Sunday, May 9, 2010

Weekend 18 recap - Owie!

It’s the end of a crazy week here in Jill world; one which has left me sitting here virtually lifeless as I type.

This morning I woke and shuffled across the floor like some 92-year old; Good Lord, my glutes and inner thighs are screaming! I have no real idea exactly what caused this sheer agony for the past three days, but I think it was a combination of excess leg time in the gym; an unfortunate, but necessary, result one to reform this bod (recall “the plan” in the last blog). Single-legged leg press followed by some 3-way lunges on Thursday, then slap a 12-mile run on Friday and Athletic Training class on Saturday and yowzie, I hurt today. Oh, and all this on top of joining an interval training group on Tuesday where I'm certain the coach thought I was totally lying when I said, "Yes, I run in the 7-8 min/mile range for 5 and 10k's" when I was hanging on for dear life with the group. Where has my speed gone??? Arghhhhh, please Speed, return to my legs!!

I have to tell ya about my Athletic training class; it could quit possibly kill you if you didn’t cheat and cut something short somewhere. Here’s the class synopsis: warm up with a 5 minute run. Somewhere “warm up” isn’t quite computing and my friend Jim is running at neck-breaking speeds…and the competitive girl in me isn’t going to wuss out and run slower. “Great warm-up pace, Jim” I mention…which takes about 2 minutes to complete cuz this 6 min/mile warm-up pace alone is killing me. The Nazi Drill Sergeant (let’s just call him NDS for short) then has us split into two groups for a series of drills, which last about 10 minutes. High knee running, quick feet, high speed sprints, side swings, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc and etc. 10 minutes of these and I’m breathless. NDS yells, “Everyone sprint, and I mean SPRINT to the top of the hill at the stoplight." Huh? We didn’t do this last week. The top of the hill is like ¾ of a mile long. And I’m not exaggerating. And it gets steeper as we climb. Sprint? Um, I’d consider myself in probably the top 5% of conditioned females in that class and there was no way I could “sprint” that beast. I did manage to run up it all, though (many did not. Ahem). Get to the top of the hill and NDS’s evil twin is all freaking smiling to the point you just wanna slap him, and tells us, with no resting after our “sprint,” to do 75 burpees. Did I hear correctly, 75??? As in SevenDfive!!?? My speedy friend, Jim, who can’t do burpees to save his life, got there well before me and is looking at me dumbfounded. He’s too tall or something; he has no coordination whatsoever and I’m laughing hysterically. Yea, well, I got the last laugh; 75 of these were just about ready to take my arms off. I’m certain I’ll have burpee nightmares for the next few months. The chick next to me is in agony and says, “It goes a little better if you do them in sets of two then take a short break.” Oh my, she’s going to be there a loooonnnnggg time. This comment actually made me laugh and lose my count so I did 10 more and decided that was enough (cheat #1. I have no idea how many I actually did, somewhere in the mid 60’s I think). Get to the parking lot and NDS’s female compadre tells us to “frog jump” the rest of the way in. I tried. I failed. She showed me again. I tried again and I failed again (nothing like being consistent!). She shows me again. Repeat scenario times 6 and I finally told her I got the hang of it and let her torture someone else awhile. The problem with these was that it was hurting my knee (seriously!! Well, a little anyway, don’t want to risk it, right?). So I half-ass frog jumped then walked 6 steps, repeat, until I got to the end (cheat #2). Really, I’d still be there in that parking lot a day later if I had to frog the entire thing. Apparently frog jumping skills are an acquired skill; I've got some work to do on that one. Get back to the outdoor classroom (aka: torture chamber) and instantly take a 40 lb sandbag and squat and heave the thing over your head. 45 times. I did 38 and called it quits (cheat #3); my shoulders were about to explode. I figured I can’t balance myself running without my arms; this was a valid excuse. Now we move onto the tires and we have to push one 25 yard. Not roll, PUSH along the ground. It may look like it’s simple and fun, but I’m here to tell you is it NOT! My shoulders-on-fire from that last FUN sandbag drill were yelling and my chest was in protest. Jim was complaining it hurt his ab muscles (huh?? Jim, you use your LEGS to push the tire, not your abs!). Push the dang tire 25 yards, times 5. I did not cheat. I swear I didn’t. But I wanted to! Immediately, rush out of the torture chamber and across the parking lot (don’t Run for heaven’s sake, this is a SPRINT ) to the dirt hill, about a half mile away. Do not stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200 – instead you immediately do 25 pushups when you reach the other parking lot. No problem, I love pushups, and manly ones on my toes, too. 25 pushups on wilted shoulders from those god-awful sandbags and tires and I was dying by the last 4. Now we get to take a 35 lb kettleball and run UP the dirt hill (about 50M). Incline of about 30%. Get to top, 5 second rest, run back down. 25 more pushups. Argh!! Seriously??? Oh yeah, NDS is serious and shouts we GET to repeat this beast 25-pushups-run-up-30%-with-35lb-kettleball 6 times. For those not so good at math, let me explain that 25 manly pushups x 6 = 150. 150 on-your-toes pushups. Insert cheat #4. By the 3rd set of pushups, I was down to 20 and by the 5th set, I also did 20 but took a short break after 10. Okay, Jilly, you’re not as pushup tough as you thought you were. Wimp! And those 6 uphill runs with kettleballs? Um, cheat #5. When the woman I had been whining to previously that this workout was going to leave me too sore to pace Tara the last few miles of her marathon tomorrow say, “No way in hell you’re running your friend in tomorrow…” that was it, I was done. This class is much-needed in Jill’s little quest to reform her body, but my #1 priority this weekend is to get Tara across her first finish line tomorrow in one piece, feeling strong. YEA, that IS a valid excuse. And ya know what was bothering me most about this uphill mistreatment? We were stomping out all the natural erosion vegetation growing there. Tumble weeds serve a purpose, guys – that’s to stop the hill from rolling down into the parking lot! I pointed this little tidbit fact out to NDS, who was not interested. Yea well, he may be once we get a freak rainstorm and that “little hill” is now sitting on top his truck! Run (no, sprint!) back to torture chamber, stretch (which never felt sooo good) and crawl back to car and hope you have one functioning arm muscle so can drive home.

The class actually felt really good. It did, in a fatigued-my-sorry-butt sort of way. I really do work so harder in this class than I ever have training on my own. I love it!

As Mother’s Day comes to a close, I thought I’d pull a few memories of my mom from my childhood memory bank:
- She had a heart of gold and a soul to match.
- She came to all my high school track and swim meets, no matter what. She even made it to as many college ones, too - and I went to college 3-hours from home.
- Every day in high school, she’d get donuts at the corner donut shop. I believe this is where I developed my fetish for sugar. Her and my grandmother also made wicked desserts.
- She grew up in a small town called Church, in NE Iowa (population of maybe 24). She went to school in a one-room school house from K-8th grades. I was fascinated with this as a kid and when I’d go visit my grandma, I’d spend hours roaming around that school house just lurking and pretending I lived in that era. I googled and spent a lot of time trying to find a picture of that special place in my world, but to no avail. I have a picture I’ll try to scan one day and share.
- My favorite memory of my mom and I together is when I was little and we’d go up to my grandmother’s and take walks to the woods and pick wild berries and dig up Ladyslipper plants and replant them at home. We’d have the best chats. About nothing. Man, what I wouldn’t do to just have one of those times alone with her again. She died when I was 25. Lung cancer. Never let your kids smoke.

I hope all the moms out there had a special day! I spent the first part of my day (bright and early on the road by 6a.m.) running dear friend, Tara, the last 7 miles to cross her first marathon finish line, (so VERY proud of her, and of Beth, whom I saw at mile 19 and got to cheer on for a little bit). I later shared a beer with a RW friend, Natalie and got home about 1:45 today. Ate a ton of food, way more than I ran off earlier in the day (don’t you get a freebie day on Mother’s Day??) and topped off my 400o calorie intake with some gelato from Abbey’s boyfriend’s new place of employment then just hung out with my kiddos. It was a great day! A day I hope my kids will remember when they dig deep in their memory banks, as I remember my own childhood mother stories.

Week 18 2010:
Week’s Running totals: 38
Running Total for 2010: 788.45
Weight training: 1
Athletic Training class: 1

Beth at mile 19; she was looking mighty sassy in that leopard print skirt!!

Tara coming up the hill to mile 19; both of us filled with emotion!


Tara around mile 23 and cranking out some good speed. "I just want this thing to be over!" Haha. Yeah, no one likes those last 3 miles. I was trying to get her to focus on the scenery, it was gorgeous! Well, aside from that trailer across the river.

I just couldn't be more proud of that girl, overcoming all her health problems last fall and finally landing across her first marathon finish line.

Way to go Tara and Beth!!

52 comments:

Petraruns said...

What a great way to top off the week - running someone else in a marathon that is lovely of you. As for your class. Well. I don't know where to start. I would have been one of the chicks who couldn't do it, to begin with. I am mystified and going to have to google burpees. But truly truly truly the thing that baffles me most is your statement that you LOVE pushups. Jeez louise lady. I have a way to go to catch up with you.

ajh said...

I wondered as I reading this if your mom died young. My mom died when I was 19 (and my dad two years later). My mom wrote me a letter every day I was a freshman in college. She believed in me 100%! She was a skinny healthy eater who had a hidden candy stash with those orange slices! Remembering these things brought a smile to my face. Thanks for the post.

Jennifer said...

Just reading about your gym program made me tired. You have way more guts than I do! Good for you supporting Tara that way. Cheers!

saundra said...

Love your new site design!
OMG, that class sounds insane!!! I can't do 10 burpees. You are so hardcore. Did I already tell you I want to be you when I grow up?
:-)

Running and living said...

That class is hard core! But, it will make you stronger! Tell me about losing speed, yes, it happens so quickly, yet we work so hard to get it back. over and over. Happy Mothers Day!

Laura said...

Nice post...I really didn't have this kind of support but am glad that I can draw on my friends now to give this to me.
Glad your day rocked.

Julie said...

Hi Jill,
I loved your post today! Wow, that sounds like a killer workout! I used to be so good at those darn burpees! Seriously, when I was in high school I could just bust them out! I have a hard time with them now....I think it is because I am old and this body just isn't the same:) I didn't know that you were running in the same marathon as Tara!?! How cool was that? I saw your picture in her blog and I was like....Holy crap that is Jill and she just freaking ran Boston!! Great pictures:) I am so happy for Tara...she had a great time and I would of been elated to run at that pace for a first time marathon!

Also, I loved your tribute to your mom. Very touching:) Jill, I hope that you have a great day!

KC (my 140 point 6 mile journey) said...

Whoa! That class made me tired just reading about it. Seriously, that guy was out to kill you!
Great job pacing your friend for her first marathon. Definitely a marathon you both will have fond memories of forever.

Teamarcia said...

Holy crap your class was a killer. I don't think I'd be moving at all yet after that!
Where did the speed go? Still looking for mine too. WTH?
Great pics!
Glad your Mother's Day was nice! There was gelato in mine as well!

C2Iowa said...

Very nice post. I almost shot coffee all over my monitor to your "Get to the top of the hill and NDS’s evil twin is all freaking smiling to the point you just wanna slap him, and tells us, with no resting after our “sprint,” to do 75 burpees." I hate burpees! I may even get a t-shirt made.

Glad that you enjoyed your weekend.

Johann said...

That is a crazy class! I always find it very special when I can share the moment with someone finishing their first marathon. You have some great friends.

I remember tagging along with my mom to town and waiting patiently for her to finish shopping. Then she would take me for waffles with ice cream and syrrup.

Claudia said...

really 75 burpees?
I would have been done after that.Crazy Class!!

My favorite memory of my mom is being with her and my Grandma in the kitchen and helping with Christmas Dinner.

ShutUpandRun said...

wow you've had quite the active week! Way to go. So FUN to see you out there yesterday and thanks for your support. You really gave me that extra boost I needed at mile 19. You are such a great friend!! I know it meant to much to Tara to have you there to run her in.

SeeGirlRun said...

Busy week for you - you're amazing! Loved the part of your blog where you talk about your mom. My favorite memory of my mom is when a friend and I picked wilded blackberries at the bike trail and brought them home. Mom made cobbler for us right then and there. She has lung cancer now.

Laura

Christi said...

OMG, that is a workout. I am so glad that it is you and not me! ;)

Congrats to your friends! A marathon finish is something to be very proud of!

Marlene said...

Holy torture session! I'd say you have multiple reasons for the hobble this morning. Yikes!!

Awesome that you got to go out and cheer at the marathon. So fun!

Also, lovin' the new blog look!

Anonymous said...

that sounds like a crazy class. no wonder youre shuffling around!

congrats to your friend. a marathon is such a huge accomplishment. she must be on cloud 9 :)

Tara said...

Jill! Thank you so much for being there for me yesterday. Seeing you at the top of that big damn hill at mile 19 was one of the best moments! I started thinking about you at mile 17 cuz I knew I would be seeing you soon. You saved my life with those orange pieces!

I vaguely remember you telling me about this class. HAHA! I also remember you talking to me about your interval class on Tuesdays. I thought you were crazy for wanting me to join you! I wanted nothing to do with that damn speed class at that point in time!

Again, thank you so much for helping to make my first marathon so memorable.

Can you e-mail me these pics? :) Rick, of course, didn't take too many.

Dennis said...

Congratulations to Tara on her first Marathon. Nice Pictures.

Looks like you've recovered from Boston and are training with a vengence.

Nice Work

Kerrie said...

Oh my goodness. That workout sounds like pure torture! You survived!

So awesome that you ran Tara in. I will remember to focus on scenery -- last 5 of my marathon will be on the water in Port Angeles, WA. So I got that going for me...

HappyTrails said...

Your post made me cry, in regard to talking about your mom, since I just lost my mom 2 months ago to cancer, also. We need our moms.

Awesome you ran with Tara - looks like you girls had a beautiful weather day, too.

Searching for good trail races for you. :-)
What length would you be interested in? We are scoping out a few potential halfs near Ft Collins the end of May and June. Just depends how ambitious we want to be. Most of the time, it's just nice to explore a new trail without having any race pressure.

Hey, we can do a trail run anytime! Maybe we can look at getting together one of these weekends soon??? Which Camelbak did you get?
Kathleen

dgls said...

What a great workout. I love to throw in something different to shake things up. I love to run, but I am like you and can get a great workout keeping up with the instructor and going to the highest levels. My wife is a trainer and works at a Navy gym. I am going to send her your post and tell her she needs to do a similar workout to whip those Sailors into shape.
We all need friends like you to help us with the toughest miles in a marathon.
Loved your comments about your Mom.

Generation X (Slomohusky) said...

Thanks Jill.

Ewa said...

No workouts for me today. I am too tired after reading about your workout. :) Gosh, I would be sore for weeks after something like that. On the other hand I am so tempted to try...

misszippy said...

So cool that you got to go out and run with Tara and see Beth! And that workout sounds brutal!!

Katie A. said...

You are hardcore, HARDCORE!!!
I loved your tribute to your mamma, she would be one PROUD lady today- <3
I am so glad you got to get out there with Tara and Beth - you are a great pacer and an even better person to run the last three miles of a marathon with - I should know! Hahahaha!
Love ya! Hugs and misss you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

that jsut sounds like some saddistic insanity...wow..

Bethany + Ryan said...

so fun that you got to watch your friends run! wow, no wonder your legs were sore! mine would be too! ahh, i love that feeling, such a good hurt :-)

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

That sounds like an amazing class. I am so jealous of things like that. Boonie-ville doesn't have classes or running groups or much of anything except a surplus of open spaces to lose yourself in...okay I like that maybe more than running groups....maybe.

Great memories or your mom.

Awesome to run in with Tara and cheer on Beth. That has to be fun.

Great to hear you sounding up beat and happy! Gald "you" are back Jilly!

Irene said...

If that class doesn't kick your bootay, I don't know what will! It sound great, though.

Happy belated mother's day!

I loved what you had to say about your mom. I need to pull out a tissue... I also miss my mom like crazy. Stupid cancer.

Loved the pictures! WTG Tara and Beth!

Anonymous said...

I love the tribute to your mother. I am so happy to report I have been smoke free for almost 16 months. I did a lot of damage but I am hoping that I am making up for it. Worst habit ever and I pray daily that I do not have to pay for it when I am older.

And for feeling lifeless, this was a great post!

HappyTrails said...

Hey Jill - If you are looking for an intense quick workout, check this out on Matt Hart's blog - check your speaker volume first: http://blog.coachingendurance.com/2010/04/sparker-circuit-quick-workout.html
Who needs a gym? :-)

I Run for Fun said...

Love your memories of your mom...very touching!

That is so sweet of you to run with your friend to the finish...I am sure it was an extra special experience for her because of it.

DRog said...

Nice running week...keep workin "the plan"!!
Sounds like you had a great Mother's Day!
-Derek

Jamie said...

That class sounds killer. Not sure I could do that!

Very cool you got to run with Tara!

Unknown said...

Yikes, what a WILD weekend! I saw your pictures all over blog land, running with Tara and on top of that, you were sprinting all over Denver, doing burpees(whatever THOSE are)and hanging out with a NDS. A nice, slow MD off? Not for JILL! Seriously though, it sounds like you had a wonderful Mother's Day and you definitely kept yourself busy and happy! I do love the pictures of you and Tara, so happy!
Have a wonderful week!

Sherri said...

Jill,
Let's face it your a superwomen! In more than one way, of course in that fact that your insanely fit, and in the way that you lift and inspire those around you whether in person or on the blog world!
Amazing!
Tulip Time is over and was a blast...hope you can make it one of these years!=)

Anne said...

That workout is just crazy!! You are so hardcore...
Thanks for sharing about your mom...such a touching post! Also, how sweet of you to run Tara in, that looks like it was an amazing experience.
What a weekend :)

Glenn Jones said...

Happy belated Mother's Day Jill! Wow - that class is intriguing. Something to add to my bucket list? I'd like to be in good enough shape to do half of that workout!

NY Wolve said...

Touching post, the remembrances of family. i was just talking to someone today about my parents and the things we did as a kid. I hope my kids have as fond memories.

SeniorRunner said...

Wonderful Mother's Day post, Jill! Church, IA is off MY beaten paths through NE Iowa, not surprisingly.

I heard of a "Jill sighting" at the Colorado Marathon and came here to see if you had run it. Nice of you to be so supportive of those who did!

Lindsay said...

hahaha. i love this! sounds like a great class. seriously, it does. and i know i would be 'cheating' too! burpees... yeah that was punishment in college (rowing team), so i still have nightmares of them. :)

Mikey B said...

Manly pushups... YES! And it was hilarious to read how the NDS worked your butt off. Maybe the NDS is what you need in life to push you harder and meet your "New Jill Bod'" plan this year?

Either way, comical way to describe a tough workout.

Mikey

Happy Feet 26.2 said...

Love the memories part. I too developed my sweet tooth from childhood. From the awesome beignets Mom would cook, to getting sweet treats when we were sick to all of her fabulous baking. Special memories that I miss. I am so fortunate to still have my Mom, just had to let the baking go. Urgh!

MCM Mama said...

That was a lovely tribute to your mom. She sounds like she was an amazing mom.

I couldn't even finish reading about that class, so I'm pretty sure I couldn't have actually done the class...

Running and living said...

OK, burpies, what are those? You have been super active, I feel your mojo is back. And what a great friend you are, cheering on Tara and Beth! Nice!

Katie said...

That class sounds great! Most of those exercises will help your running form and the sprints up hills will make you faster...Awesome! Oh yeah, and I'm wondering what burpies are too...

RobinLK said...

Training: OMG!!!!!

Mother's Day - beautiful and clearly meaningful. And you're right - caloric freebie on Mother's Day! :)

HUGS from Orlando!

Molly said...

wow, that was really sweet what you wrote about your Mom.

And I've been following Tara's blog for a while now, that's great you got to run with her in her first marathon!

The Boring Runner said...

Ha! I didn't realize that you were from Church. I have heard about it but have never been (Pocahontas, IA here).

Leg workouts are ALWAYS killer - why is that? We use them enough day to day

RunToTheFinish said...

i realized once I started doing p90x how bad my cross training was... i mean 75 burpees I would have dropped dead

RunningChick said...

You've been busy :). Congrats to your friend Tara on her marathon! Great pictures. That class sounds pretty brutal.. yet oddly...sounds FUN :)