A New Personal Best Using Roche's "Interval Training"

Happy Week 11! Eleven is one of my favorite numbers, so it is fitting that I had one of the most euphoric workouts of this whole project today:

I used the monday interval training for AN ENTIRE HALF MARATHON!

Basically, I ran .2 miles at a moderate 7 on the RPE. Then I ran 1.2 at an 8 on the RPE. The result was a personal best time for me. I sliced over a minute off my old personal best time.

As I learned in reading the Runners Commandments, when you have a good fast run, you don't need to talk about it, so the exact time is irrelevant. What is relevant is why I have been able to improve. Here are some reasons I belive this project has helped me achieve this:

Better all around strength. Chris has folded in so many things that all systems are improving.

Better Mental Attitude: I am not letting my beliefs get in my way. I am listening to my body, not telling my body how it feels. Letting my mind be more passive, more an observer and less of a dictator.

Using outside inspiration....literally! Running outside has gotten much more pleasing for me. Also, I use other peoples success to fuel my own. My wife is a constant source of inspiration, as is Chris, as are all the other Project folks and my yoga pals. Also, my prof. atheletes that I admire help me find my edge and continue to stretch it. Sound corny, but a pitcher for the Cubs threw a no-hitter yesterday and I used him to push me to do the interval training all through the run. That was my "no hitter".

I love this stuff. Another Runner's Commandment I'd like us all to remember: When we are about to run, or walk, or do anything with our bodies, we should give thanks that we are able to use our bodies so well......

Love and Support to you all,

Rob

End of Week 10 Update.....

Where to start....been too many days since I blogged!

I am nursing a sore left ankle and a sore right knee. The good news is that neither "tweak" was due to the Project...it was due to a teeny big of stage violence in the show I am in....

But even though I felt a little tweaked, I decided to run yesterday, rather than play it safe on an aerobic machine. And I am so glad I did! Seven miles at a pace of 6:46 a mile. Not bad for being a little tweaked and a little sore from the week's workouts. The Thursday workout is quite a burner for the legs, so the run on Friday is a real test.

I LOVE HOW THE PROJECT PUSHES OUR EDGE! I love being surprised by what I am able to do physically, when I don't let the belief that I am too tired get in the way. I am getting better at trusting my body and not letting my mind rule the day.

I AM GETTING TO BE A GOOD JUMP-ROPER!! I love this last phase of the workout, in that we don't have to count our jump rope reps, just do it for five minutes. Now I am focussing more on the rythm and not getting bad jumps. I have gone for as long as 90 seconds without getting stuck on the rope! Hopefully I'll work my way up to the whole stinkin' five minutes with no hiccups!

I ran for a total of 27.5 miles this week. A marathon in a week! Next week, if my knee and ankle feel good, I want to run a half marathon on Monday. Gotta get ready for October!

Talked to Chris Roche today (with Jen) about what to do after we are done with our twelve weeks. I think I want to get back to a few old fashioned weight workouts for a week, then mix it up...one day a "Roche Weight Workout" then a day of aerobic....then an old fashioned weight workout.......just keep changing it, keeping it fun and challenging and a little shocking for the bod.

I miss doing flys more than any other weight exercise. It'll be good to get them back.

I think the best thing I have learned in this so far is that there really is no excuse not to exercise. Unless you need the rest....but the gym being closed? Bull! It's too late/too early? Crap!! You don't think you have the energy? BULLCRAP!!!!!!!

So here we go. One full week left. Then a "recovery week". I am going to try to be better at the nutrition and the meditation this week

Inspiration at exhaustion!! Singing, Size 32's and Waitin' for a gig....

Okay, to start off....my legs and ass are PISSED OFF!!!!!!!

The Thursday weight workout was great. But I think I pursued the lunge and squat sections a little aggressively.

So today's run was literally a big pain in the ass!

Also, I tweaked my right knee in the show I am rehearsing. I get my head slammed into a table and then thrown accross the room, and we rehearsed it a bunch on Tuesday, and I fell wrong one time and bashed the side of my knee. I am hoping it's just a bruise, and will just nag at me for a bit.....ANYWAY......

Today's run was not pretty. Six miles where I never really got over the "I HAVE to do this" stage....which is pretty rare for me. I chugged along, no worries of time, just wanted to bang out six miles before I had to go to rehearsal ****Does anyone else have a new appreciation for getting their workout done early?!?!?!

I finished the run and came back into my house. Then Jen came back. We both looked beat. But then came the wonderful part!

I never thought I'd be one of those people who "pull out the old pair of jeans they used to fit into".....but.......

Jen was lamenting the fact that I don't have any jeans that....well.....show my butt off. Sorry, but if you're reading my blog, well, it's mine......and I must now write about Jen's view of my butt.....or the view she'd like to have.......you get my point.....

As she was saying this, I recalled a pair of jeans I had gotten that were tooooooo small. But because of the project, it wondered if I should try them on......

HOLY CRAP, THEY FIT! Now, if I binged for a few days, they might not fit that well.....but right now, they fit pretty well!!!! I felt great!

Next, I jump in the shower to wash off my ugly six mile run and get ready for rehearsal. My voice feels pretty good so I......for the heck of it....just in the same flippint manner I try in those jeans....try singing a song that has a few notes in it that are very very high and must be sung very very powerfully for them to sound good. Up until this day, I hadn't been able to hit those notes with the abdominal "ooomph" that they needed.

But thanks to ROCHE-ABS.........I FREAKIN' NAILED THOSE NOTES!

Seriously, this project, and more to the point, the core work in this project has helped my singing and my stage voice incredibly. And today, when I hit those notes I almost couldn't believe it.

Lastly, I got a phone call today from an artistic director for a theatre I am really hoping to work at. But because I was in rehearsal, I couldn't take the call. I knew that when I checked the message, I might have a job offer, I might have a rejection, I might have a "we don't know yet, but we'll keep you posted".

I could have really started to stress, but my yoga helped. "that job does not define me. And though I really want that job, I am happy right now in my life without it, so whatever waits for me on the other end of that message, I am okay."

That is what I really thought, and the message was "give me a call back...looking forward to chatting with you about the project...." but no concrete offer.....so I still don't know. And I think that's a good test for me. It would be so easy to stress and obsess about what's going to happen. But you know what? Shows come and shows always go. And I know I did the best audition I could and left the choice to them. I can leave it until they tell me and I don't need the stress.

I really think my yoga has helped me realize that stress has no good place in life, no matter what.

Here's to three more weeks! And beyond!!!

Giving Blood and Running a Mini Marathon with Chris' 5:00 Interval Training

Howdy Project Pilots!

First off , this entry title does NOT mean I gave blood, THEN ran a Mini-Marathon!

I wanted to mention first about giving blood. Jen and I do it regularly. Jen has been deferred a few times due to low iron, but if you have that problem, check this out! The blood center will put you on a great iron supplement FOR FREE!! And give you good education materials to make sure you are eating what you need to boost your iron.

I am all for everyone donating. And once you start doing it, it becomes second nature. And the needle isn't half as bad as the anticipation of it......like most things :0)

And yesterday I gave platelets, which takes longer because they put everything else back in you. The good thing is your recovery time is less with platelets.....and they are always in huge demand because leukemia patients need the clotting factor in platelets....am I even spelling that right?!?!

Anyway. I say give it a try.....good karma.....AND you can call ten days after you donate and find out your blood type and your cholesterol! AND AND AND!!......many times you get a wondeful "prize" for giving. This week Jen and I got $40 gift card for the Outback Steakhouse!! One time we got free passes for King's Island! Of course the real reason to give is to help the great need for blood, plasma, platlets, ect......but the extra stuff you can get doesn't hurt.....

I think we'll use the Outback for a celebration at the end of the twelve weeks....which ain't that far off!!

Okay! Now for running the mini:

I expanded Chris' interval training to match a longer run. Instead of running at an RPE of 8 for 5 minutes, I extended it to about eight minutes, then took about a 90 second RPE of 6.5. Then I was back up to 8 for eight minutes. I did this for about 50 minutes. I think if I had been able to sustain that pace, I would have broken a personal best for half marathon time. But I decided to pull back a bit because of fatigue and the fact that I really hadn't had a day of rest in a week. I finished the mini in 91:19. About two minutes off my best time. But I am interested in trying to do a whole mini with the interval mindset and see how I do. I think it will take some building up to be able to endure it, but I'm game!!

I really love tweaking my running with Chris' interval work, particularly the Monday run.

And these last weight workouts began today......holy crap! Where did he think of this stuff? And the combo of excercises!!! I have a real love/hate relationship with it......but mostly love. Helps to have my honey workin' alongside me........

Have a great week 9 everybody!

Peace and pushups....

-Rob