Getting Started: The Most Important Part Of Reaching Your Goal!
The weather is finally starting to cool down here in Phoenix (at least in the morning), so I decided to go out and do some exercise at the track today (instead of doing my cardio on the spin bike in my bedroom...boring!). Here is what I did:
Dynamic Warm up followed by a short jog
6 laps of tempo runs:
100m of sprints 70-80% intensity (working on form)
100m of walking
Bounding up the stadium stairs
I do skip step bounding because I think that running up the stairs, hitting each step is idiotic. it doesn't replicate any of the joint angles in sprinting and you get a ton of little toe touches on each step. With the skip step bounding, you really get to work on driving off that back leg (hip extension), getting the front hip flexed, and getting a forward trunk lean just as you would during sprinting acceleration. I did 6 reps bounding up and then I always walk down (again, running down just seems weird and nonsensical).
Then I finished with a cooldown jog of 400m.
Anyway, the reason for the title of this entry, was that while I was doing my bounding up the stadium stairs, there was a woman (overweight) walking up and down the stairs for exercise. In fact, she was doing it the entire time I was doing my track work as well. She was working very hard from what I could see, and as I was walking down the stairs, getting my rest after bounding up, she told me "I could never go that fast! But, my goal is really endurance anyway. I just want to get in shape." She then went on to tell me that she started doing this 4 weeks ago. She said the first time out she thought she was going to die. Just making it up the stairs one time had her breathing heavy and her heart rate up. She said that after doing it a few times a week it started to get easier and she started to be able to go a little longer, go a little faster, and do a little more in the amount of time that she was exercising. She said that last week she went on vacation (upstate in AZ somewhere) and she hiked a little bit, but nothing to strenuous. She said the hardest thing for her was to come out here this morning and get started again. She told me that missing a week really sets you back mentally and it is hard to get going and get motivated again, but she forced herself to do it.
The reason I bring this up is because I can't help but think of all the people who never even get started! They never take that first step. They are always waiting for something. Or they are always going to start on "monday" or "next week". The most important thing in achieving any goal is that you get started....NOW! Not tomorrow, not next week, but RIGHT NOW. You have to just get out and do it. Throw yourself into the mix and make it happen! You can't finish if you don't start.
Patrick
Dynamic Warm up followed by a short jog
6 laps of tempo runs:
100m of sprints 70-80% intensity (working on form)
100m of walking
Bounding up the stadium stairs
I do skip step bounding because I think that running up the stairs, hitting each step is idiotic. it doesn't replicate any of the joint angles in sprinting and you get a ton of little toe touches on each step. With the skip step bounding, you really get to work on driving off that back leg (hip extension), getting the front hip flexed, and getting a forward trunk lean just as you would during sprinting acceleration. I did 6 reps bounding up and then I always walk down (again, running down just seems weird and nonsensical).
Then I finished with a cooldown jog of 400m.
Anyway, the reason for the title of this entry, was that while I was doing my bounding up the stadium stairs, there was a woman (overweight) walking up and down the stairs for exercise. In fact, she was doing it the entire time I was doing my track work as well. She was working very hard from what I could see, and as I was walking down the stairs, getting my rest after bounding up, she told me "I could never go that fast! But, my goal is really endurance anyway. I just want to get in shape." She then went on to tell me that she started doing this 4 weeks ago. She said the first time out she thought she was going to die. Just making it up the stairs one time had her breathing heavy and her heart rate up. She said that after doing it a few times a week it started to get easier and she started to be able to go a little longer, go a little faster, and do a little more in the amount of time that she was exercising. She said that last week she went on vacation (upstate in AZ somewhere) and she hiked a little bit, but nothing to strenuous. She said the hardest thing for her was to come out here this morning and get started again. She told me that missing a week really sets you back mentally and it is hard to get going and get motivated again, but she forced herself to do it.
The reason I bring this up is because I can't help but think of all the people who never even get started! They never take that first step. They are always waiting for something. Or they are always going to start on "monday" or "next week". The most important thing in achieving any goal is that you get started....NOW! Not tomorrow, not next week, but RIGHT NOW. You have to just get out and do it. Throw yourself into the mix and make it happen! You can't finish if you don't start.
Patrick
Great post, and great real life example!
Posted by
Ivonne W. |
October 2, 2008 at 10:46 AM