Responsibility is a Boon

Opening Scene
When Uncle Ben looks into the eyes of Peter Parker and says "With More Power Comes More Responsibility" he is not referring to the people who have the powers to fly through the busy streets of New York and fight the evil professor who turns into a giant lizard. He refers to each one of us who some others look up to in some way.


The formula, to this whole fitness thing, has 2 components to it. Both equally important and equally tough. The first component  is called "The Start - Taking the first step" which involves changing our eating, sleeping habits, bringing in discipline into every aspect of our life and based on where we start, it may also mean a major change in our lifestyle.

The Plot
The second component which I call "Stay focused and keep Going" is really tricky as it only gets harder, harder and harder everyday unless we learn and master the key ingredient which is starting to enjoy what we do over why we do. When we enjoy what we do "Staying Focused" will never be a problem. I know I've probably mentioned this over a thousand times already, will probably mention this another million times too, as it changes the whole perspective of working out and eating healthy.

There is genuine reason why staying focused "EVERYDAY, all year long" is so important.
We work hard all summer long and when winter hits and Holiday season begins we slow down and kinda stop. And before we realize we are back to those immobile days, spending most of the time on the couch munching on holiday left overs and watching TV all day. Result, we spend another summer working our ass off to shed all the unwanted weight and laziness that crept in during winter. Had we stayed focused by eating right and working out a little harder, we wouldn't have to play catch up all summer. We would actually be getting fitter without losing the enjoyment and motivation.

Now I hear my mind saying "Enough of the things that we already know, get back to why you even mentioned Uncle Ben and quote from the Spider man movies to start with".

Climax
Alright, Alright for all those who have made a start in this exciting quest, it is very important to understand that there are a lot of people who have already started to look up to us. They believe we have done something that they have not been able to do and because we are no holly wood hunks and just regular people like everyone else, they look up to us and believe that they can do what we have started to do.

It is our responsibility now, to stay focused, take pride in what we do and show everyone how much fun it is to keep going. We need to understand that when we put in 100 % effort, the person who follows us would probably be at 85 % and the ones who follow them would probably be at 70 %. It is just human nature so it is our responsibility to make sure we are always 110% if not more in our efforts so the people who look up to us do better.

So where ever I am, who ever I am with, I maintain my discipline, I eat right, I workout and I make sure I never compromise on neither my diet nor my workouts. Cos, I know there is always someone, who wants to make a start, is watching me and that I need to set a good example. So by staying focused and disciplined I take responsibility for the well being of my fellow earthlings.

But why did I not mention all this initially, well I just like movies with a climax that ties back to the first scene :).

Running Mates its Back to the Basics

Its been a while I know, but I wont say I was busy, that would just be a cop out. When one has no time to do something it just means that the individual does not want to do it . So no excuses, was simply unclear as to what my first blog for the year 2013 should be.

Now here I am, getting back to the basics and writing about how to build ones stamina to run longer. I really would just say its all in the mind but for some reason no one seems to trust me when I say that. So, sipping my 3rd green tea of the morning, I contemplate retrospectively over the things I knowingly or unknowingly did before I started my running. I feel "hmm makes some sense".

Running " Suicides " - Something I love to do, This is the first step towards getting to love running and starting to run efficiently.  For all those who think running is not their cup of tea. "Running Suicides" a very simple technique to develop stamina (endurance) needed for longer runs. Don't be taken aback by the name, you will know why this routine is called so when you do them.

How do you run suicides - There are a lots of variations but I just stick this simple routine. And since I figured it out :) will surely talk about the reasoning behind how these help in building our stamina.

Running Suicides

• I place 2 cones say 60 feet apart. 
• Start running from one of the cones (c1) towards the other cone (c2) at a reasonable speed, not fast at all. A jog is also fine.
• Once I reach the c2, get down swiftly touch the c2 and run back to c1.
• Get down touch the c1 and run back to c2 without stopping.

To start off, I did 4 reps between c1 n c2 at slow speed (jog) followed by 2 reps at good speed followed by 4 more reps of jogging and 2 reps at good speed and so on. As I always say finish strong, end your run with 2 reps of at good speed. So basically 4-2-4-2-4-2.

How this helps, lets say I prepare myself for a 20 minute run for the first time ever, what am I thinking, 20 fucking long minutes of running, feels laborious already. The enjoyment, which holds vital importance, is lost even before I start. So after say 3 minutes or so I am down n dusted. So I stop for a few, I may drag myself ever so slowly for a few feet then try running again only to realize that things are much tougher. The ultimatum is, I decide running is not for me.

With Suicides distance or time is not what I am thinking about, so "good mind set to start", then I start slowly and after the first 4 reps, I run 2 reps at good speed, n when my body needs a breather my next 4 reps of slow jog become my rest. I don't stop but I am still getting my rest as I run slowly until the next 2 reps of running a good speed. So my body gets used to resting while I run. Now after I do this for couple of weeks long runs become a piece of cake as I pretty much run at the same pace through out.

I am an outdoor person but for my friends who run on the boring treadmill (sorry I just hate running on the treadmill) you could still get this done, jog for a minute to 2 minutes (at say a speed of 6) then increase the pace on your treadmill up a few notches (say speed of 8) run 30 seconds then go back 6 for 2 more minutes. Repeat this cycle 3 or 4 times.

Couple of things to remember

1) Drink a lot of water 30 minutes before your workout. Have some carbs (rice, pasta etc) for the meal prior to the run. Bananas are very good. But nothing solid within 2 hours of the run.

2) Stretching is very important. I spend at least 15 minutes stretching my calf muscles, groin and hamstring. Prevents injury and helps me run better.

3) Repeat this routine for a couple of weeks then increase either the number of reps of quick runs or increase the total reps from say 4-2-4-2-4-2 to say 4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2 and so on. Then after another couple of weeks you are all set for a long run.

Running Suicides help burn a lot of calories quickly and those quick runs in between help us with what they call "fast twitch" the part of system that works with our ability to accelerate.

But honestly, all that this whole exercise really did was to help my mind believe that I could run too. So if you think you are mentally strong enough, fuck all this put your shoes on and just start running.

"The Whole world is my fitness center and Mother Nature is my Running Mate. And she is so damn beautiful"