Running Home- Final preparations

Is almost time to go! I have a few weeks until I start my run home. I am very excited but also full of nervousness. Almost like being pregnant, you cant wait to have the baby then when you are due to give birth you start asking yourself questions like " am i ready?"
I got home to an empty house, my kids were off with their dad to Miami. It was nice to be able to just focus on the details of Running Home, I got a new tarp tent so is very light. Is madness figuring out where to be since I can't run on interstate highways, I have to avoid highway number 5 and some bridges. I have gotten the preparation to the point where I can sleep at night, not awaking every 2 hours panicking because I am not sure how to go across the Washington- Oregon border. The next most important thing is lightening my pack, hygiene is vital but not appearances so no deodorant. Safety is important so yes to technology no to extra clothing, reverse and wear. I am sure i would go thought it over and over it before is ready but i am getting there.

I haven't being training since i ran Modesto Marathon last Sunday, my hip feels better but the lack of training was a bit hard on my confidence, after all training hard is what allows me to feel that I can run all the way to Mazatlan.

Whenever I am start to lack confidence I tell myself the same thing I tell my kids when they say " I am never going to be better" or " I am not good at this"
It takes 10,000 hours to archive excellence on anything. I read an article about this somewhere, cant remember where but what the article talked about some scientist that had done research to figure out if being great at something is nature or nurture and they figure out that is nurture, nature takes care of the type of talent such as Olympic marathoner vs a 3:10 marathoner but nature can't do anything of you don't nurture it.

When i tell my kids that, it makes sense, they automatically know they are just being impatient, have they really tried for at least 10,000 hours before deciding they are never going to be any better? I am just excited now for the opportunity to get that much closer to my better self.
What I am most excited and proud about Running Home is that is simple yet it touches on what is important, we all have the ability to make it from Vancouver Bc to Mazatlan Mexico, it might take some 5 years and others only a month what matters is that we all can. I will be scrapping by on my run surviving on very little. I didn't want to have sponsors that might taint my judgment, safety will always be first, second I wanted to show to some that in the age of fancy sponsorships adventure is what you make of, don't get me wrong,I have a long list of adventures that I need funds for but right now I wanted the simplicity or creating a project that wasn't going to be shelved until i had the funds.
The one thing I am most grateful of is the amazing support of my family, without their support it would have being impossible to dream as big as I do.
I might not talk to you before I go, I need to focus on what's in front of me and spending time with my family.

My brother Carlos in Mexico will be once more managing my social networking when I can't. This is truly an amazing opportunity,I can't tell you how excited is to be going back home. Until then, don't settle for anything before deciding if this is the best you can do.

“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” Matsuo Basho

Oh The Places You'll Go by Dr Seuss

"You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place..."

Time goes by painfully show when you are waiting. As a single mother, I understand that there are a lot of things that I don't have much control, that doesn't make it easier for me to control my frustrations when I am sidelined because of an injury or scheduling conflict.

To prepare myself to take off for two and half months off there is a long list of things that need to be checked off. I usually start from the least to the most important? why? If its important it will be very likely to be done anyway, but the menial tasks such as preparing my house so my mom can live here comfortably while I am gone is not vital to my run but something that is the right thing to do. If i leave organizing my closet so she can have space to hang her clothes when I am overwhelmed and ready to leave will not be done. So the last few months my life has been consumed with boring but necessary tasks of making sure my house runs as smooth as possible while I am gone.
A pleasant side effect that the performing endless mind numbing tasks such as laundry is that it make me yearn for an open road and adventure. After all you are never going to find a bumper sticker that reads " I rather be cleaning toilets" The reverse will be true after my run to Mexico I will savour the normalcy of being at home if only for a short while.

"On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are."

The hardest part now is being present on my current life, to be a mother, a personal trainer, a sister, an actress on a TV Show. I am physically here but mentally I have to make a conscious decision to be part of my life. My pack is ready to go and I take it out of my closet every day and reorganize the contents everyday. A form of meditation that allows me to then check into my current life.

The difference between an addiction and a passion is it how it affects your personal life. A passion makes you a better person and an addiction feeds your insecurities. Is that understanding that makes me appreciate the other part of my life, knowing my kids support what I do make me want to be a better mother, yes, sometimes I need to have long conversations with my youngest about his fears about my safety. Fear is all relative, safety is an illusion, once you open the door where do you stop, do we stop our kids from playing hockey? how about football, gymnastics. Do we stop going backcountry skiing for fear of avalanches? I do agree that there are sports or activities that carry more risks but is impossible to eliminate risk 100%.

"All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on."

I might have to delay Running Home until May to allow my mom to recover from the surgery that she had to undergo for some skin abnormalities. It was hard to come to terms that I am not leaving soon, like telling a child Christmas would come February instead. I am ready and excited to start, I have everything I need and have no desire to buy any fancy equipment,it will be just me and a beautiful road the US Route 101, So if you run into me and like my friends say, you will know exactly the moment when we know we have lost you, is the look in my face that tells you that I am there already taking in all the beauty and challenges that I am sure to conquer.

"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!"
Dr. Seuss

Running Home- The book second preview

I am still getting ready for my run. Things are going as scheduled. The beauty of being able to just run from my house unsupported give me the freedom that If I don't feel my kids are ready for me to go, I can just postpone.

Training had being going well until two weeks ago, I was showing signs of over training. After two weeks finally I felt whole again. That and my piriformis is making it hard to run this week. Not a major concern, I just have to be more creative while training.

The hardest part is writing the book, I have had to walk away several times. Is strange and difficult since I have to be emotionally involve in the writing to make it truthful and make justice to it but also emotionally absent to criticize the style and organize the content around the thousand memories floating around my head.

The best way I can organize my memories is by choosing the stories of the audience I hope will one day read my story.

I was at the Doctors yesterday, I was there to make sure that my fatigue was not due to something more serious such as anemia. I had my doubts but I need to make sure I am at top of my fitness before I embark on a 2600 mile quest.

The Doctor listen to my request, asked me to fill a questionnaire and left me in the room. As soon as I saw the form I recognized it. It was to assessed depression. He came back and told him my symptoms where strictly physical not emotional. He apologized but clarified that most people that suffer from extreme fatigue is mostly from depression. I explained with as much detail the reasons why it couldn't be. Only a person who has been there could know. Like a wine connoisseur would explain the differences in grapes from one region to an other to a novice. After I explained how I had no problem enjoying my life, hanging out with my family, watching Mexican soaps with my sister or driving across town to taste the best hot chocolate ever. I just felt tired after running only two hours. He seemed horrified that I wanted to ever run more than two hours! but agreed that people who are experiencing depression felt no more pleasure or desire on the things once gave them joy and I just seemed irritated that I couldn't do more.

After my visit it became clearer. The people that I want to read my story are those who are experiencing pain. Not to reinforce their notion that life is unfair, quite the contrary. To make them feel that life is fair but sometimes you need incredibly courage to claim what destiny has for you.
The book idea only came in full force when I sat at the Vision Quest Conference. I sat there listening to new developments on the sight saving research that is almost at a point where it would benefit my son Karl but I couldn't just write a cheque so they can keep going. I came home determined to find a way. My journey is about violence because my life has been marked with terrible violence but it really is the same thing. Karl's condition makes him a target for all kinds of abuse because he is vulnerable. from bulling to domestic violence and that is something I will fight until the end of my days.

Here is the next few pages of the chapter. there would be no more updates after this one. the next few pages where incredibly hard to write and I prefer to keep going forward and not look at those pages again.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Running Home.

Is hard to know when my story truly begins. Knowing my parent history is not hard to imagine how my life evolved the way it did.
I was born in Mazatlan Mexico, the last of 5 children born to two young parents.
My parents relationship was difficult but so where the lives of most Mexicans that we knew. You just made the most of what you got, at least we had a roof over our heads and eat three meals, even if they were simple, we had food. We grew up in a small house, two rooms for all 7 of us, and we always had relatives living with us too, it didn’t matter how bad we had it, there was always always someone worse off than us that needed our help. Our bedroom resembled a hospital ward with rows of beds pushed together.

I can’t say that I ever saw my dad drinking but things where not normal. He was always out and when he came back he would wakes us up to keep him company or watch TV at 2am. Things always turned quickly .One moment we would be singing along, playing and the next minute someone was being punished.
Being the youngest I was spared of the worse physical punishments, I was the one mom sent to calm my dad when he became enraged. It was difficult to hear him punish my siblings, even after he quit drinking; disciplining them as he called it never really went away.
My mom came from a better family, she really never had interest on my dad, he was poor and of a different class. But she liked the attention he gave her so one day my dad offered to take her home, a simple, seemly harmless act that changed her life.
My dad got carried away, didn’t stop. Ashamed and feeling remorse he stood at my grandparent’s house asking for forgiveness and to take responsibility for what happened.
My grandfather refused to allow my mom back home being disgraced, she left right then.She left with my father, a man she barely knew. My parents married a few weeks later in front of a couple of friends only; neither of them was 16 years old yet.
In spite of how it began, I never got the impression that my mom didn’t love my dad, the contrary, they seem deeply in love, years later my mom would tell me the truth. She was practical; no sense on dwelling on things but she never loved my dad.

I have never doubted that there is a God but after what happened next I started to think he has a sense of humor. My dad eventually quit drinking. One evening after coming home drunk, he found my brother Hector helping our sister Muneca with her sawing project. He didn’t want any sissies at home, he said, just before punishing Hector so severely he had to be taken to the hospital. When he found out what he had done the next morning he finally admitted he had a problem and walked to his first AA meeting

I wondered many years how my life would have been if I had been born to a father who didn’t have a drinking problem. I know better now that to wish thing to be different but for many years, when I was in pain, imagining a different life for myself was the only way of coping.

After my dad quit drinking, almost overnight things improved dramatically, my dad got a promotion and we moved to Culiacan, Mexico. We settle in a modest neighborhood but it was luxury compared to the last home. These are the memories I cherish the most about my father; the kind loving man and I believe that even my mom started to fall for him too. I saw a man who stood firmly for injustice, a man whom never refuse help to anyone even if it meant he would go hungry himself.

But things didn’t stay happy for long, all the years of heavy drinking, stress and smoking finally caught up. One evening while we were at the movies. Dad started to feel ill. I was sitting on his lap and my mom was next to us, he felt nausea and mom gave him a hard time for eating too much junk, she asked me to stay behind with my siblings as she took dad home. That would be the last time I saw my dad. By the time the movie ended and we all walked home they where loading him into an ambulance. He had a massive heart attack and died three days later.

I was eleven then, I was the only one to not cry, I loved my dad but he had only been my real father for the last two years and even though he had been sober, we still walked on eggshells waiting for the day he came home drunk again. It seemed that it hit my mom the hardest, gone was the strong woman. She became frail almost birdlike. My three older siblings, Carlos, Hector and Muneca became the breadwinners overnight. They where 18, 16 and 14 and were responsible for themselves as well as my sister Lourdes, my mom and me.

I have to admit that I started to breath a little easier. I falsely thought that things where about to improve for us now that we didn’t have to worry about my dad ever drinking again. I was soon to be proven terribly wrong. What I didn’t know was that as bad as things where at home, dad had somehow protected us from all sorts of evil. With him gone and mom on a fog things could only get worse and I was about to find out about how much. If being the youngest had protected me from the worse at home, outside our house it only made me the most vulnerable.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

I was recently looking for equipment for training my clients; one of them suggested I try to search Craig’s list. I was shocked to find tons of stuff. Most of the headlines read “hardly used” so as the New Year approaches a lot of you will be making their resolutions I been thinking a lot about what makes someone quit. I don’t make New Year resolutions; I am of the mentality that as soon as I realize I need to work on something or change something right then is the right time. How many times have I heard the “ I will quit smoking after New Years/my vacation/ my birthday” I just think to myself, why? Is that going to be your last Vacation/New year/? You eventually have to manage being around other people who smoke so do it now!

But if you are considering making some health changes you all have my support. Here are some common mistakes.

Start small.
As an endurance junkie this might sound hypocritical but my ‘small’ might not be ‘your’ small. All journeys start with a single step. I often see beginners take on to much and that adds to disappointment and quitting because you are setting yourself to fail. If you are a beginner establishing a routine is the most important, be realistic about how much time and effort you can commit and go for it. I have a daunting goal ahead of me but I broke it into smaller tasks and then applied it. I started with establishing running without a day off first, then increased my distance then added the heavy pack. If you are thinking of bettering your time start by adding speed training to your routine on what you think your body can handle safely, once or twice and don't worry if you don't hit your target every time, you will hit your desired pace once, then twice and so forth. The most important here is that you are trying to change your behavior and mentality, non runner to runner, slow runner to faster runner, couch potato to gym goer.


Stop making excuses.

It hard for everybody and sure there are times that is harder for us than for anybody else but is that the real reason why you are not doing it? My past success on overcoming challenges is that I take ownership always, I spend more time trying to figure out what I contribute to the problem than what other did. I can’t control others but I have control on my actions. Sure I been victim of unfair circumstances that I had little control of it but I took ownership 100% on how I reacted to it and how much I let it affected me. Sometimes it will be hard or impossible because of injuries or commitments but that is never the reason to quit. When it becomes hard for me to train because of circumstances I focus on the other things that I need like planning the logistics of my quest or getting ahead on my responsibilities. So when the window of opportunities opens again I am ready! Stop looking around to find excuses of why you can't do it and start spending time focusing on how you can make it happen. Remember that you become better at what ever you spend most energy on, an if the energy is spent on making up excuses you will just become better at finding more excuses and is that really what you want? I remember the first time I was criticized for running ultras way back when I started, somebody was telling me about a conversation of somebody who was trash talking about me " who do she think she is?" she has only been running for a few months. My friend was upset until she noticed I was smiling, she was puzzled " is fabulous" I said "A few months ago everybody pity me, no body wanted my life, all people where talking about about me was did you hear? now somebody wants my life!i had just gone for something that person had made excuses for to not do and that's why he was upset because I was about to show him that it could be done of you only had the guts to do. Stop making excuses and go for the life you want. When you find yourself at rock bottom learn to rock climb.


Commit

This is a big one. I see lots of new runners or people at the gym at the beginning of the year and just fade away the next few months. Why? Anything that is worth having takes effort. Like a marriage, at the beginning is all butterflies and excitement then it turns into responsibility and doing someone’s laundry, but is all on what you focus on. When I decide I want something I embrace all aspects of it since they are all integral part of the whole project.
The moment you decided to take charge on your health you didn’t say “ I will get healthy until it gets too hard or boring” Is exciting to start something because everybody is supportive and excited for you too. “ Go for it” “100% behind you” In no time things change when it starts affecting your old life, all of a sudden you are not cooking all 3 meals from scratch or changing the sheets every two days or meeting your friends for a drink every Thursday. I took a long break last year, I was getting pressure from everywhere and continuing at the pace I had been going was not possible. Both of my kids needed me home, Karl because of his condition, teachers struggled to find the right plan for him and needed my full attention as he adapted to his new school, Hans' grades started to plummet so I needed to take charge, while I knew that his lower grades where more about the social distractions in particular video games, I swear you can see a pattern of lower grades every time Call Of Duty releases a new edition I was being blamed for it. "You focus on saving the world more than me” First of all I don’t give up much to conversations like that, I want my kids to be givers not takers. Like I told Hans, instead of thinking that I am favoring sons you should be on your knees thanking God every night it wasn’t you the son who was going blind because the odds where just as high. What bother me is not that it was true, but what if he though so? I spend a year and a half watching SNL with both of my boys and making 100’s of Waffles for sleepovers until Hans had no excuse for bringing C's home then he had no choice but to admit what i knew. “ You are right mom,I haven’t had the best attitude towards learning lately and blaming you was the easiest way of justifying it”

Through it all I never lost my commitment towards my goals, I simply had to exercise patience, deal with setbacks as they came and maybe had to modify my plans a bit.

I wish you much success in the next year and all others to come; there is nothing more rewarding than taking control of one’s life. I am know as an incredibly stubborn person and that has cost me some friends or relationships but if somebody doesn’t respect your decisions they shouldn’t be in your life anyway. The way I see it, this is my life and I am in the driver seat. I am often surrounded but the most talented people in the world and I am blessed for that but not even then do I sit back. I surrounded myself with people better than me not because I want them to take care of me but to learn and grow. Is irrelevant of who they are, the way I see it, in my life, I am the president and CEO of my destiny.

Running Home- The book preview

I haven't post in such a long time. Somewhere down the line things became so complicated. I like the way my life is right now but I also miss the simplicity of what running used to be for me so I am going back to the basics again.
I created Running Home A Journey To End Violence, a project that will take me from my house in Delta, BC where I live to Mazatlan Mexico where I was born. I decided it was time to write the book i been meaning to write. I wanted to go to Everest before I did that, I was so focus on making it happen. A lot of people that knew about my desire to climb have always been worry about the dangers, I have never been afraid, i know that if somebody tells me it cant be done is only because they can't picture it themselves. We all fear something, and my fears aren't mountains, I respect them, but I don't fear them. Then I realized what my fear was, standing up to my past so I couldn't delay writing anymore.

I started writing it a few months ago and I became almost paralyzed, is hard reading my journals again, I keep them because I will not deny who I am.
I am so much different than the woman of those pages, but to write the book I had to take myself back to those times, it's not easy, the only thing that helps me get through it is to know that I am not there anymore.


Here is the preview of the first pages, is a rough draft, many more corrections will be done before it will be published.
But I wanted to share it with you, the people that through this blog has held my hand when it got really hard for me. Thank you :)

I open my eyes but I can’t see. Everything is blurry. I blink several times to see if that helps and try to move. I am facedown, I can feel and taste the blood pooled beneath me. Just then all the senses come at once, the sharp pain on my head, on my face, I hear the TV on the background and I am surprise that is in English, I have been living in Japan for about 4 years now, I moved to Tokyo at age 19 on an entertainer visa and most of my circle speaks Japanese. My eyes adjust to the intense light, I recognize the place, I been here before many times. Is the apartment of a guy I just dated, an American model that went back home a few weeks prior.

I try to get up but when I move I get nauseous and dizzy so I just roll to my side and lay on a fetal position. Then I hear him and I remember, his roommate! I ran into him last night. “ Well, sleeping beauty, you are finally up” He sounds upbeat and not very concerned that I am laying on his floor bloody “ What happened? ‘ I ask. “You had a bit too much to drink and you fell and hurt yourself” Sorry I said, deeply embarrassed but also confused.

When I saw him at the club I was on my way to meet some of my girlfriends before heading home after working late. Jason, a tall, all American boy was standing by the entrance and introduced me to his new roommate. “ Watch her” he told him“ Norma the fiery Mexican likes dating my roommates” Then he handed me a drink, I didn’t want to drink last night but I didn’t want to be rude either. Just one I thought.
Sure I have blacked out before, but this time was different, all I had was one drink, and then I don’t remember anything else.

Jason strokes my head as I lay there, I close my eyes again overwhelmed by the pain now being insufferable. Then I hear the sound of a zipper being undone.








I am a liar and a coward. Sure I didn’t intended to lie but by not speaking up I might as well be lying. All I ever wanted was to not hurt anymore

I successfully created a new identity for myself and almost got away with it too, married, had kids and formed a family. Nobody that meets me have an idea of what really went on my head for many years, the shame, the fear, the rage, all they see is a good mom. But I couldn’t build a house out of sand, all of a sudden I am watching it all being washed away, the divorce and later my oldest son diagnoses left me raw.

I been so busy fighting a dragon, one mean beast call blindness that is threatening my son that I didn’t notice it at the beginning. All of a sudden people around me are calling me brave,or amazing. All I am doing for my son is what I should have done for myself a long time ago. My kids are too important to not have the amazing life that they deserve. I feel uncomfortable with being praised, maybe because most of my life I have been accustomed to being told what I had done wrong.

I am an ultra distance runner. Since 2007 I have run long distance races all over the world, even a record on all 7 continents. I started running when my oldest son Karl was diagnosed with Cone Rod Dystrophy. I don’t remember much about that day, Doctors were struggling to figure out what was happening to him. I remember the words progressive, incurable, might lead to blindness. Karl was relieved, he had been telling us that he really had trouble seeing, Doctors didn’t believe him, they didn’t see anything wrong until one fine Doctor knew what to look for.

I was devastated; I though that life was being cruel in the most despicable way. I have never doubted that there is a God; many times I have trouble accepting that terrible things happen, even under his watch.

Running became my escape. I wouldn’t say that running saved my life, only I could do that. Over the years I have understood that nobody or nothing except for my attitude can save me or complete me. I have no control on things or people. The only thing I can control is my attitude and the choices I make.I decided long ago that I didn’t want to live my life in pain or suffer anymore,I have chosen to be positive no matter what, to have faith that this is where I am suppose to be.

Running is what I did to take the edge off when I felt the pain was becoming unbearable. It wasn't always that way, the unhealthy me used to burn herself with cigarettes when pain became too much. But not anymore. I have work so hard to build my new life and be the healthiest mother my children could have. The day after my son was diagnosed I went for a long run, I wanted to run until my skin came off but it didn’t instead I felt better when I returned home. During those long runs at 4am in the darkness I felt stronger finally. All the memories that I had worked so hard to erase came slowly at first, but once I allowed one memory to appear I couldn't stop them all from coming. I had wrongly assumed that if because I had never allowed myself to think about it they would eventually fade.I was standing at the eye of the storm.

Since the day I sat at the Doctors office with my oldest son Karl, I have fought a lot more than a terrible diagnose. Shortcuts lead to dead ends and I had encounter mine, the only way out of it was through it.

When I started running ultra races, some people asked me what I was running away from, what they didn’t know was that I was running towards something. It was time to look at evil in the eye; I was ready to confront my past.

Here is my story

Last weeks training plans.

What a week has been. It seems like the minute I posted that I was ready and excited to start the new training plan the universe decided to play a trick. It was time to use my own advice. I had the training plan ready but ended up change it to managed my fatigue and crazy unscheduled events that happened.
First of all, let's look at the beginner training plan. For my son Karl whom by Doctors orders had to start exercising more was a bit difficult, the goal for me was to have him use to the idea that 3 times a week we was going to exercise. My other son is in the same school with him so he now walks to and from school, a 1.5 mile round trip, he was self conscious before walking alone and maybe tripping in front of the other kids that walk to school. He likes martial arts but he wasn't loosing weight so I added strength training twice and spinning once, I taught him to use the machines since the idea is that he is comfortable going to the gym. I gave him an easy routine the he can follow on his own, i did them with him a couple of time now I work out nearby so he can ask me questions but mostly i let him do it on his own just supervising that he is adjusting the machines properly and using proper form.

Here is a sample
Leg press 2X 14 reps
Leg curl 2X 14 reps
Leg extension 2x 14 reps
Chest press 2x 14 reps
Lat pull down 2x 14 reps
Biceps 2X 14 reps
Triceps 2x 14 reps
crunches 2x 15 reps

I tried to avoid free weight for Karl, is very intimidating for him to be standing in front of all the other guys. He has been coming with me for two weeks now and he is more confident, not sure I can say he enjoys it but the more comfortable he becomes the easier it to convince him to go.
My advise for beginners who want to run i would advice to start walking, I really like Jeff Galloway's training plan to run walk. Like i said the most important at the beginning is to get used to the idea of setting the time aside. The length of the walk will depend on your motivation and fitness level so no excuses, we all know how to walk, if you are really ambitions, try walking for 4 minutes and running for 1 until you reach the desired time.
Leticia is an intermediate level, her running plan is simple. She is planing on running a 10k in 5 weeks, not ideal to start training only 5 weeks prior but she is fit and had run on and off for years, summers are busy with the family so she takes a break form running and does yoga and hikes a bit.
Her running schedule was 2 miles a day for 5 days and a long run of 4 miles on Sunday and two short hills added to the Wednesday run, she can mix walking and running.

Strength training is circuit training at my house with dumbbells and resistant bands with 1 minute rest between sets for a total of three sets.
Lunges
burpees
bent over dumbell row
pushups
squats
v sits
triceps kick backs
Dumbbell shoulder press

She warms up with 5 minutes of skipping, she loves the fast pace and we usually play latin music so it feel very bootcamp, she gets bored at the gym so we keep it fun.

My sister and I train together, she is fit and highly motivated, her Doctor too told her to loose weight, she practically lives to work out so my plan for her was to increase the intensity of her workouts and to spice it up, she is been doing the same things for a long time so her body has adapted nicely to the training load.
her running was similar to Leticia's but i took her trail running with me, she also was able to handle more distance. 4 miles a day for 3 days and two days of 3 miles with hills added on Wednesday.

Her strength training was the routine i do, day 1 upper body, day 2 lower body, day 3 rest, day 4 full body, day 5 rest, day 6 full body. I love super sets, working one major muscle group then adding a dynamic core exercise or plyometrics. More sport conditioning.

On the days we work upperbody i hit the same muscle with 2 or 3 exercises, like Incline bench press, decline bench press and dumbbell chest press on ball. on the days that we work full body we go over the major muscles groups, once or twice depending on time or how tired we feel.

My running didn't go as planned. I had intended for a week of 54 miles and ended up way short, had trouble physically and mentally. I decided to just go with how I felt, i ended up riding my bike a couple of times instead of running.

My kids both got sick, Hans had Streptocouccus infection and kept me busy, the Karl started to have major nosebleeds that I had to go to the ER when i came home and it looked like a scene of Friday the 13 ( he didnt think was funny, when i said, were is the chainsaw) I know better than to speak if you take your child with what looks like signs of trauma to the ER. The nurse asked me to not speak and asked Karl instead, how often do they happen and how often are the this bad? when did they started? I couldnt remember when but Karl remembered clearly, in grade 4 he said, I got hit by a football on the playground and then I started to run into the playground often after. It was true, that was the first time I had been called for Karl, that was the first time the teachers told me that something was wrong. My heart sunk. The next person to walk into the ER was a male around my age, he was accompanied by family as well, he was clearly in distress, his companion spoke this time, he didn't speak English. " He is an alcoholic" You do know we are not a rehab, the nurse said, we can stabilize him but cant do more than that. We all sat in the wait room, them and us, holding bloody towels and buckets. I wanted to stand and punch that man, hard, to hit him until it hurt, to ask him why, he was physically perfect but seemed determined to trow it all away. But I didn't, his family was in pain, and really I dont know what possible can drive somebody to that point in life.

The next few weeks I will be working hard on laying the foundation, I am exited about possibly running Badwater but I also know that right now is when I need to lay the foundation to the success. If i jump to soon into training then I will be scramming at the end to make sure my kids are OK.

I hope this help you a bit, the way i figure out, we fall into one of these categories.
stop making excuses and just go and do what you can. Need to be more consistent.
Are stuck in a rut.
or like me continue doing what you love but ignore what you dislike which is usually what you need to work on the most.
my next post will be about nutrition a very important but often overlooked part of training.


Qué semana ha sido. Parece que el momento en que publique que estaba muy emocionada de iniciar el nuevo plan de ejercisio el universo decidió jugarme una mala pasada. Era el momento de usar mi propio consejo.Yo había preparado el plan a seguir, pero termine cambiandolo porque la semana estuvo muy ocupada y no me sentia bien.

En primer lugar, vamos a ver el plan de formación para principiantes. Para mi hijo Karl, que por órdenes de los médicos tenían que comenzar a hacer ejercicio era un poco más difícil, la meta para el fue que él haga a la idea de que tres veces a la semana que tiene que hacer ejercicio. Mi otro hijo está en la misma escuela con él asi que ahora camina a la escuela, como unos 2 kilometros de ida y vuelta. A él le gusta las artes marciales, pero no estaba perdiendo peso, así que he añadido pesas dos veces por semana y bicicleta una vez, le enseño a utilizar las máquinas para que él se siente cómodo de ir al gimnasio. Le di una rutina fácil de la que puede seguir por su cuenta, que los hice con él un par de veces ahora vamos juntos pero yo hago lo mio y si tiene preguntas o necesita ayuda estoy disponible.

He aquí una muestra

Leg press 2X 14 repeticiones

Leg Curl 2X 14 repeticiones

Leg extension 2x 14 repeticiones

Chest press 14 repeticiones

Lat Pulldown 2x 14 repeticiones

Bíceps 2X 14 repeticiones

Tríceps 2x 14 repeticiones

2x 15 repeticiones abdominales

Ha venido conmigo durante dos semanas y que esta más seguro, no puedo decir que lo disfruta, pero ya no se queja tanto de ir.

Mi consejo para los principiantes que quieren correr es que empiezen a caminar, me gusta mucho el plan de entrenamiento de Jeff Galloway qye es de alternar correr y caminar.Como ya he dicho lo más importante al principio es hacer rutina. La duración de la caminata depende de su motivación y nivel de condición física que no hay excusas, todos sabemos cómo caminar.

Leticia es un nivel intermedio, su plan de entrenamiento es muy sencillo. Ella quiere correr 10 Km en 5 semanas, no es lo ideal para comenzar a entrenar sólo 5 semanas antes, pero ella está en forma y ya ha corrido esa distancia, los veranos son ocupados con la familia para que ella hace yoga generalmente en los veranos.

Su horario de entrenamiento es de alrededor de 3 kilómetros por día durante 5 días y una larga carrera de 6.5 kilometros el domingo y dos subiditas cortas añadido a la carrera miércoles, se pueden mezclar para caminar y correr.

El plan de Leticia es entrenamiento en circuito en mi casa con pesas y bandas de resistencia con 1 minuto de descanso entre series por un total de tres sets.



Lunges
burpees
bent over dumbell row
pushups
squats
v sits
triceps kick backs
Dumbbell shoulder press


Salta la cuerda por 5 minutos para calentar. le encanta el ritmo rápido y por lo general música latina por lo que se siente muy bootcamp, se aburre en el gimnasio, así que siga siendo divertido.

Mi hermana y yo entrenamos juntas, ella está en forma y muy motivada, su médico también le dijo que para bajar de peso, ella a estado haciendo las mismas cosas durante mucho tiempo por lo que su cuerpo se ha adaptado muy bien a la intensidad de entrenamiento.

Ella corre la misma distancia que Leticia, pero me llevó a correr conmigo a el monte y senderos. Tambien puede correr mas distancia que Leticia, 6.5 kilometros por día durante 3 días y dos días más de 4.5 kilometros.

Su entrenamiento de pesas era la rutina que hago, el día 1 parte superior del cuerpo, el día 2 parte inferior del cuerpo, el día 3 de descanso, el día 4 de cuerpo entero, el día 5 de descanso, el día 6 de cuerpo completo. En los dias de solo la parte superior por ejemplo trabajamos el mismo grupo muscular con 3 ejercicios distintos de el mismo grupo muscular tambien añadimos un ejercicio de núcleo dinámico o pliometría. Más deporte acondicionado. Como salto de banco despues de una session de squats.

Mi entrenamiento no fue como estaba previsto. Tenía la intención de una semana de 54 kilómetros y terminó manera corta, tuvo problemas físicos y mentales. Me decidí a ir sólo con lo que sentí, que terminé subiendome a la bicicleta un par de veces en vez de correr. Se supone que haria, 12 kilometros al dia con 24 el domingo. solo alcance a hacer 7 kilometros al dia ciando entrene a mi hermana.

mis hijos los dos se me enfermaron, Hans tenía una infección Streptocouccus y me mantuvo ocupada, Karl comenzó a tener sangrado de nariz que no pude parar asi que teve que ir a la sala de emergencias cuando llegué a casa y parecía una escena de pelicula de miedo. ( no se rio cuando le dije que parecia Jason de la pelicula Halloween) Si llevas a tu hijo a la sala de emergencias es mejor que el hable, la enfermera de la sala de emergencias me pidió que no hablara y le preguntó Karl las preguntas, ¿con qué frecuencia ocurren y con qué frecuente son tan graves? ¿Cuándo comenzó? Yo no podía recordar cuándo, pero Karl recordaba con claridad, en el grado 4, respondió, fue golpeado por una pelota de fútbol en el patio y luego empezo a tropezar con las cosas y paredes. Es cierto, esa fue la primera vez que me llamaron por Karl, que era la primera vez que los profesores me decían que algo andaba mal. Mi corazón se hundió. El siguiente en entrar en la sala de urgencias era un hombre de mi edad, iba acompañado por su familia, se notaba que estaba grave, su compañero habló este tiempo, él no habla Inglés. "Él es un alcohólico" Usted sabe que no somos un centro de rehabilitación, la enfermera dijo, le podemos estabilizar pero no puedo hacer más que eso. Nos sentamos en la sala de espera, ellos y nosotros, rodeados de tuallas llenas de sangre y cubetas para el vomito.. Quería ponerme de pie y golpe que el hombre, duro, lo golpearlo hasta hacerle daño, para preguntarle por qué, era físicamente perfecto, pero parecía decidido a tirar su vida a la basura. Pero no lo hize, su familia estaba en el dolor, y realmente no sé lo que es lo que le sucedia para conducirlo a ese punto en la vida.

Las próximas semanas voy a trabajar duro, quiero correr el campeonato de Badwater asi que necesito trabajar mucho. Espero que hayas encontrado algo que te pueda a ayudar con tu entrenamiento. Despues hablaremos de nutricion.

Are you ready?

If anybody ever asked what would be my most important personality trait it would be that I am incredibly naïve. I really believe that things are possible, even when confronted with hard fact of why I will never succeed as long as I can picture it clearly in my mind then is possible. Time and time I have succeed but most important time and time I have failed, is then when being naïve had helped me tremendously, when that happens I never hear, they are right, I hear, what went wrong and what do I do to improve it?

I came back from TransAlps believing that I am improving, that my running is getting stronger and that I am on the right path to a fantastic Badwater race if I am selected again. Even though I got sick, I finished closed to where I should be, after all, anybody who finished ahead of me was truly better, some will always be, but some where only better for the time being, and that’s why sports are fun, at least during training we can all dream that we are the world champions, Olympians, sure every time I go to a race I am proven wrong but when I am back home training I believe again I will be the one on the podium next. In real life I am single parent, over stretched and always worry about my next paycheque, in training I am the next big star.

Motivation number one, it allows me to dream.

I recently went out on a date, sure I been asked out before since Charlie and I broke up but this is the first time I actually went to my closet to find my “ date” clothes, which btw, they smelled funky, like they been on a box under my bed ‘cause they were. It was somebody I have known for a very long time, back when I was in sales and wore nice suits and expensive jewelry. We never really took the next step; even then I knew that our priorities were not the same. He is a very successful man, he had been married once and it helped him realized that family and kids was not what he wanted, sort of George Clooney. We sat there, at the restaurant, from the distance, maybe things hadn’t changed much but looking closely I have changed draatically. He was distracted by one thing, my funky bracelets, gone is the Tag Heuer. Replaced by a functional Timex Ironman. The red bracelet I wear is more a symbol than anything, when I was climbing Aconcagua, one of the guides was wearing a simple read thread around his left wrist, after a few days of being stuck on a tiny tent together, I finally asked why, he told me that his girlfriend was a very superstitious person, that this was his first job as an assistant guide, he had been a porter for 5 years prior and finally was promoted, his girlfriend had put it on to ward of jealousy and envy since the other porters where going to resent him for sure, he told me he thought it was all silly but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I am not superstitious, I lean more towards science, but I told him to take it that I meant that she care, let her love you, I told him. Last year every seemed to go wrong, my sister is very superstitious and was telling me all the things I needed to do to, I jokingly said that as things where going, I was willing to dance with a chicken under the moonlight, and while you are at it to put the read thread, she found a read thread on her sawing kit, as she was putting it around my arm I realized that she truly wished me a better life, I have had it ever since, I bought a more durable one in Spain on a recent trip, one for her one for me, Oprah and her friends might have their marching diamond rings, my sister Muneca and I have matching red bracelets. I after telling him my story I realized that nothing had changed, we were still not right for each other, “Your kids will be gone in a few years, can you imagine the trips we can take?” I told him that it would be more likely that I would then sell everything and move somewhere I can do the things that I love the most every day, trail run, climb and live a life of service, I can’t picture me living in Monaco.

That was a few days ago, today, I went out on the perfect date, a lot of sweating and little clothing on a beautiful trail, as I run, I felt strong, free, happy. We all get lonely sometime, but if I date or choose to be with somebody it will be because he is right for me not because I am lonely.

Motivation number two, running makes me happy

A lot of people know that my dad died very young, not a lot of people know of how he died, a massive heart attack. I was 11 years old, we were at the movies, I was sitting on his lap when he felt chest pain, and my mom and him left leaving me and my siblings to watch the rest of the movie. That was the last time I saw him. He died three days later my oldest brother was in the hospital room when it happened. My dad was 41 years old; he had been an alcoholic most of his life, finally quitting a few years before he died, he had a very troubled life, his escape had been alcohol all his life, he tried doing right by us, working hard to send us to private schools even though he didn’t earn much. After quitting his smoking increased and he seek comfort food. When he died, life got much harder, he left his young family very vulnerable, that is really when my nightmares began, I though the worse I was ever experience was watching my dad loose his temper against my sibling but unfortunately when it comes to evil, there are many shades. As a single parent I experience stress often, some are manageable some are overwhelming, by choosing a positive outlet I am looking after me and ultimately protecting my kids. It might seem hypocritical that the same woman who dreams of one day climbing K2 also worries about being there for my kids, there are not the same, my dad died of a destructive lifestyle and I found my passion. Sure, because of my kids I slowed down, you can have it all, just not at the same time. I am patient

Motivation number three, running allows me to have a positive outlet to stress.

I can go on and on, the more I give it meaning the more likely it is that I will stick to it. Your reasons might be very different than mine, what matters is, that they have meaning to you.
You can spend the rest of your life making excuses of why you never accomplished the things your always wanted or you can start working on the steps to get you there. Dreams don’t come with an expiry date.


Estas listo?

Estoy tan emocionada! vamos a cambiar nuestras vidas! Creo que el primer paso para cualquier cambio será el compromiso. Anthony Robins dijo una vez que nuestro comportamiento está guiado en dos principios simples, el de buscan el placer y / o evitar el dolor. Así que primero tenemos que estudiar en profundidad lo que consideramos el dolor y el placer. No hay ninguna razón para que te dé consejos sobre entrenamiento y nutrición, a menos que primero te convenzca de que el viaje a un mundo mejor, usted, yo, nosotros vale la pena.
Se podra difícil, a veces muy duro y más entre comprometidos que estemos los mejores serán las probabilidades de que usted tengamos éxito.

Yo me trato bien. No siempre fue así, muchas veces en mi vida que no me trata bien, no hay problema, lo que importa ahora es que finalmente me dije hasta aqui. Ese fue el primer paso de muchos a seguir. Con los años, cada paso en la dirección correcta consolidó mi camino.Así que echemos un vistazo a mi motivación.

Si alguna vez alguien le preguntó cuál sería mi rasgo de la personalidad más importante sería que soy muy ingenua. Realmente creo que las cosas son posibles, incluso cuando me enfrento a dura realidad de la razón por la que nunca tendrá éxito siempre y cuando me lo imagino con claridad en mi mente, entonces es posible. Muchas veces he tenido éxito, pero lo más importante es me michisimas mas he fallado, es entonces cuando ingenua me ha ayudado enormemente, cuando eso ha pasado nunca pienso, están en lo cierto, pienso, que salió mal y qué puedo hacer para mejorar?

Volví de TransAlps con la certitud de que estoy mejorando, que mi carrera es cada vez más fuerte y que estoy en el camino correcto a una carrera de Badwater fantástico si soy seleccionada de nuevo. A pesar de que me enfermé,terminó cerca a donde debo estar, después de todo, cualquiera que terminó por delante de mí era realmente mejor, algunos siempre lo será, pero algunos que sólo es mejor para el momento, y es por eso que los deportes son divertidos, por lo menos durante el entrenamiento es que todos podemos soñar que somos los campeones mundiales, olímpicos, cada vez que voy a una carrera me doy cuante que no es asi, pero cuando estoy de vuelta de entrenamiento en casa creo que de nuevo voy a ser la proxima en el podio. En la vida real yo soy madre soltera, muy ocupada y siempre se preocupada donde llegara mi proximo cheque de sueldo, cuando corro soy la próxima gran estrella.

Motivación número uno, que me permite soñar.

Hace poco fui a una cita, seguro de que me han invitado a salir desde antes de Charlie y yo rompimos nuestro compromiso, pero esta es la primera vez que realmente me fui a mi armario para buscar a mi ropa de salir, que por cierto, que olía a raro, como ha guardado, porque ahí la encontre en una caja debajo de mi cama . Se trataba de alguien que conozco desde hace mucho tiempo, cuando yo estaba en ventas y llevaban trajes buenos y joyas caras. En realidad, nunca llegamos a más, desde entonces yo sabía que nuestras prioridades no eran las mismas. Él es un hombre muy exitoso, que había estado casado una vez y le ayudó para darse cuenta de que la familia y los niños no era lo que el quería, una especie de George Clooney. Nos sentamos allí, en el restaurante, desde la distancia, tal vez las cosas no habían cambiado mucho, pero mirando de cerca yo que he cambiado drasticamente. Me di cuenta que se le quedaba viendo a mis pulseras, ya no uso el Tag Heuer. Ahora lo e reemplazado por un Timex Ironman muy funcional. La pulsera de color rojo que uso es más un símbolo que nada, cuando yo estaba subiendo el Aconcagua, una de las guías que llevaba un hilo simple rojo en su muñeca izquierda, después de unos días de estar atrapados en una tienda de campaña pequeña finalmente le pregunte por qué , me dijo que su novia era una persona muy supersticiosa, que este era su primer trabajo como asistente de guía, que había sido un portero durante 5 años antes y, finalmente, lo habian promovido, su novia se lo había puesto el hilo rojo para protejerlo de la envidia ya los porteros otros donde lo va a resentir con seguridad, me dijo que pensaba que era una tontería, pero no quizo herir sus sentimientos. No soy supersticiosa tampoco, me inclino más hacia la ciencia, pero yo le dije que para el significaba que ella lo queria mucho y queria protegerlo, dejate queres le dije. El año pasado casi todo me salio mal, mi hermana es muy supersticiosa y me contaba todas las cosas que tenía que hacer, en broma le dije que haria lo que quisiera cont al de perder la mala suerte, si quieres bailo con una gallina cuando salg ala luna llena! Ella me puso el hilo rojo, cuando lo estaba poniendo alrededor de mi brazo me di cuenta de que realmente me deseaba una vida mejor, lo he tenido desde entonces, me compré uno más duraderp en España en un viaje reciente, uno para ella para mí, Oprah y sus amigos pueden tener sus anillos de diamantes pero mi hermana y yo Muneca tenemos nuestras pulseras rojas. Cuando le conte la historia a mi cita me decirle que mi historia me di cuenta de que nada había cambiado, que todavía no eramos adecuados el uno para el otro ", pero tus hijos casi se van de tu casa en unos años, ¿te imaginas los viajes que se pueden tomar?" Yo le dije que sería lo más probable que cuando eso suceda lo mas probable es que vendere todo y me mude a algún lugar donde pueda hacer las cosas que más me gusta todos los días, correr en montaña, trepar y vivir una vida ayudando a otros. Eso fue hace unos días, hoy salí a la cita perfecta, sude mucho e use poca ropa en un bonito sendero, mientras corro, me sentía fuerte y feliz, libre. Todos nos sientimo solos en algún momento, pero nunca quisiera elegir a alguien por la soledad, solo sino porque es la persona adecuada para mi.

Motivacion número dos, correr me hace feliz

Mucha gente sabe que mi padre murió muy joven, no mucha gente sabe cómo murió, de un ataque masivo al corazón. Yo tenía 11 años, estábamos en el cine, yo estaba sentado en su piernas viendo la pelicula cuando sintió dolor en el pecho, mi mamá se lo llevo a casa dejandome a mí y mis hermanos para ver el resto de la película. Esa fue la última vez que lo vi. Murió tres días más tarde, mi hermano mayor estaba en la habitación del hospital cuando ocurrió. Mi papá tenia solo 41 años de edad, el había sido un alcohólico la mayoria de su vida, finalmente, dejar de beber unos cuantos años antes de morir, tuvo una niñez muy tragica, su escape había sido el alcohol durante toda su vida, trató de hacer lo correcto por nosotros, trabajandoduro para enviar a las escuelas privadas, aunque no ganaba mucho. Después de que dejo de tomar siguio fumando y comiendo mucho buscando refuguio a los demonios que lo consumian. Cuando murió dejó a su joven familia muy vulnerable, que es en realidad cuando mis pesadillas comenzaron. Y siempre pense que vivir con un padre alcolico seria lo peor que me succederia, pero desafortunadamente cuando se trata de maldad hay muchos matices. Como madre soltera que experimentan estrés con frecuencia, algunos se pueden controlar otros no. Es por eso que yo busco encontrar algo positivo que me mantenga de mente sana tambien. Por la elección de un escape positivo me estoy cuidando a mí y tambien protejo a mis hijos. Puedo parecer hipócrita que la misma mujer que sueña con un día en escalada K2 también se preocupa por ser buena madre para mis hijos, no es lo mismo, mi padre murió por su estilo de vida destructivo y en cambio me encontré mi pasión. Claro, porque de mis hijos, ahora no empaco todo y me voy a escalar las montañas mas peligrosas, se puede tener todo, pero no al mismo tiempo. Soy paciente

Motivación número tres correr me permite tener una salida positiva a la tensión.

Puedo seguir y seguir, entre mas razones pueden encontrar es mucho mas seguro que ustedes tengan éxito tambien. Sus motivaciones seran muy diferentes a las mías, lo que importa es, que tengan significado para ustedes.

Puede pasar el resto de su vida inventando excusas de por qué nunca has logrado las cosas que tu siempre has querido, o puede empezar a trabajar en los pasos para llegar hasta allí. Los sueños no vienen con una fecha de caducidad.