No, I didn't die or fall off the planet. I'm still here, slightly defeated. I hit a wall at week 6 of the C25K and haven't been able to get past it. Part of my problem is my weight, I know that for sure. So I've cleaned up my diet a ton and I'm working on getting down a few pounds before I attempt to get back into my C25K training. In the interim I've been reading...and changing my life.
As far as my eating goes. I read,
"Master Your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels. It's a great read mostly about hormones and metabolism. This book explains, in an easy to read format, all the little nuances that go on within your body as it responds to the food you put in it. I really enjoyed it. I won't get into any real detail here..just get the book and read it, decide for yourself. I just borrowed a copy from my local library I totally could not put the book down!!...and now I'm going to buy it...that's how impressed I am.
So, armed with my new knowledge last week I started to change the way I eat. This Friday I'll check with the scale and find out if my body agrees with my mind that this book is the bomb.
After that, I borrowed another life changing book, I know...too bad reading doesn't burn more calories...lol.
It's the book,
"ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running" by Danny Dreyer. This is a great book too. I'm not sure about the whole "Chi" thing but the science behind why this works is solid! After analyzing the soles of my shoes and the numerous pics my hubby took at my 5k race a few years back, I realized that I have bad running form. AND the way I run really looks like it would promote a lot of injuries...it looks very....jarring compared to the way they suggest to run. This book is great but the DVD is even better. I had to get it to see a visual representation of this method. I ran a little tonight to try to implement some of the techniques of this new form and let me tell you it was a lot to remember..coz I really do that much wrong when I run...but I did notice a difference...a positive difference. I tried to relax my legs (like cotton) and keep my core in-line (hard like steel) and for a moment I had it...my legs seemed to melt away...but, they quickly came back. I can only guess this is due to the fact that I have almost zero core muscles. That is something I'm going to have to work on.
If you are interested, here’s some of the Chi Running basics I'm working on thus far:
•maintain good posture
•keep your core in a straight line (shoulders, hips, and ankles)
•lean forward from your ankles, keeping your body in a straight line (this makes it so you are sort of falling instead of using your leg muscles to push you forward)
•your upper body is extended forward while your legs swing out the back (your knees shouldn’t pump in front of you)
•keep your lower legs limp (chi cannot flow through tight muscles or joints)
•don’t pronate. run along a tightrope, leading with your knees (this is why my knee has been bothering me)
•swing your elbows behind you
•don’t cross your center line with your hands
it's a lot to think about when you are trying to run. But, like I said I think it's helping. If your interested and don't wanna go to the library or buy a DVD there is a brief video here that explains it pretty well
ChiRunning Simplified anyway, that's what I've been up to...we'll have to wait and see how these two things work for me. They are both large life changes...but, I'm ready for something new.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~Albert Einstein
