RUNNING AWAY FROM RUNNING

Yesterday I sat in the hotel room watching a 1000lb+ person in bed  on TV and feeling just as large and immobile. Even though I worked out I felt lazy and gross because I didn't run.

Running used to be my happy place, and my solace. I looked forward to it every day. During marathon training when I did those 16-22 milers it was tough but I was always happy once I got going.

For some reason I just can't get up the motivation anymore. 3 miles feels like freaking forever. When I used to do 10 a few times a week no problem, it makes me feel like a pansy.

The thing I like about running is the ability to constantly improve and see the progress. With Personal Records, there are things to conquer. And conquering is something I like to do. I'm a competitive person and in my brain I compete in almost everything. When I run on a well traversed path I call it "Lions and Gazelles" and consider everyone in front of me prey, counting the people I pass and silently laughing evily inside as I go by.

Weird? Yes. Nice? Probably not. Whatever. It's motivating! What happens when I get passed on the path you say? Well that doesn't happen often. Because that's what it's like to be AWESOME. BWHAHAHAHAHA.

This is me. At work. In a snuggy. Now there is no reason to doubt my awesomeness. 

Anyway, Lions And Gazelles doesn't do it for me anymore. Especially since, do to lack of practice, I've become slower and being someone else's Gazelle doesn't appeal to me.

I need a new activity. The problem is that when you're almost 29 years old, it's hard to pick up a new sport. It's not like I can join a soccer or LaCross team. Imagine all the swearing directed at me. I can barely walk without falling on my face and now there's a ball I'm supposed to hit with my feet?! Even if I wanted to play soccer, that would take decades of practice that frankly I don't have.  It'd end up like 2nd grade when my parents enrolled me in AYSO soccer and I sat as Goalie or defense picking flowers/getting hit in the face with the ball.

Because at 7 I didn't know swear words yet. 

Unlike running, sports like soccer and lacrosse take a team to help you get better, and it's harder to see improvement. There's not really "milestones."

Right now I do Crossfit, which has PRs and you can see a lot of improvment- but while I'm interested in getting strong I'm not interested in getting bulky. Also, it's not a competitive sport, it's a tool that helps me run and swim faster, and not suck at the bike so much. I find it enjoyable, but it's not the end all be all and the Crossfit Games are never something I'll do.

Recently, drinking by our fire pit at 3am with a friend of hubbys, it was suggested that I try rock climbing. The great thing about the military so far is the free gym, and now the free climbing wall. I already have a harness from my first and last mountain climbing expedition, strong legs are key, and it's something I can work to get better at on my own or with a friend.

I'm going to head to the climbing wall this friday and check it out. Maybe this will be the answer to my problem- not to mention with all the climbing around El Paso it'll give me something fun to do, and a way to make friends outside the military (which is something I always look for).

The second thing I'm looking into is Muah Thai which is essentially kickboxing. I once dated a boxer and those work outs are TOUGH. The only problem I foresee is that I once did Karate and I didn't do so well. I tend to be very passive aggressive and it takes a lot, or alcohol, to get me going. Also fighting is not something I'm good at.

Sadly I'm not even kidding. Although I'm not afraid to bite. 

Senior year of high school this girl wanted me to leave a party because I was talking to her ex-boyfriend (even though my boyfriend was at the party too). She threatened me and said to leave but I'm a stubborn pain int he ass and I didn't. She made good on her threat and punched me. We were split apart immediately but if nobody had grabbed her I would have ran away. Also, I'm a pansy, and I cried (later, out of sight- I have a little bit of dignity).

Getting punched and kicked doesn't seem fun- but punching and kicking of course does. It's something to try and who knows, it may come in handy one day. After all, I'd rather get a punch in the face than be involved in a hair pulling cat fight.

If anybody else as any ideas, feel free to add!

THE IRON TRIBE: THE NEW CROSSFIT?

Cool name, right? I thought so, and just like wine bottles I like to try things based on names and look.

Not always the best idea, but hey, you know never.

Anyway, right now because of my traveling between Birmingham and Fort Rucker, I don't have any sort of gym membership. I can go for free on base while I'm there, and there's a small crappy gym in my hotel. It made me rather lonely, and was much hard to push myself. I missed the sense of community and friendships I made at Lincoln Park and Edgewater Crossfits in Chicago.

There's a lot of controversy out there right now about Crossfit, but to me, it's a tool in my box that helps me become a better triathlete and runner. I learned about lifting and strength training, and working with a group of people feeds into my competitive spirit and pushes me harder.

With a half-iron man pending next year, I found a gym and paid $150 for ten classes, intending to go twice a week on top of running and biking.

Like most Crossfit gyms, the people were great. I went to their Halloween party, and made several friends during the WODS. However while the coaches seem knowledgable about becoming a great power lifter, I didn't feel like they totally know what they are doing when it comes to important things like warming up, stretching, and strength endurance which makes me a little afraid of getting hurt.

 I was really disappointed because 1) I'd paid 150$ already 2) Being a giant muscle lady is not my focus 3) I had such a great experience in Chicago and was looking for something similar. So I tried an alternative: IRON TRIBE

They are a crossfit-esque gym that's franchising out across the country, and are already a house hold name in Alabama. Like Crossfit, they have WODS, work on strength and skill, and focus on shorter, more intense work outs and community. They say they don't cater to "performance" and rather it's about their clients (I still don't know what that means.) With the over all intensity dialed down, people seem less intimidated and seem more inclined to join if they aren't in great shape, which perhaps is what they are talking about.

POSITIVES:
- Always at least two coaches on the floor, making sure form is correct
- The WOD at every gym is the same, so no matter where you go it's consistent and you can compare to the entire country.
- When I pay for Iron Tribe, I can go to any one, any where.
- I can count on really great coaching at every gym. A good warm up, mobility, strength, stability and power.
- Like Crossfit, there's a big sense of community

NEGATIVES:
- $250/Month. Are you kidding me? No way.
- More focused on "community" means being open to a wider variety of people, which is good, but rather than just scaling a work out, they are kind of easy and I left feeling far too perky.
- While no one tried to make me buy, just talking to the owner made me feel like I was being brain washed.

TODAY'S WOD:

Strength
10-8-6-4-2 Snatch position dead lift

Work out:
10-8-6-4-2  Jumping squats with 35lb barbell, Chest to bar pull ups, explosive push ups (no clapping)


Iron Tribe seems to be spreading like wild fire down here, and it's probably a good choice for a lot of people. Keep a look out for it, and maybe try it for yourself.

 For me though, I decided to stick with my current situation and just be cautious. As I'm working on becoming a personal trainer, I think it will be a great exercise for me if I show up early and do my own warm up, and do post-work out stretching etc on my own.