Risat’s BodyBlog

"If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It’s raining? That doesn’t matter. I am tired? That’s beside the point. It’s simply that I just have to."

Emil Zatopek

Training hard, have not made the time to visit, but I’m ready (for whatever happens). I feel strong, I feel fast and whatever the outcome, it will be a great weekend In case I don’t get to log on again before the weekend, think fast thoughts of me Sunday AM around 1030 Columbus time.  I will carry all the encouragement and support I’ve been shown! Will post all the excitement as I can and of course results/thoughts also!

I’ll have already benched, and will be checking in for the fashion show while waiting to run the 5k!.  Had a great 6 miles yeasterday, its been a while since I ran that distance, its was just a training run and I beat my last 10K pace.  Really worked the routine yesterday too, forearm stands, handstand forward rolls, and I am working on, yes wait for it, a roundoff back handspring (yeah, that ones going to take a bit).

I feel ready, really ready (can I hold on to that feeling). I see the excitement around the website, those that are going, those that want to go….it’s like summer vacation is right around the corner.

I am keeping another journal in the forums…called desperately seeking muscle Part II, its to log my workouts and nutrition, it won;t have as much fun rambling as I do here, but check it out if you get the chance.

Oh well, trainer cancelled on me today, so I will just hit the gym on my own…Chest Day! Gotta get those 30 reps next weekend!

"I’m going to beat my body up for a couple of months, and make it my slave."

Josh Cox, 2:14 marathoner (RisaT as she prepares for NPC Fitness)

Hello friends, gosh I do not like that I have not taken the time to write, life has just been that way lately. Work, well, everyone there has lost their minds so I won’t bother anyone with details….family life, the same (why does turning 18 make you a knowitall??? and really Joan of Arc was burned at the stake becuase she heard voices that she said was God… or was it politcal persecution or both….does it really mean you won’t talk to me for the rest of the night? - converstation with 18 y/o)…but here’s what everyone’s been waiting for…(and I am not going to count this time, just write).

I’ve hired a nutritionsist and received a plan, this "nongaining" mode I’ve been is has got to stop so I’ve brought in help. Day one complete, small changes from before, more organized, a plan I can follow…more details to follow on this (too early to tell).

The body and mind are holding up under some doubles sessions….cardio (AM); weights (PM), throw in a little routine practice, lots of cookingcleaningworkingdogcatkidshusband….y
ou get the picture…and I have not been sick, my energy level is good and I’ve been running outside (practicing for the Arnold 5K).

Which brings me to my title, dreams. I had a dream the other night, woke me up completely, way too early, but that is another story. Does anyone remember the women’s soccer team that won the gold medal at the Olympics? The things that I remember about that game was the controversy when the play ripped her shirt off (like the guys do) when she scored, I think it was the game winning score…Remember the picture, beautiful young lady, in pure joy, in her bra top….Ok so my dream had me crossing the finish line, I can’t see the time on the clock, but I just know I broke 20:00 and I ripped my shirt off and I woke up feeling like I had run the race and my heart was beating…now in my dream I think it was summer and warm so no one get any crazy ideas that I plan to do that on the 2d of March when it will be in the teens and quite possibly even have snow on the ground (ok, I don’t know how I will feel if I break my goal time, I could get crazy like that, but I’ll have to go through a few more layers, lol)….but could this possible mean I am ready?  ready to break 20:00???? Put that in context with last nights workout.

I worked chest, now one of the first things I do is just press the bar, I usually try for 50 reps to get warmed up. The past few times, I have not made it that far, I wimp out at somewhere in the 30s. Last night, although I did rest (in the up position) I made it to 50 and could have gone on…I felt like I had a truly powerful workout (quite a few stares too) was it the great big smile I had because everything was just "right"?  Last weekend I was not feeling great about the upcoming race, but after the dream and my great workout  I feel like I will at least do as well (if not better) than last year and even if the conditions aren’t the best (that is my biggest concern) I feel strong and ready.

I believe in the power of positive thinking, I believe that I have the right tools (trainer, solid nutrition plan, wonderful supporters - thanks friends!) is what is making this all come together. The countdown continues…..

I can count and when I started I only had three things to say…but it is my blog so I went on, plus if I’s said 5 things, people might not have read (it would take more commitment, gotta keep it short) which is not my strong suit at times, lol.

As of yesterday, it was 13 days to the Arnold, but 16 to my race (hence the 16 days) I think that was towards the bottom, I was focused on my run yesterday, not just the EXPO.

I still can’t dance, but I have time, I am not competing in fitness until June. At the Arnold I am running, racing to be exact and I am right on target for that!

The line for Mario will be long, I forgot to count all the cheerleaders, gymnasts, dancers, and all the other middle aged ladies (like me) who will want to get their picture taken, lol..

I think  this covers it, yes, math may not be my strong suit, but I do answer the SAT question of the day (everyday) and am at about 92% correct on math; 100% on English, and the ones I don’t answer - I look up. I have one more little one to take the SAT and I gotta keep the skills up

1. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I can’t dance…it’s become apparent as I work on my fitness routine, that I’ll need to take lessons or get some extra help in that arena, not that I don’t think I can accomplish it, but boy is it tough….it may even be one of my biggest challenges and this is coming from someone who has had 4 kids - all without the aid of drugs!

2. Mario Lopez (Dancing with the Stars) will be at the Arnold! Hope his line isn’t too long…and this one isn’t for me, its for my girls

3. I was at the mall today, to get, yet again, a coffee from Starbucks (really going to have to cut back eventually) and walked past the food court and just thought to myself, its been about two years since I went from a weekly (or in some weeks more often) fast food habit…the smell actually were somewhat enticing, in the past they have been gross, but today I could have actually gone for some greasy fries. Not quite sure where that came from, but I did resist…now what I am having trouble resisting is white bread…I have had toast now for two days….and we are not even talking about the good kind of bread, plain white bread is what I’ve had, OK, it was four pieces yesterday and the same today, but I’ll stop, I am putting my foot down (to myself). I’ve been told I need to cheat once a week and I will, I just really didn’t want it to be in that manner…I believe that since I’ve cleaned up my diet (for the most part) I am "hyper" sensitive to fast food, that I want if I was to never smell it again I would be ok (out of sight out of mind?) but all it took was walking through the food court and I could very easily have eaten something that would not have been awful but would have made me mad that I couldn’t be stronger and walked away. Does anyone else have thoughts like this? If you slip do you feel guilty (I do)? how do you overcome that guilt?

4 Yes I said three things, but its my blog so here is #4…13 days til the Arnold (16 til my race), 5K run in the AM to check my speed, more routine practice (checking for dance instructor), working on bench press and all the other millions of things that I need to get done over this holiday.

5. Just something to think about -

Only think of two things-the report of the pistol and the tape. When you hear the one, just run like hell till you break the other. " Sam Mussabini, final advice to Harold Abrahams prior to the 100 meters in Paris, 1924

well it’s been four days and no call for fame….I’m sad, a little sad, for me it really had nothing to do with being famous or even the $$ (although I still have two to put through college and that would have helped), for me it was more that I wanted the challenge, the excitement, the chance to compete against other athletes of all ages, all walks of life. 

But there is much more in my life to do and I really don’t want to take time moping over what is not meant to be…if they don’t think a 43 y/o, wife, mother (of 4 no less), full time employee/part time athlete  (I’m really a lot more, but I have to keep some thing close hold) as a contestant in American Gladiators, well then that’s their loss! It was fun (I really should start to keep a list of these things), but its 18 days ’til the 5K Pump & Run and I am focused on doing my best for that!

One change I’ve made to my workouts is to incorporate more reps into my exercises.  I get the "ironman"ezine and read a good article on hardgainers using reps to activate the muscles that are not complying with the standard 5 rep method.  Anyone want to comment on that?  So even though on my previous leg workouts I had been trying to add a set of 100×30 (leg extensions) then 5-6 reps at 90 or 100 lbs.; now I am doing 60×30x3 (killer) and higher reps at a weight that is challenging on all other leg exercises (believe me I go to failure). I’ve completed two leg workouts like this and really enjoy it and one upper body (did not like that so much) I think this shows where my weakness is and I will continue to focus on that upper body (back, shoulders and legs!)

4 cappucino’s, two tanks of gas and (I cheated) a burger from Wendy’s….$76.32

One hotel room ……………………………………..
…………………………………….$96.00

Twelve hour road trip for a 2.5 minute try-out with American Gladiators………..PRICELESS

Thats really all there is to tell, it went very fast, I almost drove to Tampa for WTF practice, but that would have been two more hours, then 6 back to Atlanta, so I opted for a venti nonfat cappucino, helped a kid get his shoelace unstuck from the escalator at Universal Studios, then hit I75 back North (it was a tough drive home folks) I’m beat, gotta feed the kids and myself, and make up for that burger, lol. The 2.5 minutes didn’t even warrant a cheat meal. So now I wait to see if I get a callback, cross your fingers, hope my packet was more entertaining than the interview, what they could get from asking me three questions I have no idea, I should have sent my tape in, but I thought I could WOW then with my feats of physical strength and personality…

Yes, my friends I actually gave up a 5K run to try-out, now I need to find a race next weekend to test my speed.

Its been a hectic week. I started back to AM cardio sessions, they are tough, righ tnow its just two weekday mornings, but it helps in the time department.  My new racers are the BEST! Really comfortable, so if you are looking for a lightweight performance stability shoe, check out Asics DSTrainer13’s I highly recommend them. 

I increased my weights for a couple of workouts this week. Plus I increased the reps per set, it was a challenge to get through the workouts, but sometimes you have to schock the system to see how much you can handle and although I am a little more tired I can handle it.

Finally, bb.com posted a bog about what I’ll be doing at the Arnold Sports Festival, they said one or two paragraphs, I wrot emore, lol…Now that I read it compared with the others that are being posted I look a little long winded…..oh well, that’s me   If you get a chance read it and let me know what you think….

BIG plans this weekend, trying to keep my excitement contained, can’t let on yet, but when the time is right I’ll write more…. and to Phidippides (soory my spelling in the AM is not the best) I can’t tell what a secret weapon is, then it wouldn’t be a secret (lol), but after the race I may let on (and its nothing illegal for perfomance enhancement, its an old fashioned secret).

Happy Training!

My new running shoes!!! I was not happy the the DS 12, they were too snug and even though I ordered a larger size, they just did not feel right. I can wear them around, but when you run, your feet swell, not too much on short races (like a 5K), but the new DS13s seem a bit more like what I’ve worn before. I have just enough time to break them in if I wear them frequently, plus I have my secret weapon….more to follow

"Mind is everything: muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." Paavo Nurmi

I think people know the joke about what part of your body is in charge? I won’t go on,but when I received the above motivation in my inbox I spent a little time thinking about it. Do you use your mind in your training? How much do you plan your workouts, your nutrition, even your rest? I know that as I get busy it is very easy to just get into auto mode and let things happen, but the best workouts that I have are when I am totally engaged. From every rep, every contraction, every step on that blasted stairclimber…..don’t get me wrong I am also listening to my IPOD at this time an trying not to let my mind wander to how the day was, the mounds of laundry at home and if we need bread and milk at home.

I have quite a few goals this upcoming year and will try to focus each workout so that I get the most out of it. I plan to go back to practicing yoga (have been on a bit of a break due to schedule) because it helps with the mental focus, and I will even go as far to say that I will read more (another pasttime I’ve been slacking on lately), reading is another way to connect with my children, too, when was the last time you read the same book your kids were reading for school? Let’s see next assignment is Romeo and Juliet followed by Farenheit 451 (haven’t read that one in a long time). (side note: I am graduating the 9th grade for the 5th time and the 12 grade for the 4th time, lol, getting pretty good at it I’d say)

So while I will be spending time improving my muscles (because I do think they look better), I am going to work on my brain too.

Happy training!