TUESDAY, 03.17.09 Mental toughness - it's mind over body. It's work out over chocolate. Its a 9 year old girl whose leg was severed from cancer telling you to suck it up! It's positive thinking. I know exactly what Amy Palmiento-Winters talked about last night. The toughest moments where you have to dig deep inside yourself to find that stamina are the ones you will never forget. I took a fitness assessment with Sam at Reebok last night and was measured with an average 24% fat (most of which probably came from my arms). After asking me about my nationality and my history, the fitness consultant asked me what sport I play. There was a pause - I play sports??? Does yoga and stretching count? - I was a bit embarrassed to answer because I've never played sports growing up. I was always physically sheltered as a girl and ended up being afraid of many things (including water, speed, and balls coming directly at me). - "Why do you think I play sports?" I asked. "By the way you walk, your posture and your physique." His answer sounded nice but the truth is, I don't play any sport. He's from L.A. and says I belong there because my energy fits right in. Sam specializes in aesthetics for women - didn't realize there was such a specificity. This morning at swim, I -BONKED- my head on the wall under the water! I guess I didn't realize how far one stroke gives me! Then while resting, Katie sneakingly squirted cold water all over my back. =P Hum...should I get her back? Should I devise a plan of attack (well, maybe a sneak attack)? My All Out 50 meters clocked at 1:08 today. I saw a man enjoying his coffee - then I thought - hey, I deserve one! So I treated myself to a Chocolate Raspberry Cream coffee. I went for an afternoon weight lifting session. Focused on tricepts, back and shoulders - boy are they sore! The focus this week is endurance, Joy Sy. See how many reps you can lift, test how far you can run, time how long you can swim, try how deep you can stretch and finally discover the strength within yourself. Reap the benefits of all your hard work! =) And then smile along the way...
WEDNESDAY, 03.18.09 My foot surgeon slit the ligaments on 3 of my toes on my right foot this morning. First he froze it, injected novocain then pressed the tiny blade against my skin until I heard the ligaments rip and tear. EeEk! Whew! Just the sound itself made me cringe. These should help release the tightness that's causing my toes to be bent. Before he did it, I made sure I would be able to run and do extreme exercises by the weekend. There ain't no way I was going to miss out on New Paltz training camp. I'm due to get my other toes slit in two weeks. I had a serene yoga class this afternoon. Walked out of Equinox refreshed, glowing with a smile on my face. Finished my juicy pear and as I threw out its pit, I threw my office ID with it! I looked deep down into the green NYC garbage bins which had a lock on it (like someone was going to steal garbage). Uh Oh. Good thing the bin had only a little bit of stuff. Still, I didn't know what to do or how to get my ID back - that bin was too deep for me to reach in. Luckily a bystander offered his help and turned the whole bin upside down! ??!?!?! Why didn't superwoman think of that!?!? I had a skirt on with high heeled boots - maybe that's why. Anyhow, I thanked the man with the brilliant idea and am grateful for helpful Spanish people! =)
THURSDAY, 03.19.09 We're going to turn it up another notch for training. This is midway through our 12 week program and I'm ready to be injured. Growing up, I barely fell and have minimal scars. This week I bought 12 boxes of super duper heavy duty active flex bandages and lots of Vitamin E and Mederma for any scars I expect to get. For this endurance focused next couple of weeks, I bought myself some Ginseng supplements. It advertised to be a favorite among athletes to "promote physical stamina." We'll see.
FRIDAY, 03.20.09 Today was supposed to be rested so I can be fresh for a weekend full of intense training. Instead I went for a swim to learn how to breast stroke. Though it's supposed to be easier than the front crawl (free style) I still can't get the rhythm correct. =T My legs were tired. =(
