Back when I got my Wii Fit and wanted to see if it would actually help me with my fitness program, I was preparing for my next round of distance events. Wii still calls me a couch potato because I have trouble doing ab crunches.
Well, intent upon getting my body to that magical, elusive, efficient fat-burning level, I've joined a gym, a rather swank one at that! My daughter talked me into it. I was considering the more stripped down, serious gym rat location closer to home rather than the family friendly resort spa environment that's a good 15 minutes out of my way (my daughter is a mere 5 minutes away from the gym). However, I'm willing to make the commitment, physically and financially, to do what it's going to take to conquer the menopause weight, overcome the hydration and hyperventilation issues and train well for my upcoming marathons.
My daughter and I have, understandably, different goals. She's training for her first marathon, now that she has half a dozen half marathons to her credit. She needs to train to go the distance. I, on the other hand, need to drop at least 20 lbs and develop consistency in my pace. I've trained with other elites, including a legendary Olympian, but I'm not particularly talented or biomechanically gifted. So, this slow fat runner simply needs to get better, and faster (I'm pretty fast, just not for 26.2 miles straight).
Today, I met my real life Personal Trainer. She's about my height, at least 15 years younger, about half my size and an elite athlete: ultramarathoner (50-100 miles), cyclist and triathlete. She had my daughter and me do a "time trial" - a 30-minute tempo run on a treadmill.
I've never liked running on a treadmill, preferring the feel of the earth or asphalt beneath my feet. However, the German-engineered machine we used was made especially for distance runners and it felt pretty good. We were at a fairly slow pace, which I didn't mind because I'm just recovering from a nasty stomach virus and now dealing with a bit of seasonal bronchitis. For 28 minutes, we were to keep a fairly steady pace, increasing it ever so slightly every few minutes, until we were at a sprint for a final 2 minutes. Frankly, I run faster on asphalt, but haven't done a 30-minute tempo run in ages. I did slightly better than my daughter!
For our next session, we'll be doing a MAP (maximum anaerobic performance) test to determine our anaerobic threshold. This will be particularly important for me, as I need to know at what level of exertion my body will go into fat-burning mode. Then, we'll get our full training schedule.
Rosemary gave us a sample macrobiotic diet for runners. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed it was designed for a 30-year old male with no body fat. Well, we can remedy that.
So, here we go into week 1 of 20 working with a real life PT.
Sorry, Wii - you're going to be relegated to helping me with Yoga and balance, for a while.
Related resources @ empowHer:
Athletes Need to Eat Fat
The Macrobiotic Diet
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Add a Comment4 Comments
Alysia, I am soooooo LOL in response to "mature" enough to not make you feel as though you're dealing with some college freshman who just learned how to spell "elliptical." Have you been looking in the door of my own gym?
April 24, 2009 - 3:35pmThis Comment
Haha, Diane! I'm sure we've all had that experience with a "trainer" at a gym. :))
One of my buddies manages a popular local running store. He looks like a college freshman, but has years of experience behind him and I rely heavily upon his skills in fitting me for new running shoes every few months. I so appreciate walking into a facility where I feel confident that the people who work there know what they're doing.
I once went to an athletic shoe store and asked if they had anyone who knew how to fit running shoes. The kid (emphasis on "kid") remarked, "it's not rocket science." To which I replied, "You're not a marathoner, are you?" The girl standing next to him, who also worked at the store, asked what a marathon is. I was clearly in the wrong store, LOL!
What do you like about your gym? How often do you go (or try to)? What are your main fitness goals?
April 24, 2009 - 4:35pmThis Comment
Alysia, I'm soooo interested in how it will go for you with a personal trainer. I have often wondered just what that relationship would be like.
You, as a distance runner, are used to long exercise sessions with just your thoughts, or music if you choose to take it with you. I have also been a solitary exerciser for much of my life, and have wondered if I'd like -- or come to dislike -- having a personal trainer participating in my exercise sessions.
Were there many trainers to choose from? How did you happen to come upon one so well suited to what you want to do? And do they have specific levels of credentials so you know you're in good hands?
I belong to a gym as well, but so far the personal trainers I've seen seem to be working with people on weights more than anything else. They tend to walk around the room with them, adjust the weights and record progress in a notebook. But it's quite possible there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that I don't know about.
I'll be reading your updates!! No detail is uninteresting, LOL!
April 22, 2009 - 10:13amThis Comment
Hi, Diane:
My daughter had actually done a little homework before we met with the head of the PTs. He, in himself, has amazing credentials. Anyway, my daughter had contacted him, stated her goals, and he recommended we meet with Rosemary, based on her background. Then, Rosemary and I talked over the phone to discuss my experience and goals and see if she would be a good fit.
All the PTs at our fitness center are certified, their photos and credentials clearly displayed on the wall in the Trainer's center (everyone has to walk through this open, lobby-like area to get to the exercise machines). They're all veteran athletes from varying sports, and "mature" enough to not make you feel as though you're dealing with some college freshman who just learned how to spell "elliptical." Rosemary is probably in her mid-to-late 30's, judging by the ages of her children.
I think that you've hit on an important point that this is all very much a personal relationship and working with a PT may not be for everyone. Not everyone may need a PT, but I sure do - to "kick my butt," LOL!
April 22, 2009 - 4:29pmThis Comment