MS Climb to the Top

Today was the MS Society Climb to the Top event.

I'm not gonna lie. It felt harder than last year.  I took more breaks this time,stopped on more landings but each of my breaks were short, around 15 to 20 seconds each.
My calf muscles ached more this time up and I'm thinking it's because I've been running and working the muscles more.
I jumped into both rest stops, at the first one I was panting too hard to even drink the cup of water. The second one I sat for a minute and had a Gatorade and then pushed myself up.
Then all of a sudden I was at the last set of steps. I paused at the bottom and summoned every single ounce of strength I had and sprinted up the stairs and out the door. I paused for my photo and my medal and then found a bench and gave my gams a rest.

If you watch the video you will hear me say that I had set a goal to finish this year in 1/2 an hour.
This is my time from last year:

and my time from this year:

That's a difference of over 12 minutes!! PLUS I beat my own projected goal time!
Very proud of me!

Working through pain

Sometimes I get so frustrated with my body I want to scream. I've been working with a running regiment building myself up to be fit and ready to keep up with my team mates for the insane Spartan Dash in June

My muscles are NOT happy with me AT ALL. I've been struggling with really awful Lactic Acid Burn in my calves which I know will end in time and with training but today we were doing a drill where we jogged half the studio and sprinted as fast as we could down the other side, jog, sprint, jog, sprint three rounds and then into jog, side shuffle, three rounds one side, three rounds the other side and I couldn't bear it and I had to stop running.

I tried ever single pep talk I've ever given myself, tried to tell myself to push through it, that I needed to toughen up and get it done but the burn was horrid. It really felt like my calves had been doused in acid.
Combine that with my super weak lower back muscles that made working with any weight over 15 pounds completely impossible today.

 Actually that's not entirely true. Before my body had time to protest at the very start of class we did a series of 10 Kettlebell swings, 10 high pulls and 10 overhead presses for three rounds. I was able to blow them out of the water with the 27 pound Kettlebell and I could have gone heavier and now regret not going with the 33 pound Kettlebell. If I'm going to wind up in pain, might as well take maximum advantage of the pain free time my body allows me.

We then did the studio jog around (we do indoor laps around the studio) and that's when my calves started screwing with me.
We then went back to Kettlebell work, doing between the legs figure 8s and side overhead presses and halos or ribbons and I had the 15 pound bell the whole time.

It was a total crap day and will continue in this vein for a while. My lower back is a long standing issue. Unless I work out every single day and take little or no time off (a day at the most) I'm in constant, chronic pain when I try to lift or work with the heavier weights. I need to keep those muscles strong all the time and lately I've been taking too much time off of Boot Camp and I'm paying for it now.

I have to rebuild those muscles and just wince and push through the pain while at the same time, dealing with the leg burn from those exhausted confused muscles.

It's the most frustrating thing when my mind and my soul are ready to kick ass and push push push and go go go but my body wants to do anything but cooperate.

I have the strength and the will but the endurance and the body aren't on the same level.

I hate having to punk out on the exercises everyone else is doing and I hate to have to keep running to David telling him things hurt so I try to work through it.

Ask my serious running friends what to do about the calf pain and then told me to use the foam rollers before and after class on the front and backs of my legs so I'll do that tomorrow.

For my back I know I just have to alternate between light and heavy weights.

I know that taking time off is the worst thing I can do because it's never going to get better if I don't push through and strengthen these muscles but it's not making class any fun for me.

Bra

This really might be an overshare but heck, I've never had any shame in my game, why would I start now. This is hands down the BEST sports bra I've ever ever ever owned.
Seriously. I'm a big chested gal and in the past I've never felt comfortable running or jumping if not for the self conscious factor than simply for the reason that it HURT.
I got this bra and it's my new best friend. Seriously. It keeps everything in place and since it's a racing back style I never have to worry about straps falling down. Now I can run and jump and do whatever I need to do without concern of pain from floppy boobs!
http://www.titlenine.com/product/313801.do?kwd=tHE+LAST+RESORT+BRA

Twin Lights

Two years ago I rented a bike and did this bike event and it was quite possibly the most frustrating, crappy bike experience I've ever had.
http://www.bikenewyork.org/ride/twin-lights-ride/
The bike seat was way too low but I was truly too green to know how to fix it so I rode with it

and within the first 10 minutes of the ride you run into hills from hell.

I felt defeated before I'd even had a chance to get started.
I want to do it again.
Part of my brain is saying
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND WOMAN?!"
but the stubborn part of me who knows how hard I'm working on my legs these days knows that if I do it again it will be completely and totally different.
It's not till September and that gives me plenty of time and rides to work on my hills and my legs.
I hate feeling like I didn't get to really do it and feel that hating on the ride isn't giving it a fair chance.
We will see

Competition

Part of what I love about Hoboken Boot Camps is the lack of competitive spirit in class and that there are no judgements. Each of us supports the rest and none of us focuses on what others are doing in class. We are all just trying to survive and push ourselves the best we can.

The competitive aspect for me has been so absent that when it shows up it confuses me and feels really out of place.
I've noticed one fellow student seems to be a total type A personality and she seems happiest when she's the fastest, strongest, gal with the most stamina in our classes.
I wouldn't have any issues with her except I seem to bring out this side of her.

I grab a bell, she grabs heavier. Today during our work with the tension bands she was working with a black band (more tension, harder to work with) and I grabbed a red band. When questioned about her band choice and informed she could go to red if she was struggling, she looked right at me and said
"Red bands are for weak folks"

When we were working with dumbells and I had a 12 pound the whole class and she had switched to a 20 pound she informed someone that she switched because
"the 12 pounders don't really offer a challenge"

I do one handed swings with the Kettlebells. Up until recently she did two handed swings. Today she's across from me doing one handed swings. (I usually switch hands at the top of my swing but lately I've been doing 5 swings, and then switching hands. If she starts to do this I will be forced to take it to the other side of the studio to get away from her.)

I don't know. It could all be in my head but I really feel a weird vibe off this gal. She just gives off this very cold, standoffish, superior aura and it's not much fun to be around.
I've actually taken my Kettlebell and gone to the other side of the studio so I'm not near her.
She's not going to push me to heavier weights or get me to move faster. I'm gonna focus on me and doin my thing as I always have.

I'm not a competitive soul. I'd much rather cheer you on from the sidelines than try to best you in a competition.
I'm secure in who I am and what I can and cannot do and I know that the ability to swing the 40 pound Kettlebell does not make anyone a better person than I am.

I know that I can swing and lift the 70 plus pound Kettlebell and I can carry the 100+ pound monster truck tire across the studio and I've pushed all 220 pounds of David on the sled and have given Linda and Jess piggyback rides so if you want to think you are stronger than I am, groovy on you.

See? That. That right there is what I DO NOT want to do and what I've never felt I had to do. I've never had to compare and justify my accomplishments to anyone and yet here, I've just gone and done it.  DAMN IT.

I won't lie. I'm really crazy proud of how strong I am and how strong I'm working on becoming. I'm really proud of what I can do that lots of gals who come to class can't do but I'm also totally aware that 90% of the gals I take class with kick my ass in the aerobic department. That's cool with me!

I push me because I want to best me and compete only with me. I've learned from 2+ years of working with David that I have to work smarter not harder. I've learned that just because I can, doesn't mean I should or that I have to.

That I don't have to and that no one cares what I can or cannot do is part of the reason I know I can. No one judges and that environment allows me the freedom to feel no shame when I push myself and fail the first time around.

More than one person has commented to David how they saw me in class they assumed I was some short, fat chick who had no business being there and then when they watched me in class they realized how strong I am and how I can totally keep up with what everyone is doing and then some.

Maybe that's why she's weird towards me? Because her first impression and the truth didn't match up? Who the hell knows. I'll never know and I don't really care much.

If this weird whatever she's got going on causes her to give it all she's got with each class then that's fantastic. I'm all for it then. If my being in the same class with you causes you to lift heavier, swing harder, run faster and leave it all on the floor at the end of class than you are more than welcome to  form whatever you want to in your head about me.

It's just funny that she's chosen to compete with me, the one really non competitive person in the whole room.