Blog Archives

Obsession? Or Dedication?

Posted on August 29, 2011
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“All that I am, I am because of my mind.
Mind is everything.
Muscle – pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.” –Paavo Nurmi, Flying Finn. World’s best mid and long distance runner in 1920′s.

I can’t think about life without working out. My first thought in the morning is to get out of the bed and hit the road and run, bike, or get sweaty at the gym. My last thought in the evening is working out next day. I think about it, I dream about. Simply love it.

Setting new goals, and reaching them is something that I eat, breath and live for. My eyes are set to qualifying for one of the cruelest race on earth, Ironman in Kona, HI, aka Dream Crusher. 140.6 miles. Swim. Bike. Run. Why do I want to go through the pain like that? Simply because I love it. Nothing can beat the feeling of lactic acids starting to climb higher up on my legs, and legs would like to give up, asking for a break, or at least slowing down. But the mind is set to keep going – for another 50 yards, 100 yards, 30 seconds more, one minute more, ten minutes more. Body can always do it as long as the mind stays in the game.

That being said, it is time to have another ice bath and try to cool down –literally– the stiffness on my legs. Wearing Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves helps quite a bit after workouts but the ice baths do miracles to muscle soreness, and significantly help with the recovery. And I can’t wait to be ready for new workout tomorrow…

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Being Sick

Posted on June 6, 2011
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…sucks. I am still kinda having the cold that I got for the weekend. So another no-go for workouts. This sedentary life is driving me nuts, and making it difficult to concentrate on anything. I tried to run today but after half a mile I started to cough my lungs out, and after 30 easy warm-up pushups I was out of breath. Not good since I normally do 80-100 without even breaking a sweat.

I will try to take it easy tonight but tomorrow morning I will have a date with my running shoes. No matter what. And I can’t wait to get back to crossfit as well. Meanwhile, I can browse through the Internet and look for cycling and running races to participate. Jason will so love me when he finds out what races I have signed him up for… And this little break of course gives me some time to come up with new torture programs training plans not only for myself but also my Personal Training clients.

Sitting at my desk all day and night long can also be dangerous – all the new ideas are bouncing in my head. Playing with a thought of launching a charity run event. Thinking of kicking off a running group. Maybe for military spouses…? I was coaching a triathlon team when I lived in Lower 48, as well as was leading a running team for women only. It was a blast for everyone, and I still miss those wonderful ladies who I used to work out with, as well as they seem to miss me – despite all the pain and sweat I put them through.

Out of the curiosity, would you join a running group? Are you member of one?

What do you do when you can’t work out? Do you suffer from the withdrawal when you can’t work out?


They miss me. And I miss them. Tomorrow we are together. Hopefully.

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I Am Not Size 0

Posted on January 31, 2011
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The other day I was looking for some journal articles for my research work, and came across to a very interesting paper about female triathletes by Cronan and Scott - “Triathlon and Women’s Narratives of Bodies and Sport”. As a triathlete I couldn’t put this away but was sucking all the information in while getting my hair done.

Before writing about my thoughts, a question to all of you: why do you work out?

This article lists women’s companionship as one of the work out motivators, as well as mentions that women may not be as competitive as men. Against my belief, this study also suggests that weight loss may not be the primary reason for spending countless hours at the gym, on the bike, or sweating in the pool. Yes, you can get very, very sweaty while swimming!

While I personally disagree with some findings in this study, others I can sign without hesitation.

Competition. I believe men and women can be equally competitive, and sometimes I feel I am ready and willing to push myself a lot harder than my male counterparts. When I am at the start line for a race, I automatically kick in the race gear. I don’t see or hear anything but just focus on the race ahead. All I care about is the performance and doing everything I can, and still some more. At the start line I am in my own world, in my bubble.

Size 0. The magic 0. Zero. Catwalks scream this, and set the expectations how we all should be size 0, skinny with blonde hair and blue eyes. More perfect than a barbie. More than often I have seen weight loss minded personal training clients who are setting these goals. Sorry, then I am not your trainer. No, I don’t want you to obese but within normal weight. I want you be healthy and in shape. I want you to train hard. HARD. Period. But I don’t want you to be skin and bones, without muscles.
So here we go – I have a confession to make. Despite all the training I do, I am nowhere near 0, nor will ever be. Instead, I have too wide shoulders, giant thighs, and leg muscles that sometimes embarrass me. Do I care? No, not at all. I am happy with myself when I can run 2 miles under 13 minutes, dead lift twice my weight, and I have more energy than Duracell Bunny. I am healthy, fit and strong. I get compliments from my doc about my blood pressure, blood tests and heart rate.
The comment in this particular journal article made me smile. In general women who entered the triathlon training program wanted to be stronger and faster, and even the ones with some weight loss goals eventually enjoyed being in shape, and didn’t care about pounds and inches. But they were feeling well.

So I am curious to know why you work out? What motivates you? What do you want to get out of your work outs?

And lastly, here is a picture of my new hair. I absolutely love my hair stylist – she makes miracles every time.

New Hair for 2011

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