Great Olympic News for Us "Old Folks"
In the paper today I saw that Gail Devers made the Olympic team for the hurdles; she is 37. They consider that old. Blech. I turn 39 in Sept. I must be borderline ancient.
I love the Olympics. I love watching the track and field and swimming. Gymnastics is fun, I prefer men’s of course, but I like the fast pace of a race. I cannot fathom being so motivated as to train the way these people train. I was a swimmer until high school and then swam in the summers on a small local team. My brother was a big time swimmer and they used to train so early in the morning I think only farmers were awake. And the runners… I just don’t identify. I hate running on pavement. It hurts. My entire body. But some people are built for it and can run like the wind. That chick I met from Wisconsin at the birthday party on Saturday had run 18 miles that morning; she does 6 minute miles consistently and can talk to you in a regular conversational tone while doing so. I cannot. On pavement, I am a mess. Choking and gasping for every breath. That thick taste of yuck in my mouth. Blech. On an elliptical machine, I can go for an hour, but not real running on pavement. I do not have wings on my feet.
As I get older, I am more prone to sports injuries. I’ve spent nearly $300 on orthotics for my running shoes. Last summer we thought I had a small tear in my Achilles. I had to stay off it and do the whole sports injury thing and my doctor is saying to me, “Why in the hell are you training so much?” I’m an endorphin junky. But what I train pales in comparison to what people like Gail Devers train. I train merely 3-6 hours a week. People like Gail Devers do that in a day... at the least. I am in awe.
posted by Bou | 8:05 PM
6 Comments:
If you can go for an hour on an eliptical, your intensity level isn't high enough.
Try this:
7 minute Warm-Up
1 minute Easy
1 minute Medium
1 minute Fast
1 minute Are-You-Insane?
- Return to "Easy"
- Repeat 3 to 4 times
7 minute Cool-down
Essentially, this is a "Wind Sprint" or "Ladder" cycle. It forces you to improve without investing a lot of time. I learned it through Bill Phillips: Body For Life. That's the ghist of his book.
_Jon
Oh I don't really do an hour on the elliptical! I cannot take the boredom. I can only take listening to my own voice rattling around in my head or my angst driven music for so long! Nah, I was just making a point that Wisconsin Mom can do 18 miles on the ground, I cannot. I can do an almost equivalent on a machine.
However, I do interval train. I warm up for 5 and then do 1 minute quick with 1 minute insanely fast, alternating for 25 minutes and then 5 minute warm down. I'll try what you have here... this might work better and give me more of the results I am looking for. Thanks!
On gymnastics... Beloved Wife enjoys watching women's gymnastics and women's ice skating because she admires their style & grace.
I often watch it with her, because those are two of the few places where I can see women who are both pretty, and DON'T have the narrow-hips-bony-legs thing going on.
What can I say? I like my girls with curves :-)
I have noticed that real athletes have real curves. Look at the swimmers, runners, gymnasts... you can't be a stick bug and be an athlete.. doesn't jive.
What I find strange is that they call it WOMEN'S gymnastics, but by the time a girl is twenty, she's considered an ancient. I am not sure on this, but I think the oldest member of the US team this year is 17.
Oh, before I forget...Harvey you're sick dude, those girls are barely out of training bras. See my other post.
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