My Mind Says "GO!", But My Body Says "Wait A Minute!!"

My Mind Says "GO!" But My Body Says "Wait a Minute!" 

Tonight I went to my main gym and ran on the treadmill. To be honest, I prefer to run outside. I just don't get that "runner's high."  I have no problem using the treadmill, but it just doesn't give me the same feeling as when I run outside. It's kinda like drinking kool aide with no sugar, eating popcorn with no salt or butter, or eating a plain cheese pizza: it'll do in a pinch, but you won't be 100% satisfied! 

Even though I don't care for the treadmill, I'll run on that mofo with no hesitation. The treadmill is much easier on my knees than running outside. Not only that,  it's getting hot down here in Florida, and the sun is blinding.  With all the cycling I do outside and the long runs I take on weekends, my name will be Jeffrey BLACK by the end of the summer cuz I'll be dark as hell... Lol

Before I hit the treadmill tonight, I weighed myself:



To be honest, I thought I wouldve lost more weight by now, but it's not like I was cutting calories. I cut back in junk food and sweets, but I'm probably eating more since I'm working out more. Just more food that's good for me.  I need to eat to have fuel for my training, so it might be hard to lose. 

So the best way for me to guage how I'm doing is by looking at my bodyfat percentage. My gym has a cool machine that checks your bodyfat, weight, blood pressure, body mass index, and heart rate:

Here's my bodyfat percentage:





This is an old address from 6 years ago. No surprise visitors please! Lol

My bodyfat levels have been pretty comsistent. I'd like to be at 10%, but I'd have to some extreme dieting to get down to that level.

I like to eat too much so that ain't gonna happen!  Lol

This is a cool little machine that my gym has. In less than 5 minutes I can get a quick mini-checkup.



I've been using this machine regularly for almost a year now to check things out. The older I get, the more I pay attention to my health. With this machine, if I see any drastic changes I can nip it in the bud before it gets outta hand. I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate, but it gives me a general idea as to how I'm doing. Here's my blood pressure reading:


04/07/2010



In addition to READING these numbers, I have to LISTEN to my body. My problem is sometimes I don't want to hear what it has to say! It's not telling me what I want to hear!

Last night's run is a perfect example of this.  When I run on the treadmill,  I try to simulate a run in a triathlon. Try imagine how your legs feel trying to run after riding a bike for 1to 4 hours. It's tough. You have to get your muscles (and your mind) prepared for it. 

Triathlons can be painful if you're really trying to push the pace. It's very easy to ease off the intensity and go slow, but I don't want to. I want to get conditioned to be competitive, and that means being able to keep going at a fast pace even if I'm tired or fatigued.

This is my mentality while running on the treadmill. I'm not jogging, I'm RUNNING. Even though I want to stop, I push to keep working hard.

I started off by walking at a leisurly pace for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, I gradually increase my pace, and by 20 minutes I'm at my top running pace of 7.5. My goal is to run at this pace for 30 minutes straight.

There's a fine line between pushing yourself and going into the red zone, and at 40 minutes I was there!  I wanted to get off the treadmill. I'm at my limits. But my MIND says "shut up and run! You wouldn't stop if this was a race would you??". So I keep running.

At 45 minutes I'm drenched in sweat. I'm haulin ass! Arms pumpin, breathin hard, and holdin on for dear life! My body tells me to drop it down to 7.0, so I do.

At 48 minutes I start to get scared. I'm like "please don't let me fall & bust my a** on this treadmill in front of all these people!! I'd never set foot in this gym again!" lol

Then my mind says "you can't last TWO MINUTES?? What kind of man are you that can't last 2 minutes??" lol

All types of things can go thru your mind when you're at a crossroads. lol

And when you have the clock right on front of you, 2 minutes can seem like 10, but I made it. Barely! Lol 

I walked the last 10 minutes to recover, followed up with 10 minutes of stretching. 

I weighed myself after the run and lost almost a pound of water weight:



I was pretty beat. I was glad to be gettin the he'll up outta there last night!



The problem with high intensity workouts is the higher potential for injury.  My left knee hurts today. I over-did it last night. It's like drinking too much: you don't feel it till the next day! Lol

It's not that bad though. I'm not walking with a limp, and you can't tell it hurts by looking at me. If someone said they'd give me a year's supply of Double Whopper's with cheese if I ran 10 miles right now I could, but I'd be all jacked up tomorrow! Lol   

If that isn't enough, my right shoulder hasn't fully recovered from a couple weeks ago. It's not bad, but I have to remember I'm not 20 anymore. I can still do the things I did when I was 20, just not as often! I have to give myself more time to rest and recover between workouts. 

Even now, my mind is saying "I shoulda sucked it up and went to the gym," but my body told me to go home and take a nap. So I did. Lol

Saturday I'll ride my bike. That's the only thing I can do right now pain free. Next week I'll probably take it easy, but it'll be hard to do. The race is right around the corner. But at the same time, I don't want to be sore and hurt at the starting line.

So my dilema is to rest, even though I need/want to train. Truth be told, I just enjoy the training. But I can't hurt myself to the point where I can't even start the race though. 

I have no choice but to rest my knee and shoulder, no matter how bad I want to run and swim. So no running, swimming, OR lifting next week. 

Looks like my body has won this battle, but my mind will be back with a vengeance I'm sure. Lol

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!