Friday, August 3, 2007

BBC #8, and a first date

Last night we were back at Hawkwood Hill for BBC. Instructor S had warned us on Tuesday that we would be doing a lot of running in this session. I'm not sure if it is because I'm anal or nerdy (you decide), I brought the Garmin with me so I could see how much bonus mileage I would get in thanks to BBC. We warmed up by running down a big hill, then back up to the start, then we got the low down on the circuit we would be performing. Each stop on the circuit would last 1.5 minutes. It consisted of:
  • Jumping jacks
  • Hoping on one foot from one pylon to another
  • Long jumps on two feet from one pylon to another
  • A running drill, where you did a push up at the first pylon, ran to the second pylon, did another push up, run back and push up, and repeat.
  • Ab and oblique work sitting on the ground and leaning back, rotating from side to side with a medicine ball, and feet raised in the air if possible.
  • Grade 7 dance with resistance tubing to work those outer thighs. (Step on the tubing with both feet, cross the tubing in front of your legs, and hold the end of the tubing with your arms down at your sides. Step side to side as far as possible. Belt out songs that were played at your grade 7 dances.)
  • Push ups for a minute and a half.
  • Run up and down a hill as many times as possible in the minute and a half.

After running through the circuit once we moved down the field a ways to run pyramids in 10-20-30-40 second intervals. This one was tough because we were running up some serious hills if we ran hard enough. After the pyramids we went through the circuit one more time. And yeah, I logged 1.25 mi in case you were interested!

After class Instructor S asked if I wanted to join her running group for their Saturday morning long run at 6:30 am. Some of them are training for the full Nike Women's Marathon and are running up to 25K (15 mi), but I'll join long enough to get my 10 miles in. I have to tell you, I'm nervous about this. I have never run in a group before, and all my running is done solo. I have run with one or two other people before, but I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to find a group of like minded individuals to hang out with, but the thought of running in a group brings me back to the old days of phys ed and not being a good athlete. (Getting hit in the head with a softball...the phys ed teacher giving you a hard time because you really should run faster because your legs are so long...or those ridiculous fitness tests we did multiple times a year where you were given a gold, silver or bronze - or nothing - based off of how many sit ups you could do in a minute, how many pull ups you could do, how fast you ran, how many inches past your toes you could reach...) Running solo you have no one to worry about but yourself, and the run is as good as you, or your body, makes it. To me a group run spells intimidation. What if they run faster than me? What if I can't keep up? You know, I just need to bite the bullet and get out there because I'm sure I'll love it, and I know I can definitely use more pointers from Instructor S. The nervousness and the excitement....it feels just like a first date. My first date with the running group.

7 comments:

Lauren @ mostly i run said...

These BBC workouts sound grueling! Seems like you're doing a great job, though!

Two things ...
a) I never go anywhere without my Garmin. Not nerdy! OK, I'm a nerd so I don't know how much that's saying :)

b) My running syle is opposite -- I almost always run in a group, and get bored running by myself! We chat the whole time, it's a social thing.

I hope the group works out for you, because once your long runs get up to 20 miles ... that's a loooooong time by yourself with your thoughts!

Helen said...

I was nervous and skeptical about running with a group too, but now I love it! There is usually somebody there who will match your pace (or push you just a little bit) and I'm always surprised about how quickly the time goes by when I have a buddy with me.

You can also learn alot too because the other runners will share what they know.

I see you're getting ready for the Goofy Challenge! Me too! That'll be quite an adventure! Thank God it's still 5 months away.

TNTcoach Ken said...

LOL... Group running is soooo much better. You'll find that you tend to push yourself a little more in the group environment. Just remember what not to do on a first date!

teacherwoman said...

Ahhh a first date with a running group! I haven't had one of those yet. But, I know I feel the same way as you do.. I don't know if I could handle it! Have fun though!

Marathon Maritza said...

I hope that you have a good time with the group! I had never run with one either until a few years ago and I really enjoy it. It gets you pumped and ready to go, even if you don't end up running the exact pace as anyone else. Just do your own pace and enjoy the encouragement you'll undoubtedly get. I think it's quite motivating, so good luck!

RunToTheFinish said...

Hmm I posted a comment but it disappeared!! I reread your post after realizing it said first date and I thought wait, did I miss something.

Anywho, I ran with a group when training for my marathon and I have to say, I think it's a matter of finding the right group. I didn't care for it only because they stopped a lot for water breaks etc, which is just a different running style than mine. I have to go or stop, but no in between.

I could really use more running friends though, so I might have to revisit this!!

Robert said...

I've avoided looking into the running groups in my town, but reading these comments, I'm thining that might be a good idea. Thanks for the post!