Bling Bling

EIE Challenge Tip of the Day:  Eat with the TV off (and without any other distractions)!  People eat more when they are distracted, because you stop noticing what you’re eating and don’t recognize when you’re full.

   If you’re distracted, you might not realize how delicious and nourishing your real, unprocessed food really is.  This is my favorite part of the day!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Mobility:

T-Spine Smash
Lat Activations
Overhead Band Distraction
Assisted Bottom of the Squat

Kettlebells!

Strength:

15 minutes to work on the following complex with 2 kettlebells.  Work up to a heavy pair and try to see how many of the complexes you can perform without letting go of the bells.

2 Deadlifts
3 Hang Squat Cleans
4 Thrusters

Conditioning:

AMRAP 15 Minutes:
2 Turkish Get ups
20 Double unders
4 Turkish Get ups
20 Double unders
6 Turkish Get ups
20 Double unders
8 Turkish Get ups
20 Double unders ….. Continuing as long as you are able

Notes: You do NOT need to alternate arms for reps.  The 2 set may be performed with the same arm.

Cool Down:

Sampson Stretch
German Hang
Active Hang
Cat Stretch

PCF finsher photo, from left to right: Alex K, Frank, Jess P, Estelle, Steve, Christian, Heather, (not pictured: Jess L)!

Last week’s post featured the LA Marathon from a veteran runner.  This week we get the perspective of a first time marathoner, Heather Dutton!  She trains during the day at MDR and ran with the Run Club on most Saturday mornings.  She was super dedicated to  her training and I was never worried about how she would feel on race day.  I bumped into her right after she crossed the finish line and got her medal, and she was SO PUMPED!

 It was awesome.  Enter Heather:

LA Marathon 2013

It’s Sunday morning, 5am and I’ve never been more excited to get out of bed!  I’ve been training 5 months for this one day, my first marathon and it’s finally here.

  I’ve triple checked my bag to make sure I don’t forget any critical items and head out the door.  I find myself in the middle of the Dodger Stadium parking lot.  I do a little DROM and static stretching waiting for the start time.  I push myself through the masses and into the 11:00 minute pace group at the start line.  24,000 people of all ages and sizes running the same 26.2 mile race.  I can only hope I’ll be healthy enough to run marathons when I’m 70 years old!  Finally the national anthem is sung and the gun goes off.

It takes me about 10 minutes to actually cross the starting line and I’m overcome with emotion.  I remember thinking to myself, ok I gotta soak this all in, there’s a lot to see!  It takes me about 3 miles of weaving before I have a comfortable amount of space and I settle into my groove.  People from all over the city are up so early cheering for us.  As I pass mile 13 I realize this is where the race REALLY begins: this is where it gets hard, this is uncharted territory.  It was at this exact moment, I hear my name through my blasting music and it’s Track Master Frank!  What a spirit lifter to see a familiar face because up until this point I felt like I was running this huge marathon alone (I hadn’t seen anyone I knew).  I keep a steady pace until mile 15. 

This is where I was nearing the infamous “wall”. My pace slowed as the pain in my knee increased and the muscles in my hips tightened but I was determined not to be defeated by the runners wall.  The smartest tool I packed was 4 Advil for this exact moment.  I knew it would give me the boost I needed to get me to the finish line.  Using the Advil as a sort of ‘treat’ I tell myself just 1 more mile and then I’ll pop the pills.  I pass mile 16 and am desperately looking for the water station.  About half a mile more and I’ve never been so excited to see the Arrowhead cups in my horizon.  Down go the Advil.  At this point in the race, many runners have pulled over to stretch on the sidewalks.  I pass Rodeo Drive and can feel my hips cramping.  I take a quick minute and stretch it out.  The Advil must have kicked in, because at mile 19 I felt like a brand new runner (or maybe it was the beer shot I took along the way.) 

Approaching the VA at mile 20 was a huge relief as I was now entering a familiar route on this race.  I had only run this part of the race once before with the PCF Run Club but it gave me all the confidence in the world.  I didn’t even notice the little hill in the VA which had been so difficult for me during my shorter practice run a couple weeks before.  I was high off endorphins and felt great!  As I came up on San Vicente, the final stretch of the race, my fellow PCFer Zack who I had trained with a few times spots me.  He leaves me with some final encouraging words and before I know it I can see the Finish line!  I’m stunned at my sudden burst of energy as I sprint to the finish like I hadn’t just run 26 miles. 

Completing my first marathon was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.   It challenged me physically and mentally.  I’m still relatively new to crossfitting but I do know that without crossfit, my body wouldn’t have been nearly as strong or prepared.  Without the PCF Run Club on Saturdays to keep me accountable I may have backed out of some critical training runs.  And lastly, without PCF, I don’t think I would have seen even 1 person I knew that race day (my cheering family members excluded) which would have been a huge bummer!  I’m amazed every time I step into the box at what our bodies are capable of.  I’m inspired and motivated by all of you at PCF!  Oh and I think I’m officially addicted to marathons… Uh oh.

– Heather