I love those training montages in movies.
They have some really great music playing while you cut to our hero punching things, running along grey roads and maybe sit ups. Then at the end the mentor says "you are ready kid" and off they go.
Bad news.
Real life is longer than a montage. I run a bit and as such I have been known to get cocky--I can likely do anything. I have sadly and repeatedly learned that is not true. I know I need to train for this trip. And I know I can't do it just by running a few miles a day like I usually do. You know, at a slow enough pace that old men pass me. Yeah...not really going to cut it.
So I've taken to running and walking uphill on the treadmill for hours a day. Like seriously, hours. I watch TV. I talk on the phone. I work those weird shin muscles and apparently something in my hip that doesn't get any work out when I do my leisurely run. Lots of folk who did the trail I'm hiking recommended this. It feels a little stupid...it really wouldn't make much of a montage (Emily watching Star Trek...Emily watching Lord of the Rings)
I also need to get down to "racing weight". Racing weight is a number on the scale that I have found to be safe for me to run a ridiculous amount while weighing.
You see, I have a nasty disposition for plantar faciatis. Plantar faciatis means that you can (at any moment) feel like an ice pick has suddenly been jabbed in your foot. There are lots of things you can do to prevent it (and when I'm training for something I get pretty religious about doing all of them) but one thing that I have found very helpful is loosing weight. At 5'9" I'm built a little more like She Ra than I am like a distance runner. This is a lot of weight to slam against my poor damaged feet regularly. I've found if I knock myself down a few pounds it makes a big difference.
Loosing weight for a functional purpose is freeing. I do it out of love for my body not out of shame. It is a little gift I give to tell my feet I care about them. It wasn't always like this. I spent a large portion of high school wishing my body was more like my model thin friend's. I would stand in the mirror and use my hands to hide the side of my waist and imagine how great it would be if I only could be just a little different.
Then I got older and I started to realize something I should have known all a long. My body does stuff. Like a lot of really cool stuff. It grew two really great human beings. It climbs mountains. It bikes and runs marathons and does a passable Billy Holiday impersonation. And you know what....I freaking respect it.
I hope to help my daughter get this before she gets as old as I got. Yes your body is lovely. But you know what...it is also wicked capable. Don't ever forget that.
So when I get off the mountain and my feet (hopefully) are in good shape. I won't need to run as much and I will get off of my "race weight". That is going to be the fun montage. Emily eating cheesecake. Emily eating more cheesecake. Maybe some Rocky music playing in the background.
They have some really great music playing while you cut to our hero punching things, running along grey roads and maybe sit ups. Then at the end the mentor says "you are ready kid" and off they go.
Bad news.
| Running in that slow slow way |
So I've taken to running and walking uphill on the treadmill for hours a day. Like seriously, hours. I watch TV. I talk on the phone. I work those weird shin muscles and apparently something in my hip that doesn't get any work out when I do my leisurely run. Lots of folk who did the trail I'm hiking recommended this. It feels a little stupid...it really wouldn't make much of a montage (Emily watching Star Trek...Emily watching Lord of the Rings)
| Note She Ra Like Muscles Rippling--or not |
I also need to get down to "racing weight". Racing weight is a number on the scale that I have found to be safe for me to run a ridiculous amount while weighing.
You see, I have a nasty disposition for plantar faciatis. Plantar faciatis means that you can (at any moment) feel like an ice pick has suddenly been jabbed in your foot. There are lots of things you can do to prevent it (and when I'm training for something I get pretty religious about doing all of them) but one thing that I have found very helpful is loosing weight. At 5'9" I'm built a little more like She Ra than I am like a distance runner. This is a lot of weight to slam against my poor damaged feet regularly. I've found if I knock myself down a few pounds it makes a big difference.
Loosing weight for a functional purpose is freeing. I do it out of love for my body not out of shame. It is a little gift I give to tell my feet I care about them. It wasn't always like this. I spent a large portion of high school wishing my body was more like my model thin friend's. I would stand in the mirror and use my hands to hide the side of my waist and imagine how great it would be if I only could be just a little different.
Then I got older and I started to realize something I should have known all a long. My body does stuff. Like a lot of really cool stuff. It grew two really great human beings. It climbs mountains. It bikes and runs marathons and does a passable Billy Holiday impersonation. And you know what....I freaking respect it.
I hope to help my daughter get this before she gets as old as I got. Yes your body is lovely. But you know what...it is also wicked capable. Don't ever forget that.
So when I get off the mountain and my feet (hopefully) are in good shape. I won't need to run as much and I will get off of my "race weight". That is going to be the fun montage. Emily eating cheesecake. Emily eating more cheesecake. Maybe some Rocky music playing in the background.
No comments:
Post a Comment