I have earned the Green Bead!!

Even though I spent my middle and high school years running, I have never earned the Green Bead. Until now. I earned my first last night around 9:30 pm. Let me explain the significance of this.

My Junior year was the first time I had run Cross-Country. For those who don't know, XC is where you train to run a 5k every week for about 5 weeks. It goes to 6 weeks if you make State. Training starts about two weeks before school starts in August and goes till about the middle of November. The first meet isn't until the middle of September. By that time your body has started to feel like you have put it through a meat grinder, was spat out, pounded with a tenderizer, and stuffed back through the grinder. That is all before the first meet. Once you start racing the feeling only intensifies.

My High School coach was Neil Gliechman. He was different then most XC coaches I have been around. He trained and ran with his team. He was in his late forties early fifties when I was in school. He was skinny, ecentric, German, and color blind. It definatly made for interesting days when Coach thought he found running tights and a pair of naked shorts (REALLY short running shorts) that he thought matched our school colors. :) We just called him Coach. Well, Coach liked to travel during the summer and share with his team where he went and what he picked up. That year he brought everyone back a tiny safety pin with three tiny hand made beads. It was used as a good-luck charm. Mine was kept on my racing flats. Left shoe the first lace before it started up the shoe. It stayed on that shoe until I got rid of them after I got married. During the season if you did something outstanding, broke a personal record (PR), or pushed yourself to the point that you absolutely cannot go farther, you got a bead to add to your safety pin. During my two years running for Teton High, I only saw the Green Bead go out once.

It was during the Pocatello Race at Bart's Field. This was before the Performing Arts Center, Ridge Crest Apartments, and the Rendezvous Center. The only thing up on the hill was the two stake centers. Ground was getting ready to break on the PAC, but I don't think they started until after school that Spring. It was a lot hotter then the team prepared for. It was my favorite course that year. Everytime I am on Bart's Field I see where I ran and smile.

Well, after the race all of the Girl's Team was sunburned and suffering from Heat Exhaustion. I have never seen Coach get that mad before or since. If anyone has seen a German lose his temper you know what I am talking about. He chewed the entire girls team up one side and down the other. The other memory that has stuck with me since that day was when my best friend, Emily, (Em) crossed the finish line. Em ran her guts out that day. She wasn't near the front or middle of the pack, but Coach was very proud of her.

When Em crossed the line she sank to her knees in exhaustion clutching her mid-section. I heard Dani tell her, "just throw up!! You will feel better!! Come on Em!" Dani was cheering Emily on so that her body could try to free itself of the toxin build-up. Emily did throw up not long after that. She also earned the Green Bead to go on her safety pin. I had a lot of respect for Em that day.

Now to fast-forward to the present. Sunday Rach and I went to the gym with our good friend Sandra. Sandra is training for a marathon and wanted to run on the tread mills. Rachel went to a stair stepper and I ran next to Sandra. We were there for an hour. I decided that I was going to do an interval workout. Throughout the work out I would change my speed from fast to slow and back again. I ran at sprint pace for a few minuets at the end. Well, I am no where near the fitness level I was in during high school Cross-Country. In fact, I am no where near any fitness level. When I got off the treadmill my head was swimming with my vision very jerky. That should have been my first clue. Several hours and a wonderful dinner later, I was kneeling in front of the Porcelain God earning my Green Bead. To say that Rachel was mad is an understatement. She also reminded me after I told her this story that Coach would be mad at me as well. I had pushed myself so completely beyond its current limits that it had to expel anything that had gone into it since the workout. That included water.

So, note to self: Do not go to gym dehyrated.
Do not run for 60 min strait without a break.
Do not try to act like you are in high school.
Follow training as a massage therapist and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!!

I have now earned my Green Bead. May it be my last.

Holy sore muscles Batman!

The last couple of weeks of the semester Rachel decided that she wanted to get into better shape. She did some research on workouts, but focused mainly on those for women. Since we have a membership to Golds Gym, she wanted to spend the summer there. Her inspiration was her friend and coworker Tamara who is getting in shape for a Cabaret audition next year. Once the research was done and printed off, she stuck everything into an old three-ring binder. Now the real work begins.

Stating yesterday, Rachel and I have been going to the gym together. I am going for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost is that I am EXTREAMLY out of shape and need to get back to being healthy. The second, yet just as important is so I can cheer on my wife. See, the workouts that she found can all be done separately and individually. So instead of dragging the process out for weeks and weeks on end, I suggested that she alternate days of the week where she does a specific workout set. That made it so everyday she has some type of exercise set to do. That also means that she will struggle with some once her body is pushed outside is comfort zone. That's where I come in. Not only do I have experience being on the training end of things, but my education as a massage therapist makes so I know how specific muscle groups are being targeted. It doesn't matter if she is at home working or the gym, Rachel will be able to have my help if she needs it. At home I add the roll of personal trainer. Some of her workouts she doesn't want to do at the gym so she does them at home. There I help her keep her form so that her body doesn't find ways around the exercise when she gets tired. She says it really helps her out.

Well, for the last couple of days Rach has been doing her workouts and I have been helping her, but not really participating in them. Today was a different story. Today we went to the gym for two hours. Part of her schedule is cross-training. Any good athlete knows that in order to get the most of the body's effort all muscles have to be strong. Not just the main ones that are being used. Well, that is also true with getting back into shape. One of the options the workout set gave for cross-training was racquetball. Rach thought it would be fun to learn, so for 15 minuets we played racquetball. The remainder of the 15 minuets we played WITH the racket ball. After that we went to the treadmills. I realized that my body couldn't handle a hard interval set so I finished up the day in the pool making sure that my shoulder didn't freeze up from racquetball. Rachel learned that her body can handle two hours of moderate to high exercise, but not three hours.

Well, that was our day. I am VERY sore, but its the good kind of sore. Rachel has been working her abs and doing yoga at night. Last night she was in a lot of pain. It was almost to the point of tears. Today when she woke up she realized that the lower part of her abs hurt. I was excited because I am told those are the hardest muscles to work on a woman. Yay for sore muscles!!! Who knows how spending the time together working out will help not only our bodies, but also our relationship. Updates will follow. ;)