Adrenaline READY

Wednesday brought me back to Team Adrenaline.  After being sick last week, I was ready to get back to my Bestie for a solid workout.

Someday the novelty of telling you about his (<-- whoops! I meant) THIS class is going to wear off.  Someday.  NOT today though.

Paulie's strategy for Adrenaline this week was to work on the muscles that runners don't strengthen but really ought to because we use these muscles all the freaking time...  This is injury prevention.  And ultimately being stronger through the feet, ankles, core, shoulders, etc is going to make us "faster", more "explosive", "stronger", "agile" runners.

SIGN ME UP.  I will take a little pain today if I can just CHECK ALL on the list above.

I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today...

"Ready?"

"Probably not.  But let's do it anyway."

3L & I spent time... a lot of time... with the other athletes in a line on a soccer field hopping from foot to foot performing deceptively easy looking drills designed to strengthen our ankles, change our posture for the better, encourage us to pick up our feet, and make us laugh.

OK, maybe they were not intended to "MAKE US LAUGH", but somehow, even through the pain of our burning muscles, we laughed.  

Paul apologized to our burning glutes.  We laughed.  He had us doing IRISH dance steps.  We laughed.  Hopping on one foot.  Backwards.  In a line.  We laughed... well, when we weren't cursing and huffing through gritted teeth at any rate.

Best line of the day was when BFF Paulie called "time" on one of the exercises and 3L grits out, "YOU HAVE THE SLOWEST WATCH EVER."  Cue the laughing.

I've been bringing a guest every week since I first went to Adrenaline.  I will continue to bring a guest until I have exhausted my resources and every friend of mine has tried it once.  I truly believe that Team Adrenaline is the best fitness experience in the greater Richmond area*.

It's good for ANYONE.

Runner, cyclist, or bowling enthusiast.  Male, female, elite, or newbie.

Do you breathe?  Enjoy fun?  Like to sweat alongside beautiful men with rippling ab muscles while you secretly hope his shirt rides up a teeny tiny bit?  Ok, then yes.  It's a good class for you.

Anyone can benefit from the genius that is Team Adrenaline.

I've tried a lot of fitness adventures on my quest for "fitness".  From large scale gym "classes" to cross training on my own, to P90X, to personal training, to a competitor of Paulie's that is also a free standing outdoor fitness class.

The difference in Paulie's class from all of these things is that there is an unmatched level of knowledge here.

I.O.W. my BFF Paulie seriously knows his s#*t.  Every time I walk away from him, I feel I have picked up something that is going to take me places.

(and really, I should stop calling him "BFF Paulie" and remind you that his real name is Paul C.  He's really a professional coach, who happens to be an excessively talented runner.  He also happens to be a really nice, humble, guy).


He seems perfectly content to take my questions, listen to my thoughts, and teach me.

Even though I'm not ever going to be anything more than a "mom who runs".

I mean, I'm not kidding myself.  The place my new knowledge is "taking me" is not going to make me elite.  I think it could make me a really good runner though.  And that works for me.

In all honesty, I'm not trying to beat anyone else but ME.

I want to be better than I AM NOW.

I want to GROW as a runner.

I want to LEARN as much as I can about this sport.

Because I am in LOVE... with running.

This is why I surround myself with wise, fun, clever, knowledgeable, professional, & sometimes, it's true, elite runners.  No matter their specialty or distances, these people say things worth hearing.  There is a well of knowledge out there from which I am, sometimes, invited to drink.

I just want a taste.

And a laugh.

Because why do any of this if it's not fun?

* a little side note here, Team Adrenaline is not limited to Richmond VA.  Currently, Team Adrenaline is in: San Francisco, Ca., Stewart, Fl., Ontario, Canada, Kansas City, MO., Indianapolis, Indiana, Erie, Pa.  and much more to come.  check Paulie's website at http://adrenalinesportsusa.com/ for more details.  Or shoot my Bestie an e-mail and tell him I sent you.

Form Follows Function

I’ve been going to this class lately.  The owner/CEO of the company is beyond GBA.  I know, is there such a thing? 

Maybe… and if there is, BFF Paulie is IT.  He puts the GBA in track coach...

(i know, i know, "track coach" doesn't seem to have a "g"... or "b")

Now, my obsession with Paulie is well known in my social circle.  And I just want to say real quick that it’s not. my. fault.  I’m human and female, and he is epically cut....  I mean, he makes the cut... er…  I admire him as a running coach.

I started going to this class because I thought I would get stronger.  Like, I thought it was a strength class.  As it turns out, BFF Paulie’s class is like a speed workout with strength circuit incorporated. 

You know it’s bad when you’re doing planks during the week to train for the class that’s supposed to be training you because you can't do the planks IN class.

A typical class has a speed element followed by some kind of other work.  Sometimes I can DO the work.  Sometimes, not so much.

I feel a little over my head in his class.  Not that I’m going to stop going.  The day BFF Paulie says “I can’t do anything for you.” I will stop going.  Since what he usually says to me is, “I can do SO MUCH for you.” I figure I’m OK.

I go.  I suck.  I go back the next week and suck again.

Like a musician who commissions a piece of music from a composer, only to discover it’s technically too difficult for them to play well… I struggle with the elements in Paulie’s class. 

How will I get better if I cannot even execute the 'practice'?

During the speed portions of the class BFF Paulie watches us all run.  Sometimes when he looks at me, it seems like he’s cringing.  Ouch.

Paulie’s distress over my pitiful attempt at running is on one hand frustrating, and on the other it makes me want to work harder and soak up every word he says.

For years I rode horses – I rode Western, English, Dressage, and Jumpers and one thing that stays constant in riding, no matter what discipline you're riding, is form - shoulders~hips~heels:  in line.  This form is functional.  No matter what you’re doing on a horse, shoulder~hips~heels will help keep you on the horse, in control, and well seated.

I rode horses in this position for 20odd years.  "Don’t get your shoulders forward, you’ll fall off the horse if something unexpected happens"...  In all the years I rode, I believed strongly that form follows function.  There’s reason we ride shoulder-hips-heels in the ring.  Just as there's a reason a jumper or horse race jockey rides "forward" during parts of their event.

After I’d been riding about 8 years, I started teaching riding and doing a little training here and there.  I specifically remember a young adult student who was self taught.

Ah.  Yeah. 

She was loose in the saddle, hands flying high in the air, and the horse under her was strung out from nose to tail.  Her upper body was forward.  Folded at the hips, heels up. It was a disaster waiting to happen. An EPIC disaster waiting to happen.

Her leg position was soft as well, sliding sometimes forward and back as the horse’s cadence increased and decreased in response to her flying hands. 

She was tough to work with too. 

I’d been hired to train her by her boss, because she needed to ride better to preserve the image of the farm she was employed by... BUT, she was an unwilling student.  She’d been “riding for years” and could “stay on just fine”. 

Great.  Fine.  

Say what you want, but I will argue all day long that FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.  Shoulders hips heels holds you solid on the horse.  So the function of your seat is a base for keeping your hands still.  This is important, even if form isn’t your number one priority.  Just sayin’.  I ~ah~ was kind of known as the Nazi.  Again with the word…

So when I show up on Wednesday mornings to spend time with my BFF Paulie, I know I am the running equivalent of the self-taught rider.  cringe.  I have been running since 2008, and in that time some improvements have been made, but let's be honest, for the most part... I'm...

Loose in the cage, running with my body placement too upright all the way until the point when my torso collapses from lack of strength.  My hip angle is also probably off as I over correct.  My cadence might be OK at my cruising speed, but I can’t seem to hold it properly at the varying paces he runs us through.  This is also a problem.  I KNOW I have issues here.

I can feel them in BFF Paulie's cringe.

The difference between me & the unnamed rider is that I WANT to hear what BFF Paulie says.

IF form follows function…

june '10

Then the real question is, am I self aware enough to fix it, or not?

Aug '10

It’s one thing to know you need to lean, it’s another thing to be able to do it in the moment when you are running.

Nov '10 - note how I'm almost leaning back? 
of course, I'm also running a marathon in this photo, I'm clearly not in my right mind.

And arms, and shoulders, and knee drive and… no wait g.  One thing at a time. 

April '11 

So what are the mechanics of good running function?  If form follows function, let me first consider the words being shouted at me by my BFF.

Lean. Turnover. LEAN.

Picture of my BFF Paulie...  

there's no purpose in showing this photo except that 152 of my blog followers are women,  and I figured you'd all appreciate this... I mean, seriously ladies, look at his form?  could it be any more beautiful perfect?
...  ah.... I never ever miss class…  Where was I?  oh....  OH!  Right.

Paulie took me aside after class recently and talked to me about the fact that I apparently run with perfect posture... as in PERFECT RIDING POSTURE.... sadly... perfectly upright is SO not good running form.

I apparently have no forward lean.

He placed his hands on my car and showed me how much lean he wants to see.  It was a LOT.  But then looking back at all those photos, I can see, I almost am running leaning BACK.  Seriously.  

He says he needs me to run in an ellipse.  I'm not leaning so I'm wasting energy I could be using to carry me forward.  and that is the function.  The function of the lean is to go forward ... using less energy... so ultimately you can go faster.

So.  I need to channel my inner road runner.  (beep beep)

S'ok, because even though I make Paulie want to vom, or, maybe not vom, but definitely cringe when I run, he did pat me on the back after class on Wednesday for good effort.  Well.  We have to get our little kicks somewhere, true?

So for the next several weeks I’m going to be spending my time working on form… well, function really.  I believe that the form will follow...

Adrenaline RULES!

I made it out to Team Adrenaline again yesterday.  I’m sorry, I don’t even know how to say it any more than 

~ it’s a freaking good high ~. 

My BFF Paulie, who is still just as cute as ever, totally kicked my amply proportioned a**. 

Paulie concocted a brutal torture session, with 16 child sized orange cones and some preprinted lines in a parking lot…  He is sadistic. 

~ I mean that in the nicest way.  Said with love ~ 

We were all pretty much wasted.  Legs shaking and head spinning, I briefly considered laying down in the dirt and taking a nap.

Or passing out.

Whichever…

One would think that given that as my condition, the class was over, right?

No.  Seriously.  No. 

Right?  

“Now that you’re tired, it’s time to run.”  Of course it’s time to run!  What else would we DO?  I mean, REALLY.  Given the choice between laying down in the dirt and running I choose laying down in the dirt running.

Actually – the truth is, the running is my favorite part.  But don’t tell anyone that, they might hate me.  

I suck at Adrenaline.  

I don’t mean that to be down on myself.  I’m just weak.  How am I going to get stronger?  Well, working through the suckage – of course.  I’m not brilliant at running, but I at least know where I STAND with that.  I know how to run hard.  It’s not pretty, but I CAN do it. 

We did 3X 1 minute hard, with 2 minute recovery between each ‘hard effort’.  It was made clear to us.  Bring it for the 1 minute. 

Ok.  I don’t know what I ran it in.  I know it was 6’s, based on the 6:14 I saw on my garmin now and again.  I couldn’t look at the garmin, and it wasn’t ON, it was just on my wrist.  Kinda wish I’d worn my HR monitor....  I think I will wear it to Adrenaline from now on.

After the second repeat I felt more than a little peaked… and by the conclusion of the third one I was glad I had skipped breakfast.

After class BFF Paulie spent a few minutes showing me & my GBA guests how to run better, with more efficiency.  I will dedicate an entire 2000 word post to his words - I promise.  I need photos first though...   Seriously though - he. freaking. rocks.  but you may have gathered that from my worshipfulness in my last Adrenaline Post?

So afterwards I was chatting with a friend of mine who does Adrenaline and I said, “Sorry you couldn’t make it… class was EPIC today.”

The response:

“Class is always epic.  2^nd rule of Adrenaline.”

And I’m thinking, this is a person who knows the GBA rules.  

Rules like, “don’t get run over” and “Don’t drown” usually rank AFTER rules that are more, um, vanity based like, “don’t forget to shave”….  We have some good rules here at GBA, what can I say?

So.  If the second rule is “Adrenaline is always EPIC”, what is the first rule of Adrenaline?

I racked my brain for a few minutes…

First rule ~ never say, “I can’t do it.”  Nah, that seems too vanilla.

First rule ~ “try not to suck”.  Nah, that seems a bit snotty.

First rule ~ “no whining”.  Nah, that seems too canned.

First rule ~ “no crying”, nah, that seems entirely unrealistic.

First rule ~ try not to be distracted by Paulie’s rippling muscles.  Yeah, well that’s probably MY number one rule.  It’s tough though… very...  Huh?  What were we talking about?  Oh, distracted by BFF Paulie's legs... abs... so.... ~ right.  focus ~  Nah, that seems a bit of a Gender Specific rule.

and before you all think it’s just me, Kc agrees....

So I asked, WHAT is RULE #1 at ADRENALINE?

“Duh, I would think that would be obvious… If you have to vom, move away from the group.”

Sure.

Makes perfect sense.

It’s like that.

So for the record - 

GBA Adrenaline rule #1 ~ move away to vom.  

rule #2 ~ always epic.

Lessons from a wicked "f'ing" ankle sprain

I’ve been thinking about this blog post for a long time.  And I’m ready to write it.

It’s controversial though, because what I want to write is:

“Why spraining my ankle might have been one of the best things to happen to me.”

I know.  Crazy right?  

Especially since it happened in early January and it's now May and I’m still doing PT every day. 

Especially since there are days when I still get pain. 

And I still wonder if something deep down inside the joint was damaged permanently, never to be “right again”. 

I still even have days where I wonder if my GBA marathon in ’10 was my last GBA marathon because… yeah.  It’s a dark place.

I missed National Marathon because of that 'effing ankle…

…and this is where I start to see the other side…

I was able to be there for T at the last miles of her GBA marathon because my ankle was not well enough to run the Half Marathon.  Best day EVER.

In the process of not training for any kind of anything I called my coach, and somewhere along the way, we became friends during the “time of troubles” (his words, not mine).

I swam.  Every day.  One day a mile, the next day a mile and half, and eventually 2 miles.  The Iron Man distance is just a series of laps… so why the hell not? ...because I could.

Swimming straight sets got boring, so I reached out of my comfort zone and I reached out to another blogger for a swim workout or three.  And she’s great.  I’m glad I did it.

I hate swimming in a crowd, so I started going to the gym early. 

I hate swimming in a crowd so I started going to the gym wicked early. 

I finally ended up standing outside the gym in the rain one day waiting for it to open, and realized that this was the right time for swimming.

I got stressed one day because I was missing my run so badly that I wanted to cry, so I went and did a double on a (stationary) bike.  I credit that that dread-bike ride with the adoption of a cross training routine that is enviable.

I planned on riding my pink Schwinn as part of the XT routine, and because of that plan, I stumbled into a bike store for a $20 part and found my Soul-Bike, OC.  She was not $20.  She’s road cone orange and full of potential; I love orange and finding the potential in things.

I had some crappy days, and they made me appreciate my best friend even more than I already did… and I do appreciate her.

I took a break from running and it made me appreciate my run.  I savor each step, every day. 

While I was injured, my f’ankle was my muse.  Crazy right?  But it’s true.

I met the HD, and got an expensive bone scan.

I became “BFF’s” with a writer whom I admire greatly.

A casual conversation resulted in my return to writing. And, for about the 29^th (that’s a real number) time in my life, I submitted something for publication.

…And for the first time in my life, I wasn’t rejected.  (supposedly) I am going to be published shortly in a local publication. I will share with you all if it happens, when I see it for myself, I promise.

I became Pen Pals with some great ladies who live far far away.

I came to realize that not running is not an excuse for insanity.  It’s a cause. er, wait.

I came to realize that not running is not an excuse for insanity and I need to try to find other ways to manage my stress. 

Just call me O'Captain my Captain, as I became a Team Captain of a Virtual Shuffleboard Team.  To make the cut you had to be a non-running runner.  And there were quite a few of us for a while there….  (a quiet nod to those of you who are still on the virtual shuffle board team.  I’m here for you).

I came back to running with a newfound appreciation for the rest day.

I realized one day that I was swimming, biking and running 8 – 10 workouts per week.  This lead to the realization that I was going to do a TRI, whether I wanted to or not.

If I hadn’t sprained my ankle, I would have run National, and Monument 10K, and I would have come into the 2011 Richmond Marathon training season at the risk of burnout. 

So now, here I am.  Excited about MTT & the running miles that wait before me, with a newfound fitness routine to compliment my sport, a GBA** posse that supports me on the run or on my bike, and an ABA** coach who is freakishly amazing… I’m (going to be) a published writer, who is lucky enough to find herself standing beside a Best Friend who is more than a girl could ever ask for, and supported by a bloggy following who keeps me sane.  You guys rock.

Adrenaline RUSH

A universally accepted fact of life:  Nothing makes you realize your limitations like resuming running after a few months of "forced rest".  Due to my time in a boot and general laziness on my part, I am weak.  I hate that weak feeling, and it's causing imbalances in my running posture, or, that's what my Witch Dr said when I had my stride analyzed last month.  

Seeing as I ask Q pretty much everything, it only made sense to find out what he does to stay so fit.  Well, when my coach isn't coaching, or booted, or cycling, or running 12 minutes at a time, or avoiding his blog, or beating a rowing machine into submission, or standing around RRRC events looking hot (it's been in the 90's here...), he works out with Team Adrenaline.  

I had actually looked into Adrenaline in January.  Sadly that went down as the month where I was wrapped up in the drama of the F’ankle.

And by that I mean literally. wrapped. 'effing. ankle.

I’ve been stalking observing Adrenaline for months as I was gimping out to my car after my daily swim.  It looked wicked.   Like Galactically Bada** meets group fitness.

Curiosity lead me to the Adrenaline website, which gives a nice explanation of what it is that they're trying to do out there in the Y parking lot:

“It’s very easy to get stuck in one way of training and after a while that gets boring and it’s not very efficient,” (Founder & CEO Paul Caminiti) says. “No matter what the sport, I always felt that training should be as exciting and rewarding as game day.” ... Working from that simple belief, Caminiti started Adrenaline Sports USA, Inc. Adrenaline uses dynamic group training techniques—all done outdoors—to dramatically improve speed, explosiveness, agility, core strength, endurance, flexibility, and mental strength...

I am SO down with improving speed, explosiveness, agility, etc, so the DAY I was cleared by HD for full activity I contacted the owner.  Paulie & I, can I call you Paulie?... exchanged a few e-mails about my f'ankle and became instant BFFs (shh, don’t tell Bart).

On Wednesday a.m. I showed up to participate in a (complementary) Adrenaline training session.  I went to properly introduce myself to BFF Paulie... well, a handshake wasn’t enough for me & my BFF, he opened his arms for a quick hug.  ~gasp~  So, you all know how I’m not a hugger?  Ah ~ I totally make exceptions.  Shallow?  Yes, absolutely.  Go check out the “about” section on Adrenaline’s web page…  ‘nuff said.

So, I’d love to give a whole recap of the class.  I really would... but I can’t remember all that much about it...  I can tell you that about 30 seconds into the class my quad started to quiver, in fear perhaps?  And on the second set of running repeats over a line of mini-cones my legs felt like I’d just completed a 15 mile bike ride.  There was also a moment there where I was distracted by the fact that my arms and shoulders felt like they'd been doused in gasoline and lit on fire.  By the third set on shaky legs through the cones of torture (forget “water boarding”, those people in Gitmo need to be way more worried about 21 unassuming child-sized orange cones…) I realized that I had lost the ability to count past the number 4, which is sad because I’m pretty sure I felt I had mastered that skill in preschool… and I can also confirm that right around the time that I was considering laying down in the dirt and calling Parcheesi my BFF Paulie sent us on some hard laps around the parking lot while he yelled things like “TURNOVER!” and “LENGTHEN YOUR STRIDE!” and truly, I might have been running fast, but I wouldn’t know because my legs were completely dead, and the other guys in the class totally crushed me.

They had time to sit down, check CNN on their smart phones, brew some coffee... and I was still running.   I’m not sure, but I think the one guy went home, showered and came back to applaud my finish with the rest of them...   As I finished, staggering over the "line" like a drunk, there were high fives exchanged....

...and all this in an hour... and I think I was laughing or smiling at least half the time....  

It's one of the better "highs" I've ever gotten.

If running is Heroin, well… Adrenaline is like crack.  ONE hit, and I was hooked.  I am SO going back to spend more time with my BFF Paulie.  Working out with them is going to make me a stronger more balanced athlete, and that is going to make me a faster runner.  


So here's the good news for the Richmonders - the first class is free.  Print the waiver, and come enjoy a free high class.  No worries, it'll only take one visit to know how GBA he is..., er, at running the class... yea... I meant the class.

The good news for the non-Richmonders.  Adrenaline is not limited to the Richmond area.  There are multiple locations across the country.  Look them up and check them out.  Seriously, if I wasn’t in nursing school, and had time, and didn’t live here (where the founder & CEO already resides), and I was going to open my own fitness franchise… this is what I would be doing.  Its wicked.  Fierce.  It's, for lack of a "real" word, GBA**.