Most people I speak to think I am crazy. In what aspect of my life are they referring to? That is also a good question. It could be many things, that I live in Israel, that I am studying Chinese medicine, that I walk around in public in my Vibrams... I do believe that they are usually referring to my exercise routines/schedule. I do try and exercise every day of the week, never doing the same thing day after day. I take breaks in my routine every Monday and Thursday for school. The biggest break I have taken would be my current break from running. The last time I ran a substantial amount was right after the Jerusalem Half Marathon. I decided that it would be a good idea to give my hip a break from excess flexing. I mostly biked and swam over the last month and a half. I inserted a few runs here and there but only in the last 2 weeks. I thought that it would be a lot harder to get back into the runs but surprisingly it felt as if I had never stopped. The hardest part about taking the break is actually sticking to the plan. I know most people would say that its hard to stick to running or exercising but I have come to a point where, call it, my addiction to exercise is similar to that of heroin, I have both a physical and psychological dependence toward exercise. I know exactly when "pain=pain" became "pain=pleasure" and its been at least 8 years. The withdrawal symptoms are not pretty. I'm sure that anyone in my family or my close friends can vouch for that. So the question becomes, when does exercise go from being healthy to becoming detrimental to one's health?
I am sure that if you have read any of my previous posts, you will know that I am not immune to injury. I might wish that I am and might be in denial that I am not but somewhere deep down inside I know that I should slow down a bit...Not going to happen, at least not right now, Berlin 2011 is in 4 months..! My latest routine is geared to strengthening my legs. I don't see the need in piling on the weights, I prefer to stick with my body weight and low numbered free weights. I do like "tunder ties" but don't necessarily need to be walking around with them. I found this crazy workout site where this Ukrainian woman makes up all these ridiculous exercises and I have adopted all the ones I can pull off without the equipment she uses. People at the gym think I'm crazy and I get all types of questions and looks, of envy of course. I should just wear a shirt that says: "I'm a personal trainer; yes, you can hire me. (If you have the guts...)". Tuesday marks the first day of marathon training. I hope to remain injury free but that is not wholly up to me.
The routine will be 3 runs per week with 2 days of cross and strength training. Obviously there will be speed work, core exercises and hopefully lots of massages. I will keep you updated now that I'm back on the wagon, (off the wagon?)...
