Thursday, February 11, 2010

Workout of the Day:
Six sets of:
Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats
and then,
Five rounds for time of:
10 Tall Wall Ball Shots (must clear the red stripe)
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

Why Run?
Written by Nuno Costa

‘Whether you have taken up running to lose weight, to improve fitness, to relieve stress, to compete, or just to kill time, you’ll find that the benefits are many.’

I haven’t always been a runner…I grew up playing soccer and volleyball and decided to finally give running a shot in college.  I knew I was fast, but I knew I would have to really dedicate myself to the sport if I was going to do anything with it.  My freshman year I played volleyball on the club team and that spring I walked into the track coaches office and told them I wanted to come out for the team.  They told me when tryouts were going to be held, but I don’t think they thought I would show up.

‘Just as important, running–like many forms of exercise — is a great cure for stress, emotional strain, even mild depression. You’ll likely find yourself with fewer headaches and more energy, patience, humor and creativity. Studies have found that healthy adults who exercise regularly are generally happier than those who don’t.’

I showed up that fall and tried out, and just barely made the team – there was one specific workout our coach had us do: 300 meter all out sprint –  which was supposed to really gauge our speed – I did not do well, at least not well enough to compete at an NCAA Division 1 team.  For some reason or another, I didn’t get cut and I dedicated myself to getting faster and working my butt off.   The first year I competed at the conference championships, and that alone was an achievement.  The next year I received the most improved award, and my third year I made all conference when I finished 3rd in the 400M race at Conference and also cracked the top 10 all-time for Cal Poly SLO.

‘Many say they are at their most creative and lucid, even meditative, during their runs, as the worries of the day slip away. Confidence increases as you push your own limits, meeting goals and often surprising yourself by exceeding your own expectations. Running is a sport of discipline, sometimes of sacrifice, and always of self-reliance. You may surprise yourself with your capacity for all three. The personal rewards can be quite powerful.’

I could have given up, I could have not gone out and tried to make the team, but something told me that was a journey and a challenge I wanted to take on.  For me, running became an escape, it became my past time, it became my hobby, stress reliever, etc….  It was everything to me – for a few years I got away from running and life did not go as smooth for me – and in the past year or so as I have rededicated my life to running it seems as if everything is falling in place.

I run because it makes me happy.  I run because I feel accomplished.  I run because I know it inspires people.  I help people with their running because I realize this is a gift I have been given and to waste it would be doing a disservice.