oflifeandrunning hashtag.

I think it would be inspiring to learn from each other how running is getting us somewhere, some place, something.

P.S. There is ONE  thing you absolutely wont get from running: being comfortable.

• Circuit Workout •

This is the reason of my full body soreness. A circuit workout that targets upper and lower body. Ouch.

The drawing is my attempt to show every move. I can predict many art schools will invite me to join their artsy programs after the world gets a taste of my talent. 

Circuit workouts are the cure to my gym boredom. I can't stand doing series of the same workout and if you can't either circuit workouts may just be your thing too.

This is an example of a circuit. You can add, subtract, mix and match as you like -or as your trainer tells you- Be wise and always ask an expert before attempting a new workout.

The circuit goes like this:

1. 12 reps with 20lbs dumbbell
2. 10 reps with 2x15lbs dumbbells
3. 15 reps with 2x10lbs dumbbells
4. 12 reps with 2x5lbs dumbbells
5. 15 reps with 2x5lbs dumbbells
6. 15 bench dips

And then I start all over. I go over the circuit a total of 4 times. It takes me about an hour if I don't take much breaks in between.

If you want to incorporate these type of circuits you can check out Julie's blog. She's got many cool circuit workouts  plus she is always coming up with more. 

I am not so creative when it comes to mixing mines up  but I will try to keep adding more if I feel they are worth sharing. This one certainly was!

How about you? Do you get bored with strength training or is it your thing?

• Weekly goals •

Monday was a very busy day. One of those days where time flies by and then at night you just can't be bothered with cooking dinner. Yesterday was one of those days for me.

I was so anxious getting things done that I decided it was time to make it back to yoga class. How is that even related you may ask. This is how: when everything -even the smallest little things- start getting on my nerves I know it's time. Time to invest in soul soothing yoga sessions.

It was the hardest yoga class EVER. I felt stiff, un-relaxed and rusty. Maybe it didn't help that I tried a new workout at the gym that morning. Yes, maybe not a good idea. I am sore all over. It's hard to sit down, stand up and I don't even want to discuss how difficult it was to get out of bed today.

But soreness is good. It means I am pushing my body. While training for the marathon I remember being sore all the time and even though I complained back then I do miss it now.

After yoga class I came home and Heinz and I decided to go out for dinner. I am grateful for nights like this. Unplanned late night dates. It's a tiny thing -we had tacos for crying out loud- but my heart melts when I realize that we enjoy each others company. Many may find this to be something implicit in a marriage but I don't.  I don't -and never will- take it for granted. 

After that little joy-note I want to share this week goals:

1. Cut down carb consumption

I think I am going a little crazy with carbs. I am not one of those carbs -or any type of food group- hater. I believe in a well balanced diet. Even though I am not working out as much as I used to a couple of months ago my diet is pretty much the same! I have to lower my carbs intake to one of a person with a moderate workout routine.

2. Make peace with my body

Since I had the -stated above- carb issue I've hit a plateau with my body. I refuse  to obsess about weights and appearance but when I say 'I refuse' I don't mean I don't. I want to learn how to make peace with my body. I am sure it should read making peace with my mind though. 

3. Meditation class

My yoga studio offers one meditation class per week. Best of all: it is free. I want to take advantage of this opportunity and I don't want to give it away but body, peace, mind and meditation. Is it just me or... are all my goals linked. Give it some thought.

4. Finish "standby" projects

I have so many unfinished projects. I HAVE to make myself  finish them. I've currently put some of them in stand-by mode because I get so excited with new projects that my attention gets easily diverted. I want to get at least two projects done.

5. Attempt one long run

I've been running no farther than 5KM per run. I think it is time to start building up. This weekend seems appropriate.

 

As you see they are not big -over the top- goals. They help me stay focused and on track. I'll give you an update at the end of the week. That should make me feel accountable enough.

 

What about you? Any special goals for this week?

 

• Yasso 800's & craft beer •

This weekend was just...sigh...amazing. It is no secret that I am a planning addict but even an organization freak like me can find true joy in a series of spontaneous events. 

This is how it went:

The only activity in my agenda was to try out the Yasso 800's on saturday morning. The Yasso 800's is an interval training workout that takes the name of its creator-discoverer Bart Yasso.  I haven't met him personally (haha) but I've read some of his articles and he seems like a really cool guy.

According to Bart -yes, I call him by his first name- the time it takes for you to run 800 meters can predict your finishing marathon time. Let me explain. If you run 800 meters in 4 minutes you may finish a marathon in 4 hours, 5 minutes = 5 hours and so on.

I have no plans to run a second marathon this year but when I read about this it did intrigue me. Was I in a 5, 4, 3 minute shape?? I could not continue living without knowing so saturday morning I decided to hit the track.

   

Of course I dragged some people along. My bestie and running buddy Linda and my lovely hubby who took all these great pictures as well as  our times.

We started with a 400M (2 laps) warm up. Then we combined a mix of static and dynamic stretches. We finished with 2x800's each.

 
 

And to put an end to the mystery here are my times:

 

When I read about the Yasso 800's 5 minutes was the longer I've read when citing an example. Not 9!!!!! does this mean I would finish a marathon in 9 hours??? That is just plain silly! That is more than 3 hours longer than what it took me two months ago! Did I get so out of shape in such a short time? Or is it each lap that counts? Who knows. At least we got some great workout out of this experiment plus I got my pretty friend to commit to saturday morning speedwork sessions = no friday night fun. Yes to aging gracefully

After crossing out the words -morning workout- from my agenda my day was wide open. Since Heinz was supportive enough to come with me to a running related activity -on a saturday morning!- it was only fair to be supportive in return. We decided to go to the beach so he could get some surfing done in the afternoon. 

After breakfast we drove to the beach and 40 minutes later we were greeted by this:

The waves were kind of small which would've been perfect if only I had decided to bring my surf-safe-bikini. I am scared of big waves and of bikini malfunctions.

Heinz -of course- came fully prepared and I hadn't even blinked when he said "ok see you later" and went straight into the water. The day was perfect! It wasn't crowded, it was quiet and relaxing.

The beach we normally go to is El Sunzal which is home to great waves and cool people who do cool stuff. I had been wanting to try a new craft beer from a brewery that recently opened  -you know me! I am a beer fanatic!-  It is the first craft brewery here in El Salvador. Beach+craft beer= Ruth's must-haves.

Heinz called one of his friends who -jealous- lives by the beach. We got together with him and his girlfriend. The brewery was closed but you can still try the beers at Mopelia. Mopelia's owner -Gilles- kindly introduced us to our options. Have I mentioned that people are very friendly in this beach town? Because they are!

 

We tried three different types of beers. I had the Mercurio Ipa and it was AMAZING! Absolutely amazing! I wish I was a professional beer taster so I could describe -with appropriate words- the incredible taste in my mouth and the happiness in my heart felt with each sip of this beer.

The other two -the really dark one and the lighter one- were good as well but my favorite was with no doubt the Mercurio Ipa. Cheers to the brewers! They run a really fun blog where they share about  moving to El Salvador, coffee and beer. You may read more about them here.

Sunday unraveled equal amount of fun with church service, frozen yogurt and a late night movie with the hubs. Snow White and the Huntsman had me dreaming of Thor all night long.Only he was dressed up as Heinz in my dreams. haha.

Even though I am not a big fan of Kristen Stewart the movie turned out to be better than I expected. I actually really liked it. The story gets kind of slow towards the end and I didn't get the seven dwarfs thing until very late in the movie. Don't worry I wont give out any spoilers. Go check it out yourself and then come back and tell me if you liked it.

That is all. This turned out to be a long post but its filled with valuable information. I hope you stuck until the very end.

If anyone has ever tried the Yasso 800's could you please let me know exaclty how they work. I am doomed to a 9 hour marathon? 

I hope your weekend was filled with speedwork and craft beer as well.

 

• Go out & be free •

Today I had planned to write about new beginnings. How the start of a month can be seen as a kick start to a new project, goal or attitude. But I have to be honest. I don't feel like encouraging anyone when I am currently feeling exactly the opposite to encouraged. 

At breakfast Heinz asked me when I was going to start running and I said I already had...on the treadmill. He knows how I feel about the treadmill so he rephrased the question. He asked me when I was REALLY going to start running. I gave him a hate stare because I didn't want to be confronted about it. 

The truth is I have been wanting to go out for a run since I came back from the marathon. First it was the knee and now that the pain is gone I just can't be bothered. It's easier to hit the gym and run on the treadmill. Running outside means I either have to find a running group or drive all the way to my parents house and go out for run around their neighbourhood which is pretty much the only place I feel safe when running by myself and it doesn't mean it's totally safe. Two walkers were recently mugged and two of my friends had their cars burglarized last week. 

It annoys me so much. The fact that I can't just open my door and go out for a run. It makes me feel angry, frustrated and captive! I should be able to hit the streets whenever I want to! I should be able to feel free!

I read all these blogs filled with "I went for a walk this afternoon" and "I squeezed a last minute 2 mile run in the park" stories  and I get so jealous! I wish I had that kind of freedom. As for me I have to plan my runs yet not over think them too much because if I did maybe I would even attempt to run outside.

People do ask me if I've never been mugged and thankfully I can say that I haven't. But that doesn't mean it's not in my head every time I run. I am women, running outside, by myself. Yes, I can thankfully say nothing has ever happened to me but the feeling of constantly looking back, switching sidewalks when a man approaches and speeding up when a suspicious car drives by is something that can take a toll on your attitude. This post as exhibit A.

Until now I had this situation under control but my current emotional state is: completely fed up. I mean COME ON! I even have to choose what to bring with me. Forget a cell phone -that is completely out of the question- but I have to decide if I would rather  have my Ipod or Garmin stolen. I can't be seen with too much gear on that would be like flashing a light in the darkness and yelling "Yo' Im here!"

I know there could be worst scenarios and maybe it's all an excuse. Maybe it's actually all this non-released running energy what is getting me into a grumpy mood. I don't know. Just give me a day. It ill pass. By no means I will give up on this running addiction. By no means I will let the system defeat me.

To all of you who are free to run wherever and whenever you like. Be grateful. Be free. BE FREE! Go out and get wet, dirty, sweaty, tired. Go out and run.

I wish you all a happy long-run weekend 

Vacation must haves

To be completely honest I am not totally into this vacation. It is in the middle of my training and even though I am supposed to relax the truth is I am concerned with fitting in my workouts. 

Not only is it unbearably hot here in El Salvador but I would have to run in a highway. This is something I'm not completely comfortable with since it is a truck's passing route. Scary.

The only way I can simulate my training workouts is using a water jogging belt I have. I went to my parent's house to get it and to my surprise I couldn't find it. My mom decided to lend it to one of her friends -My mom is into aquaerobics-

This is the one I have:

Picture via

Only mine is purple ;) I bought it a long time ago when I got shin splints and used it as a way to recover. It worked amazingly.

Since there was absolutely no way to get it back I went to a sports store and found a substitute:

I've never tried this one before but I hope it will work. 

While I was at the store I also bought this:

Carrying some sort of hydration device has been a concern now that marathon day is approaching. I know there will be plenty of water stations at the race but I've been training on Nuun an amazing sports drink with no sugar and I definitely wanted to bring some with me on race day. This little bottle can be carried on your hand because it has a back slip. I had seen something like this from North Face but it seemed to big to carry. This one is the perfect size! I will carry it with me in this upcoming runs to see how it works.

For some final vacation lines I wanted to share what I use to stay protected from the sun. 

The three of them are amazing products and I recommend them to anyone with frequent exposure to the sun regularly. My daily moisturizer is SPF25 from Estee Lauder, if I go out for a run I will apply extra protection from L'Occitane SPF40 face moisturizer and for the rest of the body I use also a L'Occitane SPF30 sunscreen.

I hope you all stay covered and if not stay protected. Being bright red from too much sun screams cancer very loudly, not to mention it looks awful. You can give any of this products a try! and if you have any recommendations for sun protection products please share! my fair skin will thank you later.

 

Asking for help

Running has taught me many things about myself and about life. 

This blog is about sharing those lessons. The last one I've learned is to ask for help when I need it.

I suffered from a psoas injury right in the middle of my marathon training. An important thing about training is that you prepare your body but you also work your confidence.

Two months into my training I was forced to rest and undergo therapy. 

Resting wasn't easy. I was freaking out about loosing what I had built and when I went back to running I knew my injury wasn't just physical but also emotional.

I was able to run while I was still in therapy and at the doctor's office I ran into another fellow runner who asked about my injury. I told her my psoas story and she asked how far I was into my training and I said two months and one more month to go. She looked at me and said: you need to hire a running coach to-day.

She told me about  a coach that had trained with her.

That same day I talked to him and told him about my marathon, my training, my psoas and my injured runner's soul. 

He listened to my fast speaking self, let me finished and asked: are you fully recovered from your psoas?

Ruth: I have had two runs with no pain at all

Coach: can you train mornings and afternoons?

Ruth: Yes.

Coach: Ok. Then we will work every day at 6:00 am and then again at 6:00 pm

I was afraid to reply I thought it was too much!!! Had he not heard I was recovering from an injury? Maybe he thought I was a professional athlete? I went back home feeling more disturbed than relieved.

Next morning I was up and ready. I had some oats and a kiss from hubby for breakfast and I made my way to the track field. 

At the track field I found my coach (I still can believe I get to say those words: MY coach)

Coach: right on time! good sign! five laps to warm up.

Ruth: that's like 2km

Coach: yes. 

Ruth- to herself: Yeah, we'll see if I make it to the actual workout.

After my 2K run he taught me some -never done before- dynamic stretches. Men did I look silly! I looked like I was doing senior citizen's aerobics. I found this video on Youtube that includes most of the stretches the coach taught me. 

 

After that I ran around 10K.

I finished my first training session running the farthest I had run after my injury.

I had zero pain.

It has been the BIGGEST confidence boost E.V.E.R.

I've had a total of 4 sessions and still no pain. I have trained harder than I ever had and still have no pain!

Saturday morning I had a long talk with my coach and he said:

1. I am not injured. Let it go.

2. It's all in my mind.

On that day he made me take my pulse after each series (I did five) and even though I was complaining after every single one he made me realize my pulse was even through out my runs which meant IT WAS ALL IN MY MIND. 

That has been the hardest work out and I thought I would be sore after I cooled down but a couple of hours later I was still pain free.

The lesson: Ask for help if you need it.

There is absolutely no way I was going to train that hard by myself. I would have stopped with the minor pain or discomfort. Why? Because I don't know any better.

I am not a great runner. I am training for my first marathon. I still have a lot to learn and some things I can't learn them by myself.

I have to ask someone for help.

I had no idea how to make up for the lost training. I can't make those kind of decisions and if I did the cost could mean not running my marathon. That would be just unthinkable and unaffordable.

I told my coach he would be my therapist for the next month and he laughed. But it is the truth. He has given me my confidence back.

I am running Garmin free. I am trying not to count distance and disregarding pace. Coach can worry about that. I will focus on my heart and running happy in the meantime.

Isn't running just like life? Some times we need to ask for help and it is ok. We must stay humble. We must learn to learn.