Because I Can....

Now, most of you probably know by now that I LOVE leg days. My leg muscles are my strongest and I enjoy the challenging workouts!

Last year, after hip surgery, I became really concerned about my leg workouts. In fact, sometimes I was downright afraid of them. After surgery, it was 12 weeks before I could lightly train legs. I did very light leg workouts in physical therapy those 12 weeks. Leg days scared me. I was terrified of hurting my hip or causing any other injuries or issues that would take me out of the gym or keep me from running.

I finally have gotten to a point where I am not afraid. I trust Tripp and his knowledge and wisdom. I know when he asks me to do something then I am capable of doing the exercise. Leg press was always one of my favorite machines. I loved feeling powerful from lifting so much weight. Prior to surgery, I was able to do 10 45-lb. plates (565 pounds which includes the weight of the sled) for 10 reps. Yesterday I was able to do 16 45-lb. plates and 2 25-lb plates (770 pounds--not sure what the sled weighs because there was no weight listed on the machine....but pretty good assumption would be about 45 pounds...so 815 pounds.) And I managed 10 good reps. Here's a pic with just the 16 45-lb. weights.

This was a personal best. A couple of weeks ago when I was about to lift something that I believed was insanely heavy, I asked Tripp, "Why am I lifting this weight?" His response was simple..."Because you can!" Honestly, I have said in the past that I would do so much better lifting weights if I was blindfolded because occasionally knowing how much I am about to lift just unnerves me. And yesterday, the shear idea of lifting just the 16 45-lb weights was nerve wrecking! Who knew I was going to get another 50 pounds added to it!!

I trust Tripp implicitly. I know that he is never going to ask me to do anything that I cannot do. Since I have this trust in him, I am willing to attempt whatever the task is that he asks of me. Occasionally, I fail because my muscles aren't strong enough or I allow my mind to freak me out. But Tripp tells me that I only fail him when I don't try.

So, I am working on re-focusing my mind. There is no way I will be weight lifting blindfolded, but I can start giving myself positive messages about my abilities. I am a lot stronger than I think I am. (Tripp reminded me of this a few weeks ago.) I often think that I am not very strong...physically, emotionally, or mentally. But I am capable of a lot more than I give myself credit.

So, it's time to rebuild some mental toughness....because I can!!!

Soreness and Motivation

I love this slogan I found earlier today when surfing the web and looking at a site my friend Laura sent me to!!

It's so true. I often find myself commenting on how sore I am or how tired I am from all the strength training and working out. But honestly, I never regret it. Never. I know that every step of the way I am doing exactly what my body needs me to do. I am pushing forward towards my goals and I am making myself stronger and more fit. These are things that are important to me. So, if I have to choose between being sore or sorry....sore will always win out!

Today, I got up really early because my friend, Cathy, texted me the night before to see if I wanted to hit a LSD (long slow distance) day today. I knew that Tripp and I had a planned strength training session but didn't know what time we were working out. But I also knew that I wanted the time with Cathy as well as the distance. So, in spite of the fact that my legs and glutes are still completely trashed from Thursday's leg day and Friday's cardio, I agreed. I do not regret getting up earlier and getting my 6 miles in with Cathy. There were a couple spots along the path where I hurt and my body questioned me, but I knew that I could and would finish what I started. And yes, the end of the 6 miles was a blessing!

After breakfast and a trip back to my house to shower and grab my workout clothes, I got my stuff ready to hit the gym with Tripp. Today's target was back, biceps and triceps. And though I may have been a bit tired. I gave it everything I had and then some. No excuses to back down or go lighter. Instead, I pushed myself and Tripp pushed me and we had an amazing workout!

Was it perhaps a bit much to do both a LSD and a strength training session in the same day? Maybe. However, my nutrition was spot on and there was enough time in between the two sessions which allowed me some recovery time. So, it was pure perfection!

Am I sore? Yes. I am not certain there is a day that goes by during the week that some muscle isn't sore! Is it worth it? Absolutely. There is no point in my training sessions if my muscles do not continue to get stronger. And stronger often means soreness. I feel more fit and much stronger than I have in a long time. I am gaining more confidence in myself. I am a lot more knowledgeable about why I do what I do and how to do the things I do. I push myself harder because I know that I have someone else who wants me to push harder even when we are not working together. And when my motivation and will try to fail me, I remember that I cannot fail Tripp when he believes I can accomplish this. So, I push through the BS (as my former trainer Jake used to say!) Tripp has been a great inspiration to me in that he has never asked me to do anything he does not believe I can do and he is always pushing me to push myself harder and reach for more than what I think I can. It's awesome! So, if the price I pay for feeling better about myself and being stronger is being sore, I will take it and then some. Bring it on!

Laura posted this on my wall on Facebook earlier today. I loved it! It is so true. I get up everyday and whether I like it or not, I have to think like this poster!! I challenge you to do the same! Don't let soreness or anything else get in your way! Just do it!

Do It Anyway....

Somebody is going to criticize what you do....Do it Anyway!

I ran across this quote today and thought how very appropriate it is. How often do we set out on a lifestyle change journey and well-meaning friends and family members and heck, even strangers sometimes, offer us advice on how we can do what they think needs to be done. They criticize our methods and our successes or failures. When I began my weight loss journey, I had friends tell me I was going to fail, others who insisted that lowering my carbs was not the answer and still others that insist I never had to do anything but lift weights for 30 minutes a few days a week. I even had friends and family members laugh when I told them I was training for my first half marathon. Personally, I am glad that I didn't listen. I did what I needed to do anyways.

Life is too short to listen to uninformed people telling you how you can live it best. And frankly, unless you have firsthand knowledge or schooling of what I am doing, I often don't find the advice to be anywhere near relevant!

One of the coaches I follow on Facebook posted this today....When others treat you with aggression and contempt, it is because they have realized that you possess certain qualities, which they are unable to attain in life. Keep on being you. Hatred meted out by others is just fuel to boost your success! (Coach Kendrick Ribiero)

I find this to be so true. I have decided to stop allowing others to make me feel bad about myself or cause me to second guess what I have going on because they are not able to do the same things. It does us no good in life to compare ourselves with other people. I could very easily try to compare my running with several friends of mine who run, but truthfully, we each come to the sport from different perspectives and different levels of expertise. So comparing myself to my friends will only result in frustration for me. Therefore, I use the same strategy that I do in my races....I take things at my pace. I do it anyways....in spite of the frustrations, irritations, naysayers. My success depends on me. In fact, I recently told Tripp that really the only acceptable failure is muscle failure. Of course, as a trainer, he LOVED that! But it's true. I use my fear and failures to fuel me to my successes. I use them as learning experiences. Am I perfect at this? No. But I keep moving forward. I keep striving. I do it anyways.

What are you letting get in the way of your successes? Who are you comparing yourself to? Are you letting criticism keep you from where you want to be? I urge you to stop allowing others to determine your success and failure. Seek out advice from people you trust who have been there before or have the knowledge and skills to help you in these areas. Don't allow other people's fears and negativities keep you from achieving or reaching out for your goals! Take all that negativity and frustration you are feeling and fuel your passion to achieve! You can do this!!